Botswana and Tanzania

[carolinamama]

We did South Africa, so I don’t have specific info on the other countries, but we had an amazing time and this is the company we were with and they are all over Africa.

https://www.andbeyond.com/

Just in case you see this- Do you mind sharing information about your trip to South Africa? Thinking about using andBeyond to plan a safari for 2024 and would love first-hand reviews about what you loved and what you would change, if anything. Thank you!

[AnnieW625]

I have some friends who went a few years ago. Let me reach out to them and see who they planned their trip through (they live in Long Beach so it might local).


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[smilequeen]

Just in case you see this- Do you mind sharing information about your trip to South Africa? Thinking about using andBeyond to plan a safari for 2024 and would love first-hand reviews about what you loved and what you would change, if anything. Thank you!

The only thing we really regret is that we didn’t really have time to add a trip to Capetown. If we go back to SA, we will definitely go there.

We were with a group, so some of this may be specific to what the group connections were…but we started in Johannesburg. Not a place most would actually want to go. It’s not all that nice, although we stayed in a nice area. But what we were scheduled to do was really life changing…so I would do it again. We spent time with the group and had dinner with an American family that has been living there for 30 years and got their perspective…then we had a day where we went to Soweto and really dove into the history of apartheid. We visited Nelson Mandela’s home and the prison where he was imprisoned for so long. We went to the market and bought groceries for a family and delivered it and visited in the Shantytown. Then we toured their youth center (which is still on my list of places to send donations). Really eye opening for all of us, but especially for my kids.

Our safari was in Phinda Private Game Reserve. We stayed specifically in Phinda Vlei Lodge. It’s a small Lodge with 6 cabins, so there were only 3 families (each cabin was for 2 people, so we had 3 of them). My youngest son and I stayed in the same cabin and it was the one cabin in the Lodge that was outside the elephant fence. So we were told ahead of time that elephants like to drink from the private pool there and to keep our eyes out. Well…they definitely did. I called the other families and we all just sat on our back porch and watched…it was so cool.

This was the herd when we saw them coming…I have a video of them drinking from the pool but not sure if I can attach that…
033F999C-18E0-4D85-90DB-8D18A4BF9A42.jpg

Overall, it was the best vacation we’ve ever had and I would do it all again in a heartbeat. You see something new every single day. It was so easy to get up and out at 6 AM for all of us, and that’s really something

[DualvansMommy]

I would encourage anyone who may be visiting Johnsnsberg/Capetown NOT to do the shantytown tour.

It’s unethical. Disrespectful at minimum, exploiting poverty, and invading their privacy. It shouldn’t be surprising that the money from the shantytours does NOT go back into them but usually kept by those four companies or given to government.

There are other ethnical ways if you want to give back to the communities in your travels.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[vludmilla]

I would encourage anyone who may be visiting Johnsnsberg/Capetown NOT to do the shantytown tour.

It’s unethical. Disrespectful at minimum, exploiting poverty, and invading their privacy. It shouldn’t be surprising that the money from the shantytours does NOT go back into them but usually kept by those four companies or given to government.

There are other ethnical ways if you want to give back to the communities in your travels.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

I think it's fine that this is your perspective but it is just that, your perspective. It is not simply a fact that it is unethical, exploitative, disrespectful or an invasion of privacy. I can't fathom how it is disrespectful unless one walks through the area mocking the people that live there. I also cannot fathom how it is invading anyone's privacy to walk through a neighborhood. We travel several times a year and walk through many neighborhoods, some wealthy and some poor -- is this invading privacy? If so, we should end tourism or perhaps only have tourism in wealthy areas? Doesn't make sense to me. There are many downsides to tourism for the areas that receive it but I think most recognize that amidst the downsides are many benefits from tourism for an area, especially one that is economically downtrodden.

The OP purchased groceries for a family there and intends to donate to a youth center there. Not to speak for the OP but it seems to me that neither of those charitable contributions were likely to occur had the OP not visited the area.

My personal thoughts: I live a very comfortable life in a beautiful, VHCOL area. I've often thought about how for weeks at a time all I see are neat, manicured, well-kept homes and stores and luxury cars-- it can start to seem like that is how everyone lives. Is it really better for people of affluence to stay away from shanty towns and poverty? I'm not so sure that it is. When one lives in an area where nothing is broken or out of place, they might get disconnected from how fortunate they are and I can't see how that benefits anyone, the wealthy or the poor.

[carolinamama]

The only thing we really regret is that we didn’t really have time to add a trip to Capetown. If we go back to SA, we will definitely go there.

We were with a group, so some of this may be specific to what the group connections were…but we started in Johannesburg. Not a place most would actually want to go. It’s not all that nice, although we stayed in a nice area. But what we were scheduled to do was really life changing…so I would do it again. We spent time with the group and had dinner with an American family that has been living there for 30 years and got their perspective…then we had a day where we went to Soweto and really dove into the history of apartheid. We visited Nelson Mandela’s home and the prison where he was imprisoned for so long. We went to the market and bought groceries for a family and delivered it and visited in the Shantytown. Then we toured their youth center (which is still on my list of places to send donations). Really eye opening for all of us, but especially for my kids.

Our safari was in Phinda Private Game Reserve. We stayed specifically in Phinda Vlei Lodge. It’s a small Lodge with 6 cabins, so there were only 3 families (each cabin was for 2 people, so we had 3 of them). My youngest son and I stayed in the same cabin and it was the one cabin in the Lodge that was outside the elephant fence. So we were told ahead of time that elephants like to drink from the private pool there and to keep our eyes out. Well…they definitely did. I called the other families and we all just sat on our back porch and watched…it was so cool.

This was the herd when we saw them coming…I have a video of them drinking from the pool but not sure if I can attach that…
033F999C-18E0-4D85-90DB-8D18A4BF9A42.jpg

Overall, it was the best vacation we’ve ever had and I would do it all again in a heartbeat. You see something new every single day. It was so easy to get up and out at 6 AM for all of us, and that’s really something

Thank you! That was very helpful. It sounds like an amazing trip. Everyone I know who has been on a safari says it's the best trip they've ever done. We are definitely incorporating Cape Town but need to figure out which safari and maybe add Victoria Falls. It will be DS1's last summer before he goes to school and we want a special trip before they start flying the coop.

We will be traveling with my MIL, BIL, SIL and their 2 kids. They haven't traveled extensively; never outside the US and are really worried about the logistics so I'm trying to plan ahead and make it smooth.