7-Day Tanzania Getaway Review

Fantastic support in planning a once in a lifetime trip with amazing recommendations of places to stay whilst maximising the budget set. Thank you Chrizaan for your attention to detail in making this such a special trip. The partnership between Imvelo and the local community in Hwange was so special to witness, with the added benefit of walking with the rhinos!

We had an amazing time, and loved every minute. The tour was very well planned, and dealt with the many changes we made with ease.

Magic tour, the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen in all my life, I really love this ancestral land: nature, wise animals, and humans with very big heart.

The best trip of our lives!! I am so glad I came across Discover Africa and was paired with Dev. We started with a video chat and Dev listened to my vision for the trip- all of the things I was excited to do, and he shared his travel expertise. He took those ideas and created template for my dream trip to South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Zambia. Lots of back and forth finalizing the trip (I am very detail oriented in my planning and so is Dev, thankfully) and we came up with the perfect itinerary.

Dev was always quick to get back to me, which I appreciated. Dev and his team arranged all of our 6+ bush flights between the cities/countries, hotels, full transportation, accommodation etc. From the second we landed in Cape Town, my husband and I felt fully taken care of and safe. Dev recommended Leopard Hills for our safari lodge in the Sabi Sands- and were BLOWN away by them in every aspect. We had a boutique experience in Leopard hills as it only has 8 rooms and we felt very catered to. The lodge’s staff was top notch and we saw about 10 leopards, many lions/lioness, rare african wild dogs, hippos, rhinos, hyenas…you name it.

Nithya's Safari Experience

This was everything we wanted. This lodge was very ethical, which was important to us. There is so much that goes into planning the ideal African Safari and it is very helpful to have a good planner. At one point in Zimbabwe, I had to call Dev for a concern I had at the lodge. He answered right away and handled the issue. Couldn’t ask for more.

We have traveled to 20+ countries at this point and I can confidently say that this trip comes #1. Hands down would recommend this team if you are looking for an amazing safari experience.

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.

We are an Australian family of 6 and have just returned from a 2-week safari holiday in South Africa. Discover Africa was excellent. Devryn Panaino was our consultant and he was full of good information and always speedy with a return email.

There was not a single glitch during our holiday. The lodges and camps recommended were exactly what we asked for, with very comfortable accommodation and a couple of dietary requirements catered for every single meal. The guides and trackers were first-rate. They were very friendly and seemed to know everything about the African bush and its wildlife. They would get us into the best possible viewing spot every time and always so close to the animals.

Even the transfers were good – on time with friendly drivers and air-conditioned vans. Each transfer turned into a mini safari.
We hope to return to Africa in the next few years and will absolutely use Dev and the team at Discover Africa.

Steve's South Africa Safari Experience