Arathusa Safari Lodge

Planning the trip with Bianca was a pleasure – she was patient and helpful and provided prompt answers to all our questions.

The trip itself was remarkable, offering a wide variety of locations and experiences to make our exposure to Africa and safaris an excellent and exciting opportunity. The guides were knowledgeable and had a network of other local guides with whom to connect so that they could always lead us to sites where animals were present. The lodges were comfortable and well furnished and the meals were well-prepared and tasty. The staff were friendly and always interacting with us. Altogether a wonderful experience!!

Justin helped craft the perfect honeymoon for us! There are so many options when it comes to choosing a tour operator that I feel so fortunate we landed on Discover Africa. The experience felt seamless from start to finish. Our trip felt perfectly tailored to what we were looking for. You can tell that they truly listened to your situation and crafted the trip specifically for you. Planning an African safari can easily feel overwhelming, but Justin gave us nothing but confidence. The lodges, staff, guides, transportation, every aspect was top tier. There was constant communication from everyone on the ground to make sure you were where you needed to be on each leg of the trip. Save yourself the option overload and set up a call. No harm in getting a quote and taking it from there!

We were initially overwhelmed with all of the options for African Safaris when we first started planning our trip. Luckily, Discover Africa responded promptly to our initial request for information and we were quickly scheduled for an initial consult with Adelle Bell.

Adelle presented several options and really listened to our feedback to tailor a perfect week in the African bush for our honeymoon. She took care of absolutely everything for us besides the international flights, which was a big weight off our shoulders after just planning so much time planning our wedding ourselves. She was also extremely communicative throughout the planning process and while we were on the ground the week of our honeymoon as well.

We spent 3 nights at Motswari in the Timbavati Private Game Reserve followed by 3 nights at Arathusa in Sabi Sands Private Game reserve. Both lodges and reserves surpassed our expectations. Motswari felt like a much more traditional and authentic safari experience, while Arathusa felt more up-scale and resort like. The staff and hospitality at both were fantastic, and the game drives surpassed our expectations immediately.

If you are considering booking a vacation to Africa, I would highly recommend booking through Discover Africa and asking for Adelle specifically. She will knock it out of the park!

Discover Africa planned a fabulous trip for us! The travel planner came up with an itinerary that included everything we wanted; the trip was extremely well organized; the accommodations were lovely; and the activities were fun and interesting. We especially loved the Queen Victoria Hotel in Cape Town near the V&A waterfront and Beck’s Lodge in South Africa. The management at Beck’s was so friendly and helpful, our safari guide and tracker were extremely knowledgeable and personable, and the chefs were outstanding. I highly recommend Discover Africa!

We had a wonderful experience with Discover Africa from the planning stage all the way through to the end of the trip. I communicated what my family was looking for with a visit to Africa and Vihann helped construct a trip that provided the quality and experience to match our wishes. Using a travel agent, communication is of the upmost importance and Vihann was readily available during all parts of planning via email and even during the trip via WhatsApp.

If you choose to visit multiple countries in Africa and remote locations within those countries, transportation and logistics can be very challenging, and we were consistently at ease during our travel knowing that we’d always be in the correct place at the correct time because of Discover Africa. There were no hiccups or concerns going between locations and that alone made using Discover Africa worth it. In addition to logistics, Vihann chose incredible accommodations at each location in Botswana, Zimbabwe, and South Africa.

The camps in Botswana (African Bush Camps Kwai Lediba & Atzaro Okavango) and Zimbabwe (Old Drift Lodge) were luxurious and intimate and the staff at the camps made our stays far exceed expectations. On top of the camp hosts and staff being personable and accommodating, the safari guides were extremely knowledgeable and made it possible for us to see every kind of wildlife we wished to that was native to the areas (including lions, elephants, leopards, hyenas, hippos, and wild dogs).

While the price for the overall trip can change quite a bit based on the accommodations you choose, I strongly recommend paying the additional dollars for the comfort and service that you receive at the higher-end camps. Overall we had an amazing trip due to the planning and service provided by Discover Africa and Vihann. I would absolutely use them again in the future knowing that we would be taken care of and set up for success.