Our Safari Blog

This was my 6th trip to South Africa and Botswana and, as always, Matthys van Aswegen made it a happy, safe, and exciting experience! My roommate, Glenna, and I thoroughly enjoyed the trip to South Africa’s Boulders Beach to visit the African Penguin Reserve and all the beautiful scenery in that area. Another Discover Africa staff member, Kayla Robson, joined Glenna and me for dinner one evening and it was such a delight getting acquainted with another Discover Africa person whose talents enrich the travel experience.

When we arrived in Botswana we were so pleased to have the two guides I have always requested and, even though I’ve been at Camps Moremi and Savute before, they provided us with safaris that added to my previous experiences, learning new things about animal behavior and, the bonus, twice seeing a cheetah – a cat I hadn’t yet seen in Botswana!

And I’m already planning my next trip to these two fabulous countries!

As a party of seven guests we found the travel arrangements seamless and the accommodation well suited to both older and younger members. In addition, we were of mixed bush experience with some seasoned safari members and some first timers. The Lodges and especially the guides were able to accommodate all levels of interest and discussion. We stayed at a lodge in the Chobe concession (our experienced and wise guide was Lebo) as well as in the delta in the Khwai concession (our guide Biyst was approachable and knowledgeable). The Lodges were well appointed, comfortable and the service friendly and impeccable. Discover Africa’s organizational skills were spot on! This was both affordable and value for money. They are clearly the experts in this area and we can highly recommend them especially for first timer safari travellers.

We have just returned from a trip to 3 different safari camps in Botswana, a short trip to Victoria Falls and a gorilla trek in Rwanda that was booked with Susan from Discover Africa. We couldn’t be happier with the direction and support she gave us to truly make it a trip of a lifetime.

Although the three camps she booked for us were geographically quite close, they were very different in the wildlife viewing experiences, with different focuses for each (we were at camp Okavango, Xakanaxa camp and Chobe Game Lodge). We saw all the animals and birds we dreamed of seeing in Africa with the exception of the rhino as conservation efforts are currently underway and they are located only in central Botswana at this time. The accommodation was incredible at all of them, the food delicious and the staff exceptional. Such lovely, welcoming people.

Rwanda was an absolute favorite and not just for the amazing gorillas. The country is lush and beautiful, the people warm and welcoming and the Bishops house hotel was incredible.

Susan coordinated all of our bookings and when one of the airlines cancelled our flight within hours of our flying, she was completely on it and got us re-booked and on our way, even arriving an hour earlier than the previously scheduled flight. We would definitely book with Susan and Discover Africa again.

Our experience with Discover Africa was great. Justin Van Wyk, our consultant, was extremely accommodating, worked through a number of options to meet our dates and requirements, and checked in at numerous occasions before during and after the trip to check that everything was okay and that we were having a fantastic time as to plan. Justin was extremely responsive and fantastic to deal with. I would highly recommend Justin and Discover Africa to anyone looking to organise an amazing safari.

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.

Was the Safari of lifetime.

We spent one week between Zimbabwe for the Victoria Falls and Botswana. Amazing.

The river cruse in the Zambezi river is a dream. We saw also Chobe national park and the Delta of Okavango: a dream.
Everything was well organized. The transfer/The Lodge/the Game drive.

Chrizaan was super. She provide us the best organization and also assistance during the trip.