What you need to know

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!).

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.

Fantastic unforgettable memories from this Kenya Tanzania migration tour!

Great for all accommodations, game drives and meals.

I worked with Justin Van Wyk at Discover Africa Safaris to arrange safaris in Zimbabwe and Botswana, including a stop at Victoria Falls, for two of my children and me. The safaris were exquisite, and Justin was phenomenal—professional, responsive, and detail-oriented. He patiently helped refine my changing requirements and dreams until we created a luxurious, once-in-a-lifetime trip. The adventure was extremely well organized: there were no surprises, we were greeted at each location, and transportation between destinations was well planned and flexible when needed.

The six luxury camps arranged by Discover Africa and Justin were outstanding. The food was excellent, and even my picky daughter ate well at every meal. The accommodations and furnishings were beautiful, and the staff were welcoming, attentive, and friendly. Everyone at the camps prioritized safety and made sure we always felt comfortable and secure.

The actual safaris and activities we out-of-this-world. My goals of this trip were to have my adult children see the Big Five and to capture pictures of leopards. We saw a leopard on the first day! And around a dozen in all. Many amazing pictures were taken as well. With a side trip to see rhinos, we did see the Big Five, and many, many more wild African animals. We even caught tiger fish…

Thank you, Justin and Discover Africa,
Bill Reid

PS – Captured acceptable Milky Way photos in Botswana as a Bonus!

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.

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!