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 & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $500 to $2,000 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
for a custom tour
Your request will be sent directly to the operator
If preferred, you can contact the operator directly
Reviews
Email Kevin Tierney | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Beautiful People, Beautiful Country
My wife and I decided to visit South Africa and enjoy a safari experience. We contacted Michelle of Explore and Travel Africa and she set out to design the precise trip we were looking for. We had no idea what to expect, but loved the entire experience. We spent our time in Kruger National Park, Thornybush Reserve, Sabi Sands Reserve, and Cape Town. Our first stop was at Hippo Hollow Lodge in Hazyview, where we stayed for two nights. We enjoyed a full day of birding in Kruger National Park and saw more than 70 different species of birds as well as many species of animals. The experience was everything we hoped for as our guide was knowledgeable and thoughtful, stopping to let us get pictures and enjoy the experience. We lunched at the golf course in Kruger where the food was great and the views were fantastic.
Leaving Hippo Hollow, we headed to Shimungwe Lodge in the Thornybush Reserve. We stayed there four nights and had an incredible experience. We did safaris twice a day and saw an amazing assortment of creatures. We viewed the "big five" within the first two days in addition to hyenas, hippos, impalas, kudus, nyala, many birds, hares, giraffes, zebras, and more. Lucan was a terrific guide and his brother, Dani was an amazing tracker. They were patient, kind, and always willing to answer our questions and help us to see all we hoped for. The Shimungwe Lodge has only four guest rooms and provides an intimate lodging and dining experience. It was our favorite lodge for this reason and we sincerely hope to return one day, as the experience there was second to none.
From Shimungwe we ventured to Elephant Plains Lodge in the Sabi Sands Reserve. This lodge was not as intimate as Shimungwe, but they provided great hospitality and a tremendous safari experience. Our guide Armand, made sure we once again saw the "big five," and gave us a fantastic viewing experience. Animals we saw here that we didn't see at Thornybush included jackals, duiker, and waterbuck. Food at the lodge was fantastic and we thoroughly enjoyed out stay.
Following our stay at Elephant Plains we flew to Cape Town to finish our our trip at the Winchester Boutique Hotel, where hospitality and service reign supreme. We did some birding in the Eastern Cape and a Cape Point tour, both of which were fabulous.
Michelle communicated with us throughout our trip and even made small changes at our request. She was amazing and we will always be grateful for her efforts to design the perfect trip to satisfy our bucket list. We have incredible shared memories from our experiences and we thank Michelle for her patience, willingness to listen to our requests, and her tremendous follow through in making our vacation absolutely perfect. Should we have the opportunity to return to South Africa, we will definitely call Michelle and ask for her assistance again.
Email Monique | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Top quality service and we will not hesitate to get Michelle to organise our next trip.
Michelle pulled together an amazing two weeks for us and our two daughters. Arrangements were seamless and the accommodation selections were just what we wanted. Thanks Michelle.
Email Julia | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Michelle was amazing!
Michelle helped us from the start to figure out when would be the best time to take our trip. Then she arranged everything so wonderfully! It was a treat to be met at the airport and not to have to worry about transportation. The places we stayed were all very nice with great staff. Best of all, she found us an amazing guide for our days on safari. Thank you, Michelle! We appreciate the work you did to make this trip incredible!
CH
Email Pia Dahlander | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent
Michelle made it all possible for us, organizing flights from CT and booking a fantastic safari trip at Thabamati without any hassle. She communicated all the time via email about flight options and safari options, we chose Thabamati, small with four tents and a small pool, but most amazing is the lake in front of Thabamati in which you have hippos and giraffes, zebras, hyanea and birds coming to drink.
NZ
Email Ann | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Michelle is so knowledgeable and helpful. Right on point.
Our family did not know where to start when booking our Safari. Michelle was a diamond to find, her knowledge and helpfulness was exactly what we wanted. She gave us great options that suited us so well. She was professional and always answered our questions. Our Safari experience exceeded our expectations and the transfers were seamless. Thank you
Email Alexis | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Five Star Service - Knowledgeable, Professional and Proactive
We had an incredible experience planning our trip with Michelle, the owner of Explore and Travel Africa. She dedicated a lot of time and had multiple calls with my family and me to understand our goals and tailor the perfect itinerary. From Cape Town and Stellenbosch to Zimbabwe, Botswana, Hazyview, and Kruger National Park, every detail was thoughtfully arranged.
Michelle booked us at fantastic hotels and lodges, and we felt we had the ideal amount of time in each location. Our guides were reliable, knowledgeable, and added a lot of value to our experience. Transportation was seamless and dependable throughout the trip.
Some of the trip highlights included staying at the Wallow Lodge and enjoying a sundowner overlook of the Gorge, spending a day in Chobe National Park, the breathtaking Panorama Tour, and our unforgettable time at Walkers Plains Camp in Kruger.
We especially want to highlight how impressed we were with Michelle when, despite circumstances beyond her control, she went above and beyond to ensure our trip stayed on track. When a Nor’easter was predicted to hit just as our initial flight to Cape Town was scheduled, our family panicked and we moved up our flight and booked the cheapest room at the first hotel she arranged for us. Michelle proactively contacted the hotel to upgrade us to the Junior Suites we were originally booked in, so we didn’t have to change rooms—a thoughtful and calming gesture.
The second situation was when one of the airports we were supposed to fly into grounded all planes and refused landing. Michelle reached out to us beforehand, giving us a heads-up about the possibility of being rerouted and advising us to still fly to that airport as she would handle logistics. Thank goodness she did, because the airline was not transparent and only informed us upon landing that we would be at a different airport. While other passengers were panicked and shocked, we felt reassured knowing Michelle was already working behind the scenes—securing us a private driver and ensuring we arrived at our destination on the same day.
We wholeheartedly recommend Michelle and Explore and Travel Africa to anyone looking for a well-organized, memorable adventure. Her dedication, professionalism, and proactive approach truly made our trip perfect!
Brilliant.
Our safari tour was absolutely brilliant from start to finish. The hotel in Cape Town was in an ideal location, making it easy to explore the city. We visited three different wineries — each unique and fantastic in its own way. Cape of Good Hope and the penguins were a joy to see, and Table Mountain was simply magnificent.
The itinerary was perfectly timed and thoughtfully put together based on what we wanted, and all the accommodation throughout was excellent. Nambu Camp stood out for its incredible hospitality — truly the best I’ve ever experienced. We also stayed at Umkumbe Camp, where we got wonderfully close to wildlife and experienced a different part of Kruger Park, offering a fresh perspective on the animals and scenery.
Victoria Falls was another highlight — absolutely brilliant, with accommodation ideally located near the Vic Falls Bridge. The Panoramic Tour in South Africa was also fantastic. Every tour guide and ranger we met was insightful, friendly, and perfectly suited to us.
Overall, a beautifully organized and unforgettable trip.
Email Matt | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fantastic service from day one until trip
I contacted a few companies re a multi location trip and Explore and Travel Africa were the best response I received and from that moment until my trip the information and options they provided, the service and contact I received and the locations proposed were second to none. The hotel they selected in Cape Town was amazing and had all the other customers on our excursions jealous, the hotel in sari was fab and was a beautiful lodge and the drives were great. The location selected in Thabamati was out of this world.
We also received a lovely touch in our hotel in Cape Town with welcome gifts and the fact I was given their WhatsApp number should there be any issues was amazing service. Everything on the trip ran to plan, the local communication was also great.
I have to say we are looking at potential future trips and I will be using Explore and Travel Africa again for these.
Email Karen | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent customer service!
Michelle is incredible - she listened to what we wanted and put together a great itinerary with some amazing accommodation . South Africa is a fabulous country to explore with Cape Town a must and safari’s a defo must! Can’t wait to go back!
Michelle is very accommodating to all of the questions and needs from far away travelers.
We absolutely loved the trip. How can one know how to book a 14 day walking safari without the guidance of Michelle? She created a trip of a lifetime and helped with all of the moving parts. We are forever grateful for her services!