South Africa Travel Guide

A good guide makes the difference. Some days were absolutely great!

We had two great guides, who were knowledgable, took the time to explain things, stopped when we wanted to, etc. And we had two guides that were quite terrible, pretty much making what could have been an excellent day, quite a frustrated one.
Please take the time to evaluate guides, train them, etc.

Overall our experience was quite good, with all the other apects of the trip.

The best trip of my life

This was an amazing trip. The accommodations were the exact mix we were looking for, something that let us stay in close proximity of the animals but still with reasonable protections. We saw almost every animal we'd ever wanted to, thanks in large part to a great guide, Chris, of Wild Planet Safaris. The food also gave us a taste of some genuine South African dishes with reminders of home, too.

Highly-recommended!!

Being in the bush in South Africa was a life - changing experience.

There is nothing quite like seeing wildlife in their natural habitat. South Africa was an excellent destination. We spent time in Kruger National Park and Sabi Sands. Waking up early in the morning to the sounds of birds and the gorgeous scenery was exciting. The guides were professional and enjoyed their profession. The food was amazing; sitting around a BOMA at night with fellow travelers was such fun. May was a great month to visit. Lots of wildlife to see in comfortable weather conditions.

Experience of a live time

The safari's are an incredible experience. We saw every animal we hoped to see and some we never thought we would. White rhino, wild dogs, leopards, lion pride, elephants, etc. etc. Loved it! February the bush is lush but we still saw all the animals.
Good food.
Guides are passionate and dedicated to helping you see the animals.
Thornhill Lodge was fantastic, the people are amazing and the lodge was very clean and nice.

beautiful scenery during the panorama route drive.

Excellent eve safaris, our guide was very knowledgeable making the tours very enjoyable and special.

After a work conference a group of us stayed a few extra days to see some more of the wildlife.
We stayed at Bakubung Lodge which was perfect being so close to the park, breakfast and dinner were included in the package and was very good.
Part of the package Patrick arranged for us was 2 private evening / afternoon safaris, these excellent.
Our guide made both tours very different and gave us a great experience seeing the wildlife very close up.
Mmilo tours were excellent Patrick was very flexible and made the itinerary fit ours. Even when our transport was late Patrick still made things work out. Also kept me updated on any changes from their side.
A very enjoyable stay would highly recommend.

Great experience

To be honest I expected a bigger wildlife in the Kruger National Park.
sometimes we were driving ten or twenty miles wothout seeing animals.

An awesome lifetime experience.

We traveled to South Africa on the Queen Mary 2 (from Southampton) and upon arrival in Cape Town we were treated to an absolutely splendid view from the sea of Table Mountain and the city. We spent several days on Cape Town and were thoroughly impressed with the city and its surroundings (but not the water shortage......). We took a day tour to Stellenbosch (booked online with “WineFlies”) and were impressed with the quality of the guide and - of course - the wine. We drove up the east coast, staying in Mossel Bay and Port Elizabeth. From PE we did a self-drive tour of the Addo elephant reserve. It was outstanding. We then headed further north, staying in Umtata, Umhlaga, and Richards Bay/Empangeni (an important family location). All hotels were excellent, and reasonably priced. stayed near Newcastle at a first rate recently-built hotel - Vulintaba - which is surrounded by mountains and next to a brand new golf course. Worth the detour.

Our final destination was Joburg. We had fortunately booked a hotel in Rosebank, because that is where the hop-on hop-off leaves from (well worth it for those, like us, new to Joburg). The highlight in Joburg was the Apartheid Museum. Very well done, and very moving. It should be visited by anyone going to Joburg.

Our final four days were on the safari that we had booked online with Jewel of Africa, having first browsed your very useful website. Because we had driven nearly 4,000kms since our arrival in Cape Town, it was important to book a safari that included flights from Joburg to Hoedsprit, and not more driving. Jewel of Africa delivered in spades. Staff were helpful throughout the booking process (including difficulties paying in Rand through Visa). They were especially helpful when, on the day of our departure on safari, the airline we were booked on (CEMair) ran into “operational difficulties” (they had safety issues.....). We stayed at Phelwana lodge in a brand new “tent”next to a dam with hippos. At 5pm on the first day we were toured around the property and saw many animals. The first full day was spent at Kruger NP. Our guide (from Tally-Ho) was excellent, very well informed, and extremely helpful. The second day we toured Manyuleti, a private reserve with open fences to Kruger. Lots of off-road driving - which brought us within feet of prides of lions, leopards, elephants etc. Really amazing! Our booking was all-inclusive, and the food and wine at Phelwana were extremely good. Jewel of Africa did an outstanding job. I recommend them highly.

Bottom line? South Africa and its people, scenery, accommodations and food are superb!

Surpassed All Expectations!

This trip surpassed all of my expectations. We booked everything through Ker & Downey Africa (Emma and Razaan were incredible!) I traveled with a group of five to Cape Town and then to Sabi Sands Reserve Park. We stayed at the Elephant Plains Lodge which included a beautiful pool overlooking a plain frequented by elephants (so it lived up to its name!). Our first two game drives and we had already check all boxes for the trip! All the Big 5 to include being in the middle of a herd of about 70 elephants. Lions feeding their cubs. Leopards in a tree and out of a tree. African Buffalo and Rhinos. We also tracked wild dogs as they hunted and caught a warthog. We were all in shock! I truly expected to drive around a while and see some animals...not to be as close as we were! We went on 4 game drives after that which were just a cherry on top! The game drives were out of this world, bush walks were exciting and informative, the food was incredible, accommodations were extremely clean and comfortable. It was a dream. Really I can't recommend Emma and Razaan enough. They made the entire trip personalized and special for me and my group (and arranged several birthday treats for me along the way!). I can't wait to come back!

Beautiful nature. The lodges are very nice and organized facilities. Very easy to organize a safari and have all the necessary information.
Enchanting views of the bush. (Sorry, no speak english)

Our 4 days Viva Safaris is quite a good experience to see the wildlife.Viv

Viva Safari provide excellent service to their guests in every aspect. Patti provides quick response and advice to us to join the Safari tour.
They provide the excellent service and tours as to the printed itinenary, nothing skipped. My daughter and I really enjoy our trip there.