Historical Reviews

Hi Lize,

I think I’m finally getting over my post-vacation depression. It was such an amazing adventure I have a hard time even thinking about it without getting sad that it’s all over (which means I’ll need to do it again!).

I have a bit of feedback from the girls. Overall we had a great time and would change very little. Here’s a few things we thought we’d do differently.

•  Transfers and rental cars - The transfer companies were great. Prompt, if not early, clean, friendly, and informative. The rental cars we had in both Cape Town and Durban were also great. I think there was a minor fee in both places that we weren’t expecting, but it was small enough that it didn’t matter. In Durban, they didn’t seem to know there was a second driver, but they did waive that fee. I know you arranged for that, so not sure why they didn’t know.

•  Safari - Both were great lodges and amazing experiences.  We really liked how different the lodges were and the order of the lodges was perfect too. Kapama did an amazing job making Mandi’s birthday special. They truly went out of their way and it shows how important customer service is for them. Inyati didn’t have as many of these luxuries, but the game experience was truly amazing.  Dinner in the bush was a lovely treat that we hope future guests continue to enjoy.

•  Safari Expenses - We appreciated the information in the read ahead papers about tipping so we could have cash and were prepared for this expense. We would highly recommend that giving future tourists a heads up on what exactly (wine/alcohol) is covered at each lodge. The final itinerary said that all drinks were NOT included at both lodges. This was true at Inyati, but not at Kapama, which was all-inclusive. It skewed our expectations at both camps.

• Johannesburg - This was by far the low point of the trip. The hotel near the airport was nice enough, but service was awful and the room service we ordered was absolutely terrible, to the point we couldn’t eat it.  We would have preferred to spend that night at either the safari lodge or in Zim/Zambia. It was unclear why we had to transit through Johannesburg. Perhaps the cost of flying from safari to Vic Falls was prohibitive, but some of our safari truck-mates were doing just that, and it took a night away from seeing something worthwhile in either South Africa or Zim/Zambia.

•  Victoria Falls - Angel’s pool was a perfect substitute for Devil’s pool even if it was a bit chilly this time of year.  Really great lunch as well. However, we didn’t see the falls during that excursion, which we weren’t clear about when we arrived in Zimbabwe. We did figure that out soon enough to stop at the falls before the pool, but would recommend informing guests that they should make time to do this. It was super easy to set it up with the hotel and the pool is much cooler after you know what you’re hanging over. We would also propose future customers make a stop at the artisanal markets. This was a nice add on to one of our days - again easy to arrange with the hotel if you know it’s there. As for the hotel in Victoria Falls, it was fine, but a bit far out of town and not nearly as nice as where we’d been on safari. Of course, not everything can be so luxurious, but I think our expectations were higher coming off of safari.

•  Overall, we all agreed this was the trip of a lifetime, thanks to you!  We had the right amount of days for each and every stop. Your choice of places to see and things to do was spot on. We all really appreciate all the work that went into an amazing trip for us!

I’m going to work on reviews on Trip Advisor for you & African Travel Gateway and some of the other places we stayed and things we did. I honestly can’t thank you enough for planning this, it took such a load off my shoulders, and while we were there I hardly thought about any logistics.

I’ll be sending others your way!

Mandi

Dear Sue

Our great African adventure was stupendous.  Everything went off without any problems.  Every connection was made on time.  There was absolutely no stress .  It was a wonderful and successful trip. Sandra and I truly had a great time.  My evaluation of the trip is an unqualified excellent. Even our Cape Town weather debacle was rescued and alternatives were found to keep us busy.  Of course, we were disappointed not to keep to the itinerary,but one can plan for just about everything on a trip EXCEPT THE WEATHER !!!!!

I hope this photo goes through. It is the last photo of the trip. It is on the river walk at the Royal Livingstone looking toward the Victoria Falls. Sandra took it on her phone.  I think is says it all.  The two of us who got to share something special and memorable with a rainbow over our heads!

Thank you from both of us for all that you did to make this trip happen.  We are most grateful.

With all good wishes to you - Judy

Good morning Lize,

This Safari to Lion Sands was also outstanding. Probably the best so far. Although the other camps were also very good, I think this one was maybe one step above the rest.  Our guide Ryan and tracker Norman were very knowledgeable.  And the accommodations were awesome.  This camp does not clear out the natural habitat of the terrain.  So we didn’t see any Cheetah’s, because the camp doesn’t believe in clearing out fields.  It damages the natural habitat.  Also attracts more lions because there are so many open areas that the herds of impalas etc. hang around.  However, there is a lot to be said about keeping it natural.  Much better for the animals and the land.  So, I would be more incline to recommend this camp over the others.

I’ve spoken to other tourists that head maybe more north to private camps right outside the Kruger.  It sounds like the facility is not quite as nice but the animal sightings are very good.  I think I would look into something like that next time.  Do you know of any you would recommend, maybe in a different area?  Just wondering.  I know I have a few more friends that will be going soon.  I may not go with them this next time, but would love to recommend you.  I really appreciate your great service!

Thank you Lize,
Talk soon!

South Africa Trip – Booked via African Travel Gateway

My husband and myself along with two of our cousins planned our trip to South Africa through African Travel Gateway.

We arrived into Cape town where our very friendly driver was waiting to meet us. After helping us with the bags to the vehicle, he then gave us some information about Cape Town whilst enroute to our hotel. The Commodore hotel was beautiful. Very well situated near the water front, it was comfortable, homely with a super breakfast and just perfect. We spent 2 nights here.

We had hired a jeep which arrived on day three and the handing over was a very smooth process . We then took off to Garden route safari lodge a lovely private game reserve for 2 nights which included 4 game drives. The lodge was very nice and we stayed in a watering hole chalet which had a lovely view from the balcony. The food here was exceptional.

Our next stop was Franschhoek,wine country,  where we stayed at the La Fontaine Guest House – a very quaint and absolutely gorgeous B & B for 2 nights. Again, breakfast was very good with continental being served buffet style and eggs to order.  Location wise, superb as a very short walk to all the shops and restaurants.

Next we headed off to Hermanus, the coast where we stayed at Whale Rock Lodge, again an absolutely lovely lodge with the rooms being impeccably decorated and again a lovely breakfast.

Overall,  the tour was one of the best we have been on and the places we stayed could not have been better. There we no issues along the way with pick ups or drop offs.

I would strongly recommend planning your holiday with African Travel Gateway and Lize, who did all our bookings was always available and did a splendid job with all of the arrangements. She went out of her way to make sure we got what we wanted and then more! We made changes along the way which were attended too and her initial proposal for our package was superbly presented. This is no ordinary travel company but one that really does its best to give you the best.

Thank you so much Lize for a tour which we will have many happy memories from for ever until we return again.

Yours Sincerely
Enoka De Zoysa/Shivantha De Zoysa
Sri Lanka

Dearest Anna,

I am really sorry this appreciation letter is coming a little late but have been tied up with work. Also i would insist that you forward this to the bosses as i am going to be turning soon to you for PLANNING my honeymoon to Mauritius.

Anna we all had a blast on our trip and at every destination we may have definitely remembered you more than twice . Your choice of accommodation and arrangement for the same had been fantastic. The co ordination for the proposal at Kapama was worth applauding. More over travel agents book the trip and once they receive the payment they feel their duty is over, BUT with you YOU HAD CALLED EVERYDAY WHEN WERE TRAVELLING TO MAKE SURE WE WERE SAFE AND NEEDED ANY ASSISTANCE.

No matter what I type will be less to describe what a fantastic host you have been and it feels bad to call you our travel agent since you haven’t acted like one. YOU HAVE ACTED AS A VERY CARING FRIEND AND HONESTLY YOU HAVE BEEN THE BEST ONE COULD ASK FOR . REST ASSURED YOU WILL BE OUR GO TO TRAVEL PLANNER IN AFRICA AND OTHER DESTINATIONS AS WELL.

LOT OF LOVE FROM INDIA.

REGARDS,
YASH

Lize…wanted to send a quick note of THANKS!...with photos.

We had an incredible time in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana. The hotels/camps were all great and staff at all were incredible. Our time in Botswana was especially memorable, with such peaceful surroundings, incredible wildlife, calm, pleasant and humorous staff.

You certainly will be on my list to contact when I decide to return, as everything went as planned without any problems! Thank you so much and I will pass your name on to friends who plan to travel.

Susan Mach and all

Dear Pam

Thank you we had a brilliant time, and all the accommodation was fantastic especially the Robberg Beach Lodge and la Fontaine. The Garden Route Game Lodge made an excellent break to our journey on the drive to Plettenberg Bay. The Crystal Apartment was fine but rather a long way from the beach and restaurants , and at the time we went everything was rather crowded which made parking impossible . However,  I know how difficult it was to find accommodation in camps bay on those dates.

We loved our time in South Africa and are very grateful for the itinerary you put together for us as it worked very well. However , we have decided that one day we should go back at a quieter time of the year and spend longer in Cape Town as Christmas was so busy and full of huge traffic jams just like London !

All best the to you for a happy New Year.

Best wishes

Katie

Dear Petru,

We have completed our journey and I thought I would put pen to paper and comment about our Kiboko trip and places visited in Kruger. Our arrival in Johannesburg Airport was not what we expected with two international flights arriving together and only two immigration personnel on the counter. After nearly 2 hours we just made the connecting flight to Capetown where our transfer and welcome were excellent. On arrival at ‘Portswood Hotel’ we opened our window and under it flew a red winged starling who then perched on the frame and proceeded to serenade us for 5-10 minutes with its beautiful song. It was a delightful welcome to South Africa by its wildlife so we took that as a good omen of what was to come.

1 – The Kiboko trip was very interesting and educational throughout. Our daily mileage varied between 200 km and 500 km + but that was expected by the participants whose ages varied from 79 to mid 20’s. That placed demands on our Zimbawhean driver/ guide Misheck who was simply brilliant and made the trip! He was totally professional in everything he did while having to cope with so much plus different individuals and authorities to get the best for his clients. He had a prolific knowledge of tribal systems, local communities and their history, as well as the geology, animals, birds and the environmental factors affecting the regions we passed through. After a short time on the trip he was like a long time close friend and when we finished at Victoria Falls, all of us felt sadness that our journey was over. We have already recommended the trip to friends in NZ and others we met along the way with the proviso that Misheck is the guide! We saw much scenic beauty starting in Capetown, lots of animals despite the dry conditions, as well I was pleased we had educational tribal visits in Kgalagadi NP and Namibia plus a good 3 hour walk through the Namib Desert.

2- Kruger Park – Our driver from Nelspruit to Rhino Post was interesting and some of his manoeuvres were not in the best interests of anyone either inside or outside the vehicle. I think he was having a bad day. In all other transfers the drivers were A++. When greeted at Rhino Post by staff we casually mentioned our drive. We were somewhat surprised when the manager later said he had spoken to Sable about it and my wife ended up with a bottle of beautiful SA wine which was shared with others when we got to Plains Camp. If anyone wishes to experience Africa similar to the early inhabitants then Plains camp walks are a must whether with or without seeing a lot of animals. My wife and I felt very at ease when taking those walks and the guide Doug and tracker Amos were both excellent in info and their expertise.

3- Waterbuck Lodge (Thornybush) was similarity excellent and although the prolonged dry conditions are affecting animal numbers we viewed all the big species, leopard being very good as was seeing both rhino species. Our guide Franco(we have much in common, rugby and wildlife photography) and tracker Lodrick were excellent with their knowledge and answering my questions concerning the wildlife situation within Southern Africa which is of interest. They positioned us well to view all we saw, while having an extra day there (and Rhino Post) was a plus. It was good to see a conservation effort in place there also. Your suggestions and choices were top notch and thank you for that, they were very appreciated.  We were describing the arrival in Johannesburg to our Kiboko guide who quoted, “You’re in Africa now” and he was right, just go with the flow and enjoy the experiences – so true.
If you have further contact with both camps or Kiboko I’m quite happy for our comments to be articulated to them on our excellent experiences.

Regards
Albert Aanensen

Hi Cathy

Let us start by saying that we enjoyed every minute!  It was a marvelous experience and we are still talking about it and reliving special moments.

ARRIVAL IN JO’BURG— Our flight arrived late (about 8:30 pm), but the nice driver from Safari Club was there to meet us.  Safari Club was convenient and comfortable.  Basic amenities, but perfect for our overnight stay close to the airport.  Off to Cape Town the next morning.

CAPE TOWN— What a lovely city you live in.  It lives up to its reputation as one of the most beautiful settings for a city in the world.

As we mentioned on the phone to you, the afternoon we arrived was a beautiful day.  So we dropped our luggage off in our room and took a cab (even though we had picked up our Avis car at the airport) right up to Table Mountain.  Spectacular!  We were there from about 3 p.m. until after sunset, not nearly enough time to do it justice.  We mostly just enjoyed the views so missed out doing a really thorough walk about on the top.  Next trip we will do that.

That evening we ate in the hotel restaurant.  The Cape Town Hollow Hotel is a gem.  Small (which we like) but all the services one needs.  We had a room that looked out on Table Mountain and Company’s Garden.  Seemed in the heart of everything and a quiet location.  The restaurant was very good, both for dinner and breakfast.  Even got a complimentary bottle of wine our first evening.

The next day dawned with blue skies too, so we drove down to Cape of Good Hope…saw baboons, ostriches and the penguins.  A fun, easy outing.

Our last two days in CT were grey and rainy, but we still had a nice drive to the wine area where we visited the Spice Route winery; and, upon return to the city we walked around the waterfront in the rain.  A fun place even on a gloomy day.

One experience we had that we want to share is the restaurant we found on the second evening.  Trip Advisor lists it as the #1 restaurant in Cape Town and you probably know of it.  It is Mzani in Langa Township.  The folks at the hotel tried to talk us out of going, saying it was not safe.  But we were determined, so they called a cabdriver they knew to take us.  He drove us there, waited outside while we ate and then took us back to the hotel.  It was an experience we would highly recommend to your clients.  First of all, it didn’t seem dangerous or threatening at all.  The folks who run it are warm and friendly and have a wonderful story about their lives and how the restaurant came to be.  There is a local group of musicians (kids and one older gentleman) who play and, after the meal, “teach” diners how to play various instruments.  Then everyone gets together to dance and laugh.  The food (good home cooking) is served buffet style—good quality and generous amounts.  You can read more about this place on line, but as a couple who have been there, we wanted to recommend it to you.

AFTER CAPE TOWN—Our flight to Jo’burg was uneventful and we picked up our Avis car without trouble, starting our drive to Hazyview.  If we had it to do over again, we would probably not spend the two days allotted for this trip.  While interesting, the drive east on the N4 was not scenic at all.  And the Panorama Route that we tried to drive on the second day was not viewable due to very grey, foggy weather which we were told is fairly common.  Spent a couple hours in a cozy pancake restaurant in Graskop.  Others may enjoy the Panorama Route and luck out on the weather, but we wish we had those two days in Kruger instead.

The above said, our stay at Hippo Hollow Hotel was great.  Another nice facility in the Hollow chain.  Hippo Hollow is a very good hotel and a perfect place to stay if a traveler needs a night before heading into Kruger.

KRUGER PARK— What can we say?  This entire experience was the best.  Monwana Lodge was 5-star in every way, from the lovely room, delicious food (prepared and presented perfectly), and a professional and friendly staff.  Jacques and Emma, the managers, were delightful.  Thornybush and Kruger are, of course, wildlife dreams.  We saw four of the big five on the first day and spotted (no pun intended) the elusive leopard the next day.  Jaques served as our guide and Jeffery was our tracker.  They were both excellent in every way.  Our next trip we will allow more time at Monwana.

DRIVE BACK FROM KRUGER TO JO’BURG—We came back through Lydenburg and Belfast which was more scenic than our drive straight over to Hazyview on the N4.  Our only disappointment of the trip came when we got back to Jo’burg that afternoon.  With the GPS we found the MoAfrica Hotel where you had us booked.  To begin with, we were never clear if they actually showed a paid reservation for us.  They couldn’t find our name and there was quite a bit of confusion;  but, that didn’t really matter in the end because after we looked around a little bit we decided that we would not stay there anyway.  I don’t know if you have actually seen MoAfrica, Cathy, or if you have had other clients booked there, but—for us at least—it is not satisfactory at all.  As someone we met later who is familiar with it said, “only backpackers and derelicts stay there”.  You had forwarded us a description of this place that we assume is written and provided by the establishment.  The actual place bears no resemblance to the literature.  All’s well that ends well, however, and with the kindness of strangers we eventually made our way to Ikwekwezi Guest Lodge (408 First Ave., Bredell, Kempton Park).  It was great!  We had one night in a very spacious, well-appointed room plus dinner and breakfast for both of us for a total price of $1400 Rand.  For future reference, they also have complimentary airport shuttle.  Their website is http://www.ikwekwezi.co.za if you want to check them out for future clients.  We would recommend it to anyone and found it nicer and better run than the Safari Club.  Not sure what the price difference is; but, even if it is a bit more it would be worth it.

VICTORIA FALLS AND CHOBE—The hotel at V.F. was top notch.  Quite posh with excellent food and service.  As you know, we had a day tour of the Falls and a working African village.  The Falls were impressive, even at this low-water time of year, and the village was very interesting with the head elder Mr. Mpala as our host.  Then it was on to the sunset river cruise.  Very pleasant with lots of hippo sightings.  The next day was our tour to Chobe National Park.  This was our favorite part of the Zimbabwe visit, especially the river boat excursion.  Numerous birds and, of course, tons of elephants which Chobe is known for.  Our boat handler and guide made the trip extra special with his knowledge and patience.

OKAVANGO DELTA—For many reasons, Okavango was the star of the trip.  It is a fascinating ecosystem, abundant and easily accessed wildlife and lovely vistas of water and savanna.  The place where we stayed, Mapula Lodge, had some issues.  Upon arrival we were a bit disappointed mostly with the cleanliness and maintenance of the place.  It certainly looks like it has seen better days.  The food was basic but good.  The staff was friendly and helpful.  What made the place wonderful for us in the end was the guide (Oracle) and the tracker (Mike) assigned to us.  They were extremely knowledgeable and able to explain what we were seeing and experiencing, plus they were just really good and gentle men.  It was a pleasure to have known them.  If we are ever able to return to the Delta we would be torn.  We probably would prefer to stay in a little better lodge, but we would want to have those guys as our guides again.

LAST DAYS—Had nice flights back to Jo’burg and two nights at the Safari Club.  As we said before, it is a perfectly nice place to layover near the airport, but in our opinion the Ikwekwezi Guest Lodge is a better alternative.  We had a good Jo’burg tour with Wilro Tours.  We went to the Apartheid Museum, Soweto and a drive through the financially devastated Jo’burg city center.  One other observation that you might want to pass on to some of your clients.  We have been in many international airports during our life and the OR Tambo is the only one we’ve experienced where the rental cars are located on the airport property.  Usually, the rental car companies have shuttle vans that pick up the clients right at the curb outside of the arrivals area and drive them to the rental car desk.  At Tambo, the rental car desks and the vehicles are adjacent to the terminal.  As a result, the client has to walk quite a way to get from the arrivals area to the rental car area.  Same thing, obviously when returning the car.  A very long walk to the airline check-in area.  I know there is nothing to be done about this, but I just thought you might want to alert some of your clients to this situation.

So that’s it, Cathy.  Fabulous trip, wonderful memories and desires to return again.  It was the service you provided that played a big part in making all of this a reality.  Not only were you professional—and very patient with all of our date changes, etc.—and knowledgeable, your suggestions and counsel were really helpful.  We were very impressed with the paperwork and documents you forwarded to us.  The “Quick Reference Voucher Itinerary” was really helpful, as was the 16-page day-by-day itinerary.  We could not have asked for more.

Many, many thanks again, Cathy.  Hope all continues well for you and your family.  If and when we are able to go back to South Africa we will certainly be in touch.  And we’ll be happy to refer friends and neighbors who are thinking of coming your way.

All the best,
Fran and Brooke

Hello Cathy,

Well we’re back from our trip that you planned for us and it was outstanding!! We had a wonderful time - saw beautiful scenery and many animals including all of the “big five.” Our guides and drivers were all where they were supposed to be and waiting for us. With that said, I’ll give you a review for various parts of the trip:

Johannesburg: we were met at the airport upon arrival on our first night in Africa and delivered to the Africa Rock Hotel where we spent one night. Th e hotel was very nice and clean and the hotel staff very pleasant and helpful. Although it was rather small, it was fine for one night. However, if we were staying longer we would probably prefer something a little larger.

Victoria Falls: the flight from JNB to Victoria Falls was uneventful.  Upon arrival we were met by a driver from Batoka Safaris who took us to the A’Zambezi River Lodge. The itinerary identified Premier Tours as the service provider, but apparently you changed that responsibility, or Premier sub-contracted the task. Regardless, it all worked well for us.  We thoroughly enjoyed the tour of Victoria Falls and the Mpala Village.  We were a little concerned about the village tour, thinking it might be a “tourist” village, with dancers and people selling souvenirs.  We were VERY pleasantly surprised.  It was really interesting and informative. The primary guide/driver provided by Batoka was Brighton.  He was excellent.  We also thoroughly enjoyed the sunset cruise on the Zambezi.

The only glitch we discovered after we returned home was about the Boma Restaurant.  When we went to pay Batoka Safaris for the Boma at the A’Zambezi Lodge, it appeared that my credit card did not go through so we paid in cash, $130 USD.  After we returned home we were checking our credit card account and realized that the charge did in fact go through.  I have contacted Botaka and they indicated that they will reverse the payment.

Chobe Safari Lodge:  My wife and I agree that we liked this portion of the trip best.  That doesn’t mean we disliked any other portion of the trip…it’s just that we enjoyed this part more. That is considering everything in total: very nice accommodations, the overall beautiful setting on the river , the food, and the game drives. On our first game drive, our guide was a young man named Kam.  The second drive was with another young man, but we preferred Kam. So, we asked at the activity office to schedule us with Kam for the remainder of our drives and she did.  He was outstanding – very engaging, occasionally funny, informative and sensitive to very minor things such as positioning the vehicle for the best views of the animals and with the sun to our backs. I would highly recommend him for your future guests.

Cape Town: We were met at the airport by our guide, Derek Keeling, who we would have for the next three days.  He took us directly to our hotel, the Cape Town Hollow Hotel. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay in Cape Town and the tours provided by Derek.  We especially enjoyed the scenery along the coast and going to the Cape of Good Hope – that in and of itself was exciting. Regarding the hotel, it was very nice.  The staff were very helpful, especially Stephanie.  We ate all of our breakfasts there and two dinners.  The dinner meals were excellent. The room was nice and clean, but the bath room was really small – the sink size was on the order of what you might find in a small camper trailer – very, very small and no counter space.

Regarding our guide, Derek.  He was contracted by Paradise Touring and he was outstanding.  Considering that you are with the person for 3 days, if it’s not a good match, it could really put a damper on the trip.  That was not the case with Derek.  He was outstanding in every respect – punctual, informative, humorous, and a good photographer. I don’t know if you ever deal directly with guides, but if you do, I would highly recommend him to you and your guests.  His numbers are ********** and his email is **********

Kapama River Lodge: getting to Kapama could have been a major scheduling glitch.  Our itinerary shows our departure from Cape Town as 10:10.  Derek picked us up at 07:45 and proceeded directly to the airport.  There was a wreck on the main highway, so he was able to make a detour and we only lost about 5 minutes. When we arrived at the airport we thought we had over an hour before take-off. As we checked in, the ticket agent indicated that we needed to hurry, because our plane was already boarding.  I questioned that, and said we have a 10:10 departure, and she corrected me and said no, it’s 09:10.  I verified the flight number as SA1228.  We rushed through the airport and security and obviously made the flight. Had we missed it, I’m not sure what our options would have been.  ; Upon arrival at Hoedspruit airport, Kapama was there for arriving guests, but we weren’t on the list.  They had us down as “self drive.”  Obviously they took us to the lodge and it wasn’t a problem.  However, the next day, I just wanted to verify our departure flight information and that Kapama would be taking us to the airport. Again, they had us identified as self-drive and were not planning on having to take us to the airport. It all worked out, but I thought you should be aware of what happened.

Regarding Kapama River Lodge and the Kapama Animal Reserve, we thoroughly enjoyed it.  We had a very good guide and an excellent tracker, Ian.

With all this said, I’ve probably given you more than you want or need to know.  I just thought you might want some feedback on your efforts.  Overall, we had a wonderful time and we want to thank you for putting such a nice package together.

Jerry and JoAnn Mooney

Petru - We are on our last day of our South Africa Holiday. We would like to thank you for organizing the holiday We have enjoyed every minute of it.

Samson who took us around Cape Town was brilliant - He was knowledgeable, flexible and very friendly.  It was as if he was a long time friend taking us around his city!

At Camp Ndutzi, it was a home away from home.  Sabre, Justin and the team welcomed us as a family friend and we were treated to some incredible sights - we were lucky to see lions feasting on buffalo, a leopard and elephants plus many other animals.

Thank you once again. I will recommend you and African Travel Gateway to my friends who wish to come to South Africa in the future.

Kind Regards
Shamir

Hi Petru

Everything about our holiday that you organised was truly amazing. We cannot say any more “wows”

Apart from the flight delay to Victoria Falls everything was perfect and ran like clockwork. Batoka Safaris were very accommodating changing the sunset cruise to the next day (which was spectacular) and organising the helicopter flight. The transfer into Botswana was flawless.

All the accommodation you suggested and organised were all individually magical. Shindzela was awesome!!! We have had an amazing holiday of a life time.

We will be visiting again and we will definitely be using African Travel Gateway next time.

Thank you so much for everything you’ve organised. We are still on cloud 9 and reliving all the memories and sorting out all the photos.

A HUGE thank you

Catherine and Alan

Hi Lize

We are back home after a wonderful South Africa trip.  We enjoyed our time at Tswalu and Sabi Sabi.  Tswalu was a very unique experience.  We were amazed by the landscape and animals of course, but the lodge exceeded our expectations.  The Tswalu staff was gracious and made us feel like we were guests in their home.  We looked forward to spending our days with Kali and Jonas, our guide and tracker.  The Chef met us when we arrived to talk about our daughter’s food allergies and prepared special meals just for her.

Our stay at Sabi Sabi was also very nice.  Our guide and tracker, Jamie and Louie, were great and the staff was attentive.  The Chef also met with us and made sure he pointed out foods that our daughter could not eat.

The overnight stay in Joberg, the 4 internal flights went smoothly, and all transfers went smoothly without any problems.

We appreciate your efforts in putting this trip together for us.  As you know we have already recommended you to 2 families and will do so again the future.  If there is anything in particular you would like feedback on, please let me know.  Thank you!

Mita

Hi Lize

Sorry we have been so slack since returning from a fabulous holiday. We had no issues or holdups and thank you for the first class organisation and co-ordination. Our guides were all first class and the camps, staff excellent. Flights were great.

Mala Mala. Very good and a great place to start. Bush bashing at its best, great variety and lots of fun. You were right - it is better than Chitwa Chitwa, Everything up close. They even gave Ann had a pre birthday party.

Mashatu. Animals and guides wonderful. Only criticism was the time between game drives as there wasn’t a much to see from the camp itself. 

Chitabe. Lots to do and see and our guide was extremely patient, something we like. Saw many events we had not seen before.

Selinda. Brilliant. Animals and action everywhere. Special mention to managers Noxi & Moa who looked after us as if we were family.

Pelo. Relaxing and fun. Nice experience on the water.

Davidsons. Still our favourite even though we were used to bush bashing in other camps which is not allowed in the park. Gave Ann a great birthday show to boot.

In summary we had a great time and are looking forward to the next trip. We rate Mala Mala, Chitabe, Selinda and Davidsons as places to return to.

In our travels we net someone from Wilderness who had nice things to say about their camps in Namibia. That is something we will look at next.

Each camp had abundant game and extremely pleasant staff. People would have to be very fussy not to be impressed with any of them.

​Thanks for a great time,

Geoff & Ann

Anna-Lee— The trip was terrific. I’m very thankful for your suggestions and arrangements. Victoria Falls was spectacular. I happy that we went to the Okavango Delta instead of another park. The train was wonderful. We are glad that we had the chance to meet you along the way! Our guide in Cape Town was great. Chris is in his third week already and really enjoys his program. Our visit to Angola was fascinating; it’s a very different experience from the other countries. Of course, we missed Namibia so we’ll have to return someday! Thanks for everything.

Rob Moxley

Anna-Lee

We had a great time especially as the weather was very kind except for the last day on our return journey to Zambia for our return flight to Johannesburg.

The accommodation was great especially the Stanley Lodge and all three lodges were well run and kind. The trips in Zambia and Botswana were great. Our plan was to have a rest on the island recognizing that there is not much to do there and this worked out well.

All the transfers you organised went according to plan with friendly drivers. All in all a great time, thanks for the organizing and yes we will as appropriate recommend your services to others

Regards and thanks
John White

Dear Petru van Zyl

Assuming that you remember me, Rafael from Israel, I want to thank you and to express my appreciation for the unforgettable tour you organized for me and for my friend from USA to the Victoria falls in Zambia.

Every thing goes smooth and accurate, the tour guide named Tawanda (WTT company) was amazing full with charm and very good English speaking.

Your efficiency and your devotion to carry out our tour will be unforgettable.

Sincerely yours
Rafael and Rachel Kassif

Hello Lize

We are now back home in Canada, and just at this moment we are digging ourselves out of a huge snowstorm which swept across our area last night. Quite different to the weather we had in South Africa.

Yes, I received your Email and I sent you an Email shortly after we left Victoria Falls. Everything, including the last minute change to our return BA flight went very well. The Rovos train from Cape Town over to Pretoria was a once in a life time experience. We were really impressed with the internal flight arrangements in Botswana and the Kalahari Bush camp and Selinda camp were exceptional. If I had to name one or two hi-lights, it would be an afternoon spent with the Kalahari bushmen and a bush walk at the Selinda camp. I really can’t fault anything, and we want to return to South Africa, maybe not next year, but certainly the year after.

I have also mentioned to some of our friends our experience with African Travel Gateway, so if they decide to visit SA, I am sure they will contact either you or Petru.

Best wishes
John

Hi Petru,

Our friends flew back to the UK last night so this is the first opportunity I have had of contacting you on behalf of all of us. Firstly all of us want to thank you for all your hard work on putting this African trip together. It really was quite sensational especially for our friends who have never been to the the wider Africa. Mostly we think you should know that every single collection, handover, transfer was perfect, on time and very helpful and courteous. There was a lot going on and we could not quite believe that it all went exactly to your plan. All of the accommodation was great (we had a big thunderstorm whilst staying in the tents at Elephant Valley, which was interesting!) and we met some amazing people. All in all it was a really great trip and we mentioned you a lot which says it all.

Very many thanks from the Harrisons and the Partridges! We are already talking about something similar in Namibia for next year when they visit us again and it goes without saying that we will contact you for assistance.

Kind regards

Terry

Petru,

We hope you had a happy holidays and are finally getting around to writing a review. Thank you again for working the Avis issue, we got reimbursed with your help.

We highly recommend African Travel Gateway, our contact was very responsive and quick to respond and get us the vacation of our dreams. We started with an idea of places we wanted to see over the course of three weeks and she accommodated these, gave suggestions and was just excellent on where we stayed and how to get there! We toured the garden route, Victoria Falls and Kruger.  We saw the big five in Sabi Sands within the first 24 hours of our stay!!

If South Africa wasn’t so far we would travel here every few years!  Our accommodations were highly rated and we had no problems finding them since we drove the first week and a half. Each place was unique and our agent gave us ideas of what to see and do, we were never disappointed. She also set up airfare, had a rental car delivered and had private drivers and tours which were all excellent. While we were in the country and had five different flights during our trip one including to Victoria Falls and again suberb!! We can’t thank her and the company enough for providing us a trip of a lifetime that we will never forget! She worked hard before the trip, during and after making sure everything checked out.  She truly gave us piece of mind and since her and the company are based out of the South African area we knew we were getting the best recommendations and always felt safe. Thank you so much Petru!

Petru, again thank you! If we ever get another chance to visit we will be keeping you in mind, take care!

Ashley & Phil

Dear Cindy

Tom and I arrived back in London yesterday after a glorious vacation. I wanted to report back to you that everything you planned for us was perfect. Every hotel had our booking, every tour guide and driver was meticulously on time and charming, every meal you planned for us was in a gorgeous venue (Franschhoek and Cape of Good Hope) and the mechanics of “timing” between attractions was on the mark.

Tom and I especially enjoyed the tour guides, Andre Joubert for the panoramic tour and David Hearn in the wine country, Simon’s Town and Cape Town. Both were entertaining and knowledgeable (and good drivers). We at all times felt very safe and well cared for.

So, we thank you for all your planning and attention to detail. Our vacation was perfect and we will certainly recommend you to our friends visiting South Africa.

I wanted to make one recommendation to you. Whilst in Cape Town, Tom and I did a photographic “tour” with a brilliant teacher and professional photographer named Peter Haarhoff. Peter cleverly taught Tom and me how to better use our cameras and to compose more artistic photos. He also took us to charming places to which we would never have ventured on our own. Our only regret is that we took the photography lesson at the very end of our travels rather than the beginning. I would like to introduce you to Peter
and suggest that you may want to recommend a day or half day with Peter to some of your guests (preferably at the beginning of their vacations). I have copied Peter on this email so that you have his email address.

Tom and I wish you a very happy new year and thank you for our wonderful vacation.

Kind regards,

Susan & Tom Brandt

Hi Cindy,

Yes, we got home safely on 8 Dec.  Just getting caught up.

This was the best tour we have ever been on.  Every transfer went so smoothly.  All the guides and tours were fabulous, especially Dan in Chobe, Botswana.  Everything was way beyond expectations.  The first day at the A’Zambezi River lodge the lawn was covered with wart hogs grazing.  The tour to the Mpala village and meeting with the chief was amazing.  He greeted us with “Hello Guys” and we were amazed at his perfect English.  He took us to the village grade school and we will be sending him school supplies and books in a few months (it will take a while for collection of the books and the mailing).

Next was the Elephant Valley Lodge.  We thought the tent and facilities were 5 star.  On the Zambezi river ride and the 2 game drives we saw an incredible amount of birds and wildlife.

Last was the houseboat.  All the river rides were great.  Once again we saw tons of birds and wildlife. The food was gourmet every place, so we didn’t starve.  It took us 8 hours for all the immigration stops and transfers to get back to Jo’burg, but we loved it and thought is was part of the great adventure.

Thank you for creating such fabulous tour and we are, of course, recommending this to everyone.  Will post on TripAdvisor soon to relate all our experiences.

Kind regards,
Nancy Shaffer

Hi Anna-Lee

Glad to be home but am so VERY happy to have visited Swaziland. The trip was marvellous, the country is beautiful, accommodation at Happy Valley was great, the people I met were so very welcoming and M’seni was a wonderful guide.  He is a very knowledgeable person who explains all very clearly and is an excellent listener.  He is the one who made the trip so worthwhile.  I will be forwarding a few pictures to you and will ask that you forward them to him for me.

Thank you so much for organizing this trip for me.  You did a wonderful job – am very grateful.

Best regards
Lorna

Hi Anna-Lee,

Wanted to send you a note to say thank you very much for planning such a great vacation for me and my wife. We had an amazing time in your beautiful country. Everything was scheduled perfectly and everyone treated us extremely nice.

And as you said, Sabi Sabi Selati Camp was absolutely perfect for us - the staff was always looking after us and the game drives were the cherry on top of the cake. I am really running out of words to describe this wonderful experience.

Let me give you some quick words on each place as it may help you when planning trips for other guests in the future:

- Cape Town: Table Bay Hotel was great and our guide David (can’t remember last name) was great and always looking to take us to the best places

- Hermanus: Whale Rock Luxury Lodge was good, but not the best of the places we stayed while in SA. Room was nice but smelled like painting and the person at reception had no much clue that he was supposed to book our boat trip for whale watching (although the lodge took care of it in the end)

- Knysna: Villa Paradisa was really nice and the host took care of every single detail in our room (I recommend this place)

- Umhlanga: Teremok Marine was the second best place while our stay in SA. Beautiful lodge with great service (i recommned this place)

- Sabi Sabi Celati: no words to describe this place; simply perfect. Lodge, staff, food, etc (can keep going…) was absolutely amazing - highly recommended.

Feel free to pass my words to the lodges/hotels as they really deserve to get the feedback from such great service (I will be also using trip advisor).

Again, thanks for such great work!

Best regards
Giovanni

Cindy

We arrived home yesterday after a very exceptional 3 weeks. Your planning, timing, accommodation and selection of areas to see was perfect. There was enough flexibility during the self-driving and the touring around Cape town with Paradise Touring to make adjustments to suit our interests.

There are some comments I would like to make:

During self-drive of Garden Route
The choice of accommodation had variety which added enjoyment not knowing what to expect next,  especially the Oulap Country House which could be a little risky for some travellers as it is quite isolated and off road. The elderly couple were very interesting and we had a memorable time talking after dinner and very glad of your selection.

Choice of Game Parks
Three different parks which gave us a great overview and of course very memorable photos. The Chobe river house boat the Zambezi Voyager (Pangolin photo safaris) was a unique way to view the animals after the two land based parks.

Cape Town
To have a driver guide allowed us the flexibility to go and see what interested us.

Thank you for your efforts in putting this trip together and we will certainly recommend you and use you again on coming trips.

Regards
JOHN R HAWKES

Good morning Cathy,

Just to let you know that we have all arrived home safely after our wonderful journey in South Africa and Madagascar. I want first of all to thank you for putting together a tour that perfectly followed the brief that I gave you.  The tour was seamless and Lois and I have arrived home on a high knowing that none of our friends were disappointed with any part of the tour.

The Rovos train was a great experience and equally as good as the Blue Train. We were delayed because of the derailment outside Kimberly but were looked after superbly.  Due to the train being late we were put on a coach at Worcester for the last bit of the Journey into Cape Town.  Due to our very late arrival and because dinner was provided on the train the Commodore Hotel indicated to me that they would refund the R 400 per head for dinner at your request.

The choice of guides and drivers for both sectors were as good as we would have wanted and in particular were very helpful in caring for Lois.  Ian Cameron-White the guide on the Cape and Hendry Van Wyk the driver are two of the best, and I hope you will pass on our appreciation of them to their respective companies. I have nothing but admiration for our guide Fano,  driver Tahiana and helper Jacky and the way they negotiated their way through Madagascar.  They were a delight to be with.  Please pass on our appreciation of them to the company they work for.

A few of us are looking at returning in 2017 to go into a couple of lodges in the Okavango, looking particularly at Tuba Tree as one of them.  What can you offer?

I did begin this yesterday but you beat me to it.

With our very best regards and thanks again,

Chris and Lois

Hi Cindy

Yes it was really nice and very pleasant. Many thanks for putting it all together. I must say it all worked very well and your details were spot on. There were a few times where we arrived at the airports maybe too early / waited for transfers times but these are to be expected.

Victoria Falls Lodge - all great. We could not really fault this place.

The airport took ages and as we were at the back of the plane, we were at the back of the queue so we stood for 90 mins just to get to the desk (a distance of 20 meters!!). There is clearly nothing you can do about this but I just thought I would mention so you can advise future travellers about the very lengthy delays likely at VFA.

Chobe Game Lodge - again, very very nice. The only thing was that on the night we stayed, we were having a bath about 6.00pm and the phone rang to tell us that they had to set up our dinner table on our terrace. It was done beautifully but we were not really expecting it (or really ready for
it) but we had to let them in to prepare, We would have been very happy to eat at the main restaurant a little later if we had a choice.

Houseboat - fairly basic but nice. Very small bathrooms (as we expected) but we enjoyed it.

Camp Okavango - lovely people. A different type of lodge where you all eat in one sitting. You have no real choice here. We went on a safari walk at 07.00am and was told it was abount 3 hours. We came back at 11.10 and were told dinner was at 11.30. We really just wanted to lie down for an hour or so after the walk and eat at maybe 1.00 or a little later. However, as we had to go at 11.30 (there is only one sitting) we just decided to skip it altogether as we felt it was a little too regimented. We also skipped the afternoon event as wanted some down time.

One thing that I did notice about all the places is that there is very little to do if you do not go on the designated trip. For instance, there is no gym (other than Chobe Game Lodge), no internet connection whatsoever, so real spa centre etc etc. However, I am purely giving the negatives (and these were very small indeed). Overall the feedback was very good and I liked using African Travel Gateway and would do so again.

All the best Cindy for now
Kind regards
Nigel

Lize, I very much wish to comment on my trip! First, the trip far exceeded my expectations. All accommodations were First Class, schedule coordination and transportation perfect, activities well planned and both educational as well as entertaining. Private car with knowledgeable guide to tour Cape Town was a good way to end the trip.

But the heart of the trip, what made it exceptional, was not the safaris, the food, the animals or standard of accommodations; but the people.  Victoria Falls Safari Lodge and Botswana Safari Lodges, their staff and guides, provided exceptional care and attention to insure that I was able to enjoy the African experience. The attitude of the entire staff showed that they were sincere in their desire to provide cheerful and friendly service to their guests. The cook at the African Rock Hotel was the best off all, including the Blue Train.

My only gripe was the luggage storage at the airport in Johannesburg. I normally travel light, the Blue Train dress code being the only reason for needing more than a duffel bag. Storage of one medium sized suitcase during the time I was at Vic Falls and in Botswana took over an hour of time, lots of walking and cost over 1,000 Rand.

My toe was severely injured and I was advised to cancel the trip and go home. I am very glad I stayed.

Thank you for an excellent job!!

Hallo Petru

We have been very remiss. We failed to thank you for all your hard work in making our holiday on the Chobe River so successful. All your plans for us went off like clockwork including the staff appointed to meet us at
checkpoints and travel to new destinations. Without their cheerful efficiency we would have been in serious trouble. We enjoyed the holiday as much as any holiday we have ever taken and we hope that we can repeat the
experience with you African Travel Gateway sometime in the future.

We must apologize once again for failing to thank you sooner but our gratitude remains sincere despite the delay. We wish you continued success in your work and joy in your life. Our best wishes to you

Georgean and Alastair Lochhead

Hi Lize,

Sorry for the late reply.

Mark and I have never been away for so long before and it was quite a daunting prospect. I have used African Travel Gateway, since Howard first started many years ago and without exception every holiday as been arranged to perfection, without compromise and without fault. The quality on the whole of everything we have ever stayed in is so much better than we experience in Europe - we always know it will be good.

Madagascar was an interesting experience, it was somewhere I had wanted to go since very small. I had always wanted to see the Aye Aye and that was my dream for this holiday. Unfortunately that was never going to happen and I think Assisten Travel could have managed expectations better with this, ending up at a zoo to see one (which we actually never did) is not what we had envisaged.

Madagascar

Our guides were superb. We had a driver - who happened to be a guide also, but as it was the end of the season he was sent to drive for us and our main guide. Apart from the capital there are no cars on the road and for this we were very glad that we had a driver. In places the roads were appalling - sometimes 3 or 4 hours of continuous pot holes, which was very uncomfortable, however again thank goodness for a good vehicle.  Also they provided water for us the whole holiday which was well received. They made us feel very safe the whole time, some areas were very poor, it was good having a guide.

I won’t run through all the hotels we stayed at, but the highlights were Couleur Cafe in Antsirabe, a little oasis in a big city, the room was huge, beautifully decorated and the food Michelin star quality.

The other place of note was Jardin du Roy in Ranohira - this hotel was truly spectacular, amidst what can only be described as “The Grand Canyon”.

Our least favourite was Setam Lodge in Ranomafana. Nothing awful, but the place was very dark and the rooms old, but hey we were staying in the rain forest which certainly made up for it.

We would forget the sea bit, the snorkelling was OK, but very rough and it appeared that there were sand storms every afternoon when you just couldn’t go outside.

With regards to wildlife - lemurs, chameleons, frogs in abundance. This was a wildlife paradise and our guides went out of their way to ensure we saw as much as we could. Also the scenery couldn’t have been more different and spectacular. We had every other day travelling, up to 8 hours. In one day you could go from rice fields to almost dessert.

A few things we should have been made aware of by the Madagascar wheels operator:

1. The walking was long and sometime strenuous - we were fine with it, but other people were struggling and we noted some people not doing some walks as they were too tiring. You could not have done 90% of the trekking without walking boots - some people were trying to do it in sandals.

2. On the notes it stated how much we should pay guides - which we of course honoured. However getting money was sometimes difficult - although our guide was pretty good in saying that we wouldn’t see an ATM for 2 days! We had expected that our guide was our wildlife guide - and that is how we budgeted. However on arrival at our first trek, our guide then went and picked up the local guide, some days we had two guides plus our guide - so with the driver we were paying for up to 4 guides per day. Madagascar is VERY cheap, so it wasn’t a problem, however when we were struggling to get money out and when the currency is so poor that we were taking out 100,000’s of notes it was quite difficult. In essence they need to make clear how many people travellers are paying for.

3. The holiday was great, but everyone else was doing exactly the same holiday and staying in the same hotels - it didn’t feel very exclusive or special, it was bit of a route march. We appreciate that tourism is quite new to Madagascar, but maybe Assisten or someone else needs to break away from the mould and try something more exclusive and different?

Would we go back. Yes, but to a different part of the island and maybe a bit off the beaten track. A VERY good experience though.

South Africa

Having been to SA almost 20 times and my husband half a dozen times, we knew what to expect. We arrived in Cape Town and all went to plan. Our room at the V&A was amazing. we didn’t arrive until about 23:00, but we just sat on the sofa’s looking at the waterfront, sighing with relief, it was nice to have some comfort again!

Next stop Schulphoek Seafront Guest House - beautiful location on the beach, although a little out of Hermanus. We had the best room, but the pictures of the room are much better than the room itself. Its smaller and a little bit faded. However still lovely. The food was excellent.

La Plume - probably the nicest place we stayed - our room was MAGNIFICENT!  Every last bit of detail had been seen to, it was large enough to live in. The staff were amazing and the food outstanding. We easily could have stayed another night. Although a little out of Oudshoorn, the restaurant on the second night picked us up for free.

Knysna Hollow - we wouldn’t stay here again. It’s out of town, the room although well decorated was damp smelling. The actual hotel bit was very run down and the breakfast room like being back at the school canteen. Also Knysna for 2 nights was not great, We stopped at Storms River on the way to River Lodge - that was so exciting and buzzing. Maybe somewhere to think of?

Kariega River Lodge - for a hotel it was amazing. Have stayed at lots of lodges in the Kruger and private game reserves - they had done this very well. The setting was beautiful and the rooms lovely. We had however thought that we would have a river view, but only 2 rooms have views, so that was disappointing. They did move us for the second night. I must admit, the game drives were rather boring, as there isn’t much game.  I know that sounds very snobbish, but have been spoilt with the Sabi Sands etc when life is teaming. We are glad we went, as it was a lovely way to end the holiday. For first time safari goers I imagine it would be great, but lacked the adrenalin and enormity of the north. Our guide recognised we needed more and on the last morning took us out for a long walk where we got extremely close to about 10 giraffe, which was lovely and got some amazing photos. You of course fulfilled our brief totally with this, but it wouldn’t be something we would do again!

And so back to London…....and home. So that was Mark’s 50th. Mine is next year in November, so really want to look at the boat on the Chobe, Victoria Falls etc! Anyway, let you have a rest from us for now!!

Thank you so much for all the hard work and attention to detail as ever. I know we had a bit of a rocky start with Mark’s job ending etc .. and I imagine you wondered whether it would ever happen?! You were very patient!

Hope not I have rambled too much

Kind regards
Teresa (and Mark) Harrison

Anna-Lee.  I have to thank you for arranging such a wonderful trip for us. You had such a good concept of the itinerary, given the number of days we had. It was a very nice mix of highlights and appropriate amount of driving time. Shamwari was the highlight. Our ranger, Jan, was fantastic, and I would recommend that you request him for future client bookings. We saw all of the Big Five (including both white and black rhinos) plus hippos and cheetahs, all in a single day.

I much appreciated your super responsive service at every step, and I would certainly recommend you to anyone interested in South Africa.  Have a happy and successful 2015.

Bruce

Hello Petru,

I’ve been recovering from a cold and getting back to normal routine.

Just wanted to tell you how fantastic our trip was. It is one thing to see captive animals but quite another to see them in their natural habitat…thrilling! I was very pleased with game lodges we stayed at…it was great to experience the different lodges each with their own unique personalities along with the people who run them. Elandela and Kana Kara were highly enjoyable, but the place I would return to is Muchenje…Robert and Joy were delightful warm funny and made us feel so included and welcome…such a privilege to hear their story and spend time with them and staff. And what a location…the views of the Chobe river were breathtaking.

And of course none of it would have happened without you, Petru. I’m so impressed with your professionalism, perseverance, and patience. The trip logistics were virtually flawless! Please convey my thoughts about your talents to your management. I will recommend your services to friends who are interested in visiting Africa.

Many thanks, Petru.

Wishing you warm and wonderful holidays.

Jan~

Dear Anna-Lee,

I would like to thank you sincerely, also on behalf of my entire group, for the wonderful tour you organised for us. Everything worked very well, and everybody was satisfied with the accommodation, the car (plenty of space for all the golf and luggage), the golf and all the rest (other than the little mishaps here and there all went well). Top marks for the hotel in Knysna; the same Fynbos which was also good and Bantry Bay (Camps Bay would have been better) was a little loud, but otherwise excellent service, as was the case in all the other hotels as well.

We had a little incident with the Avis Bus hitting some lost debris on the highway and causing a puncture, which Avis, however, fixed in an exemplary manner within a short space of time. Unfortunately I, as a member of a South African Golfclub, Sanlameer, overpaid on all the prepaid golf courses. On the non-prepaid golf courses my rate was less than half the German players rate. No complaints other than a few heads-up for future reference.

We all thank you once again most heartily for all you have done for us, and I take this opportunity of wishing you and your family a very blessed and merry Christmas and all the best for 2015.

Kind regards,
Klaus

Mit freundlichen Grüßen / Kind regards

Klaus Pampel

Dear Petru,

I have been thinking to write a review of my trip since I got back home. Due to my hectic workload, couldn’t do it.

South Africa - The pick-up and city tour both were very good. I know I was little upset with the first tour guy from Wilro. But the gentleman turned out to be a good tour guide.

Our stay at Michael Angelo was wonderful.  The room was exotic. The breakfast was out of this world!! The Nelson Mandela Square is a very safe place to wonder around. We had a nice relaxing dinner at the Piccolo Monde restaurant.

The Victoria Falls Safari Lodge was good. The room was okay with a nice view. The food was just okay at the restaurant. Nothing exotic. The restaurant staff, Dee was kind enough to pack our breakfast for the road transfer because we were running real late that day after coming back from Lions Walk.

I’m glad that we chose to stay at the Chobe Game lodge. It was an experience! The rooms were very comfi. We got 402/403 room as an upgrade. It was super comfi.

The food was excellent! They had a boma dinner party. The safari game drives were fine as well. We liked the boat rides best. It was serenely peaceful, watching the elephants with their babies cross the Chobe River.

Camp Xakanaxa was a different kind of experience! The ride on that small plane was so exciting!! Landing in a strip airport was an awesome thing to do.  The women at the camp are very friendly! The standalone cottages are cute!. Dinner was exceptionally good. In November, the weather was perfect for us. The woods were looking little dry. But that was an advantage (I thought) for the rangers to find the animals easily. Harrison was our ranger. A real good one!!

We enjoyed the overall trip very much. Thanks for your work to take care of our packed trip itinerary for a short period of time. Job well done!!

Just for your information, I would like to let you know that my credit card has been compromised in SA. I came to know about it last week when I got my credit card statement. The credit card company is investigating the fraudulent activities. Just caution your customers.

Thanks again
Best regards

Sumitra

Hi Cathy,

We are home and slowly recovering from jet lag.  The trip was fantastic.  Everything exceeded our expectations.  Shindzela was exactly what we were hoping for.  The African Rock Hotel was the perfect respite after the long days and long drive. Every reservation, every meet-and-greet went off without a hitch.  We had so many wonderful experiences that we both agreed this was our best trip ever.

Must mention that the staff at the Cape Town Hollow were very helpful.  They got us into our room pronto with cold drink in hand.  We had been traveling for 3 days and looked it, so their quick attentiveness was much appreciated.  During our stay they answered numerous dumb questions even to the point of going out into the street to point the direction we should walk.

Thank you for all your choices and arrangements.  We felt like VIPs with the service we were given. Pamela has an associate, Kathy, who has asked for your email address and is hoping for a similar trip.

Thanks again and our regards and thanks to Anna-Lee as well.

Edward and Pamela Brown

Hi Cathy,

I just wanted to send you a quick email to say ‘thanks’ for the wonderful job you did with booking our trip. We had a wonderful experience in Zimbabwe and Botswana. It was so simple knowing that you had taken care of everything. The whole trip went off without a hitch.

Thanks again, the 3 of us had a great time with many wonderful memories. I will not hesitate to recommend African Travel Gateway to other people for any trips they are planning.

Cheers
Daniel

Hello Anna-Lee,

The main chores are done and I can take the time to give you my feed-back.

First, as I told you earlier the synchronization of all the flights and transfers in between the camps was perfect. everybody was on time and ready to help.

Kasaka River Lodge
The localization was very good, the size perfect, small and personal, and the people very nice. We were lucky the camp was not busy and we had our own guide, Morrat,  a pleasant and good guide. We enjoyed very much the mix of cruise and drive safaris and discovered the “sundowners”.

Puku Ridge Camp
Well situated, with huge tents, personalized service with a table per couple or group. Good service.
unfortunately we had to share the safaris with 2 other couples. Alick, our guide was rather withdrawn and we just had to follow through ! he told us we could have asked for a private safari, did you know that ? he did his best. I realize we may be a bit difficult as we had not experienced this situation for a long time.

Camp Kuzuma
Beautiful camp but badly located. The closeness to the Zimbabwean border and their private hunting safaris kill any chance to see any animals there. Frustrated (the 2 of us and the 2 Australians) at the end of the 2nd day, we asked to organize our last day in Chobe, which was well and nicely done. Another con, the cook only serves on plates and imposes large quantity of food even when you ask for small portions, preferring to feed the animals with the left overs rather than pleasing his guests… how can you throw food away in such a poor country ?

Camp Xakanaka
Good camp with nice staff, already too big for us. Their organization of a brunch at 11.00am is awkward.If you drive a bit far or if you enjoyed the animals for too long, it was a RACE to be back on time for the brunch, and the source of a lot of complaints from other customers too. we had 3 guides and it went from the worst to the best. the last day was the best and we enjoyed the best of the Okavongo delta.

in Zambia, the sundowners were around 6.00pm when the sun went down and very enjoyable.

In Xakanaka, we had one at 5.00pm ! sitting in the middle of the Okavango to spend your time drinking gin and tonic…

One thing is sure, our next safaris will be the way we have always done in the past - private.

In South Africa,
The Woodall Lodge was great, in the middle of those lemon plantations. The 5 courses dinner was a bit too much but good.

The Mudlark Lodge is lost in the middle on nowhere. I thought it was on the Witsand side, my mistake. The people were pleasant, the garden and all its birds a pleasure. The drive on the dirt road is rather long, the ferry was quite an experience. But there are no boat trip possible to see the whales on that bay. Bad luck, we did not see any whales although we walked along the small trek around Infinita. The fynbos were beautiful. Not one shop around to buy water or food either. you depend completely on the lodge.

Otherwise, we had a new car, we enjoyed our tour. Did not miss much by not going to Knysna the first time. The weather was much cooler and had an hour of rain. It was a good trip. We will look into Malawi and Zambia again maybe for next year.

Thank you again for the good work, will get in touch later.

France GABET

Hey Lize

Sorry its taken so long to get back to you but things have been hectic since our return.

Please find our thoughts below.

Transfers : It was absolute ly lovely to be met at the airport with a professional driver who is holding our name card!!

All the transfers you had organised were on time and most professional and made the transition from the long flight to our accommodation very pleasant.

Waterfront Village apartments. 1st rate apartment within very easy walk to main centres of Capetown. This accommodation was very clean and well maintained with friendly staff. Highly recommended as we spent many great hours exploring the town from this spot. One of the big pluses for us was the affordability of the food and drink in South Africa.

Schulpoek Sea Front Guest House at Hermanus. I was a bit hesitant to be staying at a small guest house but I have to say this was one of the high lights of our stay. The Host was lovely and did not intrude on our stay at all with the dinner and wine on site top rate and eating with the other guests was an experience that we all enjoyed immensely. The host gave us a few ideas on things to do around town were we had a beautiful lunch in town, right down by the waterfront with wales passing by at regular intervals and a lovely Saturday morning at the local markets. We also did the great white shark dive from this spot as it was only 40 mins up the road. I would highly recommend this place for any of your future guests.

Franschhoek Country House. Once again a lovely old style accommodation the only complaint we had was this was the only accommodation not to offer a king size bed. The breakfast was very good but possibly the dinner offered was not up to our high expectations of what we had had before but this is a very small negative. We accessed a great wine tour organised from the front desk that fulfilled all our wine tasting requirements and on the plus side as we had to leave early to catch our flight to Kruger the kitchen staff organised a very early Breakfast in our rooms that was much appreciated.

Avis rentals. Exactly on time with a very new car that was very easy to drive and we certainly enjoyed the freedom of driving ourselves. The only tip is to make sure you fill the car before getting it back as to fill it from empty would cost approx $120 but to bring it back without a full tank they charged our credit card the full $200

Ngala Safari Lodge. This was by far the best experience we had in South Africa! The staff all went out of their way to make our stay so very personal with the guide already having our names memorised before we arrived and the novelty of having your own personal butler was something we never expected. The accommodation was absolutely beautiful with the house keeping staff doing the most wonderful job with our rooms and our washing always pristine. We had a most wonderful experience of an out door Boma in the bush on our first night and to have our guide Dan eat dinner with us was something we enjoyed very much. Everyone on staff at Ngala seemed to have our best interests at heart but most special was Dan our guide who went out of his way to see we had anything we needed and to find all our individual preferences for seeing the beautiful wildlife of this area.We were very sad to leave this place and I would have loved to have had an extra couple of days with this wonderful outfit at Ngala.

Kirkmans Camp. Possibly if we had done this camp first they would not have had to live up to the expectations of our previous stay at Ngala. The camp is certainly a different style of accommodation than Ngala but saying that it also was very good. Our guide I think suffered from the brilliant experience we had had previously and we all felt we did not get the personalised attention we enjoyed before but in saying this it still was a brilliant 3 days that we all enjoyed. The food at both camps was top rate and the highlight at Kirkmans was our waiter Cynthia who was the most lovely lady who stuffed us full of food and beverage every time we sat down that we all came home a few kilos heavier than what we left.

Andbeyond are a very professional organisation that take the job of looking after their guests very seriously which reflect the experience that we all had at the game parks as one of total enjoyment and something that will stay high in our memories for years to come.

Most of all thanks to you Lize for helping Alex organise this trip of a lifetime for us as everything was perfect and we are already looking forward to the day in the not to distant future that we can return and I look forward to using African Travel Gateway again.

Many thanks
Mark and Ingrid Odgers

Hi Lize

Short answer – a superb holiday; organisation impeccable, game viewing excellent and varied, accommodation luxurious. Food abundant, varied and really nice. Staff extremely pleasant and were always there for us. All but one of our guides were great and the other was still good but a little tired.

OR Tambo very welcome and pleasant.

Royal Tree Lodge inviting and a nice place for a stopover. Some game inside the enclosure and nice walks.

Xigera was excellent. Most viewing from the river but worthwhile dry land activity as well.

Selinda was the most varied of all camps. Our guide was a cat man and we saw lots of action. Lovely food, breads and cakes.

Pride of Zambezi was a nice break and very good. Couldn’t believe the number of elephants visible but we saw many other things.

Victoria Falls Safari Lodge was excellent, luxurious and very cosy. Food, staff and outlook all you could ask.

Davison’s Lodge was great and brought back memories of our last stay next door. Ann’s favourite on tour.

David Livingstone Lodge was the only slight disappointment of the trip. Check-in staff were excellent but general staff weren’ t that interested. Food was ok but not up to the standards elsewhere.

Lion Camp is impressive and away from most game drives. Lots happened including a lion kill between 2 lodges early one morning.

Chichele – again great. Plenty to see, nice atmosphere and staff.

Kasaka River Lodge - Hippo pod – what a shock. The four of us treated like royalty with totally personal service. A magnificent way to end. By the way the canoe ride was wonderful and very easy.

Thanks for your efforts – everything went so smoothly. The travel organisation was impeccable – people always looking for and after us.

Geoff, Ann, Jan and Gary

Petru,

We have just returned from our visit to your amazing country.  Thank you for providing us with such a great itinerary allowing us to see and experience so much of South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Botswana.  The accommodations were all clean and comfortable, the staffs friendly and attentive, the safaris amazing and fun, and the transportation timely and efficient.  You did an outstanding job, and we are so appreciative that you gave us the opportunity to experience so much in such a short period of time.  The Shindzela Camp was the highlight of the trip.  The camp was comfortable and the staff, especially Johan, made our four days there an experience that we will never forget.

I hope that we will have the opportunity to visit again and take advantage of your expertise.  We will be sure to recommend you anyone we know that may have South Africa in their future travel plans.

Thank you again,

Robert & Susan Stracy

Hi Lize,

Thank you for following up. We had an amazing trip and loved our time in South Africa and Zimbabwe. Your travel recommendations were spot on and I believe our only complaint was the unseasonable cold weather in Cape Town and Thornybush during our visit. We can’t rave enough about our experiences at Inyati and Chapungu.

We’ll definitely recommend your services to friends and family who may be planning trips to Southern Africa in the future. I, for one, can’t wait to come back for a visit very soon.

Thanks again for all your help and guidance!

Katharine Brewer

Hi Lize,

Thanks very much for moving everything for us on such short notice.  We were thrilled with the people you booked us with.  The gyrocopter, shark diving company and our travel companions were all great in Cape Town.  At Rhino, our only complaint was the lack of heat at night when it got quite cold.  We appreciate we hit a cold front but even two Canadian girls found it hard to function at 2 degrees without heat in the room.  Having said that, I appreciate the accommodations aim for a truly nature experience and it was great to be so close to the wildlife that came to visit.  The food, staff and guides were all amazing to us.

Gerri is the Facebook girl and I think will be following up with a Facebook like, post or whatever it is people do on Facebook.  I’m very grateful for all of your assistance and how smoothly things ran (despite us missing our flight).  I will recommend you to anyone intending to travel to Africa.

Regards,
Lynda

Hi Lize,

Just got back safely from the rest of our trip in South Africa.

All of the arrangements you made for us worked out really well. All of the guides that met us were very informative , punctual and polite. The accommodation was excellent in both places, especially Chobe where we were upgraded to a suite. Their staff and organization were all excellent, we were lucky enough to see the Big 4 there. Do encourage everyone to book a Boma dinner in Victoria Falls, we really enjoyed that. The only aspect that could have been better was the trip to Mpala village, unfortunately the elder had to attend a funeral so was not available to show us around and the school holidays had just started so we couldn’t see the school - both unavoidable but meant it wasn’t as good as it might have been.

We had an amazing time on our trip - Thanks for everything,

Suzanne Efron

Thank you so much for planning this amazing trip!  We all had a blast, and enjoyed every minute of it.

All of our reservations went smoothly, and we thoroughly enjoyed learning about Victoria Falls and the village we visited.  I cannot say enough good things about our experience.

It was a great pleasure working with you, and I look forward to working with you again if I ever come out to Africa again.

Thank you,
Marianne

Dear Lize,

Habari asubui, safari nsuri sana….
Good morning, wonderful trip!!!

What you sold us was exactly what we had, that means, no surprises, no changes of plans , I was concerned about.

African Tulip, I was surprised, very nice hotel.

Rhotia Valley Lodge, beautiful place, what was a surprise, was to have a warm bag in our beds at night….. Simply delicious! It was a little bit cold..

The driver, Onesmo, wonderful person, very nice, very knowledgeable about places, animals, birds, preys and hunting…

The camps were just perfect, we learned about saving water, light, even using the same clothes for more than 2 days, cities are just an excesive expenditure of such valuable things we do not appreciate when we have them.

The views impressive, the people very warm, and very helping .

What I enjoyed most, personally , was Rhotia Valley, so green, great land for cultivation, Ngorongoro Crater, incredible! , Siringeti and its different landscapes, was just a special contact with nature , that I still keep fresh .

Food on camps delicious, and a lot, specially at night, even though I would have liked to taste some local african food, I missed that.

Lunch boxes good,perhaps too many fried and cold things, I would suggest more fresh things , boiled eggs and cakes its ok, but , apples, vegetable sticks with a cheese or sauce, like cucumbers and carrots sticks I would have added , or vegetable sandwiches, cause during the day its warm enough.

Landcruiser very good , we had no problems at all, Onesmo very responsable at all times, he had to fix the back struts, or, coil spring ? with those roads I don’t think it lasts too long, but I thing tires were a little old?

Thank you again, hope this helps,

Wish you good luck, and please, if you know how to contact Onesmo, send him a warm and special hug from us , he’ s just a great person!

Warm regards,

Margarita

Dear Petru,

Very many thanks for all your arrangements. All was smooth.

Johannesburg guide was very talkative and cautious, but it was very special going to Soweto on the anniversary of the Soweto uprising. The whole place was buzzing.

Falcon in Zimbabwe were very professional and we did the helicopter trip through them, and very good it was too. The Victoria Falls Safari Club was grand, but if I ever return I will try for the Victoria Falls Hotel! The guide for the village tour and the Falls walk was again talkative and opinionated, but pleasant enough. The booze cruise was tremendous, partly due to it being a quite small boat, so we the chance to interact with many others, and the booze was suitably quaffable.

Transfer to Botswana very smooth and we were handed over to another company at the border, enjoying an off road trip to the Elephant Valley Lodge with a very amusing driver. Elephant Valley was just what I wanted, our guide for the trips was great, and for our trip on the Chobe River, we were the only two on the boat. That was very special. The manager at Elephant Valley Lodge clearly wanted us to join him and his wife at the bar after dinner, but the four guests were frozen after the evening outdoor meal and could not linger as the electric blankets were calling. We passed on the last morning’s activities and just stayed in the camp before transfer to Kasane Airport.

Mr. Corey Mak, who was with me, is on Facebook and he has looked at your company’s page. What kind of pics would you like posted there?

Appreciatively yours,
Esmonde

Good morning!

Paula and I just arrived home late Friday night - I’m so tired and jet lagged that I’m sure it was my good intention to send a note to myself to remind me to contact you! I must have hit “reply” instead. My apologies for the confusion.

After our African Travel Gateway portion of our journey, we moved on to Madagascar for two weeks. Although it is a very beautiful and interesting place to visit, the countries and experiences we shared during the first week moving through Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia were definitely the highlights of our trip.

I’m still sorting through the 4000+ photos I took but would be glad to post some on FB and offer you any you wish for your own promotional use.

Lize, I would recommend highly this tour and any other arranged by African Travel Gateway and I do plan to make that clear when I write my review on Trip Advisor. From the start, and in spite of our many questions and concerns, your company (especially you) took care of everything. All of the places we stayed in were represented fairly in your advertisements and emails, the staff hired along the way (Falcon in Zimbabwe, as I recall) were top quality. The Victoria Falls safari lodge was top quality and we took advantage of the extra day there to do the canoe ride on the Zambezi that included breakfast and lunch. Running the small rapids with my wonderful Wild Horizons Zimbabwe boat paddler is still one of my favorite trip memories.

I have been to Kenya and Tanzania multiple times and so have experienced many game drives. I have never had such a good driver as Zambo who works for the Botswana Elephant Valley Lodge! He was a lot of fun, extremely knowledgeable, and could drive amazingly well.

Everything was terrific, but another highlight for me was the Safariboat in Namibia. Now that is the way to go. Fun tender boat game drives by day, great food, candlelight and fine wine by night. We were very fortunate to share the small boat with some very lovely people as well.

I could go on and on! If there was a glitch at all, it was caused by the long lines at Zimbabwe immigration, putting our Falcon bus in a situation of having to choose whether to drop the larger group at the hotel first or take Paula and me directly to the airport in order to catch our flight. Edna and the bus driver fixed the situation by arranging for a small car to meet us at the hotel so, as soon as we arrived, we were whisked off to the airport in a faster car than the bus. We made our flight after all and were so grateful.

If there are any specific questions I can answer for you about any part of our journey, hotels, food, dining, gift shops, the roads… Please let me know. Meanwhile, I will enthusiastically recommend African Travel Gateway to all I meet, will be sure to display your company name proudly when I do my slides presentation, give you top ratings on Trip Advisor and Facebook, and hope that someday I’ll have the good fortune to travel using your services again.

Thank you again for a trip of a lifetime!

Kindest regards - and my very best to you, Petru and the rest of your staff,

Mary

Our trip is now completed and we are back in Singapore.

We had a wonderful trip that exceeded our expectations in all respect.
You did an absolutely outstanding job in selecting locations and making the transits from location to location work without any issues.

The Lodges you had choosen held very high standards and provided excemplary service, food and intineraries.

Thank you very much, you will get our absolute recommendation.

Kind regards
Bjørn-Tore Dischington and Åse Grødem

Dear Cathy:

Please be advised that Patricia Martin and I sincerely appreciate your tireless ef forts to make our visit to South Africa a most memorable one.  We both agree that our most recent trip to South Africa has been our best holiday yet.  We have traveled to 5 continents and South Africa is now at the top of the list. I know this is in part because of you and your ear to listen to our wants and needs while in your beautiful country.  Your employer is very fortunate to have you on staff.  We really appreciate your responding to our every request.  You gave us many choices to choose from to make this the ideal trip and it was indeed. Making my own travel arrangements without knowing my travel agent or the agency was truly a first for me and I was not disappointed in you or African Travel Gateway.  I had 3 agencies to choose from and I chose African Travel Gateway.  More than happy that I chose African Travel Gateway.

Thanks for listening to me when we had a problem with our tourguide at the airport in Cape Town.  Truly he was not capable of giving us the excitement and Knowledge of Cape Town (as Graham, the replacement, kudos to Graham).  On our free day, we got to visit Robben Island and Victor Verster.  Words are inadequate to express our gratitude to African Travel for such a wonderful experience.  We were so blessed to have been in Cape Town at that time.  The timing of our return to JoBerg made it possible for us to attend a “celebration of life” event for Mr. Mandela and that was a special treat.

Cathy, the trip you planned for us was one in a million.  The safari was excellent!!  We got to see 4 of the big 5.  All of the hotels were good.  Our favorite was “African Rock”.  The staff was EXCELLENT.

All and all, we want to thank you and African Travel Gateway for an excellent vacation.

With kind regards, I am
Most sincerely,

Brenda Stanley Austin

cc:  Manager/Owner African Travel

Cathy

Our trip was perfectly planned and we felt the care and professionalism that you so skillfully organized to make it so special.  Please know that we couldn’t have chosen a better company to deal with than African Travel Gateway. You were wonderful throughout. I will send another thank you shortly.

Thanks much!!!!!!

Brenda Austin

Thank you for all the arrangements made for us. Every place we were received by friendly folks who were very courteous, kind, very helpful and knowledgeable. The timing of pick up was perfect on schedule, food was good and they made effort to give us vegetarian choices. The weather also cooperated well and Chobe and Zimbabwe animals turned out at the right time for us to get some nice pictures. I will be doing a travelogue on the trip and publish it in my blog. Thanks Cindy Botha for all your prompt replies and remarkable arrangements. Thara Narasimhan

Dear Petru,

Just wanted to take a moment to say thanks for all your efforts in putting together our wonderful visit to Victoria Falls.  Janice and I thoroughly enjoyed everything—the Africa Rock Hotel (accommodations, food, transfers); the Victoria Falls Safari Club (accommodations, food, views, transfers); guided tour of the falls and visit to Mr. Empala’s village; sunset cruise; and the Boma dinner.  We added a helicopter tour of the falls as well.  The weather, lodging, food, tours, and people we met were all outstanding.

We had such a super time on our safari in Kenya we thought that maybe we should have ended our first visit to Africa there and not tried to add the extra days in Victoria Falls.  However, after spending a day or two in Victoria Falls, we realized that it was going to be just as good as Kenya, if not better.

So, thanks again for helping to make Victoria Falls such a memorable part of our African adventure.

With best wishes,
Bob and Janice

Dear Petru,

Congratulations on planning a perfect holiday, there was not one thing that didn’t go to plan. You did a fantastic job. We had a wonderful group of people and a very good cook with Nomad, big day with some of the drives, no one complained. Found Malawi very poor with a beautiful lake. Tanzania beautiful and the people, our 3 days in Arusha we found a children home ” Cradle of Love ” we spent 3 half days helping with these dear little babies, lots of tears from Kel and I to leave.

I loved my return trip to Zanzibar the accommodation very up market for that type of a trip. Then Predators Safari tour—well from putting up our tents to having your bed turned down with mints on our pillow, we couldn’t say one better than the other,  both part of the African experience.

Lots and lots of animals didn’t see the leopard, I have from other trips.
Noticed improvements in Nairobi and Zanzibar, Dar es Salaam another experience with roads and traffic.

Petru thank-you so much for all the work you put into making our trip so memorable. Kel and Kerrie plan a return trip and for myself 4 times to this wonderful country I really need to move on.

Best Wishes lots of love
Nancy

Anna,

I just wanted to send a warm thank you for your hard work and team
of people who so responsibly met us at every stop and made sure we were
comfortable and knew what we were supposed to do.  We met wonderful people
on our journey from various parts of the world and I can’t imagine their
trip was any better than ours.  We were able to see the big five and many
other animals, some very rare to see, the Sitatunga, honey badger, and
malachite kingfisher.  We loved all of the places we stayed—The Elephant
Lodge, so so, but we did get to see the leopard and male lion there. Our
favorite was Camp Okavango because we were treated like royalty.  I will
recommend African Travel Gateway to any of my friends who are heading to Africa and I hope to go back again. It was a trip of a lifetime and we did not want to come home!

Sharon Cobb

Cindy,

We finished our trip last night and wanted to let you know how happy we were
with your services. We have traveled with a lot of different tour companies
over the years and your service was the absolute best.  Thank you so much
for your personal service, attention to detail and promptness.

You put together an excellent package that exceeded our expectations.
Every detail was professionally organized and communicated very clearly and
that certainly in not always the case.  Unfortunately very often we are left
waiting for drivers or guides to show up. With your package we did not have
a single delay, late driver or mis-communication.

Please share our comments with you manager, who really needs to be aware
just how great you are.  We look forward to working with you on another
package and will certainly recommend African Travel Gateway.

Thanks again

John and JoAnn

... Steven and I took our trip in April 2013. Anna Lee was absolutely wonderful to work with. I must say, I had hesitation working with a company so far away from home and one that I didn’t know anything about. After much research on the Internet though, and contacting many different travel agencies, I decided to go with African Travel Gateway. The reason why was because of how quickly Anna Lee responded to me and her openness to suggesting what she felt would be the best for my husband and I.

Anna Lee planned our trip from Johannesburg to Victoria Falls and Botswana. Words can’t express how great the planning was done. Our transfers were always on time and the rides were very comfortable. Our stay at the African Rock Hotel in Johannesburg and trip to the Cradle of Humankind were phenomenal.  We had our own personal tour guide, who made the trip to the Cradle of Humankind extremely nice. He was very knowledgeable on the area and very friendly. The African Rock hotel personal were also very friendly. The room was comfortable and the food was excellent.

Our hotel stay in Victoria Falls, at the Ilala Lodge, was very nice. My husband and I were the only two people who toured Victoria Falls with Brian. It was extremely personal and Brian was very knowledgeable about the area. After our tour, Brian took us to a local African restaurant called Mama Africa Eating House. It was great, having lunch with Brian and learning the history of the area.

Brian transported us to the border of Botswana, where we were picked up and transported to the airport. At the airport, a staff member from Camp Kuzuma picked us up.  Camp Kuzuma was the best. My husband and I were the only two people staying at the camp and needless to say we were treat absoulutely wonderfully. I highly recommend Camp Kuzuma to anyone who has plans on going to Botswana. During our stay at Camp Kuzuma, we took a day trip to Chobe National Park. Once again, the day went fantastically. Everything from the transfers to the tour of Chobe National Park.

Thank you so much Anna Lee for the excellent service you gave me and all your great planning. We couldn’t have asked for anything more. Since my return to the United States I have passed your name, and African Travel Gateways name, to everyone I have talked to planning a trip to Africa.

In the future, my husband and I would like to tour more of Africa. When we do, we will definitely contact Anna Lee.

Thanks again Anna Lee…..

Alison and Steven Phillips, Colorado USA

Petru:  We are home, and tired!  we wanted to thank you for your wonderful help.  Everything worked out great.  No glitches the whole way, to troubles.  Just one or two little things I will mention.  But we loved everywhere we went and everything was arranged perfectly.  We were very impressed by everyone’s timeliness.  We want to let you know that Falcon Safari’s in Zimbabwe was right on the minute every single time and it was well appreciated.

When we save some more money 😊, Africa is surely on our list to come back to, and we will look you up first thing.

Only two little issues, Lokuthula was so HOT, it was way too uncomfortable without aircon for us, but we will know next time to ask for an upgrade.  And the GPS took us near, but not to African Rock.  Finally after an hour and a half and help from locals including the police, the hotel driver rescued us.  An awesome place when we made it.  Well, it isn’t even close to what the GPS did to our daughter in Costa Rica, 😊, so she has a much better story.

Anyway, again, thanks so much for your efficiency and we will surely put a wonderful review of African Travel Gateway on Trip Advisor, soon—when we wake up.

Susan Kilkenny

Hi Anna-Lee

I just wanted to say how much we enjoyed our trip - it was amazing!!

We enjoyed each country with the different experiences - we were treated to an upgrade at the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge as we were celebrating our wedding anniversary. The Boma was great fun so thank you for arranging the booking for us. Victoria Falls are incredible and to cap it all with the sunset cruise - wonderful time.

Ernest and the crew on the Ichobezi house boat looked after us extremely well and the two nights passed very quickly but we seemed to do a lot in a relaxed way. I think it was also the best food on our entire holiday!

Then to finish with the safari in Botswana at Elephant Valley Lodge where our guide took us to see lots of wildlife and birds. At breakfast on our first morning we watched the water buffalo almost fill the nearby waterhole and then at dinner elephant and other animals would have a quiet drink whilst we could hear lion booming nearby. We were also treated to an anniversary cake at dinner - so we celebrated our anniversary well and truly.

We found it reassuring to know that we would be met and taken through customs at each point in the holiday and everyone was very welcoming.

Many thanks

Marie

Sept 2013 Travelled to South Africa on a wine tasting and safari trip with
friends.  We arrived in Cape-town and spent 2 nights at Leeuwenvoet Guest
House which is within a 20 min walk to the warf.  However, there are great
local restaurants around the corner ie. Miller’s Thumb and Nelson’s Eye.  We
had a day tour of the Cape.  due to I climate weather we were not able to go
to tabletop Mtn nor take a boat trip to see the seals.  We did see lots of
penguins & baboons and had a lovely walk in the Kirstenbosch botanical
gardens.  Next stop was LaFontaine Guesthouse in Franschhoek which was very
nice with beautiful suites that included Insuite fireplaces.  The town is
small and geared for the tourist trade but seemed much nicer than
Stellenbosch.  Plus, there are many wonderful restaurants within walking
distance ( we ate at Reuben’s and went back the next night for a repeat of
the dessert…..Malva pudding!). This is a great spot to explore the nearby
wineries of Paarl, Stellenbosch, and Franschhoek .  Dave,our guide took us
to 4 very good wineries (favorite that day was Delheim, where we had a
lovely lunch).  The next day was our “free”” day which we booked another
wine tour and again made it to 3 wineries, one included wine and cheese
pairing at Fairview and the Spice route included wine and
chocolate…..never had room for lunch.  The views from here were fabulous.
Our non wine drinker found his muse in the car museum next to One of the
wineries. If planning it again think I would drive out here first, plan on
spending another day or two and skip Capetown till our return.  Next we
travelled onto Grootbos Nature Reserve where we were spoiled by fabulous
food, spa treatments, and romantic private cottages (forest lodge)with
stunning views of the ocean and milkwood forest and finbos.  All activities
were included in our stay and when the weather did not cooperate we were
given the option of visiting winery’s and wine tasting.  Two nights were
not enough and would have loved to have extended here.  The next morning we
were off early for our trip north to Thorny Bush Game reserve with
accommodations at Waterbuck Lodge where we spent 3 nights. This was a real
treat again as there were only 4 cabins and the camp was very intimate.  The
manager and guide (Anita and Hannes) were great and not only did we see the
big 5 we did it on multiple drives and saw some once in a lifetime
events…lions roaring, leopards hunting…..the food here was more than
plentiful and the chef catered to any dietary need.

Our agent, Anna Lee worked with us for months and was very helpful in
getting all of our arrangements made.  She chose perfect facilities.  All of
our transfers were on time and had spacious vehicles that were very
comfortable.  All of our guides were extremely knowledgeable and personable,
catering to everyone’s needs.

Word of caution for those with American Passports…when traveling to South
Africa one needs 3 blank VISA pages…the “endorsement ” pages at the back
of the passport do not count!

I would not hesitate to have African Travel Gateway plan my next trip, nor
would I have any hesitation in recommending them to others.

Thanks again for a great trip
Maureen

Hello Lize,

Sorry it has taken me so long to get back to you regarding our trip.

I would like to say a HUGE thanks to you for everything regarding our trip especially regarding the last minute changes we had to make. We were extremely happy with everything especially the game lodges! We are considering taking our family over in 2014 and will definately be going through African Travel Gateway again.

Thank you,
Alex

Oh my god Petru, amazing travels, thank you so much for helping us organise!! Hopefully be in touch to get my dad organised next.

Cheers
Claire Lonzi

*****

Good Morning Petru,

Quick email to let you know that we have finished our safari holiday and to send our thanks. It has been the experience of a life time. Everything went very smoothly due to your great planning and organisation. If anyone asks for advice regarding safaris I would heartily recommend you and African Travel Gateway.

Thanks once again.
Kind Regards
Gillian Mays

Anna-Lee Botha, we love you!  We are back from our safari, and despite our many fears going into this, and our hundred emails back and forth, I am home and we are THRILLED with our experience!.  Predators safari was everything it was promised to be and more, and we are just delighted.  It was more than we could have dreamed and we wanted to thank you for a trip-of-a-lifetime!!!  Thank you so very much for answering all of our questions and reassuring us along the way.  The hotels were lovely, the views were stunning, the animals were magnificent and Felix and James from Predators were professional and experienced and fun to be around!  It was perfect!!!  Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! 

With deep gratitude and appreciation,

Dana and Donald Kalinowski

Hi Cindy,

Just want to say thank you to you & Howard for helping with the arrangement.

The pick-up & meet-up by your respective agent at Victoria Falls, Botswana & Johannesburg was on-time and as per arrangement.

My wife & me had a great time & lovely memories of this trip. Many thanks again & best regards,

Chung Koi Huing

We arrived home yesterday and wanted to let you know that everything went
well with all the travel plans. We had a fantastic time. Kapama Buffalo was
amazing and would highly recommend it to anyone. I did give African Travel
Gateway to two other travellers on the trip. We were so pleased with
everything you arranged for us and will continue to recommend you.

I only have one suggestion. The Africa Rocks Hotel was wonderful but it is very
difficult to find. When we were returning from Kapama we had such difficulty
that we finally brought the car back to Avis at the airport and the driver
from Africa Rocks came to pick us up at Avis. If you could put into your
packet the directions (like you have for Kapama and the Graskop Hotel) I
think that would be beneficial. In fact, the next morning at breakfast there

were two other groups and each of them had gotten lost too. It is a gem of a

hotel, but hidden in Kempton Park.

Thank you again,
Marilyn Vreugdenhil

Dear Petru,

Sincerely want to thank you for arranging such adventure journey for us, I was truly amazed by your professional attentive booking service. We enjoyed every moment throughout the journey, especially on Zambezi Queen, the river game was a different kind of Africa experience, it was an eye-opening experienced to see schools of Elephants swam across the river!! It made our jaws drop! Love the luxurious Khwai River Lodge over-looking the river with tonnes of Hippos, elephants…etc! In addition, guides were knowledgeable and helpful. Thank you once again, we are already thinking another trip with Africa Travel Gateway.

April

Hi Petru,

I wanted to thank you for your help in making our experience at Victoria Falls a huge success. I especially wanted you to know that our guide, Brian Bandera was fabulous. From the moment he picked us up we knew we were in great hands.  Not only were Brian’s explanations precise and clear,  he also showed great compassion for the people of Zimbabwe.  He was very patient and answered all of our questions.  I sent Falcon Safaris a note from their website but would appreciate you letting them know as well.

Also, we loved both hotels.  We wished we could have stayed an extra night at the
African Rock Hotel.  It was very special.

Once again, thank so much.

Myra Smith

Hi Cindy and Anna-Lee,

Just want to thank you both and African Travel Gateway for yet another fantastic experience. This is now my third trip with your organization and I continue to be pleased with your services. The care and level of detail that you provide has kept me coming back and now after three trips, I am only more convinced than ever to exclusively rely on your support for any future travel plans throughout Africa!

I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve prepared a few things (nothing bad) for consideration to help other travelers. If it’s helpful for you, then great! If not…not to worry! 😊 But here are some suggestions:

Overall itinerary was fantastic. In most cases we were ready to move on after 2 nights. However, our 3 nights in Epupa were amazing (see below). All of the lodges and destinations were special in their own way.

Epupa Falls was one of our favorite destinations. While lodging was the simplest of all the places, it was also the most relaxing (partly because we spent 3 nights there…which was great). But the food here was also probably the best of all the lodges as well. Staff were superb, too. The final 800m or so drive into the camp is very rough road though.

Directions and maps. All great. In some cases there were a few corrections that should be made:

• Etosha Park fees: our information packet told us to pay the fees at the lodge. But this is incorrect. When we entered the park, the attendant told us to go the park office to pay the fees. So I called Dolomite Lodge to confirm and they instructed us that we must pay first at that office before proceeding to Dolomite.

• The directions to Swakopmund via “moon valley” and “welwitshia plains” were a little confusing when we reached the D1982. We turned left (toward Swakopmund). It wasn’t long before we realized that we should have turned right (toward Windhoek) to reach the D1985 to take us to the C28. Maybe just adding that to the directions would be great. The C14 out of Sossousvlei was just a terrible road, too. Overall, this was one of our longest drives actually. We kind of rushed the drive through moon valley and welwitschia plains and still were driving into Swakopmund at dusk…even with an early start the day.

• Page 11 of our book…please check the directions “When you reach the C39 turn left and travel in easterly direction, and then take the D2743 south Vingerklip Lodge.” As we were heading north, we knew turning left would take us west…and in the wrong direction of Vingerklip. So we figured the “easterly” direction was correct. Again…not a huge deal, but for a moment we were confused as to which way was the correct way.

• Advice on hitchhikers. Namibia is full of people needing a lift. And while common sense tells us not to pick people up usually…given the vastness of the country, I would like to have known thoughts on this. We were feeling bad and wondering if we should have stopped now and again.

• Lunches included. We always bought the lunch packs from the lodges…which worked out great. Since there really is no other option for food, it would be nice if the lodges just included a lunch in the overnight fee… Maybe most people don’t like that…but for us…we would have appreciated just paying upfront for all that. But it wasn’t a huge deal…just a nice to have.

• Timing. In addition to kilometers…would be great to give a rough estimate on driving time, etc. Our long drive from Vingerklip to Epupa actually proved to be no longer in terms of hours than other days because there was tarred road for easily 400+ km of the 670 km or so that we drove. However, the biggest thing was the first day of driving to Sossousvlei. The guy who met us at the airport told us about a lunch place in Solitaire…however by the time I got my Namibian SIM card (the airport was out) and we stocked up on water and some snacks at Checkers in Windhoek, we got a fairly late start on our drive. By the time we reached Solitaire it was 2:30 and we didn’t really have time to stop to eat. If he had told us something like…”make sure you get going out of Windhoek no later than 9:30 to make it Solitaire by 12:30” or something like that…that would have been super helpful.

• Getting through Outjo proved a little tricky…there are no signs for the main road once you enter town…and a few twists and turns in the road where it’s not clear where to go. But we ended up figuring it out. Just an FYI.

Jim Rhyne

Dear Lize,

I hope you are well.

We had the most wonderful holiday and can’t thank you enough for your expert planning, suggestions and thoughfulness - thanks to you we had the most amazing trip and are still smiling from ear to ear with the memories.

The planning you did was so meticulous, it all went smoothly and every transfer, lodge and tour was first class.  I have told all my friends that they must visit South Africa and experience a Safari (as long as they use Lize at African Travel Gateway they will have the trip of a lifetime).

I wish you and all your colleagues all the best wishes and I really, really, really hope that I will be able to use your service again in the future!

Mitzi James

Hi Anna-Lee,

Again thank you for your help in planning and arranging our holiday to Victoria Falls.  We are now back in the UK, back with cool temperatures and plenty of rain.  Already I miss Africa, and we have been home just 3 days.

With this email, I wanted to let you know how things worked out.  Interestingly, upon arrival at Victoria Falls Airport, we were greeted by the inefficient handling of crowds, not to mention clearly corrupt airport officials.  While waiting towards the end of a long queue, one of the airport officials walked the line asking each of us our nationalities.  When I said US, he told me $30 usd for visa.  The same was true for all other nationalities.  Upon asking Dave and hearing British, he said it would be $55 usd.  Given his expression and mannerisms, this was a clear example of corruption.  Dave told me that there is nothing to be done, that this guy looked like the sort who would not need much excuse to throw someone in jail.  Finally after at least an hour, we were free to leave the airport.

The Kingdom Hotel is a lovely resort.  Our room was located in a very ideal location for us.  It was in a block of rooms away from the main areas, the room was facing inside onto natural pools.  We enjoyed sitting on our balcony watching the bird life and listening to the burble of the small waterfalls between the pools.  Some of the services left a little to be desired at the hotel though.  The tea served in the restaurant was disgusting.  They used urns for coffee, tea, and milk.  It seems that no urn was ever cleaned so the tea tasted sort of like coffee, and Dave reported that the milk was not fresh.  When I tried to get a few extra tea bags for our room. they did not get it to us for hours.  Anyway, those are minor little things.

Our first day tour was enjoyable.  Dave having been there before was a bit disappointed by the growth (but that is a sad reality everywhere).  Anyway, at the falls, there had been so much rain that there was too much water - according to tour guides.  The falls were roaring.  We got soaked despite wearing raincoats.  The areas which we could explore were greatly limited compared to what Dave recalls.  To get to the boabab tree, one has to leave the falls grounds and walk the main road.  We never went.  At the falls, we could walked paths from Livingstone’s statue, along view points, through a bit of rain forest to Danger Point and a view of the bridge.  Going across the bridge, besides costing a lot more money, requires going into town to register to go across.

After the falls, our guide took us to a homestead village ... not the one on the itinerary but to Monde Village.  He preferred to arrive there unannounced so we would get a more realistic view of life in the village.  There was an asian woman with Dave and me on this excursion.  What a pleasant and eye opening experience.  I thoroughly enjoyed going around the village with Crispen Ncube, our host.

We had a few hours between the village visit and the sunset cruise.  Because the water levels have been so high, there wasn’t much coastal dry land for wildlife.  Nonetheless, it was another wonderful experience.

On our free day, Dave and I walked to Victoria Falls.  We spent the day there looking at the falls and exploring the grounds for birds.  We had a pleasant lunch at the cafe near the entrance.  It was nice that the we could walk to and from the falls.

Our departure on Friday went smoothly enough, though the queues at the airport again reflected the inefficiency and poor set up they have at the airport.  The return flight went smoothly without incident.

Again thank you for your assistance.  Also now my credit card company has worked out the payment problems, and I have paid off the balance.

Julie

Hello Lize,

We arrived home safely yesterday (Monday) afternoon following three nights in Istanbul.

Just a short note to thank you for arranging a fantastic adventure for me and my son. The itinerary and time spent in each place was perfect and fortunately for us, the weather co-operated throughout the trip.

Dave Hearn was a fabulous guide and a very nice person. Shark cage diving, white water rafting and bungee were very exhilarating and the accommodations in each location were perfect.

The game drive and Idube staff were also excellent.

Thanks again, I would highly recommend African Travel Gateway to anyone, anytime.

Cheers,
John and Christopher Planeta

Hi Cindy

A quick email from Cape Town about an hour before we embark on the QM2 – we want to thank you for the package you put together for us – it was sensational and everything went like clockwork – well done and have no doubt we will be returning and will use your fabulous services again and also recommend you to all our friends.

We loved the Africa you presented to us.

Cheers Carolyn and Tim

Cindy

Main points are as follows. Overall trip was excellent and we thoroughly enjoyed it.

1/. Air Botswana flight to Kasane. This was on time and a smooth flight with easy Immigration clearance

2/. Chobe Game Lodge. Top class all round, staff, meals, game drives, room etc. Very very good

3/. Ichobezi Boat Cruise. Again very very good, smooth transfers from Chobe and through Immigration. We were the only two people on the boat so we got 5 star treatment. Meals excellent, staff great, cruises, walks excellent. Boat very nice

4/. Transfer from Kasane to Livingstone

i)Kalahari Tours were nearly 50 minutes late in collecting us and I was very annoyed as we could not get straight answers from Ichobezi. Kalahari apologies but didn’t give reasons

ii)Winning Travel were very good on the Kazangula to Livingstone leg

5/. Royal Livingstone. Overall very good, meals first class, room excellent, grounds of hotel beautiful. There were some delays at check in and whilst staff are nice / good, there is a bit of an air of pomposity about the place

6/. David Livingstone. Again Winning Travel were on time and transfer was good. David Livingstone allowed an early check in. Hotel was quite empty, staff friendly and meals ok but not as good as Royal Livingstone even though both are five star. Room was nice but some quirky architecture which could cause people to have accidents. But as I say overall enjoyable

7/. Transfer to Zimbabwe. Winning Travel were slightly delayed but gave apologies and reasons. Transfer went very smoothly and again the next day to Vic Falls airport they were ahead of time and efficient.

Many thanks to you too Cindy for all your hard work, excellent organising and very courteous and friendly service. We certainly will return to you

Best wishes
Brendan and Tonia

Dear Cindy,

Report Back.

We had a most wonderful time. The food at Zuleika was outstanding, the balloon ride was tremendous fun and, to top it all, we went to Otter’s Den for breakfast. This latter was completely unexpected. Even though we were told at Zuleika we would be having breakfast at Otter’s Den, it didn’t sink in at all and we thought it would just be a part of the balloon ride. We still thought the champagne and snacks after the flight were the breakfast! It was only as we left the field and we drove past Zuleika did we realise what was actually happening.

Otter’s Den is in a most magnificent setting. Not everyone’s cup of tea to get there across the suspension bridge rocking over a croc and hippo infested muddy Blyde River but such a thrill. It was so interesting talking to the family and our very friendly pilot both during the flight and at breakfast.

The weather and sunrise were perfect. This really was a most super adventure and so well worth the wait!

Best regards,

Christine Stott

Hi Anna-Lee,

We are home from our trip now and wanted to pass on some of our thoughts about how it all went. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves! The people we dealt with were so pleasant and helpful and the variety of places we visited was just great. We saw all of the BIG 5 on the game drives and lots of other critters too of course. We probably did one too many days though and too close together. By the final day at Idube we weren’t too excited about getting up at 5 and as it turns out there was nothing new to see that day.

We were very lucky with the weather. We experienced an incredible thunder and lightning storm in Botswana and we were so lucky that we were back in camp when it hit. One day in Ballito was a little disappointing, but the second was sunny and warm. I’d like to give you some of our thoughts about the package you put together.

African Rock Hotel is a great place! The rooms are comfortable and the staff is just wonderful.

Lokuthula Lodge - the units were very dark with inadequate lighting in the hall and livingroom area. We enjoyed watching the animals at the local waterhole and the canvas wall onto the patio was interesting. We had to retreat behind it though when a warthog decided to come very close to check us out!

Gifts that we took for the Monde school were not really appreciated. They really just need money and after the tour we all gave a little. So, please tell anyone who asks not to buy anything before going.

Ngoma is a beautiful property and the rooms are very nice, though not as clean as some of the other places. We were warmly welcomed by the manager and staff there.

We wondered if we could have flown directly from Kasane back to Johannesburg. A travel visa for a Canadian in Zimbabwe is $75 for each entry and they do not offer a multiple entry option to Canadians. So that day in transit cost an extra $150 a couple.

We thought the Toyota Fortuner was huge when we first got into it. And maybe we could have managed with a car one size smaller so the drivers were more comfortable on the narrow roads, but it was nice to have the luggage room.

The Boathouse in Ballito was lovely and we had the best rooms in the house!

The Crystal Springs lodge was not the best place for our one night stay. We probably could have managed very well in a hotel in Graskop. Or a two bedroom unit for us to share at the lodge would have been a better option. The units are a long walk from the restaurant and a reasonable walk from each other too.

NKaya is a very small camp with only 8 rooms. We were the only ones there and so had the full attention of all the staff. The food was excellent. This was a great spot! We enjoyed Idube very much too.

We had lovely accommodation at the Alpine Heath Resort where we looked out onto the mountains. This was another spot where, given the option, we might have considered sharing since the units each had three bedrooms.

Thanks for all your work. You were patient with our many requests and seemingly endless agenda changes and we appreciate the effort you put into the plans.

Take care,
Terry and Sharon

Hi Lize

Just to say the City Lodge was exactly what we needed and was excellent. We are now in the CT airport on our way to Joburg and home. The whole trip was most enjoyable and your recommendations were excellent. By the way, we really enjoyed Water Buck Lodge (Thornybush) which is a very nice intimate lodge. So all in all thanks for everything - our last concern is to collect our golf stuff in Joburg Airport but they were very efficient on the way in. So I am sure it will be no problem.

Best Regards
Michael and Sarah Bentley

Jon,

We had one of the best vacations of our lives. Everything went so smoothly….. your planning, the weather, the wonderful people. Cape Town was in bloom everywhere. We saw so many animals on safari, including the big 5….but enjoyed all the animals, big and small. Identified 92 new birds.

Gotta wash, food shop, etc, Life back to normal!!! Thanks so much. We may have to go back again!!!

Sincerely, Kitty (& Steve)

Dear Anna

We returned from what was a fabulous holiday and we would like to thank you for making the arrangements, all of which worked. Whilst we loved the whole experience I would like to highlight two elements that were particularly good and a couple of points of interest which are not criticisms :

·      Illyria House – What a super starting point; interesting place lovely garden, great food, really interesting owner and wonderful staff

·      Deception Valley Lodge – Exceeded all expectations; we were the only guests so we were looked after by Braam and his wife who are such nice people, as are the bushmen. The food was excellent and we saw all seven cats which is very rare and a big bonus, the wildlife and birds were amazing; we loved the location and the lodge, although some of the fittings are beginning to show signs of age.

·      Premier Africa were working from an out of date requirement so they wanted to transfer us to Garden Lodge instead of Elephant Valley, we resolved without difficulty when I showed the voucher. One small point; the train arrives at the falls hotel garden so a transfer is not needed.

·      Eagle Island Lodge and Khwai River Lodge are both owned by Orient Express but Eagle is far superior due to better managers. When we do our next trip we would avoid two lodges from the same group because they work to a common formula which may work for some people but we preferred variety. Our guide from Khwai River was particularly good.

It may have been our first visit to southern Africa but it will not be our last, we fell in love with the whole experience; the people, the animals, the birds, the food and the sunshine; we also met some very interesting fellow travellers from a number of countries. We are going to do India in 2013 but we are planning back to Africa for 2014 whilst we can still get into small planes and up into 4x4s.

Once again thank you, we loved every bit of what was a fabulous holiday. Once again thank you; having further considered over the past 3 weeks we are convinced to come back in 2014.

Best regards
John & Llinos

Hi there,

We had a fantastic time on our trip. A’Zambezi River Lodge is very nice, comfortable, updated rooms… but Chobe Game Lodge is simply outstanding. I wish we could have spent a week there just relaxing. Just a couple of suggestions for you:

• Boma (for dinner in Victoria Falls) is a fun evening out…more than just dinner…it’s full on entertainment…my parents really enjoyed it. The one note is that we were led to believe we could walk there from A’Zambezi…but that’s really not possible…especially at night with the animals, etc.. And taxi fare from the hotel wasn’t cheap.

• Credit cards…just an FYI but we found use of credit cards more available in Zimbabwe than what we were told. A’Zambezi takes them…as does Boma…certainly having cash is important for tips, etc…but credit cards were available.

• Double entry visa in Zimbabwe…I believe you or someone there told us that the double entry visa didn’t exist anymore ... but it does….$45 per person.

• Activities in Victoria Falls…I would love to have known more about all the other things to do in this area..white water rafting, etc…plus the one thing I found out about at the end…the Devil’s Pool swim…really needed to be booked way in advance…and then requires extra visa over to Zambia. I’m fine that I didn’t get to do it…looked kind of scary actually! But just knowing what else there is to do there…

Anyway…hope you don’t mind a little feedback on a few things for future travellers.

Finally…as we prepare for our next trip to Kruger Park ...can you remind what we’re doing…and what’s included? I can’t remember any of the details. If we don’t have any game drives included…I’d like to find out how we can do that…especially at the Kapama Game Reserve…I think that is our slightly fancier accommodation of the 4 nights we’re in Kruger.

Thanks!
Jim

Hi Petru

We just returned from our trip and it was wonderful. Thank you for all your
help in organizing our tours. Also for your reference, an African villa was great, would highly recommend it to anyone travelling to Cape Town and it’s location is perfect. Thanks again for your help

Nancy

Dear Anna-Lee

I want to thank you for all you did for us. The journey was absolutely perfect on all aspects! We had some very good time with the walking safaris, the staff of Notten’s bush lodge was lovely and the activities around Cape Town were amazing.

My proposal went absolutely well. Our room had been prepared with flowers, chocolates, strawberries, some sparkling wine and a nice warm bath. Really romantic!

Thanks a lot.
Alex

Thanks Anna.

However I must compliment you on an absolutely amazing trip. We have loved every minute and feel we couldn’t have done it better in any way. It has been absolutely amazing.

Explorer’s Camp in Botswana was the ultimate and I am aware that we received an upgrade from the canoeing trip. IT WAS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!!! Apologies for repeating myself but words fail me.

Even tonight for our cruise on the Zambezi – it was just the four of us with the boat captain, our driver who became barman and a beautiful young man with bongo’s who emulated a “Zulu” warrior. So much nicer than a crowded tourist boat. We are managing to withstand the hard sell on riding the elephants though. After experiencing the elephants in the wild it seem a sacrilege to consider having a ride on one!!

Kind regards
Carol

Hi Anna-Lee

A quick note to say:  THANK YOU for all of your efforts in preparing our holiday.  Our time was Amazing.  The people outstanding, the scenery magnificent, the animals awe-inspiring and the food and wine were superb. Everything was absolutely seamless, thanks to you!  Not one hiccup, anywhere, anytime.

Nomad Tours was awesome - thoroughly recommend the accommodated tour. Your direction for Thornybush was perfect.  African Rock Hotel in Jo’burg was unexpectedly fantastic. Our transfers were on time, everytime. And, our flights went without a hitch - bonus upgrade from Vic Falls to Jo’burg, too (2nd last to check in…).  Even all the other stuff I booked worked like a charm. Nice one.

So, all up - a wonderful way to celebrate 20 years.  Thank you ever so much !!!!  We will certainly visit Africa again, 100%.  We have absolutely no reservation in recommending you to anyone travelling to Africa and we have already told all of our friends who are interested in Africa to contact African Travel Gateway.

You efforts are greatly appreciate. Thank you…..

Warmest Regards
Jason & Lisa Gregory

Dear Lize,

Sorry for late reply, as I arrived back from South Africa I had to rush in a long business trip and just come back home. During our trip we had a wonderful time and cannot thank you enough for your splendid organization and your properties selection during our stay. It has been a real lifetime experience and we enjoyed every moment spend in Southern Africa.

All accommodations were exceptional and each one of them unique in their own way. The service was superb in any of the places we visited and once again my heartfelt thank you and compliments to you.

It was my first time organizing a trip through the internet, and I was dubious at first, especially when I wasn’t able to find a lot of recommendations on the web on African Travel Gateway, now I’m extremely happy that I decided to give you credit as you surpassed my expectations.

I will be happy to recommend you or African Travel Gateway to anybody planning a trip to Southern Africa. I have already, at length, talked to several friend about the wonderful time we had and of your impeccable organization. Moreover, we probably got what in Italian is called “African Fever”, and started planning a follow-up visit in the near future. Can you advise me and organize a short trip for us at Mt. Kilimanjaro and Serengeti Park? Wishing you all the best, I thank you, again, for all.

Kind regards,
Stefano Lorenzini

Hello Anna-Lee,

Just wanted to let you know that we made it home safe and sound, but missing Africa already…We are now busy going through the 2000+ photos to make a memory book.

We also wanted to take the time to thank both you and Cindy for all the work you put into arranging our trip. It truly was a trip of a life time. The accommodations and tour companies you chose were perfect!

Take care and we will definitely recommend African Travel Gateway to anyone interested in Africa.

Judy and Tim

Hello Anna-Lee and Cindy,

I just want to let you know that we are now back home and had a wonderful time in Southern Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana (including the short connection in Zambia).

All along the way, at all stages, we were met by the tour escort and they took good care of us. The most complex transfer being the one from Elephant Valley Lodge to Zambia Airport. This involved driver pick-up at Elephant Valley Lodge, to Zambezi River. A small boat ferried us across the river, where another driver picked us up, and took us to the Zambia airport.

(note: South Africa passport control never asked us for Yellow Fever Cards, even though we were prepared).

All in all, the trip was fantastic. Cindy, you did a great job, lining up all the various locations and accommodations. We were very happy.

The game drive in Chobe National Park was very good with an abundance of animals to see, and we also had a river cruise one morning, in lieu of the game drive and saw more animals, plus mammals and birds. It was a vehicle with canopy and driver/guide.  He stuck to the designated roads and trails. Never went off trail.

The game drive in Kapama was more off-road. The vehicle was open air, no canopy. Each vehicle had a driver/guide and tracker sitting on the front bumper/hood of vehicle.  Twice daily game drives, early morning (dawn) and late evening (dusk and dark). Example: We saw carcasses are animals being devoured by lions and leopards.  In general, there were less animals, and it took us a long time to make a significant sighting, but still managed to find the big 5!

I have advised my travel agent in the USA, to consider using your company, if the need arises. I have no hesitation to recommend African Travel Gateway to friends and colleagues.

Thank you very much.

Regards
Hart

Everything went like clockwork - no problems with the flights, drives, etc.

We enjoyed Chobe the most - excellent service and positive energy from the female management and staff - as I understand it’s a bit of experiment in “ladies” running a camp. Also this was by far the most luxurious. Great game drives too and spectacular sightings.

The two Okavango camps were also absolutely fine, though less luxurious than we expected (I think word of mouth about Okavango camps in general is overblown) though when one considers the standard and the all-in concept, we were still satisfied.

Moremi was just fine, very personal attention from the management there and also much positive energy. Camp Okavango on the other hand was clearly recently renovated, nonetheless still shows its age a bit and the energy there is strange - a couple of real old-timer guides who are a bit depressing. Also there were few guests there. The British and Dutch manager couple there certainly seems professional, but after being spoilt by the positive energy at Chobe and Moremi, it felt a bit morose there.

For Chobe the advantage of staying inside the park was clear. However, we would probably give others like us, who have four days, advice to stay outside the Okavango (cheaper) and go in for day trips (one day mokoro, one day walking safari, one day motorboat). We did not feel the need to spend 4 days with multiple activities per day.

Don’t want to give you the impression we weren’t happy - we absolutely were (Okavango being the only case where it should have been a bit better - but then Chobe absolutely excelling). But in case you are interested in the detail, there it is!

Regards Brian

Dear Cindy

Just a note to let you know that our “Tanzanian Northern Circuit” safari was wonderful. Everything about it worked like clockwork – from the connections at the airport, the hotels/lodges and their accommodation and food, the guide Mike and his land cruiser, and of course, the wonderful animals! There wasn’t a hitch and the standard of accommodation was beyond our expectations. Many thanks for putting it all together. We will certainly recommend you and use you again ourselves.

Regards,
Bernard & Teresa Brindle

Lize,

We want you to know how much we appreciate the TLC and expert attention to all the details that went into your planning our 3-day extension (June 20-22) to Victoria Falls, especially the June 19 pre-night stay in the Johannesburg area and transfer service to and from the airport.  The African Rock Hotel stay was delightful in every way; Eugene was extremely helpful in taking care of all our needs. We will reccommend that hotel whenever possible without hesitation.   
Thank you again for your kind and efficient handling of all of our arrangements; PLEASE forward this to your supervisor to let him or her know how much you are appreciated.

Best regards,
Mary and John Humke

Hi Lize,

We just returned from our safari in Tanzania and would like to give you some feedback on how it went.

Overall, we had a wonderful time and a great safari with most things going according to plans. My husband and friends enjoyed themselves tremendously and
would not hesitate to go again if the opportunity arises. I thought you may like to know our opinions of Predator Safaris and the organization of the trip as well as our rating of accommodations, transportation, food, driver/guide, tours and other miscellaneous items so that it will help you in future.

a) Welcome arrangements - Our arrival into Kilimanjaro was not met on time because the driver was given wrong instructions to meet Ethiopian Air an hour later than our flight on Precision Air. Fortunately, we had the office phone number and rang them and they informed the driver who was not far away.
We were taken to the Predator office to be ‘briefed’ but this took an hour, when all we wanted was to have lunch before restaurants closed. Perhaps, in future, this briefing can be done at a more convenient time and place (at the lodge, after check-in) so that information can be digested properly.

b) Transportation - We were allocated an 8-year old Land Cruiser which was in quite good condition and which got us around safely enough. There was only one
occasion when it would not start which worried us, thinking that this could be an issue if we were confronted by a dangerous situation. However, it worked well the rest of the trip and our driver kept it clean and tidy throughout the whole trip. As there were only 4 of us, we had plenty of room to move around. I would not put more than 5 people in it as this would hamper movement when game-watching. Also, luggage space is limited.

c) Driver/Guide - Our driver and guide is Augustino, a soft-spoken, unflappable and cheerful person who has had many years of experience in game-driving for      
Predators. He was a skillful and safe driver who knew his way around well and we never felt any doubt that we would be safe in his hands. He is very knowledgeable and was able to discuss animal behavior and ecology with reasonable expertise even though we were quite demanding in our quest for information. He was also able to offer information relating to environment, history, culture and politics in Tanzania. Augustino always appeared on time each morning, ready to take on his daily challenge and he was always amenable to changes in itinerary if they were reasonable. We were very happy with him and would highly recommend him to all Predator customers.

- The driver who was assigned to drive us from Arusha to Kilimanjaro at the end of our trip, however, was quite different. He is a very bad and                                 dangerous driver who makes the strangest decisions when over-taking. Our one-hour drive to the airport felt like forever and we often wondered if we would ever get to the airport in one piece. I would not recommend Predators to use him for any of their clients. If we had been assigned this driver, we would have asked for our money back.

d) Accommodation - Overall, the quality of lodges was good or excellent, with some qualifications.

- Arusha Coffee Lodge was great - comfortable rooms, great service, wonderful setting and generally a good place to start or end a safari.       
- Manyara Escarpment Lodge was in a wonderful location over-looking the lake with very well- furnished rooms and public spaces.  The only down-side is that the water pressure is very low which makes showering or bathing an unpleasurable affair. Service was excellent.
- Ngorongoro Serena Lodge was a little severe and cold - they initially had assigned us rooms on ground level and far away from the centre. We were later able to change to upper-level rooms nearer the centre, which suited us better. Service was great and staff very helpful.
- Serengeti Serena Lodge was very comfortable and service was also very good. We had called to request for upper-level rooms and they were very obliging and helpful. Dining arrangements were a little inflexible but we managed to persuade them to change tables because it was not full.
- Mbalageti Lodge was my personal favourite because of its excellent location and wonderful tented-chalets. There is some concern regarding safety at night but the bathroom area is secure should there be any need to bunker down. Food here is better than elsewhere although choices are more limited. We like the exclusivity of the lodge with fewer rooms and people. Of course, the view of the migration in the Mbalageti valley below was priceless. That made our safari!
- Zanzibar Serena Inn was also a very good choice. Initially, we were assigned two different quality rooms - one sea-facing and the other, not. After much negotiations and insistence, we were given a prime room with sea-views, which made our last 2 days memorable. Except for the fact that there was no lift in the whole hotel, we were quite satisfied with the rooms and the facilities here. Service was excellent.

e) Tours/Activities - Game Drives in all areas were very good, although we were unable to go off-road and therefore, unable to see some animals up-close.
If permits can be bought to go off-road, we should have been offered this option so that game-watching can be more rewarding. We saw many animals and birds and generally, we were able to see quite a lot.

- The Hot Air Balloon Safari was a highlight for the two men in my group. It was a wonderful experience and they enjoyed themselves tremendously. It was well-worth the expense. The champagne picnic was particularly good.
- Manyara Escarpment nature walk was interesting, although we did not see any animals. However, we learn to identify plants, trees and birds and we had great views of Lake Manyara from several vantage points. It lasted 2 hours and was well-worth the effort. Walkers should be advised to wear boots or proper walking shoes.
- Olduvai Gorge was absolutely the most informative and meaningful tour of the whole trip. Everyone should be made to visit the museum and be made aware of how the Cradle of Mankind was discovered. The simplicity of the place belies its importance and we could not help thinking that more could be done to highlight it to all visitors. It puts a lot of things in perspective.
- Sundowner in Serengeti was also a success. The lodge had organized a beautiful private party with drinks and canapés just for the 4 of us on a deck facing the sunset, plus a special cultural group to sing and play music for us for half an hour. It was more than we expected and we thoroughly enjoyed it. However, we were told that we should have opted for a Bush Dinner following the Sundowner, which we did not know about. This would have made a great day even better.
- Bush Breakfast at Mbalageti did not happen. There seemed to be some confusion as to whether this would take place or not. Our itinerary from Predators says we have paid for it but the lodge did not know about it. Can you clarify this issue please?
- Stone Town Tour - this tour lasted 3 hours but the guide was not very good and he kept taking us into shops and places where we would have to spend money. However, we enjoyed wandering around since it was our first time in Zanzibar. I think the guide should ask people if they wish to shop for souvenirs or drink coffee or eat local food etc before taking them into the establishments. I learnt more about Zanzibar from my own reading material than from the guide, who was a bit fuzzy about Zanzibar’s history - or perhaps his language skills were limited and could not get the facts across effectively.

f) Flightlink - We had some trepidation as to the quality and safety of Flightlink flight from Seronera to Arusha. As it turned out, the aircraft appeared well-maintained and the pilot was excellent. We had some concerns that it was going to be delayed since it arrived late, but it worked out ok.
Most of our aggravation centered around immigration and security in Dar Es Salaam and Zanzibar airports more than elsewhere!

Other than the above, I just want to say that food, generally, is either average or good and plentiful in every place. Overall, we were very happy with the trip because it has met most of our requirements, and we would be happy to recommend Africa Travel Gateway and Predator Safaris to our friends and family who may wish to see Africa the way we had. Thank you again, Lize, for all your hard work and attention and for making this safari a memorable experience for us.

Until next time,
Rina Mokhtar.

Hi Cindy!

Just wanted to say thank you for helping us to plan and organize an amazing
trip. Everything went exactly as outlined on the itinerary and we felt well
taken care of at all times. We enjoyed each and every day and were sad to
have to return home. It was all that we had hoped our honeymoon would be and
more, so thank you!!!

We hope to be able to return to Africa again sometime and would not hesitate
to use African Travel Gateway! We will also be sure to recommend you to
anyone looking to travel in South Africa!

With sincere gratitude,
Amy & Scott Martin

Anna-Lee

We have just returned from what was the vacation of a lifetime!  All of the travel arrangements you and your team provided for us were great.  The transfer arrangements were superb… 100% on time with quality vehicles and drivers… in many cases tour guides as well!  The range of hotels and safari camps was a perfect fit for us in terms of price and quality.  All arranged flights went off well with tranfers always waiting at the next stop for us.  We would certainly recommend your Company for any future guests to Africa.

Regards,

Bill Huff
Houston Texas

Hi Lize,

We have eventually arrived home after nearly six weeks on the road. The rugged beauty of the undiscovered Wild Coast and the way people live make it a different experience. The roads are shocking and the distances between resorts huge so you need plenty of time and a fairly tough vehicle. The side roads are even worse and you need to be a good navigator.

Without doubt our best experience was Mbotyi which ticked all the boxes for us. Remote, quiet, beautiful, lots of walks, superb catering. It is managed by Tuffy Kirsten, wife of Peter the cricketer. I have taken the liberty of telling her you will put Mbotyi on ATG’s list of preferred suppliers! The road down is not too bad and a small car will be OK.

Umngazi is of superb quality. Busy, lots for children to do.

Coffee Bay and Kob Inn were fine, with Coffee Bay under new management (The Crawfords from Crawford cabins).

Morgan Bay B&B is very comfortable, run by an elderly couple, Bruce and Frances Bowden. You have your own bathroom but it is not ensuite which they say puts some people off.

Diaz15 is still up to scratch. Need I say more.

We couldn’t get into The Hideaway in Swellendam, and they put us on to Aan de Oever which was very good. It is run by Mile an ex Executive Chef from Southern Sun so breakfast was perfect. African Travel Gateway have sent guests before. The Field and Fork restaurant is recommended. We would like to have stayed another day in the area.

On the way home we stayed at Prior Grange, a farm outside Springfield. Very good and reasonably priced.

Let me know if you need anything further.

Best regards,
Peter

Hi Lize,

Glad you got the package and you like it.  It helped seeing your picture to try and determine the size!

Our trip was fantastic – so hard to believe it has come and gone.  Now trying to unbury ourselves from an ocean of emails. Thank you for a job well done – everything ran super smooth without any glitches – all the transfers, accommodations etc and it was simply phenomenal.

Here’s a bit of feedback:

·      Xakanaxa – outstanding.  We were not sure how this lodge would be given some of the reviews, however it was fantastic and definitely exceeded expectations on all fronts.

·      Little Kwara -  a great experience with outstanding game viewing.  However, Kwando markets this as their premier property which it doesn’t quite live up to.  The camp needs some general upkeep and food was good but not as good as the other locations.

·      Lebala – outstanding from all fronts.

·      Stanley’s Safari Lodge – a great recommendation from you.  We’d highly recommend this lodge.  It was simply wonderful and Victoria Falls was breath taking.

·      Le Paradis – again all round wonderful.

Thanks again.  As mentioned we’d definitley refer people to you and will be in touch should we plan another trip to Africa. 

Fondest regards,
Aamir, Lisa-Marie & Noah

Hello Lize

Just letting you know that we have just returned from our trip away and the Africa itinerary you prepared for us was amazing. We loved it so much that we are planning to go back as soon as possible so we will be in touch so that you can help us plan our next adventure. Thank you so much for an awesome holiday.

Best regards
Anita and Steven Doyle

Dear Lize,

Now that I have a moment, I’ll provide feedback on our South Africa/Zambia adventure.

Our trip was just fantastic and exceeded expectations.  Time expands when you are experiencing new and wonderful things in life, and our two weeks in Africa felt like two months, only in the most positive way.  The sights, the sounds, the colors, the animals, the people:  all were enticing and rewarding.  You did a great job of giving us a varied and thorough view of South Africa without having us rush through cities and experiences.  At every point, guides and drivers and accommodations were first rate, making our itinerary unfold seamlessly.  All details of the trip were handled professionally and I knew I could count on every aspect of the trip to be what I had hoped for.  We loved the people we met in South Africa and adored being so up close and personal with the country’s fabulous wildlife.  Africa was just the best; thank you for introducing us to your wonderful country.

Lize, here are a few specific comments:

The accommodations were absolutely great, each one seemingly getting better than the previous one.  Chapunga was lovely and the staff was great.  Our safari guide was really fantastic.  Nottens was beautiful.  Apparently in the last 10 years they’ve made a lot of additions to the lodge and it was luxurious.  The feeling of community was provided by all the staff, Dale being the most welcoming person of all.  The food was incredible at every meal.  I’m really glad we elected to stay at Cape Grace in Cape Town, because the location was unbeatable.  We looked out on Table Mountain and walked to the Waterfront multiple times.  The service at the hotel was impeccable – they best of anything we saw anywhere.  Everyone was obviously extremely well trained and took pride in their jobs.  The food was just the best. A beautiful lodging.  The Royal Livingstone in Zambia was a total surprise – colonial England replicated on the banks of the Zambezi River.  It felt weird to have the staff dressed up in colonial costumes, but we decided that we were looking at it from an American perspective and couldn’t put our values on anyone else.  That being said, the site was outstanding – having the hotel right on the banks of the river with the “smoke” from the Falls visible in the distance.  The location couldn’t have been better.  And having the herbivorous animals roaming the property was great.  The open-air facilities were lovely, as well as the grounds.  The only criticism we had was that the service in the restaurant and on the decks was extremely slow.  Given that there seemed to be lots of staff everywhere, it was perplexing why the service was always so slow.

All the tours were informative and well-paced.  We had to request a change of tour guide in Cape Town, but that was handled quickly and positively.  The safaris were great.

There are only two activities that we selected that we thought were a waste of time:  the Shark Cage and the Zambezi Sundowner Cruise.  You have to drive 2 hours up and back for the Shark Cage activity, which makes a really long day.  Basically, you spend 15 minutes in the shark cage, watching murky outlines of sharks swim quickly by the cage, when viewing is much better on deck.  Otherwise, you spend the remaining 2 hours, 45 minutes sitting on deck in a cold wetsuit watching lots of people vomit.  I heard other people say they thought it was amazing, but we thought it was a waste of time and money.  The Zambezi Sundowner Cruise was boring.  Just moving slowly, slowly down the river with mediocre drinks and food, listening to corny dialogue from the group leader.  Again, some people who’ve maybe never done that kind of thing before thought it was exciting, but for us it was a waste of time and money.  We do know that we chose those activities, so this is no reflection on you. Just thought you might want our feedback.

We certainly hope to return to Africa and continue to explore the continent.  I’ve already given your name and information to some other people who are interested in traveling to South Africa.

Thanks so much for all your hard work.  It was fabulous!

This was the trip of a lifetime and Sebastian and I want to thank you for a fantastic job of arranging everything.  Really terrific!

Linda Turner

Dear Lize,

I finally have caught up here a little after being away from work for so long so I have a chance to tell you what a wonderful time we had on our vacation.  Everything you planned for us was exactly as promised.  The guides were so friendly and knowledgeable and we learned so much about your country and it’s history from them. They were prompt and courteous and went out of their way to tailor the days to our needs. The hotels were beautiful and the Game Lodge was fantastic. We only wish we had more time to spend over there but I am sure we will return in the future.

You can refund the cost of the Shark Cage dive to my credit card.  If you need any of that information again, let me know.  Our guide in Cape Town had suggested that we take a drive to Spier Winery if the dive was cancelled.  The hotel arranged a driver and we had a great time spending the day there with the owls and the cheetahs and some wine tasting. I think my girls enjoyed it as much as they would have the sharks so it wasn’t so bad that it rained.

I want to thank you again for planning such a comprehensive trip on such short notice.  I will certainly try and give you more time to plan when we choose to visit again. I will also make sure to give your name and contact information to any of my friends or colleagues who might want to visit on vacation (2 have already expressed interest). We could not have been more satisfied with your service and the trip you planned for us.  Thank you again and I look forward to when we can ask you to plan another trip for us to your beautiful country.

With warmest regards,
Alan

Dear Cindy

Well that’s it, the holiday is all over having arrived home Saturday.
Would like you to know how much we enjoyed our time in Cape Town, Victoria Falls and Chobe National Park.  The planning and organisation came together like clockwork.  Guides, vehicle drivers, and accommodation staff were so friendly and helpful all the way. The timing of pick ups, transfers, and travel went without a hitch and we appreciated being able to arrange the holding of our cases in JoBurg.

We have very much appreciated, and congratulate you on, your part in all of this.  Your efficient, prompt communications and attention to detail throughout the planning process was exemplary.

Again thank you from your very satisfied clients.

Jim and Glenys Russell
Ann Taylor
David Russell

Dear Mr Wilson

I am writing to you to say how impressed I have been with one of your
employees Lize Enderstein who has delivered a first class, professional
service to us. Lize has spent the past 10 days , tirelessly working on
perfecting our South Africa experience at very short notice. Nothing has
been too much trouble for her and she is a credit to your business.
I don’t often write to employers when I experience good customer service but
I felt that she deserved some recommendation and recognition. Please let her
know that we appreciate all her hard work and we will let her know how our
holiday goes. I will definitely recommend her, and your company to our many
friends who are looking for an African experience. Once again, thank you

Regards
Anita Keal

Hi Cindy,

Hope you are well. We have returned from our holiday in Tanzania and I would just like to give you some feedback. Thank you very, very much for the arrangements that you made for us. Everything went very smoothly and we did not have one problem with the land arrangements. Thank you and well done.

The hotels were superb, beautiful and comfortable accommodation, with sumptuous food. Outstanding. All pick ups and drop offs were on time and not once were we left to wait or left without knowledge of our next move. Well done to Leopard Tours.

Our guide Simba was the best. Friendly, knowledgeable, safe as a house as a driver and very pleasant company. By the end of the tour Simba felt more like a personal friend than a guide. He really went out of his way to show us all that there was to see. We could not have asked for a better guide and he really made the trip very special for us. Please congratulate Leopard Tours on their choice of guide. Superb.

Tanzania is a beautiful country with very friendly people. At no time did we ever feel uncomfortable or threatened and were welcomed wherever we went. Would definitely like to go back again.

Thanking you once again for all the time and effort that you put into this trip for us, you really are a star.

Have a nice day.

Regards
Nico Ferreira

Hi Lize!!

So sorry for my very late response.., but we had an amazing time in the Kruger in the Timbavati camp!!! 😊 😊

There were heavy, heavy rains in the Kruger Park just a short time before we arrived, so the roads were not so good at some points, so at some points it was quite challenging to continue the road to get to the bush camp.. But we made it!! 😊 And we had a fantastic time! Umlani Bush Camp is really nice (very basic & really close to nature!!), the people there were very friendly. It was not very busy in the camp & we had also lots of fun with the other guests. And last but not least, we had fantastic game drives => we have seen all the big five and much more animals!!

So thanks again for arranging this great trip!! 😉

Hope everything is okay with you.., are you part of a different company now?

Best regards,
Rieneke