We are often told that we should blow our own trumpet by guests who use our service and vast experience to plan holidays.  It feels un-British and a bit boastful, but in recent weeks our guests’ support and kind words have reassured us that what we offer is invaluable.

We have one of the longest relationships in the safari business with Africa, which means we have one of the best black books for top guides and concierge services.  We look after every step of your holiday, from the planning and delivery, to hand holding as you set off.  We are available 24 / 7 while you travel to assist you at every stage, and here when you return to confirm that everything was as expected. Using Aardvark Safaris means you avoid booking inappropriate accommodation or unreliable flights, and we look after all payments and currency to Africa.  And, there is no additional charge for all of this – you typically pay us the same as if you booked direct.

Here is some feedback from guests (you can see all our Google reviews here if you wish) to show why you might consider us to help you plan your first, or tenth, holiday in Africa and the Indian Ocean:

Expertise backed by frequent travel to Africa and up to the minute awareness of events on the ground ensured last minute changes achieved without a hitch.

Our trip to Tanzania, care of Aardvark Safaris, was THE trip of a lifetime. We were looked after like royalty from start to finish – planning, pricing, packing, travelling etc.  A treat to have our hands held every step of the way by friendly and practical experts.  Two amazing camps:  Selous Impala and Ikuka in Ruaha – with just the best guides possible.  A few days before we went, we had to change camps because of flooding.  No problem – Aardvark Safaris sorted it beautifully.  To finish, a few days on a beautiful beach. We will remember 2020 for all the right reasons!

Couple travelling to Tanzania

Sundowners in Ruaha National Park

Lucinda’s in-depth knowledge of the countries involved and Aardvark Safaris’ top class concierge service culminated in a flawless holiday of a lifetime.

I was so lucky to have been recommended the services of Aardvark Safaris (and more importantly Lucinda Rome) by a friend of mine.  I was planning a rather complicated trip of a lifetime (Botswana, Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya) and Lucinda helped enormously to make this trip a reality.  Lucinda wanted to get to know me, in order to really understand what we wanted out of our trip. She planned everything quickly and with ease, making this the best trip we have ever been on (and we have travelled a lot).

Lucinda’s level of knowledge, expertise and love of Africa enabled us to have the most mind blowing experience, which was utterly flawless. She somehow got us the best rooms, with the best views and we were incredibly lucky to have the most wonderful surprises during out rip.  We thought this would be the one trip of a lifetime .. now we want to go back, travel to other places, use Aardvark Safaris and most importantly, get in touch with Lucinda again. Thank you so much for the most amazing, professional and faultless experience!

Couple travelling to Botswana, Zambia, Kenya and Tanzania

Gliding silently through the Okavango Delta on a mokoro canoe is a magical way to explore this wildlife paradise

Face to face planning and insider knowledge helped narrow down the choices, and a personally manned 24/7 emergency phone service reassured as the coronavirus pandemic takes hold. 

For me, the advantage of engaging Aardvark Safaris is that they do the heavy lifting!  Before we got in touch, we were trying to figure out what we should see and do and not getting very far.  Your brochure dropping through the letterbox triggered a change of approach.  You managed to persuade us to accept the itinerary that blew our budget and this was largely because we knew nothing about Namibia so help was welcomed.

So the first advantage of using Aardvark was your expertise.

Secondly, coming to Tidworth and meeting you worked too.  Being of an age where we respect face to race relationships, meeting you suggested that our first impressions of you and Aardvark Safaris were on point.

Then, you put together an itinerary – places to stay and visit based on experience.  One day driving and two nights in a lodge worked brilliantly.  I’m not sure we would have come up with that balance by ourselves and how would we ever have found the likes of Etendeka and Erongo?

And finally when it looked as if everything was going to the proverbial with border and flight closures [these clients travelled as coronavirus was emerging] your help was immensely reassuring.  Booking the guesthouse in Windhoek and the transfer to the airport clarified the way ahead and made life as worry free as it was possible given the circumstances.

Couple travelling to Namibia

Desert adapted elephant enjoying a sand bath

Most of our sales team lived and worked in Africa prior to joining Aardvark Safaris and these original experiences are backed up by twice yearly travels to keep us up to date.  Our knowledge is such that we’re confident to suggest the unexpected to take your safari from ‘good’ to ‘exceptional’ – as Richard did in this case.

Richard did a superb job in arranging our recent holiday to Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa. We are fortunate to live very close to Tidworth and twice met Richard at the Aardvark Safaris office to discuss our requirements in detail. He listened carefully and swiftly came up with a proposal that together we chopped and changed until it was just right; this took no more than a couple of weeks with each new version of the proposal fully costed.

His suggestions were all gems and we ended up with a perfect mix of some indulgence, blended with some slightly more cost effective options. In particular his advice for our safari to Hwange Bush Camp which was the central part of our holiday was spot on and precisely met our needs and expectations. Until we met Richard we had not even considered Zimbabwe as a destination but it proved to be a winner. The holiday itself ran like clockwork and every location exceeded our expectations. We will definitely use Aardvark Safaris again and can highly recommend them.

Couple travelling to Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa

Leopard on the lookout in Hwange National Park

We are parents too and have travelled widely with our own families.  We’ve worked extensively with our partners in Africa developing family friendly accommodation and know what appeals to children from youngsters to teens.  Nothing gives us greater pleasure than creating magical multi-generational holidays.

We approached Aardvark Safaris with a challenge!  To arrange a safari holiday for our combined extended family of 11 with an age range from 5 to 75. They certainly rose to the challenge and our two week trip to Kenya was a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience for all. The variety of camp, locations and activities was perfect. We saw an endless list of animals, walked the forest canopy, swam under waterfalls, and slept under the stars among many other magical moments.  I would use Aardvark Safaris again and highly recommend them – 5 stars all round!

Multi-generational family safari to Kenya.

Kenya is a perfect family safari destination

Use our expertise to make your life simple.  We will take all the donkey work out of planning a safari and you won’t pay any more for our service.  What you can be sure of is a slick, quality holiday with all the bells and whistles.

In all honesty I approached Aardvark Safaris with the intention of listening to their expertise and gathering some ideas before sneaking off and booking it myself. Having received the first collection of thoughts and ideas from Jo at Aardvark Safaris, I soon made the decision that they were worth their weight in gold and the time and effort put into constructing our trip was worth every penny [note that we stand by our price guarantee that states it typically costs no more to book through us]. From cakes on aeroplanes to private connections waiting for us wherever we went it was truly fantastic and has really set the benchmark rather high for any subsequent holidays I try to organise without such expert assistance!

Honeymoon to South Africa and Mauritius

Glorious beaches in Mauritius, a perfect spot to relax after a safari

What next?

If this has inspired you to dream about future safaris, please do get in touch – we would be delighted to chat, no matter how early in the decision making process you might be. Email is probably the best way to contact us right now and we’ll respond as quickly as we can – usually on the same day.  We very much look forward to talking to you.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.