Highlights of Africa Tour: The Cape, Kenyan Safari and Rwandan Primate Tracking

You could not have planned the trip better. It was fantastic! Our safari driver from Rangers was great - again could not of been better. He pushed every day for us to see everything possible. Hes fun and incredibly knowledgeable and has a great command of the English language.You were right to schedule one day in Nairobi - so glad we did not change it to two days. We saw the last of the Big 5 - the black rhino in Kenya. We loved all of our accommodations and the people are so friendly, polite and helpful.We saw the Great Migration in Tanzania. We would not of changed one thing. People from other tour agencies were dissapointed that when they arrived in Kenya when we did as all of the Wildebeest had already migrated to Tanzania.What you scheduled for us was perfect. I do think that Tanzania is not well known but Kenya is to the average American like us. If it wasn't for you we would of never known about Tanzania. Tanzania has it all - except the black rhino at the Govenor's Camp- no need to even go to Kenya but I did want to go the the Elephant and Giraffe orphanages. We loved Capetown, the shark cage trip and the tour operator was wonderful. The 1/2 day Capetown trip was great. We went on the historic Capetown walking tour at 11:00 after we checked out. We added the Olduvai museum at the crater to our trip.  We had a wonderful time and saw so much in 17 days including traveling from the East Coast;  Arusha, Tarangire National park,  Ngorongoro crater, Central Serengeti - Turner Springs, Norther Serengeti - Kokatonde, Masai - Mara, Nairobi, Victoria Falls and Capetown. A trip of a lifetime.

We had high expectations about our trip to South Africa. Others who have been on safari have raved about it. Although we travel a lot, this was our first time using a travel agency. I'm the type that likes to research the options and make decisions based on our personal preferences, however, I knew I was over my head planning a three week trip to an area we knew nothing about. Working with this Africa safari travel company was fantastic and they exceeded every expectation we had for the trip. Every detail was thought out and planned for, even ones we did not know would be helpful like an escort through Johannesburg airport. 

We gave our travel company our flight arrival and departure dates and an overall budget. They booked our hotels in Cape Town, Winelands, and 2 safaris as well as a 2-night trip on Rovos Rail. In addition, they made dinner reservations, booked a personal guide for the first part of our trip, arranged airport transportation. Every choice they made was one I would have made myself and matched our style perfectly.

Our trip to South Africa was much more than we expected which was focused on the safari aspect. Cape Town is beautiful, the mountains are stunning, the restaurants had some of the best food we have ever had, topped only by the food we had at our next stop in Franschhoek and Stellenbosch (Winelands). You'll think you are in any high end European restaurant. The wine tours, restaurants, scenery and towns in Winelands far exceed our experiences in Napa and Sonoma which we live near. I wish we had planned extra time there. 

We thank this company for the wonderful experience, have fallen in love with the area and can not wait to go back! 

Zicasso matched us with two excellent travel agents who were both professional, responsive, and knowledgeable. We selected this travel company. Our agent, Richelle, worked with us to design an itinerary that transformed our wish list into an incredible African journey. Her prompt responses to our questions or needs were greatly appreciated.

We were attempting to see a lot of South Africa and Namibia in only two weeks. Throughout our trip, the accommodations, transfers, guides, restaurants, flights, and activities that Richelle had arranged or suggested were superb. She helped us create a portal for our trip that served as a source of information, pick-up times, e-tickets, and things like our allergies that restaurants knew ahead of time. Additionally, she was there for us as we were traveling in case we had a problem or question. We can't say enough about her professionalism, patience, and genuine concern that our vacation would be everything we hoped for.

Our itinerary was ambitious, but Richelle's preparation made it possible. First, we spent three days at Marataba. The accommodations, food, and staff were first-rate. Our guide on the safaris was excellent and the variety of game we saw was impressive.

The next part of our trip was in Cape Town. We arrived in a storm that the locals called "the storm of the century". There was extensive damage and some loss of life as well. While the storm certainly curtailed some activities, the following days had brilliant sunshine. We had a great time visiting the V&A Waterfront, a colony of African penguins at Boulders Beach, enjoying the gorgeous coastal scenery along Chapman's Peak Drive, and a too-short visit to the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden. Our accommodations at the hotel in Sea Point were excellent for location and the professional staff.

After three days in Cape Town, our guide drove us for about an hour to the Cape Winelands. We arranged for two wine tastings in Stellenbosch. The winery was outstanding for the beautiful views and excellent wine. We also saw zebra and impala in the field just in front of the outdoor verandah. We had lunch at a boutique hotel and winery with spectacular views and delicious wine and food. Our accommodations at the hotel in Franschhoek were outstanding. The setting, service, food, and beautiful views were a highlight of our trip. Our room was large and beautifully appointed. An example of their generous hospitality was that all items in the minibar, including a bottle of wine produced at their winery, were gratis. We regretted having to leave after only one night's stay.

Our guide then returned us to the airport in Cape Town for our flight to Walvis Bay, Namibia. We were met by our driver at the airport to transfer us to the hotel in Swakopmund. The hotel was on the Atlantic Ocean and a perfect location to explore the town. The staff was top-notch. Warm, friendly, efficient, willing to help you arrange drivers, restaurant reservations, or figuring out how to work the TV remote.

After three days in Swakopmund, our excellent guide drove us to the lodge in the private Kulala Wilderness Reserve. Once again, the warm hospitality of the staff here and throughout our travels will stay with us for a long time. The lodge is a gateway to the magnificent dunes of Sossusvlei. Our guide was outstanding. He was an excellent driver over some awful roads and sand, and the depth and breadth of his knowledge were impressive. He cooked us a lovely chicken and salad lunch out in the desert. He drove us to Windhoek for our flight back to Johannesburg and our return home. 

There will be many wonderful things to remember about our journey in southern Africa, but Richelle's excellent guidance and the warmth of the African people are what will stay with us the longest.

We had an amazing trip, every detail was arranged for us. The camps chosen took good care of us, we felt safe and welcomed. The best camp was  in the Maasai Mara. The staff there were particularly welcoming and friendly, from the moment we were picked up from our flight we knew we were in good hands. The tents were all excellent, food at the Masai Mara and Oll Pejeta were stand outs. Our experience with the Elephant Camp was not so good. The people were not as welcoming and the food was often cold (breakfast). The staff didn’t seem as happy as the other two camps.

       I like to think of myself as a low maintenance girl, but the truth is, I’m not. And that’s ok. Work hard play hard.  So when I, with my parents, husband and daughter decided to take the trip of a lifetime to South Africa, every detail was really important.  We knew we wanted a mix of a Safari vacation with a visit to Capetown.  For the Safari, all I had heard about was Kruger National park and then nothing else.  My entire view of SA was really what I knew through friends I met during their visits to the US. I found this travel agent on Zicasso and, although she didn’t have that many reviews, she beat out two other well-known companies because of her attention to detail, her exceptional hotel recommendations and her anticipation of what we might need. 

       For example, when looking for Safari lodges to stay at, she asked whether we were ok being in the malaria zone because my daughter is 10 and parents are older.  I had no idea the park was in the malaria zone and none of the other travel agents mentioned this to me! Instead, our agent found us a fantastic 5 star lodge in Welgevonden reserve (Mhondoro Game Lodge) where we had the absolute best guide and staff ever. She also booked us on a charter flight from Johannesburg to the reserve and back, and then the domestic flights from Johannesburg to Capetown and back (we had already booked the international flights on our own).  During our trip, our agent even went online and checked us in for our flights! She also arranged for executive meet and greet services for all our intra-country transfers which helped a ton.  Our travel agent also did an excellent job of booking all road transfers for us and every driver was at least 10 minutes early - we never had to wait - and super friendly and helpful.   She told all hotels, restaurants, etc. that I was gluten-free, she was always available via WhatsApp during our vacation and we even met her for lunch while out for a day tour of Stellenbosch & the winelands - so nice to put her pretty face to a name. 

       All in all, I would HIGHLY recommend this agent and this travel team for any travel in Southern Africa (in addition to S. Africa, I believe she also does Botswana, Kenya, Zimbabwe, and some other southern African countries). This travel agent has set an extremely high standard and I wish I could just take her back home with me to organize the rest of my life!

This Africa safari travel company arranged the trip of a lifetime! We visited South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, and Kenya, staying at top drawer accomodations, flying from place to place, meeting wonderful hosts, and, most importantly, seeing the scenery and all the wild animals we had hoped for!

Our agent arranged all the lodging and connections, and made sure that someone met us at each transfer point, which was most reassuring for us. She picked excellent facilities and was very adaptable, as, for instance, when we asked to change dates, or when one of the flights we were to take was de-scheduled after out plans had been made.

Our odyssey began in Cape Town at a marvellous hotel on the Albert and Victoria wharf, from which we visited Table Mountain one day and the Cape of Good Hope the next, followed by a day visiting the shops and the Aquarium in the Wharf Area.  We then flew to Sable Alley Camp in the Okavango region, a wonderful base for game drives. After three nights there we flew to Ilala Lodge, from which we walked to Victoria Falls, an awe-inspiring wonder of the world. Next a flight and road transfer to the Serengeti Sopa Lodge, a first class hotel that was our base for three days of game drives in the Serengeti, each more amazing than the last. Our last excellent game drives were from the Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge when we explored the Crater. Finally we spent the Night at an excellent Arusha lodge to be near the airport for our flight to Nairobi and then on back to the USA.

Our guides on the game drives were friendly, professional, and extremely knowledgeable about the wildlife we encountered; we were especially gratified to learn that they were both also very well versed in birds. We identified almost 40 beasts and over 100 birds!

We'd like to add that when we signed up for the tour, we thought that it might be a bit pricey. By the end, however, we wondered how this company could provide such an experience for the price!