Viva Safaris

Wonderful trip

Booked the 7 day Tremisani Lodge with Viva Safaris. I chose them due to price and cancellation policy. I was picked of from Jberg airport and it was a 5.5 hour drive to the property in a 14 person van with 14 people in it! If I had known then what I do now I would have caught a domestic flight to Hoedspruit from Jberg. I did that flying out due to a miscommunication and flew Airlink from Hoedspruit to Cape Town. It was only $126 to do this and was better than what I had originally planned which was to go back to Jberg and fly to Cape Town. But you do see some things along the way that you wouldn’t if you don’t take the van. The lodge is not really a lodge but chalets. It is nice but not luxury. The bed was comfortable and the property is beautiful and well maintained. There is a small pool. There are several monkeys that live on property and they will try to steal your belongings/food. This was a common occurrence that everyone except the staff seemed to enjoy. The food was okay but if you’re a picky eater it could be a problem as they serve what they serve and that’s it. Others that were there while I was split their time between Tremisana and Marc’s tree house. They all agreed the treehouse had better food. If I had to do it again I would split my time as well. There are multiple species that come right up to the fence. The lodge is inside the Balule Nature Reserve and you have a planned itinerary each day. Some days it seems daunting due to getting up early and staying out late. We did a bush walk, went to the Olifants River, had 2 bush bbq’s, and multiple game drives. If you have mobility issues you may struggle with getting in and out of the safari vehicles. There is a big set of steps at the property but I never saw anyone use them. The staff are amazing at what they do. Smiley was a group favorite. All of the guides were great. They do a great job spotting animals, explaining animal behavior, and tracking their whereabouts. I went in June so winter in South Africa. I needed gloves, a beanie and several layers in the mornings and at night. They do provide nice blankets. I wished I had brought a scarf. It was warm during the day. I was solo but the others took me right in and made my trip even more enjoyable. I would definitely go again!