Wilderness of Southern Africa: Safari by Land & Water

Our Collette Safari experience was awesome. Our trip included Botswana, South Africa, Zimbabwe ( plus we were in a small boat 3 night “cruise” on a large Lake Kariba, water that feeds into Victoria’s Falls, where we also stayed. Our trip was so much fun and educational due to our local tour guide, Taitus, I found him to be very knowledgeable of the history of Africa, parks and animals. Our game drive guides were excellent and knowledgeable as well. We felt ease with Taitus as our 16 travel companions. It was all a great experience and I have a beautiful memories to cherish forever. Definitely recommended.

It was an amazing experience, from all the animals we saw to meeting local people to petting and feeding elephants. Our tour manager, Samantha was wonderful, always on top of things and sharing her knowledge and experiences with us.

We had the best Tour guide (Samantha Johnson ) we travel a lot and she was the very best ever. There were 14 people in our group (new family) and she went above and beyond expectations. We visited a village that was on the River part of our tour. Samantha and the boat captain arranged out of the blue. It was very enlightening about the people that live in Africa.

The best trip EVER. Chobe, Hwange and Lake Kariba were magical places. Three nights in every place was perfect as we were not rushed to go from one place to the other. However, my favorite place was Iganyana Tented Camp. It was so magical, and an unforgettable moment when a herd of elephants came to drink water from the swimming pool. Additionally, the camp's staff were great. I have been to Tanzania and I would say I loved this recent safari a tad much better. I was not awed by Victoria Falls as I have been to Iguazu Falls. Lastly, Thula, our group manager was SUPERB. He was attentive to every traveler's needs and was very, very good in explaining about the sites and places and history and culture of the places we went to. Additionally, the trackers/drivers were excellent in driving us around for a very memorable safari.

Seeing the wild life

It was freezing in Chobe with not enough extra blankets. I had asked first for electric heating pad and they were given to the 2 couples that asked after I did. The group in the tour didn’t rotate sitting in the front of the bus or the jeep. Tipping was a disaster. Not everyone tipped. I recommend tipping be included in price. I loved everything we did. It was a trip of a lifetime. Don’t know that I would go on a tour with that many people. Some were treated with a lot of extras. It was very obvious. We weren’t advised that everyone everywhere takes American dollars. The food was good.

The best trip I've taken...and I thought nothing could top Australia, New Zealand and Fiji!

Visiting an elephant conservatory was amazing as we could pet and feed the elephants. What a great memory!

Overall most of the tour was great with a few exceptions. Our tour manager, Samantha, was awesome! Accommodations with the exception of the house boat on Lake Kariba were good. The house boat was very disappointing. I paid for single accommodations and was in an extremely small triple that was not up to standards at all. The room was cramped with a very small bathroom. There was barely room to walk around the beds. One of my roommates had to sleep on a bunk which was extremely uncomfortable. The air conditioner was turned off in the middle of the night and we had to leave our door open for air circulation because it was stifling. The luggage racks were unacceptable. I couldn't open my suitcase while on the rack. There was only space for two suitcases but three people. The Lake Kariba itinerary was changed last minute and was not acceptable. All of the staff on that boat were awesome! All staff at the different places we stayed were great! I have to eat a gluten free diet because of Celiac Disease. There were times when navigating the gluten free diet were questionable. I am not sure what Collette can do in the future about gluten free diet other than better communication and training with the resorts and restaurants they are dealing with. At two different lunch locations included in trip (ordered ahead for both) I was given french fries that I could not eat. At our first location, when other guests had snacks during safari or boat rides and first thing in the morning before we went out, there were no gluten free options. On the boat on Lake Kariba, all meals were buffet style. Because of cross contamination, buffet style is not appropriate for gluten free or people with allergies. There were times that I wasn't able to eat off the buffet because of the cross contamination. When we arrived at Cape Town on the extension, our airport transfer was very unsafe. When we arrived at the hotel, we were told it was unsafe for us to walk where or hotel was. It was only safe at the Waterfront. If I had known that, I would probably not have done the extension. Our guide on extension was not great. I would have preferred some optional excursions on extension than a city tour. A wine tour would have been a great option or trip to botanical garden. We were only given an hour on top of Table Mountain. I would have liked more time. I felt like we were rushed at the stops we made on extension.

So many! The ANIMALS we saw - everything was terrific. And Thula was terrific. Really took care of Everyhting!

6 out of the 12 days were very bad--poor accommodations, uninteresting activities. 6 of the days were good, so that makes it average. Extension to Cape Town was good.

Nothing beats the real deal. I now know what a true adventure is. This safari will be difficult to beat. A description of this trip will do it no justice. 4 of the Big Five (Rhinos are in Top Secret Locations), 4 of the Ugly Five (No Hyena), but only one of the Little Five (only the Ant Lion)

Our sixth trip with Colette. This was the best and that's a high bar.. Our manager, the itinerary, the variety of experiences were amazing. This bucket list trip exceeded all expectations.

Our tour guide Samantha was very knowledgeable and went above and beyond daily. The tour was divided into 4 unique segments, each with their own exciting aspect. Animals aren’t guaranteed, but we saw plenty, including luckily a pride of 15 lions one day, which was a special treat. We were almost one together with the elephants at the tent camp…

The Elephant Sanctuary and the game drive at Chobe National Park

Seeing the wild animals in their natural habitat, along with the elephant sanctuary

The best tour manager ever. Very attentive to everyone’s needs. Extremely knowledgeable and made us feel comfortable and safe

Everything was fantastic! Animals, accommodations, food, etc

The tour, guide, inclusions, content were a 5 star, dealing with your airfare dept was horrible and was a one star