Sun Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 2002)
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $350 to $1,800 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
Email Matt | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Professional, friendly, and knowledgeable - Michelle's passion for game viewing is infectious
Our first safari experience was organised by the friendly Michelle Astbury - three nights at Naledi Bushcamp in Balule Nature Reserve.
While we were organising our safari two impressive aspects of Michelle's service stuck out - Firstly, Michelle's recognition that my partner and I liked to communicate over the phone rather than over email. Even though there is an 8 hour time difference between Cape Town and Melbourne, Michelle re-arranged her commitments in order to be able to call us multiple times when it was convenient for us, and at short notice. Because of her willingness, we were able gain huge insights into what sort of experiences were available to us, and fast-track our planning. We really felt Michelle shared our enthusiasm for planning our trip of a lifetime, and related to our position as first time safari goers well. Her passion for game viewing is infectious. Secondly, even though Michelle had plenty of recommendations, she never pushed a certain transfer company/lodge on us, and would willingly take on board suggestions for lodges/flights/transfers etc we had found ourselves and incorporated these into our short list of itineraries. Her email communication was frequent, friendly and clear- and continued in this vein after we had paid in full.
The accommodation that Michelle organised for us was in a beautiful setting overlooking the Olifants River with an abundance of game around even just the lodge itself, and had warm welcoming South African staff throughout. The transfers were reliable, comfortable, and safe.
Don't hesitate to reach out to Michelle or Sun Safaris if you are planning a trip to Africa - even if you just want to throw some ideas around and get a feel for your options. Thanks again Michelle :)
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Email Aneta & Scott | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a lifetime!
We just returned from a 3 1/2 week trip to South Africa, Victoria Falls and Botswana. Michelle Astbury of Sun Safaris organized an amazing itinerary for us. Our trip included numerous transfers, pick-ups and flights and Michelle's attention to detail ensured that everything went smoothly. Working with Michelle to design our trip was a pleasure. She was knowledgable, responsive to our concerns, and helped us make the best choices for a trip of a lifetime. We had a wonderful experiences at four lodges (Motswari and Arathusa in South Africa and Ngoma and Machaba in Botswana). Each lodge was a different experience, but all included luxurious accommodations, friendly staff and delicious food. And the animal viewing at all locations was terrific. Michelle also used her expertise to create great experiences for us in Cape Town, the Winelands, and Johannesburg. And uur stay at Oliver's Lodge in White River was a highlight.
We highly recommend both Michelle and Sun Safaris. We hope to plan another trip with them in the future!
AT
Email Joanna | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A Perfectly Orgainsed Safari
We have just returned from a 3 centre, 2 week, family safari organised by Michelle Astbury.
We had a really fantastic time and everything was perfectly organised by Michelle, who was extremely helpful in finding the best options for us as well as making sure that everything ran like clockwork.
She answered every one of our many questions and queries, helpfully and informatively, which was very much appreciated.
Her recommendations were perfect for us and we enjoyed the entire trip enormously, all the transfers and flights were easy and well orgainsed.
In all it was a fantastic experience, exceeding all our expectations and I would not hesitate to recommend Michelle of Sun Safaris.
This was our best family holiday so far!
Amazing safari experience
My husband just returned from a Safari in South Africa organized by Michelle Astbury from Sun Safaris and it was just amazing!
We were surprised about how easily Michelle organized everything for us, even though we had only contacted her 2 weeks before our trip. We weren't sure of what to expect but everything just worked out perfectly. We wanted a wildlife focused safari and had few days so she suggested going to two close but very different game reserves within Kruger. I’m really happy she did so because both experiences were wonderful and gave us the opportunity of enjoying different scenery and wildlife. On top of the short notice and the few days that we had, we were travelling with stand by tickets (airline staff tickets), so there was a chance that last minute changes might have been needed (thankfully we were able to follow our schedule as planned) .She relieved us from any worry and made herself available to us at every moment, making sure that all was taken care of and that no question went unanswered.
We loved the Panorama Tour and both the lodges she selected for us, Xanatseni (Klaserie Game Reserve) and Kambaku (Timbavati Game Reserve) were outstanding with lovely staff, and above that we saw all the wildlife we wanted (including the big five) and even more… what else can I say? we were pampered!
We strongly recommend Sun Safaris for anyone searching for a wonderful safari experience, they are efficient, friendly and responsive!
Thank you so much for organizing a terrific trip for us!
FR
Email Olivier | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
First but not last trip with Sun Safaris...!
Michelle Astbury was marvellous. She worked very hard to create a tailor made safari experience for my first visit to Africa, having paid great attention to my wish list, suggesting options and adapting the itinerary to design a 4 camp safari tour that gave me everything I wanted and more.... All the aspects of the organisation went smoothly including the transfers between camps and the extra excursion to the Endangered Species Centre and finishing with a stay in Cape Town. The camps she suggested gave me ample animal viewing and were very comfortable indeed. I hope to book through Sun Safaris in the future.
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Email Virginia | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Sun Safari South African trip
Every aspect of this trip was amazing. Arathusa lodge in Sabi Sand was just the best- animals every where and our room was absolutely amazing!! We felt like kings during the entire trip. We loved nThambo treehouse lodge too and the food there was really terrific. Cape Cadogan in Cape Town was so beautiful- our room was fantastic and the staff was excellent. There is nothing bad that I can possibly say about our trip and I can't thank SunSafari enough!! Liselle, our specialist at Sun Safari, came up with perfect trip for us and she was available to us via email by rapidly answering all of our questions. She was extremely helpful during the entire process. If I return to Africa, I will absolutely use SunSafari again to organize my trip!
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Email Walt Hess | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Sun Safaris will go out of their way to plan a wonderful safari experience
This is our second trip to South Africa using Sun Safaris and we went back to them because of the excellent service we received on our trip last year. We had two other couples go with us and they all enjoyed the entire trip. Our trip this year lasted 10 days, included 3 game lodges and every day was wonderful! I also recommended Sun Safaris to another couple (friends) and they are in Africa now doing basically our itinerary.
We initiated our trip with Jako and our details were handled by Michelle due to Jako's departure. She did a great job keeping us fully informed. The planning, scheduling and yes even the payment process was extremely easy and efficient, just as it was last year.
This year we went back to our favorite lodge, Arathusa, and visited two new ones based upon Sun Safaris recommendations. Ezulwini River Lodge was really fun. The staff could not have been friendlier or more helpful and the guide and tracker went out of their way to find us all of the Big Five. The next lodge recommended was Rhino Post, in Kruger. While I was initially concerned that visiting Kruger would be too restrictive (compared to the off road travel available at the other lodges) I relied on Sun Safari's recommendation and we were again extremely happy. Again, great staff and wonderful game viewing. Of course Arathusa was as expected, and our ranger Sean was wonderful, extremely responsive and passionate about his job.
We do not hesitate to recommend Sun Safaris as the place to go for a great experience in Safari travel. They are extremely friendly, responsive (even by returning phone calls to us in California) and efficient. Give them an opportunity to help you plan a trip of a lifetime to Africa; you will not be disappointed!
Email Kerryn | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A Great Experience
We recently used Liselle from Sun Safaris to co-ordinate a large portion of our 5 week trip to Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Mozambique (travelled April/May 2016). This was our first trip to this area but out second to Africa. We communicated with Liselle over 12 months to make sure our trip was exactly what we wanted. After much research and a couple of changes along the way I'm glad to report we had the perfect trip. Liselle was an absolute delight to deal with. Nothing was too much trouble and she always came back to us promptly offering suggestions and her own personal experience.
I've pasted my reply to her regarding our trip below:
We’ll start with Desert and Delta in Botswana..... This experience was wonderful – we absolutely loved Botswana. It was a great way to start our five week holiday. The accommodation, service and guides in all of these lodges were exceptional. The balance of 3/2/3 nights in each of the lodges was perfect. It gave us the opportunity to experience the best of each lodge. We particularly loved Savute in Chobe as the wildlife proliferation here was fantastic. We were fortunate to experience the migration of zebras, as well as seeing large herds of buffalos, wildebeest, elephants and good prides of lions. Every drive here was quite a wonderful experience. We also loved the smaller lodge concept as the service was personalised and it felt like we were treated as VIP’S. Flying between lodges was also great as it ensured you made the most of your time at each lodge.
The Illala Lodge was perfectly positioned in Victoria Falls. We were fortunate to get an upgrade here to a suite and it made for a very comfortable stay. We took the flight over the falls and this was one of the highlights of our stay.
Nottens was a lovely little boutique lodge. The Manager Dale and his wonderful staff made for a most memorable stay. The lighting at night time, superb food (some of the best we experienced on our whole trip) and really nice accommodation left a lasting impression. This lodge has got it right and we felt that it was value for money. Again the smaller lodge appealed to us. We met some lovely people over great food and great wine each night and the guide and tracker went the extra mile to ensure we saw maximum wildlife during our drives each day.
Massinga Beach Resort was situated in a really pretty place. This lovely resort (albeit is a 2 hour drive from Inhambane Airport) was very comfortable and had spacious accommodation. This was a perfect place for us to relax and unwind after 4 weeks of non-stop activity. The resort is a little isolated but we did do an afternoon trip into Massinga town one afternoon. Apart from that there aren’t any real activities outside of the resort. We enjoyed swimming, reading, drinking and eating to excess during our stay here. It really is a great location for honeymooners or for people wanting some downtime. A gorgeous little resort on a beautiful stretch of the Indian Ocean.
Africa has left an indelible mark on us again....we plan to come back in a couple of years time and maybe do the Garden Route and experience another reserve such as Timbavati. When the time comes we will be in touch.
Thanks for all your help in contributing to our wonderful holiday
FR
Email Jean-Pierre | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
What a trip
Reading through the reviews about Sun Safaris, it is surprising - not to say suspect - to see all these enthusiastic reviews. But I can confirm, they are well deserved, and I want to add another one. Two years ago we already had a trip organized by Sun Safaris and this year, once again, the result is beyond our expectations. Throughout the preparation of our trip and the many discussions we had, Michelle has always been attentive and very quick to answer our questions and requests. We particularly appreciated when, a few days before our departure, Michelle contacted us by phone to explain that a poaching problem had occurred in the area of one of our selected lodges. She suggested to modify our original plans and within a few hours everything was done. The trip went smoothly and our daughters lived a true dream. We already know that we will plan our next trip with Sun Safaris.
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Email Elizabeth | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Michelle Astbury came through on everything she promised!
Michelle jumped in when I found myself needing to book an entire week in one day. She kept her cool and suggested Shindzela camp to match my wants and she was right on! 11 guests, "tented" accommodations with luxury beds and open air showers; extremely pleasant staff. 48 hours there was perfect for four outings on Land Rovers where we counted 26 different animals we were shown. Drove into camp illuminated by torches with wonderful out door dinners. May be one of the most relaxing times of my entire life.
Michelle had every driver booked to get to airport and hotel we stayed in next in Cape Town and it was so nice that they showed up on time without me ever having to make a call! Smooth as silk. I didn't know there were travel agents like this anymore!