Sunway Safaris

Well organized, friendly and effective

The guides May and Colly, were Kind during all time, totaly focused in our satisfaction for meals ( both very good at preparing very tasting and nutricious food), in getting The Best possible wiews of landscape, animals, plants... I am sure that both contributed a lot for The excelent mood betwen trip participation

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.

Raibow route, fantastic

We have just returned from 3 weeks in South Africa, Jacques and Willard were fantastic and every days we spent in this Amazing contry was a perfect day.
Many thanks to Sunway safaris for the organization and again thanks our guides Jacques and Willard, we'll never forget them.
They are realy professional and we enjoyed every moment of the tour.
The accomodations are all ok, a realy good standard.
We raccomand Sunway safaris and, J'm sure we'll come back again!! Next time in Botswuana!!!!

Amazing adventure across South Africa

I did the rainbow route and it was amazing! Our tour guides Jeff and Norman were the best! They should really be chefs, as their cooking was fantastic! They always did everything in their power to ensure everyone was happy

Well organized, good communication, good value

I did the Sunways Elephant Safari tour in July. There were 9 of us in the tour. We saw a lot of animals especially elephants. There is a lot of time spent driving, so be prepared for long hours in the bus. The lodges/tents we stayed at were pretty nice. The one thing I would change is getting more time in Botswana's Chobe national park. We arrived in the afternoon, and had a lovely trip on the river. However, I would have loved to spend a day, or at least half a day at the park. Instead we had to pay extra for 2.5 hours in the park with another company, and because it was so rushed, we didn't really get to see much.

The guides Aloyis and Allen were knowledgeable and professional. When things went wrong (like running into a sandstorm) they acted responsibly and with ingenuity.

Well organised, great guides from Sunway and hooked us up with fantastic local guides, in the Delta and elsewhere (Oliver our game guide in Moremi, Savuti and Chobe was truly excellent!).

Wonderful safari, perfect organization, knowledgeable guide

We recently returned from a safari through South Africa and Mozambique, including stops in Zululand and Swaziland. This was our first trip to South Africa, so it was not without some trepidation. Well, our holiday was up to, and actually exceeded, all our expectations. The places visited, accommodations, activities, food and general organization were excellent. Our guide, Clinton J Venter, did everything to make this trip amazing. He was really professional and knowledgeable of wildlife, and at the same time friendly and good humored. A perfect driver. We've always felt safe! I would highly recommend this trip to everyone. Thank you Sunway Safaris for excellent organization, we'll travel with you again.

Good Company

Hint: other travelers will love reading about your experience of the communications, service, value for money, reliability and the tour itsel

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.

It was a time that my husband and I will never forget

My husband and I did a 14 day camping safari with our guide ;Jonathan Clements and Ende. We had the best time,they gave us an experience that we will never forget. All the way from the animals, birds that we saw, to the camping experience, great food,education of the country. If you want to do a safari- request these 2 gentlemen. They were the best.