Mariska and Rika - owners of eXplore Plus Travel
eXplore Plus Travel & Tours
- Office In:
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 2004)
- Member Of:
- Southern Africa Tourism Services Association
- Tour Types:
- Mid-range & luxury tours with set start dates and a fixed itinerary
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $300 to $1,600 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
Incredibly organized and well designed Safari experience
Starting from booking with eXplore, we felt in control of what the trip would entail and where our money is going. All the details provided to us, down to how to pack and what to pack was helpful.
We were certainly not disappointed by any part of the trip, one for the books for sure. Starting from the safari parks we visited to the incredible locations we stayed overnight. Let's not forget knowledgeable safari drivers and the well organized meal services - fantastic food by the way.
If I were to do this trip, we would have loved to have 2 days of safari in Ngorongoro Crater as its just an incredible hot-spot of wildlife. Along with the hotel in Ngorongoro, just amazing, another night would have made it perfect.
In our instance, our guide was a bit unprofessional and tended to 'party' with a few group members and left our land cruiser (of 3 cruisers) alone most of the time. This had to be addressed.
Aside from that, an absolute pleasure to have booked our trip through eXplore Plus. Thanks again.
Email Dr R Moodley | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Very good
I had a wonderful experience from the outset with a meet and greet at the airports and a wildlife relevant book;the guide was brilliant; the food was mostly very good;
The accommodation was excellent but I would have preferred slight upgrade on the Serengeti tent.
Overall highly recommended
I would easily travel again with Explore plus
Email Anandhi | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Highly professional and efficient, knowledgable and meticulous with all travel arrangements.
We are so glad that we booked with Explore Plus and would definitely re book with them again! From the beginning, their professionalism and efficiency stood out. I wanted to book through a South African company, and even though there were other cheaper options available, I am more than happy to have booked through Explore. They are reliable, and accountable. They took care of everything! From the accommodation, insurance, and even booking extra leg room seats (at an additional cost) which I wanted. All the organisation was handled by them which enabled us to just focus of the excitement of the trip. I had lots of questions about the baggage, weather etc but they give you a very detailed packing list which was absolutely on point.
We flew on Ethiopian Airlines, and even though I had not flown with them before, everything was seamless. No delays, no lost luggage. We started off in Arusha after a tiresome journey, and stayed at Kahawa House. It was a lovely lodge, well appointed rooms, clean and modern and a delicious dinner. We started the tour at Tarangire National park and were lucky enough to see tree climbing lions! Was one of the highlights of our trip. We then travelled to Lake Manyara, and stayed at the Serena Lodge. Very comfortable and clean with great service.We moved on to the Ngororo Crater which I cannot even describe. One of the most beautiful and spiritual places on Earth. Wish we could have stayed 1 extra night on the rim of the crater at Serena Lodge but it is very expensive. The sunrise on the crater, will remain etched in my mind until I am old. The sightings on the crater floor were phenomenal. From the crater, we travelled to Central Serengeti. The roads are bumpy, and dusty but manageable. We travelled in a safari Toyota landcruiser where the roof can be popped and you can stand. Great for game viewing. We stayed at Into the Wild Tented camp which was luxurious. Beautiful room, bathroom etc. had dinner in the bush. We then travelled to the North of the Serengeti where we stayed for 3 nights at Mara Under Canvas tented camps. It was an authentic bush camp, but with flushable toilets, hot shower (using a bucket system) and the staff were so helpful. We loved the experience. It was tranquil and calm. At night you can hear hyaena, lion, wildebeest etc. We did the hot balloon safari which is a must, even though it is expensive, it is worth it. It was in the Northern Serengeti that we saw 2 wildebeest river crossings! National geographic moment! The second crossing were saw crocs in the water catching a wildebeest! another highlight of the trip. The animal sightings in the Serengeti are on steroids! We left the Serengeti by light airplane (12 seater) which was brand new and a very professional pilot. We flew over an active volcano and managed to get a clear view. We had a good guide who drove us during the entire trip. A truly truly out of this world experience, bucket list trip for a true bush enthusiast! Thank you to Rika and Illani from Explore Plus for making my dream a reality.
Email Ravi | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
No problems with tour operator, only Zambezi Trader information on the flight schedule was incorrect
Ichingo Chobe , experience was excellent , with good overall service. Recommend house boat on Chobe river , more wild life to view .
Transfer from one to another place was excellent .
Zambezi Trader - disappointing , waste of time and money . poor start to the trip on air transfer .
we booked thinking we going to the Lake Kariba(as per your tour package ) - trip is on the Zambezi River , did not go close the Lake Kariba
overfished river , limit number of wild life and bird viewing compared to our Chobe experience .
No spa , fishing only
Email Deon | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Generally very good service and well organised tour , fast response to queries.
Explore plus tour to Tanzania to see the wildebees migration was well worth the money we spent! Explore plus provides a professional service yet makes everyone on the tour feel welcome. We were met at the airport by Rika to see us off and she introduced us to our tour leader Bennie.
Explore plus gave us good upfront information on what and how to pack.
The tour duration was good and covered everything promised, a longer stay at Ngorogoro would have been nice but we understand that that would make the tour price a lot higher. The hot air balloon excursion was really exciting, definately worth it. It gave us a different perspective of the area and seeing the animals from above was great.
Our tour leader was great , he made sure that all our needs were met, he even arranged a cake for our 50th wedding anneversary.
The accomodation , food and vehicles provided was very good. The driver of our vehicle was very good and he made sure that we saw a river crossing. We would have liked to have had some time for souvenier shopping in Tanzania at the end of the tour, but due to the delay of our flight (outside of Explore plus control) from Serengeti to Arusha we missed the oppertunity.
Email Kim Lings | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Fun and fabulous
Hi Rika and Naomi
I just want to say a big thank you for arranging our Lesotho trip. I can honestly say that Lesotho totally exceeded any expectations I had. Our guide Steven (also known as Captain) was absolutely fabulous and totally made our trip so memorable. The lodge is really gorgeous and I would highly recommend it to future clients. The food was really good, great service, wonderful staff, very comfortable rooms and the surrounding landscape absolutely beautiful and so relaxing. We wish we stayed and extra night so was really thankful we added in the 3rd night.
Regards
Kim
Email Malcolm | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Organized and on the ball
We had a great trip and it went exactly as per the program.Punctual and reliable at all times and all the small details were taken care of.The guides were well versed and very informative and knowledgable about the wild life.Good and safe driving skills and the vehicle was comfortable on the roads that are quite rough.
