South Africa Travel Guide

Absolutely fabulous!

Our safari to Madikwe Game Reserve was spectacular. We saw more wildlife than we could have hoped for; the accommodations and food were outstanding. Our guide went out of his way to show us all that he could. I hope to come back and spend more time in the future.

Absolutely Amazing

This trip was the first stop on our African Honeymoon and I would not have changed a thing. We had a fantastic time and loved all of the amazing and thoughtful details of our trip. We had THE MOST amazing guide, Abrie, who was incredibly knowledgeable and accommodating. He made our trip exceptional. I cannot express how much we loved our trip and how the planning was all taken care of. Thank you so much for such an amazing trip and honeymoon!

Great experience

For some time constrait and because I amo not exactly an animal enthusiast, we chose a 4 day option that brought us also to visit the Blyde river canyon. I was not exactly impressed by the canyon ( save for the alpine vibes of some bits), notable exception Burke's Luck Potholes; that place is just beautiful. Getting to see the canyon from below during a boat trip on the dam was great and added another dimension to the experience and you get to see hippos wich is a great plus. We spent 2 nights in Kruger, did an evening bush walk, 2 mornign drives and an evening one and were extremely lucky, managed to see all of the big 5 plus dozens of other animals including some bidrs of the most astonishing colours. The landscape is varied although during winter it can appear a little boring because of the lack of green grass and leaves on the trees, everything looks pretty much dead even if it is not. Obviously under this conditons animal sightings are easier because grass and trees do not offer cover. Weather was perfect, sunshine, pretty hot but totally bearable, nights are very cold, like wishing you had your ski gear with you.Morning drives are especially chilly and on one occasion no blankets were found in the vehicle used, it could be a smart move to take one of the extra blankets found in your accommodation. We stayed in Skukuza camp in the self-catering rondavels, basic accommodation but with everything you needed, beds comfortable, you get towels and soap. Kitchen and fridge is actually on the little porch, must be carefull with the monkeys always on teh look out for unattended food. each rondavel also has its own barbecue. No 'street light' in the camp so remmebr to have with you a torch or head lamp. Did not have time to explore the whole camp, heard there was a pool but did not see it. Second camp was berg en dal, beatiful place, we stayed in a self catering 'cottage' a lovely red brick building with a very large patio. Bathroom on the very small side when compared to the rest of the accommodation ( bathroom was small in skukuza as well but it was proportionate to the room). The camp sits along a river but it was totally dry, In the wet season it must be spectacular, there is a trail that runs around the camp and borders the river, I guess that the right time one can see a lot of animals there. It is to be noted that some of the big cats sightings all happened very close to this camp, even leopard.
Rangers varied a lot from the very knowledgable and engaging to the one who was merely a driver but on average we were happy because after a while everyone tells you the same stories, so you do not miss being given the same information over and over again.
The guide we had was incredible, he knew million of things about animals and nature in general, we definitely learned more from him than anyone else. He also had a sort of super sight, ho could spot animals and birds we hardly saw ^_^ The whole safari was very well planned and we were extremely happy the service of red Africa Safari.

Splendid trip to Sabi Sands

Our family group of six stayed at Jaci Sabi house in Sabi Sands and had a wonderful experience. Ralph, our ranger, and Nkosi, our tracker did a splendid job of finding animals for us. We spent more hours pursuing animals with Ralph and Nkosi than we did on our prior visit to Sabi Sands five years ago. We did more searching for animals in the dark on this trip than on our previous trip. Highlights of this trip included nearly an hour spent with a leopard including seeing the female leopard kill and eat a crested francolin; an hour spent with a pride of ten lions that included five females and five cubs, all in a lazy post prandial state. We saw bush babies, civet cat, genet using spotlight after dark. The birding was terrific with sightings of fish eagle, tawny eagle, Bataleur eagle, Verreaux's eagle owl, pearl spotted owlet, ground hornbill, goshawk, crested barbet, lilac breasted roller, ostrich male and female, oriole, go away bird, others that I would need to check my notes for. I saw many, many owls on this trip, which was not the case on my previous trip. We visited Sabi Sands five years ago and had a wonderful experience then as well, staying at Chitwa Chitwa. Jaci Sabi house is smaller, with a group size of six the usual maximum. The Jaci Sabi House household staff were wonderful and went out of the way to accommodate a wedding anniversary of our daughter and son in law that occurred during the trip. I am an amateur astronomer and visiting during new moon afforded terrific views of the southern Milky Way, southern cross, omega centauri, coal sack, eta carina, and before dawn the large and small Magellanic clouds were visible. I had no telescope but enjoyed binocular views of objects. Quite honestly, there were exquisite things to be seen around the clock, making it difficult to know when to sleep.

GREAT ADVICE AND EXPERIENCE 10/10

I was connected with Walter Kohrs thru Trip Advisor in August of 2017 for a Safari in July of 2018. Walter asked me many questions and wanted to understand what I was looking for before making any recommendations on what part of Africa, budget and type of things my family wanted to do. We decided on South Africa and specifically a Bush Camp in SABI SANDS.

We ended up at Nottens Bush Camp which Walter booked along with Airport Transfers to the lodge. Everything exceeded my expectations... I highly recommend Walter and his excellent knowledge and service he provides.. We traveled from the Orange County Ca with 17 year old twins who were not that excited to go initially . They both LOVED the Safari and the attention to detail provided by Walter and Nottens Camp.

AMAZING experience!!

We were a family of 4 and used Viva Safaris with a stay at Tremisana Lodge. We did a 5 day/ 4 night safari. It was the most amazing experience from beginning to end!! We saw all the “Big 5” and so much more ! Tremisana Lodge was wonderful. The grounds were rustic and beautiful , the food excellent, and staff amazing.

Viva Safaris was beyond our expectations. The safari guides/ drivers were beyond knowledgeable and our itinerary perfect. The itinerary kept us busy, but with the needed downtime in between. It was the perfect balance of activities. From Bush walks, game drives, and animal rehabilitation centers, there was so much to do and see!! We would highly recommend Viva Safaris and a stay are tremisana Lodge!!

What an amazing animal adventure, one of my favorite trips!

We went primarily to see the wildlife in their natural habitat and the trip surpassed our expectations. The animals came so close to our vehicle and were not bothered by our presence at all. We got to see them behaving as they do, protecting their babies, protecting their kill, playing, eating, and sleeping. January is a good time to see the babies. The big cats are as awesome as you expect, the elephants are a delight to watch play in the mud, the giraffes are elegant, and who knew warthogs could be so cute! We did see the big five but those and the vervet monkeys and baboons were our favorites. I did not know what to expect with accommodations or food, but both were fabulous! Viewing animals outside your bedroom window is really cool and they fed us more delicious fresh, food than we could ever eat. The service was outstanding everywhere we went. People are friendly and helpful and our guides, Sebastion and Armand, and tracker, Rifos, were extremely knowledgeable. We hated to leave! Six days was really not enough to see and do all that South Africa has to offer. I recommend staying 10 days to 2 weeks if you want to get enough of animals, scenery and culture. We could have spent more time viewing animals and we missed out on museums and culture. Lastly, save room for the South African wine!

The safari was exciting and very interesting with very good guides.

It was my 2nd time in SA and the 1st time for my wife, so when talking about safaris I can compare the Kruger park with Pilanesberg which I think it's more preferable with a shorter ride from Jo'burg and also less driving around in the park to spot the animals.
The weather was perfect and the two places in Capetown and Jo'burg(Sandton) were we stayed at, were very good both of them.
Food was awesome and everything else during our time in SA worked out very well.....SA it is a highliht itself:-)

Once in a lifetime experience that reminds you why life is worth living.

We visited South Africa as a family trip and are now scheming how to make it an annual event that all in the family can attend. A trip intended to expose my mom and my oldest two nephews to international travel and it was an absolute success. PaperJet Travel and Justin Perumal made our trip everything that we could have ever imagined...and more!! They organized our safari at Kruger which was an amazing time of bonding as we learned new animals and birds, tracked the Big 5 (all of which we saw at least twice), and were surrounded by here’s of buffalos and elephants. Seeing the animals in their natural habitat was breathtaking. Marka, our guide at MalaMala Game Reserve, was extremely knowledgeable and took the time to find every animal we desired to see and to ensure that we fully enjoyed our time. We also spent time in Cape Town and Johannesburg where the people are ridiculously loving and absolutely amazing. The hotels we stayed in were more than accommodating and the staff ensures that we enjoyed our stay by going above and beyond their duties. South Africa is a beautiful place, full of culture and beauty that everyone should experience at least once.

In every park you can find different wonderful landscape and attraction. Big five, smallfive, incredible vegetation and flowers. Everypark and reserve is well manteined with all facilities. You can drive almost everywhere and do night safariwith good guides.