An amazing Safari experince in a beautiful and comfortable setting
When we arrived at the Lion Sands lodge, we were immediately greeted by a heard of wild elephants grazing in the dry riverbed right next to the common part of the lodge. That amazing sight was just a taste for what we had in store. Over the next few days, we were able to see all of the "Big 5" thanks to our knowledgeable guides and trackers, all from the relative comfort of our jeep.
The facilities are all top notch and everything worked quite efficiently, which is not always the case in the middle of the jungle. the food was wonderful and the staff working there are all very friendly and helpful.
All in all, I can HIGHLY recommend the Lion sands game reserve to anyone thinking of going. While there are cheaper game reserves in the Kruger park, there are few better.
video of our safari: https://vimeo.com/14495537
Pictures of our Safari: http://www.flickr.com/photos/downeym/sets/72157624700900975/
Mahale is a unique safari destination
There are no driving safaris in Mahale. You are on lake Tanganyika on one end and a very dense forest on the other. Viewing the chimps requires hiking to find them. Some of the hikes can be difficult, so you should be in good enough physical condition for the hiking. You cannot hike deeply within the park without a park ranger and guide. When not hiking, you can sit on the beach, kayak, snorkel, bird, and or relax.
Tanganyika is famous for its chiclids, so grab mask and snorkel and see them! The water is nice and calm.
Other than the Chimps, there are not a lot of large mammals to be seen. There are other monkeys in the forest and you may see an occasional hippo in the water, but that's about it. If you want to see the big 5, this is not the place. You can combine Mahale with another park to see the big 5 and to make a more complete Safari experience. For chimps in the wild, Mahale is amazing.
Review about Tanzania by David
Amazing safari parks, lots of diversity, beautiful views, amazing birding.
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Luxury Accommodation and Terrific Wildlife
We stayed at Phinda Vlei for three nights in Oct 2007. The accommodations were very luxurious and very comfortable. We were very happy with the game drives taken and enjoyed abundant wildlife sightings. Although a private reserve, it is still large enough with varied terrain to avoid redundancy when staying multiple nights. We'd certainly recommend it.
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about South Africa by rpgold
South Africa is easily reached from just about anywhere. Internal transportation is very well organized and efficient. It is also convenient to have a world class city like Cape Town to enjoy between safaris to recharge before heading back into the bush.
Review about Pilanesberg Game Reserve by Mark Ratcliffe
Good location next to Sun-city and located in a huge volcano crater. Stayed offsite at Bakubang which was pleasant but I prefer to be staying in the reserve itself
A special place where the best of African nature is coupled with luxury and personal hospitality
My wife and I were born in Zimbabwe/South Africa and have been fortunate enough to have had exposure to African wildlife and scenery from a very early age. We now live overseas and every year when we return we fit in a short break and Phinda has been our recurring preference. Each time we have stayed in the Forest Lodge camp, as our experiences have been nothing short of spectacular, and whils the temptation is to try something different, I also subscrive to when you find the best in class there is no need to change.
There are a number of things that make up a good wildlife experience and Phinda more than meets all of these criteria:
- the scenery is diverse, the multitudes of ecosystems at Phinda make it somewhat unique with the Sand Forests, the Grass plains, the rocky hills and the dense scrub in the north.
- The guides are superb, knowledgeable and engaging and I am continually staggered by the diversity of their knowledge and understanding of the animals, plants, behavioural patterns and local traditions. EVERY time we go, we learn something different...every time...I love that!
- The accomodations and the touch of personalisation and luxury of the camp. As I said, we live overseas now and have travelled a fair deal, what Phinda offers is a touch of class. The glass bungalows in the forest, the restuarant and bar areas, the infinity pool are all phenomemal
- The "unique" experiences. The evening bush dinners and mid game drive stops for drinks are fantastic. We also did the "Flight of the Fish Eagle" which took us north of the reserve and across to Sodwana Bay and back down the coastline whilst spotting whale sharks, turtles, hammerhead sharts and dolphins....superb
- The animals!!! By far the most impressive part of any trip. A lot of people write off the fact that a small piece of land has the big 5 all on hand, but at Phinda you certainly don't feel like it is a confined space. For visitors with a short amount of time it is fantastic that within a few game drives you can see what you hoped, and in our case we even got lucky with a daytime leopard sighting
One last comment.... I think one of the success factors of Phinda is that the pre-agreed rate and the lack of cash exchanging hands at dinners or on game-drives or at the bar ADD massively to the whole experience. The staff and guides seem to have a unwavering focus on making your stay as memorable and spectacular as possible. I think the absence of paying for things continually support this and guests can tip everyone at the end on departure.
Overall I can not speak highly enough of what Phinda offers. It is a special place, a chance to de-stress and take in the sounds, sights and smell of nature in it's finest. I have referred many people who have without exception had a fantastic time. It's a real gem!
Review about South Africa by Mark Ratcliffe
It offers a diversity of experience unmatched anywhere in the world. In a short vacation you can fit in a wildlife experience, visits to historical locations, play gold on some of the world's finest courses, drink some top grade wines and lie on white sandy beaches.
Ive seen it all but this was the best if you have a good guide.
From soup to nuts this place has something for everyone. If you dont care to see gorillas the birding is fantastic. All of the Bwindi park rangers are fine but if you can arrange to be with "Sunday" you will get 20+ years of Gorilla affection and understanding.
BE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
the ultimate Africa experience
Mashatu was recommended by friends who visited the reserve. They saw lot's of game but I was very interested in the leopards as I never had a good sighting of this shy animal. So we booked 2 nights in the tented camp. We had to drive 5 hours to reach the border on the Limopo river. We were 1 hour early (meeting point at Pont Drift was 1 pm) but a Mashatu-representative was already there to help us thru customs. The car stayed in South Africa. We crossed the Limpopo river in a cableway. The drive to the camp was already a gamedrive. Big herd of impala on the road and a cori bustard walking around. On arrival it seemed we were the only guests at this moment. The tent was perfect : a good bed and furniture. Toilet and shower were outside. There was no lunch on the day of arrival but no problem. We ate a light lunch in Alldays. At 4 pm we were ready for our first gamedrive. It was very hot and the car was open. So a hat was not a luxury. We drove quitte a while to see the first wildlife. The leopard I wanted to see was laying along a small river. Our guide drove towards it and I was afraid he'd scare it away. But it was very relaxed and we spend about 30 minutes there watching this beautiful animal. It walked even passed our car about 2 meter from us. We had 3 more leopard encounters later on. We also saw the wild dogs. They were very curious and came to our car to investigate us. About 8 pm we arrived back at the camp where dinner was served in the boma. The next morning we were woken very early for our morning gamedrive. Coffee, tea & biscuits were served before we hit the (dirt)road. Very special was the herd of elephants - all mothers with there babies. Our guide put the car on a strategic position and the whole herd walked passed us. Very impressive. Every gamedrive had something special. Like the cheetah with 5 cubs. On the last one we saw spotted hyena eating wildebeest. Lot's of vultures were waiting for the leftovers. The only animal we did not see was lion. They crossed the border of Mashatu. All gamedrives have a ranger/driver and a tracker in the back. In between the gamedrives you can relax, take a swim or sit in the hide to see more game. I must say it was a bit noisy there as you could hear the staff talking to eachother. But I saw a lot of kudu, impala and warthog there. Birds too.
Mashatu is a beautifull reserve but not cheap. One even has to pay for the drinks during the gamedrives. But if you want to see game ? Go there. It was a great experience.
