65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wildlife galore
We flew from London to Hoedspruit via Johannesburg and picked up a hire car (a 2*4 SUV) at Hoedspruit. We drove to Satara via the Orpen gate and stayed in Satara for 4 nights.
The standard chalet that we had was simple, but clean and had everything we needed. The fridge, kettle, toaster and microwave enabled us to have a good breakfast before driving out on safari each day.
We took a packed lunch with us each day, because the long drives meant that it was too far to return to Satara in the middle of the day. In the evening we ate in the restaurant which had good, filling food at a reasonable price.
The weather started quite cool and I began to wonder if it had been a mistake not to bring a coat, but luckily it warmed up as the days passed. There was one cloudy day, the rest were sunny with some lovely sunrises and sunsets.
On the way in we drove on the H7 to Satara and on the way out we took the Rabelais loop back to Orpen.
On our three full days, we... Read more drove the s100 - s41 - h6 loop twice and the s40 - s60 - s39 - s36 - s126 - h1-3 route once.
Driving ourselves meant that we could spend as long as we wanted when we saw something interesting and we stopped frequently. We didn't feel that the park was too crowded, even though Satara is quite a big camp. At most animal sightings there were only 1 or 2 other vehicles present, while at bird sightings we were normally the only vehicle present.
We enjoyed the Sweni bird hide because there was always something happening. We spent a couple of hours there, on each of our s100 days, watching the crocodiles, hippos and all the bird life.
At the Sweni waterhole on the s126 we saw large numbers of elephants (100+) coming to drink in the evening.
One evening we joined a guided tour run from Satara. It turned into a long drive along the S100 to a reported leopard sighting, but was worth it as we had superb views of a leopard resting in a tree as the sun went down.
We saw all the animals that we hoped to see, plus lots more, with the exception of rhinoceros. The commonest sightings were impala, elephant, giraffe, zebra, kudu and wildebeest, plus lots of birds.
The highlights were the leopard sighting mentioned previously, the elephant and giraffe that walked right past us while we were sat in our car having lunch, the kingfisher slapping a fish on a branch to kill it, the lilac breasted rollers, the martial eagle and many others.
We thoroughly enjoyed our four days self driving in the Kruger, but it was a pleasant change to be driven on guided safaris for the remaining 6 days of our trip in the Sabie Sands and Klasserie reserves.
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Beyond our imagination and exceeded our wildest dreams
South luangwa national park is truly the most "natural" place we have ever visited. And we are avid wildlife hikers. The sheer volume of wildlife - of many many species - everywhere was something we'd never experienced. The number of species of birds, animals, insects was wondrous. The bush camp company guides are local and very very knowledgeable about the wildlife and also reading the 'signs', watching the animal interactions, behaviour to know what was happening. I cannot recommend enough helping to keep this park as it is. For some of these animals it is the last bastion. And our outings were respectful of nature and animals.
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about South Africa by Tony
I've given almost the same rating as for the Kruger park as we didn't see anything of the rest of South Africa other than the Sabie Sands and the Klasserie reserves.
CH
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fabulous experience on Safari in South Africa at Ngala and Tswalu
The safari experiences were excellent. Tailormade Africa was careful to assess our interests and desires and recommend alternatives for accommodations and experiences. Tailormade Africa provided us with comprehensive information and pricing for them, allowing us to make an informed choice. Our accommodations and experiences at Ngala and Tswalu were extraordinary, exceeding our expectations. Tailormade Africa communicated regularly with us in advance of our safari, and during it, to make sure we were informed and new what to expect. I would highly recommend Tailormade Africa.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A VERY good and comolete experience. Good relation between price and quality.
It was perfect according the price that we paid. They gave us a complete service with all the important things included.
IN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A memorable experience
All the arrangements were made online, we planned the tour together and I paid the deposit in advance. When I reached the Entebbe Airport, the pick-up and the rest of the trip was as agreed. The best and memorable part of my trip was the gorilla tracking in Bwindi in that I couldn't have enough. I am in fact thinking of going back to Uganda specifically for gorilla tracking and will definitely use Limitless tours. I would recommend anyone going to Uganda to try the services of Limitless Tours and Travel Limited
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Photographer's Dream!
What an amazing experience! Face of Africa Adventures lived up to their name with outstanding hospitality and a top notch tour guide! Our guide, Shaffie, was friendly, knowledgeable, and helped us take in some amazing views! What made the trip even more enjoyable was talking to Shaffie about his love for the environment and how passionate he is about nature, the Serengeti, and his country of Tanzania! The accommodations were also outstanding and a great place to relax after a fun day on safari.
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
highly professional, excellent service, amazing tour guides, outstanding travel experience!
In August 2017 I booked the Fisheagle canoe trail on the Zambezi River in Zimbabwe with Zambezi Safari & Travel. The tour was performed together with Natureways Safaris in Kariba. From the first contact the service was excellent, individually shaped and 100% reliable. Liz Ferreira from Zambezi Safari is the most passionate and considerate travel agent I ever dealt with, with a deep knowledge of the destination country and local conditions. With endless patience and commitment she replied within 24 hours to every question I had in advance, and there were a lot! Beyond the trip I booked with her she gave me valuable tips for my self driving journey through Zimbabwe. Thank you so much!
The canoe trip itself exceeded all my expectations. The tour guides Zera and Kenneth were simply adorable. Highly professional and empathic, with a mind-blowing knowledge of nature, wildlife and local history. They know the river by heart, I felt safe and comfortable at any time. This trip was an outstanding and unforgettable experience far away from touristic mainstream. Highly recommended!
CH
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable, a must do!
We got the tip about Swala Safaris from a friend who was extremely satisfied, we hesitated and didn't want to rush into anything but from the first contact with Swala and the prompt, helpful team we knew we had the right team. I thought traveling with my elderly parents was going to be an issue but our guide was always helpful and understanding. He was extremely knowledgable and if he didnt have the answer the spent the night researching (above and beyond what we expected). In the end we saw all we wanted to see, it was only a problem that it had to end :)
I would definately recommend Swala to anyone!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
6 days Best of Kenya Safari - best experience ever!
We booked a Luxury package 6 days Best of Kenya Safari with Africa Flash McTours & Travel, we traveled in November 2017.
We loved it, loved it and loved it!
We have seen so many lions, giraffes, elephants, hippos, cheetahs, rhinos (both black and white), leopard, flamingos, crocodiles, jackals, hyenas, baboons and many many more! We could see the animals being so close to them, we didn't expect that we will see so many and so close -the best experience ever!
We have been to Maasai Mara, Lake Nakuru and Amboseli - where we saw the Kilimangiaro.
We stayed in the best lodges: Sarova Maasai Mara, Sarova Lions Hill and Serena Amboseli -what a locations! Service is outstanding as well as the food!
Thank you Peter (the owner) for organising this great safari for us and a big big thank you to John (our guide) for showing us the best of Kenya.
It was an unforgettable experience! We would definitely travel with Africa Flash McTours & Travel again and it is highly recommended!!!