20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic Safari with Viva Safaris
My partner and I booked the 6 day Viva Safari over late December/New year and had a brilliant time. The team at the accommodation and the various guides are all lovely and it was fantastic just being told where to be and when. The itinerary is action packed, and we were pretty tired by the end, but we had a fabulous time. The game drives around Tresmana is really special, and it is great that it is where you stay for your first night (or multiple if you book it). There are a lot of early starts and long days so it is nice to commute a bit less between the parks for the various activities. We stayed at Katakani for the rest of our nights and there was a lot more commuting between the parks/accommodation, which can be a bit tiring after a long day in the heat.
Over our six days we saw all of the Big 5 between Tresmana and Kruger parks. We did two days full day safari at Kruger, which seemed like a lot at first but every day is different there and we had Victor as our safari guide and he was excellent at finding the animals in their natural environment. You need to be prepared to be patient with some of the animals, we waited for a cheetah sighting for around 20-25 minutes while it dozed, obscured under a tree, but it was worth the wait and that is part of the fun.
The staff at Tresmana lodge are really lovely and friendly and accommodating. It is a good set up, the rooms are basic but nice and comfortable with everything you need. They have a great meals area where you can relax and see animals passing by at the waterhole while you eat. Smiley the guide is good fun, and the night drive and bush braai are a fantastic way to start your time there, also a good way to meet the other travelers in a relaxed environment. The night drive is really exciting as most of the prey animals hunt at night so we actually saw a lioness in action which was brilliant.
We only stayed the first night at Tresmana and then we moved to Katakani for the remainder of our stay, which is the more high end accommodation. That was really special. The cabin's are really impressive and the aircon makes a huge difference over the summer period. The ladies there were also wonderful, food was always delicious and plentiful and they were great with dietaries etc. There was a bit less of a "vibe" at Katakani vs Tresmana or the tree house, however that may have been due to the timing of when we were there as it was a bit quieter over the new years days.
Overall we really enjoyed our time with Viva Safari. Communication in the lead up and throughout the trip was great. The south African hospitality is amazing and seeing the animals in their natural environment going about their day is so special. I would have stayed longer and would have loved to do another night drive. My only critic (and i am splitting hairs), would be just a bit more down time, we were on the go constantly and it would have been nice to have a bit more time to just relax a bit and enjoy the cabin a bit more and the pool etc but otherwise loved it.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Expected more
I selected Thompson Safari for a Kilimanjaro Lemosho route summit, largely because some colleagues recommended them. All said- I would recommend considering other more reasonable alternatives. For sure, their team got us to the top, but the pre-event US based staff was lackluster at best. Delayed - if ever- responses that fell so short as to make me search the web for answers rather than engage them. Great in-country staff but clearly there were others, higher energy, and as it turns out far more reasonable for the same outcome.
IN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Professional and honest
Had a great trip with Benson in Jan 24. Despite logistical issues, the team did their best to make it easy. during the safari, the driver was very good and polite - did his best to make sure we had a good time
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Lovely tour
Easy to book and stay updated, great pick up from hotel and tour guide was fun and very knowledgeable.
SE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Trip of a Lifetime
We were convinced by the quality of Divulge Adventures from the moment we started planning our trip. The consultant spent so much time making sure that everything was planned to perfection including tailored accomodation to our tastes (smaller and more boutique) and activities (fantastic mix of adventure, culture and nature). We had the most incredible advisor: Erick and driver/guide: James. Two kind and highly knowledgable individuals who consistently went the extra mile to make our stay truly magical. The week passed by in record time but the impressions and experiences will stay with us for a lifetime. Asanti for everything!
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent
We had wonderful five days in serengeti, ngorongoro, lake manyara, tarangire, saw big five and more, juma knows all the good locations, we loved embalakai-lodge, sleeping in endless serengeti!
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great experience with our driver Peter
I booked 3 days Serengeti/Ngorongoro in tented lodges and it was amazing.
Our driver Peter chauffeured our group of 6 for three days, accommodating our wishes and reacted fast when there was a tip on the radio about an animal viewing. We saw 4/5 of the big five. We managed to see mama cheetah teaching her cubs how to hunt, gnu and zebras playing and more!
As this was not a private tour, but a group of 6 different people, some were a bit more demanding and expected to do a game drive at 5-6am, which didn’t make sense as it was raining and dark. Peter did his best to manage different people in the group and do his best.
The food was amazing, the comfort was great and we only got stuck in a mud once, despite heavy rain the entire day.. even that was an experience! Would do it again!
Thank you Peter and Ema, for organising this and making my experience unforgettable:)
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Calm, warm and welcoming
Three days in Maasai Mara were an incredible adventure. We spotted the Big Five, and enjoyed the expertise of our knowledgeable guide. It was a wildlife experience like no other!
Highly recommend Fabrics of Adventure Safaris
IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A unique experience to be had at least once in a lifetime, amidst wild nature and luxury services.
I contacted Viatu during our honeymoon to organize a safari for us, as it was the experience we cared about most during our trip, we decided to rely on them as they were more experienced and prepared so as to be sure of enjoying it to the fullest. And it was like this, thanks to them we booked 2 days in the Laibela game reserve, where we were welcomed by super friendly, helpful and knowledgeable staff. upon our arrival they accompanied us to the rooms with their vehicle, they placed our bags in the room while the rest of the staff explained the structure and the activities with the various times. after which in the 2 days we carried out 4 safaris in which each time we saw new and different places and above all animals, in addition the very knowledgeable and kind guide answered all our curiosities and also explained to us what we saw around us. we also requested as an additional experience to do the safari walk where another guide took us on a trek of about 3 hours right in the savannah looking for animals of a quieter nature and trying to see their tracks and observe the environment more closely etc.. a truly beautiful and very immersive experience that I highly recommend to those who like walking and being in contact with nature. the rest of the high quality service, the delicious food with the possibility of also eating typical local foods. Last but not least, I would like to point out that we are not very familiar with the English language, but despite this, all the staff, from the guides to the waiters and those who welcome you, always strive to be as clear and simple as possible, they adapt very well to you and are also very friendly. and nice. For this reason I recommend this experience to everyone and I am super satisfied.
(automatic translation from Italian)
NO
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great service
Really great an responsive service. I booked quite last minute, but they were able to get me exactly the Safari I wanted.
I had a lovely 3-day trip to the Nkhoro Bush Lodge. The lodge was beautiful and very comfortable. The staff was very friendly and knowledgeable. They got us lots of great sightings!