Red Africa Safaris Team
Red Africa Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 2012)
- Member Of:
- SATSA, FGASA, SATIB & LEDET
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $145 to $575 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
EG
Email Teresa | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
First time in Kruger park (and on a safari)
it is a group of 3 italian friends on our first safari. it was not easy to pick an option in the big kruger offer with a huge range of prices. we went for red africa because Amelia managed to be very informative, precise, fast in answering all our crazy questions and offered all we were looking for at a reasonable price; 3 days safari in the kruger park all inclusive : transfer from JNB, meals (basic meals but tasty, clean and abundant) accomodation (in a rondavel at the skukutza camp) and guided game drives (morning drives, night drives and bush walk).
jaco was our guide and definitely made our trip awesome. picked us up on time, cooked for us, amazed us with super interesting park insights and info about the wildlife, the plants and even the stars.
he's been always available to accomodate our needs, patient and fun.
we were very lucky to spot 4 out of the big 5 even before checking in in skukutza and spot the 5th one (2 beautiful leopards) on our way out. i would definitely recommend red africa to my friends!
CN
Email Joerg Sandmann | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Family Safari
We were picked up by Jako (our tour guide) at our hotel in Johannesburg. During the drive we had already a first glimps on wildlife. After a short boat drive we arrived at our lodge close to the river. During the day we had a river boat safari and later a cosy private dinner on the river banks before heading out for a night safari during which we met lions. The next morning we headed out for a morning drive into the bush - before leaving the camp for Kruger National Park. We saw amazing animals (buffalos, elephants, zebras, giraffes). The 3rd night we spent in a camp in Kruger with an awesome view over the river with many hippos. After great dinner and breakfast we left the park again for the animal rehab center where we had the chance to even pet a cheeta. We had a great barbecue prepared by Jako himself on our last evening - and we had even a hippo in the river directly in front of our lodge. On the last day we visited all famous sights of the panorama road on our way back to the hotel in Johannesburg. It was great organization, great places which were booked for our stay and above all Jako is an amazing guide, driver and cook.
FI
Email Noora | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Our guide Jacu was absolutely excellent, he really made our trip fantastic!
More than we expected! The lodge was nice. Everything went really well with our guide and with Red Africa Safaris.
US
Email Cody H. | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
"Every Day is the Best Day" - Outstanding Planning, Service and Personnel
When looking for a safari it is hard to know which company to choose. We were in communication with many potential companies, but what set RAS apart was their timeliness in response and English communication skills. Other companies took 2 weeks to respond to us where RAS (Amelia) was responding same day and often times the same hour. Furthermore, they didn't just stop booking with the safari, but they helped plan the other part of our trip as well. We had other questions (riding elephants, diving with sharks, hotels in Cape Town & Johannesburg) they either referred or set up for us helping take much of the planning/booking and stress off our plate. Even if there was something we wanted to do that we hadn't thought of (shark diving), our guide Jaco called Amelia and the next thing we knew, it was part of our itinerary. The service was second to none.
As for the safari, we did a 5 day tour on the panorama route. Our guide Jaco was highly knowledgeable with regards to all animals, nature and landmarks/stop offs along the way as well as highly interactive with us. We did the group rides at camps, but the best part of the trip was our time spent riding in the safari van with Jaco as he knew and explained more than we were hearing when going out on group trips from base camps (day, night and bush walk guided tours). That is not to say that the camp trips were not great, but sometimes they lacked or failed to share deeper knowledge about the animals and the territory. Furthermore, Jaco cooked for us each night with many options. While riding in the park I found myself wondering what a kudu or impala might taste like… not to worry, most likely you were going to get to try one of the game meats at night which only added to the experience. During our trip it rained 3 of the days we were in Kruger National Park, but we still managed to see the Big 5! Much of that is due to the fact that Jaco was readily available and willing to take us out to continue to look for animals even after we did the guided group tours. Jaco did not want us to leave without getting the entire experience and bang for our buck. I remember seeing 3 leopards in one day and we were all excited and I asked Jaco what was the best day he ever had in Kruger and he said "As a guide in this park, every day is the best day" and even after 3 days in the pouring rain I can honestly see why he thinks that! Needless to say at this point if you read this far, RAS can do it all and you will most likely leave making an additional friend in your tour guide along the way!
US
Email Imaan Khan | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Detailed Review Of a Wonderful First Time African Safari Experience
We went on our Safari from the end of December to the beginning of January (7 days.) The planning process started in October. I'm the type where I always have 500 questions, and Amelia was kind and quick to respond to everything, with zero annoyance from her end. I told her all the activities I wanted to do, and she planned an itinerary perfectly. She's very perceptive, as she added things she knew we would love, which was true, we ended up loving the monkey and elephant sanctuary tours! I cannot thank or appreciate Amelia enough for her kindness through her emails and for planning a great trip for us.
Our first day started at 6 am, and our guide, Jaco, was on time, polite and super friendly. We were under the impression we were with a group, but it turned out to be a personal safari with just me and my husband, which was great (a few activities were with groups, but overall, just us!) He is very knowledgeable about everything you can imagine. From the types of trees, to all wildlife (including insects and birds) as well as the history of landmarks, waterfalls, etc. Being with Jaco was like being with a really smart friend who you can tell is passionate about his work; it's not just a job for him, it's the love of being a guide. Not only did he educate us about South African wildlife, but also the culture. It was also great to get to know him as Jaco the person and not just Jaco the guide.
The Panorama route was beautiful and the history of the Sudwala caves and the waterfalls were interesting. For the safari itself, it was amazing. We saw so many animals (including rare sights, Jaco has a great eye) and he was very accommodating to whenever we wanted to stop for photos (or for any other reason.) We were comfortable from day 1 to day 7 (we chose mid-range accommodations.) Breakfast is no frills and included, as well as dinner and we never felt like we were hungry. The private Bush BBQ was phenomenally beautiful and delicious.
One of our night drives was interrupted due to rain, but being in the rain with Jaco and the other guide taking us on the night drive was equally as fun. It was like having an adventure with long-time friends. Our last day had some scheduling issues due to the rain, and everything was handled so well that we still got to do everything in our itinerary. The only hiccup was the hot air balloon ride at sunrise had to be cancelled due to wind conditions, but Red Africa Safaris gave us a full refund.
We were sad to leave Jaco, but happy to have booked through Red Arica Safaris. We are considering going to other parts of Africa for Safaris, and we would pay extra just to have Jaco be our guide, even if outside of South Africa. We highly recommend him to everyone we meet who are thinking about going to Africa (even if they're not thinking about it, we still recommend them highly!) You will not be disappointed with this company.
CA
Email Vladimir | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
6 days 5 nights safaris in Kruger Park and Swaziland with Red Africa Safaris
The preparation period went smoothly despite many questions and demands we had. Amelia was very helpful in choosing the optimal camps for us. Based on our previous safaris experience in Kenya and Tanzania, our preference was for small tented camps and huts (not luxurious but less expensive and closer to wild animals). During evening braai (this time we avoided camps restaurants) we were able to see different animals patrolling around the camps fences (more often hyenas; as close as 3-4 meters). Our guide, Jaco is very knowledgeable about flora and fauna and did his best to show us as much animals and birds, and provide us with as much information, as possible. His capacity to adjust to different requirements of his clients and his availability was phenomenal – from 5 AM for morning drive to 10 PM when we went to sleep. Safety is an important priority for him. He knew the particularity of each camp we stayed and told us what to expect, what to do and what not to do. We recommend Red Africa for its excellent ratio quality/price service and openness to clients’ demands.
DE
Email Anika | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent trip we will always remember
My boyfriend and I booked the 6-day Fun Tour with Red Africa Safaris. We chose them because the tour sounded like a good combination of Kruger Park, Panorama Route and seeing lots of animals. Moreover, it was the only company which offered a tour of 6 days with a private guide.
It was a very good decision! We absolutely enjoyed our tour with our guide Jaco!
Organization: The organization was excellent and Amelia answered all our questions promptly (within a few hours!) and was very helpful!
Tour: The tour was very well planned and it did not feel like 6 days but like 2 weeks since every day was packed. We had never done a guided tour before. Usually we plan our tour by ourselves and try to avoid "tourist traps". So we were a bit nervous what we would see. On the tour, we always felt that we visited the places because Jaco was convinced it was worth seeing it. Especially with the sanctuarys (monkey, elephant, lions, chimpanzees) he told us, that they wanted to support them because they do a good job for the animals. Having seen them now, we absolutely agree.
Of course, we have seen the Big 5 and even more quite rare animals (birds...) and interesting scenes of wild life.
Guide: Jaco is very passionate about his job, guiding and especially the animals . He taught us so much about South Africa, Kruger Park and the Panorama Route! The guides in Kruger Park are very nice but not as knowledgeable as Jaco. He is also a very enjoyable travel companion - we had a lot to talk about!
He really did take excellent care of us and we did not have to do a thing. He made sure we got the most of our trip!
We would definitely recommend doing your trip to South Africa with Red Africa Safaris!
DK
Email Torben Malm | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Red Africa Safari arranged an ebsolut great trip for us. We were in the best hands.
The contact to the agency was friendly, competent, prompt and good.
Best trip we have taken. The guide made it unforgettable
I am extremely pleased we booked with Red Africa Safaris. We had a great time and will book with them again in an instant. Our trip included the scenic panoramic route, a trip to Kruger National Park, and a visit to multiple animal rescues. Red Africa Safaris makes sure the companies they work with are ethical and have a focus on wildlife conservation. It was a good feeling to know all of the businesses through this trip were treating their animals well and releasing back into the wild when possible.
What really made our trip special was our guide who joined us from the moment we got off the plane until we departed. He drove us from location to location, told us about the creatures we were seeing, helped us track wildlife we wanted to see, cooked several meals for us, helped us spot animals, taught us a ton about the bush and it's creatures and answered all of our questions. He was extremely knowledgeable regarding any topic we wanted to know more about. We would often to stop so he could explain plant life, local birds, any animal we saw, the history of what we were seeing, geographical features, conservation efforts and even current day Africa. It is fun to look for the big 5, but it was often just as interesting to learn more about the birds or plants. In the end it was like we were traveling with a good friend not just a guide.
The animal rescues were an awesome addition to our trips into the bush. You are given the opportunity to get up close and personal with the animals you saw in the wild. Some of our highlights were walking with lions, getting a kiss from elephants, petting an eagle, and having a monkey ride on our shoulder. It also was great to see some animals that are harder to see in the bush like painted dogs.
Book your holiday with these Red Africa Safaris. They make sure you have a great time and work with a focus on ethical conservation.
NO
Email Kristin Grimstad | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing experience with Red Africa Safaris
We had an amazing experience with our guide, Jaco. His friendliness, passion and knowledge made our trip unforgettable. We will return to the Krüger park some day, and when we do, we wont hesitate to do the booking through Red Africa Safaris.