Reviews

Sort By: Date Most Helpful 11-20 of 78 Reviews
Dr Yiadvinder   –  
Malaysia MY
Visited: February 2020 Reviewed: Apr 7, 2020

Email Dr Yiadvinder  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: 2-5 safaris

The itinerary was perfectly planned and the service provided was excellent.
5/5

Ms Steffi Presske from Gondwana Tours and Safaris did an excellent job in planning the itinerary for the 4 of us in the group. She provided us with all the information required and answered all our questions promptly via email. From the moment we landed in Botswana to the time we left, everything was well taken care off. Our charter flights from one lodge to the other , our accommodation at the lodges and our transfers were all well planned. Personally by far this was the most adventurous and most outstanding trip I have participated in. The staff at the lodges we stayed in , Khwai River lodge at Okavango Delta and Savute Elephant Camp at Chobe were friendly and very attentive to our every need. Our Safari guides at both camps, Ms L.G and Mr J.R were so accommodating and knowledgeable about the wildlife. A big thank you to Ms Presske and her team at Gondwana Tours and Safaris for coming up with the itinerary which went above and beyond anything we have experienced.

Abu Mohamed   –  
United States US
Visited: February 2020 Reviewed: Mar 10, 2020

Email Abu Mohamed  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

What a great experience..
5/5

It was a great experience dealing with Jan from Gondwana who took care about our concerns and expectations. Anyway it was my 50th birthday celebration we had a wonderful time. Thanks a lot for Jan who is helped us to have this great trip.

Cal   –  
United States US
Visited: December 2019 Reviewed: Jan 17, 2020

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

Botswana last minute
5/5

I came to Mark with just a couple of days to plan ahead of leaving for this trip and he put together an amazing itinerary, and gave seriously good advice for making choices. I could not have found anyone better to help me last minute - a true professional, I would trust for any of your trips.

Stayed Lebala, Rra Dinare, and Tau Pan for three nights each. December a touch hot but I knew that going in, and the viewing was spectacular. A superb trip.

Sue   –  
United Kingdom UK
Visited: October 2019 Reviewed: Nov 24, 2019

Email Sue  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Rock solid organisation and knowledge of the destinations.
5/5

I don't normally write reviews but Steffi from Gondwana Tours & Safaris recently arranged a trip for me to Botswana, Reunion Island and Cape Town. She listened to my ideas, told me about other things I would not have known about, then carefully crafted a tailored itinerary for me. She kept in touch throughout the process and it all went smoothly even though the logistics around some of my ideas were a bit challenging to begin with. I highly recommend their service and can't say enough about their practical knowledge and expertise. Thank you so much for organising a trip I'll never forget !

Yasmin   –  
United States US
Visited: November 2019 Reviewed: Nov 18, 2019

Email Yasmin  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: 2-5 safaris

Excellent service, superb game viewing and seamless transition from Safari to Gorillas
5/5

This was my second Safari thru Gondwana Tours and once again it was fantastic. Communication with Mark is very easy, he listens to your requirements and offers suggestions and then puts together an itinerary for you. This adventure was a little different since we were doing a safari in Kenya and Gorilla Trekking in Uganda. Everything went off without a hitch and the local partners in Kenya and Uganda were excellent. Game viewing at Porini Lion Camp was amazing, a pride of 20 lions, cheetahs and leopards amongst the cats.

Gorillas viewing was the highlight of our trip and the service and care we got, when my friend broke her ankle was outstanding.
Have been recommending Mark to a lot of friends now.

Alex   –  
United States US
Visited: October 2019 Reviewed: Oct 21, 2019

Email Alex  |  65+ years of age  |  Experience level: 2-5 safaris

Mark Hathaway of Gondwana planned an excellent and seamless Botswana tour for us
5/5

Mark’s progression of our trip from Victoria Falls to Kasane to the Okavango Delta was well planned.

To some extent our venues were dictated by availability, and maybe we would have enjoyed alternate venues as much, but it worked out marvelously well. In retrospect, I would not want to have visited Victoria Falls without staying at the Victoria Falls Hotel. I enjoyed staying in that Edwardian colonial hotel almost as much as the Falls. Likewise, in Kasane, one day in the Garden Lodge, and two days at Pangolin was perfect, but I would not have wanted the full three days at either. And then to be at Rra Dinare with only a few other guests (between 2 and 4 depending), basically alone in the concession, was wonderful, especially following the busier Chobe National Park.

The arrangements were virtually seamless. Flame of Africa was always prompt. All the transfers worked without a hitch or worry on our part and we were able to participate in both morning and afternoon events at each venue. We appreciated Rodney of Gondwana meeting us at Maun on our return. Our private (there were three of us) helicopter flight over Victoria Falls was great, as were our private game drives in the Okavango Delta, and our bush plane flight out of hte Delta.

Mark’s advance information was complete and very helpful. Even though the Visa process at the Victoria Falls airport is very poorly organized, the Flame of Africa driver waited for us without complaint. The Pangolin Lodge was a photographic safari for everybody. I wasn’t sure it would be my cup of tea, but it was great and improved the rest of the Botswana game experience. Despite all of the above, Gondwana's price was very reasonable in comparison to others.

Jan & Dick Purssell   –  
Portugal PT
Visited: August 2019 Reviewed: Sep 5, 2019

Email Jan & Dick Purssell  |  65+ years of age  |  Experience level: over 5 safaris

Zimbabwe Adventure
5/5

The organisation, transfers, flights etc were excellent Victoria Falls hotel for the first 2 nights lived up to all expectations and of course the Falls were truly magnificent. Everything about Verneys Camp was superb - the staff, the accommodation, the food and good wildlife spotting there - including 2 male and 3 female lions and the 2 painted dogs in the Conservation Roan and Sable antelope and elephants at the water hole, with hyena etc. Rhino Camp at Matusadona was a bit disappointing. The Camp was run very well but there was no wildlife to see except elephants and impala. Zambezi Expeditions Camp was again the accommodation, guides and staff were everything you could wish for. We even saw 3 painted female dogs, 2 male cheetah and loads of elephants, impala, zebra etc.

All in all a good holiday but not the best safari we have been on in other African counties regarding wildlife.

Anne   –  
Canada CA
Visited: August 2019 Reviewed: Sep 4, 2019

Email Anne  |  65+ years of age  |  Experience level: 2-5 safaris

Wonderful vacation and perfectly planned
5/5

We had great communication with Mark Hathaway from the very start. Mark was very patient with us, changing our itinerary to suit us and our price point and timeline. He was very knowledgeable about all of the lodges and camps that we planned to stay at and gave us pros and cons for each. Everything was planned to the tiniest detail. Our vacation was outstanding and we can't wait to go back. When we do we'll be using Gondwana again.

Becky   –  
United States US
Visited: July 2019 Reviewed: Jul 28, 2019

Email Becky  |  65+ years of age  |  Experience level: 2-5 safaris

Another great experience with Gondwana
5/5

We just returned from 3 days in the Motswari Private Reserve in SA. Once again, Mark and team organized an incredible trip! I can't say enough about the safari staff and their unending effort to make our stay wonderful. We saw so many animals, that I literally have to try to remember on which day we first saw a leopard eating its "fresh kill" , a lion pride, the pack of wild pups being fed by their mother, or the mama elephant nursing her baby. Our guide and tracker, Landon and Brian could not have worked harder to make sure we saw everything possible. The food was fantastic, as was our accommodation. This is our 2nd trip with Gondwana and I would highly recommend their company!!

Robyn McCabe   –  
Australia AU
Visited: June 2019 Reviewed: Jul 21, 2019

Email Robyn McCabe  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

TAILOR MADE HOLIDAY TO BOTSWANA, NAMIBIA, ZIMBABWE, and MOZAMBIQUE
5/5

Pom Pom Camp (Botswana) was our favourite. Guides, accommodation and meals were exceptional. A vast array of animals to view considering that the Okavango Delta in suffering from drought conditions.

Chobe River Princess: Highly organised. Comfortable accommodation and amazing 5*restaurant meals and service. This was relaxing time for us

Bayete Guest Lodge (Victoria Falls): Great ambiance. Meals and service excellent. The Lodge was running on generator power due to Government load shedding of their power supply. No complaints as this was out of their control. We walked through the Victoria Falls National Park viewing points as well as the historical Victoria Falls Hotel. We also did a quick flight over the falls which gave us a great perspective of The Falls from above

Elephant Express Train: Most enjoyable way to travel to our Bomani Tented Lodge

Bomani Tented Lodge: Great accommodation, Guides, Staff and especially the manager Karen who went out of her way to make us all feel at home.
Meals here was exceptional as well. There wasn't so much a variety of animals at this camp as at Pom Pom. We did have up close encounter with the Elephants drinking at the watering holes from inside the viewing hide. We visited the Nagamo Primary school here which was a highlight for us

Bahia Mar: (Vilanculos): We had a nice relaxing time here. Amazing accommodation with a beautiful view of the waterfront. Meals and service were fantastic.
We did a day trip out to one of the islands on a Dhow boat. I joined some locals of a 'Beach Clean Up' walk which was rewarding

Thank you Jonathan for your expertise in organizing our Southern African adventure

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