Clients Trip Reports Southern Africa: Jul – Aug 2024

Madagascar Nature and Wildlife Adventure

Elena, 

We had a fabulous time in Madagascar – what a wonderful country.  Masoala Lodge was truly outstanding. One of the top 3 places we’ve ever been, we’d love to go back.  Mandrare River also extremely good – brilliant service, and we really enjoyed Mantadia Lodge as well (and we were very glad to be “off the beaten track” at Mantadia and Maromizaha, rather than in the main park).  Thank you so much for all of your help arranging this special trip.

All the best

Cat Braden, Aug 2024

 

Safari to Zambia and Kenya

Dear Alison

The trip was fantastic.  The Chundukwa River Lodge on the Zambezi River was extraordinary an oasis on the draught covered land around it. Our excursion to Victoria Falls was amazing swimming to the edge in devils pool was spectacular.  The hippos outside our cottage was an experience.  We saw many animals at the Chobe National Park in Botswana the river boat was the best… At Chundukwa the service and food was excellent…  

Our end trip was to Voi.  The lodge was also an oasis – beautiful garden and pool.  The people were friendly, our rooms were clean and had a nice porch for viewing  the pond as many animals came to drink.   The highlight for me was the Sheldrick elephant rescue.  We went 3 times to watch the baby elephants get their bottles.  They do an amazing job there and were very informative answering our questions and showing us how they reintegrate them as they get older. We still had not seen a leopard and on our last drive in Tsavo National Park we were treated to the sight of 2 of them. Our Driver Dennis was a great guy he also was very informative…

Thank You.  Asante 

Marianne Gerssing, Aug 2024

 

Southern Africa Safari

Alison,

Thanks for the email. We had a great time.  MalaMala Sable Camp was spectacular. The camp was beautiful and the people could not have been nicer. The same could be said for Mukwa River Lodge (Livingstone, Zambia) and Tuludi (Khwai, Botswana). I greatly appreciate your help and suggestions. It went off without a hitch.

Thanks for everything,

Dan Palumbo, Aug 2024

 

Mashatu and MalaMala Wildlife Safari

Saskia and Mark,

I will say that I have never had such an amazing experience. Every detail was covered. The service and was above anything any of us have ever seen. I want to give a special shout out to the folks at Mashatu Euphorbia. They set the bar so high that we didn’t think anyone ever could match it. For three nights it was only Kip, Mary, Jim and me staying there and I worry that not enough people know about it. They all were so friendly and kind and had a surprise for us at every corner…

Several people have asked what company we used and I am giving your name with glowing remarks. 

We couldn’t be happier with our trip and your service… 

Thank you for making our retirement trip something we will cherish forever.

Kind regards,

Liz Niehaus, Aug 2024

 

Wildlife Safari to South Africa

Hi –

Here is a summary of our recent trip to South Africa.

* The Cape Town portion was excellent.  Our guide, Rob, was excellent…he was highly informative and great sense of humor!  He had lots of suggestions of what we could do and accommodated our wishes.

* Simbavati Lodge was lovely.  Staff & food were both excellent.  The guides, Andre and the tracker, (whose name escapes me) were very good.

* Savanna Private Game Reserve was over the top.  Great staff, food and lodging.  The wildlife sighting at Savanna were more frequent and in all over 3 days we saw 24 rhinos which was totally unexpected.  Our guide, Derrick, and tracker, Killy, excellent.

All in all, it was an exceptional trip and everything went like clockwork.   

Thank you again, Africa Adventure Company, for arranging another flawless trip!

Regards,

Maureen Noland, Aug 2024

 

Legends of Zimbabwe Safari

Hello Mark and Saskia,

We are finally caught up to life in the fast lane. Karen and myself are extremely grateful for the fantastic and unforgettable African adventure you and your team put together for us. Mana Pools Nick/Desire and Mark were remarkable hosts. (Pics to come) You’ll see Boswell in action which is the only known Elephant that can harvest tree leave bundles by standing on his 2 Hind- legs only. (Time for a movie “Dances with Elephants” instead of Wolves).

Little Makalolo exceeded our expectations. Hwange’s elephant herds are just not believable (our guess) we saw close to 800 Elephants in 2.5 days – The Victoria Falls are simply breathtaking from the air as well as on foot.

A Million THANKS!

Klaus Heck and Karen Stone, Jul-Aug 2024

 

Best of Namibia Flying Safari

Hi Miles,

I wanted to thank you and your team for planning a great trip for us. The trip was well-planned with a clear and detailed itinerary and instructions and the itinerary fit what we had requested to see and do. The camps, staff, and food were excellent. The staff was exceptional, especially the assistant manager, at Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp. I loved staying at Andersson’s with the watering hole, 24-hour hide, the live cam of the watering hole in our rooms as well as the spotting scope on the terrace overlooking the watering hole.  Sleeping out under the stars on a comfortable bed and having our own terrace from where to see the stars at night was a truly special and unique experience at Little Kulala.  

The dunes at Sossusvlei and balloon ride over the dunes were my favorite part of the trip.  It was interesting to see the desert adapted wildlife on this trip, but I am glad I have been on other safaris before and seen a large number and variety of wildlife because even though we saw wildlife on this trip, the highlight was the unique geography and landscape with the chance to see wildlife in that context…

Overall, the guides were good and experienced…The guide at Andersson’s, Bono, was the best of the three we had. We were quite fortunate to be the only guests in our vehicle for most of our trip, except for two days at Hoanib with only one couple with us in our vehicle.

Thank you for providing us the field guide – I used it all the time (even on our Botswana trip right before heading to Namibia)!

Hemal Parekh, Jul 2024

 

Classic Safari to Zambia

Hello Kyle,

What a wonderful time we had on the Zambia trip.  Each camp was incredibly special and the entire camp staffs at all were amazing.

Old Mondoro, as you know is a magical place with elephants wandering through camp and taking mud baths just beneath our chalet. Kaingo was as great as I remembered…the wildlife was prolific with great lion and leopard sightings, and on the way to Puku Ridge…the cutest porcupine out in the daytime.  Food at both camps was really good but Kaingo was exceptional as were the guides at Kaingo.  I was concerned that Puku Ridge might be a bit “too fancy” but we loved it and were ready for a bit more space and electricity!  

Another really wonderful trip arranged by Africa Adventure Company.

Marty Steinberger, Jul 2024

 

Safari to Botswana and South Africa

Hello,

Thank you so much for reaching out! We really had a wonderful trip, and we’re always happy to provide feedback. Here are a few thoughts:

We really appreciated the help from the Johannesburg Airport meet and greet. Their folks were great, and I think we would have felt more disconcerted in OR Tambo without them. We certainly wouldn’t have known about the special services we were eligible for which got us through the airport much faster, and it would not have been as good an experience.

The Residence was an absolutely beautiful property, and our room was very well-appointed…We appreciated the beautiful view and all of the trees right outside our room that let us watch the birds. The meals were excellent, and the staff were incredibly friendly and accommodating…

The charter up to Mashatu was perfect. We could not have had a better experience. Flying out of Lanseria was perfect, the views were breathtaking, and the pilots were friendly and very professional.

We cannot praise Mashatu enough. It was a really wonderful experience, and I’m glad it was the first reserve we visited. Rodgers and Pontsho, our guide and tracker, were the perfect match for us, and we had a private car so they were able to really tailor the trip to our wishes. The food was perfect, and the level of service was extraordinary. The Euphorbia villas are absolutely stunning and exactly where we would want to stay. The photo hide is a truly magical experience and something so unique that I can’t imagine not spending time there when at Mashatu. We did a night drive, which was a lovely extension of the day to try to see some of the animals we can’t see in the day. I went in hoping to see porcupines, and I did, indeed, see them! We also did a walking tour, and while it wasn’t what we expected (and we jokingly referred to it as “the poop tour” because we learned A LOT about animal scat), it was a worthwhile experience. We didn’t have a single negative experience at Mashatu; it was perfect, and we were very sad to leave…

…We also really enjoyed our time at MalaMala. It’s not the type of place we would normally choose to visit because it has a bit of a “hunting lodge” feel, and the lack of trackers leads to an over-reliance on radio tips and less time spent appreciating the process of finding the game. However, our guide Mike was great, and he did his best while trying to juggle a lot of different priorities. We had a wonderful time at MalaMala and came home with some incredible memories and photos. The food was incredible, the service impeccable, and we did appreciate spending more time with our guide there…

Thank you for arranging this trip. It was easily the best we’ve ever been on, one that occasionally moved us to tears. Brett said it was the best birthday he could ever have imagined. We went in thinking of it as a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and we’re already talking about our next visit. We are tentatively planning to go back in March or April of 2026 to see what it looks like “in the wet season” without experiencing as much rain. Maybe we’ll also try to take in the Delta. When we’re ready to start solidifying those plans, we’ll reach out!

Amber Stokham, Jul 2024

 

AAC’s Group “Legends of Zimbabwe” Safari

Hi Elena,

I have finally recovered from our exhilarating safari.  It was just perfect.  Also, having AAC’s Shelley Saunders with us was an extra bonus.  We enjoyed her company so very much!  Shelly’s companionship truly enhanced our time in Africa.

I just wanted to reinforce the perfection of the trip.

> All of our flights, connections and transfers were flawless, as were the representatives who met us.  We were especially impressed by their capacity to magically whisk us through all lines and formalities. The ease of those potentially stressful experiences make an enormous difference to us.

> The African Rock Hotel was a fantastic surprise!  It was such a beautiful, relaxing experience. Rather than just another night at the airport, it provided a memorable evening.  It is actually a uniquely crafted respite, with amazing architecture and art.  It was a pleasure to stay there.

> There are no limits to express the joyful reunion with Nick and Des Murray!  It feels like family when  we’re together.  Of course, the wildlife viewing is fabulous, including the time we spent with both Boswell and Tusker.  Nick consistently provides the most up close and personal animal experiences. Vundu is a perfect safari camp.

> This was my first experience with Dave Carson and he surpasses his reputation as one of Zim’s top guides!  His enthusiasm and excitement in his successful pursuit of wildlife is contagious. Hwange Bush Camp is another perfect safari experience.  The camp managers and staff are especially attentive and caring, ensuring everyone’s needs are met.

> For someone in love with a true safari experience, these two camps capture that dream.

> Ilala Lodge seemed a perfect fit for the end of our trip.  It is a beautiful, relaxing place, with wonderful accommodations, staff and food.  It has become my first choice in Victoria Falls. Visiting the Falls again, with double rainbows, was such a joyful final activity.  Cynthia and Precious are delightful and knowledgeable guides.  I highly recommend them.

And so, I am home, already missing Africa.  The only cure is anticipating my next safari!

With gratitude and love,

June Tu, Jul 2024

 

Iconic Visions of Southern Africa

We have just finished the safari portion of our trip.  It was great.  The Wilderness Camps were wonderful.  Everyone was welcoming and trying to accomplish any request.  The accommodations were spectacular. 

I had the experience of a male lion roaring near my bed at around 1AM, which was a little unnerving and I had been wishing I had mastered the manual horn before going to bed but about 1/2 hour later, he moved on without having me for lunch! 

The rooms at Savuti were quite chilly and at the end of the night, we were quick to jump into them with the “bushbaby” waiting to warm us up.  Our first camp MalaMala had a wonderful introductory experience.  We had Brandon as guide.  We saw many animals including the Big 5 in the first day!!  The subsequent camps reinforced some animal experiences and increased the volume of animals seen.   Kevin in Savuti and John in Qorokwe were excellent trackers.  John has also been trained to track birds and recognize bird calls.  He is frequently paired up with birding groups coming to Qorokwe.  He also arranged for a canoe ride on the river at sunset.  It was really wonderful… 

Your planning has been excellent. Thank you!

Jack Wylie, Jul 2024