Sunway Safaris
- Office In:
- Size:
- 50-100 employees (Founded in 1994)
- Member Of:
- ATTA, SATSA, ASA & HATAB
- Tour Types:
- Budget & mid-range tours with set start dates and a fixed itinerary
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $65 to $194 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
lack of training guides
the safari was good ,but the lack of training of are guide ( Wayne)to adress a''Bully ''in are group ,even after it was mention to him ,put a lot of strain and a bad atmosphere in the group ,and cause me lot of stress,I will not recommend to someone Sunway Safari ,I saw other group ,with other company having more fun and a better group dynamic that our,I lodge a complaint to Sunway Safari , will see ,
Email Stephen Kirby | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Sunway Safaris make dreams a reality
Superbly organised safari.
Great interaction with our guides,fabulous knowledge of animals etc.The wild camping was a
terrific experience sitting around the fire at nights hearing the animals and
seeing the star filled skies.Food prepared was extremely good,catered
for all tastes.Everyone helped each other.To see wild animals in their natural habitat and absorbing the
grandeur of the landscape was a dream come true,thank you Sunway.
Value for money 10/10
BT14 tour,28th August-10 September
CH
Email Sybille | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Authentic wildlife adventure - over expectations!
At the beginning of November, I joined the Botswana Wildside Camping Safari (14 days). It was a magnificent trip starting in Johannesburg, passing some of Botswana’s national parks and ending in Livingston to visit the Victoria Falls. It was a well-organized and divers program – game drives and camping in remote areas as well as cultural interaction in the cities. One of my favourite points was the journey in a traditional makoro (narrow dugout canoe) to an island in the Okavango Delta, an enormous wetland area with pristine wilderness. Traveling in small groups was a major benefit to simplify the processes – it was more like a family than a group.
8 of 14 days we did some wild camping in the national parks. This was an authentic wildlife feeling with extended game drives in the morning and evening (siesta in the afternoon due to the heath). We were very lucky that we saw a big variety of animals and got plenty of time to observe them in detail. Please note that there is quite a bit of time spent in the vehicle (game drives, travel time…) but the seats are comfortable and the landscape is varied. So time is running fast. The meals made on the campfire were delicious and contained many fresh ingredients (tasty alternatives for vegetarians). Even in the outback, we had simple facilities (bucket shower every second day and bush toilets). Camping equipment, cooking tools and vehicle were in good conditions.
Local and experienced guides make a huge contribution to the success of a trip. Our guides/drivers were outstanding and complemented each other. Farai and Moses, our lovely guides, have profound knowledge in the field of wildlife, country-specific features and African traditions. They took care of us and showed us their countries from the best side. Farai was responsible for the overall organisation and the cooking part whereas Moses drives us through the landscape. Moses is a professional Botswana guide with big experience and true hospitality. Besides reliable driving, he showed us the (hidden) spots where we could track games and give in-depth background information. ET was the driver of the backup track with the kitchen and our baggage. That’s a responsible task as well. With his friendly manner, he was part of the group and helped to set up the campsite or to break down before leaving.
Thanks to the people that make this trip amazing! I’m looking back to great trip and an unforgettable experience. It was an authentic wildlife experience - this sounds like an advertisement but it’s the truth. I would highly recommend this tour to my friends.
Email Silke | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Botswana Wild Side
We had an absolutely amazing camping safari in Botswana with Sunway Safaris. It was extremely well organised and run very smoothly. Our main guide, Petros, was outstanding. He was extremely knowledgeable about the wild life and enabled us to have some interactions with wild elephants that were amazing. I felt safe and looked after all the way along. The time in the okavanga delta with the locals there was really special. I was very glad that we had Jame with his superb driving skills on these difficult roads. Food prepared by Petros and Dineo was delicious and I was very surprised about what you can cook on a campfire! The wildlife was wonderful - it's easier to list what we didn't see (a cheetah) than what we sae - we even saw a pack of wild dogs! We returned with many many magic memories. Thanks!
US
Email Stephanie Berman | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wonderfully organized to maximize the best of South Africa
I recently returned from the Sunway Safaris Rainbow Route, 17-day tour across South Africa. I have never been on an organized tour of this length and wasn't sure what to expect. As a solo traveler, I was incredibly impressed with the organization of the tour, the tour vehicle "Red Elephant," and and the expertise of the guides. Yes, there was quite a bit of time spent in the vehicle (it's great, but if you go during the winter, make sure you have layers because it can be cold in the mornings), but a lot of that time was spent during safari game drives and in order to be able to cover the ground that we did. There were a few days with really long drives, but because we left early in the morning and stopped for an activity along the way, the drives didn't feel that long. At Kruger and the other safari parks, we saw some unbelievable wildlife sights (e.g., pride of 12 lions, lions eating a recently killed buffalo, mother lion crossing water with baby, all Big 5 on two days in a row, elephant walking to water hole) due to the skill level of our guides, Phuma and Farai. Our guides were the perfect pair and complemented each other beautifully. After a few days, it felt more like a family than a tour group. We only had 4 in the group, but the limit is 12. We were also able to see fabulous marine wildlife including humpback whales, southern right whales, seals, etc. I was also incredibly impressed with the accommodations which exceeded my expectations. For the first two weeks, we were in somewhat remote locations (with the exception of Kruger), which were very peaceful. The last week when we hit the garden route, it became a bit more crowded with tourists, but was absolutely beautiful! Overall, I would highly recommend this tour and this company.
CH
Email serena, geneva | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
highly recommended
this is the second time I have done a safari holiday in africa and the first time with sunway. I was certainly not disappointed and infact the holiday and accommodaion were far better than I had expected. I did a 2wk 'beach and bush' from johannesburg through swaziland and mozambique. the tour was very well organised, guides farai and william highly knowledgeable on all our questions, either flora or faune, and did their jobs very professionally. the tour included 3 nights in several places, a welcome break from the long days in the truck, which obviously was a big part of the trip. we did several safaris in a couple of parks, and saw loads. the food on the tour was top quality and rarely convenience foods, lunches often picnics on the road sides and dinners usually a fabulous meal around the camp fire. the 'permanent tents' were far from being tents, all with very good sanitary and hot water, and the places we stayed one night in were more 4* than basic. the programme, although it included thousands of kms and long travelling days was...excellent. I think the entire group would agree that there was nothing we would have changed in hindsight. well done to the guides and organisers
FI
Email Nipo | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Zimbabwe & Botswana Game Tracker - worth the price, some challenges
We did Sunway Safaris Zimbabwe & Botswana Game Tracker (ZBa16) in March-April 2024 with a Sunway Safari truck and all together 12 participants and 2 guides. Here is a summary of the trip. All in all, the level of the tour operator was reasonable by Arfica's standards and the trip was generally worth the price. The guides were of a good average level and the arrangements were generally smooth. The food was average.
The car's safety level had some shortcomings (three-point seat belts were missing and a lot of loose items were kept in the passenger compartment), but the driver's driving skills were good. It is worth noting that the car is built on a truck chassis and the suspension is therefore very stiff. Spending tens of hours on bumpy roads in Africa is therefore quite uncomfortable. In addition, the car's air conditioning is insufficient for hot climates, so you should be prepared for discomfort. Contrary to what is said on the website, there is no drinking water tank in the car, but passengers are advised to buy their drinking water from shops.
The itinerary was mostly good. The biggest disappointment was that a few weeks before the trip, the tour operator announced that Khama Rhino Sanctuary was removed from the plan, as seeing Rhinos was one of the main reasons we booked this particular trip. It was replaced by Goo Moremi Gorge, where we did a small nature walk in a large group of tourists and where there was practically nothing to see. The reason for the change was that one of the couples participating in the trip had booked earlier flights, which is why we had to be at the airport earlier and therefore travel further the day before and miss the Khama Rhino Sanctuary. In my opinion, it is not fair that the route of those who have already booked the trip is shortened and destinations are left out, so that those who booked later can book earlier flights.
Another big disappointment on the trip was the game drive arrangements of the Hvange nature park. The itinerary promises 4WD game drives in the park led by a local guide. We also booked the night game drive offered as an extra. In practice, we got an ancient truck from the 80s and a non-English-speaking driver who couldn't drive it and wasn’t interested in the animals or guiding. At the very beginning, we got stuck twice in the sand, from which we had to shovel the tires and push the car (the safety instructions prohibit not getting out of the car, but we had no choice but to push the car out of the sand). After this, the driver refused to drive on the dirt roads anymore and only drove back and forth on the main road of the park, with the result that we saw nothing but a couple of elephants that were in the middle of the road. Also, the night game drive light used by the driver was so weak that you couldn't spot animals in its light. Despite our complaints, the Sunway safaris guide didn't do anything about it, but went himself to another car, which drove small dirt roads and saw a lot of animals. When we demanded a refund for the payment, the guide didn't even try to find a solution, but bluntly stated that we should pay for these "game drives".
There was also one very dangerous incident on our trip. In the Okavango Delta, a hippo attacked one of our group's canoes. A local paddler barely managed to keep the canoe afloat by jumping into the water himself and hitting the hippo with a stick, which broke in a flash. Fortunately, no one was injured, only the clothes and belongings of the people in the canoe got wet. However, the situation was life-threatening.
The accommodations were mostly as described, some quite basic, some better and even luxury.
The Great Zimbabwe hotel turned off the electricity at night to save electricity from 1-5, with the result that the air conditioning did not work and we stayed up sweating almost the whole night. You couldn't open the windows because of the monkeys and mosquitoes, which was very uncomfortable.
Okavango Delta tent camp was very basic, as promised. It was quite nice there as long as the weather stayed good, but on our last day there it rained non-stop, which made it quite uncomfortable. We also had to leave the camp in the pouring rain, so all our things were soaking wet after the trip.
Hermits Peak Guest Lodge in Matobo, Nkosi Guest Lodge at Victoria Falls and Goo Moremi Gorge Resort were the best and good quality accommodations of the trip, the rest were quite ordinary.
Reply from Sunway Safaris
Posted on Apr 12, 2024Dear Nipo,
Thank you for taking the time to provide such in depth feedback.
Sunway Safaris would like to provide feedback on some of the points raised.
“The car's safety level”
Our Sunway Safaris trucks are built to conform to the latest safety regulations.
If we did not do this, then we would have multiple issues with fines and officials all over Southern Africa, including when our vehicles cross over borders between countries.
Each vehicle is fitted with a safety shell and each seat has a lap belt.
The Sunway trucks are built by a registered coach builder and we have a specific homologation design certificate.
Safety in our industry is of our utmost concern as Sunway is responsible for the clients and guides it carries on tour.
We do our utmost to ensure the safety of our clients at all times.
“Air conditioning”
We specifically avoid the use of the term air conditioning when marketing or discussing the Safari trucks.
These vehicles are not fitted with an air conditioner.
They do have an air cooling system, which when used will reduce the temperature in the vehicle by around 5 - 10 degrees.
But, this relies on a number of factors such as whether all clients keep their windows closed when operational.
So, if it is 40 degrees outside it will still be rather warm inside the truck.
Also note that Southern Africa experienced unusually high temperatures towards the end of March 2024 which would have contributed to the heat inside the vehicle.
“Drinking Water”
All of the Sunway Safari Trucks are fitted with a water tank that is available to clients.
I have discussed this point with the guides and they say they informed the group of the tank, but that the clients chose to purchase water instead.
I have asked the guides to make sure in future that this point is clearly communicated to all clients and make sure that all clients understand what water is available.
“Khama Rhino Sanctuary”
Sunway Safaris sends out notification of changes at least 6 weeks prior to tour.
Notification of this change was sent on 29 January 2024 with a detailed explanation as to why this change was necessary.
We can understand that some clients may have been disappointed by the change, but overall this was for the greater good of the tour.
The reason provided for the change is not consistent with the reasons given in the detailed notification sent on 29 January 2024.
In short, the change was made to provide superior quality accommodation to the touring group on the final night of tour, combined with a nature based activity.
Goo Moremi Gorge Resort we feel is of a suitable standard to meet this need.
Further to this, clients do have an excellent opportunity to view Rhino on foot, earlier on in the tour.
“Game Drive in Hwange National Park”
I have had a look through all the feedback forms provided by all clients on the tour.
There is not mention of the poor quality of the vehicle by other clients, or a lack of animal sightings.
When speaking with the guides, they were aware of the unhappiness with the night drive, but recommended to the that this be dealt with after the tour as all clients were already waiting in the truck for departure.
The night drive is an optional activity operated by a third party from the lodge.
We will however get in touch with the operator to raise the clients concern with the quality of vehicle supplied for the drive, so thank you for raising this with us.
We always strive for clients to receive the same standard of experience.
“Hippo Incident in Okavango”
The Okavango is a wild environment.
It is one of the primary highlights of many of our tours.
We carry 1500+ clients per annum into the delta.
The poler mentioned to the group that this is only the second time that a hippo has come near a boat in the last 5 years.
So that’s 3000 bed nights per year, and 15,000 bed nights in the last 5 years (Covid excluded)
So, two hippo incidents in 15,000 bed nights is not unfathomable in terms the wilderness aspect, hippos, low water levels this year.
We’ve been doing this for 30 years now, and thankfully without a hippo injury to client.
Generally, the polers are aware of where the hippos are congregating during the day.
And thus, avoid contact with the hippos as far as possible.
The polers are very cautious, move slowly, and stick to the edges of any lagoons.
The short sunset Mokoro experience normally takes place at a lagoon close to camp site in the early evening.
It is normally a very relaxed situation with hippos either in the centre or far side of the lagoon, if any hippos at all.
Bearing in mind that hippos are an absolute highlight for many of our clients.
But as always wildlife is unpredictable and finding a “rogue” hippo out of place would be the exception.
Central southern Africa is experiencing very low rainfalls this year, worse than any of the last 40 years.
This means that the Delta is restricted to the main channels, but also that grazing is going to be challenging for large herbivores.
This of course puts pressure and stress into the environment and does make all of the animals a little less predictable.
The polers will of course be doing all they can to avoid hippos on these activities and would not have chosen to put the clients in harm’s way deliberately (the polers also have children they want to go home to each day).
As stated earlier, safety of clients is paramount to Sunway Safaris and we would not put clients in a high risk situation.
“Great Zimbabwe Electricity”
Zimbabwe and South Africa are known world-wide for electricity interruptions.
We are not aware of Great Zimbabwe Hotel “switching off the power” purposely between 1am and 5am.
But, we have contacted the hotel group to find out if this is the case and will act on it accordingly.
Unfortunately, bearing the countries power supply issues, sometimes things that are completely out of Sunway or the accommodation providers control can occur.
Looking at the feedback from tour, all other clients on the tour rated all accommodation on tour 4* and 5*, and commended the accommodation used on tour.
So, I am sorry to hear that you did not have the same level of satisfaction in terms of the accommodation used.
We value all client feedback as an important control mechanism, and always ensure that it is taken seriously and any issues raised are properly dealt with.
Thank you again for your detailed feedback.
Kind regards
John
Sunway Safaris Marketing
TH
Email Helen McPherson | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Life changing experience
I started at Victoria Falls and travelled through Botswana and Namibia, camping for most of 21 nights. I was a bit apprehensive as my trip had been delayed 3 years, but Bruce and Grace's communication was helpful, friendly and positive and made me feel happy.
The trip itself was magnificent, it surpassed any expectations I had. My guides, Patrick and Moses were knowledgeable, humorous, hard working and catered meals to a high standard. I was well briefed each day about the itinerary, what to expect and lists of highlights. Geography, political and social information as well as superb information about the wildlife was constant and I gained such insights. I was comfortable in my tent and in the van - P and M always made sure to check I was okay.
I really felt like I saw what was special, the itinerary was well set. I left Livingstone and Africa feeling like I left home, with a love that grew because my experience was so enriching. I can't thank Sunways, Patrick and Moses enough for the experience of a lifetime. My tour was NB21 and I would do it all again - though I have been told of the Malawi Mozambique tour and am saving my pennies.
AT
Email Ulli and Thomas from Austria | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great safari, bush walks and hiking!
Our hiking tour through South Africa, Swasiland an Zululand was wonderful. Our guides Colly and Cloud from Sunway did a fantastic job spotting moving rocks as animals from far away, sharing all their huge knowledge about wild animals, history and living conditions with us and showing us very beatiful scenery on our hiking tours. They are very kind guys, well organised, excellent cooks and deal with all upcoming questions in a way everybody can feel well.
The accomodations were fine, it´s a good idea to stay two nights and than move on to the next. The small group of five made the bus to our mobile living room.
Thank you so much for the gorgeous experience!
DE
Email Anne & Mario | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Ivory Route - fantastic
We have just returned from the 2-week Botswana & Zimbabwe Ivory Route, which exceeded our already high expectations (we have traveled several times with Sunways). The route was well chosen and the activities as well. The accommodations were all good, Hyena Pan was again fantastic with the many animals at the waterhole. The travel times were long but absolutely in order. Our highlights were:
- Matobos National Park, where we were only a few meters away from the rhinoceros (mummy, dad and baby)
- Moremi Game Reserve, where we have seen a young leopard have torn a little impala
- Shakawe - Okavango Delta, where we spent a night on a houseboat
- Maun - the flight with the open helicopter over the Okavango Delta (at his own expense)
- Chobe National Park, where we have seen a lot of elephants and of course a leopard with its two babies.
We will never forget this trip - our honeymoon.
Many thanks to Sunway Safaris and our two guides Chris Zvidzayi and Chris Zulu who have made this possible.
All in all, we can only recommend Sunways and already plan another safari with Sunways next year.