Director Michelle on a mokoro in Botswana
Explore and Travel Africa
- Located In:
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 2020)
- Member Of:
- Southern Africa Tourism Services Association
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $500 to $2,000 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
Michelle was, extremely helpful and answered all of our questions with patience and good humour.
We had a really diverse holiday, with Cities, Exciting driving Safari's, Scenic Tours, River Cruise, Helicopter Scenic Tours and the Okavanga Delta
Email Steve L. | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Michelle was friendly, knowledgeable and experienced
Michelle was very helpful as my group (7 people) considered and refined our options for our trip to Africa. She ultimately planned and arranged our trip that included a few days in Cape Town, a few days at Victoria Falls, Chobe National Park and ending with an amazing safari at Daka Plains, a private concession in Hwange National park. Michelle was very knowledgeable and provided great insight and advice as we planned our trip. Our trip included several tours that were insightful, fun and educational. All of the hotel and travel accommodations were great. Daka Plains was an amazing 4 day experience. We had a very knowledgeable and experienced guide who educated us on the wildlife, plant-life and the southern region of Africa as well. Every meal at Daka Plains was exceptional; the entire staff was professional and accommodating
Michelle's combined insight, knowledge, experience, communication and execution helped make our trip the best ever.
Email Michelle | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Couldn’t have planned a better vacation without Michelle Astbury
We are incredibly grateful to Michelle Astbury for planning our unforgettable 11-day African adventure for our family of seven—three couples and one single traveler. There is truly no way we could have planned a trip of this magnitude on our own, and Michelle made the entire experience seamless from beginning to end.
Michelle took the time to listen to each of our individual interests, wishes, and budget offering thoughtful suggestions and patiently working with us until every detail was exactly what we envisioned. She carefully selected beautiful hotels, exceptional tours, and knowledgeable guides in every destination we visited. Everything we wanted to experience was thoughtfully incorporated into our itinerary, and every transition was planned flawlessly.
What made Michelle especially exceptional was the personal attention and communication she gave our family. She joined our family Zoom planning meetings, taking the time to get to know each of us personally and understand what would make the trip special for everyone. That level of care made us feel like more than just clients—we truly felt that she was invested in making our family’s experience extraordinary.
When we first arrived, Michelle even met us for dinner to personally welcome us and surprised us with wonderful travel merchandise. It was such a thoughtful and memorable gesture and set the tone for an incredible journey.
Michelle is professional, knowledgeable, attentive, and genuinely passionate about creating exceptional travel experiences. She exceeded our expectations in every way, and we would wholeheartedly recommend her to anyone looking to plan a special trip. Our African adventure created memories our family will treasure for a lifetime, and Michelle played an enormous part in making that possible.
Thank you, Michelle, for your dedication, patience, personal touch, and for giving our family an experience we will never forget!
Email Heidi | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Absolutely perfect
Michelle helped us book the most phenomenal trip of our lives! She was very easy to communicate with and always responded promptly. She put together the perfect itinerary! The hotels/safari lodges we stayed at were exceptional as were the game drives. We told her our budget and what we wanted and she delivered! Everything during the trip went very smoothly and seamlessly. I would definitely recommend Michelle to anybody looking to travel in Africa. We will be using her again for future safaris.
Email Rhad U | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Michelle is a well organized planner with exceptional attention to detail.
We returned from our first trip to Africa and it was the most wonderful experience all organized by Michelle. She arranged all of the internal flights, hotel bookings and transfers as well as the tours. Michelle made things very easy, gave some excellent recommendations on lodging choices and organized everything including a recommended packing list and tipping guide. We did not have any hiccups with any of the transfers between hotel to airport or the flights themselves as everything went as planned which all one wants when traveling nowadays.
This trip was by far our most favorite and we have memories for a lifetime. Please don't hesitate to contact her for planning a truly exceptional trip of a lifetime. Thank you Michelle for your assistance.
Email Richard | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Well-planned 2 lodge safari without a hitch
My wife and I have been on 9 safaris. The most recent safari was organized by Michelle at Explore and Travel Africa. We have used three different operators for our safaris since we are always looking for high quality tour operators when dealing with Africa. Traveling to Africa is complex and you need to rely on someone with a lot of experience to organize the camps, the transfers and all the little bits and pieces that go into having trouble-free safari. During our last safari we stayed at 2 lodges. Since we have traveled a lot, we are quite experienced at doing research on different lodges and travel issues related to going on safari, but we still rely on travel experts for their advice in planning a nice safari. Michelle did an excellent job. She was responsive to all the questions we had. Because we are experienced and detail oriented, we may have bugged her more than the average client. But she weathered the storm and did a nice job. We had no problems with the safari everything went smoothly without any issues.
We have already organized another safari using Michelle. Michelle has done an excellent job on two safaris for us by answering all our detailed questions. She has been flexible since we have been known to change plans or switch the lodges we wish to stay at prior to completing our final safari plans. We are probably not the easiest clients, and we are quite happy with the work that Michelle from Explore and Travel Africa has done for us.
Email Sherri | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a Lifetime
Thank you Michelle for putting our trip of a life time together for us. It was perfect. From the places we stayed to the food we ate and the people we met, we could not have been more pleased. The 4 camps were above and beyond all expectations. I can't believe how close we were to the wildlife and how much we experienced. I especially liked all the baby animals on Mothers Day. Celebrating our anniversary of 20 years was beautiful. We will not hesitate refering more friends and family through you so they too can enjoy Africa in style.
Professional service and excellent attention offered by Michelle Astbury
I would definitely use the services of Explore & Travel Africa and would recommend Michelle Astbury and her outstanding services to friends and family.
FI
Email Mirja & Janne and Katja & Jukka | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
An excellent travel itinerary and a smooth overall experience from start to finish
Our trip to South Africa was absolutely unforgettable and perfectly organized from start to finish. The travel itinerary was excellent—we drove approximately 1,500 km along the stunning Garden Route, passing through several beautiful, clean towns and staying in lovely hotels along the way.
From there, we flew to Kruger National Park, where the safari experiences exceeded all expectations. We were fortunate enough to see incredible wildlife, including leopards, elephants, giraffes, and hippos in their natural habitat—truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
The journey continued to Zimbabwe, where we visited the breathtaking Victoria Falls, which were simply spectacular and a perfect finale to our trip.
The hotels throughout the journey offered great value for money, and the food was consistently excellent and very reasonably priced. A special thank you goes to Michele, who provided prompt and helpful support whenever we had questions or needed assistance during the trip—her service was truly outstanding.
This was an amazing journey that completely captivated our group. South Africa exceeded all our expectations, and we couldn’t be happier with the experience. Highly recommended!
IL
Email Ditza | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
An unforgettable Okavango safari – truly a dream experience
Our safari to the Okavango Delta, organized through Safari and Desert, was nothing short of extraordinary. These were nine days of absolute heaven, beautifully planned and flawlessly executed from start to finish.
We stayed at Xugana, Camp Xakanaxa, and Savute, and each camp offered an exceptional and unique experience. Xugana was especially magical, the new lodge is stunning, set in breathtaking surroundings. The walking safaris and water-based excursions were highlights, and the sense of tranquility and exclusivity was remarkable. At times, it felt almost like a private retreat, with an incredibly attentive team caring for just us and one other couple.
Our guide at Xugana, Pound, was outstanding, highly experienced, dynamic, and deeply knowledgeable. His enthusiasm and professionalism truly elevated the entire safari.
The lodge team at Xakanaxa was equally warm and welcoming. Even on a stormy day when a safari had to be canceled and water entered the room, the experience remained positive thanks to the exceptional care and atmosphere created by the staff.
Savute was another highlight. The lodge was excellent, and just across the dining area there was a beautiful water basin where animals came to drink and bathe, a postcard-perfect African scene. Wildlife sightings exceeded all expectations, and the guiding by K.T. was superb. He made a special effort each day to track and find rare animals that are often difficult to spot, which made every game drive exciting and rewarding. We were thrilled to see an extraordinary variety of animals and birds, so much so that we managed to check off nearly everything listed in our Okavango guidebook.
Beyond the wildlife and lodges, we were deeply impressed by Safari and Desert as a company. It was clear that staff members are treated with respect and pride in their work, and this translated into the warm, genuine hospitality we experienced everywhere. We were particularly moved to see women in leadership positions, with female directors at both Savute and Xugana.
Overall, this was a once-in-a-lifetime safari experience, thoughtfully curated, deeply immersive, and truly unforgettable. We wholeheartedly recommend Michelle Astbury the director of Explore & Travel Africa to anyone considering a safari in Botswana and would return without hesitation.