Email Ross Watts | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
What a beautifully amazing and heart-lifting country to visit
South Africa was a life long wait to visit, but absolutely worth the wait. This country challenges your political and social beliefs in a good way; we spent our days divided between Durban and Johannesburg. A safari is on everyone's wish list and ours did NOT disappoint at all, while we didn't complete the check off of all the big 5, we managed 3 and heaps of them, plus many others as well. A visit to Soweto is probably even better, (if that's possible) than a safari and visiting the Apartheid, Mandela and Hector Petersen Museums was truely inspiring and educational and brought many memories of some of these events. WOW what a country.
Email Judy McLean | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing
Wonderful holiday with so much beautiful scenery ❤️
FR
Email Belyaeva Maria | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Extremely kind people!
Beautiful country to visit, busy should not stay in touristic places. Have to see authentic places. Local restaurants and bars.
NO
Email Atle Fossmark | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
All wishes came trough.
Excellent!!
Landed at Hoedspruit, and were met by an informative and pleasant driver, who took us to Kambaku River Sands. Met there by very pleasant hosts and staff. And our stay and bush drives were beyond our hopes and expectations. Elephants, antilopes and many other animals and birds were all around us at the Logde, and at the bush drives we had close encounters with all "the Big 5", and wild dogs, hyenas, giraffes, antilopes, sebra, hippo, crocs, turtles, eagles, owls, and other birds of pray and a lot of other animals and birds. A lifetime experience that will never be forgotten
Email Lesley Thompson | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very picturesque countryside, easy to get around and people very pleasant and welcoming.
We enjoyed a 5 day tour with Southern Africa tours. Travelling the garden route we visited a winery, ostrich farm, elephant sanctuary, suspension bridge, saw wild penguins and the big 5 animals. It was a lovely tour with many changes of scenery. The lodges and b&b were all very comfortable. The weather was excellent. Cape Town offered a lot to do. Would recommend staying close to the V&A which was lively, good shopping and we felt very safe there.
CH
Email John | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic wildlife sightseeing
Sabi Sand offers a high density and variety of animals as well as breathtaking scenery and lush nature. On our first game drive we saw all of the Big 5. Being in the reserve in early December, we happened to see many baby animals including young lions, elephants and giraffes.
The possibility of driving in open-air vehicles off-road makes the experience truly exceptional, as the animals are approached up close. Also this way it is possible to see animals (such as leopards and wild dogs) that do not tend to walk along the road. Finally, the company of experienced guides ensures an extremely enjoyable three-hour safari drive. Our stay at the lodge was very relaxing and made the whole experience wonderful. Definitely highly recommended.
CA
Email Sonia | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a lifetime
We went on an 8 day, 7 night safari in South Africa with Wandering Thru with stays spread out across two lodges. We stayed at Simbambili Lodge and Thornybush Lodges in the greater Kruger area. This was our first time going to Africa, and on a safari and it was the trip of a lifetime! Everything was amazing.
**We made sure that the lodges we booked weren't in fully enclosed reserves that are fully fenced on all sides entrapping the animals so they aren't exactly "wild" by definition as a result.
**We also made sure that the reserves we stayed at didn't allow hunting as we deeply care for the wellbeing and conservation of the beautiful wildlife.
We flew locally with AirLink from Johannesburg after spending the night at the Intercontinental at the airport to rest from our long international flight in. We found it to be very comfortable, safe and convenient. Road transfers between the two lodges were also very comfortable and safe.
Food was delicious everywhere, we drank the water and had no stomach issues, animal sightings were unreal! Surrounded by a herd of elephants, saw big 5, saw leopards almost everyday, lots neat birds, etc! The hospitality was incredibly warm, kind and caring. We felt at home and with family and friends everywhere we went. We didn't get any mosquito/tick bites but did take malaria as a precaution.
Would recommend to anyone looking to do a safari for a first time or not! We will return.
US
Email Tyler W. | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Beautifully diverse landscapes with very friendly people and awe inspiring wildlife
South Africa exceeded my expectations—the weather when I went on my Safari was perfect (85 F or 28 C). The people were especially friendly and accommodating, and overall seemed like a very happy people. The landscape was often pristine and green, especially as we approached the parks. My safari experience was incredibly easy to navigate with a pickup at my AirBnB and transport directly to our accommodations near the park. We saw lions, elephants, giraffes, warthogs, and zebras in the first day and many many more types of animals along the way—what an incredible time. The food was prepared by the local staff and we had a wonderful variety of delicious meals.
US
Email Brooke Baker | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing, would recommend and visit again!
We visited South Africa as part of our honeymoon and started our trip with a 4-day Safari/Panorama Route tour (with Wild Planet Safari). We could not have had a more excellent experience with our Safari. We booked a private tour which included a group night ride, and we decided to add a group bush walk as well. We did meet up and eat with other private groups which broke up the tour and allowed us to meet other adventurers!
Our guides were extremely knowledgeable on all animals, plants, and park/area history which was amazing when we had questions! They were amazing photographers (and shared their images with us after we left), and awesome cooks (all meals were great and made us feel like we were really getting a taste for South Africa). All of the guides were so friendly, passionate, and provided the most amazing experience to kick off our honeymoon we would recommend them for anyone traveling and trying to experience a safari. We saw so many animals (even a Cheetah, although we missed the elusive leopard, a reason to return :)) and the Panorama route was absolutely a gorgeous way to end our safari before returning to Johannesburg.
After the safari we flew to Mozambique and ended our time in Capetown enjoying some amazing adventures (paragliding, hiking Lion's head, Hermanus whale-watching, Stellenbosch wine tours). Would recommend South Africa to anyone who has enough time to travel from the US!
BE
Email Bart & Liza | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Hakuna Matata, wildlife heaven, just a magical journey ...
What an adventure! Hakuna Matata ....
After arriving in Johannesburg and exploring the city for 1 day, we flew to Hoedspruit. We’ve started with the Simbavati Trails Camp with glamping facilities and clear star skies in Greater Kruger (2 nights). We enjoyed encountering animals on short distances from small to big and to learn about their footprints and behaviour. After a scenic walk in the evening, we were surprised with a sunset Gin Tonic and a hot bubble bath under the stars. It was a unique experience in an unfenced Camp, where elephants drink from the swimming pool by night. The food served out of that basic kitchen was 1-star quality and versatile. Thompson is an excellent chef. The facilities were clean, confortable and we had everything we needed or wished for. The staff was outstanding. Donald brightened our days.
After 2 nights, we’ve moved to another area (Klaserie Private Nature Reserve) and the Simbavati Amani Lodge (also 2 nights). We had close encounters with the animals while enjoying the afternoon at the swimming pool. The water hole in front of the lodge is a dream come true. We had the feeling the whole Lion King movie just passed by ;-). In the morning and afternoon we’ve enjoyed fantastical game drives with drinks and snacks in-between. Our guide Julius was amazing. The facilities were luxurious, and we felt very welcome and as part of the Amani family. For us the combination of the Trails Camp and the Lodge with game drives was a perfect fit and the ideal combination between luxury and proximity to nature with close encounters. We always felt safe and got very close to those wild animals.
We definitely recommend Safaribooking and the team of SW AFRICA Destination Management and Simbavati Trails Camp and Amani Lodge. Everyone helped us to make our dreams come true.
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