Cape, Dunes & Safaris: Vacation in Namibia & South Africa

Our travel agent at this safari tour company, provided both excellent planning services and was very responsive when we had two travel glitches.  Both involved a national airline which we would advise travelers to avoid if at all possible.  Our flight to Windhoek from Capetown was delayed several hours, then made an unscheduled stop. Our agent worked with the transfer company and the charter airline to get us to Soussusvlei before sundown thus saving the day.  The second instance:  the airline cancelled our flight from Windhoek to Victoria Falls without notifying us or the travel agency.  So that we would not lose the entire day in Victoria Falls we contacted the charter company.  They sent a plane for us and our travel company picked up the cost (about $7500) and reimbursed us for meals and taxis.  This is service par excellence!  

Our agent chose some beautiful properties, executed our wishes, advised us when asked, and was very responsive. Our only suggestion:  Some of the properties (Swakopmund and Windhoek) required use of a taxi to get to restaurants and local sites.  But since we didn't ask for that, the company can't be blamed.

This is a responsible, classy operation!  If you book with them you can be assured that you'll be in good hands.  Thank you!

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 are "active" seniors (retired language and science teachers) and asked this travel company to help us evaluate then arrange visits to 5 culturally and ecologically-distinct sites in southern Africa during February, 2019. We chose this time of the year because the safari camps are less crowded. In some cases there were only a handful of guests present, and often the two of us were alone on safari with the guide. This allowed us to set our own pace, to enjoy nature's sounds without chatter, and to engage readily with the very knowledgable guides who work at these camps. Using Windhoek as our hub (due to direct flights from Frankfurt), we first visited Swakopmund/Walvis Bay, then spent 3-nights each at Serra Cafema Lodge and Ongava Tented Camp in Namibia, and then Mapula Lodge and Jack's Camp in Botswana.

The staff - especially the travel planner - at this travel company were immensely helpful, and the on-site subcontractors they selected were 100% reliable, on-schedule, and friendly. In country arrangements booked by the travel company included transfers to/from airports by private van and seven flights on small aircraft to reach the four lodges, plus detailed advice about protocols and border crossings.  

Except for Serra Cafema, there are many lodges close to the locations we visited, and our initial choices were based on on-line reviews. We had only positive experiences at each of the four lodges/camps. The staff were consistently friendly and supportive, the meals well planned and prepared (which is remarkable given the isolated locations of these places) and presented artistically, and all of the guides were amazing in their knowledge of animals and plants and ease of conversing (in English) on any topic. Given the sparse crowds, we were able to have extended conversations with them and often with managers and other lodge employees during meals and unscheduled times. It sounds naive, but having conversations about indigenous people, changing cultures, wildlife, and challenges due to changing climate and "modernization" while being on site brought richer, more meaningful understandings than our prior reading guide and history books.

Serra Cafema is remarkable, and puts a capital R in Remote. There are lots of birds (and crocodiles) along the river, and oryx and small antelopes abound, but one does not go there hoping to see the "big five" of African wildlife. Rather, it is the peacefulness, expansiveness, and serenity of this environment that are most impressive. The lush green and wildlife of the Kunene River basin contrasts dramatically with the adjacent barren desert containing amazing metamorphic rocks and multicolored sands, and visits to two Himba villages that provided insights to a unique traditional culture. 

Ongava is on a private reserve adjacent to Etosha National Park. The water hole beside the camp draws a wide variety of antelopes, zebras, and elephants. While out on safari we were close-up with lions, cheetahs and white rhinos plus lots of bird species. It was worth visiting Etosha with its larger herds, but it is crowded and the commotion distracting.

We over-nighted in Kasane en route to Mapula Lodge in the Okanaga Delta region. Here we were serenaded by families of hippos behind our cabin, watched herds of cape buffalo and extended elephant families, and learned how short periods of rainfall quickly change the area from open scrub to "islands" of trees and wildlife surrounded by water. At our request a visit was arranged to the nearby village Eretsha, where we spent the morning at their primary school and visited the health clinic, learning much about the daily lives of these people.

Jack's Camp is unique, not just for being in the edge of the Kalahari Pan, but its spread-out tents, campy lodge, proximity to herds of wildebeast, zebras, and buffalos in addition to meercats, lions, cheetahs and many wetland avian species, and engagement with extended families of San (Bushmen) that camp nearby and introduce westerners to their amazing skills at surviving in such harsh environments. The manager and our guide were exceptionally gracious and accommodating.

Great relationship between ourselves and the agent. We had a general idea of what we wanted to do, but having never been to South Africa, we weren't sure what we should be aiming to do in our fortnight let alone how to plan it.

Zicasso came up with an itinerary and some options on top of that and we were able to plan our holiday. The prompt response from our travel agent was very helpful in this process.

We've never done this type of holiday before. We had some great tour guides, and the holiday was hassle free. Entrance to museums, etc were paid for by the guides and all we had to do was turn up and enjoy ourselves.

The safari in Simbavati was outstanding. we did 8 game drives and we always got to see something of interest, and we got so close to the leopards and lions! It was winter, so the nights got a bit chilly.

Cape Town was lovely, and our guide was top notch and gave us so much history about the area. We had a tour of Cape Point and went up the funicular railway. Once the weather was okay we had a fascinating visit to Robben Island (crossing was a bit rough) and got to see Nelson Mandela's cell. Taking the cable car to the top of Table Mountain was an experience, and the cloud did disappear so we could have a wonderful view of Cape Town.

We got taken on a trip to the wine region staying in a beautiful hotel in Franschhoek. We stopped off at three wineries on the way! The following day we found the Wine Tram and visited three more wineries! 

One the way back to Cape Town airport we briefly stopped at  Victor Verster prison, which is the prison famous for Mandela being released from.

The last part of our trip was Victoria Falls. We stayed away from Victoria Falls, down the gorge. We saw a bit more of Zimbabwe and a bit of village life. The Falls were outstanding, but you got very wet from the spray, I'd wish I'd worn flip flops and shorts! We also did a helicopter ride over the Zambesi and the Falls, which was quite incredible! The evening involved a trip up the Zambesi which was more interesting than expected (we saw an elephant swim across to an island).

A great fortnight, exceeded our expectations on so many levels. Thanks to Zicasso and their organisation.