US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best possible 3-day tour of Botswana and Zimbabwe we could have wished for
[WARNING: VERY long review ahead, full of praise for a great travel outfit. The TL;DR version is: Africa Uncovered gave us an unforgettable glimpse of Botswana and Zimbabwe in 3 days’ time, at the end of our trip to South Africa. Archie Dzinetsa helped us plan it, and Norman Tsarara was our wonderful guide every step of the way. I would HIGHLY recommend this company and this same 3-day trip (or your variation of it) to anyone planning a trip to Southern Africa.]
We recently returned from 15 days in Southern Africa. The 3-day safari in Botswana and Zimbabwe that we booked with Africa Uncovered Safaris was in many ways the highlight of our trip. Despite the short duration (due to limited time and money), we had a thrilling and very satisfying time on this safari, and we feel that the very capable staff at Africa Uncovered gave us the greatest possible experience of this region, given the time we had available. We would recommend this tour company and our tour guide (Norman Tsarara) to anyone considering a trip to Zimbabwe/Botswana. We hope to be able to return some day and will plan another trip with this company when we do.
Our positive experience with Africa Uncovered Safaris began well in advance of our arrival. In doing research about possible safari options through SafariBookings.com, we inquired with three different tour operators and received responses from all three. Archie Dzinetsa, Operations Manager with Africa Uncovered, was one of those responding to our inquiries. We immediately liked him the best and felt comfortable with him, because he had excellent communication skills and replied to all of our emailed questions promptly, with clear answers, yet never crossed the line into being pushy or trying too hard to make the sale. When we told him what we were looking for and how much time we had, Archie put together some options with different pricing, and then helped us to make a choice that fit our itinerary perfectly. We did not have to align our schedule with any predetermined dates; rather, we told him which 3 days would work best for our group, and he put together a schedule that packed a lot into those 3 days while still allowing time to rest and relax between outings.
When we arrived in Zimbabwe at the Victoria Falls airport, our guide Norman Tsarara was there to meet us — and had waited patiently for us despite the delayed flight, and the lengthy process of getting through immigration. From the start Normal was cheerful, friendly and helpful to us in any way he could be. We began to learn a great deal about Zimbabwe just from chatting with Norman on the way from the airport to our first hotel. Since the “official” safari would not begin until the following morning, we stayed that first night at the Shearwater Explorers Village hotel in Victoria Falls, a lovely and well-appointed place with a nice swimming pool and a fun bar. For dinner that night, Archie had arranged a reservation for us at the restaurant of the nearby Victoria Falls Safari Lodge. This lodge was very upscale, and we had decided it was too expensive to stay there — but we’re very grateful that Archie suggested we could just have dinner there, which was delicious and quite affordable. The outdoor seating area at this restaurant/bar has an excellent view of a nearby watering hole (which is partly what makes this lodge so special), and so from our dinner table we had a clear view of a herd of elephants that came to the watering hole at dusk.
The next morning Norman collected us early so we could begin our “official” safari with a trip to the spectacular waterfalls at Victoria Falls. We had initially considered skipping this part of the proposed tour in order to have more time for wildlife viewing — but we are very glad we didn’t, as our guided walk through the park at Victoria Falls was unforgettable. Norman handed us off to his colleague Peace Shoko, who was our guide for our time at the falls. We are glad we took Peace’s suggestion to each rent a full-body rain poncho for this walk… because the pictures we had seen of the falls didn’t convey just how WET the experience of walking along the gorge is! Along the way, Peace spoke to us about the history and geology of the falls, and pointed out numerous species of trees and plants as we walked. We learned a great deal from her in the short time we were there.
Then we were headed to Botswana with Norman as our driver. We all (my wife and I plus our 21-year old son) really enjoyed the drives with Norman, as we learned so much about our surroundings from him, and loved getting to know more about his personal story as well. He was truly a delight to spend time with… by the end of our trip we had come to think of him as a friend, someone we will definitely stay in touch with.
Our accommodation in Botswana was at the Tlou Lodge in Kasane — a more basic lodge than the previous night in Victoria Falls, but still very spacious, clean and comfortable (AC was essential here), with a small pool and a good restaurant. It is located very near to the scenic bridge over the Zambezi River where the corners of Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia and Zambia all touch — the only place in the world, I believe, where four countries touch. On our second day in Kasane Norman took us across the bridge on foot… both for the striking views, and so we could set foot in Zambia on the other side!
The point of staying in Kasane was its nearness to the Chobe National Park. We had heard from others (who had visited multiple parks and game reserves in Southern Africa) that Chobe is one of the best places to see many of the most charismatic species of wildlife… and we were not disappointed. We had about 48 hours staying there, and we spent that time taking three “game rides” in open air jeeps, each about 3 or 3.5 hours long, plus a late afternoon boat cruise on the Chobe River that forms one edge of the park. This felt like a perfect way to divide our time and see the park from numerous locations over the course of two days.
Now, it should be said that we got rather lucky on this visit — not everyone who visits Chobe sees any lions at all (we had lion encounters during two of our three drives, one of them very close up); and while elephants in the park are numerous, not everyone finds themselves (as we did) parked at the edge of the river, literally surrounded by a herd of 15 elephants, with no other jeeps in sight. That said — I do think it matters who your guides are. For our game drives in Chobe, our tour company (Africa Uncovered) partnered with another company, African Odyssey, which is based in Botswana. For our three game drives (two starting at dawn, the other ending at dusk) we had a driver named Frank who has been taking visitors into Chobe for 19 years. It was marvelous to watch the way he was able to look out the jeep at the dirt road, spot tracks of various animals, and identify not just which animal made it, but how recently. It was due in part to Frank’s skills as a tracker and guide that we had up-close encounters with lions, elephants, giraffes, and buffalo (as well as baboons, kudu, and impala which are more common). Plus, each time we went out with Frank we were the only three passengers in his jeep (which made it easy to talk with him and ask questions), whereas most jeeps we saw in the park seemed to have 6 or 8 passengers.
Even when Norman was not our guide (as when he handed us off to Frank for the game drives), he took good care of us. He woke up early each morning to ensure that we were all ready to be picked up by Frank at 5:45 am. He took us out to meals during our time with him. He chose some local restaurants that were quite good — and he also (because we asked him to) took us to Nando’s, a Southern African chain restaurant that is hard to explain, but it’s basically what you might get if KFC and Chipotle had a baby and moved to Brazil. And Norman was very conscientious about the time it might take to get back from Botswana to Zimbabwe (including the attempted shakedown by some border guards on the Zimbabwe side, which he handled adeptly) so that he could get us to the Victoria Falls airport two hours before our flight — just as he had promised. We all loved the three days we spent with Norman, and hope to see him again in the future. I would trust Africa Uncovered with any and all travel plans that we make in Africa in future.
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Just perfect!
We have had a great experience. The accommodation was so much better than expected and the staff is lovely in special: Izzy and Duan. They go out of the way to make your trip special!
IT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The Best Trip We Have Done So Far
We did the 7 days Machame trek with guide Epa and crew from Migration Venture Africa. From the initial contact we knew that we were dealing with a reliable company because Amos the host was professional and prompt with his responses. He also took time to understand what we wanted and advised us well but left the final decision to us.
We met Epa and Boniface at our hotel where they helped check our gear and we immediately took liking them. The actual trek was really great as the support service from crew was first rate. Every aspect of the trek was well taken care of and given the unbeatable deal that we got from Migration Venture Africa, we were in good company.
The course is tough but very scenic and rewarding as we went for the summit. I cannot fault any aspect of the trip and highly recommend Migration Venture Africa for Kilimanjaro.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Professional excellence at its best
I dealt with the most amazing team, very professional and warm. Every detail was explained and questions responded to timeously even to the point of having a 'travel-buddy' just by knowing that they are a phone call away should you need anything while on the road.
They selected the best accommodation!!!
I loved the experience!!!
ES
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing
I did a 5 days safari with Evans. He is amazing. He is an experienced man if you talk about animals and places. Everytime that we need something he has a solution. Highly recommended.
Also I want to highlight the Axis team that help me to get the visa just in time.
Definitely I will recommend to my friends.
Great experience.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing Trip!
Our family of 4 had an amazing experience with this tour company, from pickup from our hotel in Zambia and back from our safari camping adventures in Chobe ( Botswana). It was all well organized, after a long day of great safari , our tent and food was ready for us. We have seen many animals and birds, I can recommended this company to anyone.
FR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It was amazing!
Everything was perfect ! The communication to organize the trip was great! The guide we had the safari with was great, as was the accommodation and food.
RU
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
the tour is thought out and prepared by professionals.
Incredible adventures! Seeing lions, giraffes, zebras and other amazing animals of Africa from a few meters away is an unforgettable experience. At some point, I felt like I was watching national geografic and found myself inside a TV!
We had a five-day tour, and in my opinion it's optimal. We had tourists with us on a three-day tour, and they were very sorry that their adventures would end so soon. Every day we were in a new location, getting to know new animals. We visited 4 national parks, by jeep, boat and on foot. We took hundreds of unreal photos and soaked up the vitality of Africa's nature.
Many thanks to our guide Evans! This is a very experienced, detail-oriented guide who finds rare animals in the savannah in an incredible way.
TN
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable Journey
We have just returned from an exceptional trip to South Africa and Zambia organized by African Welcome Safafaris, and we want to highlight their outstanding professionalism. The organization was simply flawless: warm welcome, perfect coordination, passionate and knowledgeable guides, and overall very comfortable accommodations.
Every part of the trip was filled with wonder. Victoria Falls took our breath away, Kruger Park offered magical moments in the heart of nature, and the vibrant energy of Cape Town truly captivated us.
A huge thank you to Alex for his availability, attentiveness, and professionalism throughout this amazing journey. We highly recommend this agency to anyone looking for a thoughtful, well-organized, and dedicated travel experience.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
He was generous person
Title: Great and Amazing adventure!!!
Our 4-day safari with Galilaya Expedition in Tanzania was absolutely fantastic!
A special thank you to our guide, Emanuel, who made the experience even more unforgettable. He was incredibly patient, highly professional, and his knowledge of the wildlife and landscape was impressive.
Not only did he ensure we saw everything we hoped for, but he also had a great eye for photography, capturing some amazing moments for us. His dedication and passion for his work were truly admirable.
Thank you to the whole team for an unforgettable adventure!