Review: Safari in Botswana, South Africa, and Zimbabwe

This is the second safari holiday we have used Dev to organise. We had the privilege of visiting three beautiful lodges on this trip, Devs recommendations in three different locations, Sabi Sands, Timbavati, and Makalali, which entailed a lot of organising with pick up and drop by road, each of which was flawless almost to the minute.

First stop was Sabi Sands where we saw the big five within 30 minutes, Unbelievable!

Next stop was Timbavati known for the possibility of seeing the rare white lion, second day out we saw the white lion cub (one of three in the world so we were told ) a gorgeous dirty little white cub with the pride, once again magic. Next stop was Makalali, Dev had mentioned the possibility of seeing cheetahs, after a lot experienced tracking and off road driving we came across two magnificent males basking in the sun, unbelievable.

On our last day when due to leave, a Saturday, my wife fell ill and could not travel, one phone call to Dev, he had transfers rearranged, flights cancelled and rebooked, which took all the stress out of a stressful situation.

I cannot speak highly enough of Dev and Discover Africa.

From start to finish, every phase of our trip was seamless. From the man who greeted us at Nairobi airport when we arrived to the woman who assisted us at our departure, we were taken care of perfectly. Our lodges at Saruni Samburu and Saruni Mara were beautiful. The staff was welcoming and we had genuine conversations that gave us an appreciation of their culture. Matthys at Discover Africa listened to our priorities. He communicated well and made our remarkable safari to Kenya a dream come true.

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 started to plan our Safari only 2 months prior to arriving in South Africa. The planning and logistics provided by Discover Africa were superb. We only visited Botswana (4 different camps for 2 nights each) and each camp was a wonderful, and yet very different experience in terms of geography and animals. We will definitely be coming back to visit other countries in Southern Africa.

Justin helped me book my camp experience with short notice, he made the whole process very easy, took care of everything, was easy to contact and my trip was perfect.

Excellent trip! Chrizaan was fantastic — she helped us every step of the way and organised a truly magical journey.
I 100% recommend Discover Africa.