Africa Safari Recommendations

[Anonymous]

Has anyone ever done a safari vacation? Is it reasonable to stay only in one gaming lodge or should you go to various/different countries too. Any preferences between South Africa/Botswana/Zambia/others? And any recs for a travel agent? We are planning our honeymoon in Summer of 2016

[Anonymous]

We did Abercrombie and Kent for South Africa, Botswana and Victoria Falls. It was pricey, but I can't recommend it highly enough. Very private, the game camps only had maybe 8-10 guest each, and in each safari vehicle it was just us, one other couple, the driver and the guide.

[Anonymous]

I love South Africa as a safari destination because there's so much to do there in addition to safari - exploring Cape Town, winelands, etc. It's a great vacation spot. I recommend Sun Safaris (http://www.sunsafaris.com/) - they are a great, SA-based agency and as such much cheaper than the Abercrombie and Kents of the world.

With that said, if you want the classic wide open savannah type landscape, East Africa (Kenya or Tanzania) is a better bet.

[Anonymous]

PP 16:52 here - I would recommend no more than 3 or 4 nights in any one reservation/lodge. You will be doing 2-3 game drives a day, so 3 days is plenty.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We did Abercrombie and Kent for South Africa, Botswana and Victoria Falls. It was pricey, but I can't recommend it highly enough. Very private, the game camps only had maybe 8-10 guest each, and in each safari vehicle it was just us, one other couple, the driver and the guide.

I did this kind of safari with A & K, too, about 15 years ago. Great variety - started in Cape Town and wine country, on to Chobe, then Okavango Delta, Moremi, and the falls. Wonderful.

[Anonymous]

The people I know who went on Safari went to Tanzania. Loved it. No clue which company.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP 16:52 here - I would recommend no more than 3 or 4 nights in any one reservation/lodge. You will be doing 2-3 game drives a day, so 3 days is plenty.

Agree. We did 3 days and had seen tons by the end. We went to Mala Mala in South Africa and it was fabulous. Just us with the guide. Tons of animals. Beautiful property.

[Anonymous]

We did a safari with Tanzania Odyssey and thought it was amazing. Our favorite game lodges were the Nomad Tanzania ones - look for those. Their guides are unbelievably good and are so enthusiastic.

[Anonymous]

We did South Africa and stayed at Singita Sabi Sands. Travel & Leisure consistently names it one of the best properties in the world every year. It was AMAZING!

[Anonymous]

Is anyone worried in light of the recent mauling of the American tourist by a lion?

[Anonymous]

I would recommend Tanzania - the Serengeti, Ngorongoro crater, and some time on Zanzibar.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is anyone worried in light of the recent mauling of the American tourist by a lion?

Recommend you keep your windows all the way up like the park tells you to do and not ignore this simple common sense like the moron who got mauled.

[Anonymous]

Know a little bit about this because we went on a great trip last year. And ended up with all our belongings, including money and passports, destroyed while on a tent safari. You want a U.S. Travel Agent on your side and working to get you back on track, new passports, lodging, travel to your next destination, etc. I cannot say nicer things about GeoEx (Geographic Expeditions). They made us more than whole and made sure we had medications, Lodging, transport, anything we needed immediately. And using a travel agent for a trip like this costs you nothing more than booking direct. Btw, the travel insurance? Will cover your flight of changed. If anything else happens good luck to you. This is a trip of a lifetime. Your airfare will cost $2500 per person. Book with someone who knows what they are doing and who will protect you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is anyone worried in light of the recent mauling of the American tourist by a lion?

South African poster here. This woman was not on safari, she was at a drive through zoo like place just outside of Johannesburg. The lions there are caged animals and do not behave like animals in the wild. I do not recommend visiting Lion Park, or opening your windows if you do. But this type of incident is totally unrelated to any dangers of visiting SA or going on safari.

I recommend considering either the MORE company, which owns several wonderful lodges in SA, or &Beyond, an internationally owned company with several great properties. I do think it's worth visiting more than one location during a trip, perhaps spending three days a three different safari lodges and a week exploring the area around cape town?

[Anonymous]

And Beyond is another great luxury tour operator in Africa. My sister used them for the honeymoon and had an amazing experience.