Safarilink SA
- Office In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2016)
- Tour Types:
- Customizable private tours and fixed group tours
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $152 to $619 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
Email James | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Charismatic and a pleasure to be around.
Unfortunately the booking with SafariLink left a bad taste in my mouth before the trip even started... but read my whole review before it leaves a bad taste in yours.
Booking with (Nobhule? At least that's the name that is on the invoice) was like trying to extract information from a stone and talking to an edgy teenager with their short, extremely unprofessional replies. After booking, I recieved no information as to where the shuttle was going to be (I knew I was going to be picked up in a shopping center, but the shopping center is medium sized and there was a few places the shuttle could've been) and after asking multiple times for the booking confirmation by calling and SMS, I never received it. I infact arrived at my shuttle the morning of, with no booking confirmation, stressing I was going to get denied the shuttle I had paid for.
SafariLink had 3 full business daysand 5 ½ regular days to send me the booking confirmation.
This was by far the most frustrating booking experience I've had.
But other than the friction and hassles dealing with the salesrep, the trip was a breeze and super smooth experience. The driver - Thomas - was fun, friendly and full of smiles. When everyone was in the shuttle he explained how low we had before the first stop, between the 1st and 2nd, and then how low we had after, and refreshed everyone's memory after every stop. He did a really good job with driving the pothole-y road from OR Tambo to Hoedspruit.
BR
Email Gustavo Berçot | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
My not so pleasant safari experience with Safari Link
I had some problems with this agency that I would like to highlight here.
I booked a three-day safari. It was agreed that they would pick me up at my hotel in Johannesburg before heading to Kruger. One day before the trip, I sent a message to confirm, and they told me that I should go to the airport instead, as we would be leaving from there. I sent them the previous message where they had mentioned picking me up at the hotel, but I did not receive a response in time. Because of that, I had to go to the airport just to be safe.
After this inconvenience, it took me an extra hour to arrive at my lodge because my name was not on the driver’s list. He confused me with another person whose name was on the list and initially took me to the wrong lodge.
After that, we finally arrived at the correct lodge, but they informed me that there was no tent available for me because the agency had not sent my reservation to them either, just like what happened with the driver. As a result, on the first night, I was taken to another nearby lodge so I would have a place to sleep.
On the way back to Johannesburg, I managed to arrange for them to drop me off at my hotel, but once again, nothing was easy. The driver had the wrong address and was going to take me to the hotel where I had stayed before going on safari. Fortunately, I checked it in time and was able to speak with him so he could take me to the correct address.
Despite all these issues, everything was eventually resolved, and I was still able to enjoy the experience in the best way possible. However, these were still unpleasant situations that nobody would like to go through.
Email Adam | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Pleasant
Thomas, our driver was pleasant enough. Driving is a little aggressive, however road conditions may play a role.
Tomus was very friendly and kind informing us each an every way he made the tour very peaceful
Safari link is a very well organized tour company very happy with there services
CH
Email Arnet | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
On Time quite good
The Transportation was good. Theodore was always on time and did great stops on the way there and back . Although we had to sign a lot of forms over and over again and we did get quite pushed to fill out a review.
Email Mauricio | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Late
The experience was fine, and the trip was okay as well. However, the problem is that we departed late because we were waiting for other people. We waited for more than 40 minutes, which basically changed my entire schedule. The safari link must depart on time, regardless of who is on time or who is not. Time is important to me. Thanks.
Email Jason | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Joseph our driver was great. The organisation however was awful
We booked a private transfer from Johannesburg to Krueger. This was booked for pickup at 07:00. The transfer was for 2 pax and we paid 4,500 Rand. We booked through MoAfrika tours but the transfer was with SafariLink (the vehicle we were picked up in had branding for both).
We were contacted by SafariLink on WhatsApp to reconfirm the booking details the day prior. The re confirmation stated a pickup time of 09:25 which was incorrect. We confirmed the correct details with SafariLink via WhatsApp on two occasions during the day and were told the booking was updated and we would be collected at 07:00 as expected (on both occasions).
On the day of pickup we checked out of our room early, missed breakfast and were ready for a leisurely drive to Krueger. We were ultimately picked up at 08:30 after lots of calls and messages to try and work out where our driver was.
Unfortunately the administrator at SafariLink who had confirmed the 07:00 pickup via WhatsApp had not passed the details onto Joseph. This meant we had to drive directly to Krueger with only a 5 minute stop along the way in order to ensure we did not miss any of our safari activities. The drive is c6 hours with no stops.
Joseph did a great job of making the best out of a bad situation. He made time up, he contacted our lodgings to make sure they were aware of our arrival time and kept us updated on progress along the journey. The organisation by the team who sit behind Joseph though left a lot to be desired.
The transfer vehicle was clean, modern, good WiFi capabilities etc. Joseph was also a very safe driver and pointed out points of interest along the way.
I have provided a 3* review as we paid a lot of money for the private transfer and all it led to was extra stress and inconvenience (we should have just taken the shared transfer that was included at not extra cost). Were it not for Joseph this would be a 1* review. Was the pickup on time then this would be a 5* review.
If using this Company I would suggest triple checking your booking confirmation well in advance and in the run up to your journey.
Email Ash | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Joseph was 10/10, but organisation from Safarilink lacking
We experienced an issue whereby our transfer was recorded on the system as being at 9am, however it should have been booked at 7am. We confirmed this with Safarilink the day before we were due to travel and thought it had been corrected. On the day unfortunately the driver was only able to pick us up at 8:30am due to the system error.
Thankfully, we had Joseph who kindly made up as much time as he could in a safe manner - he was brilliant, telling us about our journey and made time for a comfort break without leading to a delay. He did everything he could to get us to our destination quickly but safely which we appreciated.
Safarilink were contactable by WhatsApp and phone which was helpful. It’s a shame about the delay.
Email Chris | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Satisfactory transfer service
Miscommunication between booking agency and transfer service which resulted in the driver arriving half an hour early. Outward bound driver was attentive but took a scenic route and drove too quickly for the conditions. Only one comfort stop, instead of the two mentioned in the itinerary. Home bound driver was overly friendly and enthusiastic, and although a competent driver, had to be asked to refrain from using and looking at his mobile phone while driving. Service ran half an hour late.
IT
Email Anna | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Long but safe
(Theodore)
Good driver. Long trip but safe. We arrive at the airport at time, as planned.
Just 10 minutes to eat but understandable due to the 6hours needed to reach the airport.