Safari, Cape Town, Winelands and More: Highlights of South Africa

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.

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.

I just came back from the most amazing trip to South Africa and have this travel company and my travel agent there to thank for all of it! Our agent was extremely friendly, knowledgable and responsive. I asked her so so many questions and she always came back to me with a thorough and prompt answer. She helped us craft the perfect itinerary in Capetown - including a day in wine country, a peninsula tour and a exciting day of shark diving - all at really unbelievable prices! My husband and I were shocked at how low the prices were - we definitely saved money by going through our travel company rather than planning on our own. Our agent was also really understanding of our budget and was happy to give us lower price options, propose how we can save on flights, and even helped us book a hotel even though we were using points!

We were in Capetown for 4 nights and then stayed at Lion Sands in Sabi Sands for 3 nights. Our agent helped us even reserve a specific room there (room 21!) that had the best views and room layout. The safari experience was even better than we could have imagined - so fun and relaxing, and the food and service was on par w/ some of the best restaurants in NYC!

Overall couldn't have asked for a better trip and will definitely work w/ this agency again in planning our next trip!

Our safari travel company and our tour designer were the perfect choice for our 3+ week southern Africa vacation. We have used Zicasso referrals for several monthlong vacations, including Vietnam [2015], and this 27 day trip to southern Africa [2 Tanzania safari locations, Zanzibar Island for a beach stay, then into South Africa's Cape Town and Franschhoek in the Winelands, and finally several days the Dulini Private Game Reserve in the Sabi Sands section of Kruger National Park. Our travel agent recommended terrific lodgings (save one, more on that later) and arrangements including transfers were flawless. We have already begun a conversation with her about a future trip to the Maldives or Seychelles. She wisely steered us to the right regions for safari for our January/February travel, knowledgeably aware of where to have the best viewing opportunities, she listened to our preferences and understood our style of travel perfectly.  I cannot recommend this agent and her safari travel company highly enough.

This was our first time using Zicasso and this Africa travel company and my wife and I couldn't be happier.  Our travel company helped us plan our 13-night dream vacation to Southern Africa from start to finish.  

Before getting into the travel company, a little detail on our trip...  We are from the US and this was our first time to the African continent.  For that reason, we wanted to see as much as possible during the time we were there.  All told, we spent 2 nights in Franschhoek (ZA), 1 night in Hermanus (ZA), 4 nights in Cape Town (ZA), 2 nights in Victoria Falls (ZI), and 4 nights in Sabi Sands (ZA).  We knew we wanted to see the Cape Town as well as the surrounding areas (wine lands, Boulders Beach, Hermanus, Cape Point, etc.), go great white shark diving, see Victoria Falls, and go on a safari.  My wife and I wanted to strike the right balance of being able to explore the areas on our own but not feel completely lost or unguided.  Our travel company arranged for a rental car while we were in the Cape Town area and linked us with an unforgettable all-day guide for our first day in Cape Town.  The company also planned and arranged a tour of Robben Island and shark diving.  Everything went off as planned and we could not have been happier with our trip or this travel company.   Every vendor, activity, and place to stay this travel company selected was absolutely perfect and what we wanted.  I honestly think that was one of the most value-added parts of our trip planning.  Since this trip was for my birthday, they even went to the trouble of telling the places where we stayed and the shark diving vendor to make things even more special.  It was a truly unforgettable experience that I will treasure for the rest of my life.

Zicasso linked us with this travel company along with two other competing travel agencies.  We also looked into other agencies.  From very early on, it was apparent that this travel company was the most friendly and flexible of the agencies that we worked with.  We had many needs and parameters to be met (e.g., using hotel points, targeted budget, time frame over the Thanksgiving holiday and my birthday, etc.) and we wanted time to be able to thoughtfully plan out our trip.  While the other agencies treated our needs as hindrances and difficulties, this company was more than happy and willing to meet them and give us the time to think everything over (and change our minds) before booking.  They never once pressured us to lock in our trip with a deposit like other agencies.  I would wholeheartedly and unreservedly recommend and use this travel company again.

We are fairly seasoned travellers, and did a lot of homework before planning this trip. Nothing really prepared us for how fabulous it would be.  I'd say it was the trip of a lifetime, except that we fully intend to go back.

From first contact to last, this travel agency was a pleasure to deal with.  They were responsive to our ideas about what we wanted to do and see, and put together several itineraries which also included many suggestions that we had not thought of. 

Ours was a private 3 week tour, beginning in Durban, then to the Sabi Sands game reserve (where we stayed at the Londolozi Founders Camp).  We took the Blue Train from Pretoria to Cape Town where we stayed a few days at the very lovely Cape Grace Hotel, and spent 3 wonderful days at the a wine estate near Stellenbosch.

Our travel agency arranged all of our transportation and excursions.  Everything went like clockwork:  all of our guides or transports were right on time, and without exception they were extremely pleasant and knowledgeable people.  We learned a lot about the country from each of them.

South Africa is a long way from Canada.  What made us feel very secure was that we had the personal cell phone number of our agent and knew that we could call her at any hour if something went awry.

The very best thing is that we never had to call!

I would recommend this tour company highly, and would definitely use them again,