Kruger, Timbavati and the Panorama Route

We booked our safari through Chrizaan and the whole experience was absolutely fantastic. From the very beginning, communication was smooth and easy – both via email and WhatsApp – which made the planning process stress-free.

Despite our limited availability, she managed to secure our flights, transfers, and an amazing tented lodge for the exact dates we needed. Everything was perfectly organized: confirmations, payments, and all travel documents were clear and sent well in advance.

During the trip, everything ran seamlessly, and we even had the incredible luck of seeing the Big Five, hippos, rhinos, giraffes, and so much more – truly unforgettable. The lodge itself was excellent: the food was delicious, and they even adapted meals to be gluten free for my partner, which was such a thoughtful detail and made a big difference to our stay.

The service exceeded our expectations, both in quality and in value for money. I would 100% recommend booking with Chrizaan – not only did we enjoy an unforgettable safari, but we also felt truly taken care of throughout the entire journey.

Barry helped me plan my dream safari to South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Botswana. I was nervous about getting transportation from the airport to my lodges and making sure I was able to make all my safaris on time. Barry planned my itinerary very carefully so I didn’t have anything to worry about.

He was also very good at responding to me consistently whenever I had questions. Sabi Sands, in South Africa, was my favourite. I was so lucky to be able to see the Big 5 on the very first game drive! The lodges in Sabi Sands were so luxurious and the hospitality was incredible. Each country had different terrain and was unique in its own way. I can’t wait to plan my next safari to Africa!

Organised a 10 day trip to Cape Town and a safari with Discover Africa. Fabulous experience with the travel, transportation, the tours, and the safari, and give full credit to Chrizaan at Discover Africa for doing an outstanding job.

Spent a fair amount of time evaluating different tour organisers, largely using reviews such as this to identify good ones, and hopefully avoid working with less reputable companies. I rarely write reviews but want to recommend people in a similar situation to strongly consider working with Discover Africa, especially if the rest of their company is staffed with people like Chrizaan. Collectively, we established timing, budget targets, and experiences. She provided suggestions for 4 days in Cape Town and recommendations for the type of safari experience I wanted (family of 5, all adult children). Even with a 7-hour time difference, communication was prompt, questions and details answered, and her suggestions were perfect. Our family had a fabulous time (Cape Town, Jock Safari Lodge) and would return in a heartbeat. I would not even consider using any other travel advisor.

After being unable to visit South Africa since my last visit in 2019, I decided to use Discover Africa to organise my return to safaris. When I visit South Africa I usually arrange two safaris, one per week and use the weekends before, during and after the safaris to be with my friends who live in Centurion. I chose two areas, Madikwe in the northwest and Klaserie (Greater Kruger) in the north-east. My Travel Consultant at Discover Africa, Adelle Bell, then set about finding the best lodges in each area based on my interests and preferences. I had been to Madikwe on two previous occasions so I knew it was a good reserve and, while I had not been to Klaserie before, I had been to neighbouring Game Reserves in previous years.

Being a solo traveller can be difficult as lodges price their rooms on a ‘two sharing’ basis and this can mean either a reluctance to take a single occupant or a high single supplement. Adelle was amazing in getting me bookings at lodges in both areas not only without the dreaded ‘single supplement’ but also at very keen rates. In Madikwe I stayed 4 nights at Thakadu River Lodge where accommodation was in Luxury permanent tents set alongside the river. There are 12 tents running south of the lodge with the tents from number four onwards at increasingly long distances from the lodge. It would take me between 5 to 7 minutes to walk from my tent to the lodge and this may be a problem for those with reduced mobility. Facilities and staff at the lodge were first class and the food was of a high standard.

It should be noted that drinks were not included but the prices of local brands were reasonble (ZAR80 for a large, 250 ml, glass of red wine). The game drives were well organised and my guide, Vincent, was very knowledgeable and adept and finding the animals in the very large reserve. As I said, I have been to Madikwe before so I knew that the game viewing there is first class and I can wholeheartedly recommend it. Thakadu is a lodge that is run by a local collective so as well as having a memorable safari, you are also supporting a local enterprise.

At Klaserie I stayed at Camp George, part of the Simbavati Group of lodges, for 6 nights. The camp is in an excellent site adjacent to a dry river bed and has its own waterhole. The rooms and lodge facilities are of a very high standard and are relatively new (about 10 years since construction). The lodge managers and staff are very welcoming and attentive and have an obvious enthusiasm and love of the bush. Even though the lodge is very luxurious you do not feel isolated from the bush as you can do in some other high-end lodges. At only 8 rooms set around the central lodge buildings, it was like being part of a small group of friends which made for a very relaxing stay.

The game drives were ably handled by our guide, Julius, who worked hard to ensure that we had the best opportunities to see the animals in the area. Game viewing in high summer can be difficult as the bush is dense and in full leaf. Spotting the animals, even large ones can be tricky as there is plenty of cover which can conceal them even though they are very close. When you do find the animals you have a greater sense of achievement just because you know how difficult it is. However, we were able to get some great sightings including 6 separate sightings of leopards involving 4 individuals. If you like your lodge to have all the amenities and be of a high standard, then I can thoroughly recommend Camp George.

I can also recommend putting your trust in the consultants at Discover Africa to organise your trip. Adelle coped with my constant requests for updates and reassurances (I suffer from being one of life’s victims of Murphy’s Law!) in a considerate and supportive way. She said that she would look after me with my trip itinerary and she did precisely that. These were my 12th and 13th safaris so I have had plenty of experience with booking safaris through various travel companies, Discover Africa is up there with the best.

The communication was excellent – we put in our questions each evening and had our answers the following morning. We went back & forth on what we wanted to do and what we could afford. Megan managed to squeeze in everything we wanted to do and even helped us find a cooking class in Johannesburg that she had attended. It ended up being one of the highlights of our trip.

All the safaris (we went to 4 different safaris – 2 in both in Kruger and Chobe) were amazing. We managed to see the BIG five and much, much more.

The accommodations were fabulous and all the guides and staff couldn’t have been more helpful. We thought this trip to Africa would take it off our bucket list but while in Africa, we got hooked and want to go back – next time to Tanzania + Kenya + Morocco. It would be hard to pick our favorite spot, but our stay in Simon’s Town at Simon’s guest House had to top the list.

Thanks for helping us plan the trip of a lifetime. We look forward to planning another trip with you in the future.

We worked with Megan coordinating a trip to South Africa to visit our daughter, a teacher for the Peace Corps. Her remote location meant there were some logistical issues right from the start….. We wanted to visit her , her host family,and her school before heading out.

We trusted Megan’s recommendations on travel, sights and experiences, and lodging and couldn’t be happier the way it all turned out. An unfortunate example of her expertise….. We were booked for 2 nights in Knysna, and the Knysna area experienced heartbreaking wildfires just a short time before our trip. Our lodge literally burnt to the ground. Megan was able to seamlessly find excellent lodging nearby and the trip went on without a hitch.