We believe that there is so much more to safaris and game viewing than just "the Big 5". Of course we go all out to find "the Big 5" but what about all the myriad other fascinating things you can also see - our fabulous birds, our beautiful trees and wild flowers, our diverse eco systems and geology, and the marvellous array of antelope, meerkats, mongoose and monkeys...
Watching animal interaction in the wild is a wonderful privilege and one we never get tired of. We want YOU to experience it all - the smells and sounds of the bush and the amazing quiet and extreme harmony of nature in the wild. We want to surprise and delight you with the unexpected and make your trip memorable in our truly beautiful South Africa. Does this sound like what you're looking for? Then you're our kind of people!
Although we are best known for our highly personalised tours to the Kruger National Park and the Kalahari/Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, we cover all major and minor parks throughout South Africa including Pilanesberg, Hluhluwe/Umfolozi, Mokala, Addo Elephant Park, Rietvlei, and can include private game reserves and specialist guides as required.
SAFARI REVIEWS
I hope you are both well and still doing your wonderful trips. Whilst in Canada/Alaska recently we were talking to people about your trips and your hospitality. We remembered many of the hints Joy provided to us and I am sure this helped us gain better/more sightings and information.
We have dropped in to say a big “HELLO” and “THANKS” for all your time and help for our Group. We all enjoyed a lot and had a great time with you .Thanks for giving us a lot of knowledge about the cities and Kruger and must mention our kids remember you very well for the great information you have given them about all the animals.
Excerpts from a photo diary dedicated to Joy – “The lady of the desert“.
Kgalagadi – let’s just enjoy the glimpse of the drama of the desert. Dust, wind, freezing cold, heat, life, death… that’s the Kgalagadi, the place the gods created for the San. Thanks Joy for those days!
I will treasure our time together in the Kalahari. Thank you for the passion and true love that you have for the place and for the wildlife. I think you will spoil me for any future safari, as I will use you as a yardstick!… It would be an honour if we could go on safari again soon, maybe back to the Kalahari. Thank you again for the experience.
(Extracts from a manuscript entitled “Beyond the Big Five: Photographing with Joy”)
… By my second trip to the Kalahari I trusted not only that Joy could find the complex, less observed creatures, but knew them. Knew the habits of the surikats, the hiding places of the hyenas, the complexities of the hierarchy of all different types of vultures and the interrelationships of the animals and plants of the desert… Such a huge variety of birds, mammals, insects and plants that the small things became more fulfilling to find and photograph than did the obvious majesty of the creatures we all know… It took me travelling half-way across the world and being taught by a wise guide, to come home to the wonders around me.
When I close my eyes I am in Africa, when I dream at night I am in Africa!
When I look at my photos I feel the motion in my heart and I listen to the silence in the Kalahari Desert…in Kruger…
Just a note to say a very big thank you to Joy. She is a fantastic guide to have as she loves to safari and that is so evident when you travel with her. Everything was perfect – the food, places we stayed and the company!
Thank you, thank you.
Hi Joy and Fay!
Just a quick note here to say your American “survivor” family did return home safely after 32 hours of travel.
We set the dinner table with our “Big 5” table cloth,… used our Meercat salad tongs,… and ate butternut squash from our garden in honor of Joy’s great cooking.
Thanks for the life-changing experience you two have provided us.
We will keep you posted on our future travels and as the kids grow. We feel we now have extended family in S.A. !!
You are both unique gems in our universe.
Love,
Good morning, Fay
Our trip was absolutely amazing and was more than I ever imagined. We had wonderful sightings and some very amusing ones as well. Absolutely awesome. Joy really is a remarkable person and I still don’t know how she does all that she does. The meals she provided were very nice and tasty and we could not have wished for more. I have not stopped talking about our trip and try my best to explain to family and friends what a remarkable area the Kgalagadi is, but I know no telling can do justice to it – one must experience it firsthand. Fay, thank you so much for planning and organising such a wonderful experience and I will never be able to thank Joy enough for her brilliant guiding and looking after us so well. She does an awesome job!!
Best wishes
Joy and Fay,
We had the most incredible time with Joy on Safari!!!!!! AND, Fay, it would never have been possible without all the planning and arrangements that you made. Everything went like clockwork which was a great relief as our schedule was tight because we were trying to cover so much ground. We loved each area and how different they were from each other. We also got fantastic pictures and can’t wait to get them up on our web. I think we ended up with nearly 2,000 pictures and it’s going to be hard to whittle them down to a few in each category. BUT WHAT FUN I’LL HAVE!
Thanks again for everything as you both made this trip the trip of our lifetime!!!!
Hugs and love,
