Ongava Lodge

My best friend and I just recently returned from an excursion in South Africa. There are simply not enough adjectives to describe this experience. Starting with the initial “interview” with Matthys Van Aswegen…. Matt was so thorough, so personable and extremely knowledgeable. I was able to comfortably explain to him exactly what we wanted without feeling “snobby”. He put together a package that was amazing. Everything we wanted and more. I basically said we wanted to be treated like queens and we were! The accommodations he arranged in Cape Town, Simbambili and Rattary Lodge were unbelievable. Our main focus was to see as many exotic animals as possible. We saw absolutely every animal except the cheetah (extremely rare). Every. Single. One. We were treated to the rare sight of wild dogs, and a hippo OUT of the water as well.

Booked almost a year in advance, Matt was vigilant in his correspondence. He sent numerous suggestions for preparing for the trip which were extremely helpful and informative. He answered all of my emails and questions within 24 hours. Just before we left he also gave me his personal phone number in case we ran into any difficulties ( we didn’t). I can’t say enough about how incredible he was and firmly believe he was the reason our trip was so spectacular. After seeing my photos and videos, several friends are now interested in a Safari and I have strongly recommended him.

If anyone is interested in a Safari, Discover Africa would be the first place to start. Bar none.

I booked a safari with Discover Africa. Adelle did a great job of finding me lodges that suited my budget, also within driving distance to the River Mara, so I was lucky enough to see a migration river crossing. The trip went so smoothly from the moment I landed in Nairobi a driver was waiting for me. I was dropped off at my hotel in Nairobi, I was picked up the following morning and taken to Wilson Airport and checked-in ready for my flight to the game reserve and exactly the same thing on the return journey. Everything was taken care of. The lodges were perfect and the safari was amazing. I would highly recommend Discover Africa.

First safari for us – 3 days in Arusha, 2 Tarangire, 2 Ngorongo, 4 Serengeti and 6 in Zanzibar.

We found the choice of potential locations, accommodation, routes etc almost bewildering at first. Matthys at DA carefully sought to understand we were looking for and came up (after a couple of face to face discussions and several emails) with a suitable schedule

Pre and mid trip communication was excellent. The DA portal is very detailed and comprehensive and the app was very useful on a day to day basis once we arrived in Tanzania.

The recommended accommodation and transport was mostly superb, only issue was transferring from Kogatendi to Zanzibar where a supposed direct flight was in fact 2 flights with a 2 hour delay on the second, meaning we arrived in Zanzibar around 4 hours later than planned. We understand this happens quite regularly in the bush so not a big deal.

My wife was unfortunately taken ill during the trip (not attaching any blame to any lodge or hotel, these things can happen any time). An initial doctor visit was very well handled by our first guide (en route from Tarangire to Ngongoro), and after a slight recovery she again went downhill when we in the Serengeti. Between Matthys from DA and our driver in Zanzibar a hospital visit was pre-arranged when we arrived and the recommended hospital was excellent. The camps in Ngongoro, Serengeti and the hotel in Zanzibar really couldn’t have done any more to make sure she was as comfortable as possible.

The accommodation was fabulous in all locations and the two guides/drivers absolutely exceptional. All arrangements went as planned and everyone we encountered were so friendly and helpful. Despite the illness disruption we saw many amazing things, too many to list here,

Would very happily recommend DA and use them again.

I researched many Africa tours but could not find an itinerary that did exactly what I wanted to do. I contacted Discover Africa to see if they might be able to help. Bianca was terrific. She listened to what I wanted to do and put together a perfect itinerary. She offered a couple of different “camp” options at each stop along the way. She put the whole thing together and helped me work to a price point I was comfortable with. The entire trip went flawlessly. I was very impressed with Bianca and Discover Africa.

The trip that was put together by Chrizaan Troch at Discover Africa was amazing. The accommodation was perfect as was the driving experience. This was our third self drive tour in Namibia and it was one of the best. Maps, accommodation, car, support all seamless.

I booked a three-day safari through Discover Africa, including flights, and everything went smoothly from start to finish. Communication was clear, timely, and genuinely helpful, making the whole trip easy and worry-free.

The safari itself was exceptional. We stayed at Kambaku River Sands in Timbavati, where comfort blends naturally with the wild. Our guide and tracker were skilled and passionate, turning every drive into something memorable. Each outing felt unhurried and authentic, with remarkable wildlife moments unfolding at their own rhythm: lions on the move, elephants at play, and leopards appearing from the shadows.

Discover Africa proved to be reliable, well-organized, and great value for money. I’d happily book with them again.

As Twain said, “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” Discover Africa makes that first step simple.