Safari Reviews & Testimonials

From start to finish the trip was not only well planned but every little question we had ( and we had quite a few) was answered quickly and in detail. Adelle was so approachable and even answered our emails at weekends. We were glad to have emergency numbers to contact the team during our trip but we didn’t need them.

The organisation of the car hire was very smooth all the extras we asked for were provided. The tour was superb- exactly what we wanted and the detail of information in the itinerary with contact information and directions was excellent. Occasionally a couple of the driving times were a little optimistic but in a country like Namibia with lots of gravel roads, this was to be expected.

The places we visited were stunning- Fish River Canyon, Kolmanskop, Sossusvlei, Spitzkoppe, Etosha National Park- to name just a few. The Gondwana lodges were excellent and we would definitely recommend them. All in all, an excellent experience and we will definitely use Discover Africa Safaris again.Thank you for organizing an unforgettable trip for us!

The planning and documentation provided by Discover Africa was detailed and well organized. Each camp was beautiful with extremely friendly and knowledgeable staff. This is key for a good safari experience — their ability to find where the action is in terms of the wildlife. I would strongly recommend for anyone considering a safari to book the private camps and not the national parks.

Reason is that in the national parks, they are not allowed to go off-road. So your chances of seeing wildlife depends on the animals walking across the roads they are allowed to travel. The ability to go off-road is a huge advantage as your experience the wildlife to the fullest….including their hunts for food.

My only suggestion for the camps would be to have better equipped gyms to work out. There is a fair amount of time between the morning and evening safaris and having a well equipped gym to work out would have been nice.

My experience was terrific. From the help I received to planning it, to the actual trip and the organization of the trip. There were no surprises. Susan Veldman expertly and promptly addressed all my concerns, before and while I was on the trip. The locations were magnificent and friendly to travelers. Highly recommended!

Ed's Botswana and Victoria Falls Safari Experience

Our Safari was for 15 days and included trips to four different camps in South Africa and Botswana with a side trip to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. Our first stay was four nights at Sabi Sands Bush Lodge in South Africa followed by three night stays at each of the three Sanctuary Retreat camps in Botswana – Chobe Chilwero, Stanley’s and Chief’s. The game drives at each camp were absolutely amazing and very exciting, and we saw an incredible amount of wildlife in the bush (saw the “Big Five” by day 2) and on the river at Chobe, more than we ever imagined.

The guides and trackers were experts in finding the wildlife and very informative in all aspects of animals, plants and birds. They were also very fun to be with. The staff at all the camps were very friendly and helpful and made sure we were safe and comfortable. The accommodations were impeccable and gorgeous, and the food was very varied and delicious.

Our travel planner, Susan Veldman, was fabulous from the start with the planning of our Safari to keeping in touch with us daily during the whole trip. All transfers and connections to the different camps were seamless. We would HIGHLY recommend Susan and Discover Africa to anyone planning a Safari. Thank you, thank you for this most amazing trip ever!!!

Karen & Bill's Safari Experience

I cannot say enough good things about Diane Du Plessis and Discover Africa. Diane worked with us to design the perfect safari vacation, that included stops in Cape Town, Victoria Falls, Africa Bush Camps – Somalisa Camp in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe and Mala Mala private reserve in Sabi Sands, South Africa. While we had done some research, we were learning as we went along.

Diane provided us with excellent information and choices. Her choices for the safari camps/lodging were key – Somlalisa Camp was a private concession and Mala Mala was private land. This made all the difference as we were not competing with a ton of vehicles since access was restricted. This made the game drives and sightings incredibly intimate – and you get very close to the animals! You can also drive off-road, since it is private or leased land. I don’t think I truly appreciated this distinction until we were there experiencing it and being told about how many vehicles descend on sightings in the public areas of the national parks.

Diane was always patient with us and incredibly responsive to our emails with questions and changes. She listened and responded to us. Every aspect of our trip was taken care of, we didn’t have a care to worry about, from airport transfers, to flights, to excursions. And, every aspect of the logistics went seamlessly. Her lodging recommendations were perfect, each location got better and better. We culminated our trip at Mala Mala, which was truly stunning from the lodging to the safari game drives.

Diane – thank you so much! You made it seem so easy, but we know you had to do a lot of work behind the scenes. This trip was a perfect ten – wish we could say 12 – because of Diane at Discover Africa. I highly recommend using Diane if you are planning a safari in Africa. She will not disappoint!! If and when we go back, we will be using Diane!

Discover Africa was the top of my google search for African safaris. I looked at other operations, but the Discover Africa was clearly superior in terms of communication, choice and flexibility. It was my first trip to Africa, so I was unsure how to proceed, but the quality of Discover Africa, through my contact there Diane du Plessis, was clearly superior.

On the ground, every part of the tour was expertly handled, and the accommodation choices superlative. I cannot recommend Discover Africa too highly. Any issue I had during the tour was immediately responded to.

We recently completed our African Safari arranged with the help of Susan Veldman with Discover Africa. About one year ago, I began researching African safari trips. I began with Abercrombie and Kent as they are world renowned for their expertise with African safaris. I contacted them on their website and for some reason they did not return my two inquiries for almost two weeks. Meanwhile, I contacted five other companies, some in the states and some in Africa and had multiple conversations with many knowledgeable tour experts and tried to educate myself on where to go, what to see, when to go, etc.

After speaking with Susan and feeling comfortable with her, we began to game plan. I used the Abercrombie tour as a basis for the trip. The end result was building on this with Susan. In fact, adding four days at another camp for less money. I was very concerned with hand-holding as the logistics of the trip was very complex. I also wanted all gratuities taken care ahead of time as that can be uncomfortable. Who to tip, how much? We booked our own flights with Qatar business class and the Q Suites. The airline lives up to its reputation. We flew with a stopover in Doha, Qatar and experienced the number one air lounge in the world (Al Mourjan) which again more than lived up to its reputation.

Nick Safari Experience

We flew into Johannesburg and from there we were under the care of Susan. From there on, everything went on without a hitch. Meet and greets, automobile transfers, baggage handling, inter country flights, including bush flights and helicopter tours were smooth as could be. All gratuities were taken care of and I did not have to worry about that. The camps, food, activities and service at all the camps was spectacular. In Johannesburg, we stayed at the Saxon Hotel…..as did Nelson Mandela, Oprah and the Clintons. From there we flew to Sabi Sands Bush Lodge on the recommendation of Susan. Next was Sanctuary Chobe Chilwero, Sanctuary Stanley’s Camp and Chief’s Camp which I borrowed from Abercrombie.

Each camp had its own flavor in terms of location, geography, design and game drives. Each camp was luxurious in its own way. The wildlife, the food, the accommodations, the guides and trackers, the game drives…..all superb! We arrived home last night tired but thrilled with the experience. I cannot recommend Susan and Discover Africa highly enough. Susan delivered everything we asked for without ANY glitches and maintained daily contact with us throughout the trip. The only way this trip could have been better was if it were free :-). And having said that, I was happy to pay for it. Worth every penny…or Rand!

The lodges were excellent, with good food and great scheduling with lots of daily activities and amazing animal viewing. All transfers went smoothly. Okavanga lodge had amazing walking safaris. Moreno lodge had great safari drives. LarooLaTau had animals right off your deck and great drives as well.

Thanks to Discover Africa, I am addicted to Africa. Every tour is excellent. The lodges, the guides, the hostesses make the tour feel like you are in heaven. Nature and animals in complete freedom, and people touch your soul. Thank you, Megan!!!!!!

Discover Africa safaris helped us create the best trip we have ever experienced. Adelle was very knowledgeable and provided suggestions that really made this trip exceptional. Every minute of each day was organized and taken care of and seamless. Highly recommend.

Diane du Plessis looked after us during each step of the process. She carefully listened to all our wishes, budget, timing and vacation style… and she delivered the perfect safari.

Victoria falls, Chobe national park, Okavango delta and Ntwetwe pan are amazing sites that we enjoyed fully thanks to the luxurious and tailor made experience for each hotel and safari service.

Diane ensured we had all the necessary info prior to departures. Her proactivity gave us a good peace of mind.

Thomas Safari Experience

I used to live in South Africa and knew where I wanted to go and what I wanted to do. Planning this trip from afar was made SO MUCH EASIER with Matthys’s expertise! He brought the trip I was envisioning to life and was always quick to respond to my emails. Thank you Matthys and team! We had a wonderful trip, everything went smoothly!