African Leap Safaris  Reviews 35

Helen at African Leap Safaris did an amazing job making my safari dreams trip come true. On somewhat short notice she listened to what I was looking for and put together an amazing package with great wildlife viewing and wonderful accomodations. Every detail was planned out and executed perfectly. I even had an unexpected extraction due to a family emergency and Helen pulled that together with very little notice. Again, every detail covered and executed as planned. If you are looking for a great travel planner, I can not recommend Helen enough. She is a wonderful, caring person who takes great pride and pleasure in her planning. She's a true gem!

I have been working with Helen Kirby since 2012 and I genuinely would not trust anyone else to organise my safaris. Over more than a decade, Helen has delivered some of the most extraordinary travel experiences of my life across multiple countries, and this most recent trip for my milestone birthday was no exception.

From the very first conversation, Helen went above and beyond. Her responsiveness, attention to detail and ability to truly understand what you are looking for is unmatched. She does not just meet expectations, she consistently exceeds them. Every element of this trip was thoughtfully curated and flawlessly executed, making it feel incredibly personal and special.

The absolute highlight was an unforgettable sighting of the black leopard Giza in Laikipia, something I will treasure forever. It is moments like this that set Helen apart and have transformed her from my safari coordinator into a cherished member of my family. She has an incredible talent for creating once in a lifetime experiences and turning dreams into reality.

If you are considering a safari, do yourself a favour and speak to Helen. Her knowledge, professionalism and genuine passion for what she does shines through in every detail. I cannot recommend her highly enough and I am already looking forward to planning my next adventure with her.

Helen was EXCEPTIONAL to say the least! Our family of four including 2 college age boys experienced the trip of a lifetime thanks to her expertise and attention to detail. Every moment of our trip was planned down the to minute including all transfers, meet and greet at airports, etc... We did not have to think at all during 2 weeks of travel from Cape Town to safari to the Seychelle Islands. Thank you, Helen for helping us to create family memories that will last a lifetime. We will call on you again when we return to Africa!

Several of my colleagues and friends, traveling together and separately, have worked with Helen on close to ten different safaris across all of Africa for many years now. My most recent trip was to the Serengeti where my partner (now wife) exchanged our wedding vows. There is no doubt that Helen was going to be our choice to arrange all the details. Helen’s knowledge and experience once again came into play when we asked to have the least crowded experience possible ( a very difficult ask given the general lack of regulations around animal viewings in the National Part).

Long story short, we had an outstanding, and largely uncrowded, experience on game drives and an extraordinary exchange of vows in the middle of one of the most special places on planet earth. This is type of experience you can get from an independent, very experienced travel consultant!

Helen is everything you would expect from an experienced professional. She listens to what you are interested in, makes suggestions, responds to (endless) inquires in a timely manner and remains accessible and supportive while you are on your trip. We are incredibly grateful for how special this experience was and will continue to use Helen for all our future African adventures and always recommend her to all our friends who are interested in going on safari.

This was an incredible trip. Helen put together an amazing experience for us. We spent time in Capetown, the Kruger area, Zimbabwe and Zambia. Helen held our hands the whole time. The time at the Chitwa Chitwa lodge blew us away. It was beyond what we expected.

Many thanks, Helen for creating an experience that we will never forget. Looking forward to our next African adventure!!!

I've lost count of how many African trips Helen has organised for us- and as ever her service was flawless.
It can't be underestimated that Helens contacts- across the African continent are second to none. We ran into several travelers whilst away- specifically in Malawi where they encountered challenges we did not have to face. I can't recommend Helen more positively- we just wouldn't plan a trip without her.

Helen is the best agent ever. Beyond making fabulous arrangements for I’ve trip of a lifetime, she was there every step of the way when I was injured. The lodges were exquisite, transfers flawless and she provided many extra special surprises along the way!!!
When I was injured during the trip, She was responsive with rapid speed, changed reservations, got me to a hospital several times, made the arrangements for transfers and extra lodging without missing a beat. Her genuine care, follow up, far exceeded my expectations of any travel agent. Thank you Helen!!!

Helen and African Leap Safaris planned the best trip for my husband and I to South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Botswana! This was our first time working with a travel agent, and I would 100 percent recommend working with Helen to plan your next adventure! Helen was responsive throughout the planning process and worked with us to create the perfect trip that met our expectations and budget. Leading up to our trip, Helen answered all the questions that we had. While we were away, everything went SO smoothly! The transfers were on time, the accommodations were stunning, and the planned activities were amazing. It really was a no stress experience. Our highlight of the trip was our safari in Sabi Sands. This was recommended by Helen, and it was truly amazing. Additionally, Helen was in contact with us throughout the trip to make sure everything was going well, which we really appreciated. My husband and I have travelled all over, and this was truly one of our favorite trips that we will always remember. Thank you, Helen!

Just back from the trip of a lifetime with our two college-aged kids. Amazing trip from start to finish. Helen is very organized and took care of every single detail so that we didn't have to. We can't recommend her highly enough. We will definitely be back. Thank you, Helen!!!

Planning a vacation to Africa was intimidating to us, so we reached out to Helen based on a friend's recommendation. Working with her was great and I really appreciated her attention to detail and responsiveness. Just having returned, it was fantastic! Everything was seamless and essentially perfect! While that part of the world is inherently beautiful, it was her knowledge that allowed us to relax and take it all in. We'll be calling Helen when we're ready to return!

Where to start! On our trip of a lifetime, many thanks Helen and African Leap Safaris.
We were apprehensive about booking such a trip to Southern Africa from Australia but from our first emails with Helen, her personality, excellent knowledge of the area and her care factor shone through. Her ability to take on board what we required, on our trip to Cape Town, Safari at the Kruger NP and finally onto Zimbabwe via Zambia. It was faultless all the way, everything worked like clockwork with Helen always making herself available giving us total confidence in our booking with no stress, 5 STARS.
Jack and Les from Australia

Run, don't walk, to have Helen put together your dream African vacation. It was our first time to visit and Helen put a magical itinerary together that we will never forget. Not only is she knowledgeable and dialed into everything Africa, but she is equally responsive and just a wonderful human being. She made my banner birthday one I will treasure forever and her accommodations and restaurant recommendations were perfect. This trip will be hard to beat but we are up for the challenge as long as Helen can plan our next African visit. Highly recommended her and her company!!

Helen's encyclopedic knowledge of Africa and attention to detail resulted in a magical trip for us, taking us through Johannesburg, Cape Town, the Winelands, the East Cape, Sabi Sands Game Reserve, Victoria Falls, and Chobe National Park.

We made one adjustment on the fly, and chose not to make another, based on Helen's sound advice. Her detailed arrangements included hotel and restaurant bookings, flawlessly executed ground transportation, knowledgeable and friendly drivers and guides, and five well coordinated flights taking us into or through four countries. She kept in touch with us during our journey, allowing us to simply enjoy our memorable experiences without any worry whatsoever.

The unique mix and range of accommodations she selected were uniformly excellent, as were her restaurant recommendations when we requested them. The restaurant she recommended for my wife's birthday celebration was superb and memorable. A reflection of her personal touch: she provided a heads up to the lodgings we visited, and my wife's (and my) birthdays were not only recognized by staff, but even celebrated in some fashion almost everywhere we stayed.

We unreservedly recommend Helen. And based on this first trip, we are already planning to have her put together a return trip to Africa.

We just returned from a six week African extravaganza experience. This was our third visit to Africa, all professionally curated by Helen Kirby. From Tanzania to Kenya to Kruger National Park to Cape Town this trip, like the previous two, was meticulously planned and executed. And if something should go wrong mid trip, it always felt like Helen was metaphorically looking over our shoulder since she often knew of an airline cancellation or a weather issue before anyone else, and she would have an alternate plan in place before we had a chance to worry. Great communication skills, great knowledge of every place she recommends, and very fun to work with.
No hesitation: Highly recommended.

Helen did an incredible job tailoring our South African safari (and beyond!) to our desired experience, timeline and budget. My group of four stayed at the Motswari Private Game Reserve and it was a magical experience! Helen lined us up with a quick night of lodging in Johannesburg ahead of our safari (to fight off jet lag coming from the States), booked our R/T flights in and out of Hoedspruit, booked us at the spectacular Motswari lodge, and also arranged private transportation everywhere in between. Simply put, she made our adventure simple to navigate AND outright special. She even provided a thoughtful surprise or two for us along the way. She was quick to communicate and check in with me to make sure we were well taken care of the entire visit. We WILL be going back to Africa in the coming years, and when we do, we'll be using Helen's expertise and organization for our trip. Highly recommend!

I cannot recommend Helen and African Leap Safaris more highly enough. Helen listened to us carefully and understood how we wanted to organise our trip. Her suggestions were unique and wonderful and everything was exactly as she had predicted. Even on site, Helen always supported us from afar and was immediately available. We will certainly organise our next trip to Africa with Helen again. A thousand thanks for an unforgettable time!!

An amazing trip with superb design, coordination and daily monitoring from Helen. Great hotel, tour & restaurant recommendations that matched perfectly with our profile & preferences. Everything worked out smoothly and on time. An awesome trip tailored for us, full of amazing memories. Thanks so much Helen!

Top marks for Helen in arranging an incredible experience for my family. Helen was amazing at listening to my requirements and identifying a couple of matches for me to consider. Made my choice easy. The whole process was professional and the trip went off without a hitch. THANK YOU HELEN

I have traveled for business my entire adult life - millions of miles, hundreds of hotels. I know this life better than most. The trip Helen arranged for my wife and me was amazing. Every single detail carefully looked after. I can’t say enough or recommend her more enthusiastically.

Helen is amazing! She planned our trip down to the smallest detail, and made sure we didn’t miss anything. Her knowledge and expertise, as well as her quick responses to questions before and during our stay, made her a pleasure to work with.
I highly recommend her and wish there were more travel agents like her.
Sandra Mayer