Makalali Private Game Reserve

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!

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.

What we appreciated was the effort in doing all the best to satisfy our requests! So everything was as expected.. the tented camp (everything was like at home),the game drive( we asked a private tour), the position of the camp ( very important for us, we saw animals from our tent).. attention to the quality of food, served every night in a nice way!! We asked the box lunch every day.. in order to eat it in the middle of the Savana!! Silvia..

Silvia's Tanzania Experience

Africa was on my travel “wishlist” but I never thought I would actually get there

That all changed when our son was home for a visit over Christmas. He announced that he and a friend were going to Africa. They had selected DISCOVER AFRICA to plan their trip. He shared all the details with us and we decided it was an adventure we had to experience as well.

Our son connected us with Vihann Van Wyk at Discover Africa, the same agent he was using. Vihann was a pleasure to work with. He coordinated our trip with our son’s and tweaked the details as requested. Communication was a breeze through both email and WhatsApp. Vihann made suggestions as well as accepted specific requests from us to build a custom itinerary. No detail was overlooked. Some accommodations were adjusted to keep us within budget without sacrificing our experience.

All drivers, tour guides, experiences & lodging did not disappoint. All internal flights were on Airlink …. better than some regional airlines in the USA. The weather was perfect too!

Deborah's Safari Experience

Our itinerary included:

*CAPE TOWN – Radisson Blu Waterfront Hotel….very nice property with an excellent breakfast and beautiful outdoor dining. Must sees were the full day Cape Tour, Wine Tour to Stellenbosch, Table Mountain and High Tea at the Cape Grace Hotel.

*KRUGER NTL PARK – Lion Sands Tinga Lodge….a dream experience! Excellent private bungalow, twice daily game drives, delicious food, and a wonderful massage and facial at the spa. The staff was outstanding.

*VICTORIA FALLS – Shongwe Lookout Lodge…a modest property that met all our needs and saved us some money. We experienced the Zambezi River sunset cruise, Victoria Falls ( incredible!! ) , lunch at the Lookout Cafe and a visit to the historic Victoria Falls hotel for lunch.

*JOHANNESBURG – Marriott African Pride Hotel in Melrose Arch ….an upscale area with lots of shopping and dining. The Soweto Tour was an experience not to be missed. We visited Nelson Mandela’s office and home. The Apartheid Museum was sobering and moving.

Lastly, every where we went we met the nicest people….friendly and helpful.

Excellent adventure! An experience like no other!

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 landscape and some of the animals that you see, including the Oryx. You don’t see as many animals as in other locations, which would be expected in the desert, but the experience was wonderful and we are glad we started there.

Our next stop was in the Okavango Delta (Splash Camp) which exceeded our lofty expectations. Before we made it to our camp from the landing strip we saw a leopard and hundreds of various animals including giraffes, zebras, elephants, etc. While in the delta we saw another leopard, a large pride of lions that were resting in trees, which is very unusual, hundreds (estimated at 600) buffalo and we actually experienced a lion hunt where a group of four siblings successfully secured a young buffalo. Our last stop was on the Kwando River (Lagoon Camp) and this was actually the jewel of the trip. There weren’t as many prey animals as in the delta, but predators were abundant and the hippos were unbelievable. We saw 3 leopards, two young brothers together and another very shy female, many lions from a couple of prides included several mature males, 2 cheetahs (brothers that travelled and hunted together), and a small pack of African Wild Dogs including 4 adults and 6 puppies.

Our guides and trackers were exceptional at all locations, but Mr. T stood out at Kwando’s Lagoon camp. All of our stays were at Kwando camps and I will write them a separate review, but they were fantastic! Back to Megan, we thought that the lengths of stays and the order of our stays was perfect and very well planned. She is so easy to work with and truly tries to meet your personal goals and experiences for the trip. We thought this may be our last trip to Africa, but we are now fully onboard to come back, likely in a few years with our grown children. There is no question that we will revisit Botswana, we can’t say enough about the people, the landscape and the wildlife, they are all lovely.

When there are so many choices out there for safari tours, we were a little overwhelmed. But when we reached out to Adele from Discover Africa, she is prompt in her response and understood our request and very quickly she put together a tour that is one of the best holiday of our lives!

At Hoya Hoya we were greeted with the most amazing hospitality, and even though it’s full board, the chef prepared different dishes the 3 days we were there. Andrew, our driver and guide is fantastic, and we saw the big five during our stay and of course the ‘live tv’ just opposite our dining place allow us the best experience of our lives. The elephants, giraffes and even hyenas visited the watering hole that Hoyo Hoyo built was just brilliant.

Our next adventure at Chisomo Karongwe private game reserve did not disappoint. On top of the big five, Polly (guide) and Eddie (tracker) made my dream came true by spotting 3 cheetahs during the morning drive.

We would like to thank Adele for planning this once in a lifetime trip for us and thank you Africa for the memories for life.