The Globe and Mail

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.

"This was our first experience using an online booking agent and it was outstanding. Justin went through our requirements even though we were pretty sure we knew what we wanted (we really didn't!) and came up with a plan that met our needs, including coordin..."

John Colao, United States•13 Apr 2026•

"Magic tour, the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen in all my life, I really love this ancestral land: nature, wise animals, and humans with very big heart."

Griselda Woo Gonzalez, Mexico•12 Nov 2025•

"Amazing honeymoon - we had the best experience with Susan and Discover Africa in planning our honeymoon. Everything went smoothly and all the lodges / guides were incredible. She also put some special touches like a surprise dinner in the bush and a private..."

Kelly Halter, United States•06 Oct 2025•

"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 landscap..."

Darrh, United States•09 Sep 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•

"We just returned from an African safari in Kenya and Tanzania as well as gorilla trekking in Rwanda. Susan planned our 17 day to perfection. It was seamless to travel between countries, between lodges as well as negotiate airport arrivals and departures. Th..."

Cremilde, Canada•16 Jul 2025•