Safaris in South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, etc.

"African Essence specialises in wildlife and nature safaris, art and cultural safaris, African adventures and getting off the beaten track. "

"'Safari is the Swahili word for journey - so an African safari is an African journey."

We custom design African Safaris for individuals, couples, families and travel companions. These Safaris are specially designed to suit your dreams, interests and priorities. Don't take our word, read our guest's comments below ...

We can provide guided tours, partially guided trips as well as self-drive vacations, fly-in safaris, amazing accommodation, camping, luxury camping and quirky adventures in Africa! Whether you want to travel in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Lesotho, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania or Kenya, we pride ourselves on providing value, no matter what your budget.

Private Safaris enhance your experience and get you closer to the ‘real Africa’. Whether you seek to indulge your adventurous spirit or pamper your soul, our extensive knowledge and rapport with Africa will make your visit a special unforgettable experience.

“African Essence was born out of the desire to share precious places and special experiences with others and to promote responsible tourism and nature conservation in southern Africa.”
- Vanessa Nixon, Founder

SOME COMMENTS FROM THE AFRICAN ESSENCE AFRICAN SAFARI GUEST BOOK:

We loved it all. You did an amazing job! At no time did we not feel very well taken care of! An amazing feat given you were not here with us. We are very impressed! We would highly recommend you to all of our friends!
Carla, CA May/June 2017

Wanted to write and tell you what an exquisite trip you arranged. Everything went off without a hitch. Unbelievable. I never had an anxious moment wondering if someone had dropped the ball. Thank you for the trip of a lifetime. You came highly recommended by knowledgeable and experienced travelers, and you lived up to it.
Char, Chicago June 2017

Vanessa, I want you to know how much we have enjoyed this trip. We have been doing foreign travel for more than 40 years, and I believe this was one of the most carefully planned itineraries we have ever had. Your attention to detail was wonderful.
Don & Diane, New Mexico, August/September 2016

Thanks Vanessa. It was really lovely. My father also sends complements on a fantastic arrangement. Lost track of the number of times my jaws have dropped on this trip.
Mishari, Thailand, September/October 2016

Our trip was spectacular! Each day was better than before. It really was a trip of a lifetime and we loved every minute. Thanks so much for your help.
Connie, DC - Tanzania - June 2014

Once again, thanks so much for everything you did for us to make our trip to Africa so memorable. I loved "&Beyond" (wrote them super reviews on TripAdvisor). The people there were really special, the location amazing, and Ngala was really great – I’d go back tomorrow!!
Cape town was fun; we also spent a day around Stellenbach and Franschhoek – that day we got some sky openings! In the end, I never got to see the top of Table Mountain, but we had a fabulous lunch beach front at Camps Bay, tour around the city … we really enjoyed everything. Thanks again, and I will share your contact with anyone who asks for advice on Africa!!
We await a visit from you in San Francisco!
Leilani, San Franscisco - SA and Botswana Safari - January 2014

We adored Ngala -- it was our favorite part of a completely incredible trip. We had tons of great animal sightings and are already plotting when we can come back for another safari -- it was truly amazing.
Thank you again for all of your help in making our trip a once-in-a-lifetime experience. We absolutely loved it and have nothing but fond memories of our time in SA!
It was lovely meeting you -- hope you and your family have a chance to visit Santa Fe soon!
Kate and David - SA Honeymoon February 2013

"Whatever we can say in our most glowing description and whatever our photos show in full color, it is impossible to come close to describing the full richness of our experience and the warm feeling that we will have for the rest of our lives. As most places that we have visited, it is the people that come to our minds first. An Australian man that we met there said it best: "I come here every year - Africa is my drug.
The whole trip can best be summed up in one word: WOW!"
Billye and Leo, Santa Fe, October 2011 - South Africa and Namibia safari

"The trip was FABULOUS. I loved seeing everything again and can tell you my parents really loved it all. They have a story they they can tell their friends and family - THEY WENT TO AFRICA! Everything was more than I expected -- seriously, sometimes your memories play tricks but it was as beautiful as I remembered."
Lisa, Mary & Powell, USA, October 2011 - Cape Town and Namibia safari

"I wanted to thank you so much for all of the arrangements! We loved all of the lodging. Each location was all perfectly situated and the trip really was so much more than we could even have hoped for, from Sossusvlei, to the Elegant Farmstead (which was simply wonderful, but fortunately we had a hardcore 4 wheel drive pickup truck or we would never have gotten to it…), and the two lodges in Etosha. We had very low expectations for Etosha, there were so many stories about there being too much rain and very few sightings, but we had the most splendid luck! We ran into a lion within the first two hours in the park, and the second day lead to multitudes of giraffe, zebra, more lions, an amazing encounter with a herd of elephants playing for a half hour in a tiny little mud hole, jackals, warthogs, wildebeests, and most amazing of all a close encounter with a spotted leopard! We could not have asked for anything more in such a short visit.
Again, I want to thank you for all of the arrangements. We would highly recommend all of the locations again to anyone, and of course recommend your excellent services!"
Peter, May 2011

"I can't tell you how many times your name comes up when I tell people about our fantastic trip. You are described as the lovely young woman who has the best travel business in SA/Africa! Between you and Christine I am treated so well and deeply appreciate your attention. Thank you for making "travels with Christine and Susan" so memorable! I have tons of pictures which I will comb through and send a few to you.
Happy New Year and many thanks."
Susan, Washington, January 2011 - Tanzania, East African Safari

"This was, by far, one of the best vacations we have ever had and we have you to thank for that. You listened to what we were interested in and made arrangements to do what fit those interests.
What was fabulous: An African Villa and the Akademie Guest House - I will go up on Travel Advisor and laud them to the skies! The gardens and concert at Kirstenbosch and spending time with you and Sean! The tour of Capetown with Wolfgang. The Falls and the minimal river cruise. I apologize for doubting this one. I was envisioning a large cruise ship! The game drives at Ngala. Geoffrey saw his leopard and we ended up in the middle of a herd of elephants. Being able to see Soweto and then compare it with Masiphumelele. Chundukwa River Lodge was a lovely way to end our trip. So restful and beautiful.We also want to extend a serious invitation to come see us when you get to the States. In the meantime, we send our wishes to you and Sean for a safe, happy and healthy 2011."
Terry & Geoff, Washington, January 2011 - South Africa, Botswana and Victoria Falls Safari

"Our trip was great. The &Beyond lodges were definitely the highlights.
Your help and guidance were A+."
Barry Rosenbaum - July 2010 - Namibia, Botswana and Victoria Falls Safari

"You're truly wonderful with your planning and vision. I thank you
enormously. What could we have done without you. Hopefully we'll do more in the future.
Merci infiniment."
Cyril Christo, Marie Wilkinson and Lysander - June 2010 - Botswana, Kgalagadi and Timbavati Safari

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"Great trip, thanks for all your help. Mandla was extraordinary -- one of the best guides I've had anywhere in the world. It really was like traveling with a friend."
Jack, DC, August 2009 - Swaziland Safari

"Was delightful to meet you - glad to be your first "walk in" client! In these days of virtuality it's nice to be real! Thanks for all your help, advice and setting me up in J'burg - made my extended trip seamless."
Linda K, Berkeley, California, July 2009 - Botswana Safari

"WE LOVED NAMIBIA.... Easy, friendly and safe travelling... Had to get a new tyre after the Welwitschia drive (took us some time to get the tyre off, and luckily a friendly Namibian helped us out, so we were not stuck for too long!), but that was probably the worst that had happened to us!
We did enjoy your services (again!)... Thank you very much! Looking forward to planning my next trip with you!"
Christina & Saskia, The Netherlands, May 2009 - Namibia Safari

"We're still thinking and talking about our trip! Most people we've spoken to said that they are interested in going... Most people had no idea how we organized it all and were intrigued by your services especially after we showed them the picture of us all. I think that really showed how personal it is."
- Luke & Marissa, Chicago, June 2000 - South Africa, Kruger Park, Botswana and Zimbabwe Safari

"Hi Vanessa - Our time in the Okavango was magnificent. We really enjoyed the lodges, the service and settings were perfect -- and our daughter very much enjoyed it. We made some fabulous friends, and hope to keep in touch. Re: animal sitings, we saw a great range of wildlife: zebra, giraffe, elephant, leopard, cheetah, wildebeast, warthogs, impala, kudu, hyena, hippos, wild cat, cervil, cave buffalo, mongoose, fox to name the notables. The bird life was also amazing. Thank you for your help with it all and for your thorough and diligent follow up."
Lise & Geof, USA, November 2008 - Botswana Safari

"Still savoring our wonderful trip to your country. You were the best!"
Carrie & Richard, USA, May 2008 - Cape winelands, South Africa Safari

"The lodging and camping experiences gave us a range from "on the ground" up to luxury. It was the first time camping ever for Elsie, and I explained to her that camping usually doesn't have people waiting on you but it was plenty "rough" enough for her. The 3 weeks flew by and we enjoyed all the adventure, sights, and FOOD ! Thank you for arranging our trip.
I still owe you a dinner when you come to Santa Fe!"
Linda & John Dressman, Santa Fe, USA, Sept 2007 - Namibia and Botswana Safari

"We all enjoyed South Africa so much but from my perspective, I loved it and will be back. The country, the people, the music, all of it. I know I was on holiday so I must factor that in - I have, it was just great."
Trish, Dublin, Ireland, November 2007 - Cape Safari

"Thanks again for taking us on and looking after us so well and in particular for giving us the insights into the lives of Belinda, Vetkat and their friends, for me that made all the difference on the holiday."
Pete Byrne, Australia/Ireland, Sept 2006 - Kgalagadi Park Safari

“Thank you so much for an extraordinary day! It felt like spending a day with family; not like a tour at all!"
- Deborah & Richard Casillas, Santa Fe, USA, Jan 2003 - Cape Town Safari

“You have changed our way of travel forever! The South African & Namibian trip you arranged was magnificent.”
- Lisa Hinson & Frank Kunc, Santa Fe, USA, - South Africa and Namibia Safari Jan – April 2003, South Africa, Botswana and Victoria Falls Safari May 2004

"We feel so fortunate to have begun our adventure with you. Your passion for the country and the people of South Africa and your intimate knowledge of the place allowed us to enter the heart and soul of South Africa and feel the pulse of the place."
- Tamyra, USA, Cape Peninsula Safari, July 2002.