Zambia Safari Adventure for Solo Travelers

In one word - AWESOME!  We are a party of 8 from NY -  we started at the PUMBA Private Game Reserve, saw every animal under the sun and more, ate wonderful food, loved the accomodations, felt like we were taken care of in every way.  Next stop was Capetown and the Mount Nelson Hotel - old world luxury and charm - beautifully appointed rooms, wonderful buffet breakfast.  We toured the Peninsula, saw the sunset from Table Mountain, hiked Lions Head - ate at the waterfront and had tons of fun at Star Dust and Moyo.  Final stop was Victoria Falls - we toured the falls from both the Zimbabwe and Zambia sides, took a dip in the devils pool and had a fantastic lunch on Livingstone Island.   We spent a morning walking with the lions - got to touch and pet them and walk thru the wilderness with them - what an experience!  We spent the day at CHOBE in Botswana and saw so many hippos and giraffes and cape buffalo.  A trip of a lifetime and all arranged by the caring staff at our tour company.  They asked what we wanted to do, listened to all our requests and made it happen for us.  Such a smooth trip from start to finish.  

Our trip was fantastic start to finish.  All of the activities our safari tour designer booked for us were outstanding and our accommodations were first rate.  We really liked our tour guide in Cape Town/Franschoek – she was very helpful and we were comfortable with her from the beginning.  We really enjoyed our tour of Cape Town, Table Mountain and our day trip to the Cape of Good Hope, including the stop for the boat trip out to Seal Island and to see the penguins at Boulders. 

We spent 5 days in Cape Town then flew to Hoespruit to the Mikanyi private game reserve.  The lodge and our room at Mikanyi were exceptional and the game drives were unbelievable – we saw so many wild animals up close and personal (including the Big 5)!  The staff at Mikanyi were outstanding!  When we left Mikanyi, we drove to another nearby game reserve where our tour designer had arranged for a charter flight to Nelspruit where we flew to Livingstone – then by car over to Victoria Falls.  The Falls were breathtaking – we took both a walking tour and a helicopter tour of the Falls.  We had to cancel one of our scheduled activities at Victoria Falls (the river cruise) because I was too sick to go.  After Victoria Falls, our tour designer made arrangements for us to be transported over to Chobe National Park where we spent 2 days on a cruise.  The staff of the boat were quite good and our safari guide did his best to make sure we got to see a variety of the wild animals in the park.  Again, got to see all of the Big 5 here, with the exception of the rhino.

This was our first trip to Africa so our main concern was the transfers on arrival and from one location to the other.  Our tour designer handled all of the transfers exceptionally well for us.  All of the individuals involved in our transfers were right where she said they would be and all of them were right on time.  Every aspect of our trip went exactly according to the itinerary our tour designer put together for us. 

Absolutely awesome experience – better than we imagined! We spent time in Victoria Falls, Chobe National Park, the Okavango Delta and Cape Town. The service, guides, lodgings and experiences we had in each location were exceptional. This safari travel company and our travel planner made everything easy – we were greeted each step of the way, enabling us to enjoy our African adventure without the normal stress of traveling in another country. In Zimbabwe, we experienced majestic Victoria Falls both from the air and a guided tour through the park. We enjoyed a sunset dinner cruise on the Zambezi River. Our room at the Ilala Lodge was picture perfect and comfortable, plus we could see the mist rising from the falls. In Chobe National Park, we went on numerous game drives and boat tour with a dedicated guide. The Ngoma Safari Lodge was the most visually extravagant place we ever stayed.  The view walking into the lodge literally takes your breath away as you look down at the Chobe River with herds of zebras, giraffes and antelopes moving between a small watering hole close to Ngoma Lodge and the river. Combine that with great location to Chobe National Park, exceptional guides, thoughtful and well-trained staff, delicious dinners and wonderful rooms with incredible views and you have the perfect safari location. In the Okavango Delta we saw so much wildlife (inlcuding a numerous lions and African Wild dogs and their pups) and were again blessed with wonderful guides, great staff, and lovely rooms in an amazing location at Sable Alley in the Khwai Reserve. Cape Town gave us an opportunity to relax at the boutique hotel and enjoy winery tours and a peninsula tour, as well as amazing restaurants.

Originally, I tried to work out an itinerary myself using online review and travel books, but became concerned about arranging transportation and guides. Then I contacted several different travel agencies. This travel planner quickly responded. She made everything easy for us. She worked with us on locations, desired experiences, dates and cost. We really wanted to see Botswana’s Chobe National Park and the Okavango Delta. Two other companies were trying to steer us away those areas due to cost and availability, but our travel planner was able to make it happen for us. She took care of absolutely everything from lodging, car and in-Africa air travel, tours, guides, and even restaurant reservations for us in Cape Town. Amazing personalized service.

This company makes you feel very pampered and special. Our travel planner made time to meet us in Victoria Falls (her home base). In honor of our 30th wedding anniversary, the travel company surprised us with a complimentary dinner and bottle of wine at our Victoria Falls hotel, which had one of the best restaurants in Victoria Falls.

Mike and I are currently at Atlanta airport waiting for our trip to Tucson.  sorry we missed your call in Capetown.  We just walked into the room when you called.  Mike and I, together with our friends Kim and Gary, would like to thank you for such a magical trip, a trip of a lifetime.  We have travelled all over the world and this tops them all.  Everything far exceeded our expectations.  The places you booked for us were absolutely fantastic! The service was impeccable, the people were very friendly.  From the time we landed to the time we left Capetown,  the attention given to us was just beyond words.  And the food....what a treat!!! We couldn't believe how good the food was throughout our entire trip. 

Victoria Falls was indeed fascinating and our stay at Royal Livingstone was fabulous and right away we knew that it was indeed a preview of what to expect. 

Chobe was great.  The herd of elephants that greeted us on our arrival at the Chobe Game lodge was awesome.  They prepared a fabulous romantic dinner for us at night at their beautiful gardens, complete with candle lights, flowers and private servers...did not expect this at all.  Place was gorgeous...wished we could have stayed longer.

Our stay in  Xugana Island Resort  was also memorable. Our room overlooking the lagoon was spectacular. The small staff really catered to us.  We felt like they were part of our family.  We loved the water Safari!!! Our guides Ken and Promise took good care of us,and so did the rest of the staff.

Krueger was unbelievable.  First of all the they upgraded us to a  Presidential suite which looked like pages from architectural digest...we were totally spoiled!  Then our guide AK and Foster were brilliant.  They made sure we saw as much...we saw the Big 5 in 1 day!!  They were relentless in finding the wild animals for us.  The night drives were unforgettable and breakfasts with the elephants were such a treat and more than we asked for.  All the meals were delicious.

Our accommodation at Alfred and Victoria  was just perfect.  We loved the location. Would not exchange our stay there with any fancier hotels.....what a shopping and culinary delight.  Food was just to die for.  We had fantastic weather during our 2 day tour of beautiful Cape Town and it's coastline.

And what is there not to like in the Winelands.  Gorgeous scenery, fantastic wine and food. Had an unforgettable wine pairing dinner at Franschoek Inn.  Staying there was like staying in Tuscany or Provence, of course with friendlier people, and half the cost.  We even made a trip to Hemanus to watch the whales.

And last but not least...The Last Word.  A perfect ending to a more than perfect trip.  Our farewell dinner prepared by the staff was outstanding.  Our rooms had the most gorgeous views of the beach and the mountains. The sun came out on the last day, so we were able to enjoy the sun and the beach before heading home.

Thanks again for arranging this private magnificent trip for us.  One may think that booking a private trip will be exorbitantly expensive, but you worked with us with our limited budget and everything turned out so well. We are aware that we have numerous choices to book this trip, and we we so grateful that we ended up booking with your company.  We enjoyed it so much 4 of us may come back and see other parts of Africa.  We will definitely call on you again.

Mike, Linda, Kim and Gary

My wife and I recently travelled to South Africa - Capetown & Kruger Park Safari, and then to Victoria Falls (Zambia). It is a trip that I have dreamed about all my life: from the time I was a young child and keen wildlife enthusiast, I longed to go on a safari; as an adult, I very much wanted to see Victoria Falls.

I just returned from an 8 day trip of a lifetime, where my wife and I were privileged to enjoy all these amazing places. No exaggeration, this was the best trip my wife and I have ever taken and we are seasoned travelers. The natural beauty, character, and charm of Cape Town, Kruger Park, and Victoria Falls are enough to take one's breath away - just on their own merits. However, when one layers in the customer experience I received from this company, and my travel specialist extraordinaire it was truly unforgettable.

I worked with this travel specialist for a year developing and fine-tuning what ended up being the perfect itinerary. We had a lot to pack in to 8 days, as we were leaving our three young kids at home; so time was definitely finite. Our travel specialist was responsive to every need or request I made; she was informative, considerate, and helped me in thoughtfully choosing options beyond merely providing them to me.

However, the trip as organized on paper can differ greatly than the trip in execution. My expectations were already high - this is where the trip and our travel specialist actually exceeded my expectations. There were a number of delightful little surprises along the way that I know our travel specialist and her company helped co-ordinate or arrange.

Every hotel we stayed at was unquestionably luxurious - among the best hotels we've stayed at. The recommended activities were all memorable and well planned logistically  (enough time for a quick rest before the next excursion, even on the jam-packed activity days).

I cannot fully express my appreciation to our travel specialist and this company for the best travel-related customer experience I ever had.