As is the case in most aspects of life, one requires a little bit of luck, and that was absolutely the case when we stumbled across Crazy Dave and his outstanding tours of Kruger park. A regular Christopher Columbus of South African wildlife, this man knows Kruger like the back of his hand; an advantage that must not be underestimated when tracking animals and seeking the big 5. Thanks to Dave we had ticked off all of the big 5 within 3 hours of our first morning game Drive. By the time we had finished day 1, we were well on our way to having seen the magnificent 7 (with 3 separate sightings of the super rare ‘wild dogs’). We completed our sightings of all 7 on the morning of day 2 as we stumbled across a pack of 5 cheetahs resting on a hill.Dave’s ability to seek and track animals is only surpassed by his extensive knowledge of all lifeform in the park. Dishing out facts about animal numbers, sleeping patterns, diet and hunting styles etc, it is safe to say that if there is anything that Dave doesn’t know about something in Kruger park, it is not worth knowing.Prepare yourself for ‘Ferrari Safari’ as word comes over the radio that a Leopard has just brought down an Impala 8km away. Have no doubt that if Dave can get you there, he will! (While keeping within the speed limits and respecting the park etiquette) All of this aside, Dave goes out of his way to ensure that every aspect of your trip to Kruger will be just as much fun as seeing 2 male giraffes fight for dominance, a pride of lions walking alongside your jeep, a leopard walk across the road in front of you, a male and a female lion basking in the morning sun, or a pack of hyena crunching through the bones of a scavenged wilder beast. (we saw all of this and more). He is a fantastic cook. Expect BBQ’d T bone steaks, delicious traditional South African Stews, fresh veg and amazing salads. He has a great sense of humour and knows pretty much everyone in Kruger. This is another advantage as sharing knowledge and information with other tour groups can be key in spotting the animals.We genuinely can not recommend using Kruger Flexi Tours enough!!! This is not simply a guided drive around Kruger, this is an opportunity to experience life in the African wilderness with a guide of 20 years’ experience, and an undeniable passion for the area in which he works and lives.

Two weeks back my friend and I went for the 2 day + 1 night safari (called the Leopard Crawl Tour) with Flexi Tours. In one word: amazing! We really had an real good time. Before the tour we stayed in Nelspruit Mbombela Backpackers hostel (also a recommendation!) where we got picked up by our guide, Dave, in his safari jeep at 5 am to start our tour. Dave is really, really great. Thanks to him we had an unforgettable time!

The drive from Nelspruit to the Kruger park entrance takes about an hour. Because in the early morning it is still cold outside, Dave had some warm blankets ready for us inside the safari jeep. We arrived by the entrance around 6 pm and started our safari directly after the gate was opened. We saw a lot of animals, because Dave is a real good 'spotter'. He knows where the animals usually hide. Thank to that we saw the big 5 on our first day! And of course we learned a lot about the animals.

After the safari day, Dave drove us to our nice rest place in the camp. Dave showed us around and prepared a 'braai' (BBQ) for us. Dave was the cook and we ate together. We had a lot of delicious meat and homemade salads that Dave prepared before the tour. We even had a traditional drink as a dessert.

We recommend you to book a place inside the Kruger park, because it allows you to go for a night safari! You'll see a lot of nocturnal animals, that are asleep during the day. It was wonderful.

The next morning Dave woke us up at 4:45 am, when he had the breakfast ready. After this start, we packed our things and started for the last and second day of the tour. Again, this was so great! We saw a lot of animals again. Also new ones, because Dave likes to show different places than he did the first day. Great, because the park is so big and diverse. We saw some of the smaller animals, all very very beautiful. We also got to see a cheetah.

After the day, Dave drove us back to Nelspruit. I can't say it enough: it was a-ma-zing. The animals, the nature, the guide - the whole tour was great. From 1 out of 10 I would say 11! :)

Also: do not forget your binoculars! Otherwise, buy one. It is worth the investment.

Great company with great guides (Joel and of course, Dave)Dave took care of us and booked us a stay at Lower Sabie - one of the best camps in the park, and a guided night tour.We saw all the big 5 and some other rare animals like wild dogs.We had a great time!