Botswana Safari – Short and Sweet

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!

For organising just a great trip. Every destination was different, but all the accommodation was first class. The managers were first class and always had my transfers in hand. Took the helicopter ride at Victoria Falls really add to the walk along the Falls. The people in Botswana are wonderful and happy really added to the stay. The safaris were fantastic!

Working with Susan made our experience just perfect. She has everything organized and it all went so well. Her recommendations were perfect. We loved the safaris she chose, the lodges, guides, staff and the experience were wonderful.

Cayleigh put together an 18 day tour of Victoria Falls, Botswana and Namibia that was the best trip we have ever taken! The service was so personal and professional, we were taken care of every single step of the way. When a flight was cancelled for some of our party, Cayleigh was immediately in touch even though she was on vacation. Any time we had a question, Cayleigh was quick to respond. When our flights were changed and we were scheduled to arrive in the evening, she made sure that a dinner was waiting for us at the hotel. The accomodations were amazing, the staff at each lodge were awesome. All of our meals were exceptional, and included most of our beer and wine. Truly, it was an experience we will never forget.

We originally booked 4 nights in Zimbabwe and Botswana for April 2020. The original planning and booking process was simple. Megan at Discover Africa provided a variety of options for durations and locations, and we were able to select the number of nights and the hotels that worked best for our budget and what we wanted to see/do. It was easy to add excursions such as boat tours and a helicopter flight over Victoria Falls.

When Covid derailed our trip, we were able to defer all the bookings indefinitely. In Spring of 2021, we put everything back on track for May 2021, and Megan got us set up with appointments and the information we needed to get Covid PCR tests in Zimbabwe and Botswana. Everything went off without a hitch.

Victoria Falls was extraordinary. The land transit to Botswana was complicated, but handled adroitly by the Wild Horizons drivers. We would have had a real headache figuring out those specifics without an experienced guide on the ground.

Our time in Chobe National Park was wonderful; we saw so many animals from pretty close-up! Again, the guides here were great. All of our covid results came in very quickly, and we had no worries about making our next transit to another country. Can’t recommend Discover Africa enough for getting you to and around Southern Africa.

Even in these uncertain Covid times, it’s very doable (check local conditions frequently though, as things seem to change rapidly).

Judy from Discover Africa organized a spectacular 9 day safari in Botswana for us. Everything was very well organized, the accommodations and service were outstanding. Judy promptly answered all of our questions, was patient with our ever-changing plans, and coordinated an unforgettable trip for us. Can highly recommend.