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South Africa User Reviews

South Africa Safaris South Africa
Sort By: Date Most Helpful 621-630 of 1,003 Reviews

Average User Rating

4.8234 / 5 4.8 /5
4.8401 / 5 4.8060 / 5 4.6124 / 5 4.5203 / 5

Rating Breakdown

5 star 1003 / 10 1,003
4 star 151 / 10 151
3 star 18 / 10 18
2 star 3 / 10 3
1 star 3 / 10 3
0 star 4 / 10 4
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Female avatar icon Annette & Michael United States flag US       Visited: August 2018 Reviewed: Sep 21, 2018

Email Annette & Michael  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Awesome experience, will definitely go back!

5 / 5 5 /5
5 / 5 5 / 5 5 / 5 5 / 5
The entire safari experience was great. Our guide, Matthew, from African Safari Guru, picked us up in Johannesburg and made sure we had everything we needed (including helping us to get a local SIM card for our phones). During the transfer to Arathusa, Matthew provided tons of interesting information about the area, the people, the economy .. the country in general. After 3 days at Arathusa, Matthew picked us up and drove us to Lukimbi. He took us through Kruger National Park, took us to the top of a "koppie" to get a 360 degree view of the park, which was amazing. My husband finally understood what I meant when I said "the bush" ... After our stays at the lodges (6 nights total), Matthew drove us to Nelspruit airport where we caught a flight to Cape Town where we spent another week. The lodges (Arathusa and Lukimbi) were very different but both amazing in their own way. The food and service was excellent all around. I can't think of anything negative at all. It
Read more was a great experience and we plan to go back. African Safari Guru did not disappoint and we will use Matthew again.
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Female avatar icon Sandy United States flag US       Visited: September 2018 Reviewed: Sep 19, 2018

Email Sandy  |  35-50 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Magical

5 / 5 5 /5
5 / 5 5 / 5 5 / 5 2 / 5
I was a solo female traveler who was eager to see the wildlife but was also nervous about traveling by myself. I should not have been. The safari was wonderful! Fantastic and knowledgeable guides, incredible scenery and excellent lodge all of which quickly relieved me of any trepidation. The lodge itself was built overlooking a small valley and a vast open-air balcony. It was a beautiful and restive spot for wildlife viewing. The staff were warm yet professional, and the service was excellent. Food was also very good. I went on morning and evening game drives. Our guide grew up just outside of the park, and was informative about both wildlife and Zulu culture. I also went on a bush walk which was the highlight of my trip. Why travel so far and stay in a car when you can walk with the animals and see things you would otherwise miss? For me the only drawback was that I am a birder. The game drives were in jeeps with five to six other people who were not asinterested in stopping to
Read more see the birds as was I. As a result, the bird watching was rushed but we did see many animals including four of the big 5.
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Female avatar icon Kelly L Canada flag CA       Visited: August 2018 Reviewed: Sep 13, 2018

Email Kelly L  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

This trip was incredible.

5 / 5 5 /5
5 / 5 5 / 5 5 / 5 5 / 5
Safari bookings website was very useful to narrow down some criteria for our trip. Once our criteria was entered, Safari bookings webpage produces all of the tour companies who meet that criteria. From this list, I narrowed my search to about 6 tour companies as Safari bookings suggest obtaining a few quotations from different tour companies to compare cost, itineraries, etc. When I narrowed down my search, I contacted the tour companies directly and asked more specific questions, such as availability and some more details about what was included. We booked through Viva Safaris, this company was a great organization for first time travellers to South Africa. The itinerary was busy, but well organized and included both visits to Kruger and Private reserves as each has a different feel. The busy itinerary made good use of the 6 day safari but also had good down time as well. The accommodation at Tremisani Lodge were nothing short of fantastic, it was a bit of an upgraded price but
Read more well worth it and would definitely be happy to stay there again - zero complaints. Very private, secluded chalets and a private chef for the 8 lodges. The staff at the lodge could not have been more friendly and helpful and the chef was passionate about the food he prepared. The time of year we went was winter, the trees are sparse and it makes viewing the wildlife better. The scenery was spectacular and the stop at the Blyde River Canyon on the way back to Joburg was great. I particularly enjoyed our guide Nico, he made the safaris fun and interactive. One thing about these guides that impressed me the most, that being a guide isn't just a 9-5 job, but a way of life and conservation is of the utmost importance to all of the guides that we encountered - very impressive. The one thing I also noted was that safari wasn't as expensive as I originally imagined, there are all sorts of packages available. This is a must do bucket list kind of trip. Prior to this trip, we could only see wildlife like this on television on nature specials, so thankful I was able to see these beautiful animals in person, its almost like a trip back in time. Lastly, I was very impressed with the efforts at the Moholoholo Wildlife Rehab centre, the job at hand that these people are undertaking is difficult and trying, but I so appreciate their efforts at conservation.
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Female avatar icon Pamela Ruiz Chile flag CL       Visited: August 2018 Reviewed: Sep 10, 2018

Email Pamela Ruiz  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

amazing

5 / 5 5 /5
3 / 5 5 / 5 4 / 5 0 / 5

It was really amazing, a very good experience. I highly recomend it.

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Male avatar icon Jose Reck Brazil flag BR       Visited: July 2018 Reviewed: Sep 4, 2018

Email Jose Reck  |  35-50 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Most incredible experience for those who love nature and animals

5 / 5 5 /5
5 / 5 5 / 5 5 / 5 5 / 5

South Africa is an amazing place to visit... For those who love to see animals and nature it is a dream place. I want to come back every year... Kruger National Park and Sabi Sands Game Reserve were places that every person who want to see wildlife must go.

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Avatar icon Robert United States flag US       Visited: August 2018 Reviewed: Sep 3, 2018

Email Robert

Exceeded Expectations -- Great Safari plus Beautiful Country

5 / 5 5 /5
5 / 5 4 / 5 5 / 5 0 / 5
South Africa has been on our bucket list for years mainly for the safari but our trip was so much more than that. We started with Kruger and couldn't have asked to see more wild life than we did. We then traveled to Cape Town, Stellenbosch, the Garden Route and Durban. Golf was a major part of our trip and we played 3 golf courses ranked in the top 100 in the world. Great scenery throughout -- long stretches where mountains are just a few miles from the ocean. Not surprisingly, Table Mountain was a highlight in Cape Town but also enjoyed tour of Cape Point, the history of the District 6 museum, a casual seafood feast in Hout Bay, and the Waterfront. In Stellenbosch, stayed at Lanzerac which was one of the best hotels we've ever visited. Franschhoek was a scenic excursion well from there and well worth it. Enjoyed penguins and whales in Betty's Bay and Hermanus on the way to George. Detours off the main road were well worth it along the Garden Route.
We went in winter
Read more (August) so while weather was a bit cool at times, it also made for great wildlife viewing in Kruger as foliage is less full and animals converge on watering spots. We felt safe at all locations and navigation was easy (we had our own rental car from Cape Town to George).
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Female avatar icon Nicole United States flag US       Visited: July 2018 Reviewed: Aug 29, 2018

Email Nicole  |  35-50 years of age  |  Experience level: 2-5 safaris

Amazing animals, incredible experience!

5 / 5 5 /5
5 / 5 4 / 5 3 / 5 0 / 5

We got great viewings of all the big 5 and many more. Accommodations were extremely comfortable ("glamping" is underselling it), food was delicious and varied. Our guide was incredibly knowledgeable and enthusiastic, and really went out of his way to find the cool animals. It was a fabulous trip. So wonderful to be able to see so many animals in their natural habitat.

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Male avatar icon Jose Escandon Mexico flag MX       Visited: August 2018 Reviewed: Aug 20, 2018

Email Jose Escandon  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: 2-5 safaris

Great

5 / 5 5 /5
4 / 5 0 / 5 5 / 5 4 / 5

It was a great experience in Sabi sands we see a Leopard hunting a n Impala and Rhinos plus other animals, nice acommodations with very good food. The guide was excelent

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Female avatar icon Emily United States flag US       Visited: July 2018 Reviewed: Aug 15, 2018

Email Emily  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Once in a lifetime adventure - not to be missed!

5 / 5 5 /5
5 / 5 3 / 5 5 / 5 5 / 5
We stayed at Tremisana Lodge the first night and it was very comfortable. The bushwalk was very informative and we got to experience smoking elephant dung :) That was my nieces favorite part! The bar / concessions needed more staff. It was hardly ever open so you couldn't even get waters. The dinner was excellent the first night and we even had some wildlife visitors - hyena, honey badgers, and a porcupine.
The second two nights we stayed at Marc's Treehouse. The treehouses were unique and comfortable but chilly. The food was good and the bar was open daily. The breakfast overlooking the river was outstanding - nice view of wildlife and outdoor setting. Keep an eye on your biscuit or the monkeys may steal them.
Kruger park was pretty good but many of the animals were at a distance so make sure to bring binoculars. Also the ride to Kruger in the open vehicle was very chilly so dress very warm and bring extra blankets. The restaurant at Kruger Park was
Read more the only lowlight. The food was below average and the service was terrible. My son did not get his food in the time we had to stop for food so he had to get it to go and try to eat while we were bouncing around in the vehicle.
The staff was friendly.
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Male avatar icon Frank Ferrer United States flag US       Visited: June 2018 Reviewed: Jul 31, 2018

Email Frank Ferrer  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

tO BE THIS CLOSE TO WILDLIFE WAS AMAZING....ONCE IN A LIFETIME!

5 / 5 5 /5
5 / 5 5 / 5 5 / 5 5 / 5

We had our arrangements made with Go safari. They were great. They booked at the Mohabetsi reserve at Kruger which was spectacular. Jock and Nina who managed the facility when we were there were superb. Jock was also our driver and wild life expert during our daily drives in the bush. His knowledge of the area, of the animals and his attentiveness to his passengers were outstanding. The lodging and food was excellent. I strongly recommend both Go Safari and the Mohabetsi reserve if you are planning a safari.

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