Great experience - We had a wonderful guide Opi on our water safari and land safari. Two young bull elephants put on a show playfighting with their tusks. Hippos also were entertaining slipping into the water.

The best possible 3-day safari in Botswana and Zimbabwe that we could wish for - [WARNING: Very long review ahead, full of praise for a great travel outfit. The TL;DR version is: Africa Uncovered gave us an unforgettable glimpse of Botswana and Zimbabwe in 3 days’ time, at the end of our trip to South Africa. Archie Dzinetsa helped us plan it, and Norman Tsarara was our wonderful guide every step of the way. I would HIGHLY recommend this company and this same 3-day trip (or your variation of it) to anyone planning a trip to Southern Africa.] We recently returned from 15 days in Southern Africa. The 3-day safari in Botswana and Zimbabwe that we booked with Africa Uncovered Safaris was in many ways the highlight of our trip. Despite the short duration (due to limited time and money), we had a thrilling and very satisfying time on this safari, and we feel that the very capable staff at Africa Uncovered gave us the greatest possible experience of this region, given the time we had available. We would recommend this tour company and our tour guide (Norman Tsarara) to anyone considering a trip to Zimbabwe/Botswana. We hope to be able to return some day and will plan another trip with this company when we do. Our positive experience with Africa Uncovered Safaris began well in advance of our arrival. In doing research about possible safari options through SafariBookings.com, we inquired with three different tour operators and received responses from all three. Archie Dzinetsa, Operations Manager with Africa Uncovered, was one of those responding to our inquiries. We immediately liked him the best and felt comfortable with him, because he had excellent communication skills and replied to all of our emailed questions promptly, with clear answers, yet never crossed the line into being pushy or trying too hard to make the sale. When we told him what we were looking for and how much time we had, Archie put together some options with different pricing, and then helped us to make a choice that fit our itinerary perfectly. We did not have to align our schedule with any predetermined dates; rather, we told him which 3 days would work best for our group, and he put together a schedule that packed a lot into those 3 days while still allowing time to rest and relax between outings. When we arrived in Zimbabwe at the Victoria Falls airport, our guide Norman Tsarara was there to meet us — and had waited patiently for us despite the delayed flight, and the lengthy process of getting through immigration. From the start Normal was cheerful, friendly and helpful to us in any way he could be. We began to learn a great deal about Zimbabwe just from chatting with Norman on the way from the airport to our first hotel. Since the “official” safari would not begin until the following morning, we stayed that first night at the Shearwater Explorers Village hotel in Victoria Falls, a lovely and well-appointed place with a nice swimming pool and a fun bar. For dinner that night, Archie had arranged a reservation for us at the restaurant of the nearby Victoria Falls Safari Lodge. This lodge was very upscale, and we had decided it was too expensive to stay there — but we’re very grateful that Archie suggested we could just have dinner there, which was delicious and quite affordable. The outdoor seating area at this restaurant/bar has an excellent view of a nearby watering hole (which is partly what makes this lodge so special), and so from our dinner table we had a clear view of a herd of elephants that came to the watering hole at dusk. The next morning Norman collected us early so we could begin our “official” safari with a trip to the spectacular waterfalls at Victoria Falls. We had initially considered skipping this part of the proposed tour in order to have more time for wildlife viewing — but we are very glad we didn’t, as our guided walk through the park at Victoria Falls was unforgettable. Norman handed us off to his colleague Peace Shoko, who was our guide for our time at the falls. We are glad we took Peace’s suggestion to each rent a full-body rain poncho for this walk… because the pictures we had seen of the falls didn’t convey just how WET the experience of walking along the gorge is! Along the way, Peace spoke to us about the history and geology of the falls, and pointed out numerous species of trees and plants as we walked. We learned a great deal from her in the short time we were there. Then we were headed to Botswana with Norman as our driver. We all (my wife and I plus our 21-year old son) really enjoyed the drives with Norman, as we learned so much about our surroundings from him, and loved getting to know more about his personal story as well. He was truly a delight to spend time with… by the end of our trip we had come to think of him as a friend, someone we will definitely stay in touch with. Our accommodation in Botswana was at the Tlou Lodge in Kasane — a more basic lodge than the previous night in Victoria Falls, but still very spacious, clean and comfortable (AC was essential here), with a small pool and a good restaurant. It is located very near to the scenic bridge over the Zambezi River where the corners of Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia and Zambia all touch — the only place in the world, I believe, where four countries touch. On our second day in Kasane Norman took us across the bridge on foot… both for the striking views, and so we could set foot in Zambia on the other side! The point of staying in Kasane was its nearness to the Chobe National Park. We had heard from others (who had visited multiple parks and game reserves in Southern Africa) that Chobe is one of the best places to see many of the most charismatic species of wildlife… and we were not disappointed. We had about 48 hours staying there, and we spent that time taking three “game rides” in open air jeeps, each about 3 or 3.5 hours long, plus a late afternoon boat cruise on the Chobe River that forms one edge of the park. This felt like a perfect way to divide our time and see the park from numerous locations over the course of two days. Now, it should be said that we got rather lucky on this visit — not everyone who visits Chobe sees any lions at all (we had lion encounters during two of our three drives, one of them very close up); and while elephants in the park are numerous, not everyone finds themselves (as we did) parked at the edge of the river, literally surrounded by a herd of 15 elephants, with no other jeeps in sight. That said — I do think it matters who your guides are. For our game drives in Chobe, our tour company (Africa Uncovered) partnered with another company, African Odyssey, which is based in Botswana. For our three game drives (two starting at dawn, the other ending at dusk) we had a driver named Frank who has been taking visitors into Chobe for 19 years. It was marvelous to watch the way he was able to look out the jeep at the dirt road, spot tracks of various animals, and identify not just which animal made it, but how recently. It was due in part to Frank’s skills as a tracker and guide that we had up-close encounters with lions, elephants, giraffes, and buffalo (as well as baboons, kudu, and impala which are more common). Plus, each time we went out with Frank we were the only three passengers in his jeep (which made it easy to talk with him and ask questions), whereas most jeeps we saw in the park seemed to have 6 or 8 passengers. Even when Norman was not our guide (as when he handed us off to Frank for the game drives), he took good care of us. He woke up early each morning to ensure that we were all ready to be picked up by Frank at 5:45 am. He took us out to meals during our time with him. He chose some local restaurants that were quite good — and he also (because we asked him to) took us to Nando’s, a Southern African chain restaurant that is hard to explain, but it’s basically what you might get if KFC and Chipotle had a baby and moved to Brazil. And Norman was very conscientious about the time it might take to get back from Botswana to Zimbabwe (including the attempted shakedown by some border guards on the Zimbabwe side, which he handled adeptly) so that he could get us to the Victoria Falls airport two hours before our flight — just as he had promised. We all loved the three days we spent with Norman, and hope to see him again in the future. I would trust Africa Uncovered with any and all travel plans that we make in Africa in future.

Our trip to Zimbabwe and Chobe park in Botswana - How lucky I am that I turned to this company to organize a safari in Chobe Park! Archie promptly replied by mail and we quickly agreed on all the nuances. I am very grateful that he offered a transfer from the airport to our lodge and we did not have to look for a taxi and get there on our own. Norman and Simba met us at the airport - very cool and sincere guys! The organization of the safari is simply on top! Everything is clear and punctual. We really liked everything! On the day of departure, they also arranged for us to transfer to the airport, for which, again, we are very grateful to them, saying goodbye to them we just cried, how warm and sweet everything was🫶🏻 On our next visit to Zimbabwe, we know exactly where to turn!!! Many thanks for everything🫶🏻

Lifelong memories & expertly guided trip - From the moment we landed, we knew that this was the right tour company for us as Norman and Simba collected us with open arms from the Vic Falls Airport - despite our tour not starting until the following day. The next morning we were collected again and set off to Vic Falls for a walking tour. This was exceptional, with our guide providing detailed information on the history of the falls. Various view points made for a captivating experience, even with the falls being low on waterfall. Following this we headed off to Botswana, greeted again by a super friendly and always smiling, Norman. Great conversation and education punctuated our trip, making the hour or so drive into Botswana fly over. Especially as we see a mother and baby elephant feeding next to the road. Our afternoon boat safari was amazing, with elephant right up close, hippo lining the shores and beautiful scenery. The evening finished with a lovely dinner with Norman and Simba. Norman continued to do a great job of answering all of our questions and providing brilliant insight into the animals, culture and his experiences. Our next day is truly one to remember with the two safari trips, morning and afternoon. Elephants everywhere, hippo out of the water and lifelong memories made. The following day we had requested for an additional excursion to Devil’s Pool, which the team expertly organised. This is a must do, not many people in the world can say they have sat on top of a waterfall! With the trip finishing with a lovely lunch at the Baines restaurant overlooking the Zambezi, it was a perfect end and way to say goodbye to our guide, Norman. My wife and I would like to extend an especial thanks to Norman and the team for organising this. Norman’s positivity, excitement both before and after our excursions, and his continuous informativeness really made this trip for us. We recommend Africa Uncovered Safaris and Norman as guide, for anyone looking to have a super memorable, outstanding trip!

Exceeded all expectations what a gem! - I made a last minute booking and the company made everything easy for me. Nothing was a challenge for them. From the minute I met my guide Tafara at the airport, he was all smiles and more excited than me for my trip! The company and Tafara went out of their was to make sure I was having a great time, I could ask Tafara anything and he would find a way to make it happen. It is not often that one finds someone like Tafara who you can trust absolutely . The ethos of the company ( local Zimbabwe run) is the client’s happiness is priority and I felt this on the trip. I was spoiled by the care and attention I received. Tafara and Archie made me feel like a VIP throughout the trip. It truly felt like I was on a trip with family and not a tour agency. Thank you so much.