20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
5 months in the harsh but beautiful Makgadikgadi Pans National Park
I have been volunteering in Makgadikgadi Pans National Park for the last 5 months with the charity Elephants for Africa (http://www.elephantsforafrica.org/) so this review might be a little different from others. I arrived in Makgadikgadi at the end of May. Having visited other national parks one of the first things I noticed was the harshness of the environment. Around the Boteti river which has only started flowing in 2009 after 20 years of being dry there is some green vegetation but the further you go into the bush the drier to gets to the extent you start to wonder how anything can survive but out in the grasslands you can see gemsbok, steenbok, ostrich and the elephants and zebras making their long trek to the river. The river is where everything happens with large herds (sometimes up to 30 individuals) of male elephants playing in the river and cooling off. Since I have been here we have started seeing female herds moving into the area but they are very nervous around vehicles and tend to move off very quickly.
Lions can be herd at night and there is a local pride in the area but you have to work hard to see them. Early starts down at the river trying to pick up their trails are your best chance but like any safari it can come down to luck like when we bumped into two cheetah in the middle of the day. Wild dogs have also been seen in the area as well.
I'm not a birder but there is plenty of action down at the river in this department with fish eagles, lappetfaced vultures, tawny eagles and a mix of other birds to be seen.
The road network in Makgadikgadi isn't very extensive and if only here for a short period focusing time around the river would be the best use of effort. If you start heading North after the river or too far South of the Khumaga gate you just end up following the national parks fenceline. If you are staying for longer it might be worthwhile travelling east towards the pans and the open grasslands to get a feel for the harshness of the area. However, if you do this you need to be very self sufficient as there is not a lot of traffic in the park so if you get stuck you need to be able to get yourself out.
I stay in the parks area where the SKL office is but have visited the SKL campsite where they have a very nice ablution block where you can get hot water for showers and wash up after a busy day in the field. The SKL guys are also really useful. If you ever get into difficulty they have a vehicle and are willing to go and help you if you get stuck anywhere.
4wd is a must in the park as it can get quite difficult to drive in the sand.
In terms of weather it was warm back in May during the day and cold in the evening but now in October the temperature has really increased and has got up to 40 degrees celsius during the day and still warm during the nights.
In this park you really have to put the time in and if you are expecting to see lions and cheetah left, right and centre this is maybe not the right park for you. However, when you do get these sightings it makes it much more rewarding. That said I might be biased on this but there is nothing better than seeing a herd of elephants playing in the river in the afternoon and makes for some very scenic views.
Also something I forgot to mention but at the moment at the Khumaga gate because of the Boteti river flowing and vehicles being unable to cross there is now a small car ferry that charges Pula 130 each way which often tourists don't know about.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Always excellent. Bliss.
Always excellent. John is a great asset to the company he goes far beyond what other travel agents give. He advises and knows exactly the type of holiday my husband and I enjoy. Would always use John and have already recommended him.
NL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
As always perfect organized
After three previous tours with Matoke to Uganda/Rwanda/South Tanzania this time to North Tanzania. This private tour started in Arusha and then to Serengeti for 5 nights, 1 night at Lake Manyara and back to Arusha. The tent camps and lodge where perfect located. Transport was very luxurious for only the two of us and we had a very good driver/guide who spotted a lot of animals. After being on safari many times before this tour is one of the most memorable. In the past we started mostly before breakfast and went back to the lodge for breakfast and did the end of the day another safari. This tour had most of the days a complete day safari so we spend the maximum time in spotting animals.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
We have done two safaris with Wild Things in the north and south and enjoyed them both
Wild Things responds to emails very quickly with suggest itineraries and are happy to let you change and procrastinate as muh as you like to design the best trip. We found the service of their staff very good, and the same of the lodges they recommended. We first did a safari on the popular northern circuit, and saw everything we wanted - incliding a lion kill, so the 2nd trip we went to the the south where we also, somewhat surprisingly, saw almost as much, and several species we didn't see up north.
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very well organized, very service oriented and reliable
We got competent answers to all our questions and suggestions and Andre von Flotow our Guide made sure that we always received more than we expected to see.
To our advantage was that we travelled in the low season, so we had most of the excursions and activities arranged all to our selves.
We can advise anybody to travel with Impala Tours Namibia.
However we do advise fellow travellers to bring along the necessary time to explore Namibia.
By the way, the food that was served has always been excellent.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
24 years of top-class safaris
I first went with Bushbuck from the UK in 1988 and have been back many times since. It's great to lie in my tent in a truly peaceful African night and appreciate the atmosphere of the wild. All the guides have been professional, the drivers expert mechanics and the cooks are magicians. I love the flexibility of Bushbuck bookings; they will take me where I want to go and make all the arrangements seamless.
Their own camp sites in the Mara are wonderfully private, and that's what I prefer, but they do arrange for lodge-stays on request; the customer is king!
I have tried other companies, especially when I lived and worked for a few years as a professor in Nairobi, but kept coming back to Bushbuck for their reliability and personal touch.
I'd be delighted to recommend Bushbuck to anyone who wants to experience Africa, its scenery and its wildlife.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Dave is the Master of Masters
My wife & I had an ordeal getting to Kruger because of weather conditions at the end of our flight from the USA. Nevertheless, when we got into Nelspruit airport it seemed evident things were changing. Dave met us inside the terminal with a broad grin and a hearty welcome. He barely allowed us to touch our bags, taking them himself to his truck & loading them in the back. He was courteous to my wife and gracious to us the whole time of the tour, which lasted two days.
When I first booked the tour I selected Kruger Flexi Tours because of their attitude. We had an unforgiving schedule and we needed assurances as to being able to meet our return plane. Most of the other tours we contacted were set in their schedules and, while accommodating to an extent, did not seem interested in our business. Dave on the other hand had always the same response: not a problem, we'll do it your way.
From the moment we entered the park Dave seemed to have a sense where to find the animals and within less than half an hour we'd seen about 15 different species including 3 of the big five. When we found a Sable, Dave was ecstatic, since their sightings are so rare. He bought us a delicious lunch and by the end of the afternoon drive we'd found over 20 mammals plus many birds & crocs. His guide books were always handy as were his binoculars and his knowledge of the local flora and fauna always turned out to be accurate.
That evening, as part of the tour, we enjoyed a night drive with the rangers. We we returned to the camp, Dave was at our cabin with the makings of a superb braai which included T-bones, cold beer, veggies grilled in foil and his own mushroom grill. Amarula settled the evening & Dave left to stay with a friend while my wife & I collapsed into the cabin.
The next morning we awoke to find Dave out back with breakfast ready for us: oatmeal, fruit and assorted bread with milk and juice. We started our day with another drive and he went right to the lions we had heard since dawn.
After Kruger, Dave took us to the majors around the area: Lisbon Falls, Bourke’s Luck Potholes & the Blyde Canyon and God’s Window after which we ate at Harrie’s Pancakes. Despite the fact that two busses of tourists were crowded into Harrie's, when the lady saw Dave come in she made room for us right away.
The trip back to Nelspruit was uneventful and got us to the airport in plenty of time for out flight.
The cost of the tour was a bargain and having Dave with his local knowledge and enthusiastic companionship made it the best tour my wife and I have had in years.
IE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable Safari
I, Costanza and Silvia want really thank Nik for the love he transfers to us about nature, animals and the Kruger Park. It was our first Safari and it was a fantastic experience, we learned a lot and we met all the amazing inhabitants of the Kruger Park. Special and unforgettable the barbecue that Nik made for us in one of the incredible starry nights at the park. Company was absolutely great and we would like to thank also Irina for that. Thanks a lot also to Christine who worked for us and made this amazing experience happen to us. Thanks again Nik, it was a very big pleasure meeting you.
US
Superlative unbeatable wildlife viewing
We chose Mala Mala Rattrays because of its reputation for amazing wildlife viewing and we were not disappointed! Mala Mala has the Sand River running through it and abuts Kruger National Park. It is a huge private reserve (I believe it is the largest of the private reserves in the area) comprising 33,000 acres. Only vehicles from the Mala Mala camps are allowed on the reserve and they are allowed to go off road (unlike Kruger). There were never any more than 3 vehicles allowed at a sighting and we were frequently the only vehicle present. We chose to stay at Rattrays because there are no more than 4 people in each vehicle. The khayas are huge and luxurious with his and her bathrooms, plunge pool, and deck overlooking the Sand River. Mala Mala's motto is "It is all about the wildlife" and if you are interested in seeing the "Big Five" and more, this is the place for you. We were not disappointed! Highlights of our 4 night/5 day stay with our fantastic ranger, Greg Baldwin, were seeing a leopard dragging her freshly killed impala along the ground to a tree (our first night drive!) and the next morning (our second game drive) sitting among a pack of wild dogs as they consumed their kill and fought off a hyena. We experienced the excitement of following the dogs off road and watched them run down another antelope. The rest of our game drives were also wonderful and we had many leopard sightings, elephants, cape buffalo, lion, rhino, hyenas, warthogs, giraffes, mongoose, jenet, wildebeast, baboons, vervet monkeys, zebras, vultures, raptors, different types of storks, and a wide variety of antelope. I suspect that going during the dry season enhanced our wildlife viewing as the animals were mostly concentrated around the river. It is unbelievable how close you are able to get to the animals, just don't stand up in the range rover and you will be just fine. We appreciated the care the rangers took to minimally disturb the animals while we were observing them. You will be very very busy and we barely had enough down time to download our pictures between the early morning game drives, bush walks, meals, and night drives. Others have complained about the food which is served buffet style (we liked it just fine, we did have better food at other places during our trip to South Africa, but no place could beat Mala Mala in terms of the quality of the wildlife viewing and level of service and hospitality). If you want fantastic wildlife viewing that is unbeatable, come to Mala Mala! Yes, staying at Rattrays is expensive, but worth every penny!
US
Review about South Africa by vsalcreek
The wildlife was abundant and we experienced a very high level of customer service and hospitality at every place we visited in South Africa.