Review: Safari in Botswana, South Africa, and Zimbabwe

Discover Africa Safaris made the entire experience very enjoyable. If anything went wrong Dev and his team were on it in moments. Every part of the trip was conducted by professionals from Federal airlines to the two safari lodges.

I can’t say enough about the Impodimo Lodge. The guide and tracker were excellent in both knowledge of the area and all the different animals we saw. All the meals were excellent and the staff were all so helpful and pleasant. We especially enjoyed sitting each night with our “jeep mates” for a great dinner and conversation. Sebastian, our guide would also regale us with wonderful stories. Sebastian, even ensured we made the last day morning trip because of a chance that there were cheetahs in the area. Sure enough we were able to take numerous photos of the 5 brothers and still make the flight back to Johannesburg.

Moving on to Hoyo Hoyo Safari lodge proved to be just as great. Although the meals were structured with only Trish and I at our table, the food was to die for with local dishes and wonderful desserts. Again the staff was of a caliber designated for 5 star accommodations. It also didn’t hurt when the afternoon elephant parade interrupted lunch time. I believe the only downside to our entire excursion was the return flight from Hoyo Hoyo as it was a commercial flight. That is how great of a time we had when the only thing to complain about was what every traveler complains about no matter where they are.

May I just say that if we were to make another trip I would be hesitant to use anyone other than Devryn and Discover Africa Safaris as our planner for another trip of a lifetime. Thanks to all!

We really enjoyed our trip from South Africa to Botswana and Zimbabwe! Sometimes a lot of whether a trip is successful comes down to the logistics. In this case, Susan Veldman and the company took care of all details related to our accommodations, transitions between countries and transportation from day to day so that our trip was seamless. The vendors and their staffs (hotels, restaurants, drivers, etc.) were so helpful and friendly. The experience was amazing!

All advising given by Discover Africa (in our case, by Justin Van Wyk) was really helpful and the programe they have outlined was great. Everything went really smooth and professional.

We have just returned from the most incredible 2 week trip in Africa, travelling to Kruger National Park, Cape Town and Victoria Falls – it was made all the more special by the incredible guidance, planning and organisation of Discover Africa, specifically Cayleigh. During the planning stage, nothing was ever too much trouble – they went to great lengths to listen to what we wanted in terms of destinations and type of accommodation and it all ended up being EXACTLY what we were looking for! The trip itself was seamless, with every single pre-arranged transfer and activity being on schedule. Cayleigh also provided contact details and checked in on us during the trip, to ensure everything was going smoothly. There is also a post trip check-in. Discover Africa provide an extraordinary service and we cannot recommend them highly enough!

In terms of the trip itself, there are just too many highlights to list but some of them were – extraordinary animals on safari and absolutely gorgeous Thornybush Lodge in Kruger, penguins and Table Mountain in Cape Town and basically everything in Zimbabwe – Shongwe Lookout was an intimate boutique hotel, sunset cruise (so many hippos!), elephant encounter, Victoria Falls and Lookout cafe, visit to a local village and the Simunye: Spirit of Africa show. We just want to go back and do it all again!

Very professional; quick to respond. The trip itself was fantastic. The lodging and the game drives were great. Guide was great; he anticipated where hard-to-find animals would show up. Lodge staff were very friendly. Food was great.

Akos Ledeczi East Africa Experiece

We had a wonderful experience with Discover Africa from the planning stage all the way through to the end of the trip. I communicated what my family was looking for with a visit to Africa and Vihann helped construct a trip that provided the quality and experience to match our wishes. Using a travel agent, communication is of the upmost importance and Vihann was readily available during all parts of planning via email and even during the trip via WhatsApp.

If you choose to visit multiple countries in Africa and remote locations within those countries, transportation and logistics can be very challenging, and we were consistently at ease during our travel knowing that we’d always be in the correct place at the correct time because of Discover Africa. There were no hiccups or concerns going between locations and that alone made using Discover Africa worth it. In addition to logistics, Vihann chose incredible accommodations at each location in Botswana, Zimbabwe, and South Africa.

The camps in Botswana (African Bush Camps Kwai Lediba & Atzaro Okavango) and Zimbabwe (Old Drift Lodge) were luxurious and intimate and the staff at the camps made our stays far exceed expectations. On top of the camp hosts and staff being personable and accommodating, the safari guides were extremely knowledgeable and made it possible for us to see every kind of wildlife we wished to that was native to the areas (including lions, elephants, leopards, hyenas, hippos, and wild dogs).

While the price for the overall trip can change quite a bit based on the accommodations you choose, I strongly recommend paying the additional dollars for the comfort and service that you receive at the higher-end camps. Overall we had an amazing trip due to the planning and service provided by Discover Africa and Vihann. I would absolutely use them again in the future knowing that we would be taken care of and set up for success.