Native Escapes
- Located In:
-
United Kingdom
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 2007)
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $188 to $1,002 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
NZ
Email Evans Family | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect Family Adventure
We traveled with our Two young children to South Africa for almost a month, and are so pleased that we used Native Escapes for our bookings. As well as helping us design the trip, they took care of all of the logistics; flights, transfers, accommodation, rental cars, safari tours etc and I can honestly say we did not experience a single hitch. Ironically the one thing we did arrange ourselves was the NZ /SA visas and opted for single entry which meant we could not enter Swaziland. Stuck at the border and with no accommodation for that night we called the number provided by Native Escapes and were immediately put at ease by their local team who diverted us to excellent alternative accommodation. We could tell from the very first contact through to the end of our amazing experience that Native Escapes is run by a small, caring, and knowledgeable team.
We would not even consider another agency for our next adventure !
Email Roger | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Personal Service and Great Response when things go wrong
We have used Native Escapes twice - once for a self drive in Malawi and one for a tour covering Victoria Falls, Hwange and Cape Town. Simon put together a great itinerary in conversation with us - and then made all the arrangements. These were quite complex with numerous transfers plus attention to accommodation for a family travelling with two 12 year old children plus grandmother. All proved to be excellent choices and all the transfers went smoothly with the exception of the car hire in Cape Town which was not delivered to our apartment when expected. However, Simon's response was rapid, personal and solved the problem together with understanding that this had messed up a morning for us - and so was able to get us the car for extra time. Things do go wrong, and being able to talk with Simon directly via email rather than go to a call centre was great. I would recommend them for any trip which is beyond the very standard that you can get from the big operators and where you need personal service and personal experience of where you are going.
Email John and Jo | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Fantastic self drive holiday in Namibia and Botswana!
We had previously used this company for a self drive holiday in Namibia and knew just how good our latest trip would be. We were not disappointed, as expected the accommodation was fantastic, the scenery breath taking and the people unbelievably friendly. For anyone planning a trip in any of the countries covered by this company, we would suggest you stop looking for alternatives and use them! We had some issues with one of the lodges and on our return these were dealt with comprehensively and to more than our full satisfaction. That said even these issues could not detract from the holiday of a lifetime. Thank you all so much!
AR
Email Luciano Casanova | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Exceeded expectations!
We live in Argentina and we got to Native Escapes by the internet, without having had any reference from anyone we knew. We were looking for a family safari and beach in east Africa.
Marie was so very helpful and immediately got the type of holidays we were looking for. All her suggestions were great and while in Tanzania we realized we had taken the right decision with NE. Our guide was great and helpful. Our children (13 and 11) were astonished from such an experience of watching wildlife that close. Accommodation was very good and food was good for us and the children.
This were one of our best holidays and Marie and Native Escapes had a lot to do with it.
Email Sue | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fantastic, professional service based on their experience.
Expectations met over and above on all three safaris. We have used Native Escapes before and we can't fault them. Choices of accommodation were offered making this a very personal trip.
Nothing was too much trouble and everything went like clockwork.
Botswana was wonderful and accommodation,staff and safari guides were welcoming and knowledgeable especially if you learn a few words of the local language.
Email Bhasker and Bharti Raja | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wonderfull trip to South Africa
** UPDATE 23 OCTOBER 2017:
In addition to the review written on12th October, we would like to add that we have now heard from Shamwari and Native escapes who investigated the matter of our complaint very thoroughly and professionally, and the matter has now been resolved to our satisfaction. Really appreciate the time spent and effort made by both Native escapes and Shamwari safaris to investigate our complaint, and compensate us adequately. Very happy with the whole experience with Native escapes.
** ORIGINAL REVIEW
We went on a trip to South Africa, arranged by Native Escapes , and were very happy with the experience. Sharon Who advised us and arranged the whole trip, was very helpful and tailored the itinerary to our requirements. We visited Victoria fall, Cape Town, self drove along the garden route from Cape Town to Hermanus, Oudtshoorn, Plettenberg bay, and Shamwari safari lodge, and finally to Port Elizabeth for our return flight. All the hotels/guesthouses were of a good standard and everyone was very helpful and friendly.
There was a slight mix up with directions , but the lady (name not known)at La Fontaine Franshoek was very helpful in redirecting us , and Gail the owner of La Fontaine guest house in Hermanus was very helpful and resolved the issue promptly by contacting Native escapes and their ground staff. Sharon was very apologetic about the mix up and made up to us .Everything went according to plan apart from that and we had a fantastic experience at all the guesthouses. The Shamwari safari experience was fantastic too. Lovely Lodge, yummy food and very entertaining and knowledgeable Ranger (Jonathan).
Just a word of caution about personal possessions though. I was a bit complacent and trusted the closed environment so was not extra careful with my belongings,and left my handbag unattended while I went for a shower after massage treatment at Shamwari and after that I left it at the poolside by mistake. The bag was recovered quickly but some cash was taken out of it. We reported it immediately, but as it was our last day there, it was not possible for them to investigate . We reported it to Sharon on our return, who was helpful and did contact Shamwari who promised to investigate the matter. We returned on 23rd sept,Still waiting for their reply.
Email H&C | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Self-drive trip to Namibia
We have just returned from a 2 1/2 week trip around Namibia organised by Simon at Native Escapes. The holiday exceeded our expectations in every way. Right from our initial conversations with Simon about what we'd like to do, Native Escapes gave us a range of flexible options and patiently went through each location in terms of accommodation, things to do, travel between locations etc... Emails were always promptly responded to and no question was too much trouble. All the documentation, itinerary etc. was very clear, the route and maps were very helpful and the on-the-ground agent, ATI, was v helpful providing local mobile phone, first aid kit, and even a cool box and ice blocks. One of our party had a specific dietary requirement which was recognised at every point from the airline flights to each lodge we stayed in. Finally the overall cost was very competitive when compared to some of the other big brand operators who offered exactly the same package (we know coz we met some of their clients at the lodges we stayed at). So thank you Simon and Native Escapes for a brilliant holiday and all your help in organising it.
US
Email Jeff & Becky Clement | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
We had an amazing experience in Tanzania with our guide Ephraim
We wanted to share we had the most wonderful and magical trip in Tanzania. We thought South Africa with Cape Town and Kruger park was special but the Serengeti with Ephraim as our guide was moving and breath taking as was Zanzibar as an ending to our travels. Everyone should be so lucky to experience Serengeti once in their lifetime. Thank you all so much for your help and arrangements. Every place we stayed was perfect and will give good reviews in trip advisor
Email Mark | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great honeymoon to Namibia with great service and support from Native Escapes and ATI
From start to finish the service provided by Native Escapes and the Namibia based operator ATI was excellent. The trip itself was amazing with a great choice of locations and activities. The support material
Was detailed and easy to use making it a completely stress free holiday. Genuinely a trip of a lifetime and a very satisfied customer, thank you very much!
Email Roger | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Personal & Highly Responsive Service
We booked a self drive touring trip to Malawi. Native Escapes designed a well balanced itinerary that perfectly matched our requirements - and were responsive to changes that we wanted to make after. Simon's attention to detail and rapid response times were brilliant - and all done in a caring and effective way. Everything worked really well and we had an awesome holiday that fully matched our hopes. The lodges were just what we wanted - varying from good to absolutely superb. I will use them again without hesitation for future Africa trips.