Safari Drive Reviews 148

We used safari drive who had a well established and run ground operation in Namibia supported by a very responsive uk team.

Before going:

Great insight, support and speed of response to help plan the best route, places to stay and things to do. They have the advantage that there Namibia team have first hand experience of the accommodation, and itinerary. This came through well with speedy and good communications from the uk team. A useful planning pack coupled with instruction videos on the vehicle we were to drive really helped dispel any anxiety over driving such distances on tracks. This lead to high degree of trust and ultimately a great itinerary, perfect for our 2 week adventure.

Out in Namibia:

From the moment you are picked up at the airport until you complete a tour assessment with the local rep on drop off back at the airport you can see this is such a professional outfit that has an eye for detail that makes your holiday stress free.

On day 1 you get a though vehicle orientation session, chance to drive, and further activity and route support. This leaves you with the confidence to get going and relax into what is an awesome country.

The two weeks drive presented daily mind blowing views and the distances flew by. The people at the accommodations we selected and game reserves / activities were so friendly with a lot of beautiful views unique to Namibia.

Overall a holiday of a lifetime. Although with operations growing and now in Argentina we will be using again.

Professionalism, eye for detail, insider knowledge and great planning and support, safari drive is a must for any driving break in Africa where they are present.

Great trip, well planned and executed start to finish. Easy to deal with. Top quality in country supplied equipment and first class help. High quality accommodation throughout. Couldn't of been better, didnt need or want for more.

This is our 4th trip with Safari Drive and we cannot fault their planning and commitment to making your adventurous trip the best ever. On the ground experience and knowledge from their team in Africa contribute to making the trip a great success. It is also reassuring to know that the itineraries and stays have all been tried and tested, and a great deal of pre trip discussions in planning an itinerary tailor made for us was extremely valuable and welcomed.
We are already talking and planning our 5th trip, and I would not hesitate in thoroughly recommending a holiday with them.

Safari Drive are a great organisation in many ways:
1. They are based both in the UK and have expertise on the ground in the countries you'll visit. Both teams are extremely knowledgeable about the places you'll visit and where to stay, and provide unbiased useful views to help with your planning.
2. They are very flexible around itinerary planning and will work with you to finalise details.We changed our plans several times before finalising and Jo was very helpful throughout.
3. The Toyota Land Cruisers are very solid, larger, more comfortable and better equipped than most of the other self-drive hire vehicles that we saw in Namibia. The roof tent was a brand new 'clamshell' type which takes less than a minute to erect - far easier than the standard version with the cover that has to be taken on and off (which everyone else uses). The awning also was absolutely huge and can be put up in a few seconds. The satnav is excellent and runs on a tablet that Safari Drive provide. All very well thought through.
4. In Namibia Jens is very helpful and takes you through the entire vehicle explaining everything thoroughly. He also has useful tips about places to eat, routes etc.
We stayed in a mixture of lodges and the roof tent. Our preference when using the roof tent was to pick sites which had a restaurant so that we didn't have to cook - this worked very well in some cases. We had too many amazing experiences to list. All in all we had a fantastic time.

So impressed with the service offered by Safari Drive. We booked through Joanna Houlston and she really listened to what it was we were looking for and put together the most perfect itinerary for us in Namibia, using a combination of camping and lodges. It was clear that a lot of time and effort had gone in to planning it. We had a wonderful trip and the Safari Drive team in Namibia were also super helpful and efficient. Their vehicles are brilliantly well equipped and they seem to have thought of everything you could possibly need. Highly recommend using a specialist tour operator for trips like this and Safari Drive couldn’t have been better. We are already planning our next trip with them!

A top of the range holiday with fantastic equipment. Visiting Namibia a beautiful and dramatic country.

Safari Drive provided us with a fabulous itinerary which took us through 3 countries in southern Africa, we encountered all sorts of wildlife including elephants, lions and giraffes and stayed in some beautiful accommodation. Safari drive provided a very personalised service and were available when we needed them to be, this gave us all the security and support we needed as first-timers on Safari - can't say a big enough thank you !

safari drive followed us very closely from the first contact to the trip and during our expedition and was always a competent contact person for all occurring problems. The period from the first contact to the trip was one year and the whole team did a great job. Even when we had a broken vehicle during the trip, a truck was immediately organized within a day. 

Special thanks to Joannah Houlston, Emma Hunter and Jens and Annelie Denk.

During about 2 weeks driving around Namibia with my (adult) daughter, we were very impressed by the competence in the design of the vehicle (except for that flaky Garmin GPS) and the order in which we visited our various destinations. The ordering allowed us to building confidence in both the driving and the camping, and by the end we felt ready for almost anything. Excellent!

We all agreed this was possibly the best holiday we’ve ever had - thanks to the seamless planning and communication of uk staff and help on the ground in Namibia to get us on the road. A true adventure. A remarkable country. Forever memories.

Thank you all

Zimbabwe self drive is a must! We just spent an incredible two weeks travelling the length of Zim. After crossing the Kariba Dam, we moved through the country mixing camping and lodges and it was just awesome. The people of Zim are the most resiliant and kindest we have found and the game is super. Had some challenges around fuel, currency and road blocks, but if your briefed properly by Safari Drive, it doesn't cause concern - actually it makes the adventure!

Just returned from a Safari Drive trip to Argentina.
Thanks to the attention to detail by Safari Drive and Their knowledge of the destination we had an amazing time.
All plans went without a hitch (local help on hand to tweak arrangements if needed). We would definitely recommend Safari Drive to plan a great holiday.
Anne and Robbie

Fantastic, personal attention for an amazing holiday off the beaten track in Argentina. Safari Drive's staff have personal experience of the routes they suggest and their attention to detail makes it a fabulous experience. We have travelled in Africa with them twice before, and after an incredible holiday in Argentina we will certainly be coming back for more.
We couldn't recommend them highly enough.

Safari Drive created a trip of a lifetime for myself and my husband to celebrate a big birthday. It was everything and more that we could have asked for.

The itinerary was perfect with incredible attention to detail and the choice of lodges and campsites was outstanding. We loved every one of them and also enjoyed the contrast of camping in our roof tent in some glorious places to the luxury in some of the lodges.

The vehicle was brilliant and we felt very safe with it. Jens gave us a comprehensive briefing, both about our itinerary and also about the vehicle. We were so impressed by how well it had been kitted out with everything we needed.

Onguma made my birthday really special with a table for two set by the pool, complimentary sparkling wine and a cake! And to top it off we saw a cheetah and her two boisterous teenage cubs at the watering hole that morning. I felt incredibly spoilt and lucky and it certainly was an amazing birthday.

The sights in Namibia are simply breathtaking with huge unspoilt vistas and the most glorious night skies. The vastness of it and the grandeur are simply breathtaking.

You couldn't visit such a beautiful country with a team better than Safari Drive.

We had never been to sub-Saharan Africa and we were due to celebrate a number of important anniversaries and life's milestones. So this was an important trip! After undertaking some intensive research we chose Safari Drive. This decision was based on their excellent website (including their various and informative videos); on their excellent reputation as a dependable organisation and then finally on the personal interaction with Joanna Houlston, one of the Safari Drive team based at their Lambourne office. Joanna was 'with us' from beginning to end. She is knowledgeable, patient, gentle, helpful and calm. Her advice was spot on, tailored and in retrospect entirely reliable. Together we designed our itinerary starting in Livingstone, Zambia, travelling the length of Namibia, the Northern and Western Capes of South Africa, eventually, after some 7000 km, arriving in CapeTown.

The equipment Safari Drive provided: vehicle (Toyota Land Cruiser), camping equipment, water and fuel storage, satelite 'phone (with office back up) was superb and it worked! The preparatory information: itinerary (what to see and what to avoid; we designed our trip around a predominantly camping itinerary), currency exchange, medical advice and preparation, the intricacies of the individual border crossings and the return flights to Africa; all of the information was accurate, timely and relevant.

In summary: Safari Drive do what they say on the tin. They are ultimately reliable, they are very experienced in their field of endeavour, they are clearly respected in southern Africa by the various destination organisations and from a customer perspective they are a pleasure to do business with and Joanna is an angel! We highly recommend them.

Mike, Jane, Joshua and Jonah Fried
Derbyshire

We have just returned from a 3 week self drive trip across Botswana and Namibia. In fact, this is our third trip with Safari Drive. As usual, we were delighted with every part of their organisation and had a fantastic adventure as a result.

When we first went to Southern Africa we were told that Africa would get into your blood. It certainly did, and we go as often as we can. Always with Safari Drive. They are knowledgable, trustworthy and a pleasure to deal with.

Safari Drive provided excellent advice on planning the itinerary of our trip through Namibia, Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe. They booked stays for us at unique, interesting and beautiful campsites and lodges. Their support throughout the planning process and during our drive through Africa was exemplary. We highly recommend using Safari Drive if you wish to have a self drive adventure.

An excellent trip! thanks,

Fabulous trip to Namibia courtesy of Safari Drive. Recommend the drive up the skeleton coast to Shipwreck Lodge to all adventurous souls. Really helped us when our flights were disrupted on way out of UK, and our land cruiser was first class.

We had an excellent experience with SafariDrive; they organised the trip of a lifetime to Zambia.

The vehicle was very well equipped with everything we needed for our self drive trip and everything was well maintained.

The whole trip was well organised, with clear guidance on the route, fuel and vehicle maintenance. SafariDrive were contactable the entire time so if we needed support they were on hand.

I would recommend SafariDrive to anyone looking for a self-drive adventure in Africa!