Reviews

Sort By: Date Most Helpful Rating 141-150 of 254 Reviews
pierandrea   –  
Spain ES
Visited: January 2019 Reviewed: Mar 4, 2019

Email pierandrea

it was a very nice experience at tremisana, great time and guides, marc’s much less nice
4/5

it is all pretty good, especially at tremisana was fantastic, amazing rangers and professional guides..lovely experience! marc’s was pretty poor

Andrew   –  
United States US
Visited: February 2019 Reviewed: Feb 25, 2019

Email Andrew  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Very fund 5-day safari
4/5

Had a great time with Viva Safaris. Did a 5-day, 4-night safari, with the first night at Tremisana Lodge and the last 3 days at Marc's Treehouse. The various drives and walks to see animals were fantastic. We saw tons of animals and had knowledgeable guides who could tell us a lot about what we were seeing (and find more animals for us). The trip to the animal rehab center was fun, too. All in all, the safari was very well organized by all the Viva Safaris staff. The food provided was also very good, and they were very accommodating with dietary restrictions.

The one negative would be the accommodations. Our room at Tremisana Lodge was in poor condition and the bathroom was basically in the same room as the bed. This may have been an outlier room at Tremisana, but it was still below expectations, particularly since Tremisana is supposed to be one of their nicer lodges. Marc's Treehouse also was a bit disappointing. Only a few of the cabins were true treehouses - the rest were just cabins made of bamboo and tree branches. And because the property is sprawling, some of the cabins are a 10-15 minute walk from the main lodge area, which was inconvenient and difficult to do with suitcases.

The staff at both lodges was fantastic, though, and helpful at all times. Viva was also helpful in planning the trip, and answered all questions ahead of time. Highly recommend using Viva for a South African safari, but I would keep expectations regarding accommodations a bit low.

Cheah   –  
Singapore SG
Visited: November 2018 Reviewed: Feb 21, 2019

Email Cheah  |  35-50 years of age  |  Experience level: 2-5 safaris

Viva Safaris has everything down in clockwork, the activities are well planned.
5/5

It's a good operator, what was promised was delivered.

Gabriela   –  
United States US
Visited: January 2019 Reviewed: Feb 20, 2019

Email Gabriela  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

This was my first safari and it was beyond amazing, outstanding staff service, everything was lovely
5/5

This safari was my first time ever going to a safari, also traveling by myself all the way from Florida, USA. I couldn’t be more satisfied with all the details and service Viva Safaris offered to me. The lodge was absolutely amazing, the room was super clean and great AC. The food was beyond amazing from breakfast to dinner, everything had a special touch. The game drivers were so knowledgeable and friendly. Honestly, this was by far the best hospitality service I had in years. They also picked me up and drop me off with a shuttle from the airport I’ve chosen to arrived, the ride was smooth and the driver was very nice, made a few stops which it was great since it’s a long drive. I definitely see myself coming back to South Africa sometime again and especially to the safari by Viva Safaris.

Nichole   –  
United States US
Visited: January 2019 Reviewed: Jan 25, 2019

Email Nichole  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

The review below is the personal opinion of Nichole and not that of SafariBookings.
Great safari experience until we discovered we were robbed.
2/5

Great safari experience, we saw the Big 5. Accommodations and food were as you would expect for the price point. We stayed one night in Tremesana and two nights at Marc's Treehouse. Ivy and Pretty were fantastic hosts. The only reason I am giving this two stars is because we discovered after leaving Marc's Treehouse that almost $600 (yes, I know we shouldn't have had that much on us) was missing from our wallets. We were not informed that cleaning people would be entering our rooms to make the bed and that is likely when it happened. So make sure to keep your money or valuables on you at all times.

Ronna   –  
United States US
Visited: September 2018 Reviewed: Oct 13, 2018

Email Ronna  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: over 5 safaris

The review below is the personal opinion of Ronna and not that of SafariBookings.
Mixed bag but overall disappointed
2/5

We went on a 4 day, 3 night Marc's treehouse lodge. The first night was at Tremisana Lodge, we had a sunset drive and a dinner at the boma. This experience was fine. The lodge is budget, so it's nothing fancy but it's sufficient for what we needed. The second day we went on a bush walk, which was ok but one bush walk on the trip is more than enough. It was good to stretch our legs but otherwise it was not really value added to our experience. Then we sat around the lodge for 5 hours doing absolutely nothing...this was frustrating since we paid so much money to be on game drives and having more opportunities to see the animals. Logistically this was terrible scheduling and a waste of my time and money. In the evening we went on a short 90 minute drive and then were transferred to Marc's Treehouse lodge. The treehouse lodge was a cool experience, we really enjoyed the lodge. The staff were helpful and knowledgeable. The day we were scheduled to be in Kreuger park was very frustrating. We know that you cannot control the animals and it's always a game of chance when looking for them. What you can control is when you are in the park and making sure you're there at the best times possible - which is sunrise and sunset. We did not get to the park until after 10am which is when most of the predators are resting for the day - hence we saw NO cats on our day in Kreuger. The final day was a short bush walk (which was not any value added and we wished we could have spent that time doing something else) and our transfer back to Johannesburg with a stop in the Blyde River Canyon which was beautiful. We were back to Johannesburg OR Tambo airport in good timing, just before 5pm.

Bala   –  
United States US
Visited: August 2018 Reviewed: Sep 1, 2018

Email Bala  |  35-50 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Excellent! A very authentic, professional and genuinely friendly experience, and delivers!
5/5

In one word we loved the experience. The staff were very prompt during booking, and throughout the tour. We left behind a camera and some documents when we departed and they were amazingly helpful in returning them to us by courier. Regarding the tour itself, the staff are very knowledgeable about the terrain, animals and so on and the organizational aspects were top class. We stayed at Katekani largely and we just loved it. It’s very private, has exceptional luxury level living arrangements, and the food was freshly prepared and served everyday to a very small group of us staying there which was a bonus in itself. The safari tours were fantastic. We saw all the animals except the elusive leopard and many birds at close quarters. The bush walk experience was fabulous - not something offered by all safari tours. In sum, Viva safari more than lived up to expectations!

Martina   –  
Germany DE
Visited: July 2018 Reviewed: Aug 2, 2018

Email Martina  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: over 5 safaris

Great Safaris with nice guides!
4/5

Everything works fine, special thanks to Smilie and Nico!!
Thank you for the Big Five!

Rick and Tori   –  
United States US
Visited: June 2018 Reviewed: Jul 26, 2018

Email Rick and Tori  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Fabulous time was had, great ground and driving tours of South Africa nature land.
5/5

The service was excellent and the staff friendly and accomodating. The treehouse and lodge were comfortable and in a great location. Time was well organized and gave full days but never rushed. The only criticism could be that in winter the treehouses were too cold.

Wood   –  
United States US
Visited: June 2018 Reviewed: Jul 26, 2018

Email Wood  |  35-50 years of age  |  Experience level: 2-5 safaris

Great Vacation by Kruger Park for reasonable price
4/5

Pros:
Very reasonable prices for location and accommodations.
On time pick up at JNB hotel.
Lodge Rooms was clean and comfortable but a bit small for our family of 3.
Program/tours - variety of tours and places to go, really enjoyed the conservation visit!
Breakfast was very good, as well as other meals.
Lodge staff friendly.
Most of the guides, despite of young, looked passioned about their job and were very friendly.

Cons:
Location - day to go to Kruger was cold and had to ride 30-40 mins on open vehicle (with tarp on one side).
Lodge bar only accepts cash - this was an issue for us, since we did not take much cash on our trip, so we could not drink as much we wanted on our vacation!
Liability Waiver - this created a big commotion on the van to the Lodge. None of us know about that when we booked the trip. The explanations were confusing. Some told us was for the van ride only and others that it was for the Safari tours. I have done Safaris before and don't recall signing nothing like that. This was an unpleasant and unnecessary stress during our Vacation.
Internet - only works on the lobby area.

Average User Rating
4.9/5
Rating Breakdown
  • 5 star 219
  • 4 star 27
  • 3 star 2
  • 2 star 6
  • 1 star 0
Write a Review

Disclaimer

  • All corporate and/or tour info is provided by Viva Safaris, not SafariBookings
  • The tours offered by Viva Safaris are subject to their terms & conditions