Exploring Cape Town by Helicopter
Safari Online
- Office In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2005)
- Member Of:
- SATSA & Safe Travels
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $300 to $2,000 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
Email Shari | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An amazing experience!!
As part of a group of 16 (8 adults, 8 children) I can confidently say everything was organised perfectly to suit all. We saw everything we wanted to see and more. We all agreed Chobe Game Lodge in Botswana was the highlight as we got the opportunity to see some large herds of most animals - however Nottens Bush Camp in Sabi Sands also made our stay a very special and rememberable one and the staff were amazing! Walter really did a great job of setting us up for an amazing experience at some beautiful places. Definitley a trip of a lifetime.
US
Email Michael Britten-Kelly | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a lifetime: Five countries, six camps, Vic Falls, Big Five plus more game than could be c,
In June/July 2016 we undertook a trip to Southern Africa to fulfill a lifelong intention. We stayed at six camps, safari style, and had a great time. All of our expectations were met or even exceeded. For example, we never expected to see honey badgers or sitatunga, given the secretive nature of those species, but we did! All travel arrangements and connections worked smoothly, which is astonishing since we had several dozen transfers and meeting points; all of the connecting personnel were prompt, professional, and welcoming. I had a concern with my ability to use my CPAP (breathing) device when sleeping in camps without 24H electrical supply, but in every case I was able to run on a battery overnight and recharge during the day, so anyone who uses CPAP will be OK.
Here is a capsule summary of our experiences.
- African Rock Motel (Gauteng): an excellent overnight stay, very comfortable, and I enjoyed a superb impala steak, one of many firsts on this trip. We appreciated breakfast pack they gave us to take on our very early departure.
-Ongava tented camp (Namibia): our first safari experience. We loved the outdoor dining at one long table with the watering trough in clear view - several dinners were interrupted as we rushed to get cameras to record, the giraffes, rhinos, kudu, etc. Here as at all other camps the guides were well trained and could identify birds, trees, plants, etc. Without much effort we saw over 50 species of birds, about 37 of which were new to us. Best highlight was a view of a large group of white rhino early one morning in the Ongava reserve. We heard lions roaring around the camp at night - very exciting! We found that Namibia is extremely cold and dry in winter, we used a lot of lotion and lip balm, but this did not detract.
-Elegant Guesthouse, Windhoek: very comfortable with accommodations easily up to a three or four star level in the USA. No restaurant, but staff helped to get a takeout order for us, and set up a place to eat in the breakfast room. Also an early departure, for which the security guard came out and made us coffee and tea before we left! I was anxious to find that the airport is a long way from the town, but this did not cause a problem as our contacts factored it all in and we made our flight with lots of time to spare.
-Savute (Botswana): all camps had something to offer, but this was our favorite. Lots of game all over the place, and many wonderful sights. Best highlight was watching two very young lion cubs playing like kittens, tied with the view of two honey badgers.
-Camp Okavango; a unique experience where we saw the waters of the delta at first hand. The most luxurious of all the camps we stayed at, with a very nice dining location overlooking the river. This was the only place we encountered a lot of mosquitoes, but we had plenty of repellent, good mosquito nets, and we took the malaria pills as well, so not worried. Best highlight: being woken from an afternoon nap by ominous thumping on the roof, which turned out to be three gorgeous green wood-hoopoes breaking up palm nuts. We saw sitatunga antelope here, a rare sight.
-Moremi: game was a bit scarce at this time of year, but we still saw all the big 5, plus wild dogs and hyenas. Best food of the three D&D camps, which were all good.
-Islands of Siankaba (Zambia): another unique experience, this time allowing us to get closer to African village life. Employees are almost all villagers who have been selected and trained. The chef here is amazing, delivering each morning fresh croissants that would have done credit to a French hotel in Paris. Among several memorable meals, the mouth-watering Chateaubriand was undoubtedly my favorite. The highlight here was of course the Falls, just an overwhelming spectacle that has to be experienced in person. We found the trip to Livingstone Island a bit wet and cold for us, but the younger people really enjoyed it.
-Notten's Bush Camp (Mpumalanga): here there was much less game than in Botswana, and the effects of the two-year drought were manifest. Nonetheless, the guides worked hard, and we saw all the big 5 plus their babies, plus giraffe, hyena, hippo, wild dog, etc. The highlight was undoubtedly watching a cheetah rapidly gobbling a fresh kill - this is a rare sight since cheetahs are getting hard to find. We had dinner twice with Dave, the owner, who also drove us to our departure flight. We enjoyed our conversations with him. He was great company, obviously passionate about the bush, and committed to sustainable development that supports the local people.
All in all, a memorable experience; we could not have asked for more!
DE
Email Bernhard Weiser | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
absolutely perfect
I was already last year in South Africa and Zambia organized by Safari Online. It was a absolutely gorgeous trip. Everything was perfect. This was the reason I booked this year in May and June an new trip to South Africa, Namibia and Botswana. I got everything I expected. It was a dream again. I know I´m coming back.
NZ
Email Ulrika and John | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Walter at Safarionline made our African experience into a perfect tailor-made safari adventure!
Walter Kohrs at Safarionline in Capetown created the perfect African adventure for us safari novices from New Zealand. We are by no means inexperienced travellers but, as we were time poor and had never been to Africa, we needed a bit of help with the organisation. Through his prompt, efficient and friendly online service, Walter put together a programme that gave us everything we could have wished for. It was all done through email and online. Our itinerary was all on the Wetu app - so easy! When we arrived at the hotel in Capetown, there was a package from Walter waiting for us, complete with local simcards.
We had excellent and carefree service from truly wonderful people all the way - every flight, shuttle and connection from Johannesburg to Capetown, through Botswana, on to Vic Falls and back to Jo'burg again was taken care of, thanks to Walter.
In Botswana, Walter had organised for us to stay at three beautiful and comfortable Desert and Delta Safari camps - each offering their own individual and personal experience in terms of superb accommodation, excellent food and friendly, personable and service minded people. The African animal adventures - safari drives and boat trips - were extremely exciting as well as diverse. The experienced, fun and friendly local safari guides showed us a huge variety of African animals, from roaring lions and graceful giraffes in the semi desert to massive hippos and miniscule frogs in the delta. They were so professional: their knowledge of all animals and of flora and fauna was so impressive and we learnt so much from them! At all times were they respectful of the animals and the environment. On a couple of occasions, we opted to skip the daily siesta and do a couple of all day drives instead and this was fantastic! We got to see what animals get up to in the heat of the midday sun as well as when they are at their most active at dawn and dusk. We had an unforgettable picnic lunch surrounded by hundreds and hundreds of zebra who happily ignored us as they went about their daily business while we were enjoying a delicious lunch and a cold beer! Another highlight were the sundowners - the obligatory evening drinks you have while watching the African sun set like a bright red ball of fire on the horizon. One evening we had our sundowner by a waterhole whilst watching a family of 20 plus elephants of all ages, from huge adults to tiny babies, come down and enjoy their evening routine of drinking, swimming and playing in the water. We just sat there and watched them, pinching ourselves to make sure that we were not dreaming - and sipping our G & T's, of course!
So Walter, thank you for the adventure you organised for us at The Okavango Lodge, and at Savute and Moremi Camps. We couldn't have wished for better service!
Email Peter | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
High quality advice and service
Everything worked perfectly, we saw everything we planned (apart from a leopard!), the accommodation was excelent and we will certainly use Safari On Line if we decide on another tour to South Africa. Thank you Walter.
Email Omega | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The best agent we've ever dealt with!
We absolutely loved every minute of our honeymoon. One of our best holidays! All thanks to Walter from Safari Online. His recommendations were fabulous and every single accommodation we stayed at were spectacular! Xugana was uniquely beautiful. Riding a boat through the Okavango Delta was breathtaking and definitely a highlight for me. Tongabezi was very relaxing and we loved everything about the property including the idea behind the school. We took a day trip to Livingstone Island and we got to swim in the Angel's pool which was exhilarating! Definitely not what we expected when they said there's a pool on the island! That was also a highlight for us.
But as Walter suggested, Savanna lodge would be the best ending to the honeymoon and it sure was. The room was luxurious, the food was exquisite and we loved Natasha, Neil, Kevin (our ranger) and the rest of the Savanna family. They were so warm and welcoming. Every night was different for dinner and the best part of all was the safari. We got to see the big 5 and the rides were outrageous, bush bashing at it's best! Savanna was definitely a highlight for us.
Everything was perfect!! We had the best time. The mix of water and land safaris worked out well. We fell in love with Africa and we're already talking about our next trip. If you're looking for a travel agent to book your African adventure, we highly recommend Walter. His professionalism, top quality customer service and first hand experience in the accommodation and locations he recommends will ensure you have the best experience and memories to last a lifetime! Don't look anywhere else, book with Walter from Safari Online!
Email Chris & Ian | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Walter was very imformative & helpful & always answered our queries punctually.
Starting from the excellent app which was helpful throughout the trip everything that he organized ran like clockwork.
IT
Email Colin & Solange | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Unforgettable Serengeti camping trip
Our 2nd time in Tanzania and our 2nd time using Safarionline. Once again we decided to visit Africa at fairly short notice and once again Walter was able to accommodate us with no problems at all. Again communication was constant, clear and once we decided what we wanted, efficiently handled.
We had already done the typical northern circuit on our first trip to Tanzania so this time round we wanted something different, to only stay in the Serengeti as we loved that over other locations. The chosen camp (Serengeti Wilderness Camp) was perfect, a true bush experience. Food was great and it had everything you needed. I always say a flushing loo and hot shower in a tent is luxury already, anything else is just decadence.
Our guide was fantastic and we were in a different part of the park each day and to top it all off we added a balloon trip which was unforgettable.
I have to again thank Walter for his expert knowledge and understanding in organising this amazing trip. So good to know that i have a reliable contact i can use for future trips to africa.
US
Email Pat | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Beyond our expectations
Our communications with Safari Online were via email. Walter was everything a first time visitor to SA could ask for. He patiently and promptly answered all our questions - and there were MANY- . Of course, the ultimate decisions were ours but he was a great guide.
We had a pretty good idea about the accommodations thanks to the internet. Also friends had taken a similar trip and used Walter to plan it for them. However, we were surprised when we arrived at each of the four camps that the cottages/rooms were even nicer than expected. This was in large part due to Walter securing some of the "best" rooms for us.
The safaris themselves far exceeded our expectations. Of course, the animals one sees are at least partly due to circumstance and luck but we seemed blessed with both. I expected to see lots of animals and we did. But I was stunned with the numbers of different animals and birds we saw, and how close we were able to get to them. Nothing really prepared me for this part of things and it never got old.
We were in three lodges in Botswana and then a final lodge in Sabi Sands. We spent 2 nights at 2 lodges and 3 at the other 2 lodges. It turned out to be just right for us as the places we choose to spend 2 nights we probably would not have wanted an extra night and the places we spent 3 nights we were so pleased to have the extra time!! Again, this would clearly differ from person to person and simply reflect our experience.
No one can do everything and there were things we wished we had had time for that we did not. I guess this is why so many people return. I would not hesitate to use Safari Online again and have recommended it to friends- the real testament to having received great service.
US
Email Diane Weil | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
trip of a lifetime!
Walter was highly recommended by friends and from our first contact I felt like we were old friends. He really listened what we wanted from our trip, when we could go, pricing, etc. and then made suggestions and planned an amazing trip. Truly, every detail was taken care of - he thought of many things we never considered. He was so responsive to my many email questions. The trip itself - camps, guides, staff were phenomenal and our family (7 of us) only have rave reviews for our Africa trip and the job Walter did. I have already recommended Walter to other friends and I would absolutely use him again to plan a trip. This one was magical!