About Us

SUNSAFARIS organises Southern and East African safaris, holidays and honeymoons. We are based in Cape Town, South Africa.

Africa is a specialized and complex, yet exciting destination. For this reason SUNSAFARIS aims to help you make well-informed travel decisions by calling on our extensive knowledge and first hand experience, providing you with up-to-date travel information, and to ensure all your enquiries and bookings are handled efficiently.

Being based in Africa allows us to personally inspect all the destinations, lodges, camps and hotels that we recommend. We are regularly in touch with them, and can therefore provide you with up-to-date information.

SUNSAFARIS is dedicated to ensuring that you receive a personalized service from us, that you receive value for money and that your experience of Africa is truly memorable!

We look forward to assisting you!

The SUNSAFARIS Team

History of SUNSAFARIS

SUNSAFARIS was founded in 2000 by Brett Thomson, a South African, who while working in finance in Ireland, believed that arranging holidays to southern Africa that combined "sun" and "safaris" would be an excellent idea! The success of SUNSAFARIS since then has been due to one main factor; our desire to ensure that all our guests experience a truly memorable safari.

In 2006 Lance Harcourt joined SUNSAFARIS as a shareholder and East Africa expert, and SUNSAFARIS is now owned and managed by people passionate about wildlife and safaris in Africa.

We are proud that our business is owner managed and independent, and that the team has personally visited all the wildlife areas we recommend in our itinerary's.

More about Brett

Why I love safaris

I love wildlife in general and in particular the Big Cats. I am fascinated by lion pride dynamics and this is the reason for the constant Duba lions updates on the Blog! I love the feeling of arriving at a safari lodge or camp, taking off my watch and enjoying the peace and tranquility of the bush. I love the fact that you can go on a 3 day safari yet it feels like you have been away for more than 2 weeks. I also love my Amarula after dinner around the camp fire!

Best sightings

My best sighting was in the Timbavati in the Kruger, we came across two lionesses at dusk. As they started to move we realized that they were hunting and we managed to stay with them during the entire successful hunt of an impala. We watched the stalk, ambush and then finally the kill. It was exhilarating and one of the most exciting things I have ever witnessed.

Areas/Reserves visited

South Africa
Kruger National Park, Timbavati Game Reserve, Sabi Sands Game Reserve, Thornybush Game Reserve, Kruger Concessions, Manyeleti Game Reserve, Klaserie Game Reserve; Welgevonden Game Reserve, Madikwe Game Reserve, Pilanesberg National Park, Eastern Cape Game Reserves, Addo Elephant National Park, Garden Route Game Reserves, St. Lucia Wetlands, KwaZulu Natal Game Reserves

Botswana
Okavango Delta, Moremi Game Reserve, Makgadikgadi Pans, Selinda, Linyanti, Savute Marsh, Savuti Channel, Chobe National Park, Central Kalahari

Zambia
Victoria Falls, South Luangwa National Park, Lower Zambezi National Park, Kafue National Park

Zimbabwe
Victoria Falls, Hwange National Park, Lake Kariba, Mana Pools National Park

Namibia
Etosha National Park, Damaraland, Skeleton Coast

More about Lance

Why I love safaris

The bush gives me a sense of freedom and space. I love to stand around an open fire under the night sky. I am more interested in being close to the wilderness than having luxuries. In fact, a safari allows me to get away from civilisation for a while. No mobile phones, internet, shopping or rush hour. Game viewing is a huge bonus, but I am more interested in the entire experience than ticking off a list of sightings.

Best sightings

My most memorable safari experience happened while we were canoeing down the Zambezi River, close to Mana Pools. We were approaching our lunch spot when we spotted a young male lion lying under a tree. As we approached, he got up and moved away. We banked our canoes and climbed the eroded bank. Our guide was armed only with a paddle. The lion had only moved about 20 meters from us. As we were watching him, one of the canoeists made too much noise and within a split second the lion charged. We all turned in unison and dived into the crocodile infested waters of the Zambezi. Only our guide stood his ground and as the lion got to within meters of him he shouted and swung at it with his paddle. The lion braked and did a quick u-turn. It was all over within seconds, but our brave guide certainly saved at least one of us. As they say: Never run from a wild animal!

Areas/Reserves visited

Kenya
Masai Mara, Amboseli

Tanzania
Serengeti, Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Grumeti

South Africa
Addo Elephant Park, Greater Kruger, Madikwe, Pilansberg

Zimbabwe
Hwange National Park, Victoria Falls, Mana Pools, Matusadona, Matopos

More about Liselle

Why I love safaris

The smell of the bush, the African sunsets and wearing a pair of binoculars around my neck.

Best sightings

At Simbambili we saw the Big 5 in one game drive. At Londolozi we saw almost a dozen leopards in one day, and at Honeyguide we were woken up by a group of elephant right outside our tent.

Areas/Reserves visited

Kruger National Park, Sabi Sands Game Reserve, Manyeleti, Timbavati, Thornybush, Madikwe Game Reserve, Welgevonden Game Reserve, Waterberg, Mozambique

More about the Chris

Why I love safaris

I have been going to the bush since I was a child where I developed a deep love for Africa’s wild places. After managing and guiding at camps in remote areas of Africa you realize that nothing can beat the excitement of waking up in the morning and heading out into the bush to see what has developed the night before. No day is ever the same in the bush and there is always something new to see or learn. My favourite animal is the Wild Dog, their hunting efficiency and allegiance to one another never fails to amaze me. I am also a fanatical birder.

Best sightings

My best sighting was in the Kafue National Park in Zambia. We were watching the resident pride of lions one morning when one of the big males got up and started running across the plain to a nearby termite mound. We followed and found a leopard on a kill, the Lion immediately gave chase and forced the male Leopard up a nearby tree. Here a standoff developed with the Leopard for 3 hours. The leopard made several attempts to leave the area but ended up in scuffles with the lions at the base of the tree, eventually after a long battle with all the odds against him the leopard made a dash for safety. The interactions and sounds that we saw and heard in this interaction were enough to humble anyone.

Areas/Reserves visited

Botswana

Okavango Delta, Moremi Game Reserve, Makgadikgadi Pans, Linyanti, Savute, Tuli Block.

Zambia

Victoria Falls, Lower Zambezi National Park, Kafue National Park.

Tanzania

Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara, Mikumi, Ruaha, Katavi.

Seychelles

North Island, Mahe, La Dique, Praslin.

More about the Rest of the Team

The rest of the SUNSAFARIS Team is made up Liezel Knott, Stephan Venter and Sadiq Emeran. With over 10 years experience in the safari industry, Liezel is working hard at upadating content and images on our website. Stephan and Sadiq are our resident IT and Web guru's and in conjunction with Liezel are working towards developing a super new website which we aim to release in 2009. Watch this space!

And last but by no means least, Nerene Collopen is the office manager and does a fantastic job of ensuring that all bookings are up to date, rates are updated and accounts paid.

SATSA Accredited

SATSA strives to set the highest standards in the Tourism Industry and the appearance of the SATSA logo symbolises Credibility, Stability and Integrity. It is a sign of commitment to service excellence for the tourist.

ATTA Members

With over 250 members, the African Travel and Tourism Association (ATTA) is Europe's largest trade association promoting Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands.

ATTA acts as the focal reference between its members in Africa and the UK travel industry. Members encompass all aspects of tourism. In Africa they include hotels, lodges, camps, tourist boards, airlines, tour and ground operators, as well as publications. In the UK the majority of tour operators and representation companies handling Africa complete the membership.

SATSA Bonded

The SATSA Bonded logo serves to testify to the fact that the bearer, being a SATSA member in good standing, has a financial guarantee in place to cover monetary deposits lodged with the member in advance of services to be rendered.

Should the member become financially insolvent prior to rendering the contracted service, the bond, which has an indemnity limit of R1.5 million, guarantees that deposits will be refunded, or the service replaced, to a maximum level of R300 000 per event or R75 000 per claim against the insolvent member.

This is an insurance bond underwritten by Lombard Insurance and certain underwriting syndicates at Lloyd's of London and is administered by SATSA, a section 21 company incorporated not for gain.

Insurance Compliant

This seal of approval certifies that the bearer holds certificates of insurance* issued by Safari & Tourism Insurance Brokers (SATIB) and certain Lloyd's of London Underwriters, which comply with the European Community Directive (90/314/EEC) and carry the following minimum cover levels: General Public Liability: ZAR 5 million Professional Indemnity: ZAR 2 million
Passenger Liability: ZAR 5 million

Endorsed by the Southern African Tourism Association (SATSA). * Subject to the Terms & Conditions in the relevant policy documents

References

For a list of references from previous guests who have travelled with us, please visit the below link.

Click here for all references

Contact details