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Let our travellers share their experiences with you.
I have just returned from a 8-day trip to South Africa and a safari tour organized by Explorer Safari. Lauren Maker was our representative, and she was unbelievable. Our experiences were fantastic. I had a son contract influenza on the trip, and she arranged a Dr. to meet him at our hotel, and he was excellent and got my son on a quick recovery. I could not praise Lauren enough!!!!
THE SCATTERDAY FAMILY – UTAH United States of America
Travelled: April 2024 – Kruger
We cannot speak more highly Explorer Safari and their team. We collaborated with Peter John and Lauren Maker for our initial plan of adventure. Lauren used her expertise to secure and finalize and experience beyond our dreams while still meeting our budget. Communication was superb despite our 10-hour time zone difference. She connected us with the most superior guide we have experienced who provided a comprehensive view and love of the country. We were introduced to the most exquisite restaurants, beautiful people, diverse languages, which our guide was fluent, and breathtaking areas of nature found nowhere else in the world. We will return to Africa, to Explorer Safari, to Lauren and our guide!
THERESA GRECO AND JOHN RENSHA, United States of America
Travelled: December 2024 – Cape Town
Explorer Safari (Lauren) organised an incredible experience for our first safari and Victoria Falls experience, including magnificent places to visit and wonderful accommodation. I highly recommend their expertise and knowledge of the area. Thank you.
MICHAEL MOFFA, Australia
Travelled: January 2025 – Garden Route, Victoria Falls, Kruger and Cape Town –
We were thinking to ourselves a couple months before our arrival in Cape Town, “it’ll be easy to find a safari ourselves, there’s plenty around!” Little did we know that most people book a year or more in advance. After getting in touch with Lauren at Explorer Safari, she did more than just save what was meant to be the highlight of our trip to South Africa, she helped to arrange a series of once in a lifetime experiences for my partner and I at AM Lodge in Hoedspruit.
Everything was taken care of – transportation, game drives, fantastic dinners and luxury accommodations (at a reasonable price!). We saw 4 out of the big 5 and made memories that will last our entire lives. Even luckier for us, we were the only ones at our lodge and had private game drives our entire 3 night stay. We had a couple of initial issues with making a payment and timing our return trip, but they were quickly and professionally resolved. Always double check your itinerary!
RYAN GIRMAN
Travelled: October 2024 – South Africa
Everything Explorer Safari planned was amazing. We left our trip in their hands and couldn’t have been happier with how everything turned out. Between planning Cape Town, the Winelands, and a safari, Lauren and her crew planned an amazing trip me and my wife will never forget. Can’t thank them enough!
IAN AND LINDSAY HURLEY
Travelled: October 2024 – South Africa
We had a wonderful trip to Africa planned by Lauren. I approached Lauren based on a recommendation of a trusted friend after working with a few different travel advisors for itineraries. Lauren was helpful in identifying what worked (and what didn’t work) in the various itineraries I had been presented.
In the end, we booked with Explorer Safari because of the attention we received in the planning process and the insightfulness of Lauren in putting our trip together. Even during the trip, Lauren was there for us with regular check-ins. When one camp wasn’t what we expected, Lauren swept in to try to remedy the situation with the camp.
After we got back, Lauren did a debrief of the trip so that Explorer could use the input for future trips, which I thought was a great touch. We’ll be back to Africa, and will be using Explorer for our next adventure.
ANNA AND LISA HOREVAY
Travelled: August 2024 – East Africa
Since 2012, we’ve successfully managed four high-end incentive programs to South Africa for corporate clients through Grosvenor Tours. The consistent feedback we receive from clients and staff is that their experiences in your amazing country are ‘Simply Life Changing.’
Hence South Africa was the easy choice for me when selecting a whole family experience for our gang of 12 children and grandchildren. I sincerely doubt that any other destination could offer life-changing experiences for a diverse group, ranging from 3 to 63 years old, as well as you and your wonderful country have.
In short you, your business and wonderful country ‘knocked it out of the park’.
Our 7 days in Cape Town and Kapama Game Reserve was outstanding in every aspect; which is testimony to your knowledge, experience and attention to detail.
All of your suppliers from hotels to coach companies, guides, restaurants and activity providers went that extra mile to provide highly personalised care and attention. The staff at More Quarters in Cape Town and Kapama Lodge deserve a special mention and are amongst the best I have ever experienced throughout the world!
Thanks to Shanaaz for creating an experience for our family to cherish forever.
Your ability to remain agile and flexible with our program through 4 days of torrential rain in Cape Town was incredible. Your efforts to ensure we could complete our entire itinerary were truly inspirational.Adding in a personal meeting with Nelson Mandela’s prison guard, Christo Brandt, was a master stroke and a one-off experience I will forever be grateful for.
Our family members that have already returned to a cold Aussie winter are asking where their hot water bottles are – to which they had become accustomed to in only a week!
I have thoroughly enjoyed working with you over the past 12 months and sincerely hope that our paths cross again in the future.
Thanks soooo much for all your efforts!
TONY NAY AND FAMILY, Australia
Travelled: July 2024 – Cape Town and Kapama Game Reserve, South Africa
Our honeymoon was the trip of our dreams. Lauren Maker provided the best customer service to us while on our honeymoon, she was always available and made our trip seamless!
We were extremely happy with all of our accommodation, restaurants, reservations and daily activities. Our favorite part of the trip was the African safari which was booked and organized through Explorer Safari. We would recommend to everyone!
LAUREN MCLEOD AND BRADY ANDREWS
Travelled: March 2024 – Cape Town, Winelands and Kruger, Safari South Africa
I just want to pass on my thanks to Lauren for helping us have an amazing time in Cape Town. All the trips were superb. So well organised and her communication pre/during and post our trip was fantastic.
Lauren really helped make it a trip of a lifetime.
We would recommend Lauren to any of our friends or family going to South Africa to help plan their visit.
Thank you once again. Take care.
PETER DODDING AND FAMILY
Travelled: March 2024 – Cape Town, South Africa
Last year, we had our 45th wedding anniversary and for this reason our whole family went to Cape Town in December ‘23 . Lauren asked almost every day if everything was okay and reiterated that we if we needed any help, she’ll be there for us!
She has helped us out on several occasions where problems arose in the hotel and with questions about vehicle rentals. We were very happy with a travel agent like Lauren and we want to thank her on behalf of all our 12 family members!
MARJA, BERT, ROBBERT, LESLEY, BART, TESSA, ANNE, LOTTE, DAAN, OLIVIER, MARIEKE, TJEERD (The Van Dujiins)
Travelled: December 2023 – Cape Town, South Africa
We were really happy with Karongwe, and would come back in a heartbeat and recommend to others for sure. So thanks for making it happen. Honestly this whole trip has made us want to come back many times more.
STEVEN & KATIE
Travelled: South Africa July 2023
The trip to Africa was a once in a lifetime adventure so I did my homework and was recommended Lauren and Explorer Safari as a travel agent. They did not disappoint. We started planning well over a year before travelling and Lauren was fantastic with her knowledge but more importantly her patience as there were 9 of us and it wasn’t easy trying to coordinate that size group.
Once on the trip, Lauren checked in with us every day and nothing was too much trouble, from organising restaurants, tours, transport and even when we needed some medical help. The Safari lodges were amazing the our guides were both witty and incredibly knowledgably.
Her recommendations were spot on, and we are not easily pleased! We went to 4 countries in 3 weeks and did everything from wine tours, safaris to horse riding and even horse racing in Mauritius. I highly recommend Lauren and her team – if you want a trip that is great fun, the service is impeccable, the accommodation is second to none but most of all the safaris are world class, then give these guys a ring.
JENNIFER, ROBERT, GABBY & GEORGE EVANS, Australia
Travelled: July 2023 – South Africa & Mauritius
We recently spent a fabulous three weeks in Africa and Mauritius. Lauren was our travel agent and did a fantastic job organizing every aspect of the holiday from internal flights, accommodation, transfers and the wonderful safaris. Everything went like clockwork and nothing was too much trouble for Lauren. She was available 24/7 and responded immediately to every message or call. My husband scratched his eye while on the last day of our Botswana Safari and we contacted Lauren to organize a doctor to come to our hotel in Johannesburg the following day. The doctor arrived promptly and was very good. It made it so easy for us especially being in a foreign country and we can’t thank Lauren enough. All in all we cannot recommend Lauren highly enough and wouldn’t hesitate to use her again.
CATH & BRAD CRIPPS, Western Australia
Travelled: July 2023 – Botswana & Mauritius
Thank you Lauren. What a fabulous trip we had!! Thank you so, so much for all you meticulous planning! Everything (except one early on flight delay due to fog and baggage issues) went perfectly. We loved everywhere we stayed and of course the safaris were a highlight! African Bush Camps do it very well – the guides, the camp staff and the food were all top notch. Also loved the hotels in Jo’Burg and Cape Town. Would highly recommend the Boschendal farm stay too. Everyone we met was so, so lovely and I will be recommending to anyone who is able to afford it – a safari holiday is a must. Will of course recommend your services. Thanks again for thinking of every detail and helping us achieve a trip that will last a lifetime!!
JUSTINE & JUSTIN GILMOUR
Travelled: July 2023 – South Africa
Hi Lauren! I really appreciated having more contact with animals on the safari! It truly was perfect! Thank you so much for working out everything and making this a really memorable experience. I only hope I’m able to return with my family!
MARIA HINOJOSA
Travelled: May 2023 – South Africa
We were so pleased to have been able to work with Lauren Maker of Explorer Safari. we travelled to South Africa for our first time, Lauren was there every step of the way, she organized all our accommodations, meals, tours, drivers, our guides, and all of our transfers. Not a single detail was overlooked. We enjoyed Capetown, then 3 nights in Franshoek, beautiful country villas, went wine tasting, had an amazing driver the entire time there.
We popped up to Zimbabwe had a driver meet us at the airport, Alex took us to our hotel, The Stanley & Livingstone (beautiful spot), we went on a sunset river cruise of the Zambezi actually saw hippo’s in an altercation! We really enjoyed having our guide with us the entire time, it made it so much more personable, he took us to Victoria Falls, Chobe National Park, where we saw so many animals. The elephants were playing in the water! The giraffes and on and on. so wonderful! The elephant Sanctuary that we visited before heading home was a great experience as well!
I must say it’s totally worth it to work with Lauren as she’s there every step of the way checking in on the WhatsApp daily. It was an exceptional experience. It’s also very comforting to know she is available to you 24/7. I highly recommend using her if you’re planning on a lifetime adventure!
LOU & BONNIE FISHER, CALIFORNIA
Travelled: March 2023 – South Africa
We are so happy we went with Lauren @ Explorer Safari. Lauren helped us for months plan our amazing honeymoon. We have always wanted to go to Africa but weren’t sure it would be in our budget. However, Lauren worked with the budget we gave her and planned the most amazing 16 day trip. We spent time in the V&A waterfront, Simonstown, Stellenbosch and Safari. We even got the see the big 5 within 2 days. It was fantastic. We got to taste a little bit of everything in Cape Town. Lauren placed us in the best hotels. Everything was at our finger tips where we were staying and the hotels were beautiful and accommodating. She also helped plan all transfers as well as activities and dinners. It was so wonderful. We had the absolute time of our lives and cannot wait to return!! Thank you so much!!
HAILEY AZARIA
Travelled: November 2022 – South Africa
We were beginning to plan our very first trip to South Africa when we received a recommendation to talk to Shanaaz at Safari Explorer. Not only did Shanaaz help us to plan our dream trip of a lifetime but also managed to make it feel extremely personal and warm. Shanaaz was there for us 24/7 during the planning process and during our fabulous adventure. The night before we were scheduled to fly to Cape Town, we received a text that our flight had been canceled! I contacted our airline and they were helpful in booking us on another flight 5 days later! Shanaaz was not only able to save our trip but she was able to push our entire trip 5 days forward! Every aspect was kept as it was except for an amazing upgrade at Earth Lodge, Sabi Sabi. Shanaaz is the best! Always calm( on the surface) and responsive. We look forward to planning our next trip with Shanaaz!
RICHARD SEILER
Travelled: October 2022 – South Africa
Thanks to Lauren Maker and the Explorer Safari Team who organised such a wonderful safari tour for us! All was perfect and we were taken care of so well, although we booked really last minute. Thank you so much! 4 days in the Aquila Private Game Ressort, just 150km out of Cape Town, let us see all Big Five and many more animals. A dream come true, and very convenient to reach after a business trip to Cape Town. Apart from multiple safari tours and other guided excursions every day, the evenings in the Aquila Spa made our day. Really to recommend.
THOMAS SCHULZ
Travelled: August 2022 – South Africa
My family traveled to South Africa and Zimbabwe in July 2022, and Explorer Safari truly made it the trip of a lifetime. Lauren Maker was fantastic to work with. She spent an enormous amount of time assembling our itinerary, perfectly customizing it to fit exactly what we had said we wanted. Lauren coordinated all of our logistics- lodging, tours, transportation, etc- seamlessly taking us to Cape Town, Kruger National Park, Victoria Falls, and Johannesburg. She also stayed committed to our trip’s success long after the itinerary was finalized, routinely checking in with us during the trip and making last minute accommodations for any additional requests that we sprung upon her!
Each day of our vacation was filled with stunning adventures and amazing views, all of which were made possible by the perfect guides/personnel that Lauren connected us to. Everyone that we worked with was full of such knowledge and kindness- extremely pleasant people to spend time with! If you are considering a vacation, we highly recommend choosing Africa. And if you do, we highly recommend choosing Explorer Safari! We were just talking the other day about how we wish we had Lauren to plan all of our future trips
DAVID HOBAN
Travelled: July 2022 – South Africa & Zimbabwe
“We had an amazing time with Safari Explorer, a true dream come true. I traveled with my sister and we are very well travelled, everything was organised to perfection. Lauren created an incredible trip for us for both Cape Town activities and stays to a 5 day Bush experience as well. She directly understood what we were looking for and made us the perfect itinerary. On safari we stayed at Hillsnek, this place is pure magic! On arrival we were not only greeted by the wonderful staff but also by the elephants that came to drink from the pool. A perfect start. We spotted many animals and the landscape was also incredible. We definitely recommend booking with Safari explorer to all our friends and family and cannot wait to go back someday and do it all again. Thank you tons!“
TESS SNELLEMAN
Travelled: April 2022 – South Africa
“I cannot recommend Explorer Safari and Lauren Maker enough! I have been working with Lauren planning my husband and I’s honeymoon for about 2.5 years due to the pandemic. Lauren was amazing and always very helpful! We stayed at Camissa House in Cape Town, Leeu Estates in Franschhoek, Tanda Tula, and Dulini Moya while on safari. All our accommodations, tour guides, and drivers were fantastic! Lauren was also very helpful with making dinner reservations in Cape Town and Franschhoek. Our favorite was Pot Luck Club in Cape Town. Lauren was very helpful while we were on our trip and made it a point to check in on us to make sure everything was going smoothly. Our time on safari was the highlight of our trip. At Tanda Tula, we were lucky enough to see the big five as well as 8 lion cubs and wild dogs! At Dulini we were also lucky to see the big five again as well as a cheetah. We are sad our trip is over but can’t wait to one day revisit South Africa with the help of Explorer Safari! “
ADDISON ZEIGLER
Travelled: February 2022 – South Africa
“Thank you Lauren Maker for organising and helping us with a Safari of a lifetime in Tanzania! We had a great experience and COVID did not detract from that at all. In fact, it kept crowds down in high season, which made it especially a wonderful time to visit.”
JAIME THOMAS – USA
Travelled: August 2021 – Tanzania & Zanzibar Safari
“Saying Lauren Maker is the best is an understatement. We had a our trip planned to SA for April and Lauren helped us plan everything. She helped us determine how many days to spend, where to stay, and activities to do. However, everything was/is put on pause due to COVID but Lauren has been amazing throughout this whole process. She has stayed in contact with us every month to keep us informed. She has made everything so easy and seamless its unbelievable.
I absolutely believe Lauren is the best travel agent I ever dealt with. We are so excited to take our trip soon (next year after COVID). We would not be able to do this trip/planning with out Lauren. Hands down best employee ever. We were a little concerned about booking our trip with this company because there were based in SA but honestly, the best decision we have ever made. Can’t wait for our trip and we can’t thank Lauren enough!“
JESSICA TORRO – USA
Travelled: June 2020
“If someone says they had a bad safari experience, it’s probably their fault! Our safari was great, game-viewing was a little tough at times because of the extended rain season – however we still managed to see the Big 5! Our guide Victor did a good job changing some things around so we could see more, including the wildebeest migration in Ndutu. His knowledge and flexibility helped us get the most out of our experience. I really loved the luxury and downtime of Ngorongoro Manor, it was the perfect break! We came back to a rose petal bath one day and had a fire in the fireplace each night – magic! It was also extra-special at Treetops because we got one of the few rooms with the baobab tree branch through it! Pioneer Camp was excellent, it felt like you were really sleeping close to the animals and being in the park, gave us more freedom to come and go at our leisure. We loved our safari, thanks again for everything Lauren!”
SHEENA & DARRYL PLYES, USA
Travelled: January 2020 – Kenya, Tanzania & Zanzibar Safari
“Good morning Pauline, thank you so much for your email. Africa is a beautiful continent filled with amazing surprises. The gorilla trekking was so exciting; my daughter was actually touched by a female gorilla and luckily we have a picture of that precious moment. Our time at the Masai Mara village brought tears of joy to our eyes, it was an unforgettable and moving experience! The Masai Mara Game Reserve was everything I was hoping for, and on our flight back to Nairobi we were lucky enough to see Mount Kilimanjaro. Some of the hotels were more than I was expecting; the food and service was amazing! Overall we have just only good things to report. I’m still dreaming about Africa and hopefully next year we’ll travel to South Africa. Thank you again for putting up with my jitters!”
NANCY, USA
Travelled: August 2019 – Gorilla trekking & East Africa safari
“Lauren, we all had an absolutely fantastic time. From the beginning of the trip with the meet & greet at the airport, and the nice stay at The City Lodge in Johannesburg, to the safaris. Both locations – Kapama Buffalo Camp and Thornybush Waterbuck – were incredible. Each location had a different kind of feel and atmosphere, and both offered luxury and all of the natural beauty that we were hoping for. The staff at each of the game reserves made us all feel welcome and definitely helped (going above and beyond) when our daughter was suffering a migraine. We really appreciated that you reached out to check on her and see if there was anything that you could do to help once we got to Cape Town. This trip was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and much of that was due to your hard work co-ordinating and scheduling all of the logistics. I am sorry we were unable to meet you in person, as I felt that you were definitely part of our experience. We couldn’t have managed the trip as smoothly and without issues if it wasn’t for you. We will treasure this forever!
THE WILSON FAMILY, USA
Travelled: July 2019 – Kruger safari
“I have to say Shanaaz, I have probably said your name 100 times since returning home. I have told everyone that they must use you when they decide to go to South Africa. We had the trip of a lifetime! The hotels, in-country flights, guides, drivers, tours – all perfect! We really cannot say enough nice things about Desmond and the time we spent with him. The safari was life-changing. We all cried when leaving. The guides and trackers – Doctor and Darrius, as well as Angie at the front desk, were amazing humans and gave us the most wonderful family feel. Thank you!
SLOANE & NATE, USA
Travelled: July 2019 – South Africa holiday
Pauline, just a short note to thank you for organizing a great and memorablesSafari . For us, it was an experience of a lifetime. A safari is something we always wanted to do and your company certainly excelled. Chobe / Kasane was delightful and so was the accommodation at the Cresta Mowana Safari Resort and Spa. The bug has bitten us and we will be back in the not too distant future.
RON & RONA, MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA
Travelled: October 2019 – Botswana safari
