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.
Teri May travelled to South Africa in August Cape Town in August and wrote the 10 Day Best of Africa – Big Five Safari Review on 31 August 2026
The trip included: Cape Town Holidays Sabi Sand Game Reserve Safaris MalaMala Game Reserve Beach Holidays in Africa Big Five Safaris in Africa African Big Cats Safaris Victoria & Alfred Hotel Simbambili Game Lodge Mala Mala Sable Camp
Safari planned by: Matthys Van Aswegen


