Viva Safaris team look forward to seeing you soon!
Viva Safaris
- Office In:
- Size:
- 50-100 employees (Founded in 1991)
- Member Of:
- Southern Africa Tourism Services Association
- Tour Types:
- Mid-range tours that, when possible, use accommodations owned and operated by them
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $84 to $208 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Your request will be sent directly to the operator
If preferred, you can contact the operator directly
Reviews
US
Email Bala | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent! A very authentic, professional and genuinely friendly experience, and delivers!
In one word we loved the experience. The staff were very prompt during booking, and throughout the tour. We left behind a camera and some documents when we departed and they were amazingly helpful in returning them to us by courier. Regarding the tour itself, the staff are very knowledgeable about the terrain, animals and so on and the organizational aspects were top class. We stayed at Katekani largely and we just loved it. It’s very private, has exceptional luxury level living arrangements, and the food was freshly prepared and served everyday to a very small group of us staying there which was a bonus in itself. The safari tours were fantastic. We saw all the animals except the elusive leopard and many birds at close quarters. The bush walk experience was fabulous - not something offered by all safari tours. In sum, Viva safari more than lived up to expectations!
DE
Email Martina | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Great Safaris with nice guides!
Everything works fine, special thanks to Smilie and Nico!!
Thank you for the Big Five!
US
Email Rick and Tori | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fabulous time was had, great ground and driving tours of South Africa nature land.
The service was excellent and the staff friendly and accomodating. The treehouse and lodge were comfortable and in a great location. Time was well organized and gave full days but never rushed. The only criticism could be that in winter the treehouses were too cold.
US
Email Wood | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great Vacation by Kruger Park for reasonable price
Pros:
Very reasonable prices for location and accommodations.
On time pick up at JNB hotel.
Lodge Rooms was clean and comfortable but a bit small for our family of 3.
Program/tours - variety of tours and places to go, really enjoyed the conservation visit!
Breakfast was very good, as well as other meals.
Lodge staff friendly.
Most of the guides, despite of young, looked passioned about their job and were very friendly.
Cons:
Location - day to go to Kruger was cold and had to ride 30-40 mins on open vehicle (with tarp on one side).
Lodge bar only accepts cash - this was an issue for us, since we did not take much cash on our trip, so we could not drink as much we wanted on our vacation!
Liability Waiver - this created a big commotion on the van to the Lodge. None of us know about that when we booked the trip. The explanations were confusing. Some told us was for the van ride only and others that it was for the Safari tours. I have done Safaris before and don't recall signing nothing like that. This was an unpleasant and unnecessary stress during our Vacation.
Internet - only works on the lobby area.
CA
Email Klaus | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Truly priceless experience. Thank you!
Viva Safaris establishments, amenities, food, services and their friendly team members exceeded our expectations during our stay at Tremisana Lodge and Marcs Treehouse Lodge. Patti was very helpful when we booked our safari.
NZ
Email Heidi F. | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Friendly staff, excellent customer service and well-organised
Viva Safaris exceeded my expectations in terms of friendliness, great customer service and being a well-organised 3 night safari. The email communications to confirm booking and arrangements was great. The staff were able to answer any queries I had via email and a staff member was able to pick us up and drop us off at Hoedspruit airport.
The food was delicious and plentiful, the accommodation was basic, but sufficient and clean. The guides were very friendly and knowledgeable about the animals on our safaris and went out of their way to ensure we got to see some of the Big 5. The drives and walks always left on time and the days were well-planned.
One of the guides, Andy, even went out of his way to go to Hoedspruit Airport after we'd left South Africa to check if a mobile phone had been handed in. I would highly recommend Viva Safaris for an affordable experience in the Kruger National Park.
¡Viva, Viva Safari!
With my family we took the 4 days safari adventure and we has a blast!!
-Viva safari picked us up and drop us off on time! Which made our trip super efficient!!
-Accommodation: clean and confortable. The lodge is super pretty with a little pool and gardens. You will see some friendly (and hungry) visitors too!
-Staff very friendly and helpful. Always with a smile a whiling to make you feel at home. It will be hard to forget Shannon's fun rides!
-Activities: the schedule is well thought there are times to rest, for adventures and to share with other visitors.
-Food: very good. A fine mix of African and international. Thumbs up! specially because we're picky eaters.
Some tips!
-Bring your plug adaptor!
-Bring some warm clothes, it might rain and it could get cold.
-Be open to meet new people and have amazing conversations!
US
Email Xavier | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic guides, amazing experience
Viva Safaris was worth every penny, and I am glad that I decided to go with them. They arrived as stated (in JNB) and dropped off as stated (so many people to drop, but we all made it back by 6:00). Make sure that your flight leaving isn't before 7:00pm, just to be safe. The daily activities were as planned.
Workers were all fantastic - ALL, from top to bottom. Thank you to Andy, Nico, and Eva - you all made the experiences that much better. I learned so much from them (animal behaviors, territory, plants). Thank you drivers and lodge workers also.
The only disappointment is that I didn't see all the animals that I wanted to - but that's how it goes, and I was just unlucky.
I did the 5 Day package, and it was less expensive because I did it with a friend of mine. For first timers on a budget, go with Viva Safaris. I 100% recommend.
Dankie
BR
Email Monica Villarindo | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very good! Excellent service. Very professional and service oriented.
This Safari was extremely good and well organized. Viva Safari is super punctual, very service oriented and professional. All the drivers and rangers were very nice and polite, the staff at the two accommodations were also very nice, the food was very good for the location, and we almost saw the big five. We had an unexpected exciting experience when we witnessed a crocodile eat a baby zebra. The driver, Patrick, who took us to Kruger park was very good and we always got to the locations at the right time. My only suggestion would be to give us a few more minutes to buy souvenirs at the park and at the stop on the Canyons, which was actually very beautiful as well, so a few more minutes there would be welcome. Other than that everything was excellent, out three house was fun and very comfortable. The people that we meet at the Safari were very nice as well, it was a wonderful experience!!
DK
Email Thor | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good, but could be better
First of all, I enjoyed the tour a lot and I had so much fun with the other people attending the tour. I got to see the different animals and got some good stories to tell when I go back home.
However, I have a feeling that the tour could be much better because:
- Pick-up the first day arrived more than 1 hour late and I didn't get any notice. I called their office, but they weren't helpful at all.
- The engagement of the staff seemed to vary a lot. Some were very engaging and were able to tell about the animals and plants, while others didn't really seem to care too much and just drove/walked us around to earn their money.
- Most of the staff at the Tresmina lodge didn't seem happy. There was a weird atmosphere at the lodge and there seemed to be some tension among the staff.
- The atmosphere at Marc's Tree House was more happy, but the staff didn't seem to care too much for their customers. I got electric shock in the shower the last morning (probably due to a short circuit). I told the staff and they didn't apologize or anything. I just got the answer "Ok, we will take a look at it".
- The quality of the food could be improved a lot without much effort.
Just to summarize: I had a lot of fun and got to see all the animals even though they we had to drive for quite a while to find them. It was a great experience, but I believe that it could be so much better if the staff where better trained and more engaging.