NL
35-50 years of age
astonishing
7 day trip, good guide, good accomodations, good travel partner. Saw 4 of the big 5.
We did a 2day trip through a special gamereserve. There where the most beautifull encounters with wildlife.
US
20-35 years of age
Review about South Africa by Todd
I was in the bush for 5 days, and saw large amounts of wildlife every time we went out. Leopards in trees, elephants, rhinos, impala, lions, giraffe, zebra, hippos, etc etc.. even had a rare siting of 4 male cheetah.... truly amazing. The scenic beauty was amazing. It is a majestic feeling. You are a million miles from anywhere and you truly feel as if you are witnessing something spectacular. You get a feeling of being a part of something that is extremely secretive. Hard to explain, its just simply an amazing experience. You are in the back yard of these animals home. The colors of so many of the birds were just amazing too. I don't recall the name of the bird, but this one bird was a deep blue color and was just beautiful. Some of the birds are just huge too.
IL
under20 years of age
Addo Elephant Park full of lions.
Addo Elephant park is a beautiful park that have a nice nature view plus a nice wildlife scene. When I been in the park I thought I will come and because it's called "Elephant park" I will see a lot of elephants but actually my all time there I saw only two Elephants, but I saw a massive amount of lions.
When we drove in the park in the beginning we didn't see much animals or birds but then after couple of kilometres we saw couple of cars gathering in one place, we got there slowly and what we saw was one of the most beautiful scenes I ever saw, A lion mom I guess and her two grown old cabs (In a size of grown male but acting young) Playing with each other like they practising a fight; Every couple of minuets also the mom joined them and rested. after about half an hour we kept driving and we saw another male lion alone walking and after another short drive another group of lions sitting beside a tree.
The weather in Addo was clear and the road is very comfortable to drive on your own without 4X4.
Maybe I didn't see a lot of Elephants like I thought I would see, but in less then one day I saw a lot of Lions.
65+ years of age
A world in one country - from berg to bush to beach to battlefields - with friendly people.
South Africa offers the international tourist a wide range of national parks and game reserves across it length and breadth for tourists to experience game viewing in which everything from the big five (lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo) not to mention hippo, crocodile, cheetah, zebra, wildebeest (gnu) and a vast array of different breeds of antelope, including springbok and impala may be seen. The parks are also present a paradise for serious bird watchers. Coupled with this, whales and dolphins may be seen respective either lazing not far beyond the breakers in the oceans or surfing in on the waves and cutting away just before they break on sandy shores of rocky coves. The National and Game Parks have very different characteristics depending where they are located in the country, ranging from semi desert in the Karroo, Mountain Zebra, Camdeboo and Gemsbok National Parks, to the grass and bushveld mosaic in the Kwazulu-Natal Parks of Hluhluwe-Mfolozi, Mkuze, Tembe and Pinda to the bushveld of the Kruger National Park with its flanking upmarket private parks of Sabi Sand, Londolozi, MalaMala, Thornybush, etc., to the grasslands set amongst the yellow sandstone crags of the Golden Gate National Park, to the grassland of the Ukhahlamba-Drakensberg Trans-frontier Park straddling KwaZulu-Natal and Lesotho and with its Yellowwood scarp forests on its steep south facing slope valleys.
The scenery of the country ranges from the pristine white sand beaches and knarred, twisted and buckled mountains of the Western Cape, dating from when the Falklands were torn from the African continent (then Gondwanaland), to the stark and serene beauty of the Karoo with it unique vegetation and iselbergs, to the majestic basalt topped mountains of the high Drakensberg (+- 3000 metres)with their deep valleys with crystal clear waters, to the subtropical forests of KwaZulu-Natal coastal belt, to the bushveld of Mpumalanga and Limpopo which stretches the length of the Kruger National Park – a reserve larger than many countries. And yet this is not even half of it!
The climate, in Northern hemisphere terms, is nearly always pleasant. A winter’s day is generally warmer than a summer’s day in Europe. Rainfall generally occurs in winter in southern Cape with the rest of the country experiencing the majority of its rainfall in summer, and then it is often short and sharp where after the sun comes out again. It is not for nothing that South Africans generally prefer a braai (barbeque) any day to a formal inside meal.
A variety of accommodation is available for tourist from the most luxurious (and expensive) to the good clean but reasonably priced; be this within the national parks, along the highways and byways, or in the international cities of Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg.
Food to suit most, if not all tastes, is available throughout the country. To many locals eating out is a national pastime so finding a suitable restaurant should not be a problem! Many of the parks however require the tourist to bring in their own food as only limited food is available in the park. Best to check beforehand! With the odd exception, the local water may be drunk without any fear of after affects. Bottled water is however available for those who would rather not take the chance.
South Africa is served by an excellent infrastructural network with freeways or motorways in and beyond all the major cities; high class roads link them and offer the opportunity for those that would prefer to self drive with hire cars from Avis, Budget, Tempest and others. Major and International Airports serve the country and is by far the easiest and quickest way to travel around a country as large as South Africa. Apart from South African Airways and British Airways, there are budget airlines such as Kulula, Mango and One Time where a considerable saving may be made. While there are Greyhound and other bus services, this is perhaps the least favoured means of travel. There are however many tour bus company, both large and small, which the tourist may utilise if they are less adventurous and would prefer to leave their direction and choice of accommodation to others.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
These tours are wild!! Africa untouched!
My wife and I did a trip to Botswana with African Adventure Safaris last year and we were really blown away. It was our first time in Africa and we did not know what to expect, we were looking for a camping safari as this is the way that we like to travel in other countries and were a bit concerned in the beginning about camping in the wilds of Africa. Anthony really made us feel at home and safe and led us on probably the best trip we have ever done! We saw so much wildlife on the tour and went to some places where we did not see another tourist for days which is one of the things Botswana is renowned for. I especially enjoyed sitting around the campfire at night listening to the sounds of the bush and the stories that Anthony had to tell were amazing, he really has a passion for the bush and wildlife and we were lucky to have him personally guide our tour. We will definitely do another trip with him in Africa, he warned us that we would catch the Africa bug and we are definitely hooked!! The food was great, it is amazing what can be cooked up on the fire, we were expecting to loose weight! Our visit to Victoria Falls was great and it was also nice to have a bit of luxury at the end of the trip, we were really spoilt. Having travelled extensively in South America and Asia we were looking forward to something different and I know now why they say Africa is a must for all!! A big thank you to everybody else that made the trip possible, Ephram and Matanta in the Okavango and especially to Bev in Victoria Falls who made our stay there so enjoyable! We will see you again I am sure.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An Affordable and best Safari orgarnizer in Arusha
We did a 7days tour with Safari Trackers Adventures this May,We really had a great time in our holiday,I can highly recommend them to any one who wants to experience the beauty of Tanzania.
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a lifetime!
After having travelled a lot of the world I felt that Africa was missing on my map. I love to travel independently, but with Africa I thought I would be better off booking a tour especially as I wanted to see the wild and remote parts of Botswana. Friends recommended Anthony Washford and African Adventure Safaris, because they didn't only feel safe in the bush with him but also felt that they could totally be themselves and relax in his company. I also decided to go with his company because their itinerary covered unusual destinations with a ring of adventure to them: Central Kalahari Game Reserve, Nxai Pan, Khama Rhino Sanctuary. I loved the trip, its roughness, fun spirit, the camping adventure in the wilderness, nights around the campfire and the relaxed attitude. I left the tour having found new friends. Anthony burns for wildlife and will pass his passion on to you and offers you the opportunity to leave civilisation behind. I loved it and will be back!
FR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Small family-run but highly professional business
After excellent safari's in South-Afrika, Botswana and Namibia we did not expect too much of another safari in Tanzania (we basically went to meet some friends coming from another country): but what an experience it was. We saw, during our 8 day safari (in Tarangire NP, Seringeti NP and Ngorongoro NP), a lot of wildlife and the scenery was overwhelming. The driver/guide was highly professional, we stayed in good tented camps and lodges. The lunch box prepared by this company is the only one containing a small bottle of wine, which is very nice. We went at the beginning of the rainy season and we enjoyed this very much: no dust and not too many insects, and less tourists. We would like to go back and visit some other NP and we will do that with the same company.
IT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Accurate service and good price
We visited Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngorongoro (6 nights), sleeping in lodges and tented camps of medium-high level, with nice staff, good food and strategic position. We had a Toyota Land Cruise droven by an experienced guide, with complimentary Kilimanjaro beers always in the fridge. We were very lucky, wheater was very nice ( no fog in Ngorongoro!) and we saw lots of animals, including 5 leopards. I celebrated my birthday at Osupuko Tented Camp in Serengeti and the staff of Savannah Explorers managed the preparation of a surprise cake for me! Highly recommended Tour Operator for accurate service and good price.
35-50 years of age
Game Viewing on demand
When we arrived at the airstrip in the Selous and met our guide for the weekend, he asked, "what do you hope to see while you are in the Selous?" Being a veteran game park visitor, I aimed high...my response...wild dogs. He laughed and said, "we don't see those very often." We sent off for the camp, intending to do a bit of game viewing en route.
About halfway through the trip to the camp, we saw some vultures circling and thought we would follow them to see if there was anything interesting. Soon we came across a pack of 4 adult wild dogs who had just finished eating their share of an impala they had brought down. They were engaging in all their post feast rituals (wild dog aficionados will know what I mean), while a nearby hyena took over the carcass, continuing to force the vultures to wait their turn. We watched this game-scape play itself out for a while- the hyena got fed up fending off the large birds alone and eventually tore off a hunk of carcass for himself, and left the bulk of it behind for the vultures to fight over. I am not sure how long we sat there- could have been a few minutes, could have been all afternoon- we were mesmerized. When the dogs were gone and the hyena was gone, it seemed time for us to move on as well. Our guide then, with a grin on his face, said, “okay, I found some wild dogs for you, what would you like to see next.” Without skipping a beat, I responded, “mating lions.” He laughed, and off we went.
We probably drove only another 5-10 minutes when we came upon a pride of lions- 3 adult females, each with cubs; a total of 7 cubs, of varying ages. Wow, this safari was only getting better. For quite a while, we watched these cubs frolic and play, as their mothers dozed, but it was getting late and lunch was waiting, so we pushed on to the lodge.
As we approached the lodge, not more that 300 meters from the gate, we came across the mating lions. It was spectacular. We watched them for nearly an hour, forgetting all about lunch. The remarkable anthropomorphic behavior- she nudges him, “come on dear”, he grunts, gets up, walks around her, mounts, nuzzles her in the ear, she complains, he gets off and flops on the other side of her, in a state of exhaustion and she rolls over on her back, as if to say, “if I put my legs up in the air like this, I think I am more likely to get pregnant.” It was fascinating!
And all of this was just on our way to the lodge!
