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).
NO
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A surprisingly interesting trip with more animals than expected in a dry season
All the feedback can be summarized like this: Car, camp equipment, landscape/animals and guide named Voice are excellent. Food ok, shower not as promised but hygiene arrangements ok. Dry season makes it a bit harder to find animals there, but we still found plenty different species!
Detailed comments for the agency, and a few pieces of advice to other travellers:
Communications
- 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).
- Dietary restrictions (lactose-free diet for one person) had not been communicated to the chef at the camp.
Activities
- Our guide Voice was excellent. He worked very hard driving us around (6+4 hrs on the second day!) trying to find us animals and birds to watch. It is dry season so we knew it would be difficult to find anything. We were happy to see more than we expected. Unfortunately, no big cats but that is not your fault. Voice (and Left) also knew a lot of bird species and animals which was very useful. For our entire stay in Botswana we observed (and got the names of) 35 land animals and 49 bird species. So we are very satisfied.
- We also enjoy talking to locals about culture, society, politics, and getting to know people. We felt on the first evening that the crew were a bit distant; not socializing much. The chef (Rap) and the camp manager (Left) had planned to eat by themselves. We heard that this is because some wealthy guests do not want to have to eat with the crew. However, in our European and East-Asian cultures this is very strange, so we invited them to join us. Still, they did not seem very talkative, nor felt comfortable talking about their families, society or even sports. The second evening they opened up much more and we felt more comfortable. It is okay if they are introvert and shy. And Voice might be tired after driving so much. But I really hope they have not received instructions from Shipungo to avoid talking with the guests. Experiencing Botswana is more than just the animals. Especially since many of the animals are shy, so it would be nice to have some “entertainment” in the evening, such as just learning about Botswana.
Accommodations and meals
- Camp is of very high quality, and we felt spoiled being treated well by three staff. Bush toilet was good, tent was good, beds were good.
- We were promised in writing and with pictures that there would be a simple shower, but there was not. Voice explained that it is very dry there so water access is limited. Although we understand the situation, and we actually feel it would have been unnecessary to bring 50 extra liters just for a couple of showers, we felt a bit misled given what we were promised. They did provide water basins with a few liters of water for cleaning ourselves, but we did not realized before we left that we could have taken the supplied smaller towels into the water to clean ourselves. For the future, it would be advisable to remind the guests of this opportunity. We just used the water for cleaning our hands… It should also be said that we did not get that sweaty – either we are int the shadow of the car, or at the camp during night. Minimal personal hygiene is more about the private parts, underarms, feet and hands. Having a better setup for this would have been nice.
- Meals were decent, but not very exciting. Zimbabwean and Botswanan tour operators should not underestimate local cuisine, as not all tourists want to eat European food when travelling to Africa. We got spaghetti, rice, pasta and salad as accessories to our meat. Pap would have been more natural. Some other kinds of vegetables and starches such as pap would have been more exciting. We got such local food in the Okavanga Delta camp (another trip) so it is possible.
- Also, we were promised according to the itinerary to have dessert on the second dinner as well, but we did not get it. Even if I could not eat some diary products, my wife could have eaten it. Though there was plenty of food in total.
- We also informed beforehand that we would prefer the vegetarian sausages but we only got meat.
Other experiences
- Garbage is a huge problem (everywhere in the world). It gets sad when seeing it right outside (and sometimes inside) the parks. Local and central government must step up and fix this.
- Considering how important tourism is for the company and guides such as Voice, the government should disallow tourists travelling by themselves into the parks, or charge them much more than cars travelling with a guide. Those tourists leave very little money in the country, except for a small entrance fee.
Transportation
- Pickup was delayed 30 min, without us being informed. 20 min past we were informed by the hotel that they would be delayed 20 min… In the future, consider providing WhatsApp-contact information between guests and the crew for these things. Similar thing happened with another trip we went to (different company). And after picking us up, they went to collect water tanks and fuel, making us wait even further (collecting the water in the village near the park makes sense to do on the way, we are just referring to the water tanks). These kinds of delays indicate poor planning and lack of respect of the guests’ time. It would look better to arrange such things beforehand.
- Car has good quality seats.
- Much longer trip to the park than expected, but nothing to do about that. Bring an audio book.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fabulous!
If you want a wonderful trip, please choose Dancing Zebra Safari Co. What an amazing trip we had. Jessica made sure that we were able to experience all the different and unusual resorts and lodges we stayed at. The first stay was at a coffee plantation with lots of monkeys. I was sitting at lunch outside and one of the monkeys jumped up on our table and picked up the bread and started eating. Me being an animal lover, I was in heaven. I only wish I could have pet him. The second place we stayed at was a luxurious tent in the Serengeti, with a balcony, small pool and an outdoor shower. This is where we did all our game drives, and we saw thousands of animals every day. Our driver, Frank, was the best. He was fun, very likeable, and very knowledgeable about all the animals. We all sang the Lion King song in the Land Cruiser. Fun, fun and fun. We laughed so much. We visited a Maasai Village, saw how they lived and learned some of their customs, and we even danced with them. The third place we stayed at was an exotic British lodge in Ngorongoro, called the Crater Lodge. I felt like a Queen (Malkia in Swahili) there. We even had lunch in the Crater floor. And the fourth place we stayed at was the Baraza resort in Zanzibar. It was gorgeous. Everyone throughout our trip was friendly and respectful with big smiles. Jessica will set up your trip in Africa to fit your needs. I felt like we had a good taste and feel of what East Africa is like. I even learned a few words in Swahili. I will be booking another trip with Dancing Zebra to go to Kenya. Have fun. You will enjoy yourselves.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
The best plays to visit. Very affordable and convenient. It was a family trip and the kids enjoyedit
One of the best destinations I have been to. Kids loved it
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Exceeded our expectations
From the very first conversation with Albert at Aura Safaris, I knew that I had found the perfect travel agent. Albert really listened and understood what was important to us and what we wanted from our holiday. From the time I first contacted Albert to leaving for my holiday was a year and throughout that whole year, I had regular conversions with Albert and he ensured I had all the information that I needed to prepare even down to the weather and what I should be packing. Albert always made time to respond to my queries and questions.
The accommodation options that were selected for us provided a unique experience at each lodge. No two places were the same and were small and intermate providing a personalised and memorable experience. The quality of food at each lodge exceeded my expectations and was more like a fine dining experience.
Every last detail was considered and the whole holiday went so smoothly and without any issues. This was truly amazing given the multiple destinations and lodges that we went to. I love that Albert only recommends lodges, flight or transport companies that he has dealt with and can recommend, this made our holiday run without issues.
After completing our travel in Africa, there is not one change that I would have made. I can't thank Albert enough for providing us with the best holiday ever and amazing service. I would and have recommended Albert from Aura Safaris to family and friends.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Dickson was enthusiastic, considerate and well experienced
My friend and I went on the 3 day Safari and Village tour
Started in Nairobi and visited Masai Village- Day 1
Full day Safari with picnic - Day 2
Morning Safari & drive back to Nairobi - Day 3
Dickson, our guide was enthusiastic, and considerate. With him we saw 3 out of the big 5, but to no fault of his.