Hosted Journeys to extra ordinary places
Cuckoo Safaris
- Office In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2019)
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $150 to $600 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
for a custom tour
Your request will be sent directly to the operator
If preferred, you can contact the operator directly
Reviews
Email Mark and Claire | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Absolutely superb in every department
Looked after us and gave us the best possible experience
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Email Catherine | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent service during a 7-night safari trip
Just returned from a 7-night safari trip in Zimbabwe booked through Cuckoo Safaris and they were fabulous to work with. I had so many questions and had to make several changes but Tatenda was always patient and willing to help.
After being picked up at Victoria Falls airport, we spent two nights at the Hwange Safari Lodge. We had three game drives during the two days and saw amazing animals. Our guide, Laz, was informative and knowledgeable. The lodge itself was beautiful and comfortable. The staff were so friendly and helpful. We are not fans of buffet meals and unfortunately, they seem to be the standard at hotels in Zimbabwe. We were able to order from an a la carte menu, and while it was limited, the food was good. The lodge has a watering hole in the back, so wildlife viewing was abundant right on the property.
We transferred back to the town of Victoria Falls and stayed at the wonderful Samanzi boutique hotel. This is perhaps the nicest hotel we’ve ever stayed in. Only 16 rooms, each with pool access and sun beds, and a beautiful attention to detail. The food here was wonderful, including cooked-to-order breakfast in addition to self-serve items. While in Victoria Falls, we had a tour of the falls with a terrific guide Simon; he was also able to assist us with several errands. We also had a sunset cruise hosted by Pure Africa which included canapes & drinks; the local gin is wonderful. Finally, we had an evening game drive & BBQ at the Stanley & Livingston game reserve. Our guide, Africa, did an excellent job and the food was tasty. We had one completely free day, and which we enjoyed relaxing at the hotel.
Finally, we transferred to the Cresta Mowana Safari Resort in Kasane, Botswana. Our driver, Shelton, handed us off to his counterpart in Botswana who helped us with the border crossing. We really appreciated this assistance; we could have done it on our own but having his experience made the process simple. We had two game drives in Chobe National Park that were guided by Figo. He did a good job with the drive but was perhaps a bit fast; however, this may have been because he knew we had seen a lot in Hwange and was specifically trying to find us a leopard. Cresta Mowana was our least favorite lodging location due to its size and food quality. This property seemed to cater to large bus groups and didn’t seem to know what to do with a group of just 2 people. Our final activity was a boat safari guided by July who was excellent finding and getting great views of the animals. He was very knowledgeable about the different species of wildlife. This was one of our favorite activities because we were able to see the animals from a different perspective.
We had one more transfer back to Victoria Falls airport with Shelton. Both he and Simon were excellent at sharing the local culture and customs. We enjoyed learning from them and getting a broader world view.
Throughout the entire trip we were able to be in contact with the Cuckoo Safari office through WhatsApp. All our questions were quickly answered, and concerns were addressed. I would recommend using them and wouldn’t hesitate to book with them again in the future. A huge thank you to all their staff for make our trip to Zimbabwe so memorable.
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Email Kathleen | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
They aim to please.
All of the drivers, Simon, Shelton and Louis were on time, friendly and knowledgeable. They gave lots of information along the way to our destinations. Safaris were high quality and well organized. All of the food was delicious. Our accommodation at Samanzi was incredible. My one complaint is that I wish information was given about the visa process. I had bought a single entry visa that was good for 60 days but since we crossed into Botswana I needed a multi entry. Because I had the wrong type I spent an additional $90 for 3 more visas.
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Email Bekah | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a Lifetime!
Our group of 8 booked a customized tour directly with Cuckoo Safari. They were able to accommodate all our requests and make this a trip of a lifetime. We would 100% recommend them - you will not regret it!
We really appreciate the choice of accommodations and the great communication. Simon and Tatenda were available to answer any questions quickly via WhatsApp. It was the best level of service we have experienced on a group tour. All our guides were spectacular - Blessing, Shelton, Bheki, Lewis, Teach, Evans and especially Simon-who was with us from start to finish and really went above and beyond to make the trip memorable and special.
The variety of activities made the trip an exciting adventure, from seeing the Big 5 on the Safari drives at Hwange and Chobe (Botswana) and the rhino walk (Matobo) to hiking the Ancient City, enjoying the dinner cruise on the Zambezi, hiking the beauty of Matobo, and experiencing Victoria Falls up close and by helicopter. Thanks Cuckoo Safari & Simon for the trip of a lifetime!
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Email Debbie | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great service with excellent accommodations and transportation.
The trip was amazing. Accommodations were top notch. Food was very good and reasonably priced. Everything was on time and delivered as described
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Email Marianne | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Smooth communication and qualitative tour
I am usually sceptical of organised tours, but I must say this one was really great in all aspects! The communication with cuckoo safari was very smooth, the operator (Tatenda) answered very quickly and was even available on WhatsApp if we had any questions during our stay. The overall planning was great and allowed to see a lot of amazing things while also having some time to relax (although it could be a bit harder for people with young children or elderlies as there are a lot of early mornings so it can be a bit tiring, but worth it I think). We always were only the three of us in all the safaris we did so it felt very private and exclusive. Everyone was extremely nice and punctual, and the accommodations were all very good as well. I highly recommend this company!
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Email Nico | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazin experience
I want to thank the company for this unique experience in which I felt safe and lived extraordinary moments, especially our driver Simone.
Email Lucy | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing experience and well organised
We had an amazing time on our 6 day safari and everything ran so smoothly! Our guides Simon and Tatenda made the whole experience so enjoyable, stress free and fun! All the accommodation was fantastic, getting between each location was easy and we had a blast!! We would definitely suggest using Cuckoo Safari for a Botswana safari as the company had everything perfectly organised, our guides were awesome and it is really good value for money compared to many other safari offerings in Botswana.
Email Phil | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent, well organized and helpful
We did the 12-Day Hwange National park, Victoria Falls, Chobe National park to Okavango Delta safari. This all went very smoothly from the start to finish. At the time of booking the safari Tatenda was very helpful in making some changes to the itinerary for us and answering all of our questions. Once the Safari started Simon really took care of us and was very attentative to my disabled mothers needs. He pushed her around in her wheelchair for the Victoria falls tour and was very helpful throughout.
We had so many great experiences on this trip, The Zambezi river cruise was excellent. We had plenty of big cat sightings in Hwange, Chobe and Moremi. We loved seeing he elephants cross the Chobe river on the Chobe river safari and were very excited to see a black rhino in the private resevre near Victoria falls. We also saw wild dog in Hwange and Moremi as well.
I would definitely use Cuckoo safari's again, it was one of the best holidays I have ever been on.
Email Stephen | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Tour, Wonderful Experience
We had an amazing 6 day tour with Cuckoo Safaris. The tour components in both Victoria Falls and Botswana were excellent. Accommodation in VF and Botswana were lovely and the itinerary had the right balance of activity and down time. Shelton, our guide in Victoria Falls was knowledgeable, on time and good company. The afternoon game drive and dinner in VF was a highlight.
The 3 days in Botswana was also amazing. Guides for the safari drives and boat cruise were excellent and we saw an incredible amount of wildlife. Each drive had something different that made it special in its right. The whole experience was something we will never forget.
Cuckoo were very good with communications. They were accommodating when we had issues with card payment and found a way to make it work. The assistance from the Cuckoo staff at the border crossing into Botswana made the things very easy.