Bench Africa Avis 269

Constant communication and no question was regarded as trite. Being first time adventurers, Stephanie was helpful, accommodating and made me feel confident and comfortable organising our family holiday.
The Bakubung Lodge was perfect and we had a marvellous family holiday including little children who were welcomed and accommodated.

We recently undertook our third adventure using Bench Africa. We cannot fault them; from regular communication to suggesting ideas and ways to do things. We never had any concern about being met at airports or at Safari camps. The attention to detail was extraordinary. Our bench Africa person Maria was exceptional so friendly, so caring and so efficient. We travelled to Johannesburg and Zimbabwe, felt safe all the time and had a great time due to Bench and their efficiency. We would not use any other travel company when considering another trip to Africa.See you next time.

We have just come back from a tailor made 16 day Uganda (Gorillas), Tanzania and Zanzibar with Bench. Everything was absolutely fantastic, from the communications, information, accommodation as well as all the great places we went and the things we saw. Even when our flight was delayed by 7 hours until 2.00 in the morning, the driver who met us was cheerful and conversational, as were the staff at the hotel. Gayle from Bench was also extremely helpful and kept in touch to make sure things still ran smoothly. Everywhere we went the staff were excellent and keen to please, especially our guide from Leopard Tours (Charles) who was absolutely brilliant. I cannot recommend Bench or the itinerary highly enough, we would go again tomorrow!

We were on the highlights of East Africa tour with some add ons for Johannesburg and Cape Town. There were only 4 of us so it was a great experience without being lost in a big group. The guides in the East Africa tour were fantastic. Moses and James were knowledgeable and flexible. They also had a sense of humour and kept us safe. The border crossings were made much easier with the guides walking us through the formalities.
It is hard to say which parts of the tour were highlights.
Firstly the accommodation was great. From upmarket hotels to tented camps made it special. Your choice of accommodation is first rate. My wife is allergic to onion and garlic and the hotel chefs were very accommodating.
We were able to see so many animals up close and our photo collection is bursting. We really loved Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti , Maasai Mara (including the balloon ride) and the sometimes confronting town tours.
We have some suggestions for improving the tour in the future. A rest day option between Tanzania and Kenya would have been good for us. Somewhere like Amboseli or Lake Naivasha perhaps. Travelling on rough roads in the land cruisers with limited A/C is challenging. The excellent Insika Lodge and Victoria Falls were welcome wind down times.
We had several hours at Dar es Salam airport. Advising people that once you get in to the airport there is nothing there before check in time would have prompted us to use the cafe opposite the departure hall. A pick up time of 3.30am to get a 7.30am flight from Nairobi to Zambia is way too early. The airport was not really open. While we enjoyed the Maasai village tour it was unexpected and confronting to have to bargain to purchase so-called 'local' artefacts that we then saw available in many places.
We were travelling as a group of 4 so expected that to be the case for the whole tour. In Cape Town we were with a number of other people (who were fine) for the Cape of Good Hope tour, Table Mountain and the city tour. We were not aware of this. These were minor irritations on an otherwise fantastic tour and we will recommend Bench Africa to our friends without hesitation.

We did the Highlights of Namibia 11 day tour as part of a group of six, plus our very knowledgeable guide and driver, Gerhardus, who we highly recommend. We travelled in a modified long wheel base Toyota Land Cruiser, with a pop top for game viewing.
Be prepared for driving on unsealed roads for much of the trip, which is part of the African experience. The lunch time picnics on travel days were amazing and there were plenty of stops to break up the journey. It was wonderful to arrive at our luxurious accommodation in the most interesting places, with delicious food and friendly staff to attend to our every need. Staying two nights at each destination was ideal.
This tour takes in the magnificent landscapes and landforms of Namibia as well as game viewing and is well punctuated half way in the coastal town of Swakopmund.
We highly recommend Bench Africa in Australia and Ultimate Safaris who operated the tour in Namibia and would not hesitate to travel with them again. There were many personalised touches before, during and after our tour, which made our experience even more memorable.

We did the 13 day safari and it was brillant , i would do it again tomorrow. We went for glamping tents and a couple of resorts to get the real experience. Our Guide Charles Davis nyangasa from Leopard tours was amazing we saw so many animals . I totally would reccommend this tour , so many highlights , the hot air balloon over the seringeti was incredible . When we go again we would ask for Charles again.

Thanks

Geoff

Bench Africa organised a trip to Victoria Falls for my husband and myself. The whole process from communicating with Eric (Perth) to the time we flew out, ran very smoothly.
When I was arranging the trip many emails went back and forth because there were different things I wanted to do and Eric was very punctual in replying so we were able to do what we want, when we wanted to do them. I would highly recommend Bench Africa.

This was our first trip to Africa, and it had been a bucket list in the making for many years. I have come home ready to go again and soon! Veeral at Bench created the most amazing itinerary for us and was so patient with endless questions and concerns. We had a week in Tanzania, a week in Kenya and 6 nights in Zanzibar to finish. We felt safe and looked after the entire time. Our driver guides in both countries were engaging, knowledgeable and made the game drives so much fun. (Pascal in Tanzania, Leopard Tours and Peter, Southern cross safaris in Kenya). Both went the extra mile to make sure we saw everything possible (including later days back to camps due to viewing opportunities arising). The accommodations were exactly what we wanted, smaller lodges and camps without the huge crowds. Kati Kati tented camp raised a few eyebrows when we got there, however the experience of being walked to your tent by a Masaai and hearing lions roaring at night in the middle of the Serengeti was EPIC! Ngorongoro Farm House is amazing, beautiful grounds and staff.
Elerai camp in Amboseli was breathtaking and we simply could not believe that we were there. All the accommodations were perfectly chosen. The bigger locations at the end of our Kenya leg (Sopa and Sarova) are a very different experience with a lot more guests, however staff were still lovely.
There are long days on terrible roads in the jeep, but this is Africa and our guides called these roads "African massage". We had so much fun bouncing around and watching towns go by and the locals bustling around. Visitors need to remember you are travelling HUGE land distances during these tours, adjust your expectations and head into it simply enjoying the unique experience for what it is.
Tip: USD is recommended throughout the travel documents; however, we found staff wanted the local currency and actively tried to change USD with other people. Kenyan and Tanzanian shillings were much preferred by the staff everywhere we stayed.
Highly recommend Bench Africa.

We used Bench Africa to go on our first ever safari. Despite our lack of knowledge of exactly what we wanted from our safari, Julie at Bench Africa expertly put together a perfect itinerary for us which delivered a range of safari experiences ranging from sublime luxury to more traditional tented camps. We would highly recommend the Bench Africa team for your safari trip. We loved every minute!

We planned our bucket list holiday with Bench Africa and did the 'Highlights of East Africa' covering Serengeti & Masai Mara wanting to see the Wildebeest migration in Masai Mara. We got to see & experience the animals in their natural habit, we did not get to experience the big wildebeest migration, but saw a mini one instead :)

Our Guide,Edward in Serengeti was only 2months into this position so his skills and knowledge were limited, however due to his friendly personality he will become an amazing guide over time.

Our Guide in Masai Mara,Doveten was an experienced guide of 8yrs, his knowledge & skills were excellent but his communication skills were not so good. He gave us insight into the different animals behaviours etc which was amazing,
however we found his interactions with the group very limited most of the time, not passing on his knowledge while travelling through towns onto our next destination. His directions at pit stops was also confusing, where we guessed what we were to do?

I've heard the saying that Tour Guides can make or break you experience....overall I believe our tours could of been so much more

Our accommodation ranged between Lodges & safari tents which were amazing with great staff, food & service.

Where do i start .... the trip was nothing but breathtaking.
We travel a fair bit and this has to be THE BEST trip ever (over Europe any day of the week), our itinerary was amazing, the accomodation was stunning, our safaris were epic.
Thank you thank you thank you for making my bucket list better than I could have ever expected

We had the most amazing trip to africa, all thanks to Bench Africa. We wanted to go to Rwanda for the Gorrilas, do a safari and end up down at Victoria Falls. Our travel agent, Eric, planned our entire trip perfectly. We stayed at the most beautiful accomodation, ate amazing food, had wonderful drivers with us the whole time, and got so close to all the animals we wanted to see. Couldn't recommend Bench Africa, and Eric, more.

2025 Kenya ladies tour was an amazing experience, highly recommend this tour to anyone thinking of a once in a lifetime journey.
Opportunities to travel with like minded strong women with intrepid
spirits and a great sense of fun &
adventure.
Our guide and driver were incredibly
knowledgeable as we bombarded
them with questions.
The animal safaris were life
changing, observing them in their own environment and discussing the ways to preserve these habitates for these magnificent creatures, going forward.
Our group were accomdated in some extraordinary tents and cabins, while the hospitality of the people was priceless
Thankyou Bench, Southern Cross tours and importantly the diverse
and generous "ladies" on tour, you made this tour so memorable

A great and trusted company to book your safari with! The service is so personalized and with a destination like Africa, there can be tones of questions and fears but there's no such thing as too much reassurance and handholding from Bench. Every detail went like clockwork on the trip and I would highly recommend using this company!

The Kenya ladies only tour was excellent in every way. Accommodation, animal watching safaris, food, service were all of a very high standard. Operated by Southern Cross Safaris, they have touring down to a fine art. Our lady guide and driver ensured that we were kept safe and well informed. The days were mostly taken up with game viewing but there was some leisure time as well as shopping.

We asked Bench to recommend two safari camps close to Kruger as we were flying in from Victoria Falls. Bench suggested 'Nkorho Bush Lodge' and then 'Garonga Safari camp'. We also needed transfers to/from each camp that went off without a hitch.
Both camps were absolutely wonderful. The staff, guides & trackers were flawless. Facilities in each camp were far beyond expectations and can highly recommend them to anyone thinking about a classic African Safari.

Hello Bench has been helpful with our questions from the start . We had an amazing time with with Nick Gatimu the tour quide from Southern Cross the hotels we stayed at were wonderful the staff and food has been great . The 8 day Kenya Highlights we would recommend to everyone. The community shops we visited the product are wonderful we have alot of memories to take home.
The whole trip was beyond our expectations thank you 😊
Pam and Phil 🌟 🤩 ⭐️

The organisation was just magic. We didn’t have to think from one day to the next as we were informed at every lodge we arrived at, what our next move would be at what time and with whom. The lodges that were chosen we out of this world. Luxury in the desert, African style. The beautiful African architecture and the majestic surroundings were amazing. The the friendly, professional and caring Namibian Staff were actually the icing on the cake for us.

I was lucky enough to experience a 12 Day Ultimate Namibia itinerary in December 2024. I travel a lot and this was my most favourite travel experiences ever. 7 strangers came together in a comfortable modified Landcruiser with our guide driving us throughout the country. The accommodation in such remote areas was incredible, nothing you could imagine in the middle of the desert. We were aware of the days we had long drives but it was always broken up with stops for picnic lunches or interesting visits along the way. The coastal stay broke up the heat of the desert and the wildlife throughout the whole trip was abundant. Everything was taken care of and we didn’t want for anything, well maybe for someone to carry me up the sand dunes! I would go back in a heartbeat and definitely recommend Bench’s Ultimate Safaris Namibia 10/10!

We enjoyed the tour and our driver and guide were excellent, but the short seat bases made for an uncomfortable ride in the Mercedes bus.
We drove 320 kilometres from Maun to Nguma Island Lodge in the western Okavanga Delta for 2 nights and then 320 kilometres back to Maun over poor roads and tracks and then to the eastern Okavanga Delta. It would have been better to omit the first stop and spend more time at the other destinations.
We booked in February and made the final payment in August. The cancellation fee was 100% if cancelled within 30 days of departure. 31 days before the departure date, we were informed that Jenman, the tour operator, required a medical certificate from our doctor regarding our physical and emotional fitness. Fortunately, we were not departing Brisbane for 3 weeks and were able to get the certificate.