SOUTH AFRICA
Recently went to South Africa for a week.
Apart from the bad roads, worn down farms/buildings next to the road, rubbish everywhere, just like in Namibia, in some towns, and the fact that we were almost hijacked in Kimberly, I was pleasantly surprised!
We got great and friendly service from everyone right from the start, good food and drinks, exept from one place, best/affordable accommodation, clean malls, clean bathrooms, the weather was perfect and from the animals that we could see was a nice experience!
We visited a total of plus minus 6 towns. Every town is different. Every landscape is different.
BR
Email Debora de Almeida Nogueira | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very cool
Good people, good food, good safari. It was great days.
Email Alan Bishop | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Compare Kruger Park with Sabi Sand (Private game reserve) I would only go private in future.
The game reserves were excellent and showcase Africa's unique wildlife. Spent 2 days in Kruger and 2 days in Sabi Sand. There was more game in Kruger but a greater variety in Sabi Sand. I would only go to a private game reserve in future. Accommodation and food were far better in the private reserve as well. Weather was mixed - cold at first but much hotter later. We also visited Johannesburg and O.R. Tambo airport has to be the worst international airport in the world. There are no signs anywhere to assist you in checking in and we had to go to the domestic terminal to check in for an international flight to Zimbabwe. Compare this with King Shaka in Durban where for every flight, the check-in desk is shown on a very large information board. We also visited Cape Town. Trying to go up Table Mountain as individuals is almost impossible. There was a queue which took 3 hours to get onto the cable car and another queue that took another 3 hours just to buy a ticket. We gave up eventually. Same issue with trying to go to Robben Island. Unless you are prepared to pay an exorbitant amount for a private tour, you can't get on a boat. Again, we had to give up. The V&A Waterfront is well advertised but in the end is only a shopping centre with some restaurants - quite disappointing. For an Australian, the prices in South Africa seem very cheap and it's a good place to go for a holiday once. Not enough different things to do to keep returning though but I would recommend it to anyone who has never been.
US
Email James Autry | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Where the Wild Things Still Are
My wife and I had an excellent safari experience, with knowledgable guides, nice accomodations, and good food. We will never forget the experience of being in the bush and seeing all the creatures we have dreamed of. Sadly, we fear that wildlife is in danger of disappearing and hope that all steps will be taken to preserve it.
US
20-35 years of age
A cultural meltingpot of the world's history in an amazingly eclectic country.
My time in South Africa was spent in Johannesburg and Cape Town. Johannesburg is a big city with lots of neat markets and was a perfect starting point for the trips I've done in southern Africa.
Cape Town is amazing! The culture and history are overflowing in every part of the city. There is just so much iconic history in Cape Town that I would recommend taking one of the city tour buses - it was a great way to take it all in and learn a lot. The preservation of old buildings and the demolished areas of District 6 portray a city comfortable with its past and interest in educating the masses.
Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, nestled amongst the mountains represent a stunning collection of botanical knowledge. The gardens have rolling green lawns with Fynbos, proteas, and cycads everywhere. Proteas have the most amazing flowers and I would recommend going at time when the majority are in bloom - well worth the wait to see their brilliance.
Table Mountain is a must. It is an iconic natural feature and provides stunning views of the city.
From night clubs and posh bars to amazing food and incredible scenery. Cape Town has been the highlight of my trips to South Africa and I highly recommend it for everyone.
HR
Email Maja Balenovic | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Beautiful scenery, diverse
We were family of 3 (10 yrs old kid) and traveled through Garden route via motorhome (camper).
We started planing the trip a bit late since we were traveling from 30/12-10/1/2020--high season. For that reason sometimes the accommodation (camp grounds) were either full or did not have much of a choice. Few times we had to go to a chalet or bungalow, which was in our case not necessary since we had a motorhome...Also I believe the company does not have much experience in organising a trip for motorhome, so at the end of the trip , we would do few things different as far as accommodation.
Everything else was really nice from Karoo area , Schotia Safari, Tsitskiama national park, etc.
Correspodence with Elmor and his collegues was good and they would answer email fast .
I would definately recommend this company for organising your trip, just make sure you start organising it far in advance for the high season!
Email Martin James Ledger | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
My fourth in 20 years and just as good
Wildlife - good, scenery - fantastic, weather - mixed, but mostly good, accommodation - good to excellent (mostly the latter), food - fantastic (even if portions were a bit on the large size!), transportation - always good, guides - all excellent and informative. We had 3 holidays in one, first safari in the Kruger, then to Port Elizabeth, hire car and drive down the Garden Route and finally 6 days in Cape Town. All those running the guest houses etc we stayed at were very friendly and helpful. All accommodation was clean and generally well maintained. Most importantly we never felt anything but safe and felt comfortable wherever we went. No doubt there is crime (as anywhere) but it never raised its ugly head. In fact we were impressed by the honesty of all we met.
QA
Email Saad Bashqa | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
disappointed not to see a pride of lions during one and a half days of game drives in Kruger
Five stars to Cape Town. Durban and Johannesburg are disappointing. I booked our safari on this website. It was definitely a memorable life time experience. I was surprised to see that the CEO of timeline travel came to take us from the airport being our driver guide. He came driving a Toyota Avanza which was not enough to accommodate the five of us with our five bags, car seat and a pram in addition to the driver, so we were squeezed during the five hour drive from Johannesburg Airport to Hazyview and also on the way back from Hazyview to Johannesburg airport. The accommodation was good in Kruger Park Lodge in general. The 3 bedroom chalet was very nice but had only one shower and no air conditioning in the main living room although the weather was hot. Dinner in the lodge was very good. The visit to the panorama route was really beautiful through Graskop, God's Window, Bourk's Potholes and the three rondavels (Blyde River Canyon). The lunch in the Potholes was pathetic and there definitely should be something else other than the one and only ugly busy restaurant. The one and a half days of game drives was a fantastic experience for a first timer. Yet I was disappointed not to properly see the big five. We saw enough Rhinos, Buffalo and Elephants but we only saw one Leopard hanging on a tree from a distance and only one sleeping lioness turning its back on us from a distance.
JP
Email Mori Mitsuki | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Different space
It was very good. I want to go again.
There are bugs in the room, so I want to put some pesticides.
Email Sandra Mitchell | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience
Thank you we were very happy with our safari and accommodation.
