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South Africa User Reviews

South Africa Safaris South Africa
Sort By: Date Most Helpful 81-90 of 1,096 Reviews

Average User Rating

4.8275 / 5 4.8 /5
4.8409 / 5 4.8127 / 5 4.6257 / 5 4.5219 / 5

Rating Breakdown

5 star 1096 / 10 1,096
4 star 158 / 10 158
3 star 21 / 10 21
2 star 3 / 10 3
1 star 3 / 10 3
0 star 4 / 10 4
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Female avatar icon Lynn Chatman United States flag US       Visited: April 2018 Reviewed: May 1, 2018

Email Lynn Chatman  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Our photo safari was more enjoyable than we hoped it would be.

5 / 5 5 /5
5 / 5 5 / 5 4 / 5 5 / 5
I rate our experience with Andre and Ettienne as excellent. Our booking with Andre went as advertised and far exceeded our expectations. Our guide, Ettienne, made our trip to Pilanesburg National Park fun and informative with a side trip to the cable car and to Hartbeespoort Dam. He picked us up at our hotel in Johannesburg on time, and made us feel comfortable and safe. Our lodging at The Kingdom proved to be modern, well-equipped, and very comfortable. The staff was friendly and helpful, and we were impressed with the buffet provided at meal-times. Ettienne even treated us to an evening braai at our cottage. We toured the Park with three separate Park guides during our stay, who were all exceptionally entertaining and knowledgeable. On all three days they were able to find incredible groups of giraffes, hippos, rhinos, elephants, lions, impala, wildebeests, and so much more, including birds, baboons, guinea fowl, and ... did I say, so much more. The scenery on our morning ride included
Read more an incredible sunrise with misty mountain scenes. The evening tour astounded us with a colorful sunset and the feel of traveling through the dark knowing wild animals surrounded us in their natural habitat. We ended our trip with a tour at the Cradle of Mankind before our return to the hotel. Additionally, Andre and Ettienne were able to assist us with obtaining a reputable driver to tour the Cape when we travelled to Cape Town. If we ever go back to South Africa, or other countries in Africa, we will definitely ask this company and its great guides for assistance in planning our excursion.
Female avatar icon Lilian Sanchez Uruguay flag UY       Visited: March 2018 Reviewed: Apr 13, 2018

Email Lilian Sanchez  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

it was an excellent experience

5 / 5 5 /5
4 / 5 4 / 5 5 / 5 0 / 5

Everything was wonderfull,all the peolple that worh was very nice

Male avatar icon Zaahir Moolla Canada flag CA       Visited: March 2018 Reviewed: Mar 28, 2018

Email Zaahir Moolla  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Amazing up close encounters with all the wildlife in Kruger

5 / 5 5 /5
5 / 5 3 / 5 5 / 5 4 / 5
The wildlife was spectacular and very exciting to discover during our game drives and bush walk. We had excellent luck and a managed to see the big five, plus many more animals during our two days at Kruger.

The weather was great and the temperatures were hot, hitting close to 40C when we arrived at Kruger.

Our room was clean, simple, and comfortable. The air conditioner worked well and kept us cool during the day.

Food offered at the Kruger restaurant was good, but the meals our guide cooked for us were far better, and much healthier!

Our guide was phenomenal and taught us many things along the way from Joburg to Kruger, along the Panorama route. He was extremely knowledgeable, very kind and a pleasure to talk with.
Our guides van was also very spacious and comfortable.

The most exciting part of the trip was when our guide offered a small detour on our way out of the park. We ended up waiting around at
Read more Panic Lake for ahout 20 minutes when suddenly a Jaguar appeared from the treed and began stalking a Waterbuck. She kept up on a fallen tree to strike, but quickly backed down when she realized the buck was far too big.

Overall we had an excellent time and have no complaints. We would certainly use our guide Jaco, and our tour company, Red Africa Safaris again.
Male avatar icon Peter Harrison Canada flag CA       Visited: January 2018 Reviewed: Mar 11, 2018

Email Peter Harrison  |  65+ years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

An awesome lifetime experience.

5 / 5 5 /5
5 / 5 4 / 5 5 / 5 0 / 5
We traveled to South Africa on the Queen Mary 2 (from Southampton) and upon arrival in Cape Town we were treated to an absolutely splendid view from the sea of Table Mountain and the city. We spent several days on Cape Town and were thoroughly impressed with the city and its surroundings (but not the water shortage......). We took a day tour to Stellenbosch (booked online with “WineFlies”) and were impressed with the quality of the guide and - of course - the wine. We drove up the east coast, staying in Mossel Bay and Port Elizabeth. From PE we did a self-drive tour of the Addo elephant reserve. It was outstanding. We then headed further north, staying in Umtata, Umhlaga, and Richards Bay/Empangeni (an important family location). All hotels were excellent, and reasonably priced. stayed near Newcastle at a first rate recently-built hotel - Vulintaba - which is surrounded by mountains and next to a brand new golf course. Worth the detour.

Our final destination was
Read more Joburg. We had fortunately booked a hotel in Rosebank, because that is where the hop-on hop-off leaves from (well worth it for those, like us, new to Joburg). The highlight in Joburg was the Apartheid Museum. Very well done, and very moving. It should be visited by anyone going to Joburg.

Our final four days were on the safari that we had booked online with Jewel of Africa, having first browsed your very useful website. Because we had driven nearly 4,000kms since our arrival in Cape Town, it was important to book a safari that included flights from Joburg to Hoedsprit, and not more driving. Jewel of Africa delivered in spades. Staff were helpful throughout the booking process (including difficulties paying in Rand through Visa). They were especially helpful when, on the day of our departure on safari, the airline we were booked on (CEMair) ran into “operational difficulties” (they had safety issues.....). We stayed at Phelwana lodge in a brand new “tent”next to a dam with hippos. At 5pm on the first day we were toured around the property and saw many animals. The first full day was spent at Kruger NP. Our guide (from Tally-Ho) was excellent, very well informed, and extremely helpful. The second day we toured Manyuleti, a private reserve with open fences to Kruger. Lots of off-road driving - which brought us within feet of prides of lions, leopards, elephants etc. Really amazing! Our booking was all-inclusive, and the food and wine at Phelwana were extremely good. Jewel of Africa did an outstanding job. I recommend them highly.

Bottom line? South Africa and its people, scenery, accommodations and food are superb!
Male avatar icon Lars Berg Sweden flag SE       Visited: January 2018 Reviewed: Feb 6, 2018

Email Lars Berg  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: 2-5 safaris

The safari was exciting and very interesting with very good guides.

5 / 5 5 /5
5 / 5 4 / 5 5 / 5 0 / 5

It was my 2nd time in SA and the 1st time for my wife, so when talking about safaris I can compare the Kruger park with Pilanesberg which I think it's more preferable with a shorter ride from Jo'burg and also less driving around in the park to spot the animals.
The weather was perfect and the two places in Capetown and Jo'burg(Sandton) were we stayed at, were very good both of them.
Food was awesome and everything else during our time in SA worked out very well.....SA it is a highliht itself:-)

Male avatar icon Douglas Hibbard Canada flag CA       Visited: October 2017 Reviewed: Nov 24, 2017

Email Douglas Hibbard  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: over 5 safaris

Many amazing game drives

5 / 5 5 /5
5 / 5 5 / 5 5 / 5 4 / 5

We did quite a lot of game drives, maybe too many for some, but that's why we were in Africa. We went to Kruger ( Letaba, Skukuza and Croc Bridge) and Hluhluwe as well as transit drives through that part of South Africa. We did dawn and dusk drives almost every day as well as a night drive and an armed bush walk. Wildlife highlights, African Wild dog, leopard, white rhino, cheetah, lion, jackal, elephant, hyena and almost every type of antelope. The accommodations are basic, but are clean and safe. The weather is changeable in October, but had some beautiful days. The scenery is breathtaking from the bush to the Drakensbergs. People were very nice.
Other highlights were stopping off at the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre and donating to their wildlife program and bring scool supplies for their partnered school, Stopping one night at Royal Hlane in Swaziland and hot air ballooning in the Drakensberg.

Female avatar icon Theresa mounsey Visited: November 2017 Reviewed: Nov 20, 2017

Email Theresa mounsey  |  35-50 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Absolutely fantastic experience and feel so privileged to have had the experience

5 / 5 5 /5
5 / 5 5 / 5 5 / 5 0 / 5

We arrived to beautiful weather, many friends told me it could be cold at this time of year, but it was cool on the early game drive,but soon warmed up. Kruger was a fantastic experience and cannot explain how privileged we feel to have seen the big 5!
Our guides were fantastic and knew the park so well. Kruger is twice the size of Wales in the uk.
Dress with layers, like an onion and you'll do fine in kruger. There are blankets on the Jeep to keep you warm.

Female avatar icon Jennifer United States flag US       Visited: October 2017 Reviewed: Oct 28, 2017

Email Jennifer  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Once in a lifetime experience that reminds you why life is worth living.

5 / 5 5 /5
5 / 5 5 / 5 5 / 5 5 / 5
We visited South Africa as a family trip and are now scheming how to make it an annual event that all in the family can attend. A trip intended to expose my mom and my oldest two nephews to international travel and it was an absolute success. PaperJet Travel and Justin Perumal made our trip everything that we could have ever imagined...and more!! They organized our safari at Kruger which was an amazing time of bonding as we learned new animals and birds, tracked the Big 5 (all of which we saw at least twice), and were surrounded by here’s of buffalos and elephants. Seeing the animals in their natural habitat was breathtaking. Marka, our guide at MalaMala Game Reserve, was extremely knowledgeable and took the time to find every animal we desired to see and to ensure that we fully enjoyed our time. We also spent time in Cape Town and Johannesburg where the people are ridiculously loving and absolutely amazing. The hotels we stayed in were more than accommodating and the staff ensures that
Read more we enjoyed our stay by going above and beyond their duties. South Africa is a beautiful place, full of culture and beauty that everyone should experience at least once.
Avatar icon Stuart Weston Australia flag AU       Visited: August 2017 Reviewed: Sep 17, 2017

Email Stuart Weston

S. Africa for Animal tour, a feast for the senses.

5 / 5 5 /5
5 / 5 / 5 4 / 5 / 5
My wife and I visited S.A. principally to see wildlife. We sought a tour via the offices of Safari Tours, who on knowing our goals, came up with a list of providers, three of whom caught our interest, one subsequently was selected. Safari made sure that we had appropriate replies from the operators chosen, & were most professional about the whole process.....they do a great job!
The weather was great, a relatively mild winter..only needed to bundle up in the early morning/late evening. The guides were fully committed to our seeing all that was possible. The food on the whole was adequate, but limited.Transport was well done, though it is as well to note that travelling from Jo'berg to Kruger takes a half day in one direction, & a full day in the other, so book something that will give you adequate time in the park. Having only two passengers on the tour helped to ensure that we missed nothing. The real highlight was seeing the "Big Five" on two consecutive
Read more days, & four of them on the third...(uncooperative rhino!) The whole trip rated among the best we had ever done!!
Female avatar icon Raffaella Italy flag IT       Visited: August 2016 Reviewed: Nov 28, 2016

Email Raffaella  |  35-50 years of age  |  Experience level: over 5 safaris

5 / 5 5 /5
5 / 5 5 / 5 5 / 5 5 / 5

In every park you can find different wonderful landscape and attraction. Big five, smallfive, incredible vegetation and flowers. Everypark and reserve is well manteined with all facilities. You can drive almost everywhere and do night safariwith good guides.