35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Amazing Safari with Great Prices and Great Planning!
I've visited Africa every year for the past few years (6 trips total) and this was my 4th trip to Botswana. I've booked with several different tour operators, and I can't say enough about how great it was to work with Safari Lifestyles.
I did all of my planning via email with Roger, and he was incredibly helpful from start to finish. He gave me lots of advice and suggestions on which camps to visit, and being that Safari Lifestyles works with so many camps, there were a lot of options and Roger could give unbiased advice. He listened to what I was most interested in and told me which options he thought would suit me best.
We decided on 3 camps - Lebala, Machaba and Splash. Lebala and Splash are both run by the same company, Kwando, and I've been to some of their other camps in the past. When all was done, I compared Safari Lifestyles' prices (averaged out for the whole trip, per person, per night) vs my trip from 2019 booked with another company, and the prices from Safari Lifestyles were significantly better. That was impressive considering that on this trip I had one more flight (camp transfer) than in 2019. If I remember right, Roger did break out the prices for the transfer flights separately, but on my 2019 trip the tour operator bundled everything together so I didn't know much much the transfers cost. So for the sake of comparison I combined everything, and as I said, Safari Lifestyles was better.
As far as the safari itself, we had an amazing safari, to the point of being spoiled with sightings. I think it will be a very long time before I have a safari with this many unique sightings. It was unbelievable to pack so many events into the trip. For example we watched male lions competing for territory at Lebala (roaring, chasing, and a brief fight), and there was a couple on the truck with us who has been visiting Botswana 1 - 2 times a year for 19 years, and they said this was the first time they ever saw that from start to finish. Not to mention many leopards and cheetahs. Cheetahs are my favorite, and we saw them on almost every drive at Splash. We also saw two separate packs of African wild dogs, including hunting lechwe and fighting with a hyena. I couldn't have scripted a better safari.
At Machaba, the camp manager, Shaun, guided for us. We really enjoyed spending time with him, and he couldn't have been a nicer person. I felt like he loved being out on safari just as much as we did, and that he really wanted us to see as much as possible. He made a really touching video of our sightings and shared it with us on our last morning, it's one of my favorite memories of this safari. Our guides and trackers at Lebala and Splash were also great. I look forward to seeing them all again on a future visit.
After this trip I'm confident that Safari Lifestyles is knowledgeable and reputable, and I look forward to working with them next time!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Everything we wanted
Our guide, Ezekiel, was amazing and he catered to exactly what we wanted. When we said we wanted red bananas, he stopped and got some that day. He also brought us to a tribal village to visit when we said it sounded interesting. When we said we wanted to go shopping at a local place, he brought us to a great one. He is also one of the best guides around, and knew where all of the animals were hiding/ sleeping. Other guides looked up to him and asked him for help when their trucks broke down and asked where the elusive jaguars were. We were so lucky to have him!
HU
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
IN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Beware of this fraudulent agency
They don't organize any tours themselves and are just a broker who work with tour operators.
Beware of such fraudulent agencies, as they will not be available on phone (only way to reach them) after you have made the payment. NONE of the terms and conditions agreed upon will be honoured, and you will be at the mercy of the actual tour operator, who might just decide to extort more money at the time of starting safari.
FR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very good value for money !
Perfect, great food and nice driver. Observation of many animals and perfect camping nights. I recommend Nelson and Focus in Africa!
3-day safari from Serengeti to Ngorongoro crater. Everything went very well, the driver is kind and helpful and is happy to comment on our stops and observations. The cook spoiled us with generous and typical dishes, morning, noon and evening! The two nights camping under the tents were incredible. We saw many animals and breathtaking landscapes. If you are an adventurer and have a tighter budget, you can go to Nelson with your eyes closed!
(automatic translation from French)
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience!
We had so much fun on the Safari and learned a lot too! James was very patient and informative. He was also very knowledgeable and mindful of appropriate safety measures. Definitely recommend him and the company!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Lake Manyara National Park by Stephen Clemenson
Same as above
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Arusha National Park by Stephen Clemenson
After the Serengeti and Ngorogoro Crater, nothing could compare.
FR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
CA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing!
Let me start by saying that the Kruger 4-day safari with Wild Wings Safaris (WWS) was the BEST EXPERIENCE of my life!!
Before booking with WWS, we reached out to 6 other tour operators for similar safari options. Most of them were more expensive than what WWS was asking for pretty much the same thing (transport from/to Johannesburg, accommodation in the park, food, and guide for 4 days). We decided to book with WWS due to our limited budget. I didn’t know what to really expect to be honest. Here's what we got:
1- Our guide Sam was simply the best (24 years of experience)!! By day 2, we had already seen 4 of the Big 5. We saw animals up close which was UNREAL! Sam knew Kruger by heart! If you ever get Sam as a guide, consider yourself the luckiest person ever!
2- Jacques (our private cook) was wonderful! He cooked us homemade traditional South African meals every day for breakfast and dinner! I totally did not expect that! I knew that breakfasts and dinners were included, but I though it was going to be something really basic like sandwiches (which I would’ve been fine with). However, what we got was FAR from what we expected!
3- Transport from/to Johannesburg was great! Drivers showed up on time and the cars were comfortable and modern!
This safari was worth every penny spent. Please save your money and avoid overpaying by booking with different tour operators. In terms of cost/value, you can't go wrong with WWS!
Highly recommended!