US
under20 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about South Africa by tapaculo99
Wildlife was amazing in the game parks - we saw something like 35 species of mammal in our 3-week trip.
Scenic beauty was great as well, especially in Kruger, Hluhluwe, and the Drakensberg Mountains.
Birding was excellent - we saw over 300 species during our trip, mostly without hiring guides.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Botswana by Yamil Saenz
The tour guides are very friendly and knowledgable.
They really know how to spot wildlife and how to position their vehicles to provide great photo opportunities.
To maximize your experience, let the tour guide the purpose of your visit.
They will be glad to assist you.
Don't forget to tip your tour guide!
I suggest at least $10 per person.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Service, timeliness, and courtesy brings us back to Bongani Mountain Lodge.
Bjorn assisted us with clear communication and was always at the ready to assist us with our return to Bongani Mountain Lodge, our home away from home. The food, entertainment, and game drives were more than we expected, as were the manager and staff. We spent time working at the primary school in the nearby village of Lepesi and were assisted in our efforts by management at the lodge. It is clear to us that our experience was life changing. What a blessing to be in Africa and enjoying the people and the animals!
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Trip of a lifetime!
This was my fifth trip to Tanzania and my second with Wilderness Legends Africa. I lead small groups to Tanzania for a combo of service and safari, so my group needs are more complex than a regular safari. Wilderness Legends has far exceeded my expectations on both trips!
They have been flexible in setting the itinerary, working within my budget, and have the best guides I can imagine. All my future trips will be booked with Wildness Legends Africa!
I have gone on safaris with them in Tarangire National Park, Ngoronoro Crater, Ndutu, and the Serengeti. While on safari, I watch other vehicles race around from animal to animal, like they are trying to check off a list and get back to the lodge early. With Wilderness Legends Africa, we've watched groups or individual animals for extended times, taking our time to really see the animals and how they interact with the environment and other creatures. It is during those times that we've often been surprised by something unusual, like male lions suddenly fighting and chasing another male out of their territory over miles of terrain.
Since my trips involve staying in a very small village, we've camped in Wilderness Legends tents and had meals provided by their cooks. The group was extremely pleased with the tents, cots, toilets, showers, and food.
The lodges/tent camps they have selected have been perfect for my groups-- some of which are teens and others are all adults.
Choose Wilderness Legends. You will have a trip of a lifetime!
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fantastic safari
Erick was an amazing operator. His drivers were very professional and got us the best looks at the animals as possible. Erick picked me up from the airport himself. The camps had everything we needed and the value I got for the money was second to none. It was so good I plan on using Ewamanns again next year. Rest assured you'll get great value from Ewamanns.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Denver was efficient & most accomodating. We'd a most wonderful time rivalving the big game safaris
Denver answers e mails, usually minutes after having sent them, even accounting for the considerable time change. The service was efficient and exceptional. The entire two weeks with him Exceeded my expectations. I was wowed with what we experienced. We unexpectedly flew from one park to another because he felt it was too long a drive for us. He is well connected and consequently we were lavishly welcomed wherever we went. My husband and I were in the Big Game parks in Kenya and Tanzania the year before but this gem of a tour took our breath away. The sights, the wildlife were up close and personal. We had never seen a lioness in hunt before and we spent a few hours mesmerized. Muvu game park made us wish we had booked a longer stay. This is a gem of a tour and we would Highly recommend it and Denver as we are ready to repeat this tour again.
PT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very good!
Very good service in general (booking, tour, informations...).
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Once-in-a-lifetime at Motswiri Lodge in Madikwe Reserve
Our Safari-With-Us trip and experience was fantastic! Your driver was on time, very friendly and a safe driver. Motswiri Lodge exceeded our expectations in comfort and service. The meals and room were great, and the animals made several visits to the on-site water hole.
The safari rides were exceptional--in three rides we got to see all the big five, had great weather, and just enjoyed everything.
Our experience was once-in-a-lifetime.
We will recommend you to anyone who asks!!
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Kruger/Victoria Falls/Chobe safari
We used Compass Odyssey to book our 11 day safari in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana and they were outstanding to work with. Within a day of sending an inquiry, Darren had responded with some initial thoughts and got to work putting together a draft itinerary. African safaris are not cheap and we had a budget, which Darren worked with to get us an incredible experience. We worked back and forth with Darren for several weeks narrowing hotel choices to fit our price range and include the experiences we wanted. After getting an itinerary in place, we decided to split time in Kruger at two different places and Darren quickly rearranged lodging so that we could experience different parts of the park.
The lodging options available to Compass Odyssey are excellent and we were able to have very different experiences at all four of our locations. While we chose more budget oriented options, Darren placed us in excellent accommodations that put us right in the middle of greater Kruger. He also chose accommodations that were run by great people that treated us like family. Where else in the world would someone make you a patriotic cake for July 4th (we are from the US)? Several of the lodge owners knew Darren personally and it became clear he had done a lot of leg work to get us the best experience to fit within our budget.
The safari itself was great and we saw every animal we set out to see. I recommend staying in different parts of Kruger or visiting several different parks because the terrain and animal viewing differs and it maximizes your chances of seeing everything. Food was excellent, accommodations were very safe and staff took good care of us. An African safari had been our dream for years and we it was even better than we had imagined.
My wife and I travel a lot, but this was our first time in Africa and the first time I had ever prepaid for an entire trip (other than a cruise). I was nervous about putting everything into the hands of someone I had never met on the other side of the and Darren was very patient with my questions and nervousness. Having completed a trip planned by Compass Odyssey I can say in complete confidence that you have nothing to worry about. Compass Odyssey will have all the details planned out from lodging to transportation. Darren is based in Cape Town, which we did not visit, so we did not get to meet him personally. On our next trip we plan to visit Cape Town/Namibia and go on one of the tours Darren personally leads.
I definitely recommend using Compass Odyssey for booking a safari in South Africa and surrounding counties.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Well organized with a personal touch
We booked our two week safari and beach tour oof Kenya, Tanzania and Zanzibar with Africa Mc. Flash. We had a fair idea of what we wanted to do, so we sent our outline to Peter and he did the rest. Everything was handled very professionally, our safari drivers were great, the choice of hotels were perfect and we got to do what we had planned for our tour. Despite short time, we saw all of the animals that anyone could want to see on safari, and we had a great relax in two different resorts on Zanzibar. I would recommend Africa Mc. Flash to anyone, although not as slick as some of the bigger operators, we got the presonal touch, which was much appreciated. All in all, top grade!