50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Full Day Tour of Soweto: guide Carlson
Carslon picked was prompt on pickup form hotel. He was very friendly and informative and clear in ezplanatis.
CW
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Nice, trustworthy and very calm
This trip was worth the price and it was safe and very easy to book via Booking. The pick up at the hotel was good and organized. The tour bus was clean the operator Thomas of MoAfrika was a gentleman. He explained also some interesting nice to know things during the trip to the safaripark. The trip in the park was mind-blowing and a unique experience, a must do for everybody. Great park, variety of wild animals.
IL
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very professional and reliable
Zambezi Expedition Travel and Tours organized for us (2 people) a 6 days tour in Victoria Falls, Chobe reserve in Botswana and Hwange reserve in Zimbabwe. It was very interesting and very enjoyable.
Long before the trip, we discussed everything with Silence. She was very professional and very tolerable to our needs and constrains. The communication with her was always quick and efficient.
The tour itself was wonderful and everything went smoothly according to the plan. Our driver, most of the time, was Francis and his service was excellent.
I highly recommend this company.
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Tour operator listened to our requests and organized the perfect trip
Gail was very easy to work with on our list of desirable locations. Sabi Sands, Victoria Falls, Cape Town and surrounding areas plus wine country. She coordinated 3 domestic flights, transportation, accommodations, tour guides and excursions. The itinerary provided to our group of 8 was very detailed. Highly recommend Pembury Tours as well as Gail Davis for our South Africa adventures
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Easy, efficient and good value for money
We used safari link to get from Johannesburg to Kruger national park. Both trips there and back were pleasant with plenty of room and communication throughout. We stopped at good service stations even one with some animals in the back which was a pleasant surprise!! Our drivers were also amazing, would highly recommend
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Theodor was lovely and very invested in making the journey as comfortable as possible.
Theodore drove us from our safari back to Johannesburg airport and the trip was great! Everything was punctual, we arrived well in time for our flights. He was really nice and always told us how much time we had left. Would highly recommend!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect first-ever safari adventure!
Claire and Off 2 Africa nailed our first-ever safari vacation! We planned it all through just emails and it was very easy. Once I realized Off 2 Africa plans and organizes entire Africa vacations, and not just the "safari" or bush/camp portion, Claire arranged and took care of everything. From the time we landed at Johannesburg until we departed the continent almost two weeks later.
Claire had us overnight at Sunrock Guesthouse upon arrival at Jozi, just what we needed for our lone afternoon in town and only five minutes from the airport. Excellent buffet meals, comfy rooms, and a neat little hidden spot. Uber is the best way to get around Jozi - the easiest, cheapest, and works great. Claire also booked our flights between JNB and Victoria Falls. All of the transfers and everything else went like clockwork. The entire itinerary was easy to keep track of each day with the TravelKey app Claire sets-up.
Our Victoria Falls stays at Palm River Hotel and Mbano Manor before and after our nights in the bush made for deluxe accommodations to recover from the long trip to Africa and to wind-down before the journey home. There's plenty of daily elephant watching at Palm River as a trail for them runs right along the property next to the river. Mbano is a woman-owned (she's very nice) paradise that hides behind a gate not too far from the town center. Claire booked a helicopter ride over the falls for us during our Mbano stay... the heli ride is a no-brainer while at Victoria Falls, especially when the falls are raging like they were at that time.
For the bush portion of our safari vacation, we did the Hide, Changa, and John's Camp package: three nights, two nights, three nights... in three Zimbabwe national parks with smooth and fun Mack Air bush flights in between.
Hide and Changa camps are sister-properties, so one can expect a similar experience and daily schedule. Check the "Pack for a Purpose" section of the Hide's website before you go. John's Camp offers a bit different experience - tent zippers instead of doors - and routine, but is no less comfy. More of a close family-affair. John himself was staying there as the camp had just opened for the season a few days before our visit. Each camp offered a nice change of scenery, from the bush at Hwange to the shores of enormous Lake Kariba to the bank of the Zambezi River.
Just like anytime we leave the house, my biggest worry before the trip was my wife's long list of dietary concerns, and with just one option for meals at the safari camps, I was worried about her food more than anything else. When we were met at the first camp with non-alcoholic drinks, I knew that Claire had taken care of it and that the camps got the memo. For eight nights everything the three camps put in front of my wife was delicious and as if she had prepared it herself. We didn't even have to think about it. This included not just the main meals, but also the other three to four activities each day that involve snacks and drinks (I had game-drive chicken wings while she enjoyed zucchini sticks and hummus). It was awesome! Especially compared to a "normal" vacation for us, fussing over menus at every meal. And I would have spent a lot of time before the trip confirming and reconfirming with all of our stays, but Claire did all of that. Even the Ra-Ikane Sunrise River Cruise at Victoria Falls had special breakfast items for my wife, and there was oat milk in our room's fridge at Mbano Manor upon arrival. It could not have gone better!
I can recall just a couple of goofy things during the trip that were immediately taken care of by the camp or whomever. We never once needed to contact Claire for assistance, just to periodically let her know how it was going. I think that says a lot about Off 2 Africa making sure a pretty complicated vacation is ready to go before you arrive.
First-time safari lessons: Safari involves eating a lot of excellent food; my wife and I put on several pounds during our vacation. Be ready to use WhatsApp if you don't already. While traveling it works way better than any of the messaging apps we had on our phones. Take a pair of binoculars for everyone if you can... passing one pair back and forth and adjusting them is a pain while you're missing things. We took a device charger/battery for emergencies or power outages and never touched it. Our Eagle Creek duffel bags (in "Safari" color, of course) worked great. Take headlamps for everyone.
We saw a lot of wildlife and nature, learned a ton, always felt safe, and have nothing but praise for the people we met and of course the food and drink. Between the hotel staffs, Mack Air, the Wild Horizons transfer folks, and the camps, we were always in good hands. And if you're looking for someone to put it all together for you, Off 2 Africa is the right choice!
