Bench Africa Reviews 

Bench Africa organised an excellent trip to Southern Africa for me in June/July 2017. Choice of hotels, safari experiences, tours & transfers exceeded my expectations. I particularly loved Victoria Falls Safari Lodge. The details of my trip were beautifully presented in an A5 spiral booklet , giving lots of extra information such as tipping etc, and keeping everything together. I have been recommending Bench to my friends since my return. Thanks so much! Trip of a lifetime.

I travelled in May with Bench to Victoria Falls and Hwange National Park. The trip was perfectly planned, full of animal sightings and unforgettable. The staff and drivers were so knowledgable and fun while still making sure we were safe. We stayed at the Zambezi Sands River Camp and also Gorges Lodge in Victoria Falls. In Hwange National Park we stayed Camelthorn, Bomani and Nehimba Lodges. While the whole experience and all of the lodges were incredible, I would definitely recommend Nehimba, where you get up close with the animals while still at the lodge. If you have the chance to do the walking safari you will not be disappointed.

Couldn't fault a thing - great properties and brilliant guides throughout.

Our tour more than met our expectations. We received quick responses to our questions prior to the trip. The advice given to us by Julie from Bench Africa when choosing our trip was excellent. We had the trip of a life time.

Documents for itinerary excellent all information was clear and easy to understand. All transfers and activities were well organised and always there and helpful. Services and queries before we left were attended to immediately and effectively. Would recommend them to my friends.

Fantastically well organised and great places to go and stay....at very short notice. Very happy.

Had the best time in Tanzania and Kenya.
From first speaking with Maria about a year ago to getting home safe and sound and very happy with our experience.
The guides the accommodation the animals the people, everything was more than we expected.

Very experienced in African Travel, tailored our trip to our likes and dislikes, pricing was also matched to our budget.
Everything went to plan, no hidden surprises, all tour companies used in Africa were experienced and reliable.
Accommodation chosen was superb.

Hi Maria



we are in Perth waiting for our last connection after a wonderful and perfect holiday!!!

Dulini was as great as ever. We loved the River lodge being visited by elephants who wallowed in the water while we ate lunch, 2 leopards during an evening meal and even a pride of 4 lions while we sipped coffee waiting for morning game drive. We had seen the Big 5 within the first 2 game drives. We were spoilt by having our Ranger Fred Smith from our first visit and also met our original tracker Martin.

Botswana was excellent. We loved the delta. The water experiences were great including bumping into another pride of lions 25 metres away while on a walk following our mokoro experience. We saw wild dog, mating lions and 2 week old leopard cubs.

Mauritus was a nice relaxing way to end the trip. We loved lounging by the pool and snorkelling. We spent a day exploring the island with a private driver visiting a botanical garden, 7 coloured earths, a waterfall, Hindu temples and rumery.

Thank you so much for helping put our itinerary together and making our trip possible!

thanks again!

All dealings with Bench have been very positive; all requirements for our tailor-made South African holiday were met to a high standard. The representatives on the ground were professional and caring, as well as very informative.
We will definitely be using Bench Africa again for our African holiday next year!

Karen organized a great trip (SA, Zimbabwe, Botswana) for us. I am in a wheelchair and posed some additional challenges for her.

Booked our honeymoon to South Africa and Mauritius and could not have been happier. Had the right mix of group and guided tours, hotels were of a very high standard and the whole trip felt integrated with not a single part feeling out of place.

We have recently returned from Africa and absolutely loved it.
This was in spite of a poorly prepared itinerary which wasted days sitting around airports and hotels with ill timed connections.
Our Drive Safari through Tanzania and Kenya was arduous, with most days driving for over six to seven hours to reach new destinations - one day we travelled for over 12 hours reaching the campsite after dark.
None of this was stated in the shiny brochure, and only referred lightly in the travel documents that you receive two weeks prior to your trip and after you have paid the full amount.
I would not recommend this travel company.
Ann.

We have used Bench for three trips to Africa covering South Africa, Botswana,Namibia, Zimbabwe,Zambia ,Tanzania and Kenya.
They have produced a tailor made itinerary for us each time.
All our arrangements have been excellent. I would not travel to Africa without them.

Bench were fantastic from start to finish. They arranged my husbands 30th birthday present for me which was a trip to Cape town and then Safari, both hotels they chose were lovely with fantastic staff and amazing locations. Emails were replied to extremely quickly and professionally. We had the best trip with no stress and everything went perfectly - Thank you Bench

Best holiday ever, totally organized, guides were wonderful and accommodation above expectations,

Bench is the only way to travel Africa!

From the beginning, right up to when we returned home, everything was perfect and the small personal touches were everywhere!

I asked a thousand questions & my consultant had a answer for everything! I got a very special pack for my documentation approx. 2 weeks before I departed on our tour. Bench put together a day by day personalised itinerary to take on the trip with me.

We were in Africa for about 10 days staying in the most spectacular properties. Our first stay was Camp Jabulani. This was beyond amazing! A great start to our trip! The personal touches & the food was something the lodge took great pride in. If you are going to South Africa, this property is a must!!
After this we traveled to Makutsi for three nights. This is a beautiful, family-feel lodge! There was no Wi-Fi or TV's in the rooms, which was my favorite part! We would wake up and there would be Impala's at our front door, it was amazing! The staff were incredible & extremely helpful! It is in the perfect location & would be amazing for groups or families!
After this we traveled to Thornybush Game Reserve and stayed at Shambulala & Thornybush Game Lodge. Both are spectacular!
Shambulala was my favorite during the trip. Their attention to detail, and again the personal touches were everywhere! We first walked in the door and they already knew our names & never forgot them during our stay. We had a host for the time we were there. She was incredible and made our stay all the more special. The food, again, was absolutely amazing! They made a simple pear salad into the nicest meal I have ever eaten! It is the greatest place to relax as their pool faces out to the Game Park, you can just watch the animals walk by you! I cannot speak highly enough of this lodge or the staff, it was incredible!
After this we headed out to Thornybush Game Lodge, this is another beautiful 5 star property in the reserve. We had a South African braai for dinner one night and it was beautiful! The staff couldn't be more helpful and the rooms were beautiful. When we first arrived, we were told there was a Leopard, that morning, sleeping on one of the decks! One thing you must know about South Africa is that you will forever be eating! All the food & fruit is just too good!
Our final stop was The Palace in Sun City. This was a fantastic end to a once in a lifetime trip! There is so much to do & see here! It is quite literally like a small city! There is the 'Gary Player' gold course, which is one of the best, a man-made beach, maze, zipline - The list goes on! Again, another must do experience while you are in South Africa! It is only a 2.5hr drive! Well worth it!

All in all, Bench is an incredible way to travel Africa! You can travel so many different ways to so many different places & do it however you would like! The reservation department were absolutely incredible, & honestly that was where the 5 star service began. They are the Africa experts!! They know every corner in Africa, so many of their experts have lived there.
I cannot put it into words how incredible the whole experience was with Bench! I urge everyone who travels anywhere in Africa to speak to Bench about their trip! It is sure to be amazing!

I very recently travelled with Bench to South Africa for the very first time. From the moment the booking was made until returning home, Bench took care of everything and customer service was second to none. Upon returning home I even received a Welcome Home email.
Any questions that were asked prior to travel were answered within a timely manner and addressed accordingly. Their travel documentation is so personalised and themed accordingly for the destination. It was truly exciting to receive the docs and you could smell Africa in the document wallet.
Throughout travel in Africa everything ran smoothly. As we moved from place to place, all transfers were well organised and we effortlessly moved from one accommodation to another. Everything that was outlined in our itinerary, we did.
Our first resting place was Camp Jabulani. Exceptional elegance & luxury. Have never been accommodated with such personal, intimate details. The chef even personally introduces himself to you and outlines the menu. Rooms and facilities were amazing. Guides very interesting.
Makutsi Safari Springs is a perfect 3.5 star property well designed for all ages and very affordable. Their food was delicious and created daily. They provide plenty of tour and game drive options for a week long stay.
Shumbalala, located in Thornybush Private Reserve was completely out of this world. Luxury, elegance, sophistication, 5 star +++, completely surrounded by the African bush. First impressions were flawless. Upon arrival receive a meet & greet by the manager with welcome drinks and warm refreshing towels. Little touches are perfected here. From the infinity pool to the paved sitting area, lounge area, indoor sitting area and fire place...there isn't a thing they haven't thought about. The food is first class and so is their service. And then there are the rooms...speechless!!! Their guides are superb. They asked what we wanted to see and they delivered. We were lucky, but they did their best to ensure we saw what we wanted. Very approachable and personality plus.
Thornybush Game Lodge is a 5 star property that excels in luxury, bush living. The rooms and food here were also exquisite. Guides & trackers here are also fantastic. Highly recommend.
The Palace at Sun City is incredible. Old World charm and elegance. Very family friendly and well catered. Very spacious rooms. Service second to none.
Bench Africa certainly do go the extra mile to ensure they are delivering an exceptional product to their customers. And that they did!!! They know their product more than anybody else in the marketplace and this ensures if customers travel with Bench, they will experience a once in a lifetime holiday like I did.
Thank-you Bench. This African experience has moved me forever.

Going to South Africa for the first time was an exciting time for me and Bench helped validate that excitement. The booking process was easy and the documents came in a lovely little Travel Wallet (you just don't see service like this anymore)!
The trip all flowed so well. There was always someone waiting exactly when and where they said they would be and all ran without a hiccup.
We spent most of our trip in Hoedspruit. Highlights for me were Camp Jubulani, this is 5 star luxury! The attention to detail at this place makes for such a wonderful stay. The Rangers, the Chef and all staff to be commended.
The Thonybush reserve and collection is another I would highly recommend. The difference between having a tracker and a guide at the reserve was definitely something that made the experience just that little bit more special. The passion of the tracker and guide shone through seeing all the big 5 within 24 hours. We stayed at Shambalala and the Main Lodge here and would recommend without hesitation.
Cannot speak highly enough of service levels from start to finish and the quality of the accommodation and transfers. I will be using Bench for any future trips to Africa.