Hosted Journeys to extra ordinary places
Cuckoo Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2019)
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $50 to $600 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
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Email Shannon | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Takes the stress out of planning
What a fantastic trip this was! My husband, mother-in-law, and I have been planning this trip for months and anticipating it for years, and we were not disappointed. We did the 10-day safari and arrived a few days before to make sure possible airline issues did not interfere with our trip. I highly recommend getting there a few days early, especially if you are coming from the US, so you can adjust to the time and make all of your connections. We flew into Victoria falls and almost missed one of our connecting flights because of delays.
We started in Zimbabwe, touched into Zambia to see Victoria falls from that side, and completed the majority of our trip in Botswana.
Trip layout:
I want to explain how the safari experience is organized so it’s more clear for any travelers who want to use Cuckoo Safaris. When you book with Cuckoo, they contract various companies from each region to guide the activities (safari, boat rides, helicopter, etc). We were initially under the impression that the Cuckoo staff would be our guides in all the safari locations. In retrospect, we were thankful to have local experts for each region we visited, but we misunderstood the organizational setup of the safari. The Cuckoo staff is primarily only with you for travel between the different towns/locations. Simon was our primary contact with Cuckoo Safaris. He was very pleasant and accommodating and we enjoyed exchanging stories and cultural traditions during our travels. We very much enjoyed our time with him. There were several instances where Simon had been booked elsewhere, so Cuckoo arranged for other companies/individuals to taxi us. Since there were so many “hands in the pot it,” it made it a little difficult to appropriately plan tips.
Lodging:
We stayed at a variety of places with different levels of “luxury.” The lodging included raised tents, huts, and hotels. I think it was a perfect mix that allowed us to enjoy many different experiences.
Dzimbahwe Guest Lodge: Average lodging with clean rooms, kind staff, and basic breakfast
Sandpiper Villas: Very nice lodging, more on the “luxury” end for us, with beautiful views of the Chobe river. Breakfast was delicious and we particularly enjoyed the French press coffee. Ask for your room to be sprayed to avoid seeing some large spiders. After they sprayed we had no issues.
Elephant Sands: Very unique and cool place to stay. You can hear the elephants trumpeting intermittently throughout the night. Some people had a hard time sleeping, but it was such a special experience to hear the elephants roaming by, separated only by a thin layer of canvas. They shut the water off to the huts at 9pm to fill the water trough for the elephants. I’m not sure if it was just the room we had, but when this happened the toilet water started to spray/regurgitate all over the bathroom, so be aware. Since we went during the dry season, the watering hole was mostly dry, so the elephants all hovered around the well pump and trough.
Planet Baobab: Another unique and special place to stay. At this location we stayed in modernized versions of traditional Bakalanga huts. Just note that the huts are not bug proof. We made the mistake of leaving our light on while we went to dinner and returned to a hut full of bugs. Thankfully we had our bug nets closed and had no issues in our beds. By morning, the bugs had disappeared. Great place to walk around to see Baobab trees and hang out by the pool to chill for a day. The food here was excellent.
Cresta Maun: This lodging was again more on the luxury end of the spectrum for us. With that being said, we had a mixed experiences here. One of our two rooms was great and had no issues. We needed the other room switched twice as the first had a non-working toilet. Initial attempts to fix the toilet were unsuccessful and the customer service desk required extra pressure from us to switch the room out for one with a working toilet. After being switched, the second room smelled of sewage despite leaving the windows open. Thankfully the third room had no issues, but the staff seemed resistant to make the situation right until Simon from Cuckoo Safaris spoke with them. The breakfast buffet was delicious, but we were not as impressed with the lunch/dinner options. Overall, it was a nice place to end our trip before our long journey back home.
The Safaris and Excursions:
Despite the high hopes for the trip, the safari exceeded all of our expectations. Each excursion was incredible and special in its own way and all of the individual guides were pleasant and knowledgeable.
Victoria Falls is a must-see. We took our trip in mid October, during their dry season, which was great for animal viewing and also seeing the falls. Many people see aerial pictures of the falls during the wet season, but because of the mist, the falls are difficult to see from the ground. There was less water flow while we were there, but it was still incredibly beautiful.
Chobe National Park safaris and boat tours (shout out to Cobra and Rems for respectively being excellent guides by land and water) allowed up close viewing of lions, giraffes, hippos, buffalo, elephants, zebras, antelope (many different types), baboons, crocodiles, bird (too many to list), and more. In the distance we saw the aftermath of two separate lion hunts. We were even lucky enough to see a large male leopard moseying through the brush!
The next destination was Elephant Sands, which was primarily about the lodging/being up close and personal to the elephants at the watering hole. We also went on one safari drive in the area with our guide, Kabo. He was an excellent guide who very knowledgable of the area and wildlife. This drive provided sightings of many elephants, buffalo, warthogs, and jackal. Simon joined us on this drive and spotted an African Wild Cat darting into a hole, but the rest of us sadly missed the sighting.
While at Planet Baobab, we took a drive to see meerkats and the Unwetwe Salt Pan. Along the way, we stopped briefly at a small, remote village where we spoke with a local and were able to see the inside of a traditional Bakalanga hut.
Maun and the Okavango delta were our final destination points. A helicopter tour allowed us to see the delta from above, which provided a unique perspective of the area. On the second day, locals from a small village, led by Martin, brought us through part of the delta in traditional mokoro canoes. Their balance and skill in the mokoros was very impressive, and we all had a pleasant and relaxing time. The last day of our trip was a full day drive in the Moremi game reserve with our guide named Relax. We had a great drive, but were not prepared for the 2.5 hour drive to and from the primary animal-viewing locations. It was a very long (but fun) 13 hour day. We saw some unique animals on this drive including Vervet monkeys in addition to many of the animals we saw before.
Final thoughts:
Despite any of the confusion along the way, this trip was absolutely amazing. We truly had a wonderful time and it topped the list of any vacations we had been on before. The people there were so friendly, helpful, and willing to teach us about their customs. The trip was a good reminder to appreciate and celebrate cultural differences around the world. I think there is always room to grow, which is why I wrote about some of the complications above. With that being said, Cuckoo Safaris provided a top-tier experience and I guarantee you will not be disappointed if you book through them!
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Email Stephanie | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Cuckoo was in contact with us and did an excellent job coordinating our safari with Puku Safaris.
Cuckoo gave us Puku Safaris who took care of us and gave us an excellent mobile safari camping trip in the bush.
Puku staff was amazing and made the trip very enjoyable.
If you want to experience spending time in the bush this is a great way to connect with nature and with the animals.
IE
Email Tahlia | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Fantastic, great client care & always available for any questions
Absolutely loved this tour! Cuckoo safaris was always available for any questions & to help with anything & everything. Great value for money, we managed to do a game drive, sunset cruise & a tour of Viv Falls within 2 days with the help of Cuckoo! Highly recommend!
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Email Robert | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Cuckoo delivered a well organized tour with amazing memories.
I booked with Cuckoo Safaris after reading positive reviews. I’ll add mine to them. Incredible days in Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Botswana in the company of friendly, knowledgeable guides. The game drives and boat excursions were great with numerous animal encounters. The Oct weather warm temps and clear skies. I’m glad it was off season. The game drive trails were not so full of vehicles and the river not congested with boats as I’ve heard it can be. Plus it’s dry season and the animals must visit the river to drink. Amazing to watch. I added a day trip to Impalila Island, Namibia to get the passport stamp. It’s a very simple little village of mud and stick houses. Not shops of any kind, women selling woven baskets. Loved Africa.
Good communication pre and post tour? Yes
On time? Yes
As advertised? Yes
Value for the money? Yes
Left happy? Big Yes
SG
Email Sonam | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a lifetime, hassle free and smooth planning and execution by Cuckoo.
Trip of a lifetime, hassle free and smooth planning and execution by Cuckoo. I have to admit we only started our process of planning with Tatenda with Cuckoo very late. But he was accommodating and made it all happen for us very quickly. They were honest with the recommendations and also helped make any changes we wanted very effortlessly.
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Email Michael C. | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Outstanding!
This tour exceeded our expectations. Victoria Falls was amazing and well informed and the accommodations were very quiet with beautiful grounds and exceptionally friendly and responsive staff. The tour of Hwange National Park was very enjoyable with a sighting of a pride of nine lions just after a kill. Cuckoo also arranged a very nice unplanned private game drive and night dinner with bush meat!
But Simon, our driver and guide, took our tour to a whole different level. He shared his amazing story of how he, against all odds, was determined to make something special of his life and even took us to meet his father. We learned so much about his beloved Zimbabwe and its culture!
The whole experience was amazing!
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Email Hernan | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good and reliable service!
Our safari with Cuckoo was overall excellent, though there were a few exceptions. Everything was exactly as described. Upon our arrival at Victoria Falls Airport, Simon was there to greet us with a sign bearing my name for easy identification. He then escorted us to our lodge, allowing us some time to check in and refresh ourselves. Afterward, Simon took us on a tour of Victoria National Park, providing informative explanations about the falls.
However, it was disappointing that Simon didn't suggest a visit to the Zambia side of the falls, even though we mentioned having obtained the Kaza visa for multiple entries. Another drawback was the extensive travel the next day, requiring a 6-hour round trip to Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe from our lodge. The safari experience itself was good, but the long drive in a small car was uncomfortable. We had hoped for a more suitable vehicle like a van or 4x4.
The highlight of our journey with Cuckoo was undoubtedly our visit to Chobe National Park in Botswana. It was conveniently closer to our lodge, approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes away, and we traveled in a spacious van. The adventure, which encompassed both land and water components, was exceptional.
In conclusion, we were generally satisfied with our safari experience, but the extended journeys in small cars and the missed opportunity to view Victoria Falls from the Zambia side were minor drawbacks.
A very customized safari with lots of moving pieces that was executed perfectly by Cuckoo Safaris
We worked with Cuckoo safaris on a custom itinerary that was exactly what we were looking for. They had a good price, and worked quickly with us to confirm what we were looking for. This safari crossed national borders, and was definitely logistically challenging. Cuckoo Safaris made sure everything went smoothly and all the various transfers and exchanges worked perfectly. I would not hesitate to trust them with something like this in the future.
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Email Ann D. | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Cuckoo Safari provided a perfect adventure for us!
Our adventure from beginning to end was spectacular! We chose the 8 day Tour arriving in Harare, traveling on to Ancient City of Zimbabwe, then onto Hwange and finishing in Victoria Falls. Each day we saw and learned interesting, wondrous things and information. Our guide Simon Peter Dube attended to every detail & ensured a seamless and happy trip. Our time included historical, archaeological and cultural aspects as well as multiple game drives. We saw so many animals living their daily lives, even now reviewing our photos I am awed. Our accommodations were lovely and the food tasty. The only improvement for us would have been to stay at a lodge in Victoria Falls instead of the elegant hotel closest to the falls as the guests seemed reticent to interact unlike those staying at our previous locations. Thank you Simon and Cuckoo Safaris for the trip of a lifetime!
CH
Email Julia | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great guides and a very enjoyable week in Botswana.
We really enjoyed our trip with Cuckoo Safaris! Our booking process was smooth and the office staff we dealt with were very responsive, enabling us to book a trip that met all our needs with relatively short notice. All the guides we had during the trip were great, very friendly and helpful - local tour guides ran most of the activities during the day in each place which meant we had people who were local to and/or knew the area well which was good. We loved the itinerary of the tour we did also - a really good mix of different safari days (drives, mokoro trip, river cruise, walking, etc) as well as other activities/sights (like seeing baobabs, salt pans, etc) which was what we were looking for. Overall we had a great week trip in Botswana and would recommend Cuckoo Safaris to other travellers.