Meet Our Amazing Team
Bubezi Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 1989)
- Member Of:
- SATOA & MISA
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $263 to $1,051 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
US
Email Dwight | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Close encounters with S African wildlife accompanied by background information on flora and fauna.
What an incredible experience! It was like a cruise ship on land. This all inclusive guided tour afforded us to just focus on the incredible experiences we were provided by Andy. Andy's knowledge of animals and the territory along with his exceptional culinary skills provided us with a singular trip of our life. We toured early in the morning and just before sunset when the animals were most active. Andy would stop and point out animals where people on self-driven tours simply drove by because they didn't see anything. We were treated like VIP enabling us to thoroughly enjoy our guided tour.
Email David | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A tremendous trip well organised with no pressure
This was our first Safari so before we got there Andy had to answer loads of questions, as we thought of one we sent an email, Andy responded quickly to each email. We were picked up from johannesburg and taken on a scenic tour down towards the Kruger stopping at various points of interest some of the views were stunning. The second day we visiting an animal sanctuary which was very informative, we then proceed into the kruger where we spent three days staying at different lodges, one night he cooked us a wonderful meal. We flew to Durban on the last day and since we had time Andy organised a trip to an Elephant sanctuary where we could interact with the elephants.
Andy's professionalism and enthusiasm was amazing he answered questions all day without any sign of annoyance especially since some of the questions were repeats from the day before (as he said no question is a stupid question) From the outset he put us at ease,he put us under no pressure as to what time the day was to start or how long we were out each day, as he said it was our trip and he was there to make sure we enjoyed it, which we certainly did
I would have no hesitate in recommending Bubezi Safaris and if we do another Safari i will be back to Bubezi
CH
Email Daga and Danny | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great photo safari, animal spottings and experience
As we like to take photos of the nature, we booked a photo safari course with a Swiss photographer. He then booked the safari itself with Bubezi Safaris. It was only us two, the photographer and our guide Andy.
When we arrived on the airport of Johannesburg Andy picked us up and drove us to the private Tshukudu Game Lodge. After arrival we went immediately on a game drive where could see our first animals (elephants, buffalos, lions, ...).
After a morning walk with Chetaahs trough the bush, we drove to Kruger National park and in between stopped at Moholoholo Animal Rehabilitation Centre, where we were told a lot about injured and old animals, which partly lived in the Centre and partly were reintroduced into the wilderness. Arriving in Kruger at afternoon, we changed into a safari vehicle and immediatley were greeted by a lot of animals.
Each morning we had to stand up quite early to be out of the camp at opening time 6:00 o'clock, but Andy always had prepared hot tea, coffee and some small snacks in the vehicle. We were always out on the drive until closing time of the camp (although he offered us, to stay in the camp during the day to get some rest. But being on safari, we wanted to be out seeing animals and nature).
During our trip, while the photographer explained us when to use which function of the cameras, Andy tried to find (and he not only tried, he did!) all the animals. As soon as he found them, he took care to bring us into the best position for taking photos (e.g. that the sun was shining in the right angle on the animal, that there weren't any branches between us and the animal, ...). Furthermore we always hat enough time to take the best possible photo. We never left a spotting before we were finished!
Beside the Big Five which we were able to see various times, we could see a lot of other interesting and fascinating animals. Andy was always able to tell us a lot about each animal and its habits, and we weren't able to ask him any question, which he couldn't answer.
In the national park we stayed one night in Satara-Camp and then another two in Skukuza-Camp.
At our last day and on the trip back to Johannesburg, we stopped at an elephant camp outside of Kruger. Some time before our trip we had said, that we would like to ride on elephants. So Andy had organized everything and we were able to touch, feed and finally ride on two big elephants. After that, he brought us to our hotel where we stayed some more days.
From our arrival up the last day, everything was organized and prepared perfectly, incl. special requests. Andy always took great care to fulfill our photographers needs, concerning position, time and everything and everything else we wanted (like seeing a baby giraffe). Every evening at dinner and while we were in the car, Andy told us a lot of interesting stories about the park, the animals and his experiences.
All in all: We'll come back and we recommend everybody who wants to go on a safari (especially having special requests) to book with Bubezi Safaris!
AE
Email Neil | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Incredible!!!
Our experience with Andy started long before we got on a plane to come to SA. As we had slightly awkward flight times and a son under 4, we found we were having difficulty arranging a safari round Kruger National Park which was the main reason for us coming. Andy was the only person who went out of his way to ensure we got the safari we were looking for and he absolutely delivered 100%!!!
His knowledge of the animals, the park and the surrounding areas is second to none and he has an uncanny ability to find the most elusive animals before anyone else could.
Over and above this, there were 2 things that made this trip very special. Firstly, Andy has a great ability to create unforgettable moments for you whether it was doing edge of the world photos at the Three Rondavels or watching the sunset in Kruger on top of a massive rock. Secondly, and the most important bit, was how Andy interacted with our son. His patience and the attention he was willing to pay him was just fantastic. Our son absolutely adored him and even now, 4 weeks after we did the safari, he is still asking when he can see "Andy Candy" again.
We just can't recommend Bubezi Safari's highly enough, it was an incredible experience.
US
Email Daniel | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Panoramic, Animal Interaction & Kruger
My sister and I went on safari with Andy and Bubezi and had spectacular time. We did the 6-Day Family Panoramic, Animal Interaction & Kruger Park and then added a visit to Moholoholo Wildlife Rehab and an extra day in Kruger. Andy was fantastic in responding to my endless emails. I think we exchanged 20+ emails prior to the trip. The advantage with booking with a small company, like Bubezi, is the personal touch. Andy has the knowledge, passion, warmth, and sense of humor that make for an ideal guide. He took us to different sections of Kruger each day and saw the many different biomes that make up the park. We also got to experience stopping at the other camps in Kruger for meals, bathroom breaks, and the museums.
Andy met us at the airport in Johannesburg with a sign with our names on it and then drove us in his SUV to the Protea Hotel Centurion for the first night. If was a beautiful hotel with an excellent restaurant. The next day we drove the Panoramic route. The highlights were God's Windows, Bourke's Luck Potholes, and the three Rondavels. We arrived at Tshukudu Private Game Reserve and saw Rhinos right in front of the camp! That evening we went on a sundown safari and ended up walking with Entombe the cheetah. She let us pet her and drank water from our hands then we walked with her for almost an hour. The next day we went on the walking safari and saw the two cheetah brothers with a freshly killed impala. We got to watch them eat from 15 feet away. It was breathtaking.
We then proceeded to Kruger where we swapped out the SUV for an open-sided safari vehicle. We spent two nights at Satara Camp and two at Skukuza Camp. Both camps had excellent restaurants, Mug and Bean and Cattlemen Steakhouse respectively. The accommodations were very comfortable and clean. They were were lovely cottages with thatched roofs and had excellent air conditioning. We also saw numerous animals inside the camp; warthogs, vervet monkeys, African wild cats, and small antelope. When we went out into Kruger we saw the Big 5, which included lions walking right in front of our vehicle, a herd of several hundred buffalo, baby elephants, and a bull elephant in musht. We also had close sightings of hyena and the critically endangered ground hornbill. Our last day we went to Hazyview Elephant sanctuary. We got to interact with large bull elephant named Casper. We got to touch his ears, tail, elbows, trunk, and tongue. We then got to walk hand in trunk with him.
Andy was a fantastic guide and host and made our vacation memories last a lifetime. I would highly recommend Andy and Bubezi Safaris to everyone.
US
Email Rey | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Four holidays in one ... Excellent experience
We loved South Africa from start to finish ... the scenery, people, food and wine. Weather was good too. We had so many memorable experiences. Overall great experience in what amounted to four holidays in one:
In Cape Town we were met by Richard, our tour guide, who by the end of the trip you felt like you were saying goodbye to a long time friend. We very impressed with Cape Town and thought people were very nice and helpful with loads of interesting things to do.
In Jo'Burg/Pretoria, Johann was our guide. He is a friendly, experienced guide who showed us Soweto, Johannesburg and Pretoria with the eye of an insider. A highlight was a stay at Lesedi Cultural Center. In an informative and entertaining way, Lesedi provided us with a better understanding of the rich cultural background of the traditional peoples of South Africa.
In Victoria Falls we were on our own. Here we stayed at Ilala Lodge, a real 5 star lodge with exceptional service, decor and food. Ilala is the best location for being able to walk to the falls and the surrounding shopping and sights.
In Kruger, Andy was our guide, whose knowledge of the area and animal behavior was invaluable. We saw a vast array of wildlife including some special leopard sightings, the chance to observe animal conduct and learn some tracking skills made us appreciate the overall experience much more. The ability for Andy to track the animals and spot them was amazing!
SG
Email Lee | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Exhilarating, memorable, eye opening. Andy as a great guide- knowledgeable & professional
Andy was a super guide. He was knowledgeable in animal behavior, passionate about wildlife, professional and responsible in making sure we had the best safari experience, great at spotting the well camourflaged animals, and took the trouble to even make a detour in order to show us the endangered Sable Antelope when he heard they had been sighted. We were due to leave the park. He could have skipped the detour and taken a more leisurely drive to the airport for our departure.
Andy was fun and we had great meals throughout our stay!
Thanks Andy for a great holiday!
US
Email Sue | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fantastic 3 day safari
Our experience with Bubezi Safaris exceeded our expectations. Andy was extremely knowledgeable of all the wildlife in the game park and was excellent at sighting animals. Would highly recommend this safari!
NL
Email Hans | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An incredible experience richer with Bubezi Safaris.
Your enthusiasm, very high level of knowledge about the birds and the animals and your hospitality was amazing. A definite recommendation for anyone who wants a experience with a tailor-made safari. We will definitely come back one more time . We also have a review posted on your facebook page
DE
Email Ursula and Peter | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Four times with Bubezi is not enough, we want more!
We have been with Bubezi four times now and I think that already says how we feel about Andy and Quintin, operators, chefs and guides all in one. With their knowledge, experience and respect for wildlife and nature they gave us always the best time on the safaris someone can get. Every question about the big animals but also the very small ones and the birds, they have a qualified answer. If somebody spotted something, like lions with a catch, they will go for it -if the people agree- doesn´t matter how far it is, so your afternoondrive might end up as a nightdrive with the best, goose-skin experience you could imagine.
They are 100 % reliable, emails are answered the same day, call them at any time if you have a question or your plans have changed, they will try to make things possible.
Four times is not enough and so we´ll go again with Bubezi for more adventurous drives.