This Tour Is Offered By
A Leading Kruger Park Safari Specialist
Shinzelle Safaris
- Office In:
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 2014)
- Tour Types:
- Customizable private tours and fixed group tours
- Destinations:
-
ZA
Shinzelle Safaris is an award winning Kruger Park safari specialist. With over 30 years experience in Hospitality and 17 years experience conducting open vehicle safaris in the Greater Kruger Region, our team is committed to delivering unforgettable safari experiences. Our packages have been carefully designed to ensure you get the most value for money without compromise on service quality. We pride ourselves on offering a wide range of carefully crafted Kruger Park safari options.
Reviews86
RU
pleasantly surprised
I want to say a huge thank you to the company for organising this trip! It was our first safari, and honestly, I was quite nervous beforehand. There were so many similar offers, and we chose this one almost at random out of around 50 options. I was worried about the organisation and whether everything would be as promised. In the end, it exceeded all our expectations. If I could give it 6 out of 5, I absolutely would!
Our stay at Leopard Lair Lodge was amazing. The lodge is small, cosy and beautiful. We had an entire house to ourselves, a swimming pool, delicious food, and incredibly friendly staff.
The safaris were also very well organised, with great guides who knew how to find animals and made the experience really interesting. The Panorama Tour was another highlight. Apparently, there were no other bookings that day, so it turned into a private tour just for the two of us, with our own guide, at the price of a group tour. It couldn’t have been better!
The only downside was the transfer between Johannesburg and Kruger National Park. The journey takes around six hours, and the minivan was extremely uncomfortable. On the way back, we were sitting four people in the last row, with very little legroom, our knees pressed against the seats in front, and no reclining seats. After six hours, it was genuinely exhausting.
My only request for future trips would be to reconsider the transfer arrangements. I understand that minivans are commonly used, but perhaps fewer seats could be installed to provide more legroom, or fewer passengers could be booked so that the last row doesn’t have to be used.
Apart from this one issue, everything was absolutely fantastic. Thank you so much for giving us such an unforgettable first safari experience!
CH
Amazing Safari Experience – Highly Recommended!
We had a fantastic experience with Shinzelle Safari!
Everything was well organised from start to finish, and they took care of all the details, making the entire experience easy, smooth and stress-free. We could simply relax and enjoy our safari without worrying about anything.
A special thanks to Jeff, who looked after us throughout the experience and made sure everything went smoothly. His attention and support were truly appreciated!
Overall, a wonderful experience and a great team. We would definitely recommend Shinzelle Safari to anyone planning a safari in South Africa!
CL
An unforgettable experience with Shinzelle Safaris from the first contact to the last day
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Danielle and the entire wonderful team at Shinzelle Safaris for organizing our 6-Day Luxurious Kruger to Canyon Safari Adventure.
We traveled from Chile, a country located thousands of kilometers away from Africa, so at first we felt uncertain about booking a safari with an agency on another continent. However, from our very first contact, Danielle gave us complete confidence and peace of mind. She always responded to our questions promptly, kindly, and with great professionalism, allowing us to prepare for this trip with total confidence.
Once we arrived in South Africa, everything was perfectly organized. The accommodations were excellent, all transfers were punctual, the guides were professional, attentive, and passionate about their work, and every detail of the itinerary had been carefully planned.
Thanks to Shinzelle Safaris, we enjoyed an experience that exceeded all our expectations. The game drives in Kruger National Park, the breathtaking scenery along the Panorama Route, and the outstanding quality of service made this trip an unforgettable memory.
We congratulate Danielle and the entire team for their dedication, commitment, and exceptional customer service. We wholeheartedly recommend Shinzelle Safaris to anyone dreaming of visiting Africa, especially travelers coming from countries as far away as Chile. With your team, we knew we were in the very best hands.
Thank you so much for making our dream trip come true! We would not hesitate to travel with you again.
Patricio Peña & Pamela Reyes
🇨🇱 Chile
ES
Tour guide Excellent. Administrative client attention very poor.
Jeffrey did an amazing job with full day Kruger Park, 5 stars. However client attention is not as it should be, they didn’t send any follow up messages for confirmation, I had to do the follow up even 9pm the day before the tour started.
Furthermore, Blyde River Canyon tour is super overrated, it should not cost more than full day at Kruger (€100 per person) since its only a drive to the places and payments of very cheap entrance fees.
We did couple of tours with other company, and client attention eclipsed this one, sorry guys, for that 4 stars maximum
Strong Safari Guides, Very Disappointing Hotel Experience
Our experience with Shinzelle Safaris started very strong. We booked a 4-Day Kruger, Canyon & Boat Tour through them at what was described as a “Luxury Safari Hotel.” The itinerary was beautifully designed and was the main reason we chose this operator over others. Unfortunately, parts of the experience did not consistently meet the expectations we had.
Several communications were sent shortly before activities and contained multiple typographical errors, which made us feel uncertain about details. As this was my first safari, I would have appreciated clearer and more detailed communication in advance. Our package included dinner with a limit of R395 per person, but this detail was not clearly explained to us in advance, and we only became aware of certain limitations during the trip. Drinks, including water, were not included, which we discovered when we received the bill. Clearer communication about meal inclusions and limits from Shinzelle would have helped set expectations and avoided confusion. When we raised concerns about our hotel issues during the trip, Shinzelle did respond and assisted, which we appreciated at the time.
Most of our disappointment related to our stay at the Radisson Safari Hotel. In our experience, the property did not match what we personally consider a “luxury” standard. We were placed in a small ground-floor room at the back of the property. The accommodation photos shown in the itinerary did not reflect the type of room we received at all (nor were room categories ever mentioned or upgrades offered). The room itself would not have been an issue for us had it been clean and had we not experienced the other problems.
The floors in our room were so dirty that our clean socks turned black shortly after walking around the room. We had to raise this concern four separate times before it was properly addressed. We also noticed what appeared to be mold or dirt (gross looking either way) in and around the shower area, which we also pointed out to them, and despite requesting extra towels more than once, we did not receive them during our stay. Additionally, after using the pool, there was dark residue on my skin after touching the pool edges, which made me concerned about the pool’s cleanliness. Overall, we felt there were major management and service consistency issues at the hotel during our stay.
We had dinner at the hotel restaurants each evening and felt that there was major room for improvement on the service side. On one occasion, we asked for dessert multiple times before receiving it, and twice we were served incorrect items. The food quality varied from meal to meal. We did find the Pegasus restaurant to be better than the main restaurant. Again, nothing to drink was included in the bill and had to be paid for separately.
While many of the issues occurred at the hotel itself, our contract and booking were with Shinzelle Safaris. We raised our concerns during and after the stay and requested a partial refund specifically for the hotel portion due to the cleanliness and service issues described above. I followed up multiple times by message. After initial responses, communication stopped and we did not receive further replies regarding our request. From our perspective, the matter was not resolved and we did not feel our concerns were meaningfully addressed.
On a more positive note, the safaris themselves were excellent. Our first evening game drive was phenomenal. Our guide, Shane from MyAfrica, was outstanding. He actively tracked animals, positioned the vehicle carefully, and made a clear effort to give us the best possible sightings. We were fortunate to see four of the Big Five, including a leopard at close range.
Our full-day Kruger Safari with Jeffery from Shinzelle was also wonderful. He was knowledgeable and shared valuable insight about the park and wildlife. We also joined a half-day Panorama Route tour. In our personal opinion, this portion involved a lot of driving, and for us the highlight was Blyde River Canyon Reserve. We probably would not do this day if we were to book again. Our final morning private reserve safari with Tasmin again from MyAfrica, who did an overall excellent job, was another excellent experience, where we saw four of the Big Five, including an entire pride of lions.
In summary, the safari guides and game drives were the highlight of our trip and truly memorable. If we had not experienced the hotel issues, it would have been an otherwise great trip. However, the accommodation problems, communication issues, and our feeling that our concerns were not acknowledged or properly followed up on left us disappointed with our overall experience. We understand these things happen, but it is in my opinion, they should have done more to better address the situation. Afterall their website states: "We pride ourselves on our dedication to guest experience and service excellence. Your comfort, safety, and enjoyment are our top priorities, and we go above and beyond to make your journey seamless and unforgettable."
Reply from Shinzelle Safaris
Posted on May 11, 2026Thank you for taking the time to share this, Graciela. We are sorry your stay did not reflect the experience we work hard to deliver. The concerns you raised about the Radisson Safari Hotel, including cleanliness, room standard, and service consistency, were heard and taken seriously. Following persistent feedback that the property was not meeting the standard our guests deserve, and after the hotel failed to address the issues to our satisfaction, we discontinued this package entirely. It is no longer offered. We are glad the safari drives and your guides left a positive impression. That part of the experience is what Shinzelle Safaris is built on, and we will not compromise on the parts that surround it.
