Our Safari Blog

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.

We initially felt quite overwhelmed by the number of different tours, lodges and options available when planning an African adventure, so we decided to speak with Discover Africa to help us create a memorable trip. We are so glad we did!

Chrizaan took the time to listen to what we wanted from our trip and then put together an incredible itinerary that gave us a real taste of Africa and some experiences we will never forget. From the different safari lodges and game drives to Victoria Falls, the trip offered such a wonderful variety of experiences. Some were absolute highlights and created memories that will stay with us for a lifetime.

Everything from the flights and transfers to the accommodation and activities was organised so efficiently. For someone who experiences a lot of anxiety when travelling, having everything organised and knowing there was someone who knew our itinerary and could help if needed was incredibly comforting.

Of course, with a trip this big and complicated, we did encounter a few hiccups along the way. What made such a difference was knowing that Chrizaan was only a quick phone call away. She was always helpful, responsive and quick to assist in resolving anything that came up, which gave us great peace of mind while we were travelling.

We would absolutely recommend Discover Africa to anyone wanting to organise a trip to Africa, and particularly Chrizaan. She took our ideas, hopes and vision for the trip and turned them into an incredible reality.

Thank you, Chrizaan, for helping us create an African adventure we will be talking about for years to come! ❤️

Justin took great care to make sure we had the best possible experience in Kruger NP and we are so grateful.

Through the booking process we were looking at several options and he patiently guided us through the alternatives but ultimately encouraged us to select the itinerary that would give us the best chance of seeing the cats that were on the bucket list.

Even when we had some minor hiccups with things such as delayed flights he was a quick WhatsApp message away and was always very supportive.

Would definitely recommend Justin and the Discover Africa team.

Very professional in the approach of customer’s needs. Intelligent in the approach and in the design of our safari in Botswana taking into account some of the constraints that we had. We were extremely happy with all the camps that were recommended to us. Thumbs up!

Was just awesome, would recommend anytime…saw all big 5, all small 5, live kill by lions…was just divine

Africa was on my travel “wishlist” but I never thought I would actually get there

That all changed when our son was home for a visit over Christmas. He announced that he and a friend were going to Africa. They had selected DISCOVER AFRICA to plan their trip. He shared all the details with us and we decided it was an adventure we had to experience as well.

Our son connected us with Vihann Van Wyk at Discover Africa, the same agent he was using. Vihann was a pleasure to work with. He coordinated our trip with our son’s and tweaked the details as requested. Communication was a breeze through both email and WhatsApp. Vihann made suggestions as well as accepted specific requests from us to build a custom itinerary. No detail was overlooked. Some accommodations were adjusted to keep us within budget without sacrificing our experience.

All drivers, tour guides, experiences & lodging did not disappoint. All internal flights were on Airlink …. better than some regional airlines in the USA. The weather was perfect too!

Deborah's Safari Experience

Our itinerary included:

*CAPE TOWN – Radisson Blu Waterfront Hotel….very nice property with an excellent breakfast and beautiful outdoor dining. Must sees were the full day Cape Tour, Wine Tour to Stellenbosch, Table Mountain and High Tea at the Cape Grace Hotel.

*KRUGER NTL PARK – Lion Sands Tinga Lodge….a dream experience! Excellent private bungalow, twice daily game drives, delicious food, and a wonderful massage and facial at the spa. The staff was outstanding.

*VICTORIA FALLS – Shongwe Lookout Lodge…a modest property that met all our needs and saved us some money. We experienced the Zambezi River sunset cruise, Victoria Falls ( incredible!! ) , lunch at the Lookout Cafe and a visit to the historic Victoria Falls hotel for lunch.

*JOHANNESBURG – Marriott African Pride Hotel in Melrose Arch ….an upscale area with lots of shopping and dining. The Soweto Tour was an experience not to be missed. We visited Nelson Mandela’s office and home. The Apartheid Museum was sobering and moving.

Lastly, every where we went we met the nicest people….friendly and helpful.

Excellent adventure! An experience like no other!