Best of South Africa

Ian & Julie – Coventry

South Africa – 

Mike & Lisa – Maidenhead

The Smith Family – Haslemere

Namibia Self Drive 

We had an absolutely amazing time in Namibia and certainly packed a lot in to the relatively brief time we were there.  The quality of the hire car, accommodation and meals booked was very high and all very much enjoyed.  All the game drives were quite different and so we learnt or saw something new each time and without exception the guides were very knowledgeable and personable.The kayaking trip with cape fur seals was a lot of fun.  We had the good fortune to be driven to the lagoon by Craig, owner of the company, and he took a lot of time and trouble explaining about the flamingos, avocets, cape albatross and the other birdlife which we passed.  The actual kayaking was very well organised, with much care taken to ensure that we all had the right clothing and equipment, and we were escorted by Craig and one other on the water to the area where the seals frolic in the sea and were encouraged to interact with them.  Unfortunately, Craig said the seals were a little subdued because it had been fairly cold overnight and there had been a bit of a storm, but we all enjoyed it.  

Each time we were moving on to new accommodation, I warned everyone that it could not get better, but every time it did, though the Fort at Onguma has to be the peak as it was totally sublime.  We were assigned one guide, Victor, for each of the activities we did there and he was outstanding in his ability to identify birds and find the game.  Ozondjou Trails was another highlight and the staff (Jackson, Mona Lisa, the chef, Moses and Big Matias, the guide) were all delightful and very welcoming.

One thing we would have welcomed were suggestions of places to stop for pitstops and refreshments during our journeys.  As it happened, in addition to Solitaire, we managed to find some excellent coffee shops, but there were a couple of times when we failed to find a suitable stopping place.  

The scale of the country is somehow increased by the gravel roads, but we were lucky as the four of us shared the driving, so no-one had to take on too much.  I am not sure I would want to split the driving between just two of us over a fortnight. 

We had a fabulous time – and have nearly 5,000 photos to prove it!  Many thanks for helping us to achieve this wonderful trip, especially at relatively short notice.

Wendy & Rob

Where to even begin to describe the trip we have just returned from?……..’WOW’ seemed to be the most used word!!

Thank you so much for putting an amazing itinerary together for us. We now have a better understanding of what each ‘area’ involves and cannot wait to go back and explore some more – we are well and truly hooked!

Despite not getting off to the best start (!) we are grateful for your help in moving everything around at Vic Falls. The horse ride was fun and the owner of the stables (sorry name’s gone!) was really sweet arranging a driver and guide for us after the ride as we only had 2 hours to enjoy the Falls!!

Safari Club was excellent.

Throughout the entire trip transfers and flights were very efficient and seamless – it was a real treat to sit back and let someone else do the organising (that’s normally our job!!)

We absolutely loved Kwando! Staff were amazing, food and general comfort fantastic and the game viewing ridiculous! I think we had the most ‘fun’ at this camp.

Then onto Mapula Lodge. Once we had chatted through our ‘wants’ in terms of viewing, etc (making the most of the Delta) they could not have done anymore for us. Private drives, private dinner, always accommodating and always very friendly.

Only issue we had was being late to breakfast one morning because the lodge was surrounded by elephants!

This was definitely the most ‘relaxing’ camp……and had the best ‘view from a loo’ (the main throne room loo near the main lodge – photo attached!)

We also saw the most incredible birds. I remember telling you I wasn’t really in to birds…..well that’s changed!

The ‘time out’ here was truly next level – so beautiful and peaceful.

It seems very quiet at night now we are home – and we are already missing the sound of lions roaring, hippos ‘grunting’ and being woken by the dawn chorus.

We have given ourselves a problem – how do we better this holiday?!!!

So – thank you!

Gary & Peter – London

Visited Cape Town, Botswana & Zambia 

So what can one say about our trip but amazing and lots of pictures yet to be processed. We loved it from start to finish. We saw so much including a pride of 18 Lions at Lebala, Rhino, leopards, Elephants, Buffalo, Giraffes and so much more.

Great meet at airport and transfer ok to wine lands as used a Mercedes without much AC. Only moan of the entire trip. Guest house in Wine lands was To Die For and loved eating, cycling and late night drinking.

Great transfer to 12 Apostles and went straight to Table Mountain after arriving as lovely day. What a fantastic hotel and super staff. Good tour of the Cape and Seal Island was a great addition. Guide was good fun and kept us busy. We did pay for our lunch and cable car but that was only down to a simple error.
Transfer to Maun was great and flight gave us good food and a lounge so very happy. Good meet and greet
NO WATER on the Delta so lodge slightly struggled on what to do on Game Drives. Worst drought in 21 years but saw leopards and lions from the road.

Next Lodge was one of our favorites as relaxed and all drives went off road . Wow! Leopards and Lions so close to the truck that it was amazing, dead elephants and 100s of vultures, Towers of Giraffes and dazzles of Zebra. LBR till the cows come home and even started to get into bird watching.
Fantastic camp and managers. Will go back here.
Again great transfer on small planes and everything in place for us.
Chobe National park felt like Disneyland. Arrive and put on boat with lots of other people. Not inspirational. Fun at the bar with Cathy the bar maid who sorted us out super cocktails. Good room but no view of the water.
The morning drive was ok but saw nothing not even an elephant. Guide says you can only see elephants in the afternoon. Exited as we left the lodge as good transfer guy and found elephants on the was down to water  and made sure we had lots of time finding elephants. Best part of the visit was the exciting transfer and driver. Easy move to Zambia from Botswana and Irish passport holders don’t have to pay a fee.

And then Tongabezi. WOW!
Met by Rudy the manager and then passed to our Valet Dadu. What a truly nice man and looked after us so well for our 5 days. Captain Felix who had us on the river every day and went cycling with me one morning, Godfrey our driver who looked after us at the Falls and all land transfers. The Rhino hunt was a great fun and spotted 5 Rhino. The food and Boathouse was amazing. We never moved to Nut House as Plunge pool is twice the dept and I was very happy in the pool at Dog House.
Such a moving visit to the village and school. Really made us think about lots of things.
So Well done and so pleased moved and excited about the entire trip.

What more can we say but thank you.

Sean & Trudy – Bury St Edmunds

Travelled to Victoria Falls, South Luangwa & Lower Zambezi 

Just a quick note to say, Thank you for all your help to make our first safari a most memorable holiday for all the right reasons.

It would be hard to fault or improve upon.

Your expertise shone through the whole trip.

Thanks again.

Rachel & Connor – Royal Leamington Spa

Rachel and I had an absolutely fantastic honeymoon, I’m not sure where to start! Everything went seamlessly and the planning from your end really helped us to enjoy our honeymoon without any stress or worries. Rachel and I will highly recommend you and will definitely look to book another African adventure with you in the future. The accommodation at nThambo, Umkumbe and Avani was stunning and each delivered on every level. We can assure you that this was a honeymoon, and experience, of a lifetime that we will never forget. The safari drives were brilliant with the opportunity to get very close to the ‘Big 5’, ‘Ugly 5’ and other stunning wildlife.

We thoroughly enjoyed the Sundown river safari, Victoria Falls and the chance to swim in the Zambezi river and take a plunge into the Devils Pool in Zambia. We didn’t want to leave and want to keep reliving the experience. 

Rachel & Ron – Bournemouth

Lyn & Keith – West Sussex

It would be very hard to rate our holiday anything but 10 it was fantastic and went really smoothly. Sindabezi was beautiful and we were very lucky to be given an upgrade to a lodge in Tongabezi for our last night, the accommodation there is out of this world!

We loved Lebala and Little Kwara, the bedroom at Kwara looks tired in comparison, but the service was equally good and I believe they are completely renovating it this June. In fact the customer service in Zambia and all 3 camps  was consistently exceptional I can not thank the staff enough, wherever we stayed, for giving us such a great holiday. 

Kath was really helpful too and very quick to respond to any concerns but the reason we went with you was because of Guy and Brianne’s recommendation, they recently went with you two years running and they convinced us it would be worth the money so they were great advocates, as we will be, if other friends are interested.

Hetal, Joanna & Jake – Towcester

Emily, Aidan, Alasdair & Harriet – Gloucestershire

Zimbabwe – September

We had a truly wonderful holiday.  It all worked out so well and was the perfect mix of relaxation, national park and river.  We had a great selection of wildlife and some very near encounters which was exciting and terrifying. 

We were sorry to miss the Elephant Express but it was rather a near miss as it was the group the day before us who had the derailment.  We had a very hot, bumpy but safe ride into camp instead and were well looked after by the team.

I would like to add quite how much we all appreciated the dedication of the Camelthorn & Zambezi Sands guides and team.  They were absolutely fantastic and went well above the call of duty to make it such a memorable stay.  

Thank you Big 5 Safaris again for setting up such a great programme for us.  We want to go back please!

Lynn – Slough

Zimbabwe & Botswana –

We had a wonderful time, everything went off perfectly.

The accommodation was excellent and all the transfers and pick up just happened seamlessly !  We loved Victoria falls our guide was very knowledgeable .  Our Riverboat stay was amazing , we even glimpsed a Leopard from the river bank plus Lions , hippos , crocs  and many other animals.  The Safari lodge in Chobe was lovely and again we saw Lions and lots of Elephants , Zebra , Giraffe and buffalo.

We were amazed at how much we saw and did in 6 days.

Thank you for arranging such a wonderful time for us.

Norma – Berkshire

Zimbabwe & Botswana – We had an amazing time.  The Zambezi cruise was very enjoyable and a great start to our holiday. The lodge at Victoria Falls was fabulous with great accommodation and lovely food. We saw plenty of animals visiting the water hole from our room giving us a taste of what was to come. 

 

Our transfer to Botswana and the Chobe Princess houseboat was well organised and we were lucky enough to get the cabin in the front with its own balcony. The trips out to the river bank were great and the guide was very knowledgeable and always made every effort to make sure we could see as much as possible and get as close as we could. On our second day out we saw so much. We were lucky enough to glimpse a leopard walking along the ridge, appearing whenever there was a gap in the bush. As well as the numerous elephants, crocs, buffalo, hippos, giraffe, zebra, impala, etc, we, again, were very fortunate to be around to see lionesses feeding on an earlier kill. And not forgetting the beautiful birds that can be seen everywhere.

 

We arrived at our lodge in Chobe in time to settle in and have lunch before going out on our first game drive. The accommodation was again fantastic with wonderful views and everything we needed.  I’m not sure how much other travellers see in the time that they stay but I felt we were extremely fortunate and what we saw far surpassed my expectations.

 

All in all, it was a fabulous holiday which has left us with many wonderful memories of Africa and of the other travellers that we shared our time with. The venues were first class and there must be a great deal of organisation behind the scenes which enables everything to run so smoothly. I would certainly recommend your company and in fact I’ve already passed your details on to my friend who is very interested in going to Africa.

 

Thank you for making this a holiday to remember.

 

McGregor Family – Manchester

Helen & Jim – Derby

We loved EVERY moment of our Self Drive in South Africa! The accommodations were excellent from start to finish and we had absolutely no complaints about the facilities, service and food at each one.

Starting with the V&A Waterfront, it couldn’t have been better located, right there in the thick of things in such an historic building.

Next on to the Winelands and the lovely guest house La Fontaine in Franschhoek. Here we were to find a completely different atmosphere,but one which was just as warm and welcoming. Breakfast was excellent!

At De Zeekoe we had a lovely room overlooking the gardens. Here we had a meerkat experience – up at half past stupid to watch a family of the little cuties in the middle of a field. It was amazing and we got some great pictures.

Laird’s Lodge truly lived up to the description in the booklet you sent me. We had such a wonderful stay there.

We had another relaxing stay in Addo and our visits to Addo Elephant Park were so productive in terms of photography.

Next we went to Kwandwe for what was the most exhilarating experience of my life. We could have spent the whole month there, not just 3 nights. The food was first class, the surroundings unbeatable and the staff are possibly its greatest asset.  I am so glad that you offered the option to have our own vehicle, ranger and tracker for those 3 days. Yes, it was more expensive but, SO worth the extra money.

I have already recommended your company to friends and other photographers, as we were both highly satisfied with the service you provided for us.

Marriage Family – Barton on Sea

We met the team at the New Forest Show and were really impressed with their knowledge of Africa and all matters safari. Katharine then helped us to plan a bespoke family holiday for four in South Africa within a pre-agreed budget. Katharine took considerable time to research ideas and incorporate our suggestions, but also ensured that we had an amazing holiday in some fabulous accommodation by double checking everything in advance.. We felt the overall service delivered was first class and certainly a cut above that offered by your typical travel agent. We would certainly use their services again for any similar holiday and recommend Safari Addicts to others seeking to plan the holiday of a lifetime. Many thanks again – The Marriage family.

Penny, Jonathan & Family – Market Harborough

Just returned from amazing trip to Victoria Falls, Botswana and Mozambique, including our first safari experience.

Katharine worked tirelessly to ensure that we were happy with every aspect of our holiday and helped us navigate the vast choice of accommodation to select the right camps for us.  The planning was excellent and everything worked perfectly.  We would highly recommend The Big 5 Safari Company – a tailor-made holiday that delivered above expectation experiences.  Thank you all!

Lorna & Mario – York

I just wanted to let you know what a wonderful trip you organised for myself and my husband in July this year.  Our three destination trip worked seamlessly from pick up in Cape Town right through to our return.  Our hotel in Cape Town was excellent and well located (The One & Only).  The staff “on the ground” were excellent, especially in Cape Town and the excursions were first class.  Chitwa Chitwa Game Lodge was awesome and delivered in every respect – would definitely return – great accommodation, a surfeit of wonderful food and fabulous game viewing from friendly and experienced team.  Our trip was completed with a visit to Victoria Falls in Zambia where we stayed at the Royal Livingstone – the location was excellent both for the falls and all the activities in this region.  Again the pre-booked activities did not disappoint and the hotel was luxurious.  Thank you Big 5 Safaris – will be booking again and would not hesitate to recommend you to others.

Mark & Lisa – Holton Le Clay

I’ve just read your “Why travel with us?” statement and it has to be said you ticked all the boxes. Our special occasion was our honeymoon and you definitely applied the personal touch to the extent I referred to you simply as “Katharine” – not The Big 5 Safari Company – in all discussions at home. I have booked trips all over the world for the last 25 years and I don’t think any one person has stood out like you have. The bespoke nature of our trip and some of the ideas and suggestions you came up with were truly inspirational e.g. Zambezi Sands. Discussions where you clearly captured our personalities of what would work and what wouldn’t were spot on and you clearly assessed us very well.

I would also like to share with you the note sent by Abercrombie & Kent in 2015, before I found your website: “We offer a similar range of accommodation to Audley and our prices should be broadly speaking in line. For a 14 night holiday with a week on safari and a week in Mozambique, I think the figure of £8k per person wouldn’t be too far wide of the mark so if you’re budget is closer to £4k per person, I don’t think we would be able to offer anything to match this budget from the accommodation that we choose to offer”. Suffice to say we did exactly what we planned to, add in some extras and you were still able to meet our budget whilst still staying in luxury … and possibly even the same places!

We will share some photos in due course but our honeymoon was truly memorable and Lisa and I would like to thank you for your efforts in making it happen. I have already started recommending Big 5 to my friends and family and we look forward to travelling with you again at some point.

Nick & Kellie-Marie – Old Hatfield

What an amazing trip to Zimbabwe!! I loved every minute from start to finish. We had a great safari experience, saw a huge range of wildlife and 3 of the big 5! And Victoria falls is simply breathtaking isn’t it? I can’t imagine how much more ferocious it is during the high season.
 
Staying in Bulawayo was also a wonderful experience, our host family were just so friendly and welcoming and just loved having us stay with them. Albeit underprivileged, they just get on with it and I suppose don’t know much different (especially the kids, who were all little rays of sunshine!).
 
Thank you so much for helping me plan the trip, it really was a great experience! If I ever do anything like this again I’ll be sure to come straight back to you.

Rob & Helen – Eastbourne

We had a lovely time in South Africa – many thanks for organising – we loved all our locations.
Chitwa Chitwa in Sabi Sands exceeded expectations in terms of accommodation and game viewing – saw the Big 5 on many occasions and much more …
Also really liked Elephant Camp and Victoria Falls was as spectacular as we had imagined.
No complaints and no regrets – just great memories!
 
Many thanks again, especially for the treat at our last camp to mark my birthday celebrations – much appreciated.

Gordon & Gill – Nailsworth

Firstly thanks to The Big 5 Safari Company for your assistance in managing the changes resulting from our flight delay.

Unfortunately, due to our outgoing flight delay we lost a day at the start of the holiday and at the end effectively lost half a day due to significant problems confirming our connecting flights from Livingstone – none of which was the responsibility of Big 5 as we booked our own flights and I think next time we would ask Big 5 to do this for us!

That’s the bad news, the good news is that despite these problems we had a fantastic time.  Victoria falls is simply spectacular and we did still manage to see the moonbow on the second evening and on the river safari we managed to not only see our first elephant, but managed to collide with a hippo under the water – all of which was great fun.

Our accommodation was very comfortable and of high quality.  Waking up to zebras on the lawn is the norm there but doesn’t half leave you delighted and bemused.

At the Zambezi Sun in Livingstone and at Camelthorn Lodge in Hwange National Park we were really impressed by the welcoming attitude of all the staff we met.  All of our drivers for the transfers were courteous and very helpful.  The only thing we are inclined to “complain” about would be that we found the transfer long and a little uncomfortable and would have preferred to take the recently introduced rail car through the park.

At Camelthorn our primary hosts/guides, Sibs and Vusa, were not only experienced and knowledgeable guides, but engaging and warm individuals which made for fun and interesting conversation over dinner.

As safari ‘virgins’ we did not really know what to expect from the drives, but quickly learned.  By that I mean that there are no guarantees about which animal species you may see and it can vary significantly between drives.  Despite the best efforts of our guide, we did not manage to find leopard or cheetah, but apart from this, during the short time we were in camp, we saw a good variety of animals and were thrilled by the experience.

We thank you Katharine for all of your early advice in selecting our venues as they all turned out to be great and the experience has left us with some great photos and memories. If it were not for family commitments in 2016 we would be looking to book our next safari now and will not hesitate to contact The Big 5 Safari Company for our next two location safari.

Sue & Alan Farmer

We had an amazing time in Zimbabwe and I would like to thank you for everything you did in organising this for us.  Our accommodation in both Hwange and Victoria Falls were lovely. I know you had some input as well into helping to organise the renewal of our wedding vows – a complete surprise to me but such a special day, so thank you again.

Khulu Ivory Lodge was perfect, we all absolutely loved the place, unfortunately animal sightings weren’t quite as much as we had hoped for but I think this may have been the time of year (as it wasn’t the real dry season the vegetation was still quite high so difficult to spot animals).  The team at the Lodge were fantastic, we couldn’t have asked for more, it really is a perfect setting.

So many special memories that will stay with us forever.

Brianne & Guy – Chichester

We were safari virgins … we had however long harboured the thought that one day, when circumstances were right and finances permitted, we would visit the Okovango Delta in Botswana. Both of us having our 60th birthday made the time right.
 
In a flush of enthusiasm, my husband Googled madly and came up with a selection of ‘budget’ truck based safaris.  Not what I had in mind! I Googled madly and came up with The Big 5 Safari Company.
 
How fortuitous, they put together a memorable itinerary, heeding our request for small camps in remote locations. From first contact through to detailed planning, the trip itself and the follow up, they were professional, efficient, and not least, willing and able to design a trip to meet our expressed desires and aspirations.
 
We travelled from the arid plains of the Central Kalahari (Tau Pan Camp), to the enchanting Okavango (Pom Pom Camp), to the lush and fertile Linyanti River (Lebala Camp) rounding off with some R & R at the stunning Falls (Victoria Falls Hotel).
 
All 3 camps offered stylish and characterful accommodation with friendly, attentive staff and professional management.  The guides and trackers were awesome in their knowledge of the wildlife, game, birds, nature and culture. We learnt so much from them.
 
The range and quality of the experience was fantastic.  Everything worked like clockwork. We thought this would be a one off high end experience but no … we booked a return trip within weeks of coming back! No excuse needed this time.
 
Thank you Big 5 for such a brilliant experience and in particular Katharine Hunt.
 
Guy and Brianne Perkins

Noel and Jean – Preston

Kevin this is our 4th safari with you and as ever the level of detail in the itinerary you put together for us made the trip very special. From the private meet and greet in Johannesburg to the unexpected bush dinner we had an unforgettable time. Experiencing the Kalahari for the first time certainly gave us a new perspective on Botswana, one of our favourite countries. Please pass our thanks on to all the lodges and we look forward to going to South Luangwa on our next trip!