Immaculate South Africa 10-Day Tour for First Timers

I was planning a South African Safari for my family of 4, and the information and options I researched were overwhelming and complex for someone that has no prior knowledge or experience with Safari's.  I came across the Zicasso website and they matched me up with this safari travelcompany.  My agent provided insight into the planning and options that I would have never identified myself.  I had many questions both before and after booking this trip and communicated with this agent by email (from the US) due to the time difference.    She responded immediately and thoroughly ever time. We just returned and the trip was Amazing and could not have gone better. 

  Upon hearing our goals, my agent suggested two private game reserves (3 nights each) in two different locations so we could get two different experiences. We stayed at Kapama Southern Camp in the Kapama Game reserve near Hoedspruit, and Sabi Sabi Bush Lodge in Sabi Sands.  It was a two hour drive between the two lodges.  We originally had reservations at Lion Sands which is next to Sabi Sands, but about three months ago, the Lion Sands burned down.  Fortunately, our agent notified us just hours after the fire letting us know what happened and informing us that she was able to book the Sabi Sabi Bush Lodge - which turned out to be amazing.  I've read that some folks had to receive refunds because they could not get reservations on such short notice in the area.  We were really glad our agent was looking out for us and greatly appreciated all of her efforts and recommendations!  We definitely got two different experiences that you can read below - each amazing in its own way and the recommendation to split the trip with two camps was perfect!

At Kapama, the brush was very dense with trees and bush so off roading was not possible.  We frequently saw animals everywhere as we drove and there were differences in the quantity and frequency of some species at each location.  There were interesting and fun excursions (Hoedspruit Endangered Species Center and Elephant Encounter) here that we could not get elsewhere.  We could only do a hot air balloon flight at Hoedspruit but were disappointed that the winds were too strong while we were there so never did this.   Kapama Southern Camp has a fence around it and ony the entrance is always open. Each morning we would come out and see wart hogs, Nyala, Kudo, Impala,  and other animals near our room.

At Sabi Sands, the bush was not as dense with trees so we could go off road to track down big five which was amazing.  It is a large area so we could drive for 20 minute or more withouot seeing any animals.   Sabi Sands Camp is completely open (no surrounding fence) and there was a leopard sighting at camp for three consecutive days. This added an element of danger and excitement. Once at 0400, we were awoken by the monkeys in the trees indicating that the leopard was probably close by.

Our travel agent arranged a 12 day South Africa trip for us, 2 related families with total of 8 people.  We had 3-5 days in Capetown with different arrivals and 2 separate safari camps, at Sabi Sands and Phinda, with 3 nights at each.  The trip was great!  Our travel agent helped us decide on the safari camps, and had options and recommendations regarding locations, timing, and duration that proved to be spot on.  He arranged all the internal flights and transport as well as Capetown accommodations and transfers.  All the arrangements were flawless and we were very pleased with the hotels, etc.  The safari camps were great and had beautiful rooms and setting, great guides and trackers, and excellent food and service.  I was very pleased with the service provided by this safari travel company and would strongly recommend them for travel planning to South Africa.

Additionally, 3 of us wanted to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania before meeting the others in Capetown, and our travel agent recommended a guide company there for us to use that he had experience with.  That also worked out very well and we were very happy with his recommended company.

I will also add that this is the third overseas trip I have arranged through Zicasso (all different companies) and all have been excellent.

This review reflects our 10-day vacation to Cape Town, SA, and the Sabi Sands private game reserve in early November 2018.  Our arrangements were made through this travel agency, and our travel consultant.  Overall, our trip was outstanding and we were very pleased with the services offered by our travel consultant and this company.  I can recommend them, without reservation.

I’m typically a hands-on travel planner, so when we first started thinking about our SA trip I figured I’d do it myself and I attempted to do the research via the internet.  I quickly came to the conclusion that there was just too much information out there and too many options to consider, and attempting to make sense of it all would just take too long so we should engage a local expert.  I somewhat reluctantly reached out to Zicasso (and a few other safari planners); Zicasso put us in touch with this travel agency, and I was contacted by our travel consultant within a couple of days.  I was candid with her and explained that we had not yet settled on her company and were simultaneously considering itineraries provided by some other agents, but our she was extremely accommodating and worked with us to refine our requirements and settle on an itinerary that fit our budget and schedule.  Ultimately it was this travel consultant's responsiveness that won the day.  She kept in touch (e-mail and phone) with us as the date of our travel approached, talked with me briefly on the phone during our first day in Cape Town just to check in, and has been in touch several times since we returned.  

Our travel consultant selected 5-star properties for our consideration, and we were very happy with the choices.  In Cape Town we stayed at a boutique hotel (in the penthouse suite!), an amazing place in trendy Camps Bay.  Service and accommodations there were excellent.  Based upon our travel consultant's recommendation we chose Dulini Lodge for our safari experience, and could not have been happier; see below for more comments about Dulini.  The travel company also took care of all transfers to/from airports, three days of guided touring in and around Cape Town, and internal flights to/from Sabi Sands.  All went off without a hitch.

A word about international airline flights: our travel consultant offered the services of a US-based partner travel agency to help us with our international flights.  I engaged with that agency a few times, but frankly was underwhelmed with the responsiveness of the service and the prices they found for flights.  In the end we booked directly with Virgin Atlantic, found flights that fit our schedule, and (I believe) got at least as good a deal as the other agent would have been able to find for us.  As I noted, however, I’m a hands-on traveler so don’t mind doing this kind of research; if you would rather not do the legwork yourself, then this company does have at least one option for assistance.

Our trip to Namibia and South Africa was nothing short of magical. We were a group of 5 friends and stayed at the Hoodia Desert Lodge in the Namib Desert, Cape Town for New Year's Eve and Notten's Bush Camp in Sabi Sands Reserve. Both lodges were amazing with one of kind accommodations but not to be out down by the warm and hospitable staff. All making you feel like you are the only guest in the world while also making you feel like part of the family. Our Africa safari tour operator worked diligently to satisfy all our "wants" for our trips and was patient with any requests we made through the booking process. We just returned from our trip and are already planning our return trip to Africa!