This is a must do safari! - We did the 9-Day Victoria Falls, Chobe Safari, Makgadikgadi Pans National Park and Okavango Delta tour. Simon was our guide and was absolutely amazing. Over the course of the 9 days, we saw a TON of elephants, hippos, buffalos, baboons and impala. We saw several lions, vervet monkeys (only at Vic Falls), zebras, warthogs, crocs, giraffes, meerkats. We saw only a few or one rhinos (5), leopard (1), hyenas (2), jackals (5), ostriches (7) and wild dog (1). Here is what we saw each day: Day 1 - Fly into Victoria Falls Airport in Zimbabwe; River cruise - hippos, croc, bushbuck, baboons Day 2 - am Victoria Falls tour - vervet monkeys; pm private reserve game drive - black rhinos, elephants, giraffes, zebras, kudu, warthogs, buffalos Day 3 - Chobe game drive - elephants, leopard, hippos, kudu, croc, hyena, lions, water buck Day 4 - am Chobe game drive - lions, buffalos; pm game drive at Elephant Sands - elephants, ostriches, buffalos, spring hare, eland Day 5 - travel to Planet Baobab, evening bush walk Day 6 - meerkats and salt pans, then helicopter ride seeing elephants, zebras, hippos, wildebeasts Day 7 - dugout canoe ride with bush walk - hippos and crocs Day 8 - Morebi Game Reserve game drive - lions, warthogs, giraffes, elephants, wild dog, hyena, jackal, zebras, red lechwe, tsessabee, steenbock. Day 9 - Fly out of Maun airport in Botswana Zimbabwe just started their own currency, so USD is largely the primary currency. Botswana uses the local Pula. The early mornings in June were cold (40s F) since it is their winter and we often had to drive 1-2 hours in an outdoor safari vehicle when it was cold, so make sure to bring layers as it warms up usually during the day. The tour guides will also have something for you to put over your clothing (ex. poncho) to help with the cold. Americans don't need a visa for Zimbabwe and Botswana in advance. Zimbabwe requires a visa be obtained when you land at their airport and they require cash, so recommend having USD available. It was around $30 or $40USD. The Cuckoo guide picks you up at the airport and they largely try to have as close to a private tour as possible. We were a family of 4 and when cuckoo contracts with local tour companies, it was often just us or perhaps a couple more people, so it was a very personalized tour. We were not with a big group. Simon was accessible at all times and did a great job making sure all of our needs were met. My adult kids said this was the best vacation we have ever taken. I would HIGHLY recommend Cuckoo tours.

More than just a safari - My husband and I went on the 9 day safari tour through Victoria Falls and Botswana for our honeymoon. It was truly one of the best experiences of our lives and the best choice we could have made! Starting from the beginning, Tatenda was extremely reliable and responded to all of my emails right away. He answered tons of my questions and helped me customize and add additional days on to the tour so we could make the tour just how we wanted. Then to the tour itself, many of the other tours on safari bookings only include game drives, we chose this tour because it had a ton of variety and were so glad we did! Not only did we see a ton of animals and natural landscapes we also got a chance to do multiple boat rides, cultural experiences and a helicopter ride! Plus the hotels and food included were excellent! They even set up a special honeymoon poolside dinner for us as a surprise for free! Everything was prompt and reliable and they really went out of their way to do everything we wanted. We definitely got value for our money on this tour. But now to the best part of our tour was our guide Simon! Simon was more than just a safari guide, he also became a friend and an ambassador to Africa as a whole. He went above and beyond to make us comfortable and explained not only the landscape but the history, culture, politics, and customs of all of Southern Africa. The warmth and humor of Africa totally shines through Simons personality and you can tell his passion for his job. We will remember this trip for the rest of our lives, thank you Tatenda, Simon, and Cuckoo Safaris!

Zimbabwe and Botswana safari - I used Cuckoo Safari for a 10 day tour of Zimbabwe and Botswana ( added a 2 day safari in Hwange NP to a 7 day tour of Botswana and a night in Victoria Falls) . Simon and Leyondo were great I am fortunate to have them as guides and now friends. I travelled with my 13 year old son Leo and we had specific safari requests that all were met with exceptional efficiency and success . The choice of accommodation and local guides was great as well and the whole trip was great value for money and we managed to have an amazing time and made lifelong memories . Thank you Cuckoo Safari and see you in our next trip to Southern Africa

Superb wildlife viewing - Wonderful tour for viewing big African animals. All of the accommodations were first-class and super friendly. Matopo Hills was unbelievably beautiful.

Animals, Views and Luxury accommodations - Everything about this tour was of excellent quality and reasonably priced. Two aspects were way above what we could have expected: 1) the quality of the wildlife viewing was incredible, including up close and personal experiences with lions, white rhinos, elephants, hippos, all manner of beautiful birds, and a wide variety of antelope. 2) the Matobo Hills Lodge is the most beautiful and unique facility we have ever experienced. Perched high on rocky outcroppings, the views of the vast Matobo Park landscape are stunning. Tarzan and Simon know how to provide outstanding tour packages in Southern Africa!