South Africa: Absolutely spectacular. Handing things over to the experts.

“All in all, it was an absolutely spectacular visit.  We were truly amazed by the beauty and variety of South Africa; hope to return some day!  I have never used a travel agent before, but this trip has convinced me of the wisdom of handing things over to the experts rather than trying to reinvent the wheel by doing it all myself.  We could not have been more pleased by our experience.  Thanks so much!”

“Yes, sadly we have returned from our wonderful trip to South Africa.  We were really very pleased with every aspect of the trip; every day was a delight, we saw and experienced so much (and ate like kings)!

All of the guides we had were really knowledgeable, friendly, patient, interesting people.  Mickie of the Cape Town office was cheerful, very resourceful and a great source of information.  Vitalis at Lagoon Lodge and Ignatius at Tau Lodge were superb guides, both so knowledgeable about wildlife, and birds in particular (one of our main interests!).  We learned a great deal.  Bradley of Bikes and Wines was informative about wines, and great at tailoring the trip to his somewhat (very!) out-of-shape charges.  All in all, we couldn’t have had a better set of guides.

We were also delighted with the accommodation.  Abbey Manor is a lovely guest house, in impeccable shape, spotless and charming.  It’s also a good distance from downtown – you can walk down into the central district easily, and a taxi home is cheap.  In Stellenbosch, we quite liked the Majeka House. The vineyards we visited, both with Mickie and with Bikes and Wines, were on the whole excellent (and we bought some nice ‘souvenirs’ as a result!) and the wine tastings were very instructive.

The lodge in Hermanus is quite possibly one of the nicest places we have ever stayed.  It is beautifully put together, with so many perfect finishing touches in the rooms; I really didn’t want to leave!  The food is excellent and the staff is so attentive and thoughtful.  The whale watching from shore was fascinating – the shore is beautiful – but again.

The twice-daily safaris in Madikwe were fascinating, the food very good and more than abundant!

Certainly one of the most memorable experiences was the visit to Robben Island.  It is very well organised and managed, and the fact that the guides are former inmates brings the reality home. Everyone should be encouraged to visit.”