50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
What an incredible day, and we saw all the big 5!
We had the most incredible day with this group. They were friendly, knowledgeable and communicated extremely well. Right from our briefing the day before the tour through to the drop-off after the tour we were nothing but impressed with this team. Our guide went out of his way to show us the big 5, and had so much information to share about Ngorongoro and its wildlife. This was a dream come true day, we can’t recommend highly enough!
BM
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Took care of everything!
Chloe helped to design a customized itinerary for our 2+week trip to Southern Africa. Each place was unique in the experience we had. Each location had incredible hosts and safari guides that made the experience so memorable. Special shout out to the "Indiana Jones of Zimbabwe" who was our guide at Wilderness Linkwasha who along with so many other people made our experience so memorable.
All connections and the timing worked out well, so we didn't have a lot of downtime to wait for anything, other than the long ride home, being sad about leaving such an incredible place in this world.
Another point was that all of the places we visited were very quiet with the only people we saw on safari were other people from our small camps, so each day was very special. Only one place did we have more than 5 in the truck and we did have many days with just us in the truck with the guide. That is luxury!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Knowledgable and helpful making us relax
We had a great time and we were well looked after, because of the experience and knowledge of this tour operator we ended up having one of the best experiences of our lives. We can’t thank them enough.
Everything went as planned and the team that looked after us were great.
FR
under20 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Let's Venture Africa Safaris provided me with one of the most memorable experiences of my life.
Let's Venture Africa Safaris provided me with one of the most memorable experiences of my life. We spent over a week visiting Amboseli and Masai Mara and spent one day in Nairobi! Even though I had previously taken safaris in East Africa, this experience was extremely worthwhile and thrilling. The hotels were excellent, the tour guide and driver were very kind and made us feel safe and at home, and the budget was fantastic above our expectations. I will definitely use Let's Venture when I return to Kenya (which I hope I will) for a safari!
CH
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Superlative
Very attentive and competent guides. Very adventurous overnight stay in a tent. Punctual. Very good chef with local specialties. Cost appropriate to the service received.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent trip
Pick up from our hotel was convenient and punctual. From there paying was easy and the ride to Masai Mara was all taken care of. When we arrived we were dropped at our accommodation which was excellent. Our evening game drive was fruitful, our guide Solomon went to great lengths to help us see as many animals as possible. The main event the following day was the all day safari, again Solomon dug out to help us see all of the animals Masai Mara had to offer and really maximised our time in the park. Stopping to get us as close as possible for pictures and answering lots of questions about every animal.
BE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Sonja and no one else for a Zambian trip
Sonja is already super available throughout the creation of the itinerary. She is attentive to the wishes and type of travelers (we were traveling with a baby and she planned frequent breaks on our route)
She was available during the trip as well to make last minute changes. She even helped us with administrative procedures that we had to undertake following an error on our part. A real rare pearl with foolproof effectiveness!!! Thank you from the heart !!!
(automatic translation from French)
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A nice experience
I book this Safari remotely, after a bit of research I decided to take the safari with Big Time Safaris and I regret it not even a bit. I booked the 6-day medium-range package and it was great value for money, nice lodges and nice food. Big Time Safaris' staff is nice and friendly, we also had a great van driver. All in all good as a very pleasant experience which I may repeat soon!
IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Quick, seamless and very professional communication and deep knowledge on the Botswana’s top sights
Chloe has been extremely helpful right from the beginning offering very clear and concise clarifications on my questions and proposing relevant solutions to tailor the trip to our needs and desires
Chloe selected excellent properties and a fantastic trip, she was always available and promptly responded to any of our questions before and during the trip
Couldn’t ask more from them! OFF2AFRICA is an excellent operator which I highly recommend and hope to be in touch in the future if I decide to travel again in the region
NO
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An amazing trip with lots of activities, great people and service
Note: The following may seem detailed, direct and at times harsh. Please focus on the positives, because we are generally very satisfied with the agency. This is an attempt to be honest in an attempt at continuous improvement, and also to offer advice to other travelers.
Communications
- Meeting at agency office was friendly, we met the manager, who was very communicative throughout the trip, with quick replies on WhatsApp.
- Guides are not always reminding us tourists of the obvious: Always bring warm clothes (sweater/jacket, thin gloves, pants, etc) for morning drives, it gets surprisingly cold in the backseat of a 4x4 at 80 km/h 06:30. Also, boat trips sometimes lack adequate shade, so always bring sunscreen and sunglasses. And of course, ALWAYS bring binoculars (~10x30).
- Our drivers do not seem to know whether they or someone else will be picking us up the next morning. It makes it seem a bit disorganized, and we never really know whether we should say goodbye and tip them or just wait and see.
- Dietary restrictions had not been communicated to the chef at the Okavango delta camp, so one breakfast had yoghurt cereals which one of us could not eat, but went fine.
- The agency arranged bungee jumping for me, which I strongly recommend trying. The company in charge of the bungee jump has plenty of people involved, they film the safety checks, it is a big company in Victoria Falls, and you feel a lot safer than you would think when you waiver any liabilities.
Activities
- All our guides were local of the specific areas and were very knowledgeable about animals and all kinds of birds. We observed (and got the names of) 35 land animals and 49 bird species!
- First boat trip in Victoria Falls is ok, probably great if you like a free bar and socializing. For non-drinkers enjoying tranquility it is not the highlight of the trip. The bar lacked various juices and non-alcoholic beverages. But main problem is not the organizers but perhaps other tourists with a different focus than ours. We would prefer to either have more nature-watching or some tasting session of local fruits, berries, drinks, foods, etc.
- In general Victoria Falls as a tourist destination risks becoming too touristy. The government should better control it so that it becomes sustainable. Too much garbage in the streets, poor lighting for walking around in the evening, endless souvenir shops and westernized restaurants lacking local culture.
- Trip around the falls was nice, though the guide is not strictly needed. I would instead suggest Zimbabwe increasing the entrance fees and use some of that money on improving Victoria Falls. The obligatory group of local dancers on arrival at the falls is perhaps for some people enjoyable, but awkward for our group as there is the usual expectation for tipping.
- Game drives and boat trips in Chobe were amazing – do not miss them. Our favorites were the boat trips as we got to see a queue of buffalos running in the swamp.
- Walking in the Okavango Delta was thrilling, especially after sitting a lot in the previous days. Our guide Top Dog is a local with excellent English and knowledge of the species and places to go.
- What we miss from this otherwise excellent trip are:
o A tasting session where we could try local fruits, berries, vegetables, etc and some information about them. It should be an optional activity for us food-adventurous tourists.
o Meerkats should be part of trip. Had we known beforehand that it was not, we would have tried to plan differently.
Accommodations and meals
- Budget lodge/tenting is actually pretty good quality, and you usually get a clean toilet/shower. Tent beds are “proper” military grade beds with mattresses. Might get a bit cold at 04:00 in the morning so keep socks nearby. Otherwise quite warm.
- Victoria Falls (Shearwater Explorers Village): Very nice. Exceptionally clean in restroom/showers. Guards/staff walking by frequently, felt very safe. Was quiet at night. Breakfast ok and pool area nice.
- We recommend to try the Nyota Zimbabwean Cousine for some authentic, clean and family-based restaurant with a couple of cute cats.
- Kasane in Chobe (Kwalape Safari Lodge): Very disappointing. Needs new manager. 1) Dangerous small nails under bed frame that you might step on/touch. 2) Door to restroom cannot be closed without locked, and lock only on the outside! So can basically lock someone inside there. 3) First dinner at the lodge was disappointing and 4) waitress seemed to want us out of the restaurant as quickly as possible – even though there were empty tables. Bit too eager to take our plates, and did not seem to enjoy her job. 5) House cleaners too eager to make themselves present. Even on day of checkout (they should know) they drop by, wanting to clean when we are packing – then reminding us we are checking out… 6) Returning the towels for our deposit during our checkout took 35 min because the towel guy was late and receptionist did not have our USD 20. 7) Garbage in the otherwise nice gardens. 8) Faucet is inconvenient British style which makes it impossible to mix cold/hot water.
- Elephant Sands: The “tent” we got is huge, luxurious and has a nice view to the Elephants from a balcony. However, the water pumped to the Elephants is artificial, and you are guaranteed to see plenty of Elephants anyway on this trip. So try to arrange a trip to the place with meerkats instead of staying all day at the Sands, it gets a bit boring. Though interesting to observe the hierarchy among the Elephants contending for the little water available. Dinner was generally very nice except for the over-grilled steaks.
- Overstay in Maun at Audi Camp: Nice place.
- Okavango Delta camp: Bit small tent (2x2), could have been nicer with 3x3 for 2 people, but acceptable. Food made by Gee (woman) really good. Camp generally fine and organized. Bush toilet (seat + hole in ground) quite ok, but perhaps a bit too close to camp (not a big issue).
- Zimbabwean and Botswanan tour operators should not underestimate local cuisine, not all tourists want to eat European food when travelling to Africa.
Other experiences
- Garbage is a huge problem (everywhere in the world). It's sad when seeing it right outside (and sometimes inside) the parks. Local and central government must step up and fix this.
- Noise pollution is also becoming a problem. There are "constantly" helicopters flying around the Okavango Delta, too close to the ground, which disturbs people walking and the animals. The government should tax these helicopter flights more to reduce the number of flights, or force them to fly higher.
- We generally felt secure and safe in both countries. In particular in Botswana, we did not feel annoyed by anyone – everyone were so helpful and friendly. Also counting the days there after the trip.
Transportation
- Pickup from airport to the agency/hotel was on time, friendly and funny, and flexible enough to meet our request to drop by a local market.
- Drivers/guides MB and Francis were really nice, friendly and service-minded.
- Trip from Victoria Falls to Kasane/Chobe went nice. Vehicles are generally good, with the exception that there is often a safety belt malfunctioning. Road safety matters for many tourists. Air condition works well.
- Pickup from Kasane was 30 min late, with no notification, due to some border delay. Then some inefficient use of the time when withdrawing money/snacks-shopping. In general the agency needs a bit more effort on using the time wisely (African time can be cute but also frustrating for tourists).