We are thrilled to share a recent review that truly captures the essence of the Safari Guru experience. At Safari Guru, we pride ourselves on delivering exceptional adventures, and hearing about the incredible moments you’ve had on your journeys with us is what keeps our passion alive.

Why This Experience Resonates

These words perfectly encapsulate what Safari Guru strives to achieve with every adventure. The mention of our meticulous safari planning and organisation, our professionalism and good standing with the African ground handlers whom we entrust our travellers with every step of the way.

We are grateful for the feedback on the guides and the safari camps we chose, and to this fabulous duo for not only choosing Safari Guru but also for taking the time to share their thoughts with us.

Meet our fellow adventurers whose recent safari with Safari Guru left them with memories to cherish forever. 

AFRICAN SAFARI GURU REVIEW

Re: Thank you for a trip of a lifetime

Hi, Deon and Ashley,

John and I wanted to send you a quick note to say how appreciative we are of all the advice and guidance you provided as we were considering our trip to Africa and the meticulous planning you put into making it one of the most special times of our lives.  Given that we started with a very different itinerary when we started talking about this trip in 2019 we also want to acknowledge your patience as well!

The bumpy start with the quick change from Splash Camp to Sable Alley was proof of your professionalism and good standing with all the ground operators.  In fact, this experience was not bumpy for us at all.  Your quick organisation meant that the fire at Splash Camp did not really impact us at all.  In fact the smile on the person from Wilderness greeting us at the airport in Maun on that first day when we could tell him we already knew about the change was priceless.  He was so relieved not to have to tell us.  Thank you!  

Having not been to Splash Camp we really didn’t have anything to compare Sable Alley to, however, if Splash is even half as good as Sable Alley then we would have had a wonderful time.  Sable Alley was wonderful.  The manager couldn’t be more obliging.  He was very anxious to make sure that we had a great time even though we were not where we were supposed to be, and I can’t tell you how good our guide, Mario was.  If you are able to request a guide for future guests at Sable Alley in the future then I would definitely put Mario at the top of your list.  He looked after us, and another couple from our wake-up call at 5:30 am till we headed to bed normally around 9 pm.  His knowledge of the animals, where we might be able to find them in the reserve, and their behaviour was incredible. He balanced the needs of both us, wanting to stop and take 1,000s of photos and the other couple who were there for a shorter time so were keen to see as much as possible in our first couple of days, perfectly. Nothing was too much trouble.  We were blessed with the animals that we got to see including two sets of leopard cubs and three lion cubs with their mum and grandmother.  There were around 12 hippos in the waterhole in front of the common area who were visited by up to six or seven other species on our third afternoon.  In fact, the wildlife was abundant everywhere.  I think about 15,000 of the 20,000 photos we took over the three weeks were from this camp. We loved it here.

Toka Leya was fabulous.  The staff were really friendly and more than happy to have a chat about themselves and what brought them to Wilderness.  It sounds like Wilderness a very supportive of their employees – both during COVID but also looking after their ongoing development.  One of our waiters was training to be a guide, so he joined us on a couple of excursions which was really nice to see.  Again our guide Godfrey was terrific.  He had a bit of juggling to do as he was looking after us and a solo traveller who was only there for two days but he made sure that we all packed in as much as possible.  We even were privileged to see a 3-month-old baby white rhino, such as special experience.  The Wilderness ground transport team that Toka Leya used was also amazing.  The driver who took us over the border to Zimbabwe helped us navigate customs smoothly and quickly.  Much different to the chaos that John experienced 25 years ago at the same border.  No matter what we wanted to do, be it Devils pool, a helicopter ride over the falls, or just walking the falls from both sides, Godfrey and Stephen at Toka Leya made it so easy for us to arrange on the spot. 

Little Kulala again demonstrated the adaptability of the team at Wilderness.  We were joined by a single lady from NZ who was there for two nights, a couple from the US who were there for three nights and ourselves who were there for 4 nights.  Night one threw a curve ball.  We had been told there was going to be a bit of wind around that night so they had shifted our ballon ride from the first morning to the third morning and instead we planned a trip to Dead Vlei which worked out well as it meant our NZ companion would get out there in her limited time at camp. Then a full scale sand storm arrived overnight and lasted till 2pm the following day so we couldn’t leave the camp.  It looked like our companion from the NZ was going to miss out on her trip to the Dead Vlei, but no, as soon as the wind dropped, our amazing guide Gabes rearranged our schedule and we had an amazing afternoon at the dunes. Most impressively, by the time that we returned to camp the team had completely cleaned everything from top to tail.  You would never know that there had been fine red sand EVERYWHERE.  The next challenge came when the balloon company also cancelled the following day’s flight.  It didn’t impact us but it did look like the US couple were going to miss out as they were to fly out early the following day when we were scheduled to fly.  Somehow, the team at Little Kulala managed to get the balloon couple to squeeze Matt and Sheila into our flight and then Gabes followed the balloons so that he could whisk them straight to the airstrip for their next flight from wherever the balloons landed.  They missed out on the champagne breakfast but they were able to experience the balloon ride.  Nothing was too much trouble.  The team, led by James and Manus were there to make everything so smooth and seamless.  Once again, our guide Gabes was amazing.  This time not only was his knowledge of the local animals incredible, but also his knowledge of the geology of the area was incredible.  A fascinating person to tell the story of the area.  

All in all we had a wonderful time.  It will be a trip that we will be talking about for year.  Thank you so much for making it so memorable. 

Perhaps the most memorable advice that you gave us was about the length of stay that is appropriate at each camp.  Originally I think we were talking about staying 5 nights.  Your advice was 3-4 nights and this was spot on.  From what we observed at each camp, and they were all basically the same, two nights was far too short.  You only get to do three things – an activity on the night you arrive, a morning and night activity on day 2 and then on day three you are preparing to leave.  Three nights gives you two full days which allows you the opportunity to fit in 5 activities.  This seems to be what most camps are geared up for.  We loved having the 4th night as it gave us an opportunity to actually enjoy the camp.  We could sit down and watch the sunset from the common areas just relaxing, without having to get ready for an activity.  The camps are so beautiful that it would be a shame not to enjoy them.  Five nights I feel would have been too long.

The only other piece of advice I would give future travellers is to think about how many countries you visit.  We specifically chose three countries (not including SA) as it was my first time to Africa and I wanted the widest possible experience – game drives, Victoria Falls and the desert experience.  What I would think more closely about next time is how much of our 3 weeks we spent in airports and on planes.  Each time we moved camps it was at least two planes, plus passport control which lost us a day each time.  I absolutely don’t regret the places we went to, or the diversity we got to experience.  I just thought this might be useful feedback when advising future customers. 

Once again, thank you.  This truly was a once in a lifetime trip that we would not have been able to achieve without your help. 

Regards 

Safari Guru Traveller

Sharing the Joy: African Safari Guru Review Featured

We believe in the power of shared experiences, and that’s why we’re featuring this African Safari Guru Review prominently. We want our community to feel the same excitement and satisfaction that all our travellers do, and we hope these words inspire others to embark on their own Safari Guru journey.

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