Bill Siviter
GB
Visited:
May 2012
Reviewed: Oct 8, 2012
50-65 years of age
| Experience level: first safari
An amazing experience
5 / 5
5
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5 / 5
4 / 5
5 / 5
4 / 5
I had a one day safari with a very experienced guide. I saw every animal I expected to see and more besides. I wasn'r realistically expecting to see cheetah in the southern part of the park and would have been fortunate to see leopard on my first visit. The highlight for me was not one but two separate packs of African Wild Dog which I wasn't expecting to see at all.
The animal and bird life I saw in one day was profuse and I took over six hundred photographs.
The Rissington Inn Hotel in Hazyview where I stayed was excellent. The accomodation was of a high standard as was the food.
Altogether a great experience which eclipsed all my other adventures in the Grand Canyon and Tokyo or Hong Kong.
Visitors to the southern part of the park must expect the heavy cover which is commonplace and not expect the open grasslands of say Kenya.
We hired a car from the airport at Joburg and the drive though tiring after our flight was easy even though some SA road
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signs are ambiguous or non existant in places. It is my second time in SA I loved my visit to the Cape and the wine tour I took but big game close up is an experience I wouldn't have missed for the world.
Tommy
US
Visited:
August 2011
Reviewed: May 22, 2012
under20 years of age
| Experience level: first safari
The perfect experience for anyone wanting to experience the South African Bush.
5 / 5
5
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5 / 5
5 / 5
5 / 5
5 / 5
The Timbavati Nature Reserve is truly one of the best places to go for safaris in South Africa. Its borders are massive thanks to collaborations between the previous owners of the land. Located next to Kruger National Park, it is easy to combine the two reserves on one trip for both safari experiences. I was 15 when I went to Timbavati in 2011 and stayed at the Umlani Game Reserve. My experience couldn't have been more incredible. The staff is incredibly friendly and the group is small so it is easy to get to know everyone there. Our guides were excellent as well and really seemed to have a strong knowledge of the bush as well as a passion for their jobs.
The food at Umlani was incredible as well- It was by far the best out of our month-long trip. Some of our meals included a delicious sweet potato and butternaut squash soup, casseroles, full english breakfasts, various meats, impala stew (try it!), and of course rusks. I was at Umlani during the Winter so the weather was nice
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although it had rained a few days before we arrived.
The wildlife was beyond anything that I had expected. We encountered all of the big 5 many times and saw a huge variety of animals. My group was fortunate enough to see a lion kill as well as enormous herds of Cape Buffalo. The elephants were everywhere and seemed to not care about our proximity to them.
Umlani is located next to a water hole so that viewing animals is still possible in between game drives. About a mile away is another water hole where interested guests can stay in a tree house for the night! Thanks to encouragement from the staff, I summoned my courage and spent one night in a tree house in the bush.
Overall, The Timbavati Nature Reserve and Umlani specifically is the best place to go to experience the South African Bush. There are friendly staff members, good food, knowledgeable guides, beautiful scenery, and of course lots of wildlife to observe. I don't often check 5 stars in all categories but Umlani deserves it. Too see videos from my trip, visit http://www.youtube.com/user/futbol7t/featured. Make sure to make Timbavati and Umlani part of your trip.
Colleen B.
US
Visited:
September 2008
Reviewed: May 21, 2012
Email Colleen B.
| 65+ years of age
| Experience level: first safari
A fantastic, up close and personal experience in Africa -- a sense of adventure at every turn
5 / 5
5
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5 / 5
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Royal Legend Safari Lodge had beautiful accommodations, excellent food. Seeing animals up close and personal a thrill. Expert guides Fani and Rufus. The most awesome experience was when an elephant walked to our jeep, putting his trunk right in our faces! An experience no book or travelogue could ever duplicate.
Trudi
NL
Visited:
October 2011
Reviewed: Nov 15, 2011