4 Day Big Five Birthday Safari Review

I worked with Justin Van Wyk at Discover Africa Safaris to arrange safaris in Zimbabwe and Botswana, including a stop at Victoria Falls, for two of my children and me. The safaris were exquisite, and Justin was phenomenal—professional, responsive, and detail-oriented. He patiently helped refine my changing requirements and dreams until we created a luxurious, once-in-a-lifetime trip. The adventure was extremely well organized: there were no surprises, we were greeted at each location, and transportation between destinations was well planned and flexible when needed.

The six luxury camps arranged by Discover Africa and Justin were outstanding. The food was excellent, and even my picky daughter ate well at every meal. The accommodations and furnishings were beautiful, and the staff were welcoming, attentive, and friendly. Everyone at the camps prioritized safety and made sure we always felt comfortable and secure.

The actual safaris and activities we out-of-this-world. My goals of this trip were to have my adult children see the Big Five and to capture pictures of leopards. We saw a leopard on the first day! And around a dozen in all. Many amazing pictures were taken as well. With a side trip to see rhinos, we did see the Big Five, and many, many more wild African animals. We even caught tiger fish…

Thank you, Justin and Discover Africa,
Bill Reid

PS – Captured acceptable Milky Way photos in Botswana as a Bonus!

My wife and I and two of our friends took this trip, which covered South Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana. The trip was customized based on our needs and our Tour Manager/ Coordinator, Vihann, planned and executed with such ease and precision, I cannot think of anything to say that would make our experience any better.

Everything went like clockwork and we never had to worry about anything at all. He was also very flexible with last minute changes. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

We worked with Discover Africa to arrange our first ever Safari. Chrizaan from Discover Africa did a tremendous job in first understanding our requirements and wishes and then translating them into the perfect trip for us!

Everything was organized to the point and we did not have to fret about anything. We just had to bring our passport, money and good mood to enjoy an incredible vacation.

We felt like travelling with family!

Everybody was extremely friendly and the game reserves and lodges were first class. We saw all the animals we could have wished for and even more. We took so many photos, it will take weeks for us to decide which are the best ones. This is a great “problem” to have after such an exciting vacation. We are already talking about our next trip to Africa – and we would choose Discover Africa to organize the next trip for us again!

This was the most thrilling vacation I have ever taken. Justin at Discover Africa planned everything down to the finest detail so it was effortless, magical and perfect from start to finish. A trip of a lifetime and then some!

As a party of seven guests we found the travel arrangements seamless and the accommodation well suited to both older and younger members. In addition, we were of mixed bush experience with some seasoned safari members and some first timers. The Lodges and especially the guides were able to accommodate all levels of interest and discussion. We stayed at a lodge in the Chobe concession (our experienced and wise guide was Lebo) as well as in the delta in the Khwai concession (our guide Biyst was approachable and knowledgeable). The Lodges were well appointed, comfortable and the service friendly and impeccable. Discover Africa’s organizational skills were spot on! This was both affordable and value for money. They are clearly the experts in this area and we can highly recommend them especially for first timer safari travellers.

We had a truly magical safari experience perfectly planned & organised for us by Susan Veldman at Discover Africa.

We flew from Cape Town to Hoedspruit and then seamlessly transferred to the most beautiful lodge in the Karongwe private game reserve. We stayed at Kuname Lodge and it was perfect, the setting, the staff and the lodges were all wonderful and the food was amazing. The game drives from the lodge were so well organised and we saw so much big game.

The transfer back to airport and flight back to Cape Town were also seamless so the whole experience is everything we could have asked for.

If anyone asks me where to look when booking a South Africa adventure then I would say that they do not have to look any further than Susan!