Namibia in May

My best friend and I just recently returned from an excursion in South Africa. There are simply not enough adjectives to describe this experience. Starting with the initial “interview” with Matthys Van Aswegen…. Matt was so thorough, so personable and extremely knowledgeable. I was able to comfortably explain to him exactly what we wanted without feeling “snobby”. He put together a package that was amazing. Everything we wanted and more. I basically said we wanted to be treated like queens and we were! The accommodations he arranged in Cape Town, Simbambili and Rattary Lodge were unbelievable. Our main focus was to see as many exotic animals as possible. We saw absolutely every animal except the cheetah (extremely rare). Every. Single. One. We were treated to the rare sight of wild dogs, and a hippo OUT of the water as well.

Booked almost a year in advance, Matt was vigilant in his correspondence. He sent numerous suggestions for preparing for the trip which were extremely helpful and informative. He answered all of my emails and questions within 24 hours. Just before we left he also gave me his personal phone number in case we ran into any difficulties ( we didn’t). I can’t say enough about how incredible he was and firmly believe he was the reason our trip was so spectacular. After seeing my photos and videos, several friends are now interested in a Safari and I have strongly recommended him.

If anyone is interested in a Safari, Discover Africa would be the first place to start. Bar none.

Many thanks to Discover Africa for organising a great trip to Victoria Falls and Botswana. Chrizaan was extremely helpful in planning the trip (including promptly arranging visa related paperwork etc) and answering queries. The quality of the accommodations was great (with a particular shout-out to Jackalberry Lodge in Chobe, which is a beautiful property) with excellent service throughout. The guides at Chobe and the Okavango Delta worked hard to make sure that the wildlife sightings were great (was just a little unlucky given the recent freak flooding in the Delta – even then, I had two excellent leopard sightings in Khwai!). Would gladly reach out to Discover Africa to help plan future safaris.

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.

Our entire experience was magnificent. Everything was in place and perfectly reliable. We wanted for nothing and were taken care of every step of the way. To use the word “life changing” seems so cliché, but my husband and I both found the whole trip an amazing experience. From the first day we felt like we were in good hands. Communications from the start of planning to our trip home were clear and precise.

For organising just a great trip. Every destination was different, but all the accommodation was first class. The managers were first class and always had my transfers in hand. Took the helicopter ride at Victoria Falls really add to the walk along the Falls. The people in Botswana are wonderful and happy really added to the stay. The safaris were fantastic!

This was a well organized trip that smoothly transitioned us from one adventure to the next. All our transfers from hotels to airport to safari lodges were professional, courteous, and timely. We loved the places that were recommended and felt the pace of our trip was just right.

Jeanne's Southern Africa Experience