African Big 5 Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 2010)
- Member Of:
- Southern Africa Tourism Services Association
- Tour Types:
- Mid-range tours with set start dates and a fixed itinerary
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $85 to $100 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
Email Kate | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Dream Come True
My 78 year old Mum and I went on a 'once in a lifetime' safari to Kenya using African Big 5 Safaris and it was a dream come true. Our guide, accommodation, safaris, meals, group size and communications were brilliant. Highly recommend this business!
Excellent!!!
Being in the hospitality industry I was thoroughly impressed with the level of service and professionalism encountered during our trip. The guide was highly qualified and experienced and made the trip into the Kruger very informative and enjoyable! Will recommend to anyone!
Email Glenn Whittaker | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Boy Hood Dream and Bucket List Number 1
Wow were do I begin. This trip had been 53 years in the making. A boyhood dream and number 1 on my bucket list. It had only ever been a dream, and always seemed out of reach for me. From visiting and taking photos of animals only ever in Australian zoos and parks. It seemed I was only ever going to continue to do this. Well 2016 was the year the stars aligned and in Sept I was winging my way across the country to South Africa to do a photographic tour with African Big 5 Safaris. Like I guess a lot of people I was extremely apprehensive of what I might see, and what might occur, was it safe. After arriving at Skukuza, I was met by Lourens and Armand who gave us the safety brief. After leaving the airport literally within 10 minutes into KNP we had seen 3 of the big 5. From then on it did not stop around every corner there was something different, and unexpected it was overwhelming. From watching a pride of 20 lions and their cubs playing with the sun setting behind them in an African creek line on my birthday will be a memory I will never forget it is etched in my memory. Watching a leopard with an impala kill in a tree for several hours come down out of the tree and come and then sit less than 5 metres away from our car, it was that close that my camera gear struggled to focus. Travelling to see my favourite of the big cats the cheetah and a cub playing in its natural environment right in front of me. Then watching a pack of hunting dogs come out of creek line after a kill and run along side us for several kilometres while we were in the middle of them. Is this all real, was I in a dream. Then sitting by a creek line watching, crocodiles, elephants and buffalo interact, while taking photos of a lilac breasted roller on a branch, then have two giraffe run behind you playing less then 20 metres away. Ok now down to the southern end of the park, to witness white rhino roaming freely when will it stop? Unfortunately the last day had arrived, I did not want this to stop, and as we were making our way back up to the airport we had to stop in the middle of the road as a herd of 40 elephants and their young trumpeted, played and looked for food surrounded our vehicle less than 10 metres away. Then as a last thing stopping on the causeway back to the airport for 10 minutes and just watching hippo, elephants, buffalo, impala, vultures in the creek line and the sound of silence. The trip was overwhelming and it met all my expectations and then some, from the smooth booking, process and flights to the pick up at the airport. To the stupid questions I constantly was asking Lourens before the trip being answered promptly even while he was conducting other safaris. To the effort these guys took to locate animals and get the vehicles in the right spot for the best photo possible oppurtunity, without causing stress to the animals at any stage. I know they were enjoying it just us much as we were. They were extremely professional in every thing they did. Meals and accommodation was wonderful, and at know stage did we want for anything. Helping with photographic tips and improvement was wonderful as well as the gimpro attached to the vehicles. I now have 5500 photos to process. So to finish up would I travel with Big 5 African Safaris again absolutely, they were professional in everything that they did. The safety of their guests and the animals was always paramount. If at any stage you have thought about doing an African Safari do not put it off just do it. I have be bitten badly by the African experience and am trying to get back as soon as possible and am planning my next trip as soon as possible.
But in the meantime I have 5000 plus photos to remind me every day of my time in Africa with African Big 5 Safari's, thank-you guys for making a boyhood dream and number 1 on my bucket list come true. I will be for ever happy and grateful for the memories and experience you showed me.
IN
Email Vikas Jain | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Awesome. Arman, our safari guide, was awesome
All great and as promised. We were a family of 9 and we booked the trip online from India without any agent. Everything progressed smoothly.
Email Britza | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Most exciting adventure ever with the best possible guides who spotted animals galore for us.
Excellent, couldn't have hoped for more. I learned heaps about Kruger and how the animals work. The tour exceeded my expectations with information and photographic advice as well as great service by out tour leaders and the restaurants we ate in.
Email Mike Bream | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Absolutely brilliant. I learnt a lot about my camera and photography in general.
I was apprehensive about going on this safari as my photographic knowledge was limmted but I need not have worried as Laurens helped me gain so much knowledge and experience in the time i spent with him. It will not be the last safari i do with him. We were exceptionally lucky to have him and a very knowlegeable guide/driber in Bernard. Their enthusiasm was great. We saw the big 5 every day except the day of departure when we only saw 4 of the 5. The photographic opportunities were endless and i believe I got photos that I could only dream of seeing on postcards. Worth every cent.
Email Nick and Jacqueline | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
First timers - Chobe
A safari, something that had never really crossed my mind, it was something other people did! We were pondering a holiday and Africa was mentioned, we visited a travel expo in Perth and one of the first displays we saw was Lourens Lee and African Big 5 Safaris. We stopped and chatted and were pretty much hooked. It all sounded too good to be true....we booked a tour to Botswana, staying at a lodge on the Chobe River, the trip included a day trip to Victoria Falls and a village tour into Namibia as well as a multitude of river cruises and game drives.
We met Lourens a couple of times before the trip and were amazed not only by his attention to detail but with his absolute interest in making sure his clients had the best trip ever, he didn't disappoint!
The trip to Botswana went by in a flash, and we were soon ensconced in our little piece of Africa.
The next morning we left in darkness - a holiday where we were happy to be up before dawn - for the park entrance, the image of a herd of elephants crossing the river in the pre dawn light is firmly embedded in my memory, as is the flurry of radio traffic telling us about a leopard, this led us on a wild ride back to the sighting and well worth it it was. We saw two Honey Badgers including one with a kill and I was also stared down by a Cape Buffalo after using 'the facilities'. The river cruises had their own allure, we got up close and personal to crocodiles, elephants and hippos and the African sunsets over Chobe were something to behold.
We managed an extended game drive and whilst straining our eyes for any sign off wildlife, we managed to spot an anti poaching patrol 'camouflaged' in the trees, their boss was not too impressed that they were spotted by a group of tourists!!!!
The Chobe wildlife was a great introduction to Africa and coupled with the trip to the Victoria Falls had us hooked, any concerns of it being too good to be true were blown out of the water, Lourens was a great guide, spotter and his knowledge of these locations was second to none.
Wildlife documentaries haven't been the same since.
Lourens and African Big 5 Safaris will only leave you wanting more.....
Email Nick and Jacqueline | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Kenya and Tanzania - amazeballs
Our second African adventure and it didn't disappoint, from sitting out on our luxury tent deck at midnight listening to a roaring lion across the Sweetwaters watering hole to a wildebeest stampede past a coupling lion and his lioness and the weird excitement of a wildebeest being held by a huge croc in the Mara river, Kenya and Tanzania didn't disappoint. Lourens leaves nothing to chance and with his experienced game drivers is a fantastic guide, knowing many great secluded areas to see a wide range of Africa's finest. We saw way too much too list in this review, the only things we missed were Wild Dogs and another Honey Badger!!!
The accomodation was excellent with different amazing sights and sounds at each 'campsite' there was also a great selection of good food at all like locations. We wouldn't hesitate to recommend African Big 5 Safaris to anyone planning a guided safari.
Email Julie | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A Namibian safari- journey through a wildlife wonderland!
Our African Big 5 Safaris trip to Namibia and South Africa was an amazing experience. The organisation of our trip was first rate from the incredibly varied itinerary, allowing us to sample a range of different regions throughout Namibia from the beautiful vast Etosha Pan to the stunning landscapes of Damaraland, the harshness of the Skeleton Coast, the desert landscape of the Sossusvlei, the wild Fish River Canyon and finally the beautiful remote Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park; to service provided by the tour operator. The communication line was always open- both before and during our trip- and our wishes were catered for very well. I wanted to see meerkats and an excursion to see the Meerkat Foundation was organised and on the itinerary from the outset.This was an amazing experience - one I will not forget. All travel arrangements during the tour - airline tickets, safari vehicles - were efficiently organised. We were met on arrival in Windhoek so there was no hanging around wondering and waiting, it was straight into our safari. The accommodation organised for us could not be faulted. It was extremely comfortable and there were no hitches at all. Likewise the food was well organised and any personal requirements - vegetarian etc were well catered for. The game drives were an absolute highlight. Lourens' knowledge of the African wildlife was excellent and provided a good insight into understanding the countryside. His photographic expertise also meant that there were plenty of opportunities to get those wonderful precious shots of the game to keep as memories of the trip. Having someone who understands Africa so well as African Big 5 Safaris means that you will have memories to last a lifetime. There were many different types of activities offered to us so you didn't feel like you were doing the same thing every day. So if you love wildlife, the wild African landscape and want a memorable safari experience African Big 5 Safaris are the way to go.
Email Charles & Jan | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Have been twice & hope to repeat .
Were the highlights the migration in Tanzania , being bogged in Kenya with the Jumbo's approaching,or buzzing the Ostriches off the dirt strip so we could land !?? It was all great ,exciting & 4/5 star all the way . Please Lourens devise a new Safari (not in the desert ) So we can start a new adventure !.