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:
- $81 to $200 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
Email Stuart Taylor | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing
The tour itself was really amazing. I had problems with Piero with my bookings before hand though. Paid the deposit and he continuously failed to reply to my emails regarding securing the booking stating he never received the deposit. However after he rejected my calls he sent me somebody else's number who resolved the issue weeks later. The tour itself was amazing. Our whole group loved it. Shout out to Victor who is such a legend. Always happy and helpful. All the staff on safari were great. Bus drivers to kitchen staff.. everyone was amazing.
All staff were very friendly and personable, helping to create a memorable experience.
All staff were very friendly and personable, helping to create a memorable experience. Everyone went out of their way to make sure you enjoyed yourself. Well done.
QA
Email Nicky B | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Safari surprises every day
We had a fantastic trip to Kruger National Park with Viva Safaris, with two destinations and therefore different experiences in each. We received superb hospitality, good, clean accommodation and they even catered for vegetarians and vegans.
The safari tours were well structured and informative and most of all, great fun. Some days the animals were quite determined not to be seen but the expert guides always found them in the end! The safari vehicles offered great views and shelter from the sun and we were never overcrowded. We also had bush walks (sturdy shoes/boots recommended) which were so enjoyable too.
Overall, the experiences we had were amazing and we hope to return in the future and would definitely use Viva Safaris again. They surpassed expectations on every level.
HK
Email Bob Ikin | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Full on
It was comprehensive and we we constantly viewing. I would suggest flying into Kruger from Joburg as the 6-7hour bus journey was a little labourious
Email Alexandra | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
a great holiday
We had a wonderful time with viva safaris. The activities were well organised, staff were lovely and the accommodation and food was great.
HK
Email Cassandra Lister | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Enjoyable!
Communication during the planning phase was excellent. Less than a 12-hour turnaround time (allowing for time zone differences). Instructions on pick-up location, what to pack, what to wear, etc was all very detailed. All the drivers we had were pleasant to deal with and confident regarding what they had to deliver. Professional yet friendly.
Email Belinda | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A great family experience!
Reasonable all round. Eveyone was friendly. If there were issues they were minor and was all sorted out.
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.
US
Email Sharon | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Good Value But With A Few Problems
We just returned from a 5D/4N safari at Tremisana Lodge. The pre-trip communication was very good. It was easy to make the reservation 6 months ago and reconfirm it just before we left. We were on another safari in South Africa before meeting up with Viva Safaris and so had asked them to arrange a hotel for us, near JNB airpirt, on the night before starting this part of our trip. Even though we provided the with our domestic flight number, they were confused and went to the international terminal instead. The accommodations at Tremisana look as pictured. The Lodge is nore rustic than you might guess. All meals were served outside and there was only one meal time. The food was okay at best but we did not go there for the food anyway. The AC in our room shorted out and we were placed in a similar room. We felt it was odd that no other people on safari stayed at Tremisana more than one night but us. They all went on to other places, mostly Marcs Treehouse. This gave the Lodge the feeling of a halfway point instead of a social place to discuss what we had seen on safari that day. The game drives were always great. We did see the Big 5. We got close up to the animals and the experience was wonderful. All game drive leaders were not the same, however. One in particular (Alias - Smiley) was very good in explaining animal behavior. The game drives always occurred on schedule and lasted 2-4 hours. Transportation that was provided to/from the lodge from JNB airport was not at all what we expected. The drive from JNB to Tremisana Lodge is very long and takes about 5 hours! The minibus used to transport us from JNB to the Lodge broke down 45 min into the trip. The water pump gave out and we had to wait at a rest stop for 3 hours before a replacement minivan came to pick us up. Then, as came time for different guests to be dropped off at different lodges, a tactic of having other mini vans stationed along the route, where you and your luggage were transferred was used. This meant that we had to change mini busses several times, each time transferring our luggage as well. This was not expected, never communicated, resulted in one persons luggage being misplaced and left most people feeling the need to keep tipping drivers. On our trip back from Tremisana to JNB we were the last ones to be picked up and found ourselves crammed ito the last row of a small minibus that held 14 passengers. Again, we had to transfer to another mini bus three times before we got back to JNB airport.
FR
Email Yazid | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Disappointed
we booked for 5 days. We have safari experience. unfortunately we were disappointed. The group is too big, the cars are not comfortable, some drivers seem inexperienced and so you don't see much. And the meals are catastrophic and not generous. In short, everything was counted. and shortened safari times. After Botswana, Kenya and Tanzania, we are disappointed. especially since the Balule reserve is really not terrible with electric cables crossing the area and which takes away the charm of the real safari.