​User Reviews – South Africa

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Tony   –  
United Kingdom UK
Visited: September 2017 Reviewed: Nov 11, 2017

Email Tony  |  65+ years of age  |  Experience level: 2-5 safaris

The review below is the personal opinion of Tony and not that of SafariBookings.
Overall rating
0/5

I've given almost the same rating as for the Kruger park as we didn't see anything of the rest of South Africa other than the Sabie Sands and the Klasserie reserves.

Mbabane Mike   –  
Swaziland SZ
Visited: January 2017 Reviewed: Oct 2, 2017

Email Mbabane Mike  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: 2-5 safaris

The review below is the personal opinion of Mbabane Mike and not that of SafariBookings.
Overall rating
0/5

I don't have enough time in other parks to rate them. In fact I haven't been to any of these listed below...yet. But we do love going to Mpumalanga province for vacation. The scenery is fantastic.

Bruwer Burger   –  
South Africa ZA
Visited: April 2017 Reviewed: Aug 1, 2017

Email Bruwer Burger  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: over 5 safaris

The review below is the personal opinion of Bruwer Burger and not that of SafariBookings.
Overall rating
0/5

SA is the place to see the big 5 in natural and safe environment. See my flickr stream.

Tom Friedel   –  
Australia AU
Visited: May 2017 Reviewed: Jul 26, 2017

Email Tom Friedel  |  65+ years of age  |  Experience level: over 5 safaris

The review below is the personal opinion of Tom Friedel and not that of SafariBookings.
Overall rating
0/5

Can only reference the Kruger area

Stephen   –  
Ireland IE
Visited: January 2020 Reviewed: Jan 26, 2020

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

The review below is the personal opinion of Stephen and not that of SafariBookings.
Aquila is terrible. May as well go to a zoo!!
Overall rating
1/5

Terrible. Not really a safari. Beside main road, loads of fences and gates. Few animals. Day at zoo would.be better

Jennifer Rogers   –  
United States US
Visited: September 2018 Reviewed: Sep 18, 2018

Email Jennifer Rogers

The review below is the personal opinion of Jennifer Rogers and not that of SafariBookings.
Poor Communication and Follow up
Overall rating
1/5

We saved money for our South African vacation for over a year and a half and the part we were most looking forward to was our 2-day Safari in Pilanesberg. My husband even purchased a new camera for the game drives.

Shortly after we arrived at the Bakubung Lodge in Pilanesberg we were told by another guest that the evening game drive had been cancelled due to wildfires. The entire park had been closed for the first time in history. We were told that we would be informed of the status of our morning drive later that night. Had it not been for this individual we would not have been told of the cancellation- we did not hear anything from Go Safari.

We inquired on the status of the morning game drive several times that evening and nobody at the resort seemed to know anything. We went to bed disappointed but hopeful for a morning drive.

We awoke the next morning at 5AM to get ready just in case the drive was going to occur. We went to the lobby and, again, nobody had any information. Worse still....no word from Go Safari. After standing in the lobby for an hour exchanging awkward glances with the front desk staff we finally went back to the room assuming the drive was cancelled (we were literally the only guests standing in the lobby). Still...no word from Go Safari.

Our ride back to Joburg was not scheduled to pick us up until noon so we had 6 hours to sit there and do nothing. So, we sat on a bench outside and waiting for 6 hours to be picked up. As we sat there, we had hoped for word from Go Safari. Anything would have been nice. "We are sorry about the cancellations", "Would you like to try again another day?", "Can we provide a voucher for a future date?" But Go Safari did not reach out.

We understand that the wildfires were not anyone's fault and those things happen. We can tolerate disappointment. What we are upset about is the total lack of communication from Go Safari and the horrible customer service we have received.

We spent nearly $900USD on one night at a lodge with crappy food and poor service from the staff.

We had several more days to spend in Joburg and would have gladly paid for another driver to take us back after he park opened so we could even get one game drive in.

This was supposed to be a trip of a lifetime. Go Safari really messed this one up.

María Paz Venegas   –  
Chile CL
Visited: November 2023 Reviewed: Nov 26, 2023

Email María Paz Venegas  |  35-50 years of age  |  Experience level: 2-5 safaris

The review below is the personal opinion of María Paz Venegas and not that of SafariBookings.
Dissapointing
Overall rating
2/5

The experience in Kruger Park was ok but not how we expected, we didnt saw too many animals. We think that our guide wasnt good, he drive for the same part of the park most of the time, we spend our without seeing animals.

We didnt saw any cheetas, leopards and Rhinos. The thing is that most of the time you can see them there, so we think that our guide wasnt good. We’ve been in Tanzania but there is another thing, we really enjoy there, the parks, the tour guide and we saw a lot of animals.

We noticed that many people that pay a lot in the private reserve they has more chances to see animals and different species, I dont know if that a point to consider because they own a lot of animals , and the know exactlu where they are, but is very expensive too. Or maybe the option to drive by yourself could bebetter because you can go everywhere..

Also the communication during the tour with the agency wasnt good (Shinzelle Safaris).

We regret to add Kruger Park in our trip to Africa, that money could worth it, in another place, because we visited Tanzania and Uganda and everything there was amazing.

Martin   –  
Germany DE
Visited: November 2018 Reviewed: Jan 2, 2019

Email Martin

The review below is the personal opinion of Martin and not that of SafariBookings.
Awesome Tour from VIVA Safari, Bad customer Service from Booking agency
Overall rating
2/5

The tour ist just great. Awesome staff at the Camps, good Guides, lots of animals. 5*! You can book it from a Lot of booking agencies.

What was really bad is the fact that we were not informed about our late Pickup. The driver was there around 11 instead of 8.30/9. We could not reach anyone at the booking Agency, the south african representative told us that he did not work there anymore.

Janet Pellizze   –  
United States US
Visited: June 2023 Reviewed: Jul 12, 2023

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

The review below is the personal opinion of Janet Pellizze and not that of SafariBookings.
Very diverse and varied experience!
Overall rating
3/5

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   –  
United States 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.
Overall rating
3/5

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.

Average User Rating

  • 4.8/5
  • Wildlife
  • Scenery
  • Bush Vibe
  • Birding

Rating Breakdown

  • 5 star 842
  • 4 star 125
  • 3 star 15
  • 2 star 2
  • 1 star 2
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