SG
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unbelieavably beautiful country, world-class service
We all had an amazing time in South Africa, and have just been talking about it non-stop to whoever would listen, really!
My children (ages 7&9 years) just told me two nights ago that they miss South Africa - which shows how much your lovely country has managed to charm even the children.
Considering our group of 12 of two families (total six kids from ages 6-17 last year) and two grandmas were planning our holiday with AFRICAN WELCOME
SAFARIS all the way in Asia, Kathi Simon at African Welcome
Safaris was amazingly efficient, patient and knowledgable.
She even answered all our queries via email "real time", given our different time zones.
She was ever so thoughtful and took into consideration our party's diverse age group and interests, we knew that we were in good hands!
I wrote a gushing post on African Safari Welcome's FB timeline, although I would like to again applaud the wonderful team at Tintswalo especially Kaylee who is such a genuine sweetie, and Eric and Foster (whose game vehicle the four youngest children, Patricia and I had the joy to ride in -- they have such a respect and deep understanding of the animals and the bush, we were able to experience some
unforgettable animal encounters thanks to this dynamic duo!) and of course, the effable and knowledgeable guide in Cape Town, Rhys and of course our genial driver Victor.
Thanks to Kathi and her team at African Welcome
Safaris, her recommendations and efficient service. I have had several friends asking me for your contact and our itinerary after they saw our photos posted on FB, and I know they will be in good hands with their assistance.
Full marks and deep gratitude for the best vacation my family have ever had!
US
Experience level: first safari
Fabulous vacation; wonderful adventure
This was my favorite trip to date along with Tibet, which was also fabulous for different experiences. The entire trip was wonderful. Mark, with Odyssey Safaris, was great to work with. He was always easy to reach and so helpful with setting up our tour and answering questions. Could not have asked for anyone better. The trip to Kenya was outstanding even though the flights from the USA to Kenya were long. Everything flowed smoothly from the time we were met at the airport in Nairobi to the time we departed Nairobi. We felt safe the entire time. The lodges/tented camps were amazing with great meals and wonderful service. The people were all so friendly. Erastus, our guide and driver, was the best. We were four gals on an 8 day private safari and he had a great sense of humor and made the trip a lot of fun. He also had a great eye for spotting animals and thus we saw different animals & birds on each of our game drives. We saw 4 of the big 5; missed our leopard by 2 minutes but saw a cheetah! All other animals you would hope to see were everywhere in their glory! I would recommend everyone check out Odyssey Safaris if you are looking for a wonderful tour with easy and great planning, scheduling, lodging, meals, service, amazing game drives and an overall amazing experience.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Masai mara, nakuru and samburu
absolutely marvelous, masai mara, nakuru and samburu were awesome, the driver was very effifient and knew all about wildlife and the scenery
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An exceptionally well organized and faultlessly executed trip, thanks to Kathi and Rhys.
I just cannot say enough good things about African welcome safaris. My experience of working with them to formulate an itinerary was just A+. The Garden route tour we decided upon was just perfect for us and they made everything so easy. Whenever I had a question Kathi responded immediately with an answer, nothing was ever too much trouble. The itinerary brochure for the trip was first class, it went beyond my expectations even providing me with a mobile phone from voda phone. It was also a good idea to pre-pay the day trips along the way and there was never an occasion that we did not have the passes required for entry. Just everything was super slick and went without a hitch. African Welcome gave us the best trip ever, worry free with all the i's dotted and the t's crossed.
And what feedback can I give you on Rhys!!!! - perfect, very knowledgeable, funny, helpful, flexible, well organized and the list goes on. I did have slight concerns, before the trip, about spending so much time with a "stranger", however, I need not have worried as Rhys very quickly put us at ease and we had a wonderful time. Rhys made very welcome suggestions and we actually ended up seeing much more than we had expected but in the same breath he always listened to our wishes and made sure that the day went the way we wanted it to. It was great to have a guide that knew the area and the history of the area so well. I had expected that when we changed to "day tours" in Cape town that we would have a different guide but we were delighted that Rhys would stay with us and that we would have the same vehicle.
Kathy and Rhys - thank you both for such a faultless tour, it was everything we had hoped it would be and much more. I know that Lorna and Ian would also like me to pass on their thanks - it could not have been better. Most certainly if we return to south Africa we would use African Welcome and most certainly ask for Rhys Bradshaw to be our guide.
PL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Traveling
Traveling through Namibia was a fascinating experience. I enjoyed my camping and accommodated tour, traditional, Namibian food prepared and served in an open air and wonderful outdoor atmosphere. I really enjoyed welcoming, friendly people and culture. My camping in Etosha was set up at Halali near waterhole and we spent most of the days traversing through the park from view point to view point, which was great! Although our group was travelling during rainy season I enjoyed viewing abundant wildlife everywhere! I also enjoyed coast and dunes, especially sandboarding in the dunes, even at my age as I'm considered a senior. Food served on tour was excellent, I especially appreciate quick, efficient and personal service, which I met at Wild Wind Safaris. Due to their efforts and their personal love for Africa, I have now Africa forever embedded in my heart and am already planning my next trip!
Elizabeth.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent safari experience
Safari multiways was booked for me by a tour operator. I was travelling alone and was met at Kili airport, then driven to Lake Manyaya NP with a stop for packed lunch along the way, overnight at a lodge and all day in Ngorongoro crater, overnight in the same lodge and back to Kili next morning. Amos, the safari guide, drove well and was informative about the places we visited and the animals and their behaviour- I learned several things. During dinner on the first evening we discussed the plans and timetable for the following day to ensure I was happy with the arrangements. Although there is always an element of luck on safaris and you cant be sure you will definitely see certain animals,Amos knew good places to go and was a good spotter - and thanks to his efforts and being in the right place at the right time we were lucky enough to have had lions right next to the safari vehicles and also got to see Black Rhino which isn't always possible. Packed lunches and plenty of water provided. Haven't done any other safaris to compare but was very happy with my experience (and friends who have done safaris thought it sounded good afterwards) and I would recommend it.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
An unforgettable trip of a lifetime!
David and I are very happy with our trip that Kathi organized for us ! From day one, I felt knew I was dealing with a very knowledgeable person, and appreciate all the personal attention to detail to ensure we had a great experience!
We fell in love with Cape Town! I enjoyed the Cape Cadogan because it gave us a look at life in the city, and not just on the waterfront where it is mostly tourists. We did enjoy going to the waterfront for our meals! WOW, the food is amazing! Even the food we had around the hotel was so very good! Fresh seafood at its's best.
The highlight to seeing such beauty throughout CapeTown and the Garden Route was having Rhys as our guide. He made the trip so interesting! He showed true professionalism and we truly enjoyed his personality and dedication to ensuring we enjoyed every experience! The Tsala Lodge could not be topped anywhere on the trip! The rooms are spectacular!
We loved the Michelangelo, and the fact that we could walk right into the shopping areas and restaurants. The Melrose Arch is fun and a great area to stay in.
The Sabi Sabi Safari experience spoiled us so much! Even the ranger, Alistair, said he had not had such experiences with one party's stay in the 7 years he has been a ranger! Leopards mating, Lions mating, Lions with their kill, their babies, Leopard with it's kill in a tree, all the big 5 in all their glory and more! The game we saw, and the quality of the viewing, and the fantastic ranger, Alistair,topped it all off! Our video and pictures look like National Geographic material! Alistair dined with us every night and that was a bonus because we were able to get so much information on the area and wildlife!
We loved the Victoria Falls Hotel! It felt like we were going back to Colonial times. Very regal, and the grounds were kept immaculate.
Just seeing the Falls, and doing the activities we chose, made the stay spectacular! We did the walk, the helicopter ride and the zip line! Super!
The first camp in Botswana, the Savute Elephant Camp was super! We loved the tents! Showering outdoors was a treat! The game viewing however was tough to beat after staying at Sabi Sabi!
The Eagle Island Camp was a wonderful safari experience! We loved being over the water! The first afternoon on canoes was a really fun way to introduce us to the delta! The next day we took an all day boat trip throughout the delta and had a picnic lunch on one of the islands. We went specifically to see Hippo and Elephant and we got to see them up close and personal! I named our boat the Hippo Hunter!
We have had a marvelous trip !
Thank you so much for everything, we will be back!
SE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Reliable, comfortable budget alternative
We used SED Adventures for 8 days with a group of 37 people. This was the second time we used SED, and once again we were pleased! The tour included safari, study visits to an orphanage, a hospital and a coffee plantatio, accomodatiob for 7 nights and transportation. We were all quite impressed with how SED managed to arrange everything in accordance with our needs as a big group. The food was delicious and the guides were friendly. If we have the chance, we will use SED again!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
African Welcome provided a truly magical and varied experience of Africa with true Professionalism
Magical Africa
Hi Alex,
We had a sensational trip.
Thank you for your professionalism and practical advice in creating our magical African Experience.
Having all transfers and flights between the Lodges organized and running to time took all the hassles out of our trip leaving us to relax and enjoy.
Your choice of lodges for the whole of our trip was excellent. Chapunga and N’kaya Lodges in Thornybush Reserve in S.A., although each different, were most enjoyable and comfortable.
In Botswana the Orient Express lodges of Eagle Island and Savute Elephant Camp in Chobe National Park were both excellent choices. Nygoma Lodge in the north of Botswanna with its panoramic river views and sunsets was a wonderful way to finish our safari. The food and service in all these places was excellent.
All lodges had fabulous staff - professional but also with that special touch of African friendliness. Knowing each of us by name and ensuring we were enjoying our stay was their top priority. The Rangers were informative and respectful of the animals creating an exciting experience but also mindful we were in the animal’s territory.
Of course the real adventure for us was viewing the animals in their natural habitat. Seeing the interaction of a baby elephant with its mother by holding her tail with its little trunk or a rhino feeding with its young or the lionesses getting ready for a charge were all special moments. How do we explain to someone the thrill of an elephant grazing on a tree beside our tented cabin or the roar of the lion kill which occurred across the river from our lodge? These were some of the magical moments we will never forget. The special touch was when we found out at the end you had been tracking our tour all the way to ensure everything went smoothly and it certainly did. Thank you Alex. We have no hesitation in recommending African Welcome to anyone who wants a hassle free and exciting tour of Africa.
Dianne and Aidan (Australia)
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A Warm Welcome
African Welcome Safaris planned a once in a lifetime trip for us to South Africa and Vic Falls. I worked with Kathi Simon and she was a big reason why we went with African Welcome after much research and deliberation. She constantly refined and perfected our itinerary to meet our needs and budget. She was very patient given all the requests I had for her and in the end made our trip perfect.
We started in Cape Town and our tour guide Rhys was a true delight. Nearly 2 years later, we still quote his anecdotes. In Cape Town we did a city tour, winelands tour and visited the Cape of Good Hope all of which were superbly planned.
We then continued our tour to Vic Falls (Zimbabwe). The accommodations were awesome and our 2 day stay there was magical. All our transfers were perfectly timed and everyone we came in contact with was super helpful and kind.
Our final stop in our tour was to Thornybush Game Reserve. The game viewing was spectacular. We spotted the big 5 twice in our 3 day visit and saw many other animals as well. Our hosts were quite possibly the nicest people I have ever met and they made us feel at home in Africa.
Overall, Kathi did a first class job in planning our vacation. She gave us a lot of useful tips and was amazing to work with. At one point our hotel charged us for Wifi which didn't work and we told our guide and he told Kathi who then called the hotel and had them refund our money. She truly looks out for her clients and makes sure that everything goes without a glitch.
If you are looking to book a trip to Africa, make sure it's with African Welcome Safaris.