Tanzania in April

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.

First safari for us – 3 days in Arusha, 2 Tarangire, 2 Ngorongo, 4 Serengeti and 6 in Zanzibar.

We found the choice of potential locations, accommodation, routes etc almost bewildering at first. Matthys at DA carefully sought to understand we were looking for and came up (after a couple of face to face discussions and several emails) with a suitable schedule

Pre and mid trip communication was excellent. The DA portal is very detailed and comprehensive and the app was very useful on a day to day basis once we arrived in Tanzania.

The recommended accommodation and transport was mostly superb, only issue was transferring from Kogatendi to Zanzibar where a supposed direct flight was in fact 2 flights with a 2 hour delay on the second, meaning we arrived in Zanzibar around 4 hours later than planned. We understand this happens quite regularly in the bush so not a big deal.

My wife was unfortunately taken ill during the trip (not attaching any blame to any lodge or hotel, these things can happen any time). An initial doctor visit was very well handled by our first guide (en route from Tarangire to Ngongoro), and after a slight recovery she again went downhill when we in the Serengeti. Between Matthys from DA and our driver in Zanzibar a hospital visit was pre-arranged when we arrived and the recommended hospital was excellent. The camps in Ngongoro, Serengeti and the hotel in Zanzibar really couldn’t have done any more to make sure she was as comfortable as possible.

The accommodation was fabulous in all locations and the two guides/drivers absolutely exceptional. All arrangements went as planned and everyone we encountered were so friendly and helpful. Despite the illness disruption we saw many amazing things, too many to list here,

Would very happily recommend DA and use them again.

From the very beginning, Bianca was a wonderful help in planning our South African safari. Her knowledge, attention to detail, and thoughtful recommendations made our trip truly exceptional.

Becks Safari Lodge was, in our group’s opinion, a six-star experience. The attention to detail throughout the property, in our luxurious rooms, during every meal, and on the game drives was simply impeccable. Every aspect exceeded our expectations.

There were so many standout moments, but for me, the most memorable was the way the staff came together to celebrate my friend’s birthday. From the delicious cake they prepared to their beautiful singing voices that sounded like angels, it was a heartfelt experience that we will treasure for the rest of our lives.

Bianca also recommended that we spend three nights in Franschhoek, and it turned out to be one of the highlights of our South African adventure. It was a perfect recommendation.

We cannot thank Bianca enough for helping create such an unforgettable holiday, and we will definitely book through her again on our next visit to South Africa.

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.

We had an amazing experience at Walkers Plains Camp. The wildlife viewing was superb from start to finish. Our guide Millie and tracker were super friendly, extremely knowledgeable and made the game drives an absolute pleasure.

The camp was very luxurious, incredibly clean and tidy and the staff were on hand at all times for everything we needed.

They couldn’t have done more and they made us feel very special.

These are memories that will stay with us forever.

We booked the safari through Bianca Angelucci at Discover Africa. She was so accommodating and easy to work with. Taking care of everything from flights to any last minute changes that were needed.

Nothing was too much trouble and I will definitely be recommending them and booking my next trip with her help.

Everything was more than what I expected. From the safari drives to the lodging and food was five star. At the camps, one was pampered. Everyone was personable and made me feel at home. The entire trip was wonderful!