US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Professional and very nice folks.
We had such a wonderful adventure! Emmanuel prepared every aspect of our trip to include more than we could ever imagine. He would check with us to see how everything was going. We were in good hand with our driver, Michael. Michael was like part of the family. He was filled with so much information, love and respect for nature. What a wonderful time!!!
KW
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
She was very helpful in planning our family trip to South Africa.
I was recommended by a friend to use Sandra at Traipsing Africa for booking a 7 day holiday in South Africa with the family. Cape Town has always been a bucket list item and we were thinking we cannot go to South Africa and not do a safari. Sandra spent a load of time with me via skype and whatsapp discussing our plans, advising but most of all listening to what we had to say. The offer of 24 hour availability while travelling in South Africa (we have 3 children) was the bonus. I am looking forward to our holiday in June next year and will definitely recommend Traipsing Africa.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
OPAAT HEALTH mission group trip
Fantastic. Communication was very professional. Very well organised and we saw a bounty of animals. So spoilt! Very happy to recommend.
SG
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Never regret.. wonderful trip
My wife, daughter and myself absolutely enjoyed the accommodations, all the wonderful staff and especially the safari guides (Lucky & Michael) - 2 evening safaris, 1 full day and 1/2 day @ Kruger National Park. All big 5, cheetah & leopard with some many other animals... absolutely brilliant trip. Thanks, David.
SE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent service, good food and sense of safety in all things
We had a fantastic experience on our Safari which was operated by the company African Traits. The guide Noel a.k.a Ice Cube, showed us the best spots and worked really hard for us to be able to se the big five, which we did. His connections with other guides in the national parks gave us great advantages in the search for the rarest of animals. Also, his and our chef's service minds made the experience complete. 5 stars!
The pre information we recieve from Godfrey at AFT after booking made us feel comfortable that we made the right choice when choosing our tour operator. According to our guide, Godfrey also made sure there weren't any problems with different permits at the parks. Thank you!
Extra plus to Chicho who picked us up at Kilimanjaro airport and waited many hours on the delayed flight. He also made sure we had dinner, even though all restaurants were closed. Our chef, Jamali, also deserves extra credit for his great cooking abilities.
I can highly recommend African Traits as a Safari operator.
SG
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great fun while on a budget with a fantastic guide!
I would recommend that anyone visiting Southern Africa do the following.
1) List down the sights and things you want to witness or experience. Research the best time for these activities, for example, whale watching in Hermanus. Do avoid shoulder seasons as sometimes the whales arrive earlier and will naturally leave earlier. Oh... how unpredictable mother nature is.
2) Engage Southern Tours and Safaris to do the heavy work.
3) Come as you are and enjoy the journey.
I would describe our itinerary as a balance of safari and city sights. As a senior, I liked that the trip was pretty relaxing and we weren't rushing for time. Someone in Zimbabwe said, "In Africa, there is no time". Although, we were almost always on time. Almost!
We had the pleasure of sharing our journey with Bonji, our tour guide. A very down to earth guy who goes the extra mile. He and our driver made the effort to look for the animals, considering our goal for this tour was to see the Big 5.
Our first drive was at the Rhino & Lion Nature Reserve. It was a good FIRST experience! Then we went on to Pilanesberg National Park where we stayed two nights at the nearby Bakubung.
Next up was a three night stay at Shearwater Explorers Village. I absolutely loved the serenity of our accomodation. We visited the stunning Victoria Falls and it's never ending rainbow. When one went away, another appeared almost immediately.
We also took up the optional activity of white water rafting. While I do commend the Shearwater staff for their professionalism, there should be a disclaimer that lets potential rafters know that the activity does not only include rafting but a hike down and up the gorge. It was a nightmare for our majority mid 50s and early 60s group. That being said, it will be an amazing experience for those comfortable in the water. Let it be know that you WILL overturn.
This tour was value for money and I would most definitely look to Southern Tours and Safaris for future travels in Southern Africa.
Encompass Africa provides a personalised safari booking service and listen to your wants and needs!
The Zimbabwe/South Africa safari we just completed in November, 2018, was our 6th safari booking with Encompass Africa. To keep going back to Encompass Africa for our African experiences is a testament to the services they offer. Encompass take into account your preferred budget, the countries you want to visit, the animals and environment you are interested in and tailor a safari to suit. Depending on what's on your wish list and budget, it may not be achievable in one safari, all the better to have a great time on the first safari and start planning the second as you land back home!
Most of our safaris have been between 19 and 25 days, which suits us. We visit a maximum of 3 countries so we aren't flying up and down the African continent, which can add dramatically to your budget.
Our last trip we visited 3 camps in Hwange national Park, Zimbabwe, each completely different, Vic Falls, Cape Town for a week, then up to greater kruger in South Africa at a luxury camp. Simply fantastic, not a lot of flying around, maximum time in camps, which is what you want.
We have also been to some extreme safari experiences, such as Odzala in the Republic of Congo, boated on the Nile in Uganda, mountain gorillas in Rwanda, the Serengeti, chimp trekking on Lake Tanganyika in Tanzania, so Africa is you oyster :), golf in South Africa.
If you are unsure where to go, Encompass can advise you so you can get the bitten by the African bug and try different places and experiences.
We will continue to book our African trips through Encompass.
LK
Almost perfect but....
I saw a decent number of animals, however I was informed that I had not chosen the best time to visit the park (in june). At that time trophy hunters were operating in private concessions close to the national park. Apparently that made some animals more elusive and thus harder to spot from the safari roads inside the national parks. I was assured that this was only a temporary issue and that animals would come out into the open more when the hunting season ended.
I was also informed that i visited the park during a dry spell, so some animals had migrated into Botswana. But that they would return with the rains. I saw plenty of evidence of lions in the park but they stayed out of sight. No sign of any leopards. But did see cheetahs which was nice. There were plenty of birds, elephants, antelope, hippos, crocodiles and even a honey badger. We stayed at a campsite inside the park which was one of the best i have ever camped at anywhere in Africa. The camp faced a watering hole, where we enjoyed the sunset and watched various animals enjoy a drink and bath. Then at night we had clear starry skies, the sound of night insects and various animals, including hyenas, to enjoy as we ate dinner.
Overall i can say from experience, having visited all the top wildlife parks across southern and east africa, that Hwange can be among the best of them when the conditions are right.
IL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
it was a wonderfull safari.
Everything was organized well. The weather was nice most of the days, the transportation was perfect, the accomodation was clean,nice and the local staff were very friendly.
The safary was interesting we saw all the big 5 more then once .
I can recommend with great love to do this tour with Viva Safari.
IE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Dream trip come true thanks to Wickliffe!
Wickliffe led our group on an amazing 3-day adventure in Tsavo East National Park. From beginning to end he took care of us and this showed up not only in the way he kitted out our safari vehicle so we had all our needs taken care of while we were out, but in how he listened and was attentive to each person in our group. And he was fun! We had so many amazing adventures tracking and learning about the flora and fauna of the area in between our sessions visiting the David Sheldrik Trust to spend time with the elephants. If you're looking for a guide who is experienced, kind, funny, and genuinely caring, then look no further. I can't recommend him enough!
