DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Day trip to Augrabies Falls National Park
During our stay at Upington we visited Augrabies Falls National Park for about half a day during a normal workday. The entrance is located about 1 mile away from the visitor center. We were asked to fill out some papers with personal information. But the official registration was done at the visitor center. There we received some maps and recommendations for interesting places in the park.
The walk to the famous falls was very well prepared. It seemed to be newly constructed. The path was build of wooden platforms that were directly mounted on the huge rocks that lead towards the canyon. The falls itself were incredible because of their height and huge amount of water. There were also some trails directly on the rocks that led back to visitor center. Overall, it was easy to orientate.
At noon we had a lunch at the terrace of the visitor center. There are a lot of tables under sunshades. The service was very kind and the food was good. It was not very busy at that time in the park. No local tourists.
After lunch we took a dirt road to a place called moon rock. The rock can be easily climbed because it is not steep. At the top you have a very good overlook over the whole park and you are able to see the canyon in the far, the orange river and the contrast between green vegetation near the river and the desert around. The roads can be used also by not 4WD vehicles but you need to drive carefully and slowly through some water passages.
a fantastic relaxed visit at one of the most magnificent falls in South Africa
In general we love the SA NP's for all being very well kept and everything is in order and clean, meaning all the abolution blocks and the sites as well. Also the amenities as shops and restaurant makes it very pleasent to come and relax.
In particular the Augrabies was very calm and distressing. We felt very comfortable and relaxed there. Also we liked the nice paths to hike along the canyon and having special views there. The wooden boarded paths to the falls are very nice and comfortable. The spectacular views to the enlighted falls in the night was the culmination of our 2 night stay!
We came there 2 of us,andwe found very nice people - on my birthday night we have been then 13 people celebrating - all"strangers" who joined us - also this contributed to a fantastic experience in the Augrabies National Park and we for sure will come again.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Tanzania by rick harner photo
The Northern circuit of National Parks has a great diversity of habitats which enables a diversity of birds and mammal species. You can easily see over 250 species of birds and 75 species of mammals including the Big Five in a two week period.
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Botswana by tosakan2000
A stunning landscape with many animals and much excitement.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Namibia by Annette
Plenty of wildlife and gorgeous scenery, and few people. Roadways are easy to navigate.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about South Africa by Florian
South Africa offers increadible sceneries, not only inside Kruger National Park.
Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Personal service
I have had contact with this operator 3 times since 2005 and cannot recommend him highly enough, the personal service from the operator cannot be out done. Patrick is a vast knowledge and will enhance any trip you will take.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent Safari With Extremely Knowledgeable Guide
We booked an 8 Day Wilderness Tour with Brian. It was an excellent experience and we can highly recommend him. Our itinerary consisted of:
Northern Serengeti: Migration
Central Serengeti: Resident wildlife
Ngorongoro crater: The unique crater & its wildlife
Lake Manyara: Flamingos, lots of scenery
Tarangire national park: lots and lots of elephants
We managed to pack in quite a bit. Brian recommended that we fly in to Northern Serengeti from Arusha to start our tour and save time. This was a wise choice as the drives can be very long and boring. The scenery was absolutely astounding with amazing views of Kilimanjaro as we flew through the clouds. As we landed on the dirt airstrip we could see herds and herds of wildebeest. We got stuck in to the action and on the very first day, we saw wildebeest, giraffe, antelope, zebra and had a beautiful sunset on the way home. We finished the day with a Tanzanian shower, campfire and some great food.
The next two days were also spent in the north and we experienced the migration in full force, with a massive herd of wildebeest stampeding towards the river. It was a rush! Brian sped to the riverbank and we had an excellent vantage point to witness the massive herd crossing. You really have to experience this in person to get an idea of the scale of the migration!
On day four we made the journey to central Serengeti. It was long but unavoidable. If there is an opportunity to fly here it may be worthwhile. We finally arrived in central Serengeti late afternoon and did a short game drive. We saw Ostrich some bird life, zebra and antelope and had a relaxing evening by the campfire.
On day five we did a morning and afternoon game drive. We saw male and female lions and a leopard finishing off a kill. We also saw Baboons, Giraffe and Hippos. We had a bit of bad luck with weather in central Serengeti but we still managed to see quite a bit. Wildlife was much more sparse than in northern Serengeti due to the migration so it took a little more effort to spot interesting wildlife.
On Day 6 we travelled to the Crater. The scenery along the way is absolutely spectacular, and the scenery from the crater rim is even better. On the crater floor we saw flamingo, buffalo, hippos, rhinos (from a distance) and lots of other wildlife. You definitely should not miss the crater.
We finished up our trip on day 7 and 8 with a stay in a nice lodge which was flanked by some beautiful scenery and a drive through beautiful lake manyara and the tangier national park. We saw lots and lots of flamingos, baboons and many elephants. We also saw elephant bath time in the mud which was quite interesting, especially with Brian explaining why the baby elephants bath in mud. We also saw some female lions up close and got some great snaps.
Overall Brians hospitality was excellent, his camps were clean & well maintained, the food was great and the staff were very friendly. The vehicles were very well maintained, immaculate Toyota land cruisers with panoramic roof, bean bags for camera equipment and chargers. We had plenty of water too. This was definitely a major plus as we did see a lot of other vehicles in very poor condition with lots of tourists jammed in fighting amongst each other to get the best vantage point for pictures in their cramped rusty 4x4s. We had no such issues, we had the whole land cruiser to our selves and could take our time.
We can definitely recommend Brian and his team. Brian is incredibly knowledgeable and will explain specific animal behavior and habits as you encounter different types of wildlife. You won’t just be looking at the wildlife but you will learn about them in detail, their habitat, behavior, predators and prey. Thanks EWA and Brian for a great Safari!
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Everything worked like clockwork. Staff very friendly and extremely helpful.
I would have no hesitation in recommending Zim Travel. We were looked after very well and felt like we were with friends.
Apart from getting drenched at the Falls, which was our own fault for not taking advice, we enjoyed the trip and found Zim Travel very accommodating and lived up to expectations. Thanks again for making our holiday enjoyable.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
good service
i had a good time with ACS. i can recommend ACS to my friends.