IN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Everything I'd hoped for, and more!
Phinda Private Game Reserve was the first stop on my South African Honeymoon trip. At the end of that trip, I joked to my travel agent that she should always schedule Phinda as the last stop in every tour since nothing you visit after that is going to match up!
Our accommodation was the Phinda Vlei Lodge - a luxurious secluded collection of six cottages with excellent views of the wildlife across the grassland while you take a dip in your private pool. Once you're done with that, the chef Happiness cooks up a stunning meal and later serves it with the biggest smile on her face.
And then there are the game drives. Our tracker and ranger, Muzi and Darren, made an excellent team and we saw a wide variety of wildlife on our six game drives, including four of the big five. We missed out the leopard, but our car did spot one on the first day when we had opted out of the drive as we'd travelled 18 hours to get there. Had we not been so tired (read: "lazy"), we'd have caught all of the Big Five.
The forest at Phinda is beautiful and varied. There's grassland, sandforests, hills, and such other beautiful variety of landscapes too. And the best part, easily the highlight of our stay there, was going for the optional Turtle Trip. Late in the evening, we were taken to Sodwana Bay and we spent a good three hours driving on the beautiful beach searching for turtles in the moonlight. It was a magnificent experience, bettered by the fact that we managed to spot a Loggerhead Turtle that had come on to the beach to lay her eggs.
If ever I get a chance to do so again in my lifetime, I'll definitely visit Phinda once again.
ES
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
SA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
it was wonderful safari but it was too expensive.
It was well organized from the beginning up to the end. Accommodation, I had to choose low standard one because it is too expensive, but it was fantastic. People are very friendly and helpful. The park is very beautiful and too many animals you could see. Food was good quality and quantity.
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A place we would go again!
South Africa had everything we could have wanted. To start with all the drivers were friendly and knowledgeable. We chose to go on a safari close to Cape Town and were pleasantly surprised with the accommodation, food, atmosphere and getting a chance to see the big 5. In Cape Town we had the best meals of our lives, eating lots of fresh seafood and local game. My wife enjoyed the shopping and walking around town. The areas were spotless, safe, and had a fun vibe. A must-visit is Robyn Island and the Desmond Tutu Foundation. I would recommend South Africa as a destination for all!
Review about Tarangire National Park by Jonathan
The elephants, the baobab trees, rivers, lush landscapes, and a beautiful assortment of wildlife made this a perfect place to start our safari. It isn't as overwhelming as Serengeti or Ngorongoro, but it is an incredible park and well worth the trip.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great way to spend a few days
Great location and amazing wildlife shown by very knowledgeable guides. Accomodation was good and service and good excellent.
Review about Ngorongoro Crater by Jonathan
The density of wildlife is unbelievable, it's almost overwhelming how much you see in such a short span of time. These were the most up-close and intense wildlife safari experiences.
One of the singularly incredible experiences on the planet
The landscape alone gives you chills, acacia dotting broad plains, with colours and imagery that might be familiar from a nature documentary, but feels deeper, maybe stretching back to man's history in this place.
And then you see the animals. First a giraffe moving in the distance. Then families of elephants, herds of wildebeest and zebras, warthogs, birds. Prides of lions, solitary leopards, mothers and babies. It's all here, and in numbers that make your jaw drop. And what makes it that much more incredible is watching the animals interacting, mostly ignoring your presence and go about their activities in ways that can't be experienced or understood in a zoo. The vastness of this place can give you goosebumps the entire time.
Come ready for heat, for flies, and for bumpy game drives. This is the wild, and it truly is wild, and it's absolutely worth it.
JP
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great
I didn't feel my life was in danger. However, there are many vagrants and many beggars. At the airport, you will be asked for a lot of tips. This was also an experience that made me realize the disparity. I was a little scared when I was asked to use marijuana only once. However, marijuana is not illegal in South Africa. Safari was perfect. I was able to see the Big Five. All the staff were helpful and friendly.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Premier Safari Experience in the World
When it comes to African safari's, there is just no comparison to the Masai Mara/Serengeti. This region is home to one of the last remaining expansive wild frontiers with herds of game animals in the millions and a combined territory of thousands of km of untouched natural bush. The variety of game animals is unmatched, all the Big 5 can be viewed in a single day, birds, crocodiles, the annual migration... Furthermore, the cultural aspect of being in traditional Masai territory and being exposed to the Masai people and way of life adds another element of interest to the whole experience. This park is certainly not a secret, however due to the expansive size and the abundance of game life, it doesnt ever feel crowded or like a large zoo, how some smaller fenced in game parks can feel. The sense of adventure from driving across the expansive plains, through rivers and viewing unique animal interactions is unmatched.