Anne-Marie’s clients enjoyed a safari in the Kruger Park. They stayed at the Simbavati River Lodge in the Timbavati Game Reserve and Arathusa Safari Lodge in the Sabi Sand.
Anne-Marie,
The trip went very well. All your arrangements were perfect and we did not have any issues with connections, finding transport, dietary requests etc. I must comment you on the arrangements and they could not have been any better than what you did. THANK YOU.
As for the lodges where we stayed, here are my comments:
Simbavati: very nice place. Rustic but comfortable, excellent atmosphere, very friendly and helpful managers and good guiding and game drives. I would highly recommend Simbavati to anyone visiting Timbavati.
Arathusa: I am not as impressed with Arathusa as I am with Simbavati. There was no manager around at all. I prefer the rustic charm of Simbavati than the luxury of Arathusa. Spa and similar experiences are not what I am looking for in a safari. But I understand that they are also catering to honeymooners etc. The guide, tracker and game drives were excellent at Arathusa. However, there were small things such as rationing of water that bothered me. They would just give you one small bottle of water a day, and would not even provide drinking water in the room for the night. You had to buy water if you needed to drink more than one small bottle a day. Similarly, for sundowners they would not provide coffee or tea. Unless you are prepared to buy drinks, no sundowners. It is not the money, but the concept that bothered me. I will be a bit guarded before I recommend Arathusa to anyone.
Peermont Met Court: Nice hotel. Perfect for overnight stay at the airport. Next time I use this place, I would take a taxi to the hotel and not the hotel shuttle. They pack more than capacity in a small shuttle van and the folks who are standing have nothing to hold on to. The capacity limit is boldly displayed on the van but we were way over capacity both ways.
The negative comments above were not in any way significant enough to make the trip less enjoyable. In fact, on the whole we had a fantastic time. The leopard sightings in particular were outstanding. We were all very pleased that we went on this trip.
Thanks again for making this happen. I am already planning my next safari (Zambia in 2014) with one of your colleagues!
Best,
Viji
