Clients Trip Reports Southern Africa: Sep – Oct 2024

Safari to South Africa

Hi Kyle!

We could not be any more pleased with the arrangements you made for our safari.

The representatives in the Johannesburg airport were superb, very professional. They were right there when we arrived and swiftly saw us through immigration and escorted us to the hotel. The same when we arrived back to Johannesburg – met us, took us to check-in and then to the lounge for our wait. In short, they were perfect.

The “new” Tanda Tula safari camp is wonderful. The new accommodations are quite luxurious, definitely 5 -star. The one thing that did not change were the people who work there, they are wonderful!  They are one big family and they make the guests feel a part of it. 

On a couple of my Facebook posts from this adventure there have been a few comments from my “friends” saying that they hope to book something like this soon.  I have responded to them and told them how wonderful the Tanda Tula camp is, but especially how great the Africa Adventure Company is.

Thanks again for this unforgettable memory that we will have.

Bryan and Nancy Goff, Oct 2024

 

Iconic Visions Safari to Southern Africa

Hi Elena…The overall experience was excellent…  

Regarding Accommodations – The V&A was outstanding.  Great location, lovely property, and the staff was welcoming and provided great service.   The waterfront is, as you know, very lively and I think it was a great place to stay to enjoy Cape Town.   The concierge staff was very helpful.  Would definitely recommend V&A to anyone.

Savanna Private Game Reserve was also first-rate. Very good location, very comfortable and well-appointed rooms, and again, the staff and camp management were terrific.   A particularly nice touch was how they offered three very different dinner experiences during our stay.  First night was table service for dinner, 2^nd night was dinner in their renovated railcar, and the third night was a braai complete with a performance by a local youth choir which was great and very moving/inspiring.  The food was generally excellent and being able to enjoy the sight of animals at the water hole from our plunge pool was very cool…

Xaranna was, not surprisingly, outstanding…Facilities and rooms were very nice, staff was first-rate, and the food was amazing.  Chef Tian and his team provided us with incredibly creative and delicious food and the dining experience there was the best in our view.    The 30-minute helicopter tour was very fun (thank you again).

Our Guides…Andrew was excellent in Cape Town and Franschhoek.   He is engaging, fun, and obviously very well-informed.   We thoroughly enjoyed our time with him.   Cynthia at Victoria Falls was also excellent.  Just a lovely person who clearly enjoys what she does.  She gave us a very interesting history lesson about Stanley and Livingston.   Highly recommend both of them.

Our guides and trackers at Savanna and Xaranna were all excellent…We saw loads of animals and at each camp our guides were clearly very enthused about what they do and were committed to helping us have the best experience possible.   Definitely enjoyed the sundowners, and our last night at Xaranna was particularly memorable and they set up a bar and chairs for us in the field so we could have a farewell toast to our trip.   The guides at Savanna were Aiden and Life, and at Xaranna were Amos and Morris.  Loved them all.

Candidly, I was a bit concerned about how smooth the various moving parts would go given we had multiple flights, etc.   I need not have worried.  Logistics went very smoothly at each turn.  Our “handlers” were all very nice and got us were we needed to be smoothly.  I would emphasize that to prospective clients as I’m sure I was not alone in wondering how it would go.   Thank you for the tip guidance.  That was most helpful.  The pre-trip material your team provided to us was very helpful.  Not too much information such that it felt overwhelming, but not so little that one didn’t feel any understanding about how things would go.

Thank you again.

Rob Johnson, Oct 2024

 

Best of Botswana Wing Safari

Hi AAC,

The safari was fantastic, and everything went smoothly.  Thank you for your help. I’ve added notes below on my feedback – the others may have more.

We LOVED Savuti and highly recommend it to your other clients.  The wildlife was abundant and diverse.  We especially loved that we could watch (lots of) elephants, hippos, and baboons from the camp and our tents.  Our guide, Kevin, was top notch.  Let clients know to request him ahead of time.  He was very knowledgeable about the wildlife and the area, really focused on our interests, a great conversationist, and extremely helpful.  The staff at Savuti is also really special.  We could tell that they are “a family” and really care about their guests.

Initially, Little Vumbura felt like a bit of a letdown after Savuti, but we warmed to it and really enjoyed the experience.  You are right in that it’s a good contrast to Savuti with the water focus…Our guide, Onsk, was really good.  He worked hard to help us find lions and a leopard – and baby animals (which I love).  We enjoyed the mix between game drives, boat, and mokoro. The team made each experience special.

Mombo was a great experience.  As you know, it’s very expensive during peak season (which we were in). So, our expectations were high. The camp and tents were beautiful, the team was top-notch and passionate…the game drives were awesome.  Now I understand why they say that Mombo has great wildlife viewing.  It’s an island and they have at least one pack/group of each type of animal (other than the rhinos that were moved out).  Plus, the guides coordinate really well to find the animals so that other vehicles can come see them.  I especially enjoyed the lions and African wild dogs.  Our guide – Moss – really worked hard to help us see the animals.

It seems like animals are near Mombo throughout the year because of the island.  As a result, my sense was that people could come any time of year and the wildlife viewing experience would be similar.  So, there isn’t a “reason” to go in peak season like we did.  (It’s the opposite for Savuti where the concentration of animals decline by an estimated 50% outside of peak season)…

Bonnie Matosich, Oct 2024

 

Deluxe Safari to South Africa with Victoria Falls

Hi Elena and the entire team at The African Adventure Company,

Dale and I arrived home yesterday after our very long flight home from Johannesburg.  Our trip was phenomenal!  There was not one glitch in the entire 15 days of travelling!  Everyone was so nice and knowledgeable no matter what they did for us.  The hotels were great. Of course our favorite was MalaMala Rattray’s!  How could it not be! The lodging, food and staff were wonderful. I called it the Four Seasons in the bush!

I can’t forget to mention how lovely it was of you to let everyone in South Africa know that it was our wedding anniversary. We received champagne or goodies at each hotel and also at Marble. Thanks so much.

Thanks again for arranging this memorable trip for us!

Best regards.

Hildy and Dale Eby, Sep 2024

 

Safari to Botswana and Zimbabwe

Hello Saskia

Difficult to describe what an amazing adventure dad & I had, words could never do justice. I’ll simply say thanks to everyone involved @ AAC (with special significance to Mark for his knowledge & patience in helping us select locations & yourself as our main liaison throughout). Thanks to all for creating tremendous memories we’ll discuss & cherish for the rest of our days or at least until we hopefully can return…

AAC’s reputation was spoken of highly throughout our trip and as previously stated Cynthia was terrific in Victoria Falls. It was cool to see the original family luggage of Mark’s wife at Vundu Camp.  Kudos to Desi for sharing that tidbit & being such a gracious hands on host!  It was terrific to see Dad get to visit with Nick Murray to discuss past trips and Mitch our guide while in Mana was extraordinary!

It was tough to leave every camp/lodge as the staff top to bottom at each destination strive to create a family atmosphere & home away from home.

The guides and trackers especially were outstanding! Their experience, demeanor and knowledge is impressive. We learned so much from each of them & had a blast creating new friendships…

Please pass along my regards here to Mark. Dad and I would like to have another chat with him about the trip & potential future destinations.

Cheers!

Matt Herald, Sep 2024

 

Best of Southern Africa Safari

Hi Kyle and the whole team at AAC,

We returned late last week from our incredible trip of a lifetime to South Africa and Zimbabwe.  It was everything we dreamed of and more.  The whole trip progressed smoothly and each day was spectacular and exciting.  I loved the itinerary you put together and all your advice and hints were spot on.  Thank you, thank you , thank you.  The feeling of security from the detailed itinerary really allowed us to enjoy every minute of our trip.

We are already thinking of a Kenya trip to see the great migration for summer 2026, of course with The Africa Adventure Company.

Lisa Husnu, Sep 2024

 

Spectacular Safari to South Africa and Royal Egyptian Tour

We were very impressed and pleased with all the travel arrangements for every part of our tour. Everything went like clockwork, and we were very thankful for all the greeters, drivers, and helpers that got us to the airport, through customs, check-in, and out of the airports upon arrival… 

It was also great to have AAC Staff members – Kyle, Rhonda, and Vi with us in Cape Town and MalaMala, they were great company.  We were very well taken care of, especially when Cheryl was not feeling well.

Megan, you were excellent! You quickly responded to all our queries and organized an excellent tour package for us. We have no complaints about any of the tour arrangements. AAC also provided a wealth of information to help prepare us for the trip.  We thank you for the gifts sent to us.

To conclude, we were more than impressed with the travel arrangements, accommodations, guides, and all the support in airports, border crossings, etc. There was nothing left for us to figure out in any part of the trip.

We understand that AAC had arranged a “luxury” trip for us, and although it was not cheap, it was well worth it!! We would recommend AAC and their staff to anyone planning a trip such as ours.

Thanks again,

Cheryl and Ralph Kallberg, Sep 2024

 

Safari Extraordinaire to East and Southern Africa

Phenomenal still doesn’t do it justice. My husband will also follow up hopefully with a few pictures. I want to thank you for taking such good care of us every step of the way. We never had to worry about one thing. Accommodations were outstanding. The Guides professional. A trip I’ll remember for a long time.

I want to thank you for the extra mile you went to help celebrate my husband’s retirement. Pleasant surprise everywhere we went. Thank you.

Leona and Harry McQuillen, Sep 2024

 

Best of Southern Africa with Cape Highlights

Hi AAC!

We had a truly incredible time. There really are no words to describe the experience, but I’ll give it a go:

MalaMala Rattray’s may be the nicest accommodations we’ve ever had anywhere. The room was comfortable, spacious, and frankly luxurious. Food and service were also great. Our safari guide/ranger (Garrett) was superb, and the safari drives…we saw the Big 5 in one day, and then some. Truly great…and we are talking about going back some day.

Kwara Camp in Botswana was a different experience, but equally enjoyable. To have elephants and baboons just hanging out a few feet from our room was wild. Our safari guide here wasn’t quite as good as at MalaMala (although our Tracker was good), but the experience was still terrific.

We loved everything about Cape Town. The V&A was the right hotel for us in the right area. Our guide Shelly (who seems to know everyone in Cape Town and environs) was great, and we loved each of our excursions: walking tour, peninsula tour, and Winelands tour. All terrific. We had great meals there and did whatever we could to support the local economy (i.e., we bought a lot of stuff)…

We appreciate your help, especially when our luggage was put on the wrong plane.  

Gregg Passin and Andy Schmidt, Sep 2024

 

Legends of Zimbabwe Group Safari

Hello Alison,

We had a fabulous trip.  Despite our unfortunate start of missing the first day due to airline cancellations, we were well taken care of by Miles to make the best adjustments to our plans to arrive one day later.  Everything went very smoothly after that and there were no hiccups. 

We were very fortunate to have Mitch as our guide.  He was very impressive and we had the chance to meet some of the other guides at Vundu Camp who were also good but know that we were lucky to have Mitch.  He was extremely knowledgeable, had a big passion for his job, astute in photography and very driven to be the best he can be for his clients.  Vundu Camp was quite empty so we had time to spend with Desiree (co-owner of the camp) as well as some of the bush pilots, which we enjoyed immensely.  Of course, the animals were amazing but especially enjoyed our time with Tusker, the elephant. 

Sam was also an amazing guide and well experiences in Hwange.  We enjoyed his wonderful spirit and stories about growing up in Zimbabwe.  He is a real gem and would go above and beyond to make sure that we enjoyed our experience.  Sable Valley Lodge was beautiful.  We enjoyed a beautiful evening with some African dancing before our special dinner…The pool and main area were beautiful.

Our biggest surprise was Amalinda as we did not have any expectations.  The rooms were spectacular and unique.  I had room 10, which was incredible.  The touches in each room were so well thought out and I had a private hanging bridge (walkway) to a perch looking out over the property.  The pool was beautiful, food was great and staff were very accommodating.  For my particular room, which was the farthest away from the main area, I had to crawl through an opening of the rocks to get to my room, which is quite memorable.  We did the Rhino walk, visited the orphanage (very well run), Rhodes grave site and paintings and spent a little time relaxing… 

All in all, we were extremely happy with our trip.  Africa is my favourite place to visit.  I have been many places in the world but nothing compares.  Thank you for making it another special one.

Nicole Spriet, Sep 2024

 

Flying Safari to Botswana

Dear Mark,

We had a fabulous adventure in Africa. Every detail in terms of transportation, transfers, and accommodations went perfectly — quite an accomplishment!

…As you know, we started in Victoria Falls, and this too was perfect with our stay at Ilala Lodge (gorgeous and ideal location — could see the mist from the falls and hear them from our room), a tour of the Falls, an Elephant Encounter, and a sunset cruise on the Zambezi River.

Our three camps in Botswana, in order, were Savuti, Tubu Tree, and Chitabe. For us this order was ideal. The staff, guides, food, and service at each camp were excellent. Savuti and Tubu Tree were beautiful facilities, and we were perhaps a bit spoiled by having them precede Chitabe…Our guides — Onx at Savuti, Lucas at Tubu Tree, and OD at Chitabe — were all amazing and engaging.

Your guidance on tipping was excellent, including the idea of preparing individual envelopes for the various camps. Initially we wished AAC had just included the tips in its fees, but we came to appreciate doing the tipping ourselves as we went along…

The animal life, sunrises and sunsets, and scenery were all extraordinary and unforgettable. Two to three nights per camp suited us just right. It was difficult to say good-bye to Beautiful Africa!

Thank you for making our trip so wonderful. We will happily and enthusiastically recommend AAC to our friends.

Best regards,

Alan Steele, Sep 2024

 

Northern Highlights Safari to Botswana with Cape Town

Hi Shelley and Alison,

We had an absolutely wonderful trip to Botswana, South Africa, and Victoria Falls.  Letaka was exceptional.  We were especially grateful to have Shaka for a guide.  He was so knowledgeable and easy going.  Letaka is really top notch.   Also enjoyed Cape Town and Vic Falls.  All the vendors you used were excellent and the hotel was good…

Thanks again,

can’t wait to go back

Liz and Margaret Watson, Sep 2024