Bearded Heron Safaris - Kruger Park Specialists

2008 - 2010 Testimonials
Older Testimonials

Letters to us

Here are some of the many letters that we
have received from happy safari enthusiasts
we have hosted.

Lisa and Chris Arnold
US
21 to 24 November 2010
5-day Private Luxury safari

Lisa has always dreamed of going on a safari and the trip with Neil and Tina was spectacular. The full Kruger experience, great weather, the great outdoors, good company and delicious food.
As Neil mentioned, the Kruger is more than just the Big Five, it’s about taking in all that Kruger has to offer, which it did!
Thanks guys! Perfect (it doesn’t hurt that we did get to see the Big Five with pictures that will provide memories for life.

Sheryl, Jack, Liz, Chris and Victoria MacKie
Australia
6 to 9 January 2011
Private Small Group Kruger safari

Thanks to Neil, Gordon and Tina of Bearded Heron Safaris for a wonderful four days in Kruger Park. The experience exceeded our expectations in all ways.
Tina was extremely efficient in organising our limited time to ensure the best possible experience, including transfers from the airports.
Neil was extremely knowledgeable about all aspects of Kruger. He has the happy knack of being able to pass on his knowledge in a very interesting manner. His passion for Kruger is obvious and infectious. He is an excellent teacher and went to considerable trouble to ensure that we saw and learned as much as possible. He tops this off by being a most welcoming host with a great sense of humour and a wonderful font of stories.
Gordon was extremely helpful and cooked up a storm morning and evening.
A highlight of the morning gamedrives was the health rusks baked by Neil’s mother!
We could not have had a better introduction to South Africa.

Jen and Graham Hayward
UK
Small Group Safari
1 to 5 March 2011

Bearded Heron Safaris are most definitely worthy of praise for a well organised and all inclusive experience of nature’s most wonderful gift and the essence of Africa. We have learnt a great deal about the people that live on the Kruger and fell privileged to ‘walk’ in their world.
Neil, your passion is admirable. Thank God there are people like you to safeguard this aspect of life that many of us take for granted and so easily dismiss. Your knowledge in this field is exceptional. Your dedication and commitment is commendable, but most importantly your respect for the bush and those that reside in it is exemplary. Your practice, philosophy and general approach is ethical and well balanced in terms of the needs of your customers and your clients (the animals). TOP GUIDE!
Your memoirs will make an interesting read and no doubt stand out within your profession.
Tina and family – thank you for the sacrifices you have made for others to benefit form these experiences. Neil does you proud and speaks with absolute affection of you all.
Gordon – the food was second to none!

Steve and Le Thu Decicco
US
Private Kruger safari
16 to 20 March 2011

The experience you have given us will always be. I am al the better for lions, leopards, elephants, impala, rhino, etc, etc. You have changed me forever. Le Thus is still worried about the symbiotic relationship in the world. You are a truly good man, Neil. Tina, your service is 5-star. Gordon, you are a gentle giant. Thank you all – sell high and don’t get caught!

Lisa and Piet Putters, Pauline Commandeur and Leen Plugge and Aris and Janna Smits
(Canada)
Henk and Gerda Vermeulen and Leida de Kruiff
(Holland) Small Group Private Luxury safari
28 March to 1 April 2011

Thank you, Neil, for sharing your knowledge, passion and love for Kruger, the animals and your country with us for these past five days. Those of us who were here for the first time are taking home a new appreciation for South Africa, especially its nature: animals, birds, plants, insects. We learnt a lot. Those of us here for the second time have also had another great safari experience thanks to all your explanations and stories. The sights, sounds and smells will be in our memory forever. From all of us baie dankie.
Thank you Gordon for looking after us: meals, as well as water, snacks, wine and beer were always great.
Thank you, Tina, for making all the arrangements and making sure that everything was arranged for all of us so Neil could be doing what he does best. Our week at the Kruger was an eye opener for some of us and a fantastic experience for all! We’ll keep spreading the word!

Joe, Michele, Sam and Liam Hession
US Private Family safari
23 to 26 June 2011

Neil, Alistair and Tina – Our trip to Kruger was spectacular. Thank you for preparing such a wonderful excursion. We thoroughly enjoyed seeing the elephants closely, observing their behaviour and the explanation of their behaviour by Neil. We were able to get close to the rhinos, giraffe, buffalo and all the animals we have seen only on the TV or at the zoo. The sighting of the leopard and cheetah will be on our minds forever. We have wonderful pictures to keep our memories. We appreciate the personal touch you bring to the safari. Your insights into the environment, government and social situations in SA, not to mention your wildlife expertise was beyond our expectations. Of course we also loved Alistair’s cooking, riddles and sense of humour. Overall it was a once-in-a-lifetime adventure.

Angus and Michele Badger and Family x 8
US
Private Family safari
23 to 27 July 2011

a wonderful experience! We are grateful for the time you have shared with us in your world. Our children will be set on a different course as a result. Thank you and may everything you cherish survive the changes to come.
Thank goodness for people like you in the world – preserving and sharing with us what’s most important. May you continue to spread your wealth of knowledge and compassion for the land and animals around you. We loved it and will cherish the memories!
- Michele and Angus
Neil – thank you so much I am really glad that you were our guide. I am 100% positive that there is no better guide. I learnt so much and saw even more. Our stay in Kruger was the best it could have been.
- Nina

Josephine Tan and Amy Chng
Singapore
5-day Small Group safari
27 to 31 July 2011

It has been such a privilege to be in this great country. Kruger is so precious and I hope we are able to preserve this amazing land forever.
I learnt so much here! Not only about the animals, the bush, the culture and respect that is shown to nature and then some. All these wonderful memories and experiences wouldn’t be, if it were not for Neil. So full of passion, knowledge and love for the animals and plants. You are truly inspiring. Thank you for touching us all, for so patiently explaining the animals, their psychology and the efforts in keeping us safe. I will never forget the rhino’s stand off and the look of the bull charging us. How you rescued Amy from the thorns and the charging elephant and most of all the leopards. Truly amazing!
Once again, thank you Neil for everything and Alistair you fed us so well! Last but not least thank you Tina, for all the arrangements!

Bill Green, Rebecca Fox and Ethan Green Miami,
US
Private Small Group safari
30 July to 3 August 2011

"I can no other answer make but thanks And thanks and… ever thanks." (Twelfth Night; II;iii)
You opened a world to us - a wondrous world full of mystery and delight.
Every day, every ride, every step along our journey was a revelation. You told us at the beginning to check our expectations at the gate – the best advice you could have given to people who spend most of their lives moving from destination to destination. Instead of living the journey fully, no matter where it takes you or what you meet along the way.
We gloried in every flick of a bird’s tail, laughed at the silliness of guinea fowl, and a baby elephant running across the road, were mesmerised by the princely majesty of a sable trying to figure out if he was safe to drink, and listened rapt to the dark of night to the call and response of a lion to and from the lionesses.
Our Big Five were Neil, Alistair and his wonderful meals, the incomparable peace of this place, seeing animals large and small we thought we ‘knew’ and realising that of course until we were seeing in their own homes, we hadn’t seen them at all, and the memories and thoughts we will never lose.

"Community cannot for long survive on its own, it can only thrive with the caring of others, their unknown and undiscovered brothers from across the sea." Howard Thurman.
We will meet again.
- Ethan

Kevin, Sharon, Stephanie, Shannon, Brady and Charlotte Wilkinson
US, Belgium and Switzerland
Private Family safari
8 to 12 August 2011

The past days with you have been fantastic and life changing. We are leaving this experience with so many great stories, funny moments and facts about dung. (Brady especially liked learning about rhino spraying.)
Thank you for being such welcoming hosts and for creating memories that we will never forget.
Alistair – you are an amazing chef! Your home cooking, however, failed to make us fell at home because at home we don’t eat nearly as well J
Many thanks again for all of your planning and hard work, you are wonderful!
- Much love the Wilkinson Family

Nancy Backlund
US
5-Day Kruger safari
13 to 17 August 2011

Thank you so very much for all the arrangements in making my trip to South Africa a tremendous experience. It’s been a real pleasure to meet folks who are so passionate about that they do, Neil your commitment to the Park and all it stands for is inspiring. I know you will continue to make a difference. I will never forget this experience.

Jean-Phillipe, Raymonde and Florian Bourbon
France
Private Family safari
23 to 26 August 2011

What a beautiful experience we have shared with you – we have learnt a lot about nature and animals. Tracks, shits, etc, are now full of details for us. Mostly it is what nature is teaching us and what we could take to be better in life. The last day with you was really good and I will remember it all my life. I will keep the stories in my memory and I hope Florian will remember it for the rest of his life too.
Thanks for your patience, your explanations, your experience, your involvement in wildlife. We need people like you in the world to make it better and I hope you will meet lots of people to spread your vision and your way to make life better.
Thank you Neil and I hope to see you again in the future.

Steve and Chris Davies
UK
4-day Small Group safari
30 September to 3 October 2011

Neil, Tina and Alistair - Three days just gave us a taste for more and we hope to be back soon. It was everything we hoped for and more. Thanks for organising everything so smoothly. Alistair’s efforts over the stove and braai were much appreciated. Aim to see you again. Many thanks and best wishes.

Rose Newman
South Africa
4-day Small Group safari
4 to 7 October 2011

Well, what can I say … other than thank you SO much for including me on the wonderful Bearded Heron experience last week! After all the anticipation and excitement it’s hard to believe that, in the blink of an eye, it’s all over!
I loved every moment of it, even the cold and wet times spent in the vehicle, wrapped in a blanket and/or huddled under a blue plastic raincoat doing our best to spot the invisible game! It’s all part of the experience and helps us to appreciate the good bits all the more. And we sure did have some good bits - the marvellous appearance of the herd of elephants at Lake Panic on Thursday and also all the other permanent and frequent nesting lake residents there. Wonderful! So glad we also got to see lion!
Neil, your passion for and knowledge of the bush and the behaviour of each creature – big or small - is quite incredible and I love that you spend time telling us about the interaction between insects, animals and vegetation, etc. We really did learn a lot of new things about the bush, things I certainly never thought about before - you won’t be surprised to hear that my favourite new information is the knobthorn-polinating giraffe!
Thank you for making each one of us feel welcome and special. And of course a big thank you also to Alistair who ensured that we were well fed, seeing to our every culinary need – quietly and politely going about his business in the kitchen! Thank you Alistair for also making each of us feel so welcome.
And thank you so much Tina for your part as well - for efficiently setting the admin and general arrangement wheels in motion and ensuring that everything slotted so nicely and easily into place. I really appreciate everything.

Brett and Patty Rogers
Australia and Canada
Small Group safari
4 to 8 October 2011

We have been travelling with Neil and Alistair for five days and have had a ball. We have travelled many hundreds of kms and saw some amazing stuff, and given great info about just about everything in the Park. Saw the Big Five and hopefully we’ll be back. Very, very happy with Bearded Heron Safaris and will recommend to all!
Cheers and thank you for the care and experience.

Erin and Bernard Arduain and Kyle Moser
California, US
5-Day Small Group safari
7 to 11 October 2011

We cannot begin to express how special you have made our first safari experience. Your passion and incredible commitment to not only your family but the animals, environment and country, are beyond belief. We truly enjoyed the evenings after dinner hearing your stories and Alistair's Irish jokes. All the best to you all. I hope to see you again in the future.