Clients Trip Reports: Apr – Jun 2024

East + Southern Africa

Legends Safari to Zimbabwe

Dear AAC Team,

Adam and I cannot thank you enough for putting this trip together for us. It was truly the safari of a lifetime, an 11/10.

We had the most heartwarming welcome when we started our adventure in Victoria Falls. Our Guide, Precious, was lovely and made us feel extra special. She knew our names, and she knew I had been to Zimbabwe in 2019. I was incredibly touched when Precious and Cynthia surprised me with a bottle of champagne, flowers, and the beautiful tapestry that said, “Welcome back to Africa Sophie”. It was wonderful to see Cynthia again and have a chance to catch up. These 2 ladies are wonderful, and please let them know how much their kindness means to me…

And to think this was only the beginning of what turned out to be the most beautiful trip ever. We met incredible people every place we went. Zimbabweans are some of the kindest and most generous people in the world. Transfers were always on time, and everyone was accommodating and dependable. Of course, the guides were outstanding, and always made us feel welcome and appreciated. Everywhere we went the staff was attentive to details, like the bush babies on a cold morning, and always knowing what drinks we preferred. Everything was perfect. We especially appreciated the uniqueness of every location we visited, and we loved the private game drives.

We were very lucky and saw so many animals, but what makes Zimbabwe truly extraordinary is the people. This country holds a very special place in my heart, and we already can’t wait to go back. Adam thought this would be a once-in-a-lifetime trip, but he’s already planning his return to Africa, which makes me very happy.

We wish to thank you for planning such a wonderful trip for us. The memories will last forever. We plan on giving AAC a call in the near future to help us plan our next safari adventure.

Kind regards,

Sophie Saulnier and Adam Goncalves, Jun 2024

 

Botswana Kwando Wing Safari

Elena, we are just back from a wonderful adventure!

Some highlights…

– Rob in Cape Town – was one of the best guides ever!!

– We loved both Mma Dinare and Kwara (and were blown away by how nice the accommodations are at Kwara)

– Game viewing at Mma Dinare was fantastic

– Guides and trackers were fantastic at both Mma Dinare and Kwara

– Food was good at Mma Dinare but excellent at Kwara

– Kwara did a lovely bush sundowners with a whole gin bar (shown in one of the photos below).

Thanks again for everything!

The Connelly Family, May 2024

 

Safari to Botswana, Victoria Falls and Cape Highlights

Hi Mark and Saskia!

…Thank you all again for your help setting it up. We only have the best things to say about our experience and your services. Yes, trip was expensive, but of course worth every penny (as you so well know)! As you know we did a level down from maximum luxury, yet what we experienced was way more than we expected in advance. We think almost anyone would be more than pleased with a safari like ours. I’m sure even more rustic would have been great…

Please pass along to Wilderness our sincere thanks and admiration—what a great organization!

I look forward to sending you my photos when they are edited and together. Meanwhile I am recommending AAC to anyone I meet that is interested in Africa, and I dream of being able to return to Africa someday!

Kind regards,

Steven Drucker, May 2024

 

Botswana and Zimbabwe Classic Safari

Kyle,

Wanted to provide our thoughts on our second “once in a life time” safari with the Africa Adventure Co.

Simply put, all the arrangements made and coordinated by Africa Adventure were first rate. From greeters, transportation, camps, guides, cuisine and staff, everyone and everything was of the highest quality.

We managed to enjoy water-based game drives in the upper Okavango Delta, tremendous game viewing along the Moremi Reserve (including the rare opportunity to witness a pack of African Painted Dogs execute a precision hunt of impalas). There were more game sightings and observations of life in the wild than I can begin to relay. We now have more than 3000 digital pictures to go through to select our favorites to print.

We wish to express our gratitude for the efforts you and your team put forth to make our trip absolutely fabulous. And on our return trip to the States we began laying out our Third “once in a lifetime” safari with the Africa Adventure Co.

Thank you for everything,

Carl & Kay Fitch, May 2024

 

Best of Southern Africa Safari

Thank you for the opportunity to let you know just how special this trip was.  Cathy and I knew we were in good hands when we stepped off the plane in Johannesburg and there was a young man with a sign with our names on it.  What a relief!  This detail continued throughout our trip.  At every stop there was someone to guide us to our next adventure.

MalaMala was our first camp.  A great start!  The staff was outstanding…as was our guide, Bens.  We saw everything!  So many animals.  Even elephants in our backyard.  Great pictures. 

Our next stop was The Elephant Camp.  We enjoyed what we did at this stop…Victoria Falls, Sunset Cruise on the Zambezi and I visited with the elephants while Cathy did a village tour.  The camp itself is not nearly up to the other two that we visited.  But everyone was nice and helpful.  Another great stop.

Next came the Selinda Reserve.  Wow!  Everything about this place is special….the people, the food, the accommodations.  We enjoyed the game drives but we were glad that we had been to MalaMala first.  Not nearly as many animals here, but we did see a few that we had not seen before and our guide, Opie, was wonderful.  A great way to end this part of our trip. 

Cape Town was so strange after the camps!  We enjoyed being at the harbor and all that we could do there.  And Pam was a great city tour guide…taking us to the city sites as well as the wine country.  Thanks for that connection.

Trip home….way toooooo long!  I would love to consider another safari if I could get there without such a long flight!

Thank you for planning such a wonderful trip for us.

Glenndolyn Hallman, May 2024

 

Best of Southern Africa Safari with Okavango Delta

All went well at MalaMala and Nick was an amazing ranger. Linda and I feel blessed to have had rangers in both locations that loved their jobs and still enjoyed showing amazing sites to us.

One very unique experience was seeing a pride of lions who were trying to foil a pangolin. I never expected to see a pangolin or an aardvark and we saw both.

Thanks again for making the arrangements.

Carol Ann Hoepner, May 2024

 

Safari to Southern Africa

Hello Alison,

Thank you for your message. Where do we start…

First, we would like to thank you for assisting us in organizing an adventure of a lifetime trip! We loved every single minute of it, so, I will try and focus on the highlights and touch on each camp.

MalaMala Camp – This camp was so fantastic! The service was impeccable, the camp and rooms were beautiful, and our guide Victoria was awesome. We really didn’t want to leave! On one of the days, we ended up seeing the big 5, which was incredible! We loved experiencing all the animals, but I especially loved the leopards and the rhinos. We would go back in a heartbeat.

Victoria Falls – We really appreciated our guide Precious, she was extremely knowledgeable and helpful. The falls were spectacular, and we had a nice dinner at The Lookout. The hotel was lovely and had a lot of interesting history.

Mma Dinare – The staff at this camp were wonderful and helpful. The camp’s location and lookout were beautiful. When we arrived, there was an elephant feeding in the water!…

Kwara Camp – We loved this camp too! The service was wonderful, and the food was delicious. The tents were large, newer and really beautiful. We had such a great time with our guide Lucas and tracker KT, they were excellent, truly the best! The sunset boat ride on the delta was extra special and we will never forget it!…

Overall, we had an incredible trip. The animals and experiences were better than we could have ever imagined. Thank you again!

Best,

Yvonne Gehring, May 2024

 

Best of Southern Africa

Hi Elena,

Thank you so much for planning our fabulous trip!  We had the best time and every place we went to was our favorite.  Everyone was so nice, friendly and welcoming.  We were so surprised with all of our anniversary wishes at every stop.  That was so nice and thoughtful of you!

We look forward to going back soon and we will definitely contact you.  We met several other people that you were working with as well and enjoyed their company.

Have a wonderful day!

Liz Lindsey, May 2024

 

Best of Southern Africa Safari with Cape Town

Hi Shelley!

We had a fabulous time!!!  Thank you so much for putting together the trip of a lifetime!  We have all discussed the trip since being back and agree that we wouldn’t change a thing.  The 4 camps provided a great variety and we enjoyed them all.  Stephanie and I had a great time in Cape Town and the Winelands.  Everyone along the way was so friendly and helpful.  The guides were so knowledgeable and entertaining.  The staff at the camps and hotels as well as all the Menzie and transportation staff were wonderful…

If I’m able to make another trip to Africa in the future, I will definitely reach out to you for your expertise.

Thank you again!!!!

Shannon McDonald, May 2024

 

Great Migration Safari to Tanzania

Hi Mark et al.

We are just getting over the jet lag, which was made much better by the Qatar hotel and business seats, so thanks for letting us know about that alternative and the booking help.  The “camps” and lodges were all great (and over the top) with staff that were very helpful and took great care of us. Mkenda was a great guide; he was very in tune with what we were interested in seeing and finding places for us to see the animals we were most interested in.  Your team on the ground had all the many pieces well in hand and we thank them also.

Namiri Plains, although supposed to be a shared vehicle instead gave us a private vehicle and guide Keko which was a nice surprise and made for a great experience. Also its location meant that we rarely saw another vehicle but loads of game including some of the Migration which was a bonus. As well as cheetah which was a first for us So we would highly recommend it.

Anyway: Thanks to you and particularly to all the others in your organization who suffered through my many questions and produced a fantastic experience.

Steve Carr and Terry Ralston, May 2024

 

Big Five Safari to South Africa

Hi Alison and team,

Thank you for arranging another fabulous safari experience for us. Being greeted by the team immediately upon deplaning and whisked through immigration was absolutely wonderful. Whatever this special treatment adds to safari costs is well worth it, ensuring we don’t falter after the long journey and demonstrating that thoughtful attention has been given to every detail. All transfer drivers were courteous and careful behind the wheel. The Jarat vehicles were particularly luxurious. All drivers arrived early to collect us and were friendly and professional. AirLink flights were easy to navigate (gate assignments, boarding calls, etc) and on time…

Wildlife was extremely abundant in the part of Sabi Sand where Idube Safari Lodge operates. The six lodges/game reserves that cooperate seemed to do an excellent job sharing sightings and managing viewing, taking turns and limiting vehicles to 1, 2, or 3 at a particular sighting depending on circumstances. We were amazed by the number and variety of animals we saw. Our Ranger F.J. was excellent at positioning the vehicle for photography (conscious of light direction and visibility for all in the vehicle).

Wildlife in Timbavati was not as abundant as in Sabi Sand, but we saw a nice variety of wildlife including all of the Big Five and a small pack (3) of wild dogs. Phanwel (spelling) was very experienced and knew the area and behavior of the wildlife. He was not as adept at positioning the vehicle for maximum visibility and optimal lighting. He worked hard to locate the species that guests hoped to see…

All accommodations were clean, staff were friendly and helpful, and common areas were nicely appointed and comfortable. 

Beth Brock and Bob Greenawalt, Apr 2024

 

Explorer Safari to Botswana

Kyle,

Everything was great. The two camps (Xakanaxa and Duba Explorers) were good: wonderful staff, interesting guests. Great Plains went above and beyond to care for us: someone met us on our return to Maun and took us to their new lounge (across the street) to spend our long layover in comfort: food, wine, etc.

The helpers who greeted us in Johannesburg were life-savers. We’ll always need those!

Rovos Rail was outstanding. We were upgraded to a Royal Suite because we were repeat passengers!!

Avary Doubleday, Apr 2024

 

Family Safari to Botswana

Hi Miles,

Still struggling a bit with jetlag but wanted to get a quick e-mail off to you about our African adventure. The whole family sends you kudos for putting together a spectacular itinerary for us!…

We absolutely loved Chitabe and Duba Explorer camps! They were such a great combination to allow us to experience two different ecosystems. It appears all accommodations have been upgraded significantly following Covid, and it was amazing how the camps are able to deliver the level of service they do in the middle of nowhere…The staff in both camps couldn’t do enough for us (even ran into some staff we knew from our last visit to Chitabe), food was restaurant quality and appealed to every palate, guides were wonderful, and animal viewing was plentiful and offered a new adventure every day. And the helicopter commute at Duba from the airport to the camp came as quite the surprise and was over the top for the kids.

All in all our trip was a “10” and I’m not sure how it could have been any better. Between us I think we took about 6,000 photos, and the kids have thankfully offered to take on the task of sorting them all out and putting them into a book for us. It was such a privilege for our family to be able to share this unforgettable experience together and the memories we made while on safari in Botswana will stay with us for the rest of our lives. Africa truly does touch one’s soul in a very special way and you just can’t put it into words without experiencing it yourself.

Thanks again to the entire Africa Adventure Company team for providing us with a travel experience of a lifetime!

Warmest regards,

Brigitte Long, April 2024