50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great safari option from Joburg
Nice tour, fun, educational and well organized. It’s about 50% drive to/from and 50% safari. Not a massive amount of wildlife but very good diversity. We saw about 15 species. Transfers were smooth and professional. Lunch was tasty and satisfying.
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Reliable and efficient. Great service and holiday
Hi Claire
Hope this is OK? I'll copy it to the review page too.
Janet.
Victoria Falls, Munchenge and Setari Camp.
We chose to arrive in Joberg from the UK a day before our holiday started. A well considered strategy ensuring we were
fresh for the adventures ahead.
We stayed at the Southern Sun Hotel.
Clean, convenient and good food. 5 min free shuttle to / from the airport every 15mins.
Our connecting flight on day one took us to Victoria Falls airport, about 1 hr 30mins via Airlink. A seemless meet and greet at the airport and onto Victoria Falls Safari Lodge for the early afternoon. A beautiful remote
lodge set high on a plateau overlooking the bush and it's own watering hole. They have various wildlife visit. It was a joy to sit,
watch, relax and take it all in from the bar, restaurant or your own balcony. Open panoramic views and no buildings in sight. The rooms are spaces, clean and comfortable. The staff are friendly and the service is excellent. A great start to our holday. We had 2 nights here. The first night we enjoyed a lovely sunset cruise on
the River. The price included food and drink. A lovely start to our holiday.
So after day one relaxing and enjoying the lodge we had pre arranged plans to see the Victoria Falls.
Our guide met us at the lodge and drove us the short journey to our first stop at the Lookout Cafe. From here we had pre booked a 'Gorge Swing'. Basically that's a leap off a platform that drops 70 meters over the Zambeze River then swings out over the waters below. Not for the faint
hearted but no jolting or bunjee involved. Exillerating and fun. A story to tell! We had pre booked this. Afterwards we enjoyed the stunning views over the Zambeze with a coffee in the Lookout Cafe. There are other activities in the area. Worth
researching if you fancy a lttle adventure!
Our guide stayed with us for the duration and made sure we got to where we wanted.
The Victoria Falls area is very safe and a lovely area. There were some Elephants roaming locally too!
Our next stop was Victoria Falls itself. The guide arranged hire of 'poncho's' prior to entry to the falls. You will need them! $3 pp. Entry to the Falls is $116 per couple, guides are $25 optional. We chose not to have a guide. The walk takes around 1 and
half to 2 hours. As you wander around tbe falls there are numerous look out points to enjoy the stunning views and witness the power of the water. Water levels were high when we went meaning the spray obscured clear views but if you're patient so take that poncho and something to keep the camera dry.
After the walk there is a nice cafe to enjoy a drink / food. All very relaxing. There's even a Wart hog to look out for!.
As you leave there is a local market where your guide will likely arrange to meet you and local traders sell the usual wears. All friendly and not overly pushy either.
For us it was back to tbe lodge to enjoy more of those views and an evening dinner.
Breakfast is a small buffet with waiter
service for hot food. A lovely stay.
Onward to Munchenje. Again a seemless meet and greet from the lobby and transfer with other pick ups en route in a small comfortable mini bus. Approx 2/3 hours including border crossings and customs into Botswana. A change of guides and buses at tbe crossing points it wasn't busy at the border control. All well
organised. Do keep all of your footwear handy though for dissinfecting. (A foot & mouth control procedure)
We arrived at Munchenje to a warm welcome. It felt like a personal greeting from each member of the team. Its a small camp. Not busy. Beautiful lodges overlooking amazing views. The lodges are lovely. Everything you need and private.
There is a swimming pool too. The main building is the dining / bar area.Comfortable seating inside and out. Dining and breakfast is a shared experience with other guests and guides and managers.
Time for a chat to share those stories.
They do all they possibly can to welcome you and are very friendly. Everyone is available to introduce themselves and even the chefs get involved introducing the menu each night. A nice touch and a chance for them to practice their English.
The camp aside the real reason you visit
Munchenje is for the Game drives and they don't dissapoint. We were there for 3 nights. In all we did seven game drives and missed the 2 drives at night. Early mornings and late afternoons are the norm to catch the animals. You will not be dissapointed but there are no guarantees
on what you'll see. Sadly we missed the elusive Leopard but others did see them!
As part of our experience we enjoyed a days boat safari. Water levels are high currently. We had an amazing stop on the water with a buffet lunch on the boat whilst watching the Elephants bathe. Unforgetable!
The final chapter of our journey was at Setari Camp in the Delta. This is remote and offers a different experience. Getting there requires an initial fixed wing plane ride. Max 11 seats hence the luggage restruction of 15kg pp, although our luggage was never weighed. The plane journey is an adventure in itself offering fantastic views of the Delta below and a chance to animal spot. Our journey did involve a storm which was a little hairy but all part of our experience. Landing strips are dotted around the Delta and serve as stops to drop off and pick up passengers.
Flying is the only means to get in and out.
Getting to Setari camp involves a further boat ride through the delta. About 45 minutes and chance to see the bird life and views. Again tbe camp is remote and small. Set in its own mini rain forest the spacious lodges and main building are
raised fixed tent buildings accessed by a long decked bridge from the river. As with Muchenje the welcome feels personal and genuine. All the staff are friendly and welcoming.
Meals are also communal with other guests and breakfast if a buffet with waiter service for hot food. The lodges are spacious and comfortable. Everything you need including an outside shower if you fancy it. Amazing views. No kettle though.
They have to be careful with the electric output. Not a major issue. The main building is for meals and includes a bar and comfortable seating. Great for the views and listening to the birds.
The safaris are water based. They navigate the waterways and offer a chance to see the varied bird life. Its also adjacent to a park so you'll have the opportunity to see other land animals such as Elephant, deer and anyting else that might wander by.
There are opportunities to vary your experience with a local village visit or a Makuru boat ride. We had 2 nights which was basically 1 full day but that was probably about the right amount of time.
Another boat transfer back to the airstrip provided more sights and memories and to finish the holiday in style the pilot let me sit up front for the journey, much to the bemusement and worry of fellow passengers! A great experience including an aborted take off due to a warthog crosing the runway!.
Aside from the superb lodges the transfers by road, plane and boat all add to the sights, experience and adventure so there is no sense of time wasted travelling.
There's no time to rest as there's too much to see and do.
A fantastic itinary, Wonderful lodges, great service and extremely well organised throughout by Off to Africa and Claire Saunders.
Thank you so much. We would not hesitate in recommending the trip or Off to Africa and, of course, Claire Saunders.
NL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Just fantastic!
We stayed in Magotho Camp and booked our tour last minute. Arnold showed up from a long drive early in the morning to our camp 15 mins before the agreed time and showed us the area looking for wildlife. We really enjoyed his patience and his company. We were with a group of 6
Courteous driver ( Rete) Respectful and looked after us well. He took us to the blue Nile gorge
Good service, reliable, respectful driver. Safe driver
RO
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excelent guide
I loved how Mule showed me around. He is very kind, professional, well prepared, and honest guide. I really recomand him!
TW
Nice choice for half day tour
It’s a nice selection for half day plan, even 2 people only, Carson made a good arrangement for us.
TW
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Sweet
Carson answer all our questions. He stays in touch with us at all times, so we don't have to worry about his schedule.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent
Half day safari was great thanks. Early Morning is the Perfect time of day to see lots of animals. We saw Giraffe, Zebra, Wildebeast, Kudu, Springbok. My guide Alion was an interesting, friendly and knowledgeable guide. Would definitely recommend.
BR
Tailor-made itinerary, excellent service with personal touch.
Our first experience in Africa was unforgettable, Lisa and Nadine understood our needs and expectations, providing a 9 day full itinerary through South Africa, where the dedication could be felt with every selection they made , from accommodations to restaurants and activities, no detail was left unchecked!
From pre-travel talks and guides, to working with serious and established providers during the trip, they were able to adapt to budget needs while delivering a world-class experience,
The frequent check-ins made us feel safe and supported in case anything went sideways, fortunately there were no occurrences, due to their good planning.
Thank you, Lisa, Nadine and African Family tours,
We look forward to the next adventure!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
such an incredibly powerful experience 💜🦍
Unbelievable !! dream come true 💜🦍
Such heartfelt gratitude to everyone involved 🙏
words cannot describe this experience..
Next Gen Safaris provided amazing service on the highest level
I will certainly be recommending to all who wish to tick this off their bucket list
Thankyou so much 🙏💜
I hope to bring my children ,grand children and friends so they can also share this magical connection with these incredible beings!
🦍🦍🦍
