Safari Lifestyles
- Located In:
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 2007)
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $150 to $1,900 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
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Email Pal | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent Northern Botswana Classic Mobile Camping Safari
I booked a Botswana 10 day classic mobile camping safari with Safari Lifestyles, running from Maun via Moremi, Khwai and Savuti, and ending up in Kasane. It was an excellent safari, with a top notch guide and crew, good food and comfortable tented accommodation. The safari lived up to all my expectations, and we saw a lot of wildlife, including all the big cats and the wild dogs. This was my 5th and so far best African safari, after earlier trips in Kenya, Tanzania and Botswana. We were lucky, and had a fabulous guide who could spot even the best hidden bird and animal. The guide knew all bird species in the region, a plus for birders. The trip was also great for photography. Safari Lifestyles was very professional, and quickly answered all pre-tour questions. Based on my experience, I highly recommend Safari Lifestyles as a safari operator.
Email David G | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
I would strongly recommend Roger and Safari Lifestyles
Safari Lifestyles organised our two week safari in the Okavango Delta, Botswana for my family of five from Sydney (April 2017, Jacana Camp, Machaba Camp, Kings Pool camp). I wanted an reputable operator that was locally based and had genuine/recent expert knowledge. I was also very nervous about sending money off to a foreign country over the internet. Roger Turski and Safari Lifestyles were very responsive by email at every turn. Roger was also available to speak with over Skype which was reassuring. In the end, the safari exceeded our wildest dreams. Three camps, all great but all different; a very well balanced trip. Seamless transfers, great guides. It is a challenging environment, so t was even more impressive how smoothly everything went. Roger has been to many of the camps himself, photographed them himself, and was clearly passionate about delivering a trip exceeded our wishes. The entire trip was prepaid with *everything* included as designed. I spent two weeks without any keys or wallet in my pockets which was a personal highlight of the trip. We opted to tip our guides and buy a few trinkets but that was it whilst we were on safari.
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Email Alain Van Doosselaere | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Roger Turski listened to us and delivered a magnificent product. Exactly what we were hoping for.
We spent 4 days/nights in Machaba and 3 in Lebala camps and could not have hoped for a better experience. Roger made sure that we would have Shaun as tracker/driver in Machaba. Our main objective was leopards and Shaun is for sure the most ardent admirer of that animal. He allowed us to spend countless hours living with a mother and son, gorging on a gazelle, chasing waterbucks and posing on trees. Absolutely beautiful. Large numbers of elephants, hippos, giraffes, all species of gazelles, baboons, and 3 lionesses feasting on a small giraffe. The camp was perfectly managed by Elke (Belgian origin as me and Shaun's wife), the set up magnificent, the food delicious and the tents pretty comfortable even without A/C. A large bull elephant came by to say hello, almost in our tent. Lebala was different in its set up mostly because of the dry season and water was less visible. But we saw fantastic wildlife as well: a 20+ family of wild dogs "playing" with a large elephant, a pride of 5 lionesses and their 7 kiddos hunting on warthogs and feasting on one of them, countless fish eagles and elephants, some buffaloes, onyxes, 3 male lions taking it easy, hippos everywhere and very close to the camp, and of course all possible gazelles. The camp was very comfortable as well, including a charming show organized by the staff during our going out party dinner in the wild. And the cherry on the cake was: no internet. What a pleasure not to be compelled to check that feature every 5 minutes. Thanks to Roger, Elke, Shaun and the staffs, it will be a fantastic souvenir.
Email Tim Pepper | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Mobile Camping and Lodge Safari in Botswana
We used Safari Lifestyles for a safari to Botswana for 6 people about 12 months ago… we combined a privately guided mobile tented trip with a lodge extension to Kwando Lebala and Jacana Camp for 5 nights.
With all the questions we asked I think Roger picked it up personally and dealt with the itinerary himself. What made us choose this company was his knowledge of the country and his attention to detail. Our mobile was well staffed and took us through Moremi, Savuti and Chobe with amazing sightings!!!, then on to Kasane for a night at a lodge in the town, we then had charter flights to the Safari Camps which he chose for us.
There were no real negatives other than a hyena stealing a friends knapsack on the tented section, never to be seen again. Initially we were hesitant to go to a water camp like Jacana as our interests lay in wildlife photography and we were concerned about the lack of game there. However it proved to be a real highlight as it was one of most relaxing of places to end a trip. Kwando Lebala was fantastic and we had unbelievable sightings, it was as exciting as it was described to us.
Its really difficult to say which part was best, the mobile camping section was closer to nature and we had our own group, but we did love the accommodation of a big tent and huge beds in the lodges and these private concessions were magic.
I would have no problem in using Roger and Safari Lifestyles for another trip.
Email Mark Pullar | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Safari of a Lifetime organised by the best
This holiday was for a special 50th birthday event and after doing some research we are very thankful we chose Roger at Safari Lifestyles who guided us with his expertise on this amazing country of Botswana to arrive at an itinerary which suited our budget and wish list. All details and numerous queries were clearly explained in a very timely manner so we knew what were booking.
The holiday went off without a hitch and our very high expectations were smashed by the amazing three Kwando camps we stayed at - Tau Pan, Lagoon and Splash. The accommodation, facilities, food, beverage and especially the friendly staff and guides at each camp was exceptional.
Even though this was low season (for the northern camps), the animals we saw at close range was incredible especially as the game drives could go off road which meant some amazing adventures following wild dog and lion hunts. We have secured some spectacular photos which still do not fully capture what lifetime memories we now have.
Thank you so much to Kwando and Roger for making this the most memorable birthday holiday ever!
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Email Vidyasagar (Vidya) | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Exceeded our expectations
We contacted Roger a year in advance for our trip in Aug2019. We explained our interests, time period and safari history and he matched us with Kwando camps. It turned out to be a perfect match of expectations.
His communication from the start to the end and even the feedback after the trip was prompt, timely and with a lot of details. I had discussed with him about night photography, luggage, animal list - very knowledgable and got us some wonderful guides who matched our wavelength.
Logistics between arrival and departure out of Maun were organized very well and worked in a clockwork fashion. The logistics of booking, information and sending us updates was done in a timely manner - we had made additions as late as weeks before the start of the trip and the whole transaction was handled very professionally.
We had a great safari and have become huge fans of Botswana - I highly recommend Roger for all of your safari bookings and travels
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Email Mike | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Amazing Safari with Great Prices and Great Planning!
I've visited Africa every year for the past few years (6 trips total) and this was my 4th trip to Botswana. I've booked with several different tour operators, and I can't say enough about how great it was to work with Safari Lifestyles.
I did all of my planning via email with Roger, and he was incredibly helpful from start to finish. He gave me lots of advice and suggestions on which camps to visit, and being that Safari Lifestyles works with so many camps, there were a lot of options and Roger could give unbiased advice. He listened to what I was most interested in and told me which options he thought would suit me best.
We decided on 3 camps - Lebala, Machaba and Splash. Lebala and Splash are both run by the same company, Kwando, and I've been to some of their other camps in the past. When all was done, I compared Safari Lifestyles' prices (averaged out for the whole trip, per person, per night) vs my trip from 2019 booked with another company, and the prices from Safari Lifestyles were significantly better. That was impressive considering that on this trip I had one more flight (camp transfer) than in 2019. If I remember right, Roger did break out the prices for the transfer flights separately, but on my 2019 trip the tour operator bundled everything together so I didn't know much much the transfers cost. So for the sake of comparison I combined everything, and as I said, Safari Lifestyles was better.
As far as the safari itself, we had an amazing safari, to the point of being spoiled with sightings. I think it will be a very long time before I have a safari with this many unique sightings. It was unbelievable to pack so many events into the trip. For example we watched male lions competing for territory at Lebala (roaring, chasing, and a brief fight), and there was a couple on the truck with us who has been visiting Botswana 1 - 2 times a year for 19 years, and they said this was the first time they ever saw that from start to finish. Not to mention many leopards and cheetahs. Cheetahs are my favorite, and we saw them on almost every drive at Splash. We also saw two separate packs of African wild dogs, including hunting lechwe and fighting with a hyena. I couldn't have scripted a better safari.
At Machaba, the camp manager, Shaun, guided for us. We really enjoyed spending time with him, and he couldn't have been a nicer person. I felt like he loved being out on safari just as much as we did, and that he really wanted us to see as much as possible. He made a really touching video of our sightings and shared it with us on our last morning, it's one of my favorite memories of this safari. Our guides and trackers at Lebala and Splash were also great. I look forward to seeing them all again on a future visit.
After this trip I'm confident that Safari Lifestyles is knowledgeable and reputable, and I look forward to working with them next time!
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Email DeaneG888 | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A great and memorable trip thanks to Roger at Safari Lifestyles!
Roger is knowledgeable, responsive and a pleasure to deal with. We looked forward to receiving his thoughtful email replies with information and recommendations based on his personal experience.
Roger provided well thought out options for us and clearly explained the differences between them. Our itinerary included a good mix of camps, each with its own memorable features. He also tailored the dates to get us reduced rates at very desirable locations.
We appreciated Roger’s patience with our additions, changes, and many questions and requests – spanning from my initial inquiry through to the time we were anxiously packing for our trip and even after reaching our first camp in Botswana. He was always ready to assist us.
He customized our itinerary, such that besides the camps in Chobe, Linyanti and Okavango Delta; Roger also booked our stay in Victoria Falls, a private river cruise on the Chobe and all transfers in between. Everything went very smoothly. Several camp guides mentioned that we had booked an ideal series of camps.
Safari Lifestyles has a comprehensive website with beautiful photos, a number of which Roger took himself.
It was a wonderful travel experience – comfortable, beautiful accommodations; delicious food with a nice selection of dishes; friendly attentive service; and most of all amazing wildlife. We feel lucky to have selected Safari Lifestyles and Roger Turski!
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Email Sean Schofield | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing service - perfectly curated trip to Botswana!
We found Roger w/Safari Lifestyles after doing extensive research on this site and others. The five star reviews are legit folks. Roger specializes in Botswana but he can also book side trips to Victoria Falls, etc. and I'm sure he can help with other countries as well.
Roger has an amazing knowledge of all of the camps and lodges in Botswana. He visits them regularly and follows up with his clients after the trip to make sure he is on top of the situation. Once he knows your timeframe and budget he will go to work building the perfectly customized experience for you.
In our case, we decided last minute to book our trip and some of our first choices were already booked for peak season. Once Roger understood our criteria he went to work finding suitable alternatives. The camps were amazing and his recommendations were spot on.
I was particularly impressed with how patient Roger was with answering questions by email and Skype. You are spending a lot of money, this is a very different vacation from what you are used to, etc. Roger gets all of that.
When we arrived at the first camp our guide was regularly checking in with our 14 year old son and making sure he was ok with seeing certain potentially stressful things. We found out later that Roger had fully briefed the camp on our son's anxiety issues and made sure they gave us an experienced guide who understood his situation. He did this on his own accord - just to make sure things went smoothly for us on the trip.
I've already recommended Safari Lifestyles to a few different people we ran into at Africa and we'll definitely be using Roger again.
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Email Paula A. | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Roger Turski is knowledgeable, professional, competent, and addressed questions with clarity.
Having done some exploratory investigation on Botswana beforehand and relying on my previous trips to Africa, I presented my wish list to Safari Lifestyles which, in turn, addressed my requests quickly and within a budget I had presented. Safari Lifestyles and the safari experience were beyond expectations, a lifetime memory that has enriched my life. I feel privileged and humbled to have been able to connect to this beautiful part of the world and to witness the incredible bush and people of Botswana. Words cannot express my grateful thank you for a job well done by Safari Lifestyles.