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