Trevor, one of our dedicated team guide team membe
Elephant Herd Tours & Safaris
- Office In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2000)
- Member Of:
- SATSA & MISA
- Tour Types:
- Customizable private tours and fixed group tours
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $1,327 to $26,540 per person per day (MXN, excl. int'l flights)
for a custom tour
Your request will be sent directly to the operator
If preferred, you can contact the operator directly
Reviews
MX
Email Alex Martin | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excelent service and quality of the stay and tours inside Kruger
After a detailed search we choosed Elephant Herd because of the opportunity of interaction with elephants at "Elephant Whispers". We saw pictures of the lodge which had great quality and the best of all, were the private tour into Kruger with one of the best guides we ever meet: Bhekifa Ngomane
AT
Email Pia | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Misleading and dishonest
I cannot recommend booking any Safari tours with Elephant Herd.
We booked 2 tours with them on two subsequent days. Since the weather was supposed to be awful in the early morning on the second day, we thus discussed with Brendon & Rene to shift our private tour to start a bit later that day. They agreed to re-arrange our tour, picked us up at 7:30 am (instead of 5:30 am) but then brought us back 2 hours before tour end!! Instead of a 6-hour tour we only got a 4-hour Safari! We never received any money back nor did they apologize for miscommunicating and misleading us
Reply from Elephant Herd Tours & Safaris
Posted on Oct 17, 2023
At around 19h00 on the evening after your first safari, we received a request from you, via the guesthouse, requesting a different guide for the second safari on the following day as you wanted another guide’s perspective of the Kruger. We advised that, due to the lateness of the request and the fact that it was peak season, we could not oblige as all our other guides were already booked for the following day. As is standard practise, when guests book multiple safaris we normally schedule the same guide for all their safaris. You then requested to cancel your booking for the following day due to the prediction of possible rains. We advised that we could cancel the safari but that 100% cancellation fees would apply, as is the industry norm. We had previously, in emails, provided you with the link to our website which has the Terms & Conditions very clearly stipulated.
Then, instead of cancelling, you instead requested a later pick-up time for the following morning - not wanting a 05h30 start but a 07h30 pick-up, to which we complied. Our guide was at your premises by 07h15 for the scheduled 07h30 pick-up however, you only boarded the vehicle at 07h50, thus you were 20 minutes late for the scheduled and requested pick-up time – a fact you omitted to mention. Your safari was originally booked for the morning time slot being 05h30 -11h30. Smiley, our guide, dropped you off at your accommodation venue 12h03. The fact that you requested a later pick-up does not automatically qualify you to extend the drop off time which was clearly your assumption, and never our commitment to you. The safari vehicle was already pre-booked for an afternoon safari, with other guests collection scheduled for 12h30, which we explained to you telephonically when you called from the vehicle complaining that the guide was going to be exiting the park.
During said telephonic conversation you demanded a 50% refund and threatened that should the refund not be forthcoming that you would write bad reviews on every possible review channel/social platform, which threat you are now clearly following through with even though we did advise the guide to continue with the safari for an additional half hour, thus the 12h03 drop off but he could not extend any later as we had a 12h30 guest collection.
99.5% of the approximate 800+ guests per month that book and participate in a safari with us, have only positive reviews on the trip review sheets that the guests complete on a daily basis as well as on the various social media and advertising platforms. Our reputation, dedication, attention to detail, guides’ knowledge and professionalism are all highly rated and the vast number of positive reviews, as well as the number of “return” guests, can attest to the fact.
IL
Email Zvi | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Pleasant to deal with the management, but the guide left something to be desired
Management was fine, price was reasonable. We had a half day safari; it was our first. The guide took extended breaks during the day and acted annoyed when we asked questions
Email Steve | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best possible safari experience
My friend and I contacted elephant herd to plan a 5 day safari trip with only about 4 weeks of notice. We specifically requested a quote from elephant herd because they limit occupants in the safari vehicle to 6. As it turns out this matters quite a bit in how easy it is to photograph animals and how quickly you can move through the park. If you’re considering a safari with greater than 6 I would advise against it.
Every human interaction I had from the time of requesting the quote was phenomenal. Brendon planned and arranged everything for us, including van transfers from JNB and back, and he gave us a taste of both Kruger National Park and a private reserve called Karongwe which is a few hours north of Hazyview. Brendon even took us to and from dinner both nights we were in Hazyview. Our safari experience in Kruger was perfect. We did a sunset safari on our first evening , followed by a full day safari the next day, and a super epic morning safari on our third day. We were fortunate enough to have Keegan as our guide on the 6 person full day safari. That was so enjoyable that we requested him as our guide for the morning safari with only my friend and I in the truck. So we basically ended up with a private safari for 5 hours, during which we saw all the big 5, plus a honey badger, plus a rare glimpse of wild dogs getting chased away from a kill by a lion! And this is during a time of year (November) when it’s typically more difficult to spot wildlife. Keegan has a wealth of knowledge about the animals and plants in Kruger which was both interesting and helpful in locating the animals we wanted to see. I would absolutely recommend Elephant Herd for safari bookings based on the quality of the safari experience and the high level of customer service. Many thanks to Brendon, Keegan, and Big Ray!
BR
Email Jose | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The tour was fun and very well organized, I would definitively hire them again.
The tour was excellent. It was on time for the two days. We got lots of information from the tour guy, Smiley (his name). The guide was very fun, helpful and polite. In addition, we always felt safe during the whole time.
It was properly schedule and executed by the minute. Pickup and drop off on time, stops for lunch, etc.
I would definitely hire them again. We were a group of 5 adults family members.
Email BJ | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Incredible
Did Kruger national park with my family of 8 and it couldn’t have been a better experience. Elephant herd tours & safaris was extremely informative, accommodating and welcoming. Bev went completely out of her way in every way to make us feel comfortable. Truly amazing experience and highly recommend.
Email Kerrie & Stef | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Totally professional, so well organised, prepared to go above and beyond to make our safari perfect.
We had the time of our lives on our 7 day safari. Both lodges, Zarafa and Tomo were beautiful, superb accommodation choices. The staff there were always friendly and welcoming. Meals were delicious. We saw so much wildlife in Kruger NP, and also at Balule. Trevor was a fun, interesting, informative tour guide while staying at Zarafa. Gareth, our guide in Tomo, kept us comfortable with his service, and did a great job tracking the wildlife for us. Amazing job done by Bev putting together such great itinerary. I highly recommend Elephant Herd Tours and Safaris!
IE
Email Batuhan | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great tour operator with a clear & detailed communication throughout and great overall experience
Bev and team were very helpful and very easy to reach to. We were given a very clear itinerary and quote from the start, and it was true to original for the whole experience. They chose a very nice hotel. The safari experience was great. Also solid communication with the team throughout the process.
Email BL | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great service!!! On time and everything was as described
We were very happy with service and tour operators. Easy; knowledgeable and tried very hard to deliver everything we asked for. Would definitely go with them again!
Email JD | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a lifetime!
We got to see all of the big 5 animals with our guide in Kruger, who was dedicated to finding amazing animal encounters. We had several experiences where it was just us and maybe one other car because our guide spotted the animals or got us to the location where an animal was spotted quickly. Everything was prompt and professional. Communication was great. Highly recommend!
