"Bench Africa was amazing"

Bench Africa was amazing, so much fun and it was planned sooo cool. Loved everything about it.

"Our tailor made safari adventure."

On my first visit to Bench Africa I was asked where I wanted to go, how much was my budget and how long I had to do it. The itinerary offered with a few tweaks was perfect. We had 4 weeks and I particularly wanted to spend time in Capetown, Namibia and Botswana and of course to see Victoria Falls. We wanted to see the countryside, landscape and of course as many of the animals as we could.
The accommodation was 3 - 4 star and excellent. It was diverse, no camp was alike, all were lovely and fitted into their environment in a suitable manner. The staff at the camps were knowledgable, friendly and wonderful ambassadors for their country. We felt privileged to be their guests. Our driver/guide on our 10day safari in Namibia was Peter who went above and beyond our expectations. We loved the”Magic Box” picnics and sundowners. He epitomized all that good and wonderful about Namibia. Thank you Ultimate Safaris and in particular Peter.

Who could not be impressed by Victoria Falls in flood. Wow! Yes we did get drenched. Spectacular!
Chobe Water Villas - take me back any time - a wonderful place to stay. Thank you Ephraim and Gilbert - our boat driver who took us back and forth across the river each day to visit Chobe NP. Culture - our guide - who made sure we saw the lions -thank you.

Gunns Camp - each day the water was flowing into the delta channels - fantastic to see the water rising and understand its life giving properties. Thank you BT an amazing guide and his offsider Jonah.
Finally Machaba - Khwai region of the delta and totally different. Game drives - leopards, wild dogs and more. A well run camp - thank you Richard and the team. Our guide each day BD, so knowledgeable, friendly and quite the rally driver.
Thank you Karen - a never to be forgotten trip - you nailed it and we loved it!

"Southern Experience - Overland from Zimbabwe to South Africa."

We recently travelled on the Southern Experience trip with Jenman from Zimbabwe ( Victoria Falls) through Botswana and Namibia to South Africa ( Capetown). It was an excellent 24 day trip and a wonderful experience. Each day was a new sensation.Our guides were excellent, knowledgeable, caring, and communicated well with all guests. Two areas I can see for improvement would be to have a welcome letter at the hotel in Vic Falls explaining where and when to meet for the 'welcome cruise' and the orientation meeting. We missed the Zambezi cruise as the hotel could give us no information about it, and we were out visiting the Falls when our guide tried to contact us at the hotel. We also missed the start of the welcome meeting as we were unable to find the group ( we did sit in briefly on another Jenman tour group meeting before realising we were in the wrong place)! They were two small hiccups at the start. Also our bus/truck transport (Fuso truck) was a bit uncomfortable at times especially up the back after a window shook loose early in the trip. The guides tried to get it repaired en route but weren't able to, and the window had to remain tied shut with twine. Could get a bit hot in that seat! Our accommodation on the trip was lovely and very luxurious in some places. The food was great and the pace of the trip was suitable for the distance we travelled. Apart from the small inconveniences noted above, and a bit of discomfort, the trip was magnificent and I look forward to returning to Africa to experience more of the country, culture and wildlife in the future. I've rated this trip as four stars, but would like to give it four and a half!

"Karong-we"

The Kruger excursion was not worthwhile doing. The game park experience was fantastic!

"Bench Africa - Great itinerary and service"

Bench Africa put together a great itinerary for our land travels after departing a cruise in Cape Town. The V & A hotel in Cape Town was beautiful and in a great location close to shops and lots of street music and nice cafes.
Our safari in Chisomo Private Game Reserve on the outskirts of Kruger National Park was terrific. We saw so many animals. All the Big 5 and lots more. We were collected one morning for a day in Kruger which also brought viewings of the Big 5 and many more animals and birds.
We were particularly happy that Bench arranged a trip into the Blyde Canyon, one of the largest in the world and amongst the most magnificent mountains. We were the last tourists to go into the canyon as it was about to close for 3 months while a TV series was being filmed.
All our arrangements went like clockwork. We were met and looked after by the loveliest people everywhere we travelled.
Chris & John

"The Aussie Tourist in SA"

The English itinerary was different from the Australian and Italian one so Ilios and the guide needed to negotiate with us over what we were going to see and do.
Accom at Perry's Bridge, Ghost Mountain and Hunter's Lodge was exceptional; the Radisson Blu and Southern Sun were just OK.
Stellenbosch was ok but a longer time in Franschok would have been better.
Group was a good size for touring.
The meal at Hunter's Lodge was terrific.
Overall, a good experience but it was fairly expensive.
A great country to visit.

"Bench Africa Awesome!"

We used Bench Africa for our first trip to Africa, travelling to South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mauritius. Everything was taken care of by our travel consultant, transfers, accomodation, extra activities at Vic Falls. The personal knowledge our consultant had was integral to planning our trip and we had the best experience at Pom Pom Camp in the Okavango Delta. It was such a personal, interactive stay as close to nature and the animals as you can get. Our next stop was Muchenje Safari Lodge which was a really beautiful place and we went on Safari in the Chobe National Park and were witness to over 200 elephants visiting the Chobe River. We stayed at Batonka Guest Lodge in Vic Falls which was again a lovely place within walking distance of the town. Vic Falls was amazing with lots to do and my kids loved the adrenalin activities. Lux Belle Mare in Mauritius was our last stop and OMG it was amazing. What a resort this is! We chose all-inclusive which made it so much easier with the kids able to do their own thing with meals and drinks during the day. The dining options were vast and varied catering to every desire. The kids club was a lot of fun for my 8 yr old whereas the teens had options and water sports to keep them busy. The rooms were great and we had interconnecting which was ideal. I can’t thank them enough for ensuring our once in a lifetime trip was just perfect. Thank you Bench Africa. I hope we can get back there again one day.

"We had the most amazing experience due …"

We had the most amazing experience due to the wonderful staff at Bench Africa.
Our time was limited so our travel person suggested quality over quantity.

We had a few days in Cape Town, extremely happy with accomodation and
transfers.Everything went smoothly and efficiently.

Both our game parks were amazing, Kings Camp and Leopard Hills. I could not be happier with the experience we had in both camps.
Each one did have something that stood out more than the other, but we were overjoyed with our experiences in both.
The safari's exceeded our expectations, and my biggest thrill was when my husband, who NEVER wanted to go to SA, said very quietly to me..."I am so pleased you MADE.. me come".
Mind you, that was the game parks only.

Wonderful experience, definitely would return for more, and certainly Bench would be my go to for advice and bookings.

"Bench Africa"

Bench Africa provided prompt response when looking at booking the climb at Mount Kilimanjaro. Even after the booking was made, they provided a quick response when questions were provided. The company that bench Africa use to complete the trek were also great.

Would like to see the packages that are sent and provided to clients be sent in the mail earlier than current procedures as we were already away and missed the itinerary and information that was inside these packs.

A list of helpful items would be great to send to clients heading on the trek as this would be useful for those who haven't done much trekking before. It is lucky we contacted a friend who had completed the climb before and told us some important items to take, which we would have not thought of taking.

"Great help in booking Botswana for me!"

Great help in booking Botswana for me!