Experience the Wonders of Africa
Eagle Eye Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 2016)
- Tour Types:
- Specialized photographic safaris (Mid-range & luxury)
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $299 to $426 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
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Email Amy | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The trip of a lifetime!
I travelled to the Sabi Sands Game Reserve in June of 2019 with a group of friends. While there, we did our safari through Eagle Eye Safaris. Everything about this trip far exceeded my expectations (and I had high expectations to begin with)! The accommodations were lovely and the staff was outstanding! The food was delicious and plentiful! And Karen and Ernest were not only fun and easy-going, but they did an excellent job in all aspects of our safari. We got to see so many amazing animals in an absolutely beautiful setting, all while being given expert advise on how to capture the perfect shot! I simply can’t say enough about how wonderful the experience was! It truly was the trip of a lifetime!
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Email Kara | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An incredible experience!
My mom and I travelled with Eagle Eye Safaris to South Africa, Rwanda and Uganda. What an incredible experience! I got some absolutely amazing wildlife shots and a better understanding of my camera. We even did an impromptu night time Milky Way shoot. Karen and Ernest took care great care of us and had some nice suggestions on how to spend the couple of days we were on our own in Johannesburg.
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Email Barbara | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great trip of a lifetime
I had a most wonderful time on safari. Karen and Ernest took care of so many details for my arrival and the entire 5 day safari experience was just great, at Pungwe Bush Camp in Manyelete Reserve. The lodging is "tents" but we called it Glamping, with tile floors, thatch roofs, and built full bathrooms and porches. Thanks Karen and Ernest! I don't know what I can add to the other wonderful reviews without just being repetitious, I agree with all of them!
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Email Peggy | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
So much more than I could ever imagine.
From the inquiring about the safari in the beginning until the goodbyes at the very end Karen Blackwood and Ernest Porter were there the entire time. They were very “hands on” and saw to it that our every need was met. They worked very hard to provide us with the most fabulous 50th Anniversary memories ever. From decorating our beautiful tent to arranging special celebration meals. They went above and beyond anything I could have ever imagined or expected. I was looking for an adventure filled with precious memories and that is exactly what I came away with.
They were always there while on safari drives to make sure you got plenty of photos you could be proud of, and plenty of interesting facts about the animals. We saw the Big 5 plus so many more right up close. Being able to go off road is such an advantageous if you really want to see these animals. It was amazing how close we got.
I learned so much from Karen’s photography class and Ernest’s Lightroom training. They have a way of teaching that makes it all make sense.
Thank you Eagle Eye Safaris. You guys are absolutely the best!
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Email Erik | under20 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best time of my life.
I had such a great safari that I couldn’t even fathom using an other safari company. Have Ernest and Karen with us was amazing because they could help us with any information I was lacking (like my very own Encyclopedia). 10/10 would do again.
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Email Michael Holtby - DenverPhotography.com | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
I've done six safaris. This is one of the best!
This was my sixth African safari. What was unique about this trip was the 1:1 attention I received from Ernest, a partner of Eagle Eye Safaris along with Karen Blackwood. Although I am an experienced photographer and user of Lightroom and Photoshop, Ernest was able to help me up my game. He also coached me on using the flexible spot for focusing in the bush, where the autofocus challenge was selecting the animal rather than the surrounding branches.
Eagle Eye Safaris also offers to help with logistics regarding travel to and from the Lodge, and while Karen couldn’t attend this safari, she managed not only my South African Travel, but also reviewed all of my travel plans from the US, through Tanzania, and to South Africa. She made suggestions and caught some conflicts that would have complicated my trip. With her help, it was seamless. Her attention to detail is exceptional, and she and Ernest are a perfect photography and safari team. I would absolutely recommend them, and would love to go on safari with them again.
The accommodations were the best I’ve experienced, particularly the stopover at Loerie’s Call on the drive to Sabi Sands, and the place we stayed at the Park, the Nkorho Bush Lodge. The latter had two showers (one inside & another out), a huge bathtub, and two quite large rooms. I have stayed at a number of nice lodges in Africa, but it doesn’t get much nicer than this! Nelspruit at Loerie’s Call was worth the stop. Instead of a 7-8 hour drive from Johannesburg on unpredictable roads, we had a second day with only a three hour drive. The overnight accomdations were of the five star variety.
Sabi Sands itself was manageable in terms of size and did not involve long drives to find the game. The routine was relaxed in the sense that you had a break in the middle of the day when you could use the pool, or work with Ernest on your photographs, or just shower and have a nice breakfast and lunch. I’ve been to other safaris where the break was shorter and the drives were longer.
Sabi Sands can also be called “leopard city,” in that we saw leopards every day, usually multiple cats and sightings. On three occasions we even saw cubs, and I got a perfect shot of one peeking around the trunk of a tree after his mother had warned him of a hyena. In all of my other safaris what was typical was to see a leopard once, often fleeting or not at all. Another advantage of Sabi Sands is that drivers can go off road, which sometimes means crashing through the bush to get to a wildlife encounter. One of the most awesome of these events I’ve ever experienced occurred when hyenas had taken a kill away from a leopard, and a pack of wild dogs came and treed the leopard, and then tried to take the kill away from the hyenas. The sights and especially the sounds were quite incredible. I will post it on my blog: http://GrandAdventures.org.
The other nice thing about this trip is that due to the exchange rate between the USA and South Africa it is exceptionally affordable at the present time.
Email Gaye & Garry Hafner | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wonderful experience for both photographers & those that just want to enjoy the wildlife!
We recently spent 6 days with Ernest Porter from Eagle Eye safaris at Nkohro Bush Lodge & it was AMAZING! Ernest runs a well organized safari and really gives his guests personal attention & great value. We were celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary & Ernest organised for us to have the 'honeymoon suite' which was a very special touch & when he heard we would be spending a few days driving around Kruger beforehand he even met us at Orpen gate so that we could follow him to the lodge. His photographic workshops and in the field guidance were very informative and helpful and he was always available to answer any questions.The vehicles allowed us to get up close to the animals & Ernest ensured that we were always at the best angle & in the right light for the photographers. Eagle eye safaris is a great value if you just want to enjoy the wildlife & if you want to photograph wildlife it is priceless! This was our first trip with Eagle eye safaris but it will definitely not be our last.
Email Ilze | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Amazing!!
I spent 4 days in June 2018 with Karen Blackwood and Ernest Porter of Eagle Eye Safaris at Nkorho Bush Lodge in the Sabi Sands area in South Africa.
Both Karen and Ernest were perfect hosts who allways put our demands first and nothing we asked were too much to ask for from them. They are both expert photographers and I learnt more in 4 days about photography than I had in 8 years of taking photo’s.
Ernest is also a Lightroom and Photoshop expert and my editing skills went from 10 to 100% in these few days.
Nkorho Bush Lodge is the perfect place for these safari’s and I can recommend Eagle Eye Safaris to anyone who is interested in photography or just wants to relax in a beautiful setting with lots of wildlife and 2 perfect hosts.
Thank you Karen and Ernest for an unforgettable 4 days. Hope to see you again soon
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Email The Dickhudt Family | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best Family experience E V E R
We are a family of four that just returned from the African safari tour in South Africa, at Sabi Sands. Ernest was our guide and he was excellent and provided top-notch premium service. He fit in quite well with our two young adult children and the dynamics of our family jokes and jabs. Karen and Ernest did a seamless job of organizing the trip, took care of all of the arrangements for the accommodations, food and drives, so we had nothing to worry about than to just show up and start the adventure. Very stress free! They even created a big recognition for my son's 21st birthday, which was a big surprise for him. While out on the drives, Ernest was an expert pointing out wildlife and answering all kinds of questions about the habitat and animal characteristics. We learned so much because he was so, so knowledgeable on everything. His expertise with photography was such a fantastic bonus, as not only did he provide classes to us each day on how to use our (new and old) cameras (including editing in photoshop), but in the field he would recommend settings to accommodate the lighting, sun, clouds, etc. The connection they have built with the camps and drivers was awesome, as he was able to get them to position us in the best possible place for viewing and photographing and go where we wanted to go. Ernest speaks the language fluently, so was able to decipher the activity on the radio, pointing us to great viewing spots. We participated in both the luxury and the traditional lodge experiences, and we HIGHLY recommend splitting your trip into both, as it is different reservations, experiences, and different animals. Thanks to this excellent and professional company, we enjoyed probably the best case scenario of a safari trip, with seeing about 29 unique animals, which included the Big 5 in the first 2 days! We even saw rare sightings like the cougar. I don't think we left there lacking any sighting, as Ernest found our last request of giraffes (and a whole family, to boot), on the last day. He is very proactive, friendly, and extremely knowledgeable. This experience will likely be the highlight of my family for many years to come.
Email Alex | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic
My dad and I went on a week-long trip to Kruger National Park and Sabi Sands with photography guide Ernest.
We had a fantastic time! Ernest was super organised, easy to get along with, and very knowledgeable about the area, photography, and the wildlife.
The structure and implementation of the trip enabled us to see a huge range of wildlife, get great photos, and do so in an easy manner.
Coming home was incredibly sad! The journey felt far longer than a week because we saw so much, yet it still didn't feel long enough because I wanted the joy to continue!
I will definitely reach out to Eagle Eye Safari when I plan my next safari in the future.