Our Safari Blog

An outstanding safari through Discover Africa- from the organisation and attentiveness, Thanks Vihann, to the sublime wildlife viewing and stunning sunsets this was Africa as you imagine it. Okavango is stunning and pristine form the air and the camps fabulous. The people in the camps and everywhere we went were warm, smiling, joyous and proud. And rightly so. Different landscapes and habitats wherever we went, not just Okavango, and stunning vistas. The hospitality tops it off.

Fantastic support in planning a once in a lifetime trip with amazing recommendations of places to stay whilst maximising the budget set. Thank you Chrizaan for your attention to detail in making this such a special trip. The partnership between Imvelo and the local community in Hwange was so special to witness, with the added benefit of walking with the rhinos!

Vihann was responsive and friendly, worked patiently with me as I tweaked my itinerary three times. I researched the camps myself and Vihann supported with his local knowledge so the result was very memorable and extraordinary holiday. I was very happy with local transfers, guides were available to answer questions and food was top notch.

Our safari trip to South Africa was nothing short of spectacular and I would like to thank Chrizaan for putting together a wonderful itinerary for us. Our first contact with Discover Africa was with a consultant who was amazing and very personable. Our planning was over a year out and, unfortunately, she moved on but I appreciated Alice Lombard (Head of Sales and Operations) stepping in and referring us to Chrizaan. I couldn’t have asked for a better consultant.

Because of our location the time discrepancy made communication a bit challenging, but through emails, WhatsApp and Zoom calls the interactions with Chrizaan were all timely and efficient (1/2 hr blocks of time were set aside on Chrizaan’s schedule where one could book Zoom chats). I liked the web design they use to view options for personalized itineraries – descriptions on potential lodges, information on daily activities etc.

Our trip included a 4 day visit to Cape Town before our safari and Chrizaan arranged all the necessary flights, transfers and tours associated and everything went smoothly. Little things like sending us an email with our flight reservation so we could check in 24 hrs before our flight were much appreciated. If we had questions during our trip she was always available. We thought that this safari was going to be a once in a lifetime trip but our experience made us feel like it’s something we would love to do again and I wouldn’t hesitate to use Chrizaan and Discover Africa once again.

We just completed our second African safari planned by Megan Warrington, this one to Botswana, and we couldn’t have been more pleased with our trip! Megan did a fantastic job of starting us out in the Kalahari (Tau Pan Camp) which was unique in its landscape and some of the animals that you see, including the Oryx. You don’t see as many animals as in other locations, which would be expected in the desert, but the experience was wonderful and we are glad we started there.

Our next stop was in the Okavango Delta (Splash Camp) which exceeded our lofty expectations. Before we made it to our camp from the landing strip we saw a leopard and hundreds of various animals including giraffes, zebras, elephants, etc. While in the delta we saw another leopard, a large pride of lions that were resting in trees, which is very unusual, hundreds (estimated at 600) buffalo and we actually experienced a lion hunt where a group of four siblings successfully secured a young buffalo. Our last stop was on the Kwando River (Lagoon Camp) and this was actually the jewel of the trip. There weren’t as many prey animals as in the delta, but predators were abundant and the hippos were unbelievable. We saw 3 leopards, two young brothers together and another very shy female, many lions from a couple of prides included several mature males, 2 cheetahs (brothers that travelled and hunted together), and a small pack of African Wild Dogs including 4 adults and 6 puppies.

Our guides and trackers were exceptional at all locations, but Mr. T stood out at Kwando’s Lagoon camp. All of our stays were at Kwando camps and I will write them a separate review, but they were fantastic! Back to Megan, we thought that the lengths of stays and the order of our stays was perfect and very well planned. She is so easy to work with and truly tries to meet your personal goals and experiences for the trip. We thought this may be our last trip to Africa, but we are now fully onboard to come back, likely in a few years with our grown children. There is no question that we will revisit Botswana, we can’t say enough about the people, the landscape and the wildlife, they are all lovely.

We did a 3-week bespoke tour with Discover Africa and specifically Devryn Panaino. South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana game parks. Our group of 6 had a fantastic time, as the itinerary was top notch, transfers smooth and now we can’t wait to go back. We were nervous about small plane transfers but it was very smooth and professional service. In fact, it puts Aussie’s Jetstar in the shade. We saw all the animals big 5, ugly 5, small 5 and everything in between. Would definitely recommend this company and Devryn. Hot tip: be prepared to spend a bit of money it’s worth it for a truly unique experience.

Vicki's Southern Africa Journey