The Takenaka Family, Germany
December 2007

Our family vacation this year was a Safari with Bearded Heron Safari. Terrence, Alissa, Kristen (12) and Michelle (10) flew into Johannesburg from Germany where we were met by Marco who transported us to Kruger National Park to meet up with Neil, our Safari Guide.

Neil and Marco were a team that made everything look and feel so effortless. We were taken care of every step of the way. This vacation of a life time was indeed an incredible experience. Over an eight-day period we were in three different locations in the Kruger; the first place we stayed was at Talamati for two nights, the second location was at Olifants where we stayed in an incredible house over-looking a beautiful river for three nights, and the third place Biyamati. Though we had a touch of the rainy season, we saw an incredible amount of wildlife and fauna - from the Big Five basking in their environs to bullfrogs eating termites coming out of the ground after a rain, or a pack of cheetahs crossing the road right in front of our vehicle, to driving up onto hyenas fighting over a fresh kill.

Neil and Marco were very professional and we all had lots of fun together. Marco cooked great meals every morning, at mid-day and in the evening for us. We did not have to lift a finger. We had wonderful facilities the entire trip. They were very clean and comfortable.

Neil is so knowledgeable and his love of the bush just permeates from his soul. When Neil wasn't sharing his vast expertise of Kruger's zoology, botany, geography, or anthropology (and a whole lot of other '-ology' topics) on our drives through the bush, he was entertaining us after dinner with hilarious stories of previous safaris, talks on the unique history and current events of South Africa, pointing out the stars in the Southern Hemisphere, and listening to the lions roar at night.

This was a once in a life time adventure and thanks to Neil, Marco and Tina, they made our dream come true. Our family would highly recommend a Safari in Kruger National Park with Bearded Heron - one that you will NEVER forget.