The review below is the personal opinion of Mario Campanelli and not that of SafariBookings.
Modern African country with many contraddictions
3 / 5
3
/5
3 / 5
2 / 5
4 / 5
3 / 5
I was in Cape Town and Kruger park.
Cape Town is scenically beautiful, even if the architecture is not particularly interesting, and there is no real centre, apart from the waterfront that is a bit of a turist trap. But it is always nice to have a city surrounded by the ocean, and the Constantia winery is worth a trip.
Kruger was quite a delusion, with a density of wildlife much lower than other parks I have been (ngorongoro, Serengeti, Etosha), and a big shopping mall close to the entrance. Overall South Africa is less exotic to a Western visitor than other African countries, and keeps the memories on a divided society.
The review below is the personal opinion of Fad and not that of SafariBookings.
3 / 5
3
/5
4 / 5
3 / 5
4 / 5
4 / 5
Having only ever visited South Africa I could not make comment on the rest of the continent.
Yamada Clan
NL
Visited:
October 2011
Reviewed: Dec 6, 2011
35-50 years of age
The review below is the personal opinion of Yamada Clan and not that of SafariBookings.
3 / 5
3
/5
3 / 5
3 / 5
4 / 5
3 / 5
Safari in South Africa is overall nice but not as impressive and authentic as in Namibia, Botswana and Mozambique. But a very nice start for traveling to Africa. The sceniry is overwhelming and every half hour drive you will get the feeling of being in a different world as the hour before.
Steve
GB
Visited:
February 2025
Reviewed: Mar 20, 2025
Email Steve
| 50-65 years of age
| Experience level: first safari
The review below is the personal opinion of Steve and not that of SafariBookings.
SA 3 day safari
3 / 5
3
/5
5 / 5
4 / 5
3 / 5
0 / 5
I spent a week in SA just outside Johannesburg. If you don't feel concerned regarding personal safety the constant reminders with adverts re safety and electric wire around everywhere - you soon do. It rained for 9 days constantly!
Everyone I dealt with was really helpful and very nice but - ask yourself would you want to live in a hugely wealthy country and be reduced to performing handstands at red lights, or asking customers at the restaurant is it ok repeatedly because some white guy is watching them like a hawk! There feels little dignity for the majority of the population in the Joburg, Petoria area. For which reason I will not return.
The Safari was great - if there is a dentist from Asia who has not taken their new partner on Safari - I rather doubt it! At the weekends- white SA arrives for Safari with their "special children". In short this country needs visitors and the money we bring and everyone was so welcoming. It has a huge amount to offer but until it equalises ownership, equality and opportunity!!!
Cato75
DE
Visited:
September 2011
Reviewed: Nov 2, 2011
20-35 years of age
The review below is the personal opinion of Cato75 and not that of SafariBookings.
The most european part of Africa.
3 / 5
3
/5
3 / 5
3 / 5
5 / 5
4 / 5
I am quite sure my rating would be much hire, if I had visited Southafricas Top-destinations in wildlife! ( Addo-Park, Krüger-Park) Unfortenately they were not on my route ( Cape to Namibia), but what i ´ve seen makes me wanna come back some day.
The Kgalagadi is quite nice with larger number of predators, but we had not much luck there. The stuff there was very nice and i love the red soil of the Kalahari. For me the most beautiful part of the soutafrican part of the trip was capetown and the wonderful table mountain scenery! It was much safer, than I thought before!
My wife enjoyed the Namaqualand with its flowerful deserts most! But to see this, you have to visit it during spring!
Most of the streets were easy to drive. In Kgalagadi it was a bit difficult! One amusing thing: Our 4x4 was equipped with winter tyres, which was not the best choice with temperatures up to 35 Celsius.
But we finished safe, and enjoyed our journey very much!
Janet Pellizze
US
Visited:
June 2023
Reviewed: Jul 12, 2023
The review below is the personal opinion of Janet Pellizze and not that of SafariBookings.
Very diverse and varied experience!
3 / 5
3
/5
5 / 5
0 / 5
4 / 5
4 / 5
The reserves and botanical gardens are breathtaking! I recommend seeking tours that offer transport to and from the destinations.
We found people friendly, food and activities affordable and readily accessible.
Elizabeth
US
Visited:
December 2022
Reviewed: Jan 22, 2023
Email Elizabeth
| 65+ years of age
| Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The review below is the personal opinion of Elizabeth and not that of SafariBookings.
The corrupt leadership of the country and the disparity between classes is heartbreaking.
3 / 5
3
/5
3 / 5
4 / 5
4 / 5
0 / 5
The most beautiful part of the trip was taking the panoramic scenic route from Johannesburg to Kruger national Park. Kruger was awesome and we saw all of the big 5. Cape Town is a fantastic city and is a cross between Sydney, Australia, and San Francisco, California. We especially enjoyed the V & A waterfront. We would highly recommend the hop on hop off bus to get a feel for where you want to return to.
Jordana
US
Visited:
February 2020
Reviewed: Feb 26, 2020
Email Jordana
| 20-35 years of age
| Experience level: first safari
The review below is the personal opinion of Jordana and not that of SafariBookings.
Great for budget and convenience, but more downtime than expected
3 / 5
3
/5
5 / 5
0 / 5
5 / 5
0 / 5
Safari With Us booking at Kruger adventure lodge was overall a good experience for the price we paid, which while not cheap was definitely the cheapest we found compared to others for the value it offered. This package definitely maximizes budget and convenience (transportation to/from airports and safaris each day, breakfast and dinners included), however the package included more downtime than was expected with little to do on site.
The package advertised activities at night, full day safari and optional game rides on the third day. All optional rides were ~$100 extra each, there were no activities at night, unreliable WiFi only in the reception area, and the full day (which does start at 5am) ended before 3pm with nothing to do in the evening. So, what we thought was a 3 day safari was actually 1.5 (evening ride day 1 and 5am-3pm day 2). The game rides were incredible and made the experience absolutely worth it, but more transparency about what we were actually getting
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up front would have been nice.
The staff were mostly friendly (especially those who drove us and receptionists up front), with exception of 1-2 wait staff who seemed caught off guard when we sat down to eat and were not friendly at all.
The rooms were clean and spacious, though the AC does go out, the fridge did not work, and we found a frog in our bathroom on the last day.
Overall, I would still recommend this tour package if you are looking to maximize on budget and convenience while still getting to see some incredible things, but not if you are looking to maximize your time on Safari or a luxury lodging experience.
Alexa Gil
ES
Visited:
January 2020
Reviewed: Feb 12, 2020
Email Alexa Gil
| 20-35 years of age
| Experience level: first safari
The review below is the personal opinion of Alexa Gil and not that of SafariBookings.
Ok
3 / 5
3
/5
3 / 5
3 / 5
3 / 5
0 / 5
Food, transportation, guide were great... but the wildlife and safari experience was regular