Diving & Snorkelling in East Africa

My son Max and I just returned from an incredible trip to South Africa and Mauritus, and I can’t say enough about how exceptional Susan Veldman was throughout the entire process. From the very beginning she listened to what we wanted and designed an itinerary that was exactly right for us-thoughtful, seamless and perfectly tailored. Every detail was handled flawlessly. The drivers were prompt and professional, the local agents knowledgeable and the hotels outstanding.-each one what we hoped for. There was not a single disappointment on the trip which is rare for a trip of this scale.

What stood out the most was Susans care and attention. She checked in regularly to make sure everything was going smoothly.
I would highly recommend working with Discover Africa for a trip that would be memorable, stress free and tailored to your preferences and budget. Susan is not only incredibly organized but highly invested in making your experience special.

Debby Anziano's Safari Experience

She found the most outstanding places for us to stay with our favorite by far Leopard Hills Lodge in Sabi Sands Reserve, A small intimate lodge with incredible rooms, food and the game drives did not disappoint as we saw the big 5 every day and many leopards while feeling we were only ones in the park. I have been on several safaris in Africa but this was different how alone and private it was.

The other hotel I would not miss was one of the best hotels we ever stayed at in the world in Johannesburg, The Residence Hotel which was amazing and since our flight was cancelled due to a Lufthansa strike we had to stay an extra night which was also a highlight of our trip and we would go back to Johannesburg to stay there again.

Thank you Susan for making this such an amazing trip!

Chrizaan arranged an amazing safari experience for six of us, who came from the UK and Australia. She secured our booking at a superb Lodge in the Kruger at relatively short notice, tied in the flight transfers and ensured that the whole experience ran smoothly. She was extremely knowledgeable and nothing was too much trouble. We felt that we were in very capable hands, and Chrizaan was a delight to correspond with.

It was an extensive planning process to put together a 24 day safari and adventure trip covering Victoria Falls, Mana Pools and Hwange Park in Zimbabwe, followed by a wonderful experience in Botswana on the Chobe River and Okvango Delta. There were flight considerations and a few changed plans along the way. I was worried that I was becoming a bore but no, Adelle was just as excited to plan my trip as I was to go on it. Finally the day arrived and I boarded my flights and arrived in Victoria Falls after 36 hours of travel. There waiting for me was my shuttle driver and the hotel was amazing. The next day the same level of service and off to Mana Pools I went. Same wonderful level of service.

But 1.5 days later I fell in the middle of the night and fractured two discs in my back. The care and support I received from Adelle is what got me through what could have turned into a tragedy. She was there for me every step of the way and continued to check in with me after I was finally safe at home. I don’t know what I would have done without her. A 5 star rating is simply not enough. Discover Africa and Adelle deserve a million stars. Once my back is healed we will begin the planning process again. They have won not only my repeat business but also my heart. I cannot sing their praises loudly enough.

Cayleigh responded almost immediately to every question or concern that I had and resolved the issue quickly.

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 spot for breakfast which really made the trip feel even more special. She was a great sounding board throughout the planning process as well. We could not recommend Discover Africa enough!

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.