Nice getaway!

We were in Pretoria on business and decided to do something fun at the end of our trip. My colleague got in touch with African Tracks Safaris offering day trips from Pretoria based on the TripAdvisor’s review. This is how we met Johan, our guide. We used his services for 2 days. On the first day trip from Pretoria we went to see elephants and cheetahs. Both parks/ centres are located next to each other, so it makes sense to combine these trips. The next day trip from Pretoria we went to Dinokeng game reserve for a day safari from Pretoria (their game drives are 6 am, 9 am, 2 pm, 4:30 pm and 8:30 pm). We did a 9 am drive. The reserve is within 45-50 min drive from Pretoria. Both trips are highly recommended. Elephants and cheetahs are in sanctuaries, they are still wild, but are taken care of the humans and are used to humans. For that reason, you will be able to see them very close and in the case of elephants, you will be able to feed and touch them or even be “kissed”. Cheetahs will be walking next to the truck expecting to be fed. The guides for both places were very knowledgeable. The game drive at Dinokeng was not as amazing to me personally (I did a safari in Tanzania during winter/their summer time). However, we got to see the buffalos and three white rhinos very close. Giraffes were at a distance. We did not get to see any cats or elephants (but that was fine, because the day before we got plenty of cheetah and elephants experience). Also in order to see more animals you need to do several drives at different times of the day and ideally stay in the park. There is a private game lodge in the park where one can stay in a cabin. They also have a nice restaurant with a deck overlooking a pond. We had lunch there after our 9 am game drive. Now about Johan, our guide. We really enjoyed his company. He is a true professional, has been in business for almost 10 years. Very knowledgeable and passionate about preserving wildlife. He is very articulate and a pleasure to be around, a true gentleman. He has a great network in the industry and is well placed to customize your trip on a short notice. His SUV is nice and new. He gave us colorful printouts of our daily itineraries and provided an invoice. He has a credit card terminal handy and will accept credit card payment at the end of a trip. Very well organized and very professional. I plan on returning to SA and possibly bringing my family. I would not hesitate to use Johan’s services again. He also made a nice video of our trip and send it to my whatsapp. I shared it with my family and friends..