Reviews

 Great advise, seamless itinerary, wonderful accomodation and guides = perfect east african adventure. Great safari holiday was had by all. Perfect contrast in accommodation starting with Wayo Manyara Green camp complete with bucket showers and dining under the stars, through to glamping at Nasikia Naona Moru in Central Serengeti and the sheer luxury of Lemala Kuria Hills.Food was amazing given where you were. We travelled as a family of 5 and had doubles and triples all the way and it worked perfectly. Guides went out of their way to ensure that we had the best experience (thanks Shatri / Baraka) and saw it all – even a couple of black rhino’s. Nice easy start to holiday with 2 nights in Arusha to get over jet lag, and a relaxing finish in Zanzibar (stone town and Nungwi). Truly amazing!

We feel like we have definitely returned from the trip of a life time, our entire holiday from start to finish was awesome, (except maybe the long flights, but well worth it) our time on Safari was amazing , and the Wayo Green camps we stayed at along the way were fantastic, such a great feeling staying right amongst the nature. The staff at all the camps were extremely friendly and it was great getting to know them all. The Food was exceptional and we defiantly put on a few extra kg’s. We particularly enjoyed the walking camp in northern Serengeti , it was awesome to get out there and walk on foot, knowing there is nothing between you and everything else. While staying at the camp we had a really great moment when we were up early for breakfast just as the sun was coming up and we heard a lion roar very close by, at first we couldn’t see it but after all looking for a few moment we realised it was just on the other side of the dry creek bed from the camp, no more than 150m away, it was an amazing experience. Then moving to the next camp in the north where we were lucky enough to catch a river crossing the moment we arrived at Mara River, our luck continued as for the following 2 days we got to witness another two crossings, the last one we saw which was the best after the previous night there was rain in Kenya which had filled the river and made it start to run a lot faster, which made it for difficult crossings and amazing viewing, with lots of wildebeest not surviving as we saw many bodies in the river the next day, the crocodiles would of been well feed. On our final day in the Serengeti after not yet seeing a leopard, we were lucky enough to come across not only a leopard but a mother with two cubs aswell, who were feeding on a fresh kill from the night before, It was an amazing way to finish or safari and tick off the Big5.

Our time in Capetown was also Amazing, it is a beautiful city and we really enjoyed the cheap food and cocktails.

I would like to thank you guys for planning such a memorable trip every flight and transfer was seamless and made travelling a breeze, all our accommodation was fantastic and we were really happy with Wayo and our guide. We would definitely recommend it.

Thank you  again.

I spent a considerable amount of time researching our Africa holiday only to find that I felt confused by all the information on the internet. Then I spoke with Encompass Africa! From the moment I emailed and then chatted with Jono on the phone I knew we were going to be well looked after. We are a well travelled family however planning a trip to Africa was a different experience for us and Jono made it all seem so easy. He was wonderful with our kids and he gave them great information to manage their knowledge and expectations about being on safari. We had the most amazing holiday because Encompass Africa listened to us and they understood what we wanted from our holiday. When we were in Africa everything went smoothly and the contacts Encompass Africa have on the ground are so professional and most importantly so warm and friendly. Our holiday was the most wonderful experience for our family. We had the most amazing guide (we miss him!), the accommodation was fantastic and as we expected, the food amazing and plentiful, and the wildlife was incredible because Encompass Africa knew where we needed to be at the time of year we were travelling to see the wildlife. I would definitely book another holiday with Encompass Africa and recommend them highly.

 Outstanding knowledge of where to go and excellent service.This was our third safari with Encompass Africa. That shows that it is an outstanding knowledgeable and professional travel agent. They secured for us at three camps in Botswana & Zambia four nights for the price of three. No other guests we met had that offered to them! In addition we were given the best of the camps accommodation. We were completely satisfied with the camps we stayed at. Having a 24×7 agent in Jo’burg to assist in any matters that may arise shows their commitment to their customers. We would without hesitation use them again for our next African safari.

 We arrived home from a fantastic holiday safe and sound.

The highlight of our trip has to be trekking to see the mountain gorillas in Rwanda. We had two different treks and both were great although the second one was better as we saw more gorillas. With our first experience the gorillas were hot so they spent a lot of time in the undergrowth in shade whereas with our second experience the gorillas were on the move and we were able to follow them. Sabyinyo lodge was lovely and Aimable, our guide with Magic Safaris was great and looked after us very well. I would most likely request him again if we returned to Rwanda.

Our experience with the Asilia camps was excellent and I’m glad we decided to go with them. All camps were lovely and the staff were so friendly and welcoming. Alfred, our mobile Asilia guide was with us for the first two camps and he was brilliant. We enjoyed his experience, knowledge and company and he was just perfect for us as he shared our sense of humour. I would definitely request him should we go back.

I think our favourite camp was Sayari although we did have a bit of a hiccup on our first drive. Our jeep was in need of some tlc and we broke down twice. The first time Steve, another traveller and I had to push the jeep to jump start it. A little later, as it was getting dark the battery went completely flat, we were in the middle of nowhere and the radio wasn’t working. Luckily not far from where we broke down some people staying at another Asilia camp were having sundowners so all of the staff there were able to push us to jump start again so we could get back to camp. We missed sundowners and the lion we had spotted. We did express our disappointment to Julie, the manager at Sayari who did everything she could to make up for this hiccup. The jeep was fitted with a new battery and we had no further problems. This didn’t detract from our stay and we still had a good time.

The Asilia guides, both mobile and camp guides were all great. They have a certain respect for the animals and doing the right thing whereas some guides from other companies didn’t seem to understand safari etiquette when it came to animal sightings, particularly in Ngorogoro Crater.

Giraffe Manor was great too and it was the perfect end to a perfect holiday for some R&R.

Thank you for organising our intinerary, it was great.

  From first contact with Encompass they were enthusiastic, listened to what we wanted and delivered.

We have just returned after spending 3 weeks in both Kenya and Tanzania. From our first phone to Encompass who we hadn’t heard of before doing some internet research we had a great experience. Initially we were going with the popular named tour companies before we stumbled across Encompass. We didn’t really know what we wanted but with the help of Jono, Boss of Encompass (who is South African) he drafted up an itinerary and sent it to us.

The email had a link to our own web page which had everything set out in it, including costs. We thought we would be part of a small group but no, it was just going to be the 2 of us plus it was cheaper than the other crowds for similar itinerary.

Going to Africa for us was a bit scary and we were trying to cover all the what ifs’ but there were none for us.
From our first contact with Encompass to arriving home everything went like clockwork. We saw some amazing sites, felt perfectly safe at all times, accommodation 5 star. Most of our time was on dirt roads, so yes it can be a bit rough at times.
We visited these parks in this order:-
Samburu National Park
Lake Nakuru National Park
Lake Naivasha- water safari and walking amongst the animals on an island
Masai Mara National Reserve
Serengeti National Park-saw migrating wildebeest and zebras which we didn’t expect in May
Ngorongoro Crater
Tarangire National Park
Amboseli National Park- saw Mt Kilimanjaro.
Our tour started and finished in Nairobi.
We had some long days driving between parks. The longest was supposed to be 10 hours from Masai Mara to The Serengeti which included crossing the border but it ended up being 11 and a half hours as, early into the trip we had a fan belt break.
Part of this trip was extremely rough roads. In hindsight, I may have looked at cutting out 1 or 2 of the parks and included Victoria Falls. In saying that, I thoroughly enjoyed what we did. As we went in May, it was before the main season so the parks were a lot quieter which was to our advantage. We had a little bit of rain which didn’t affect us and some grey skies. Thanks Encompass team!

A big thank you to Jono and the Encompass Africa team for making our honeymoon a fantastic experience! We had a wonderful time. Encompass Africa was very professional and were always available to answer any questions that we had in a timely manner. Our accommodation was brilliant and we loved the hospitality from the staff. The food was also delicious and there was so much of it! Godwin, our Maasai Wanderings guide, was fantastic! His knowledge about the safari parks and facts about animals was amazing! We learnt so much. His eagle eye on being able to spot animals was phenomenal. A very big thank you to Godwin for taking such great care of us.

Africa was a wonderful place for a holiday and we will always remember our time there. We would definitely recommend Encompass Africa to others. Thank you for organising such a great honeymoon for us!

Hi Jono. We just got home and wanted to tell you about our great trip! The camps were great. Satao Elerai was a great way to start the trip. We were made to feel special at the others as well and I can’t speak highly enough of the men that looked after us in all of them. The food was excellent and imaginative. I don’t know how they did it in such isolated and difficult conditions. The drivers/guides were careful, knowledgeable and we enjoyed their company. The New Year’s Eve party at the mobile camp was a lot of fun. I had a great 60th birthday in Zanzibar and we had a relaxing 4 days in Matemwe. Kisiwa and Stone Town were good as well. All our transfers in Zanzibar were good and punctual as well. Etihad was very comfortable. Jono thank you for all your effort in planning and organising a wonderful and memorable trip.

The Encompass Africa team members were extremely knowledgeable, efficient, helpful, and did everything to ensure our holiday was right up there with the best we’ve ever had.They thought of everything, taking a deal of the worry of making our own plans away, and we were very happy knowing everything was dealt with. They booked a marvellous safari park for us, Kwandwe, which exceeded all expectations we had, and we had not even heard of it! Without Encompass Africa, we would have missed it.

Our trip was fabulous and the amount of time we spent in each place was perfect. There really wasn’t anything we would have done differently. It was so good to be looked after so well on arrival into Johannesburg and the drivers and guides we had while we were there were amazing – particularly Pat who took us on our tour of Soweto, he was so lovely and extremely knowledgeable and all of us felt we could ask him absolutely anything – which we did!

The only things we adjusted were when we were in South Africa. We added  a trip to the Apartheid Museum after touring Soweto and removed a drive around Johannesburg City (thought it would be more worthwhile). And the rental car you organised was perfect and so roomy!

Firstly thank you so much to Encompass Africa for planning and delivering an amazing holiday exploring Africa. It has absolutely been one of our best ever holidays and was a wonderful way to spend our anniversary.

The trip was well organized, the itinerary advice and suggestions were all spot on, the locations we stayed at were brilliant and the accommodation was superb and all the internal flights and the transfers all went smoothly. Thanks to all the extra tips and useful information that we received from EA prior to our travels, we had a good understanding of what we could expect during our trip and we really appreciated this during our travels.

 The safari operators on the ground in Africa were incredibly professional and their amazing guides were very friendly, incredibly professional, and very passionate about the amazing wildlife in Africa and this combination made every safari a unique incredible experience. Our trips combination of Central and then East Africa gave us a taste of how varied the African countries, their people and the wildlife really is and we will treasure the experiences we have had there.

We met wonderful people during our trip and whilst we were amazed at how so many people had been there many times before, we will now join them in the desire to return to further explore the amazing African continent.   Gorillas in Rwanda and Uganda next, or should it be the Namibian desert, or the South African concessions???? …. Not a matter of if, but when there will be more trips to Africa.

 Highlights of the trip? That’s been a real toughie for both of us. There were highlights every day, meeting the local people, seeing the wildlife – with some amazing encounters on every safari drive we went on, the people we met along the trip, and the places we visited and stayed at together, have made the whole trip to Africa a real highlight of our travels.   We have had many friends ask who organized our trip and have already recommended the lovely team at Encompass Africa to them as your expert help was a key component of our wonderful holiday. Thank you so much!

My husband and I had the best time during this trip. It was flawless and everyday was most enjoyable. The accommodation was up to our standards and the service at every place we stayed was impeccable. The safaris in each place were excellent yet all different in their own way. The sense of anticipation made it even more special. We saw some amazing animals and observed the behaviours of the big ones. If anyone plans to do a safari, Encompass Africa is the way to go. Jonathon Wilson understands what makes a good safari along with what one requires personally.
Thank you Jonathon! We absolutely loved it.

We booked a 6 week trip with Encompass Africa taking in a self driving trip Cape Town and the garden route, Namibia, Botswana, Victoria Falls and Zambia. The destinations suggested by Jono from Encompass were fantastic, from our mobile camping experience in Botswana, 4WD self drive in Namibia including 5 different camps from Sossusvlei to Damaraland and through Etosha back to Windhoek. 2 nights experiencing the beautiful Victoria Falls. Then on to two amazing riverside camps in Zambia’s Lower Zambezi. The lodges and camps booked for us in each destination were first rate and the amenities at each were beautiful. We were so impressed by the enthusiasm shown by the management and staff at each camp, from the house maids right through to the guides and wait staff. They all just love their jobs and love to share their experiences with the guests.

Our itinerary arranged by Encompass was fabulous and we can’t wait to experience our next trip to Africa and of course will book with Encompass Africa. Thank you Jono and the team. You made our holiday a trip of a lifetime.

We had a great experience at Cheetah Plains.  From arrival to departure, we really enjoyed our time at this lodge. We are glad of the flights to the local airport rather than to Jo’berg as we heard from other travellers about the long, bumpy drive to and from Sabi Sands.  We had 2 guides during our time.  Both very different from each other but super friendly and knowledgeable.  Andrew, our second guide, had 17 years of experience!  We saw the ‘big 5’ and other species such as the stable antelope – a rare sighting indeed.

Food: Beautiful!  A very different experience from the last safari Jono organised for us (12 nights in ‘glamping’ across Kenya and Tanzania) with early mounting and afternoon trips rather than all day exclusions.  As a result, we seemed to be eating all day!  All meals were delicious, a good balance between western and local tastes (Springbok shanks – yum). Servings were generous and the settings for each meal were amazing – nothing was too hard.  I must admit that I find the fact for water is an additional cost a little cheeky as the cost of the accommodation really should cover this as part of the experience.  The only constructive feedback I have.

Service: Excellent.  From the staff at reception, through to the chef, service staff and the guides – all were very friendly, accommodating and welcoming.  Staff were happy to answer any questions we had and nothing was too hard.

Room comfort: The room were stayed in was great!  Spacous and comfortable.  Showers were hot.  We did make the most of the pool and the communal areas were were also comfortable and provided great views to the surrounding area.

Thanks to Jono for organising!

 We cannot thank you enough for organising yet another fabulous trip to Africa for us! It has taken us a while to get around to a Tanzania safari holiday but boy was it worth the wait! We were completely blown away by this amazing country, its beautiful landscapes, wonderful people, warm hospitality and incredible wildlife. The trip completely exceeded our expectations and I am sure that this had a lot to do with your careful choices for us of what local companies to use, camps to go to, locations to visit and careful planning. You knew that one of our reservations about going on an East Africa Safari was the potential for lots of vehicles and especially lots of vehicles interfering with the wildlife and their behaviour. Your advice on when and where to go and with whom made all the difference. We had an absolutely amazing experience which was so far from the busy and touristy experience we had feared, even in the very popular Ngorogoro Crater, so thank you so much for understanding our concerns and using your expertise to make sure we were not disappointed!
Mirko had an amazing Kilimanjaro climb thanks to you and your outstanding partners, Summits Africa. They were absolutely fantastic and took such great care of him, I was incredibly impressed! What an awesome experience it was and the care taken by all the team to make sure the climb went well contributed so much to the positivity of the experience. Thank you also for the updates on his health whilst climbing, I appreciated getting the messages through whilst I was travelling solo in Tanzania!

The camps in the Serengeti we visited were all great, well situated, set up, appointed and managed with great teams of people in each who were warm, welcoming, kind, helpful and hospitable. I must make a particular mention of Rodger and Annabel at Sayari who were just the most wonderful managers, professional, warm, hands on, very respectful to their teams and they made such a huge effort to make our stay special, with amazing birthday treats for Mirko and even a celebratory private candle lit dinner and champagne the night we got there to celebrate Mirko’s successful Kili summit!  Our guides were fantastic, very respectful of the wildlife, knowledgeable, passionate, and great company. Kevin, who was my guide for the week I was on my own was just wonderful and made sure I had an absolutely fabulous time.  I also want to especially mention Joseph who was our guide at Sayari – he was such a lovely young man, intelligent, professional, knowledgeable, motivated, driven, with a great sense of humour, kind manner who was great to spend time with and very passionate about the bush.

Travelling on my own was not a problem at all, I felt safe, welcomed and cared for all the time, both out and about and in the camps. Everyone was incredibly friendly and kind to me.

Another of your preferred partners, Asilia is a fantastic company and I am so glad you recommended them to us. They really walk the walk, not just talk the talk! Eco-conscious and eco-friendly, great conservation and community initiatives, great guides, respect and care for the environment and wildlife, very supportive of their staff and providing great career progression opportunities, as well as great camps in great locations with wonderful wildlife.

We had so many amazing sightings that I cannot list them all but a few highlights were a cheetah and her 3 small and adorable cubs, lost of cheetah, 2 servals, an African Wild Cat, tree-climbing lions, seeing >100 lions, a pride of >25 lions all together, a female leopard and 2 playful young cubs, the migration, black rhino and calf, morning tea in a herd of 70,000 wildebeest and so so much more! Cant wait to share stories and photos with you next week.

Thank you once again so much, we couldn’t have asked for more and as always you have exceeded our wildest expectations! We are already thinking of returning to Tanzania…..as well as visiting some more countries on the beautiful African continent! Cant wait to book our next safari with you!
Best wishes
Sarah and Mirko

Thank you to Jono and Encompass Africa for creating an excellent itinerary which was faultlessly executed. The range of safaris was perfectly balanced to ensure we had an exciting variety of experiences, never too similar. Jono’s advice for our additional travel to Cape Town and Victoria Falls was also spot on. We have been very impressed by the exceptional standard of organisation and support provided by Jono, Laura and all affiliated services in Africa. All travel arrangements were delivered seamlessly with not a single hiccup in 4 weeks. It was our first trip to Africa and we are now hooked, thanks to Jono.

Wow, where do I start, our trip was amazing, truly life changing experience for myself and my daughter, Angie.

The people of Kenya and Tanzania are incredible and just changes your perspective on life and realise how spoilt we are. They have so little but just seem happy to have enough food for their family, a roof over their heads and also to hopefully educate their children. The children were all beautiful and great smiles. We saw the “Big Five” in the first couple of days of our African safari tour and always overwhelmed to see them again and again, also all the animals were fantastic, think my favourite may have been the giraffes and zebras, but hard to pick a favourite.

All of the drivers were very professional and caring, we had two other couple with us on the tour (Aussies) and we all got on well. Nothing was any trouble for them and they went out of their way to make our trip a memorable one. Another highlight was a visit to the Maasai Village, where we had a glimpse of how the the local Maasai live. I think our favourite accommodation was the very first lodge, Mbweha Safari Camp. The Manager, Joseph was the kindest most personable person I think we have ever met. The room we had was incredible and probably the best overall experience. We had Sundowners out in the open with a fire and cocktails, met the Owner of the Camp, who gave the six of us a complimentary night safari tour.

My daughter and I may not get back to Africa for another visit due to financial constraints, but feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to do it once! But we will always have part of our hearts in Africa. Thank you to Encompass Africa, we are so glad we chose you to visit Africa. Kwaheri!

Well, we are home, safe and sound, tired and constantly talking about our wonderful experience. Thank you for all you have done in preparing us for this. We have enjoyed many wonderful holidays but this one has been truly a magical experience in so many ways. Africa is such a spiritual place and it gets to you. I remember the sunset cruise on the Zambezi when the staff sang to us about the river, I finished up with tears in my eyes.

What we have learned about animals and their communication/behaviours I feel we would now be eligible to apply to a position on David Attenborough’s team. We had a monkey in our room at Victoria Falls. Bob had come inside and left the door open and of course the monkey was in trying to gather some sugar. We had approx.. 50 baboons drinking from our plunge pool at Ngoma Lodge which lowered the water level significantly. Wonderful experiences, observing lions shreading a kudu just killed, leaving the ears and trotters. Following behind a leopard as it slowly walked in front of our vehicle, stopping occasionally to turn around and look at us.

Another day, watching wild dog which we had tracked and found beside a water hole. There were 16 pups and I think 9 adult dogs. The pups played together like puppies and then gathered together in a huddle whilst the adult dogs sat in strategic positons around the outside watching for predators. Gail, I am telling our friends to put Africa on their bucket list and to contact you guys. This is an opportunity not to be missed for any travellers. Thanks again for all you have done.

We had the most amazing and unforgettable trip. Thank you so much Encompass Africa team for putting together our itinerary and suggesting our accommodations etc. Let me start by saying every single transfer throughout the trip was perfect!! Every one of them were there waiting for us, no lateness, and all the drivers were very friendly and very professional. This played a huge role in making the trip completely stress free.

Cape Town had horrible weather while we were there, but we still got to see a lot and do the touristy things like a couple of tours. Table Mountain was closed due to weather, but on our last day the fogs cleared so we got some nice views. More Quarters was great! Beautiful apartment in a great location and the people/ staff there were extrememly helpful and friendly. Thankfully the weather cleared up for Franshhoek and that was lovely – did some bike riding and wine tour on horeseback which was fun. Hotel was pretty quiet at the time. Restaurant there was beautiful also. Kruger – WOW!!! Definitely the highlight of our trip! We saw the big 5 in about a day and a half! Very Lucky 🙂

Imbali was awesome!! Room was great, staff were fun and great, location across from a waterhole was great (lots of animals apeared during our meal times which was nice to watch) , food was awesome too. Our guide Oscar – THE BEST! He was SO good. Always tracking and spotting animals left, right and centre! Always the first to track and find the animals and the one making the calls to the other guides.

We had a couple of crazy moments in Kruger….. We lay in bed one night and heard the most disturbing animal noises for about 30 minutes, it was close and we knew it had to be a kill. The next morning we straight away asked Oscar and he had of course already checked it out. 4 male lions had killed a buffalo about 1km away and he took us straight there for a VERY close up look. My heart was going a million miles an hour! We have some great pics! The next morning we awoke at about 5am to some weird noises next to our room… we peeked out of the curtains to find a giant elephant drinking from the jacuzzi on our deck! Great experience and a very different wake up call! We will totally be recommending a visit to Kruger / Imbali to everyone! The Hide in Hwange National Park was a great place to stay! It has a very welcoming, cozy, family feel to the place. They do a very nice thing, where all the guests sit by the fire pre dinner, and then eat at a big dinner table all together for meals – everyone gets to know each other and chats which was nice.

Our “Tent” was lovely and had a great view of the waterhole. I also loved the outdoor shower! The underground “Hide” was fantastic!! The ability to get so close to the animals by the waterhole is amazing, especially the Elephants. Victoria Falls Safari Lodge was also really good. We again had a room with a great view of the waterhole. We did a walk along the falls, river cruise, white water rafting and the Boma dinner here, and Matt also managed to fit in a game of golf at Elephant Hills.

Loved all of it!! Overall, we had a fantastic holiday and a great life experience. I would love to go back to Africa again in the future and I will certainly be contacting EA when that time comes. I will certainly refer you to any family and friends should they wish to head to Africa!

WOW, what a trip!! It’s taken me a week to stop denying the fact that my trip is over and I’m back at work. I would like to thank you the Encompass Africa team for the most exciting, yet relaxing, holiday I’ve ever had. I found the daily routine of safari life a perfect blend of stimulation of sights and senses and time to turn your mind off and just sit and enjoy the pasting scenes. Every part of the trip went smoothly, every pick up was on time, very guide was fabulous and every mouthful of food, of which there were many, was fantastic. The attention to detail that you planned for, and that was delivered by your team (in Australia and on the ground in Africa) made what would have otherwise been, an adventurous and fairly exhausting trip a breeze. Then to top it off, in Victoria Falls we were surprised with an upgrade to the Safari Club which allowed us a few extras that again exceeded expectations. There’s so many great memories, it’s hard to pick a favourite, so heres a few.

1. 14 strangers heartily singing Happy Birthday to my daughter and a beautiful chocolate cake shared by all, with the excitement of first full day of safari to come. Woken from sleep repeatedly by the roars of male lions IN the camp, UNDER the tents, that first night. Wow, how did Jono organise that?

2. The quad bike/sleep out on the pans. What you miss out on in wildlife at that time of year is more than made up for by this and the meerkat experience. Just fabulous.

3. A mad, crashing dash through the bush to catch the sight of a leopard catching and eating its prey, then sundowners with some mad South Africans who shared the experience with us. I’ve never seen so many empty tonic cans in once place before…

4. Going out following lion tracks while the boys packed up camp on our last morning in Khwai, only to be called back to camp urgently as there were 5 lions in our campsite. We found two lioness sitting within 3 metres of Mark and Jakes tent, while one more watched the boys who were now taking refuge lying flat as possible on top of the half packed trailer. If we had had that 2nd cup of tea, we wouldn’t have had to move.

5. The helicopter flight over Vic Falls is pretty hard to beat, Georgia would probably say doing the Gorge swing backwards and waiting for the count down to reach 3 and being let go on 1. She wasn’t expecting that!!

6. Jake would say driving the quad bikes.

7. I loved every sunset. Magnificent. Needless to say, I’ll be booking another trip with you as soon as the bank account has recovered from this one.

Thank you again Encompass Africa!

We certainly had a wonderful honeymoon and thoroughly enjoyed every moment. The weather everywhere was absolutely perfect and suburb and we have created life lasting memories. Thank you to you, Gail and the team at Encompass Africa for creating the perfect honeymoon.

Cape Town: We were well greeted off the plane in Jo’burg and made it through customs, re-checked in and on our way to Cape Town very quickly. No problems with this at all… easy transfer. Our driver was waiting when we arrived in Cape Town and we were at More Quarters shortly after landing. More Quarters was beautiful. We loved the apartment-hotel, the intimacy and personalised service from a small boutique hotel made us feel very special as honeymooners. Would definitely recommend anyone stay here when they go to Cape Town. They went the extra mile on our arrival knowing we were honeymooners with the room set up and the staff were always very friendly and helpful, suggesting local restaurants for dinner within walking distances that were not tourist traps. Really excellent choice… very happy.

Safari: We had the best time! We cannot fault Notten’s Bush Camp. We recommend everyone go here. On the drive from the front gate of Sabi Sand to Notten’s we saw elephant, buffalo and rhino… so three of the big 5 within 20 minutes. Everything at Notten’s is perfect. It’s small, personalised, friendly, food in abundance but delicious… had a really family owned feel. There aren’t any lights in the cabins but we loved that! So so good would recommend everyone stay here.

Azura Benguerra: Cannot speak highly enough for Azura. Everything was perfect. We loved it. Service was second to none and the food was delicious. Beach, weather, romance, relaxation… absolutely everything was fantastic. We couldn’t be happier and did tours to two mile reef to snorkel as well around Paradise Island and explored this as well. It really is a majestic untouched treasure Benguerra… Would recommend Azura to everyone! It was fantastic.

So overall we had a perfect holiday. More Quarters, Nottens and Azura were superb. We had a blast and would happily return to all of these places multiple times over. Thank you so much for organising such a wonderful honeymoon. We have attached some photos for you 🙂

We cannot wait to return to Africa one day… Victoria Falls, Botswana and Tanzania await we think this might have to be our next African adventure.

My highlights were getting stuck in the Serengeti, with lions on the kopjes watching us, Cape Buffalo less than 100 metres away, and a family of baboons walking by. Trying to dig out the car in the mud and grass and getting dirty was so much fun! We got it out (and sundowner drink well deserved!).

My tour guides, Muba and Allen in Tanzania were great, with incredible knowledge. I would definitely go back on safari with them in the future.

Unfortunately at Nairobi airport, someone else took my driver (uncanny, they had the exact same name as me!) but the Encompass Africa Emergency service was excellent. I was picked up by a new driver in a short time and taken to my accommodation. It was all quick and easy.

Thanks again and I am enjoying planning my next trip with you (thanks Gail).

Africa was the start of a longer holiday and we only returned home this week. Back to brutal reality! The African component of our holiday was definitely the highlight. I can’t get enough of it! It was our first trip to Rwanda and we were really impressed. It is such a beautiful country and it definitely feels like it’s going places. The gorilla experience was beyond words!! Thank you again for all your help.

Just wanted to drop you a line and say that the Ugandan part of our trip has been incredible! Organisation as usual flawless and everything has gone so smoothly! Mahogany Springs was just wonderful. The setting is so beautiful, the gardens gorgeous, the lodge itself just lovely, set up so well and the facilities great. The staff made us feel so welcome and looked after us amazingly well. The food was wonderful and we just loved it.

We did the village walk with a young man from the village which was really interesting and great fun, we also visited the orphanage and spent some time with those lovely kids and gave them the presents we’d brought. Lovely experiences.

The gorillas were just unbelievably wonderful, it was such a privilege to spend time with such gorgeous and gentle giants. We were very lucky, on our first tracking we found the gorillas after just 5 minutes and spent the whole time with the Oruzogo family out in the open, all just relaxing and posing for our photos, so calm with us there, completely unconcerned and happy doing their normal things with us just sharing their space for a while.

On our second tracking we had the full trekking experience, a 6hr trek up and down some of the steepest and rugged terrain! It was loads of fun though and a real adventure and experience which we both enjoyed immensely. We found the Rushegura family after 3 hours and then followed them through the thick forest for the next hour as they moved around and fed. There was an adorable 1 week old baby which was lovely to see in the protection of its mother’s arms. The silverback was relaxed and came and sat down right next to us, so close he was touching me! It was a truly incredible moment.

Mirko loved it so much and said it was the best trip ever. For me it was on a par with our other Encompass Africa trips which is saying a lot as they are my favourite trips ever! We would both be keen to come back and see more of Uganda! Thank you so much for organising such a great trip for us and for the great advice re the camera gear (the 70-300mm was perfect!). Now for the next leg, cant wait!!!!

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