Hideaways Mankwe Tented Retreat

We were referred to Discover Africa to book our honeymoon safari by friends who had used them previously and spoke very highly of them and we could not have been happier. We worked with Susan and Adelle and they listened to what we were thinking in regards to amount and types of adventures vs. leisure, settings, and budget and helped craft a great itinerary that made our honeymoon so special. They listened to what we wanted and gave advice when needed to help build this trip together.

We spent 4 days in Zanzibar at a hotel of their recommendation and it was the perfect way to start the trip coming right from the wedding. We then spent 8 nights on Safari and it was everything we could ever dreamed of. We had a private guide, Charmy, for 2 days in Tarangire, Lake Manyara, and the Ngorongoro Crater and he was one of the highlights of our trip. He was so welcoming, knowledgeable about the animals/environment, and was so easy to connect with that he instantly made us comfortable and excited about the trip. He listened to us and what we were hoping to see and also recommended and made it a personal experience that was so memorable. We couldn’t recommend Charmy more to anyone coming on a Safari. He was a perfect guide.

The second 4 days we were in the Northern Serengeti with a different guide, Habib, and had an equally amazing and different experience than the other 3 locations. We learned so much from Habib and Victor about the Great Migration, the habitats and habits of the animals that live on the savannah and really came away with incredible memories and knowledge. It was a phenomenal 4 days here.

The travel, transfers, and communication was seamless and allowed us to travel with ease around the 5 different locations on our 12 night trip. The Discover Africa team was there to help make it as easy for us to enjoy this trip as possible and they succeeded. Thank you!

Our trip to Kenya and Tanzania met and exceeded expectations! The Africa Safari Expert took our group’s information and my requests and created a trip that hit all the highlights of an African Safari. The itinerary took us through two countries and six regions – all with different views, animals and people. Accommodations were nicer than expected (even the temporary camp) and all were clean with extremely attentive and helpful personnel. All our guides were very knowledgeable, got us closer than expected to a wide range of animals and were responsive to our requests. For six days of the 12-day trip, we had two Discover Africa guides who were tremendous – they were nice, enthusiastic, friendly and extremely knowledgeable. It was obvious they were quite experienced, with books and maps to enhance their information.

Normally I love planning our trips but quickly realized it needed a professional since African travel is complicated by many factors. I picked Discover Africa because of a friend’s recommendation and their reviews. During the planning process, the Discover Africa representative provided an itinerary with detailed information (including pictures of the lodgings). Once the trip was booked, our representative made changes when our flights to/from were rebooked. As the trip got closer, they sent us comprehensive travel information (including pre-trip checklists). And there was an online link to our itinerary we used while on the trip!

I was especially impressed by all the vendors they used. All the guides, cars and planes were ready for us – no searching or waiting. All the lodgings were beautiful. And when there was an issue with a hotel (a water leak in one of the wings), another hotel had already been arranged (equally nice and down the street, and we got a free dinner too!).

First safari for us – 3 days in Arusha, 2 Tarangire, 2 Ngorongo, 4 Serengeti and 6 in Zanzibar.

We found the choice of potential locations, accommodation, routes etc almost bewildering at first. Matthys at DA carefully sought to understand we were looking for and came up (after a couple of face to face discussions and several emails) with a suitable schedule

Pre and mid trip communication was excellent. The DA portal is very detailed and comprehensive and the app was very useful on a day to day basis once we arrived in Tanzania.

The recommended accommodation and transport was mostly superb, only issue was transferring from Kogatendi to Zanzibar where a supposed direct flight was in fact 2 flights with a 2 hour delay on the second, meaning we arrived in Zanzibar around 4 hours later than planned. We understand this happens quite regularly in the bush so not a big deal.

My wife was unfortunately taken ill during the trip (not attaching any blame to any lodge or hotel, these things can happen any time). An initial doctor visit was very well handled by our first guide (en route from Tarangire to Ngongoro), and after a slight recovery she again went downhill when we in the Serengeti. Between Matthys from DA and our driver in Zanzibar a hospital visit was pre-arranged when we arrived and the recommended hospital was excellent. The camps in Ngongoro, Serengeti and the hotel in Zanzibar really couldn’t have done any more to make sure she was as comfortable as possible.

The accommodation was fabulous in all locations and the two guides/drivers absolutely exceptional. All arrangements went as planned and everyone we encountered were so friendly and helpful. Despite the illness disruption we saw many amazing things, too many to list here,

Would very happily recommend DA and use them again.

This was my 6th trip to South Africa and Botswana and, as always, Matthys van Aswegen made it a happy, safe, and exciting experience! My roommate, Glenna, and I thoroughly enjoyed the trip to South Africa’s Boulders Beach to visit the African Penguin Reserve and all the beautiful scenery in that area. Another Discover Africa staff member, Kayla Robson, joined Glenna and me for dinner one evening and it was such a delight getting acquainted with another Discover Africa person whose talents enrich the travel experience.

When we arrived in Botswana we were so pleased to have the two guides I have always requested and, even though I’ve been at Camps Moremi and Savute before, they provided us with safaris that added to my previous experiences, learning new things about animal behavior and, the bonus, twice seeing a cheetah – a cat I hadn’t yet seen in Botswana!

And I’m already planning my next trip to these two fabulous countries!

I was very pleased with the information, help and booking process provided by Cayleigh

Megan with Discover Africa did an excellent job planning our trip. We are from the US and it was so great to get her help. It made our trip so much easier. We flew into Cape Town and were there a few days. Then we were flown to Kruger National Park. Our stay was at Jock Safari Lodge. This place was fabulous. It is completely what you would want on a safari.

We were taken on 2 drives per day and we found all of the Big 5 and much more! Jacob was so informative. He knew so much detail about each animal and the vegetation. After 3 nights it was time to fly to Victoria Falls. Megan booked Insika Lodge. This place is gorgeous.

We then flew back to Cape. Stayed a few more days then flew home. Getting to and from Africa was separate from the rest of our trip. It was so well planned and our homes away from home were exactly what we would pick out ourselves. I cannot say enough good things!