Golden Africa
- Located In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2005)
- Member Of:
- ATTA, HATAB, BOGA & House of Beyond
- Tour Types:
- Mid-range & luxury tours that, when possible, use accommodations owned and operated by them
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $690 to $2,500 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
Email Douglas Clarke | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Botswana through the eyes of a Golden Africa team will never be forgotten both personalised or group
My wife and I visited Botswana for the first time for two weeks on a private safari, through Golden Africa, with Rob Barber, the owner of the business, who has in excess of 10 years experience, and Charlotte (his now wife). Our remit was to see the best of Botswana with maximum privacy, and exposure to the birds and animals in contrasting environments, with an equestrian element. This remit was more than met by Golden Safari themselves, primarily on a superbly organized mobile camp, and through their association with third party lodges.
Their communications were excellent both by phone and email. To ensure your safari can be as agreed, book well in advance to avoid disappointment. The itinerary can be personal or group. We stayed in three different lodges, including Motswiri Ride and Walk which provided an excellent horseback experience - providing mounts suited to personal expertise, as well as driven safaris.
The mobile safari was a unique experience offering two prisitine sites away from all others. A moveable tented camp with long drop loos and bucket showers. Logistics and excellent food were handled by Annalies. Two hyenas came through the camp the first evening, and we were also visited by an elephant and a honey badger.
Rob showed his excellent bush craft when we followed a pack of wild dogs on the hunt and he was able to anticipate their movements and drive in advance thereof. Wild game safaris are subject to the luck of the draw and we were very lucky in that which we saw- both birdlife and animals. Only Savute, in the Chobe National Park, was somewhat limited by drought and the drying up of the river past the lodge - but this in itself provided different experiences.
All transfers between main sites, other than between bush camp sites, is by small chartered light aircraft. This is due to the nature of the Okavango delta.
An excellent detailed itinerary with illustrated details of the accommodation and areas was provided.
Complaints - had we none! and I was happy to provide positive repors on Trip Advisor.
In conclusion just arrange a safari and go. (He also organized an excellent safari for us in Nambia through an associated company).
DE
Email Karl | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Spectacular Safari with Rob!
My family and I have traveled to Namibia and South Africa for many years so we finally decided to go to Botswana for my mothers birthday trip. Golden Africa was recommended to us by our dear South African friends who have been on safaris all over Africa and we could not have been more lucky with our choice. Right from the beginning we felt very comfortable with Rob and were very impressed by how smooth and professional he put together a trip according to our preferences. The in-country services were equally as impressive! Robs knowledge of the region really allowed us to find stunning wildlife scenarios including a wild dog kill right in front of us. Rob had been the only guide who was able to properly track them down so we had the scene to ourselves. There were many situations where it was very clear to us that we picked the right company for our trip, we wish we could make it down there every year and go on another adventure with Golden Africa!
We highly recommend their services! 5 Stars easily!
Email Sally Martin | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Safari as it should be - great location, excellent food, comfortable bed & knowledgeable guiding!
I had been on safari before, but this was a very different experience! A tailor-made itinerary including two different camps, and a 2 day break in the middle at Machaba Camp. It's been sensational! Everything's been
organised to perfection - tents, meals, game-drives, weather (!) - we couldn't have asked for more. Rob Barber's (the guide) knowledge, both of the area and of the wildlife, is exceptional, and added insight & colour to an already excellent experience. Sadly the lovely Charlotte, Rob's wife, was unable to join us, but the camp team did a brilliant job and made us feel totally at home.
Sincere thanks to them all for looking after us so well.
Email Frank Willsdon | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Outstanding Botswana safari with a touch of adventure together with expert guiding and information.
I have been on 4 previous safaris in Africa and this one has been by some
way the best in all areas. In particular, Rob Barber's (the guide) knowledge and experience of
Botswana and specifically the parks we visited, is second to none and
enabled Sally and myself to have a wonderful, memorable holiday. I will be
unhesitatingly recommending Golden Africa and his team to all those who are
interested in a safari of excellence!! Thank you Golden Africa!!
Email Mylo | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The experience of a lifetime - a honeymoon organised and delivered with sublime service, thank you!
I wanted to show my wife my favourite places on Earth for our honeymoon, so I chose Botswana and Zambia through Golden Africa. As an independent operator with the best contacts in the industry, GA excelled at offering a tailor made trip of a lifetime and took incredible care of the smallest details making this a truly unforgettable journey. We spent nights out under the stars in the wilderness and saw the moon rise, watched in awe as thousands of zebra came down to water, picnicked exclusively as wild dog trotted by, saw a vast range of animals and learnt a great deal about the habitats and people that make up the bush in a such an easy going way, and of course, relaxed and were spoilt rotten where ever we went! A magical safari and one we shall never forget!
Email Anne and John | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
We didn't want to go with a group, we didn't want to do the tourist trail, we were NOT disappointed.
"I suppose upon reflection we initially took a bit of a gamble with Golden Okavango (now Golden Africa): we hadn't heard of them before, we just liked the look of their web site and the fact that they mentioned private guides and mobile camping which we wanted; then we liked the sound of Rob Barber's reply to our original enquiry, and it went from there. Rob so obviously listened to what we wanted, took on board what we had experienced before in East Africa, suggested a package that we liked the sound of, and we decided to trust him with our safari. We are very glad we did; he and his team did an excellent job with efficient organization for everything to flow smoothly: flights, transport, accommodation and being totally looked after. This was exclusively for us. Our open camp was set up in beautiful, wild places in Nxai Pan, Moremi, Khwai and Savuti. Breakfast was held up one morning as two lionesses strolled through our camp! We also had 'little surprises' which Rob organised because of what he had learnt about our interests. That initiative particularly impressed us, and the wild dogs and meeting Tico was very special, as was looking at the amazing African Sky at night through a powerful telescope, and our first helicopter flight over the delta when we spotted a leopard hunting a warthog! We felt our money was managed wisely and that we also had value for money. We had just the best time ever in Botswana with Safari guide James Haskins and Annelies, owner of Drumbeat who organised our camp with efficiency and amazing food.
We could not recommend Golden Africa more highly. Go with them and enjoy!
NL
Email Els van Wijk | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Fantastic Golden Africa!
My safari with Golden Safari took place in the last days of December 2012.
My wish to see the best part of Botswana came true. It was an amazing experience which I will never forget.
Planning the safari went smoothly and the service was good from the beginning until the end.
On the game drives I saw lots of different animals and we went also of the tracks to follow and/or see even more! Given information about fauna and flora was more than enough.
The arranged accommodation was really fantastic! So luxurious and basic the same time.
For me it was Heaven in pure Nature. Thanks to Golden Africa!
Email janeh. | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Fantastic bush experience
What a wonderful guide Rob is. This was a real bush experience ,staying in isolated areas with only animals for company.Rob is so knowledgable and enthusiastic he made the trip much more than any other safari we have been on. The tents are comfortable but not luxury by any means but very well catered by lovely staff. We did 3 nights in the bush camp followed by 2 nights in a luxury camp and then another 3 nights in the bush and i think this was the perfect combination. Would highly recommend Rob and his company to anyone seeking a real 'old school' safari
Email Simon Enoch | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Our best family holiday
We spent a week with Rob, the first 4 days in Chobe and the rest in Meno a Kwena. He was an excellent guide and was very good company and kept us entertained and occupied throughout our stay. He was excellent with our children who were then 13,14 and 15.
The camping in Chobe was very memorable and we saw all the big 5 bar a rhino, which we saw at Meno a Kwena.
I would thoroughly recommend it as a holiday - cheap it isn't, but Botswana is expensive, and you get a lot of space to yourself, no minibuses driving in a convoy chasing game.
Email Jason Stoop | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic service, a wealth of knowledge and an experience we'll never forget
Our safari with Golden Africa was an incredible experience that we'll never forget. We had Rob as our guide who was extremely knowledgable, friendly and always went above and beyond what we expected in terms of service. We saw some incredible game including Leopard which has always been a goal of ours, it was magical. We were initially nervous of going with a smaller operator, despite having been recomended by friends, but as soon as we arrived we knew we had made the right choice as Golden Africa were fantastic from start to finish. We highly recommend them to everyone we know.