Stefi

We had been thinking about a Southern Africa safari trip for a few years and had some valuable input from Zimbabwean friends who had been on tour many times. So we had a general idea of when and where but needed guidance on the finer details and options, as well as someone to put it all together once we’d agreed on an itinerary (South Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana). This was possibly going to be our one and only trip of this type so we wanted to get it right!

I saw an ad for a tour similar to what I had in mind so contacted Discover Africa (DA). Devryn was able to clearly outline his preferences that would meet the brief. He suggested the order of travel, how long at each place, what type of accommodation (generally getting better as we progressed), how to get from A to B, etc., via several email conversations.

We had a Zoom meeting with him before finalising the plan, where we were able to ask further questions, which he was able to answer confidently and competently, given he had been to these places himself.

We felt confident enough with his recommendations to lock it in 12 months ahead of the trip.
Naturally, you anticipate some things will go wrong on tour, e.g., a missed connection, a guide not turning up, or accommodation not being as described, and we were mentally prepared for that.

Garry's Safari Experience

However, every connection was made on time and the accommodation exceeded our high expectations!

The Safari experience itself (which Devryn obviously couldn’t guarantee) was superb. The guides from the lodges we used were experienced, informative, respectful of the animals, and considerate of what we had and hadn’t seen previously and so every day (twice a day!) was another trip into the unknown. Everyone hopes to see the Big 5, which we did early on. After that it was a matter of literally sitting back in the jeep and seeing what would turn up. The birdlife was better than I expected (the lilac-breasted roller was a favourite), and seeing small animals like mongooses (4 different species), a chameleon and a steenbok were unexpected highlights.

The food was varied at the various lodges, with usually a buffet of 3 main courses of western-style cuisine (although I ate wildebeest, crocodile, kudu and springbok when it was offered). We finished off with 3 nights in Cape Town to let the Safari experience sink in, which was a very good move.

So in summary, we did some initial research, worked out a plan with Devryn, and he nailed the brief. We’ll never know if it could have been even better, but I seriously doubt it.

"Going to south and central Africa was a bucket list item for me and booking a big and expensive trip always feels a bit risky and you hope you have made the right choice. Booking with Discover Africa was fantastic from beginning to end! Our trip coordina..."

Deanna Rozak, United States•25 May 2026•

"All bookings were at luxurious and convenient places. The camp tents are beautifully decorated with a rustic look and feel. Food service were amazing for most part. The bush drives are as best as it could be given the rainy season etc. Punctuality has been ..."

George Jacob, Canada•10 Mar 2026•

"I had a great trip organised by Chrizaan. Everything went very smoothly including all of the pickups, flights and accommodation. I visited Namibia and loved seeing the dunes, springboks and oryx. I also visited the Okavango Delta and saw so many anim..."

Leanne Harrison, South Africa•03 Feb 2026•

"I started planning my Africa safari/vacation about two years ago with the help of Diane, and was transitioned to Chrizaan about halfway through my timeline. There was zero issues with changing my guide, and both ladies were SUPER lovely to work with. I was ..."

Kaleigh Gray, United States•02 Oct 2025•

"We had been thinking about a Southern Africa safari trip for a few years and had some valuable input from Zimbabwean friends who had been on tour many times. So we had a general idea of when and where but needed guidance on the finer details and options, as..."

Garry, South Africa•07 Aug 2025•

"A Truly Unforgettable Journey – Thank You, Megan! I wanted to give a special thanks to Megan for planning such a wonderful trip for us. Our adventure began at the breathtaking Victoria Falls and continued to the stunning Chobe Lodge — what an amazing experi..."

Lorena, Italy•07 Aug 2025•