Discover Africa Reviews and Testimonials

Discover Africa organized an amazing 11-day trip for us to Masai Mara, Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Southern Serengeti/Ndutu. It was our first trip to Africa, and thanks to the wonderful experience, we are definitely coming back for more. Our tour planner was Vihann.

After an initial consultation to understand our interests, Vihann put together a few options for us to pick from. Throughout the process, he was very flexible and adjusted the tour a few times to meet our specific needs. Of all the tour operators we spoke to, Discover Africa was the only one that was able to get us the tour we wanted while still staying within our budget.

They did a great job at minimizing travel time between the various lodges we stayed in – this was something other tour operators failed to do to this extent. We stayed at Kichwa Tembo in Masai Mara, Serena lodge in Ngorongoro, and at Lemala Ndutu Mobile camp in Serengeti. Highly highly recommend all of these places, especially Kichwa Tembo and Lemala if you want the authentic safari lodge experience.

We were blown away by the hospitality throughout the trip. Our tour guides were patient, and knowledgeable and planned each safari carefully. We got a private vehicle and tour guide for 6/9 days we were on Safari in Tanzania. Our guide, Ebenezer (Ben), played a big role in making our trip memorable – highly recommend asking for Ben to be your tour guide.

Our safari vehicles were great as well – rugged, reliable, well-equipped (refrigerator, chargers etc.), and spacious! Overall, highly highly recommend Discover Africa for your Africa travel plans!

I discovered Susan Swanenpoel @ Discover Africa Group whilst getting quotes for a short safari for 4 people. Her quote was the most competitive, with the most luxurious lodge and comprehensive travel and advice. Due to issues with airline, she then had to rearrange our transportation which she did late into the night and weekends.

Once we arrived at Becks Lodge we were treated to the most stunning facilities, the rooms and views are beautiful and the food was as good as a top restaurant. The game drives were AMAZING and we saw the big 5 multiple times. Throughout the trip Susan kept in constant contact to make sure we were ok .

From the moment I stumbled across the website with the multitude of fabulous safari options I have been amazed at the service provided. In an age sadly when online tourism booking can be a minefield we had the best advice and care for our trip.

If you want faultless service to THE best safari places, with great travel options and constant communication look no further that Susan at Discover Africa Group!

Discover Africa Safaris provided elite service from start to finish. After explaining what I was looking for in a safari trip, and my approximate budget, I received multiple itinerary options within 12 hours. Not only was each itinerary reflective of exactly the preferences I had set, but (1) every single accommodation option was amazing (2) a few options I had not found anywhere else during my own hours of research (3) the online itineraries themselves were extremely informational and user-friendly. I cross-referenced the prices provided with each itinerary with what they would be had I booked everything individually myself, and found them to be comparable.

After booking the trip, Megan at Discover Africa provided extremely helpful information (a travel tip and packing document, confirmation vouchers, an emergency contact number) and would check in every so often to make sure I didn’t have questions. Her communication was always helpful and never overbearing or spam-like, as I have experienced with other operators.

And finally, the trip itself: absolutely extraordinary. It is one that will stick with me for the rest of my life and it was 100% a result of using DiscoverAfrica. I will use them again whenever I come back, and have already sent out their information to friends and family. I highly recommend their services, you will not find anything better.

Our 3 safaris in Botswana- we were transported to a new world, in the company of wild animals. The three Kwando camps brought us to a variety of terrains. Each offered great care and expert guides and trackers. Thank you Megan and Discover Africa!

We are a family of 5 with three kids between 12-17 living in Melbourne, Australia. Coming out of Covid lockdown we were considering our options for the Christmas holidays; we wanted to do something special and were targeting a 4-5 week trip away. Do we stay in Australia, go further North to somewhere in Asia (again), maybe go East to the Pacific or further to South America or, as we finally decided, go west to Africa.

My wife and I had been very fortunate to have travelled reasonably extensively and independently in Africa pre-kids but with a limited timeframe and kids in tow we decided to look for a slightly more organised trip. We still wanted a level of independence but with more certainty on accommodation, transfers and timeframes. Being very busy with work and life generally we also wanted to ‘outsource’ a lot of the local travel related ‘stuff’.

I reached out to Discover Africa via their website and was quickly contacted by Susan. From our very first zoom call with Susan I felt we were in very safe hands. Susan in a very experienced and knowledgeable operator and we quickly built a strong rapport. She was as interested in understanding who we were, how we like to travel as much as the where, when and budget. We told Susan our rough conceptual itinerary based around South Africa & Namibia. Yes we wanted to spend time on Safari but also wanted to expose the kids to local cultures and experiences.

After working with Susan on a number of iterations of the agenda we ended up settling on a self drive with a week in Cape Town and surrounds, driving North though Springbok into Namibia. In Namibia – Namib, Sossusviel, Swakopmund, Erongo Mountains (for Christmas), Etohsa and back down to Windhoek. From there we handed the car back and flew to Vic Falls transiting to Botswana – Kasane Forest and down to Savuti then back to Vic Falls then out via Johannesburg back to Melbourne. While it was not peak season for Safari we did have an amazing time and all without the crowds.

Yes the driving distances were large (Australians are generally quite used to this) and most of the roads quite rough but in all 100% worthwhile. Susan’s suggestions for accommodation were absolutely on point and all aspects went smoothly. We did have some mechanical issues with the car we rented – a new Toyota Fortuna from Avis – cracked rim in the middle of the desert and some other issue that required a replacement car. Susan was across this and on the phone to Avis. She was in constant contact, checking how were were travelling, if we need anything and checking we made our destinations. She was like a travel support team and as always keen to hear what we had been doing, how the kids were enjoying everything and providing suggestions for interesting stops along, things to do or watch out for or restaurants worth visiting. The detailed itinerary Susan provided in .pdf and on the website, including all supporting documentation and vouchers, was extensive and detailed. This included driving directions and times.

I cannot recommend Susan and Discover Africa highly enough and will definitely be using their services again (hopefully sooner rather than later).

In mid-2022, my 73-year-old mother decided that she wanted to take a trip after being cooped up in the house for several years. She had gone on a safari in Kenya back in the 1980s and wanted another adventure along those lines. I suggested South Africa and the rest was history. Discover Africa Safaris was actually one of the first tour companies I came in contact with while looking for the perfect trip to accommodate our group: me (31), my mother (73), my cousin (38), and her father (71).

We were a group of varying energy levels & ability, so I was somewhat worried about finding the right fit. It was not long after contacting Discover Africa that I realized my fears were unfounded. They took care of everything — even making suggestions and moving things around for us that I had not even considered. I’ve done a considerable amount of solo travel & backpacking where I’ve had to personally organize every single aspect of the trip, and it felt wonderful to just let it go and let the professionals take charge.

Our agent Alice was excellent — she always responded to our questions quickly & thoughtfully (despite the pesky time difference) and organized an unforgettable trip across two lodges (Arathusa in Sabi Sands & Jock Safari Lodge in Southern Kruger, respectively) where we met wonderful people, ate incredible food, made lifelong contacts, and experienced wildlife and nature in a way that I can only describe as spiritual and life-affirming.

As I mentioned before, this is not necessarily the style of travel that I’m used to so I don’t have the best reference point for overall cost, but I believe that the value and quality of tour we received was well worth the money spent, especially with such a wide range of ages in our group. Not once was I ever worried about our group’s safety, health, or the overall quality of service we received on this trip. It was the perfect way to sit back, relax, and experience the beauty that this world has to offer. If you’re itching for an adventure appropriate for all ages and skill levels, look no further than Discover Africa Safaris!

My family and I went on a vacation and Safari in December 2022. We visited Capetown and private game reserves around Johannesburg. I coordinated our trip with Discover Africa and our assigned consultant Susan S.

We really enjoyed our trip, which was very well coordinated and hassle free which was really important to me. Right from the itinerary, domestic flights check, rental car and sight seeing suggestions on what to do in Capetown.

Our consultant Susan S, was “first class”, and she even checked in with up during our vacation on how things were going.

We had a slight hiccup in one of our in the hotel we were staying in Capetown, but the hotel made appropriate adjustments, and Discover Africa also followed up and made sure appropriate adjustments were made. Overall, we had a wonderful vacation!

If you are looking for a stress free and well coordinated and relaxing vacation, recommend Discover Africa. “Five Stars” for our consultant, Susan S who was wonderful and really a pleasure to work with. Thanks Susan!!!!!

Megan Warrington from Discover Africa was awesome. I actually used two different operators for safaris (Megan for South Africa and another for Botswana) and she was a lot more timely, helpful and organized. Also, Megan can handle your bookings in Botswana as well so in hindsight, I should have used her for all my travels!

We had the most amazing experience with Susan who went above and beyond to make sure our first time in South Africa was pleasurable and one to remember. Susan was patient with us while we scrambled with dates and decided to change what we wanted to do halfway through our holiday.

She also made sure to match us perfectly with a safari tour that would fit our active lifestyles so we were kept busy throughout the days. Our tour was most incredible, the value for money was well beyond what we paid for and we saw all the animals we were wanting to see plus more!

Thank you Susan, we thoroughly enjoyed our holiday and appreciate your expertise and knowledge of South Africa while organising our trip.

Megan was amazing. Due to covid, our plans changed quite a few times. Megan kept in contact for 2 years during the pandemic. My husband and i would make plans, then have to change them. Megan was patient, informative and amazing. She planned our dream trip to Zimbabwe. It was perfect. Helicopter flight, micro flight, guided tour of the falls and fishing on the Zambezi river. I would book with her again.

We have had an incredible experience in South Africa and we can thank discover Africa and our agent Vihann for that. We have no complaints with the experiences organised, the transfers, or the accommodations; it was pretty much perfect all around.

If there is one note for improvement it would be that we felt that White River where we stayed for a few nights was quite remote for doing the panoramic tour and we thought Graskop might have been more central. But overall a 10/10 expereince.

Discover Africa , and Matthys van Aswegen in particular, was a pleasure to work with. Firstly, his patience and understanding is a true fine attributive of his. We started talking about a safari to South Africa in mid-2019. We had both phone calls and email exchanges, and he was always responsive with concrete intelligent answers.

In fact, he sent me many options/packages that were only in Kruger, and others that included Botswana, whatever combination I asked him for, he put together happily. However, by the end of 2019, not knowing about Covid yet, we simply weren’t ready to go on Safari yet. He never put any pressure and was quite understanding.

We then spent most of 2020 emailing back and forth again during the pandemic, with many more questions and options. In Dec 2020, I finally booked a Safari with him to Mala Mala camp in Sabi Sands(one camp , 4 nights, seven game drives), as well as visits to Johannesburg and Cape Town.

We continued to exchange emails during 2021, updating and tweaking the itinerary, when suddenly the Omicron variant hit during Thanksgiving. Since there was MUCH uncertainty with Omicron and our trip was a few weeks away, I couldn’t take chance with my family’s well-being and potentially getting stuck in South Africa.

So I postponed the entire trip for a year to Dec 2022. Matthys, once Again, was only understanding and flexible! He helped me re-book everything to Dec 2022 AND I even rearranged the itinerary completely, and he was accommodating and cooperative. He was also able to transfer all of my pre-payments for Mala Mala, other hotels, flights, to Dec 2022 so that not one penny was lost!

In short, he was amazing ! We just returned a few days ago and the safari at Mala Mala was something me and family will always treasure. We also very much enjoyed Cape Town and the winelands! Discover Africa gets an A+ !