I had a very good experience. The atmosphere for the 4 days was wonderful. First night we saw a leopard, incredible. Unfortunately when we went to Kruger rained a lot, however we didn’t give up and saw everything there! I wish I could have stayed longer. I recommend this tour!

This experience was below our expectation. The given evaluation is mainly justify by the poor quality of accommodation. This is not the best option in terms of cost/benefit. For the price paid, we felt a lack of comfort on this experience. The lodge was quite disappointing: the lounge was very outdated, need some renovations particularly in bathroom, our bed sheets were coloured and very used, the room had a bad smell, we didn’t had any hands towel and the amenities available had really bad quality. As a good side: All employees at Viva safari were very polite and helpful. Finally, keep in mind that this is Balule Reserve Game (in great Kruger) but outside the official perimeter of national park. It took about an hour from our lodge to the park.

At the end of a business trip, I did a private 5-day tour to Kruger. I was collected on time and returned to the airport in time for an earlier fligt, which other tour operators would not promise. Tremisana Lodge has its own wildlife preserve and its own tours there, but there were also two days in Kruger. The combination is ideal - we saw a male lion, elephants, hippos, hyenas and two rhinos in the local area, but lots of giraffes, kudu, zebras, gnus, more lions and cubs plus half a leopard in Kruger - only its ass and tail were visible in the tree! :-) The combination of the two areas is very good, though the drive to Kruger is a bit long. The "everyday" system makes it possibel to put your own tour and experience together on request, though it means you cannot really form a group with others for a longer joint experience. Mama D was a great cook and mother for all, Raymond taught us lots of new things on the bush walk, Rockey and Smiley found us many animals including two Rhinos, and Nadine found a male lion roaring and calling for females at the night drive. Thanks for the familiar athmosphere, also to all guys whose names I do no know! I hope to have business again to SA so I can come again afterwards. Burkhard

I won’t be able to fit how amazing this experience was into words but here goes … if you are thinking about booking with Viva Safaris, absolutely do it , not only do we have zero complaints but it was an experience of a lifetime . From a practical side, the trip was great value for money, included everything you could want , you get to see so much in a short timeframe , the schedule ran like clockwork and everything and everyone were very professional . But from a personal side, some things money can’t buy, and that is the knowledge of all the guides , the helpfulness of everyone that works there and how they make you feel like part of a family . Their hospitality and kindness and all the small touches were like no where else we have ever visited , everyone was so special in their own right , people skills cannot be bought and there are really some special people working there . We had a lovely stay for 1 night in Tremisana and then onto Katekani for 3 nights , only wish it was more .for the price the trip cost I really wasn’t expecting it to be so comfortable, to be fed so well and for everything to be so perfect ! We also did a lovely trip to Mohololo Rehabilitation Centre which I found excellent and very educational . If you want to , you will learn a lot from everyone here. You guys have some great people , please don’t change !! We can’t name everyone but particularly we have to thank Smiley of course for his fun spirit and his knowledge , Andy for his wonderful manner and also great knowledge. Victor and Sully for being absolute gentlemen, Mama P and Mama J at Katekani for making us feel like part of a family and looking after us so well, these guys all work so hard and yet they are smiling all the time ! We even were invited for lunch with the managers , how nice is that , that they sat and ate with us , the hospitality as I said , is unbelievable . But have to say a big “fair play” as we say in Ireland , to Nadine , one of the guides,she took us on one of the drives and I found her to be a superstar , I could sense her compassion for the animals , her knowledge , and her passion , which at the end of the day is what it’s all about in my eyes . Thank you all for a wonderful experience we will remember it forever 🇿🇦 from liz and Karl, Ireland x

From the moment of a timely pick up- to the first safari 1 hour after arrival - we felt well cared for - perfectly scheduled- well fed - with guides who truly wanted to show us their bush and the creatures who live within! The guides can find the animals! (and talk to each other about where the animals are) The BBQ in the Bush (Braai) is unbelievable - the sunrise and sunset rides are gorgeous! Two nights we had wine/beer while we watched the orange/red sunset and hippos came out of the river! Rye (Naraya) manages with kindness and an eye for detail (each of us have our own program) - Luke is a master of the bush walk - Smiley Ha la la - Hacuna matata was our driver for most of our rides and he is all heart, kindness, sunshine and professional guide! Rocky can find the leopards in the trees and did his best to find that lion roaring in the dark! Spooky! Mama Dee makes food that is plentiful, tasty but not too spicy, and the baked goods! It is not fancy but has heart!!

The lodge is great, but close to a main road and you hear the cars, especially at night. In Kruger, we did drive the same roads and sitting all day in these open vehicles is a bit of a challenge, especially to and from Kruger, which is 1 hour each way. A recommendation to the lodge to have Landcruiser's for these trips, where you can open the roof and stand up in the vehicle when viewing game. The rangers, except one (he blocked a young elephant from the rest of his family for too long), are amazing with their knowledge and love for the animals. A big thank you to Rocky, Luke, Smily, Victor and Nadine!

Amazing once in a life time experience. The guides where amazing, finding all of the big five as we bounced around in a open top land cruiser. The accommodation, while basic, adds to the adventure. Plus elephants and hyenas often walk right up to the electric fence.

For our afternoon as well as sunset gamedrive we were lucky to get Rocky as our guide. He really knows his way around the area and we got to see three out of the Big Five in short time. He has a really good knowledge about the animals and shows a lot of respect for them especially while on tour. Thank you for the nice and informative talks! Would absolutly book it again🙂

Have just returned from a disappointing safari with Viva safaris. This company provides a poor example of what the safari experience should be. I have been on more than 20 safaris and this was the most disappointing by some margin. I am surprised at the number of positive reviews, but I think guests are forgiving the poor hospitality because of the good game viewing. On a positive note, the booking process was good and efficient; some of the guides, rangers were very passionate and knowledgeable; the game viewing was good and the trip to Maholoholo wildlife refuge was very good. However, the hospitality experience for the guest is very poor. I got the impression that this company is trying to really do things on a budget and cut corners accordingly: the food/meals were poor ( on a safari experience one should expect BBQs with varied game meat etc; not beef stews and pork chops); the accommodation is clean but subpar ( poor/broken beds); our room was next to the sewage tank/field and the noise from the nearby highway detracted from the bush experience; no ice in the bar at night; our drinks were either forgotten or the order was incorrect for both “sundowner” game drives; the vehicles are generally in poor condition and quite uncomfortable compared to previous safaris I have been on ( I was stuck in the closed cab up front with a window which didn’t open and dirty windows for the Kruger day which is almost 12 hrs long because of poor planning- fortunately this vehicle broke down and the replacement vehicle was more comfortable); there was a lack of engagement and friendliness from the management team; each activity is met with chaos and disorganisation as the guides try to fit all the guests in without separating families etc. I did not meet a single guest who was satisfied with the guest experience! This company has responded aggressively to negative feedback in the past. I am embarrassed to be SA and this is how we showcase our hospitality to foreign tourists. Come on Viva, take this as an opportunity to up your game and provide the service which your guests deserve!

This was an imaginative, well constructed safari which was exceptional value for money. The bush walks gave a different perspective, the botanical one in particular.We had excellent sightings and persistently cheerful expert guides. The accom. was basic but clean and gd value and 2 centres gave more options for bush drives. The candlelit dinner in the bush was magical.There was a collegiate international clientelle. The night skies blew us away.

We did the 4 day, 3 night Tremisana Lodge tour and it was such a fantastic and well organised trip. The Viva Safaris crew are incredibly knowledgable about the animals, reading and interpreting the environment, and ensuring we had a great experience. The homemade food was great and the lodge was peaceful. Big thanks especially to guides Victor, Luke, Lucky, and Charl whose expertise really made our safari tours memorable.

Excellent safari. We had a wonderful time. The staff was excellent at making us feeling welcome and cared for. Highly recommend.

Awesome 5 day safari. This was my first visit to South Africa and experiencing a safari. My whole stay was just amazing. I saw so many animals that I only saw on TV till now. Saw the Big 5 but also saw zebras,giraffes, rhinos, warthugs,monkeys,different colourful birds,vultures ...😊😊😊😊😊 The sunset drive and dinner in the African Bush was just a great experience on the first night there at the Tremisana Lodge. Then we had the morning bush walk the next day which was amazing too. Both accommodations were great but the 4 nights at the Treehouse was awesome. You can hear the animals at night (hyenas,leopard,water buffalos). My treehouse was perfect.i loved it. loved walking to it especially at night😃.under the stars and hearing the animals. The view and sounds in the morning when you wake up ...wowwww!!connected to nature.And when walking to the breakfast area, impalas walking next to you, kudus grazing away... Awesome staff and guides as well and great cooking.The food was delicious. Fabulous stay ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🦁🐆🦌🐃🦓🐗🐘🦒🦅🦜🦦🐾🐾

Great and very professional safari company! We did the six day tour and every day we got to see new and different things!

Great experience start to finish! We booked the 5 day safari and were able to see tons of animals during our drives and morning walks. Our guides Andy and Luke were excellent at answering all our questions and spotting so many animals. The hosts at both the lodges were incredibly kind and attentive, and made wonderful food for us. The lodges are clean and comfortable as well. Our itinerary provided before the experience was slightly different than what we ended up doing for one of the days, but it ended up being wonderful as it was a visit to the wildlife rehab center. Highly recommend this for couples as this was a great honeymoon getaway for us.