Once in a Lifetime
I think this is the best trip I've had because I got experience things I had never seen before. Besides, how many people do you think have been on an African safari? Not many, I can tell you that. Basically, what happens is that your ranger does everything for you. He is your waiter, driver, bar tender, etc. You are always in good hands and I highly recommend going to Mala Mala. Here is an awesome video if you want to learn more about the lions: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1AqV-lwSfA
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35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about South Africa by jfcall1
South Africa is the premiere safari destination. The main reason is the density of the wildlife and the best safari lodges on the planet. I have been to 4+ lodges and the attention to detail, amazing service and knowledgeable staff stand out compared to Botswana or even Tanzania. I loved both but South Africa has this down to perfection.
The other main advantage are the large private reserves such as Timbivati and Sabi Sands. Limited to 2 vehicles per sighting, night game drives, going off-road and the ability to do bush walks set these destinations apart.
Review about South Africa by greenluvrks7
We saw so much wild life that it was extraordinary. I'm not very interested in birds, but we saw a good amount of them. Overall, I would give the experience a 5 star rating. Highly recommend it!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An amazing experience
I had a one day safari with a very experienced guide. I saw every animal I expected to see and more besides. I wasn'r realistically expecting to see cheetah in the southern part of the park and would have been fortunate to see leopard on my first visit. The highlight for me was not one but two separate packs of African Wild Dog which I wasn't expecting to see at all.
The animal and bird life I saw in one day was profuse and I took over six hundred photographs.
The Rissington Inn Hotel in Hazyview where I stayed was excellent. The accomodation was of a high standard as was the food.
Altogether a great experience which eclipsed all my other adventures in the Grand Canyon and Tokyo or Hong Kong.
Visitors to the southern part of the park must expect the heavy cover which is commonplace and not expect the open grasslands of say Kenya.
We hired a car from the airport at Joburg and the drive though tiring after our flight was easy even though some SA road signs are ambiguous or non existant in places. It is my second time in SA I loved my visit to the Cape and the wine tour I took but big game close up is an experience I wouldn't have missed for the world.
A Reserve like a Young Wine
Like all of AndBeyonds locations, Kwandwe is a high standard game reserve in a very beautiful environment. Food and acomodation was excellent. At the time of our visit (2007) it was still fairly new established with the game not yet used to the visitors and little bit "shy". Nevertheless we saw Lions, Elephants, Cheetas, Rhinos, Buffalos etc. It was an unforgettable experience.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about South Africa by Bill Siviter
In just one day I saw the complete list of big game apart from cheetah and leopard.
Giraffe were a bit thin on the ground and didn't get a close up view of them either.
Amazing Experience At Sabi Sabi (Earth Lodge & Selati)
I went to visit South Africa for 3 weeks this past spring. It was one of the best experiences I've ever had. Specifically the safaris were magical. I stayed in Pilanesberg for 3 nights and then moved on to stay at Sabi Sabi in both Earth Lodge and Selati Camp 2 nights each. The service at Sabi Sabi was far superior to the other lodge we stayed at in Pilanesberg. The guides were extremely knowledgeable and we say all the big 5 within the first day! The accommodations were beautiful and clean. The manager of the property, at each location, made our trip. They were SO accommodating and helpful. They seemed to truly care about our experience. In an unfamiliar environment like that, you want to feel like someone is looking out for you and we definitely did. I became very ill one night and the manager got up at 3am to come check on me and deduced that it was my malaria pills I was taking and suggested since it was not malaria season that I stop taking them immediately and she sat with me and gave me a rehydrate packet she had. Every day after that every staff member asked how I was feeling. It felt like a small family when we left. I can't sing enough praise for Sabi Sabi!
Review about South Africa by Lauren
South Africa was more beautiful than I ever imagined. I never thought I would see all the animals I did and even better get as close as I did with our skilled Sabi Sabi guides. We were within feet of every animal we came in contact with.
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20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Singita Sabi Sand Game Reserve by changm55
Both Exeter and Singita were excellent in their own areas of expertise. Exeter puts extra focus on the game drives and is much more aggressive in tracking down animals so if your main goal is to get in touch with animals, I'd recommend Exeter. Also the lodges are closer together so its better if your going with a large group of friends and you want to hang out. Exeter is definitely more suited for the younger crowd. Singita focuses more on luxury and catering to your any whim (i made the chef make me chicken nuggets). The lodges are further apart so its more suited for privacy/intimacy so accordingly, so the game drives were much more relaxed. My dad loves Singita because he enjoys calmer game drives and just wants to sit somewhere and be pampered.
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20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Life Changing
My experience at Dulini was amazing!! We spent 4 days there and our group was incredibly lucky to see many babies- including but not limited to baby giraffes, rhinos, hippos, elephants, cheetah cubs (super rare!), and adolescent lions. We were also able to see numerous hunts/kills including but not limited to a pride of lions practicing hunting techniques on a group of african buffalos, hyenas hunting, and cheetahs dragging their kill up a tree. It definitely brought a whole new meaning to the phrase "the circle of life" to me.
The scenery was expected. We went in Late August when the bushes were still kind of dead to avoid bugs and avoid the rainy seasons. Once the bushes blossom, there will be more bugs and our group was very bug-phobic. So it was perfect for us.
The accommodations were amazing. The only time I was worried was when I woke up in the lodge to see an elephant looking straight at me through a window trying to bump his tusks at the window trying to get through. I quickly ducked somewhere he couldnt see and after awhile he went went away! But besides that one worry about the window holding up against an elephant, everything else was 5 stars for sure.
If it wasnt for the 18hr flight required to get to south africa from california, I would definitely try to go again. The 18hr flight is definitely a killer. Next time I'll probably plan cut up flying to 2 parts and pit stop at another country for a day or two first.
Oh, did I mention our jeep rides, our group was chased by 3 elephants for a good 3 minutes? haha... Every single experience was pretty amazing there.
Some of my trip videos can be found on youtube (http://www.youtube.com/changm55)