Clients Trip Reports Southern Africa: Jun – Aug 2025
Safari to South Africa
Hi Mark and Saskia!
We are finally adjusted to the time and altitude changes and still basking in the memories of our Safari. It was a wonderful trip with many exciting experiences.
Starting with the incredible accommodation at Little Saseka! An entire compound to ourselves with private butler and chef? It was over the top and thoroughly enjoyable. David, being the more social, did miss the interaction with other guests, but we both enjoyed the unique setting and pampering. Our guide, Joe, did a great job making us comfortable, sharing his knowledge and showing us the best Thornybush has to offer…
Savanna Lodge (Sabi Sand Private Game Reserve) is once again a winner in every way. The staff is amazing and Neil and Natasha are wonderful hosts. Neil is an inspired guide and driver and with him we had the luxury of spending time with sightings of all things big and small. Seeing the Big Five and the predators is always exciting, but there is so much more to game viewing, and we enjoyed also the birds and klipspringers and even the impala!
MalaMala never disappoints, and this trip was no exception. Our guide, Jaques Briam, was terrific and I would highly recommend him. He had an intuitive sense for finding interesting sightings and positioning us at sightings in a way that we could get the best view and photos, BUT without interfering with the animals or their environment. As with Neil, Jaques always put preserving the natural order of things in the forefront. That respect is well noted and appreciated.
Among other sightings, we saw a white lion in Thornybush on the way to check in at Little Saseka thanks to our transfer driver. We had several visits to a wild dog den at Savanna and had the most hilarious encounter with a leopard and her two cubs playing in the branches of a tree at MalaMala…
As always, thank you and the entire team for everything and we look forward to our next safari!
Ronnie Cantor, Jul 2025
Safari to Namibia’s Skeleton Coast & Walking Trail in South Luangwa Zambia
Dear Elena,
… I want to tell you how thrilled I am with this trip.
The operators you choose to work with are top-notch. The local teams are so kind, generous and thoughtful and always smiling. All of the physical camps themselves… spectacular. The guest accommodations were beyond expectation. The food was varied and delicious. I could wax poetic about all of the camps. But you know how good they are. Perfection.
The experiences:
Wilderness – Hoanib Skeleton Coast – This experience is beyond words. Truly! Richard, our guide was personable and very knowledgeable. He made sure that we got as up-close and personal as he could, while ensuring our safety and that of the animals. The landscape of this place was beyond anything I have ever seen. The varied and changing mountain scapes and sand dunes stunned at every turn. Texture is everywhere from the dried riverbeds to the blown sand and exposed tree roots to millions of years old rock. The sunsets are other worldly, and I will never forget them. We also happened to be there when the Milky Way was directly overhead and spanned the entire sky. I was invited to go with other guests to view and photograph this miracle with zero light pollution. That was utterly life changing and my pictures will always be treasured. The sky was mesmerizing in its depth and abundance while mostly monochromatic but when the images are processed, the color comes alive. The camera sees what the naked eye can only dream – even with an iPhone. This place is very special.
Tafika – Everything about this camp was exceptional. Steve Ngoma, our guide, was amazing and went out of his way to get us the kind of wildlife experience that one hopes for on a trip like this. He was relentless in getting us the best view. He listened to what we desired and did his best to deliver. He did not miss an opportunity and set the bar very high for the balance of the trip. I personally loved how the afternoon drive morphed into a night drive, giving us the opportunity to see nocturnal animals that otherwise are missed. While capturing pictures was impossible, the images are burned into my memories of these drives. Steve started out as a guide but now feels like a friend.
Chikoko Tree – The elevated huts were exceptional. WOW! The camp team were amazing and anticipated our every whim. Stephen Banda is an exceptional guide. We all immediately bonded. We heard him say, he had never had a group like us, and he loved it. We were all constantly laughing and enjoyed his personality and humor as well as his expertise. He is a true professional and (they are) lucky to have him.
Big Lagoon – What a stunning place with amazing views from the edge of the lagoon on the deck as well as from our huts. WOW! I wish we had more time there. None of us did the afternoon walk once we arrived at the camp. We were content to just sit and relax on the deck and watched the animals come to us. Steven sat with us on the deck telling stories. We so enjoyed his company. He made it special…
All in all, I truly loved the trip. Thank you for making this trip one of a lifetime. My experiences and memories will bring me joy and happiness for years to come. From the bottom of my heart… Thank You.
Cheers,
Rick Dean, Jul 2025
Safari to Botswana and Zimbabwe
Hi Kyle & AAC Team,
Thanks! We had a great trip, really superb all the way around. Mana Pools was, as always, amazing in every way, and I have to say our guide Simeon was just top notch. Truly exceptional and on par with the very best in the business. All our connections went perfectly and the hides at Mashatu were really cool.
Highlights:
- Sunrise with the wild dog pack in Mana Pools in the most extraordinary lighting you can imagine, and they got within 2-feet of me as I laid on the ground, so cool!
- Walking in to within 60-feet or so of a lion kill in Mana Pools
- Spending quality time with Tusker & Boswell
- The Lala Limpopo Sleepout hide in Mashatu
- The extraordinary leopard encounters in Mashatu….some of our best leopard encounters ever
- Setting out to track and ultimately find a coalition of 4x cheetah brothers in Mashatu
Joe James, Jul 2025
Zimbabwe Adventure
Let me thank you for a fabulous safari experience! Having your people meet us at the airport and squire us through all checkpoints, security, gates, etc. was wonderful and the only way to go. They were all very professional and took good care of us.
The Residence room was lovely and sitting in front of the fire with a martini and having snacks our first night was perfect. And our spa experience the following day was exceptional too.
Loved Khulu Bush Camp (Hwange National Park) and Sam Mushandu was great! He was such fun and had great jokes and tales to tell. Very smart about all sorts of wildlife and we enjoyed his company immensely. Hated to leave him.
Nick Murray (Mana Pools) was great too although a bit more quiet and it took a couple of gin and tonics to get him to open up. Loved the walking with him and had some lion excitement. Drinks and dinner by the fire in the riverbed, was lovely, especially upon seeing a hyena walk by in the moonlight. Lions visited camp and wish I could have seen them outside the tent!
And Clive Stockil (Chilo Gorge) was first class, respecting both locals and animals. One can tell how much he loves his country and everything about it. Very impressive fellow, well-known and respected. We were humbled to be in his presence. His wife Lyn joined us for dinner at the Lodge and she was delightful to meet.
The food at all places was exceptional – fresh and lovingly prepared and served by all. Great staff at all camps who seem to care about their customers.
Thank you again for a wonderful experience. Nothing beats being out in the bush, especially with martinis, linen, good food and exceptional company.
Janet and Kent McKinney, Jul 2025
Six Country Safari to East and Southern Africa
Hi Kyle,
In general, the safari exceeded all expectations by a big margin. The itinerary you put together could not have been better.
The highlight of the trip was the guides. They were all knowledgeable, personable, and consistently tried (and in most cases succeeded) to provide a wonderful experience.
The attention to detail throughout the trip by guides, staff and even those who met us and chaperoned us through the journey was outstanding.
We saw an incredible amount of wildlife and were able to observe various behaviors. We saw a black rhino with her baby for a brief couple of minutes. We also saw cheetah chasing animals, plenty of lions doing various things, leopards, and the list goes on and on. Between Kathy and me we have thousands of photographs…
I have nothing but high praise for the accommodations and the staff.
The Africa Adventure Company gets our highest possible rating and will be the company we recommend to anyone who inquiries about our trip.
Warm regards,
Rich Strom, Jul 2025
Iconic Visions Safari to Southern Africa
Hi Elena,
We just got back today … what a great trip!
Highlights for us:
1. Seeing leopards and wild dogs in MalaMala (we even saw a kill with them which was exciting)
a. Our guide Pieter was outstanding & we really liked every aspect of MalaMala Rattray’s Camp
2. The spectacular scenery and feeling like we were in the middle of nowhere in the Okavango Delta in Botswana
a. The Wilderness Vumbura Plains (south) camp was great. Our best activity was the 2nd full day we were there we went out on the water to go fishing. We saw large parts of the water tributaries which ended up also being our best animal/bird viewing (we saw a number of hippos, a few elephants at the water edge, and loads of birds)
3. Food/City tour in Cape Town with Ryan
4. The Silo Hotel (they upgraded us to a suite that was wonderful, and the staff truly made us feel like the hotel was a home away from home).
All in all, it was a great trip! We’re already talking about where else in Africa we want to visit to see new landscapes, have more nature/animal encounters, and help the local economies. No doubt we’ll be contacting you again in the coming years to help us plan other trips!
Best,
Ginger Susman, Jul 2025
Classic Safari to Botswana
We had an ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS time on our trip. All of the arrangements went smoothly…the properties were exceptional, and the game life could not have been better! So many wonderful pictures… The staff and guides at all the camps became our friends. Food was always delicious. There was nothing that could have made our trip any better…
Kyle, it really was educational and beneficial for me to go with The Africa Adventure Company. I am so much more knowledgeable about your exceptional product…
Thank you so very much for putting together a perfectly stress-free adventure for me (that’s hard to do) – but you took care of everything. My family were happy and excited the whole time too, and so very thankful for this family trip!
Alice Meiners, Jun 2025
Classic Safari to Botswana, Victoria Falls, and Cape Town
Hello!!
WHAT AN ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE TRIP WE HAD!! Thanks to Kyle and the team there at The Africa Adventure Company for putting it all together for us!! Wow, what great work. We were well taken care of during our time in Africa, that’s for sure!
Thanks again!!!
Kerri Simmons, Jun 2025
Iconic Visions Safari to Southern Africa
Hi Kyle,
Just wanted to let you know that Scott and I had an amazing time on our trip to Africa! Everything went perfectly, no problems with anything. The 3 lodges (Notten’s Bush Camp, Muchenje and Camp Xakanaxa) were just awesome and so were all the staff and our game drive guides. We were able to see not just the Big 5 but the Magnificent 7 as well. We also want to say a big Thank You for the candlelight, champagne dinner by the lagoon at Camp Xakanaxa. Absolutely wonderful! I took 2000 pics and I’m not sure how many Scott took but we won’t be forgetting this trip at all. Thanks again for making this trip of a lifetime the most spectacular trip ever!! We are definitely telling all our friends. Thanks again for everything!!
Margie and Scott Slagle, June 2025
Classic Safari to Zambia and Victoria Falls Zimbabwe
We cannot thank you enough for hearing us and putting together such a wonderful trip! I was a bit worried that, after 40 years of wanting to do this, and two cancellations of prior trips, that I had built it up so much in my mind that it couldn’t possibly live up to what I thought it would be.
I’m glad that I was SO wrong! It was everything I imagined and hoped for, and then some. I can’t think of a single detail which would have made it better. The wildlife sightings started the minute we got off of the plane at Jeki and did not stop until we left the gates at Luangwa. We had wonderful guides who executed amazing feats of tracking and (exciting) driving to make sure that we always had the best views. They were determined that we see all there was to see, whether large mammals, small nighttime creatures, incredible birds, and beautiful and unique flora.
We saw three different leopards in each park, 2 with fresh kills scampering up into the tress, one with a cub which we caught a brief glimpse of, and a full bellied male just walking along across a field in bright daylight without a care in the world, in no hurry to get away from our video cameras. A male lion pair in each park initially calling out to find each other on the first encounter, and together the next day, as well as females and in Lower Zambezi a whole pride with babies lounging around on the beach for our viewing pleasure. Countless elephants of varied character, many babies. And the hippos! Especially in the South Luangwa… A few giraffe, many zebras and a beautiful assortment of antelope which we learned to identify after a short while. Two hyenas, three porcupines (!), lovely little civets, baboons, vervet monkeys and a buffalo with…6 birds living on top of him! Colorful and fascinating birds galore.
… We just LOVED Lower Zambezi NP. And the guides we had there were all amazing.
- Latitude 15 in Lusaka is lovely, and the people there are so welcoming and chill. Rooms were great, lounge and pool area delightful. They were so accommodating. During our first stay we asked if we could have a brown bag breakfast because we were being picked up at 6 AM. They insisted that the kitchen would prepare us hot breakfast off of the menu at 5AM and serve us in the dining room! Could not believe that kind of hospitality…
- Anabezi (Lower Zambezi) is indeed magnificent, as you know. Location unbelievable, got there for lunch after we did a mini safari with a couple of detours to see the whole wild dog pack all sleeping…along with baby elephant nursing on the way from Jeki! At lunch we saw the elephant drinking from the river get bitten on the trunk by a croc, which he proceeded to pull out of the water, flap around a few times to get him off, howl and run away!! …
Accommodations were beautiful and comfy, great bedding with more room than we could use, gorgeous roomy deck with channel view.
- Lion Camp (South Luangwa) was stunning, way more variety and numbers of animals consistently out in front of decks than Anabezi. Could sit there all day. Gracious, experienced management, incredible unexpected gourmet food was quite a surprise. Guides excellent with great teamwork and communication between them so that everyone got to the sightings. As far as accommodations there is not one thing to say that isn’t positive.
Thanks so much for your superb, timely support in rescheduling our tour. I know that was a lot of extra work for the team. Very much appreciated. We all felt that this was the best decision for us at the time.
Julie Celeberti, Jun 2025
Eyes on Elephant Safari to Zimbabwe
Dear Alison and Shelley,
Our safari was a trip of a lifetime. Everyone enjoyed the trip immensely. Your attention to detail was outstanding. …Nick and Henry were very good guides and very knowledgeable about the animals. At Little Makalolo (Hwange) we saw more variety of animals, and our guides, Edwin and TK, were also excellent. The guides at both camps made the experience exceptional.
Victoria Falls and the tour with Precious was really nice. So glad we were there when the water was rushing through – spectacular scenery. The hotel was also lovely–especially the massage (added bonus).
The Peech Hotel (Johannesburg) is a real winner. We were treated well, and they bent over backwards for the children and their dietary requirements.
Marsha Lindeken, Jun 2025
South Africa Luxury Family Safari and Cape Highlights
Dear Elena,
We are back from our wonderful time in South Africa and thank you for the superb itinerary you created for us. Credit goes to all of the guides and staff for giving us such a valuable experience; every one of them was fantastic. The girls saw every animal they hoped to see on safari, and all credit goes to Billy. The assistance and thoughtfulness for my mother was so appreciated – they even named her “Mama B” at Madikwe 🙂 …The hotels were all great…The One & Only is simply beyond…
With much appreciation,
Sarah Zrelak-Kish, Jun 2025
Safari to Zimbabwe
Dear Mark and Saskia,
We had a fabulous trip!! All of our travels were smooth as silk thanks to the arrangements you made for us. We loved our hotel in Cape Town, and your choice of camps was perfect. The guides were incredible! Hwange and Mana Pools offered 2 very different perspectives of African wildlife, and the difference provoked interesting conversations amongst our group…
Thank you for the fabulous trip you planned for us!
Mary Lyons Scott, Jun 2025
Legends of Zimbabwe Safari
Hi Kyle,
We are still reveling in the most spectacular time we had on our trip to Zimbabwe. Everything went seamlessly…
We got the family suite at Old Drift Lodge which was great and definitely would be the kind of accommodation to have on our next trip to Africa. Wonderful staff and a great time at Victoria Falls.
Our guide, Edwin, at Little Makalolo was amazing and it was just the two of us in the jeep with him our entire time there. He was a real treat and a font of knowledge about everything we saw on drives and hikes. Our tree house dinner was such a treat, too.
Vundu Camp in Mana Pools was a wonderful way to end our time in the bush. Des and Nick Murray were so lovely. And, except for one game drive, it was just the two of us at their lodge and out and about with Nick. It was like a private safari. We really got to experience some very cool moments and being on the Zambezi River was an absolute joy. Although we didn’t catch anything while out fishing — we did catch some spectacular sunsets. The Bushlife Conservancy to stop poachers, educate villagers, and preserve Mana Pools National Park is quite impressive.
Thank you and your team for arranging another trip of a lifetime that we will treasure forever.
Alix Litwack & Carol Slatkin, May 2025
