Guest Book

I had a great yearning to return to Africa after travelling to Kenya many years ago! By chance I had spoken with friends who had recently returned from an incredible trip to Africa and highly recommended Sikeleli Safaris.  Having traveled extensively, I was a little discerning with my expectations, however after discussing with Danni, I knew we need go no further! Danni exudes an excitement, boundless energy and passion for Africa, a land she truly loves with an abundance of knowledge that captivates and inspires you.  Danni possesses a quality rare these days, she ask questions, ‘listens' and identifies and with this, created a remarkable itinerary containing all our desires and more!  My husband and I are still on Cloud 9 having recently returned from a phenomenal trip to Zambia, (South Luangwa National Park and Lower Zambezi River) to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe to Botswana (Okavango Delta and The Salt Pans of the Kalahari Desert) and to our final destination in Capetown. Tena, Tena Campsite (Sth Luangwa), Sausage Tree Camp (Lower Zambezi River), Old Drift Lodge (Victoria Falls, Zim), Mapula Lodge (Okavango Delta, Bots), San Camp (Kalahari Desert, Bots) and finally a boutique guest house, 4Rosmead in Capetown.  Each and every... Read More

In short, the trip was amazing; very thoughtfully laid out and executed. I will just note that the guides in each place were really terrific; knowledgeable, delightful to engage with, and responsive to our many questions. Safari took our breath away; even our 17 year old son found it exciting and humbling, as evidenced by the number of pictures he took. Getting up close and personal with the animals was a humbling privilege for us all. Eli turned 17 at Simbavati, and the staff treated him to a cake and some dancing and drumming, as is the local custom. Just fabulous. In every location, the hotel staff and our guides were incredibly helpful. At the suggestion of the folks at Batonka, we did an unplanned visit to the Wildlife Trust in Zimbabwe -- a very meaningful addition. As for Vic Falls.....plenty of water, indeed! Cape Town was wonderful. We particularly enjoyed our time with Jackie Pollak (Capeex) and the township tour with Camissa. Very different, but important lenses, on the evolution of life in Cape Town. As for Bushman's Kloof, it's hard to imagine that this oasis of beauty is at the end of that very long, bumpy journey, but... Read More

Every day of my trip was a highlight. Lots of miles covered, and beautiful landscapes that changed over the miles-stunning sand dunes, to quaint seaside German towns, to crashing waves on a desolate beach during a sand storm, to dramatic mountains that just appeared out of nowhere after we went up over a hill, to rock carvings, to wild elephants and rhinos. I am thrilled that I had a driver/guide, so that I could enjoy every bit of scenery, without having to worry about where I was going and how I was supposed to get there- a luxury having a driver/guide, but so very worth it. I truly feel that this trip to Namibia was, if not the best trip, than one of the best trips I have ever taken- between the beautiful country, having a wonderful guide/driver, and the gift of space and time that I tend to miss in my daily life. Thank you to everyone who made this trip possible for me!!

Adam and I had such a great trip. I have filled out the survey, but wanted to tell you personally that we LOVED the Shongewe Lookout– thank you so much for recommending it! All of the tour guides/drivers through Wild Horizons were super nice, knowledgeable and professional. Victoria Falls was absolutely stunning and while we had a great day overall in Chobe, we did not get to see all of the animals we wished to see, so we will definitely be doing another safari in the future! And of course, Cape Town was amazing– we had great weather and had a really nice time with Adam’s family there. Thank you so much for all your help 🙂

Belinda – Thank you on behalf of our entire family for organizing what was truly a dream trip to Africa. As you know, it was a first for all of us and we will cherish our memories forever. I totally understand why Africa steals people’s hearts and know we’ll be back one way or another.  Your thoughtfulness in every detail was much appreciated when we arrived and there was always someone handling us and making sure everything happened according to plan and our wishes. With young kids, I think this really helped us get the most out of our trip and allowed Mori and I to relax a lot more than if we had been trying to navigate transfers and tours on our own.  The places we stayed were all wonderful and the service exceeded all expectations. Our family felt genuinely welcome and cared for by all the staff at each stop. We want to particularly recognize our tour guide in Nairobi James (of Naked Wilderness) as he was outstanding from the moment he picked us up on our first night until the last flight home when he checked in to make sure we were doing ok. His knowledge, kindness,... Read More

Just on our return to the UK and I really wanted to drop you a quick note to say a huge thank you for all your help and advice in putting our trip together for us. Without exception, all your recommendations turned out to be absolutely perfect – just the sort of places we like to stay at and in wonderful positions. I have already dropped you a note about our excellent guide in Cape Town. A very special mention must go to the Klaserie Sands River Camp. Louis and Lee-Ann and all their staff were absolutely superb. They managed to create a really homely atmosphere, where we were made to feel very much part of the family, as well as having stunning game sightings. To sit on their deck with a glass in hand and see over 40 elephant just yards away was truly wonderful and we were treated to three leopard just outside the lodge. The Sky Bed was also a really special experience. We could not recommend this camp more highly to anyone thinking of going on a safari in the future. I hope we might get the opportunity to work with you again.

Sikeleli Africa Safaris provided excellent service throughout the entire trip! Every facet of this trip was thought through and executed to perfection.  It was obvious that Belinda Burrows (Sikeleli consultant) carefully thought through every detail of our trip. Belinda’s quick responses to our communications helped us address every aspect of our trip.  All the tours, the transportation and transfers that were arranged by Sikeleki was performed flawlessly, with superior service and professionalism. Whenever I reflect back on our trip arranged by Sikeleli, the most enjoyable part of this trip is the comfort that we felt that every aspect of trip was thought thru and taken care of.  Being in a foreign country, the fact that the trip was well planned allowed us to enjoy ourselves! The most memorable part of our trip  was how beautiful the countries and the people were!  Once again, by having all the logistics of the trip planned by Sikeleki, all of our fears and anxieties we were put to rest and we were able to enjoy the beauty of South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Botswana!  The interaction with the people at the Lodges were exceptional.  And the interactions with the Locals made us want to come back to Africa again! We appreciated the detailed planning,... Read More

Highlights were the fabulous animals we saw, and the wonderful people we met. The guides and staff everywhere were amazing. Laura at Victoria Falls, Calvert our guide and Ronald who greeted us and made drinks at Somalisa, at Mapula our guide Chabbo, and really all the guides there were mixing and mingling and making it a lovely time. Each arrival and transfer went smoothly, making the trip stress free. This was very helpful! Both camps went out of their way to celebrate our anniversary. Somalisa had people go ahead of us to our sundowner, surprising us with champagne, appetizers, and an array of beverages. The other group joined us for a celebration. Mapula came out with a cake for us, and about 20 staff, singing and dancing! The whole camp danced, the singing was incredible. The dinner and wine our first night in Johannesburg provided by the travel agency was very sweet. Thank you.

The welcome at both Somalisa and Chiefs camp was amazing. The game watching we had at Chiefs camp was incredible with a standoff between hyena and wild dogs and a leopard thrown into the mix and our guide Martin, pulled out all the stops for us to see a rhino. Mike at Somalisa was also an outstanding guide whose humour and story telling was almost as good as the game watching experiences he gave us. All (and I mean all) the staff we dealt with in the local tour company; Sunny our bus driver and the other bus drivers were outstandingly friendly and helpful. Everyone went out of their way to ensure we had a fabulous holiday

This trip was amazing and a once in a lifetime experience. Belinda from Sikeleli Africa Safaris did an amazing job communicating with us, finding out our travel style, and creating a trip that was perfect for us. We got to experience the best of Zambia and Zimbabwe and loved every minute of it. The parks are amazing, Victoria falls was amazing, and the people we interacted with were genuinely thrilled to share these beautiful countries with us. We really loved the Devil’s Pool experience at Victoria falls as the view was like no other. We loved seeing all of the different animals during our stays at The Hide, Flatdogs Camp, and Stretch’s Safari camp. The most unique experience was during our time at Stretch Safari Camp as we were able to track lions on foot until we were less than 50 meters away from them! We wish we could have spent more time at Stretch Safari camp as this was the most unique experience and the team there was exceptional.

The trip went perfectly with all lodging and ground assistance. Sikeleli made arrangements that were beyond our expectations. I will highly recommend them to my friends who may wish to visit Africa. We had excellent accommodations staff, and were treated very well. Great game viewing was of course the highlight of the trip, seeing the famous wild dogs of Africa was very special. Our opinion to all is… GO SOON!

We absolutely loved both Victoria Falls and Hwange National Park. Our guide Munya (sp?) at Hwange was the best we’ve had on any of our safaris/tours around Africa. Meredith and Paul at 528 were spectacular as well and helped so much with suggestions while we were in Victoria Falls including the moonbow viewing at the falls during the full moon, one of the highlights of our trip. We found great value in the accommodations provided. Our small-ish budget didn’t feel stretched and we were able to do/see everything we wanted to. The PDF itinerary was useful for when we had limited/no Internet connection in Zimbabwe. I’m looking forward to my next trip to Africa and I’ll definitely be working with Sikeleli again!

Overall a fantastic experience. Safari highlights were (1) everything at Selinda Explorer’s Camp, but especially following one of their female lions on a hunt and watching her figure out that in order to cross the water without alerting her potential prey, she needed to sneak across at the same time as a herd of elephants; (2) tracking a cheetah at Somalisa Acacia; and (3) watching Sable Alley’s pack of wild dogs greet their young after the daytime nap, then tagging along with the adults on their successful evening hunt. After the dogs made their kill–and impala–we watched them eat for a few moments and then raced back to the den so that we could see the adults return to regurgitate for the puppies. Another highlight was the tour of Soweto, which was eye-opening and extraordinary. Belinda did a great job working within budgetary and timing constraints and finding good activities during our non-safari times in the cities. Especially impressive was Belinda’s ability to adapt on extremely short notice when our flight plans changed; we ended up having to be in Joburg 24 hours early, and Belinda set up a terrific day in Soweto and at the Apartheid museum within minutes.... Read More

The whole 11 days were a highlight of my year, however if I had to isolate parts of the trip it would be the 2 days canoeing down the Zambezi with Wild Horizons and the Vintage Camp. In both places I felt that I was in safe hands and had very knowledgeable guides. Finding lions had tp be one of the best memories, but watching nature in real life, when a crocodile and 2 hippos started a fight with another hippo is a totally unforgettable moment. I am not sure you could have done better, we had exactly the right amount of adrenalin and relaxation, on budget and the personal touch of meeting us and WhatsApping during the holiday was really reassuring. Thank you so much for all the support.