Erica Blum and Brett Green
Trip Review: Needless to say, our African adventure was amazing! It was a trip of a lifetime and we feel so fortunate that we actually had the chance to go given the current crisis.
Most Memorable Moment: We wish we could go on safari every year!
Advice For Future Clients: Thank you so much for all of your help to plan our incredible honeymoon! We will cherish the memories forever and can’t wait to go back to Africa one day!
Lenore de Csepel
Trip Review: The trip was perfection. We loved the hotels, the guides were fabulous, especially Tim in Cape Town. The restaurants wonderful. Three days was a perfect amount of time to see Cape Town. Visiting the wine country was pleasant but not unique for us and not completely necessary. I know many people feel differently. What we found out quickly was that it was important to have lots of different denominations of rands. We seemed to be tipping all the time especially with this lovely arrangement of being cared for at all times. Your suggestions for tip amounts, especially the larger ones, I felt were a bit under what was expected.
Most Memorable Moment: Being close to the animals. But the whole experience was terrific. The people we met were very sociable. And the South Africans friendly and cheerful and not in an employee - guest way.
Advice For Future Clients: Stick to 3 days in Cape Town and 3 days in 2 safari hotels. Definitely don't bring dressy evening wear - you won't use it.
Espen Holje
Trip Review: It was wonderful in every way. Arrangements were flawless, accommodations superb and all personnel were so kind.
Most Memorable Moment: Hearing the personal stories of the guides, wait staff and lodge personnel. It was wonderful to talk to them about life in Africa.
Advice For Future Clients: Relax and let it wash over you. Enjoy each day and take the time to get know the people you meet. Some may become lifelong friends.
Carol and Kevin Hennessy
Trip Review: Everything was perfect, from the time we stepped off the plane in Capetown to leaving Johannesburg. Only wish we could have stayed longer!
Most Memorable Moment: For me, seeing the cheetahs at Tswalu, A mom and her 4 cubs and later on two brothers. I could have watched them for hours. Kevin preferred the leopards at Kruger.
Advice For Future Clients: Bring binoculars.
Mary and Don Brau
Trip Review: From the moment we stepped off the plane and saw our name on a placard, we were at ease. And we were passed seamlessly from representative to representative during our entire trip and apprised of each upcoming adventure. The only thing we were responsible for was thoroughly enjoying our trip.
Most Memorable Moment: Again, a very hard question, but I'll try. I met my adopted baby elephant at the Sheldrick Trust Orphanage, got "kissed" by a giraffe at the Nairobi Giraffe Center, saw herds and herds of elephants in Amboseli (I love elephants!), saw a mother cheetah and her two cubs, saw a mother lion and her two cubs, and watched a huge male lion run in front of our vehicle to chase away a jackal and hyena who was trying to eat its kill.
Advice For Future Clients: Follow the Final Itinerary "to do" list and packing suggestions. They were spot on.
Adriane Wong
Trip Review: Amazing family trip! Vanessa guided us through every aspect and answered all of our questions thoroughly. The locations and experiences matched what we wanted in our family adventure and exceeded our expectations in all aspects.
Most Memorable Moment: So many! My top 5 (tough to even pick a top 5) were leopard watching, sleeping on star beds, New Year's morning bush breakfast, watching mom cheetah and 6 cubs eat an impala, and Christmas at Saruni Mara.
Advice For Future Clients: If you want to be active, bring hiking boots. Bush walks and getting around camps are much more comfortable and enjoyable with hiking boots. We packed very light-weight trainers for our alternate footwear, which worked well for our long flights and in the tents.
Ellen Schultz
Trip Review: Gabriel Kavishe was simply OUTSTANDING!!!! I cannot imagine ever having a better guide. His knowledge was vast and he did everything he could to make sure we had a perfect trip.
Most Memorable Moment: Too many to even recount. I think my most favorite places we visited were the Gol Kopjies and the Ngorongoro Crater.
Advice For Future Clients: Just GO!!
Deborah Hubbard
Trip Review: We stayed at 5 different places during our trip. I loved all of them except for the mobile camp we stayed at "Ndutu Under Cover".
Most Memorable Moment: One night at Kudu Kudu there was a giraffe right by our tent. When my husband went to use the outdoor shower, the giraffe had moved and was now eye-to-eye with my husband, approximately 10 feet away. For myself it was seeing the 4 lion cubs who were adorable!
Advice For Future Clients: I would fly to and from the Serengeti as I enjoyed the drives in the Serengeti the most.
Debbie Shiffman
Most Memorable Moment: Tracking a leopard with Alisar and Wise was amazing. We almost saw a kill, but that didn't happen. Instead, we followed her for over an hour and watched her climb a tree.
Advice For Future Clients: Bring a real camera (not an iPhone). There is no comparison!
Ilyse Tretter
Trip Review: The hotels/lodges and staff were wonderful (one minor exception- Sea Five was lovely, but staff on duty was not helpful in confirming some travel details). The weather and wildlife were wonderful!
Most Memorable Moment: There was probably one in every place! Seeing lions (male and a female) chased by water buffalo was pretty great.... all while sipping wine.
Advice For Future Clients: Go with the flow.
Matt Flamman
Most Memorable Moment: Simbambili Safari Lodge
Advice For Future Clients: Take a trip to Africa today and not tomorrow
Terry Culhane
Trip Review: We were thrilled with our lodges, the game viewing was amazing and the transportation went seamlessly. I felt comfortable from the initial phone call, and Victoria seemed very knowledgeable. So I didn't pursue other options.
Most Memorable Moment: Arriving at our tent in Machaba was such a treat. It felt like we were in a movie.
Advice For Future Clients: I felt grateful that we had three nights at each lodge, four might have been even better. Two nights wouldn't enough time to settle in.
Jessica Azoulay
Trip Review: The logistics were perfectly arranged!! Anouk really took care of us from start to finish. Despite numerous transfers and charter flights, nothing was ever delayed or stressful. It was incredibly seamless
Most Memorable Moment: While my husband had been before, this was my first safari. The first afternoon, when we saw lions right away was like nothing I’ve experienced. Being a few yards from a male was not something I could prepare myself for and was so incredibly awe-inspiring. Similarly, every time we asked Charles to see something at Little Mak, he magically made it happen! I asked if there were cheetahs and 1 hour later we were looking at two boys. I asked if there were wild dogs and 2 minutes later we saw three chasing a hyena. It was like it was on demand!
Advice For Future Clients: No need to pack so much mosquito spray. I went OVERBOARD but really there was a spray in each room, truck and common space. I could have saved myself some space in my luggage. I also think coming from the US, a day to acclimate is important. The first few days there we were exhausted and the days are structured in a way that doesn’t really allow for rest. Lastly, I would suggest getting into the community whenever/wherever possible. We spent a day in the school/village in Zimbabwe and I will never forget the time we had with those children. It was life changing.
Ted Horowitz
Trip Review: Thanks so much for setting up a terrific trip!
Most Memorable Moment: It was all a memorable journey, perfect for us. Highly recommended!
Patricia Gilbert
Most Memorable Moment: Pamushana
Advice For Future Clients: Visit the local village