May 2008
Just a wonderful holiday - heaven on earth!!
Transfer from airport to hotel - did not turn up - however, all organised by the hotel with one phone call from the airport.
20º Sud Hotel absolutely exquisite just could not be bettered.  The owners and staff made everything happen discreetley and exceptionally efficiently.  Vegetarian food a dream with the chef preparing special meals each evening.
I can say more than just a wonderful experience.
Jeanne Robertson

May 2008
It s been a great pleasure to give you a feedback on the service. Verona, the staff who help me to organise the hotel all the way in a very professional and informative way. Being very responsiblity and efficient to answer all my questions and offering extra help. Like providing a shuttle from Ocean Villa to Le Mauricia Hotel. I m very impressed by the excellent serivce that provided by Verona.

The stay in Le Mauricia was fantastic. Nice beach, beautiful pool and friendly staff. We had a wonderful stay in Mauritius. Thank you for giving us a brilliant suggestion. Staying in Le Mauricia make our trip even remarkable.
 
I will definately choose Island Safari.com to organise my stay in Mauritius again!
 
Thank you once again for all your excellent job! Well done!
 
Best regards,
Fanny Chow

May 2008
I’ve spoken to Holly and, in short, our response is 10 out of 10 across the board. We wouldn’t have changed a thing.
 
More specifically:
 
Alison (Island Safaris) was excellent. She always replied to our emails in a timely fashion. She let us know in advance when she was going to be away from the office. She was friendly, polite and honest, and she helped us to arrange the holiday of a lifetime.
The Victoria Falls Hotel was the perfect start to the honeymoon. Fantastic service, lovely food and the view from the hotel gave us a great taster of one of the wonders of the world, which is only a short walk away.
When we left Muchenje Safari Lodge I said to Holly ‘If we had to go home today, I would already have had the best holiday ever.’ The people were so friendly and, for a first safari experience, we were thoroughly spoiled.
Delta Camp was perhaps the most demanding of our stays – with the Mokoro trips, the walking safaris (we were very glad not to get to close to the animals!) and the tree house – but it has also been the experience we have talked about the most since we came home. We were very sorry when we had to leave. Again, the staff and guides were brilliant and it was truly an unforgettable experience.
Before we arrived at Xakanaxa I felt sorry for the staff and guides, thinking they would struggle to find something new and exciting for us so late into our holiday, but I should have known better. Xakanxa was another unforgettable safari experience that greatly added to the fun we’d had at Muchenje. Again, the staff, our guide, the accommodation and the food were excellent – just as we had come to expect!
Which leaves Deception Valley – and you have no idea how difficult it was for us to leave the Kalahari and return to England. Jason, Nadia, Xau and Qoma made us so welcome and managed, once again, to find new experiences, game and bird life for us to enjoy. It is probably Deception Valley, of all of the wonderful places we have been, to which I should most like to return.
 
Things we’d do differently next time:
Firstly, I should say that we would be happy to return to all of the lodges/camps/hotels we visited this time. I would recommend all of them, and Island Safaris, to anyone looking for a fantastic safari experience.
It would, however, be nice to visit each of these places at a different time of year to see them at their very best.
And finally, we should like to stay for a little longer next time – every time we had to leave a lodge/camp we felt we were leaving new friends behind.
Thank you for a truly wonderful honeymoon.
 
Chris & Holly Stanley.

May 2008
The staff during the booking was proffesional and very good.
Liked the personal and individual touch - very detailed tour descriptions, kind replays to all questions and special requests!
Thank's to Louise!
 
Also we received feedback from our clients and they also are very satisfied with all the services they received: transfer, the guide and both hotels.
At the Cavern Hotel was very good dinner.
Also the Balmoral Hotel was good.
 
So thank You for Your services and we will contact with You when we have new requests for tours to South Africa.
 
With best regards,
Krista Vecane
Tour operator
Baltics Online

May 2008
Thank you so much for helping us with this portion of our Botswana Safari. Your Island Safari staff were extremely helpful and efficient in processing our booking and in dealing with all our queries.
Camp Okuti is lovely. The camp has been very well built and the enormous bedrooms are wonderful. The staff are very welcoming and accommodating. The food is great and there is so much of it! The guides are very knowledgeable and adapt themselves very well to the specific interests of their guests instead of just chasing after the Big 5. The game vehicles are very comfortable, the bucket seats are a pleasure.
We really felt that the camp was child friendly in that our children were made to feel welcome instead of just tolerated.
I will certainly recommend both Island Safari and Camp Okuti.
Many thanks
Gill McPherson

May 2008
I have already given very positive feedback to Patricia, who proposed our program and who was extremely nice and efficient in all her work!

You'll find some additional commentary in your text below, and I remain of course at your disposal if you need further feedback or clarifications.

Thank you and all your staff for an unforgettable vacation!

Kind regards

Anton

* The service you received from Island-Safari.com staff during the booking process and during your tour.   Simply excellent!! Best travel agency I've used so far (OK, I haven't used many as I usually organise my trips by myself ...)!

* The transfers you had. Well organised, always punctual. Only criticism: it took six days to find my younger son's luggage, which was lost between Jo'burg and Maun ...

* Your stay at Oddballs Camp Great place, very nice guides, good food; we particularly liked the mokoro transfers and the walking, even if this keeps animals at a distance.

* Your stay at Kwara Camp Outstanding: friendly and helpful management, very comfortable accommodation; incredible wildlife and extremely knowledgable guides; arguably the best stop on our tour!

* Your stay at Muchenje Safari Lodge Beautiful location and very comfortable place, good food; unfortunately management appears a bit grim (army style ...) and not very hospitable; great wildlife, in particular during a fantastic river trip.

* Your stay at Zambezi Sun Resort Hotel Incredible location next to the falls, very comfortable; downside: considerable extra expenses since meals and drinks are not included. Most impressive waterfalls I've seen, especially from the helicopter!
Anton Tschopp

May 2008
Well what can we say.  Words cannot describe our experience.  Everything was just perfect, we wouldn’t have changed a thing.
 
To begin with:
 
Patricia, you could not have provided a better service, you were prompt, efficient, friendly and everything ran precisely to our schedule.
Our transfers were the best in the world.  We have traveled on numerous overseas holidays with both our family and the Sachrs (10-11 in total) and to move that many people isn’t easy and we have never had 1 transfer that has gone as smoothly as what you arranged for us.  Alan especially (in J’Burg) went beyond his call of duty and ensured that we were definitely on the flight before finally bidding us farewell.  If only we could receive this service elsewhere.  Please forward our regards to him and his colleagues.
The Elephant Sanctuary was a wonderful experience for all, especially the kids, the staff were always friendly and informative.  We even organized with the transfer company a trip to Sun City on their suggestion – that was a great ½ day out spent at the water park,,the kids and the parents enjoyed this relaxation time.
Planet Baobab – again the transfer and guides were always so friendly and the information they provided was always on hand.  Our highlight of the whole trip was the Quad Bikes and overnight at the Salt Pans, the most amazing experience and this just topped off an unbelievable Afrrican adventure.
Delta Camp – What can I say Lena was the most beautiful, amazing gentle man that we have meet on our trip.  He enlightened us all with his tales and made us feel safe and secure in his hands.  Again his team of guides were wonderful to us all.
Mapula Lodge – we were very grateful for those 4 x 4 trucks after trekking in the bush on foot in Delta for the last few days.  As always the service was incredible and the amount of wildlife that we saw here was immense.  Friendly and happy staff assisted in making us feel at home.
Muchenjie Lodge – the view spectacular, the hosts warm and caring and again plenty of animals to spot.
Songwe Village – another wonderful experience, we felt at home here and Dorothy was a beautiful woman who showed us her village life. We played this great African game (which we need to purchase somewhere) – if you can provide us with the correct name.  It has 32 holes and you play with pebbles, apparently you can play many different games on this.  The kids loved it and the adults couldn’t get enough of it. 
 
All in all the trip was a once in a life time experience.  The kids consumed so much information and even the adults learnt a few new things.  The food was amazing, couldn’t fault it and there was plenty too!  The assistance you provided to create the ideal adventure for our families was just perfect.
 
We could not thank you enough.
 
We would love to be able to book other holidays with you.  Do you specialize in Africa alone or are we able to use you to book any overseas holiday?
 
Kind regards
Linda and Daile Banning

April 2008
We should like to thank you and Island Safaris for organising our honeymoon. We wanted something breathtaking and unforgettable to follow our special day and that is exactly what you arranged for us. We’ve stayed in hotels, lodges, tents and tree houses; we’ve been on driving, boating and walking safaris; we’ve seen numerous birds and animals; we’ve been welcomed with champagne and ‘congratulations’ everywhere and it has all been truly wonderful. Please extend our thanks to the owners of the lodges and their staff, all of whom provided us with comfort and hospitality and helped us to relax and enjoy our break.
 
We were a little apprehensive about moving to a new location every other day – so much reliance on transfers seemed to be a recipe for disaster – but everything ran smoothly and we quickly appreciated just how well organised the holiday was. There was so much variety in location and accommodation that by the time we came home it felt like we had been away for a month, not ten nights. And at no point were we eaten by lions or bitten by snakes, which was a welcome bonus!
 
Based on our experience, both of us would like to return to Africa at some point in the future, and maybe even to some of the lodges we have already seen. And we wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Island Safaris to anyone planning such a holiday.
 
So, once again, thank you very much.
 
Kind regards
Chris & Holly Stanley
P.S. The wedding was perfect.

April 2008
I have been meaning to write a thank you note since we got back a week ago however, work has got in the way!

Patricia was our first point of contact and I cannot fault her on anything! The communication received throughout the booking was fantastic and she made some very good suggestions re travel. All my queries were answered to and simply put, it was a hassle free experience, thank you! We even received an email from her when in Zambia, to confirm flights that had been arranged, top draw!

We were met at the airport by the transfer staff who were very friendly and patient with us! We needed to go to the chemist to get some goods and they showed us where to go, needed to exchange money and again, were patient waiting for us etc. The drive was easy, only 10min from the airport and the accommodation just perfect for the nights stay. Simba arranged a transfer for us out to dinner that night and the following morning we were taken back to the airport for our trip to Botswana.

Mapula Lodge was outstanding! Doctor and his team welcomed us with open arms and we felt like part of the family from the second we arrived. The flight was exciting and the welcome warm. Singing and dancing welcomed us, fantastic. The rooms are fantastic, at one with nature, just breathtaking views over the Delta and the wildlife superb. Josiah was our guide and Mike our trekker - what great great guys. They knew everything and taught us so so much. The food!! Unbelievable!!!! We loved the way the timings worked with everything and how it fitted it with the activities. This was really a fantastic set up/concept and the highlight of our stay for sure! We spent four wonderful nights here.

Stanley Safari Lodge: Again, the accommodation was outstanding. We were put in the honeymoon lodge and it was an open plan overlooking the Falls - unbelievable. Our host was very helpful and spent time with us going through some activities available. The setting is superb and the advantage of having your meal wherever you wanted was something different and which we enjoyed. To be honest, the quality of the food was not all that great, never the less, the friendly staff and great surroundings more than made up for it. We were there for two nights and enjoyed a Zambezi sunset cruise, visited the Vic Falls in the morning and took a helicopter flight through the gauges and over the falls, an experience of a lifetime. Again, the transfers were spot on and arrangements cannot be faulted.

Benguerra was paradise. Our own Casita right on the ocean was simply fantastic and a great way to end our trip. Again, the timings of meals etc was superb allowing you to arrange your day as you pleased and do whatever activities you wanted. We loved the social feel about the place yet still having your private space and time to do your own thing. The snorkelling was unbelievable. Andre was great and taught us so much about the marine life, which he clearly has a passion for. Lee-ann was such a great host and took care of all our needs. The transfers worked well. Going through Villanculos was interesting....  the locals were not as friendly as what we had experienced in Botswana and Zambia, however, that didn't distract us from a great holiday.

All-in-all, this was a trip of a lifetime for Aneisha and I. I will strongly recommend Island Safari to any of my friends who are planning a trip such as ours. Everything was simply superb and well worth the cost! Everything was taken care of and one of the best things was the communication on what we needed to take in terms of visa money etc. The itinerary was outstanding and a great tool to carry with us throughout the trip.

Thanks Patricia, for all your help and organization - much appreciated. Hope to one day afford a trip like this again, simply the best holiday of our lives.
Craig and Aneisha Haldane

April 2008
Sorry for this late answer but I want to tell you that our safari was excellent. All our journey was perfect. I thank a lot Claudia for his help : it was a pleasure to work with her.
All the transfers were perfect because we haven't lost any time.
The stays in the different lodge were fine : especialy in Deception Valley Lodge with Jason and his staff.
My family and I have enjoyed the safari : especially my daughter, she was like a queen in the journey ( single room for her !! ).
Thank you for all.
Warmest regards to Claudia.
Hervé MEQUIGNON

April 2008
Just to let you know that we had a great time on our safari. All the arrangements went like clockwork, and we really appreciated the efficiency of the whole operation. Our transfer to San Camp was super (and from what we gleaned) was a very fortunate move for us. We enjoyed the quad biking there, and we also did microlight over Vic Falls when we were there.
 
Again, many thanks for the superb and friendly service, with best wishes,
Chris and Audrey Robertson

April 2008
I cannot rave enough about Patricia and the help that I received from her while putting the trip together at the last
minute.  I could not have done it without her.  I had contacted numerous companies, and Island-Safari came
through with the best choices, but most importantly, she responded quickly and consistently to all questions, and
asked a lot of questions to ensure that all of our needs were in place.
The transfers you arranged worked out beautifully.  They were on time, helpful and exceedingly friendly.  They got
us there without a hitch. Both the land and air transport worked well.
Deception Valley was charming as were Jason and Nadia.  Jason was particularly sensitive to his job and his relationship with his San associates.  I think he has a big heart and excellent knowledge. It was a pleasure.  Nadia
held down the fort, made us feel very much at home and oversaw excellent food.  Deception Valley had a very nice mix of gentility and rustic, luxury and down home.  It was a comfortable place to be and most enjoyable
Mapula Lodge was my favorite for many reason.  Doctor was a joy and it was obvious that he treats his staff well-
they seemed like family.  Having the staff participate (greeting us at our arrival, singing and dancing for a
birthday) and being very visible during our stay was a treat.  They went out of their way to look after everyone.
As for the guides, they were the best,  Josiah, Mike, Dicks - loved them. And they found the Wild Dogs and leopard
for me.  I would go back.
Delta Camp was enjoyable.  The staff, Amy and Jessie, were new to the lodge and a little out of their element.  Amy was friendly however Jessie was standoffish and appeared not to like being there.  He was absent most  of the time.  The food was very good. Matsaudi  was just a wonderful person and superb guide. I also enjoyed Tim who is studying with him.  The two together made Delta a memorable experience and would recommend staying there just to have them as guides.  I trusted Matsaudi explicitly while on walking safaris and in the Mukoro,  and valued his sense of our safety and his vast knowledge of both the flora and fauna.  He and Tim
made the experience well worth while.  They are very nice people.
Muchenje Lodge, perhaps because it was closer to Kasane and more assessable, lacked the charm and uniqueness that the other lodges provided. The managers, Kathy and Rod, seemed to be working hard to get it
up and running properly. One of problems were the god-awful concrete and stone paths which I understand are going to be paved over.  I was using a cane and they were exceedingly unpleasant.  The food was very good. Again, the guides stole the show.  They were great fun, found Wild Dogs and Leopards (as well as Elephants) -
loved them all. 
In retrospect, the guides were the key to having a memorable time and because I went primarily to see the animals and experience a little bit of Africa, that is as it should be. 
Thank you for your putting the trip together and for this followup.  It ensures that the people who went out of their
way to make our visit spectacular can be recognized for their hard work.

With kind regards,
Linda Martin

April 2008
The service you received from Island-Safari.com staff during the booking process and during your tour. Ali was a superb travel advocate and became a great friend responding quickly to our every question and concern.
The transfers you had. They were all on time, good wildlife guides and terrific conversationalists. Your stay at Olive Grove Guesthouse It was exactly what we needed
Your stay at Serra Cafema Camp It was a fabulous experience in spite of Kate's medical emergency. The staff, especially Victoria, was exceptional in their concerns for Kate and their response to getting her back to Windhoek for medical care. Serra Cafema is an extraordinary place that we would love to return to someday.
Your stay at Sossusvlei Mountain Lodge Kate was unable to travel there but Scott had an experience of a life time...a life changing experience. Everything about the time there was extraordinary! The staff, food, special birthday surprise for friend Janet, vastness of the landscape, our guide Peter, the other guests, the astronomer Di and her introduction to the southern sky, the dunes, the dunes, the dunes, and the facilities were all beyond expectations.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Kate Johnson

April 2008
We returned to the UK yesterday after a brilliant holiday.

All the transfers were on time and we really enjoyed the Cessna transfers between the camps which gave great views of the Okavango and a few animals from a great height.

The camps were excellent and all different. Probably Shakawe needs some attention but we understand it is changing hands. We did see Pels there but at Pom Pom we had one roosting in a tree outside our tent for 2 days ! We loved Pom Pom, really lovely setting and the best of the 3 lodges we stayed at.

Lagoon was also really nice  and was the best for actual sightings. We shared Sundowners with some Wild Dogs ( which we had also done at Pom Pom with a Leopard ! ). We saw a Cheetah with her 2 week old cub by a kill she had recently made,and a herd of about 50 - 60 Elephants crossing the river from Botswana to Namibia ( from the boat ).

The most amazing spectacle though, was a Wild Dog kill about 10 metres from our vehicle, not exactly for the feint hearted ! Night spotting also produced lots of Mammals and Owls.

The food throughout was excellent and we now need to lose some weight.

Thank you for all the organisation, we have lots of memories of a lovely holiday,

Best wishes,
Marcus and Marion L'Anson

April 2008
Easy to give you my feedback - it was a wonderful holiday in every way...
 
Cara was great in all the booking arrangements - a fantastic service!
About the only thing I' wish I'd discussed was which flights to book - i didn't realise that by booking Cape Town return to London  I was potentially adding a few hours to my journey - better would have been to go from Nelspruit to Jo'Burg instead of back to Cape Town - but flights weren't part of what you do, so that's more of an observation for a next trip....
The transfers were great, with a guy called Stuart, who was both knowledgeable and extremely nice.
Camps Bay is beautiful and the folk at Camps Bay Village were very friendly and helpful. Our apartment was in a great position and decorated to a good standard.  Had to pay for parking on top of a relatively high daily rate, but was safe and right outside our apartment.
Idube was just brilliant - everything about it - the people, the experience, and top quality food.
 
THANKS -  if you do Thailand, we'll be planning with you again next year, otherwise, we'll be back the year after next - i need my parents to see this!
Best,
Deb Lincoln

April 2008
I am pleased to tell you that we thoroughly enjoyed our trip. I will answer your questions below.

We received excellent service from Michelle. She gave us prompt attention and her advice was right on target. She covered all the bases and nothing fell through the cracks.

All of our transfers were accomplished without incident. The only time we had to wait at all was on our initial landing in Johannesburg. The Delta Airlines flight had several numbers associated with it and our driver was a bit confused.

The Safari Club was a nice hotel. It was clean and comfortable. The breakfast was excellent. For travelers in transit, it is perfect.

The Delta Camp was extraordinary. It was an adventure from the beginning to the end. Our guide, "Culture", was attentive and knowledgeable. He showed us a great variety of wildlife in a natural setting. In comparing notes with other guests, our experience was far richer. My only comment is that he should practice his English enunciation.

The accommodations and food were also excellent. The hosts, Jeff and Amy, were gracious and attentive. The chef was extraordinary. We are vegetarian (fish also) and he provided wonderful special meals for us, which we greatly appreciated. We also met the owner, Peter, who is a unique character.

The Chobe Safari Lodge is pleasant and comfortable but not very friendly. The agents in the activities bureau were not at all helpful, and, in fact, a bit rude.
Our plane was about 1 1/2 hours late, which caused us to miss the opportunity for an evening safari tour. They were less than helpful in choosing an alternate activity. The food at the buffet was unremarkable. It reminded me of American fast food.

I believe that if I had only two hours to see Africa, I would take the evening boat safari up the Zambezi River. It was amazing. Other activities gave us the opportunity to get more intimate with wildlife, and given the time were a better experience, but they required more effort. The boat ride was simple, pleasant, comfortable and amazing.

We enjoyed the Songwe Village much more than we would have enjoyed the fancy hotels right at the edge of Victoria Falls. In the end, we saw enough of the falls, but Songwe gave us the opportunity to learn more about the culture. And, it is a beautiful setting. The manager of the camp, Dorothy, was a warm, friendly and hospitable woman.

My only comments are that a modest investment in a road grader would have made getting in and out of Songwe Village much easier. One of the guides at Songwe Village Resort even mentioned that he had driven road graders for a living before. I know how much it costs to run one and it would be well worth the expenditure.

The other comment is that the village tour was a bit contrived and that the sale of artifacts was phony. The artifacts were clearly mass produced elsewhere. But, each of the young men insisted that he had made the items himself. No two people, without the aid of a machine, could make artifacts that were so identical. Moreover, the very same artifacts appeared in many other shops at the Falls and in Livingston. We later found the same artifacts in Cape Town marked Made in Tanzania or Kenya. I found this a bit disingenuous.

Overall, our trip was excellent, and I would not hesitate to recommend your services to my friends.

Regards,
Tom Manteuffel

April 2008
thanks to all your colleagues, for organizing our wonderful holiday.
We were completely satisfied with all your arrangements.We and also some of our fellow travelers we only a bit surprised by the size of the tents 
during the safari tour as we saw a different - bigger type on your website  or maybe it was a website from CC Africa. We already gave the information 
to CC Africa to change this.

With best regards
Dr. Udo Frees

April 2008
Dear Mr. Garner:
 
I am writing to tell you what an extraordinary asset you have in the person of Alison De Bruyn.  A friend and I first worked with Alison on a trip to South Africa, Botswana, and Namibia in 2003 and because of her exceptional helpfulness and warm personality, we chose her to book a recent trip to Namibia (April 7 - 14).  In the process of communicating with her, Alison has become more than a travel agent: she is a trusted friend.  She was, early on, our advocate in the matter of competing prices and she has unfailingly recommended outstanding accommodations and experiences.  Her contacts on the ground throughout southern Africa proved really important when I had to be hospitalized in Windhoek.  I did not feel alone and abandoned, because Alison and her local colleague stayed in constant contact with me, booking a perfect hotel for my recuperation and arranging on-going transportation.
 
My husband was along on this most recent trip and he had the pleasure of meeting Ali for the first time.  He hasn't stopped talking about her competence and sparkle.  We trust that her outstanding performance on behalf of her clients is known and amply rewarded.  She is a treasure!
 
Sincerely,
Kate Johnson and Scott Berry
Minneapolis, Minnesota  USA

April 2008
we had already filled in evaluation forms at Shinde. But I don't hesitate to repeat my feedback: Excellent in all three categories below!
The service you received from Island-Safari.com staff during the booking process and during your tour.
The transfers you had.
Your stay at Shinde Camp

Best regards,
Lorenz Bollinger

April 2008
I would thoroughly recommend your company. My contact Elize was excellent throughout.
 
Specifically...
1. the service received..... prompt and efficient, we had a problem with a cancelled flight Maun(Botswana - Windhoek) with Air Namibia. Problem rectified efficiently with minimum hassle + change of flight later to avoid any future problem.
 
2. Deception valley.. first class place... transfers + accommodation + game drives good, staff helpful and pleasant.
 
3. Xakanaka camp.... good too, 2 nights is enough, we stayed 3, apart from early game drives and mokoro trip, very good, not very much more to do,. Good service and comfortable accommodation.
 
4. Hilltop House.... a good base for Windhoek, Allan is a good host, best not to order room service, preparation time very variable....
 
5. Metcourt Laurel...... useful place with good facilties, make sure to specify non smoking room if you don't smoke, (Thanks Elize for organising this)
 
6. Matemo Island resort. First class resort, very comfortable, excellent food..... only draw back is if windy snorkelling/diving problematic and not a great deal to do in other water sport activities....
(useful to point out perhaps to clients that there are 2x a week direct flights from J'burg - Pemba rather than the tortuous J'burg, Maputo, 2 hour wait and then Maputo- Pemba.)
 
7. the transfers, all smooth except Maun- Windhoek which was a disaster till Elize and the company sorted it and all ended well.
 
Overall great trip!
 
best wishes.
Hilary Naqvi

April 2008
I was extremely satisfied with the communications I had with Cara at Island Safari. She always answered all of my questions in a timely manner, and acted as liaison with Transfrontiers.

The pick-up and return (from Transfrontiers) from JoBurg airport area to Kruger was prompt and the driver was very knowledgeable and personable.

Ian Kruger and his staff at Transfrontiers were absolutley wonderful. I felt total trust in Ian's leadership, knowledge and decisions, which are extremely important on a walking safari. The food was great, as were the accommodations. I would recommend Island Safari or Transfrontiers  to anyone interested in this type of Safari.

There was one glitch in the communication between Transfrontiers' two offices, which is being addressed by Ian, and hopefully will be resolved. This was the result of the current transition to his ownership of the company.

Yours truly,
Daisy Kates

April 2008
The service you received from Island-Safari.com staff during the booking process and during your tour.   The service and feedback was always efficient and speedy, my answers being well taken care of.

The transfers you had. These all worked efficiently - us being met in Maun (there and back) as well as at Kasane.  The lodge vehicles were waiting at each point and efficiently transported us to the lodges.  The sequence of the two lodges was correct for us - the first being more removed and the viewing experience more personal being able to go off road.  The area around Mapula was more unspoilt and the animals less used to tourists.  Chobe counterbalanced this with more animals (especially elephants).  Both lodges were about 50% full which made for a smaller intimate group which we enjoyed.  I was impressed when receiving the booking and experienced this during the holidays that we were able to enjoy the game and wildlife and our holiday on both the departure and return days.  Often these are only that (getting there).  We were able to partake in activities both the afternoon of our arrival and again on the morning of our departure (again - giving us the maximum time and opportunity to enjoy the wilderness.

Your stay at Mapula Lodge The food was good - I would describe it as similar to a Sunday lunch at home or a restaurant.  We were not looking for any 5 star hotel and it met exactly our food needs.  The bar was always available and staff ready so serve us.  The game drives and staff involved really worked hard and spent long hours driving us around - you felt they were optomising our time out in the bush (which is what we had come for).  During our first day we had tourists who had younger kids and these were a bit noisy around the pool and dining area (as kids should be).  We did feel a bit that we had come to get away from noise and drink in the peace and quiet.  They left the next day so not to much of a problem.  The rooms were very clean and well attended each day.  Having the front and part of the side with only mesquito netting made one feel close to nature being able to have a 180 degree view of the river and seeing the stars at night when in bed (I did wonder just how cold these would become in winter)?  The rustic design of the bath and washbasins (zinc) appealed to us as did the outside shower.  The mokoro ride and bush walk were interesting and welcome additions to the variety of experiences we had.  I think 3 days is just the correct length of time. The trackers and driver were exceptionally good.

Your stay at Muchenje Safari Lodge The staff at the lodge truly took personal care of us and were always around to assist or answer questions.  Meals were of a slightly higher standard without getting to pretentious (not our need).  This is a bit more sophisticated a lodge and the staff and backup very much up to it.  The room was much smaller than Mapula but adequate.  We again did a lot of travel on the landrovers (which we wanted) and the staff always willing to spend the hours.  The excursion on the river was most interesting and brought another aspect of game viewing that we had not done before.  The location of the lodge with its spectacular views and areas to sit and relay were a plus that we unfortunatly had little time to savour to its full extent.  Two days was again we felt just enough without the drives becoming repititive.
Overall it was a most enjoyable and memorable experience that we will long remember and that I can and will highly recommend to friends and family.
Pieter and Cathy van Niekerk
 

April 2008
I am more than happy to give you feed back..   Michelle was fantastic ...  quick to respond to my emails from the very beginning and the arrangements were perfectly orchestrated.  The trip was planned to my requests and there were absolutely no glitches.    Thank you Michelle.
Every transfer went on time and the most delightful people were there to meet and greet.  My first landing was at Xakanaxa and even the lions were on the landing strip to meet me.  Pilots flying the planes were pleasant and efficient and all landing went smooth as silk.  
Safari Club was very nice ..  beautiful, clean...  staff was friendly and the breakfast was lovely.   It was not easy to feed myself the rest of the day, as ordering in a salad took 2 hours to arrive....  not to many close places to be driven to. Having access to the computer to contact my family and let them know that I arrived safely was great. I was also assisted with finding drivers/guides that help me around an other wise intimidating city.  Going to the Apartheid museum was also an experience that I recommend. I would recommend it to anyone and would stay there again without hesitation.
Xakanaxa was excellent.....  no bugs, hippo's to sing me to sleep, food was wonderful, guide was Nygande and he was wonderful....  did a great job of making me feel wonderful and welcome.  The facility was truly lovely and Flo and Bob made me feel like family. The hippo's and the time on the water were great experiences as well. I couldn't have had a better first camp.   Incredible "fellow travelers" to spend the time with as well.  I am not really an avid birder but I had a huge number of them to see and really appreciated the huge variety. I saw more than 20 the first day alone
Deception Valley was another whole new feeling ...  just as beautiful in another way.   Huge rooms, big claw foot tub and an outdoor shower as well, good game drives and the Bushman walk was informative and the bushmen/trackers did an excellent job for us.   I felt like I was  watching a little bit of history.  Adriaan and Wanda were gracious and full of fun stories to share.  The food was a wonderfully presented and a treat as it was centered around the wild game and fixed to perfection.  We saw more game than I expected since it was still very green and lush and game was harder to see.  A young leopard and a very curious and hungry porcupine were my highlights although there were many more sighted.
Pom Pom was awesome too.   Stephanie and her friends, Kerith and Warren couldn't have taken better care of us.   I had some issues with running out to memory stix on my camera and she very nicely put the ones on my camera on a CD for me so that I could take more pictures.   Not a simple matter as she even had to locate a cable.... they truly went out of their way for all of us there.  My tent was located with the water on two sides and it was such a special feeling.  Accommodations were extremely well done, very clean and everything was made convenient. 
Munchenje was my last camp and  most like a hotel.   Built on a hill above the Chobe River, the view was amazing.  Rob and Cathy are to be commended for the way it is run.   Rooms were beautiful,  food was delicious and plentiful, but the feeling that I had arrived at home was very special.  Game drives were of course incredible.  Know as the land of the Elephants, there were buffalo, giraffe, hippo, impalla, baboons, lions, birds in large numbers and I even got to see a dung beetle and watch it roll, dig and disappear. definitely felt like I was living a National Geographic show.
Zambize Sun, although the location was great, the Falls spectacular, was the least comfortable for me.  Some of the hotel staff walking by me on the way to shop etc would approach me for  money with comments like "you could me me dollars to so that I would have money to remember you by".  After being in the camps with and feeling so safe and family like I guess I just didn't like the feeling of the bigger place.  Not any good options to the $35 buffet if you just wanted something light either.  I did take the sunset cruise and did a microlight over the Falls and it was spectacular.
I did travel by myself and that may be why the appeal of the small camps and staying away from the larger places suited me better.
This trip was a dream of a lifetime for me and Michelle helped me to accomplish it.  I was not disappointed in any way and I attribute it to her skill in setting things up and also her ability to listen to my hopes and what I would like.  Can't thank her enough.
Doty Klein

April 2008
We were very please to book with your company, we had a very good service, lots of informations. Sakeena was very helpfull.
Thanks a lot for the way she arrange our journey everything was perfect only the food in Victoria falls Hotel was not good at all and it was not possible to eat properly, but we knew why. Hotel is very good . The transfer was very well organized. We stayed 3 nights and I think that 2 would be enough.
 
For a next journey we w'll contact you again.
Thanks to Sakeena and hello to Louise.
 
Best regards.
Danielle Liska

April 2008
Carien from your offices was extremely efficient and helpful in arranging our trip to Mauritius.  The transfers were on time and no problems were experienced.  The hotel Le Victoria was superb and I would recommend the hotel to others.
 
Please extend my thanks to Carien for all her assistance.
 
Regards
Careen McKinon

April 2008
The service you received from Island-Safari.com staff during the booking process and during your tour.
Booking process was effortless. Payment in UK a great help. Altogether good.
We ended up do everything ourselves locally in Capetown with a hire car and simply copied one of those free guides of arranged tours which we used to choose what to do and where to go. This gave us total flexability, was very cost effective and especially when combined with good B&B in capetown (would recommend both places we stayed (Cape Nelson and Olafs in Seapoint). Would recommend to other visitors the same approach to Capetown as with B&B, car hire, sat nav, a basic plan (can change depending on weather etc at no cost or hassle) and so much to do, it really worked for us. 

Transfers you had
Great. Both ways the guy (sorry forget name) was on time / there. Very helpful, polite and friendly. Great load off our minds to pre-arrange transfer this way.

Your stay at Michelangelo Towers
Hotel was fab. Not sure if we were meant to be in the 'suite' we got or not, but 2 bed suite, lounge etc. Whilst expensive it was easy to see why. location great. Service fantastic and didi not really mind paying the small extras for the 2 kids breakfasts.
Jim Judson

April 2008
The service you received from Island-Safari.com staff during the booking process and during your tour.
Elize was fantastic with management of all booking details and assistance with details.
The transfers you had.
Friendly assistance from your company to do the transfers for the clients
Your stay at Delta Camp
The clients really enjoyed the stay – the Delta is always ‘magic’.
Jackie Abbott

April 2008
The service we received from Island -Safari.com and Elize in particular, was excellent.
During our transfers, we found the people always courteous and keen to make conversation about our destination and/or our holiday in general.
The staff at the Bay hotel and at Ngala Lodge was also excellent and extremely professional.

I trust this will answer your query. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any further questions.

Very best regards,
Fabien Lomondais

April 2008
The service you received from Island-Safari.com staff during the booking process and during your tour. Excellent

The transfers you had. No problems

Your stay at The Safari Club SA Very comfortable, refreshing and convenient

Your stay at Mapula Lodge Wonderful!  Fantastic food, prepared, introduced and served in an entertaining way.  Incredibly successful game drives every day, and an interesting mokoro outing.  We even got an after-dinner show!  My only regret is that I did not bring a better lens for my camera. I'd like to suggest that you offer advice to your guests on that topic, since most of the people on these trips are taking lots of pictures!
Peter Bryant

April 2008
The service you received from Island-Safari.com staff during the booking process and during your tour.
Excellent (Mandy). She actually recommended Matemo resorts - great choice. Quick email replies  (not very common these days!) and great service.

The transfers you had.
No problems - professional and punctual.

 Your stay at Matemo Island Resort
"Out of this world!" Highly recommended, will go back any time.
Regards Quentin Campbell

April 2008
We had an excellent time on our holiday - everything was superbly organised by Verona and all at Island Safari. The Ilot Malais itself was excellent - a stunning location, fantastic staff and a beautiful villa, our son (aged 2 and a half) called it his 'special house' and that pretty much summed up what we all thought of it!!
 
Thanks and regards
Andrew Stevenson

April 2008
The staff, specifically Elize, was extremely helpful, informative, and patient in handling and organizing our trip.  Information and responses to requests were always timely and handled professionally.  Your firm has it’s finger on the pulse of where to go and what to see, and is excellent at understanding what your customer wants.
The transfers were great, especially the flights.  Our pilot, Erbert, made sure our flights were comfortable and secure, and as an added bonus, he was an informative guide and a problem solver (he got our lost luggage to us).
At all the camps we experienced attentive, personal service coupled with well prepared and thoughtful menus.  The trips were well organized and the guides informative and engaging.  We would suggest that the camps provide some type of walking excursions.  It’s very hard on the legs to sit all day in a jeep, and being able to park and walk, or drive one way and walk the other way, would have added to the enjoyment.
Our only negative comment was the too short stay at Canon Lodge and unnecessary overnight stay at the Nest Hotel.  Canon was beautiful, but too rushed.  The Nest Hotel, while in a scenic location, did not compare with the other accommodations, and suffered accordingly.   Our suggestion to you is to have the Canon Lodge stay be two (2) nights, which will allow visitors time to enjoy what the lodge and the area have to offer, while dropping the Nest Hotel entirely.  The Ludertiz area is worth a day trip (Kolmanskop, Diaz Point, desert adapted horses in Aus), but the Nest Hotel and overnight in Luderitz was too out of context with small scale, luxury camps that made up the rest of the excursion.    In our specific case, our disappointment with Ludertiz was compounded by the fact that it was Easter weekend, and the town was completely shutdown.  We joked that the real ghost town that weekend was not Kolmanskop, but Luderitz!
 
Twice we’ve used your firm, and on both occasions the adventures you’ve organized have exceeded our expectations.  Count on us being in touch for our next African adventure!
 
Best regards
Michael A. "Mac" Cotter

April 2008
We had a wonderful stay.
We enjoyed the Lagoon camp very much; the setting is beautiful, the tents are comfortable and the food was excellent. A place to go back. Guides and tracker were very friendly.
Regarding the service of Michelle we were very happy. She assited us with competence and patience.
No problems with the transfers. (except with air Botswana when a bag was lost).
Certainly a very good experience!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bertin De Gryse

April 2008
The transfers you had. Perfect
Your stay at The Safari Club SA OK
Your stay at Sindabezi Island Lodge Food: excellent; accommodation: excellent; service: OK; activities: very good
Your stay at Muchenje Safari Lodge Food: good; accommodation: OK (excellent view); service: good; activities: very good
Your stay at Xakanaxa Camp Food: excellent; accommodation: excellent; service: very good; activities: good
Your stay at Mapula Lodge Food: OK; accommodation: good; service: not good; activities: not good
Luis de Souza

April 2008
The service we received from Island Safari was superb.  We got in touch with Island Safari when we found out our flight to Maun from Windhoek
was being delayed/cancelled and the person at Island Safari was very helpful.

We had no problem with transfers.  Delta Air was very efficient and their pilots were very good.  No problems with our luggage at all.  The Kwando Safari camps were absolutely wonderful and we will be coming back sometime in the future to stay at them again.  The guides we had at Lebala Camp, Spencer and Julius deserve special mention since they really made our safari experience memorable.  The food served, and the service provided by Kwando Safaris was top-notch.

The Zambezi Sun Resort Hotel was a little too flashy by our standards but the location cannot be beat.  We prefer quieter, less touristy hotels but there doesn't seem to be a lot of choice if you want to stay close to the falls.  It was also the first time since we arrived in Southern Africa that we felt like we were treated like "cash cows" rather than valued customers or guests.

The Swakopmund Hotel was great and the food excellent.  The Le Mirage Desert Lodge was first class, but the sign-posting to get to Le Mirage from Windhoek
is less than ideal.

Hilltop House was very comfortable and homey.  All in all, we enjoyed ourselves immensely in Southern Africa and would love to come back someday.  I would highly recommend Island Safari to any of ourt friends and don't be suprised if you hear from some other Canadians about Safaris in Namibia and Botswana.  I hope this is the kind of feedback you were looking for.  We just want to thank you again from the bottom of our hearts for the wonderful trip you helped us plan.
Cathy, Carson and Aislinn Tang

April 2008
Trip went without a hitch except at the airport at Lusaka where they (Zambian Airlines and their fault) changed their booking system and we had to go thru the whole deal again, but other than that excellent organization.
 
The trip from Livingstone to Stanley’s, smooth,  obliging staff and good pilots.
 
Stanleys: We received personal attention and were really looked after by all of the staff, especially the guide TeTe and the management.
 
A great trip and very enjoyable.
Regards
Geoff Walker

April 2008
Everything was great - Island safari's were extremely helpful and answered all my queries in a timely manor and all info provided was correct. In fact Island safaris saved me some money on the visa front by letting me know we can buy the visa at the border rather than buy it in London where it was far more expensive.
 
I organised the transfers myself, but they were great. Pelican air was on time and there was little waiting time inbetween flights.
 
Benguerra lodge is paradise and the staff are wonderful! We had an amazing 8 days and were fortunate enough to be upgraded to the Casitas for the last 2 nights too!
 
All activities were great fun and well guided. Picnics were lovely to get away from the lodge and other guests for some quiet secluded time. Fishing was the highlight - superb guide and some big fish landed.
 
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed our stay and the service we received at Benguerra and I would recommend it to everybody.
 
Thanks for all your help in making it such a successful holiday.
Kind regards,
Tom van Vlaanderen

April 2008
We had a great time. Everything was well organised as usual and there were no hiccups. Mapula Lodge was beautiful. They catered to Sam's needs without any fuss or problems.
All in all another very successful trip
Regards
Sue Whiteford

April 2008
Our safari holiday was a fantastic African experience. Totally different from anything we had done before and very memorable. One of the very best holidays we have ever had. It all went so smoothly.
The service you received from Island-Safari.com staff during the booking process and during your tour.
Patricia who organised our holiday was excellent. All problems and our numerous questions were dealt with efficiently and cheerfully. She was most informative and helpful.
The transfers you had.
3 of our bags were lost by KLM and we were two and a half hours in getting out the airport but the transfer chap waited for us and was very pleasant.
Your stay at The Safari Club SA
Nice clean comfortable big rooms. Enjoyed the welcome tray.
Your stay at Planet Baobab
Transfer chap was very friendly and informative. The trip took three and a half hours in an open stepped jeep (instead of two in a closed vehicle)and it was very windy. We had to resort to lying down or covering our faces as it was not comfortable. However we saw our first elephant on the way and loads of birds. The return trip was the same but the driver was very attentive He came into the airport and helped  us to get our missing bags which had been sent to Maun Airport and waited until we were escorted to our onward flight.
Planet Baobab was great. The huts are charming the sunsets wonderful. It was nice to cool down in the pool. We enjoyed the introduction to traditional Botswana life. It was most interesting. The Botswana people were so friendly and welcoming. Our guide was excellent. The manager phoned up on our behalf about our bags and was able to tell us that they were at the airport.
Your stay at Xakanaxa Camp
Flight transfer to Xakanaxa was fabulous and the camp and the game drives were amazing. Again the staff were so welcoming and helpful, giving us personal attention. It is such a beautiful setting and camp. The tents were very comfortable and romantic – especially nice for the honeymoon couple. We loved it. The food was delicious. Our guide was really good, very knowledgeable and genuinely seemed to want us to see as much as possible. The game drives were exciting and we saw everything we could have hoped for. Too many highlights to mention. The boat trips were great too and a nice contrast. A truly wonderful experience.
Your stay at Elephant Valley Lodge
Again the flight transfer was an enjoyable part of the holiday. Again the accommodation and welcome were great. Lovely surroundings. Enjoyed eating outside.  Our guide was young but very good and again seemed to really want to show us as much as he could. 
Your stay at Victoria Falls Hotel
The transfer went very smoothly. Zimbabwe is a country with huge challenges but the hotel was very grand and comfortable  -like stepping back in time.  Once more staff were helpful. We enjoyed relaxing on our final day and the final boat trip was  nice. Our final transfer like all the others was on time.
We all felt that we  had been very well looked after and that it had all been very well organised.
A big thank you to Island –Safari for organising such a great trip.
Howard Wood

April 2008
Mandy was great during the booking process, and all went well from that side
 
We ended up staying at Pemba Beach Resort on Friday 21st as LAM airlines flight was delayed by 6 hours - we loved it and will go there again. The manager from Pemba who met us at the airport was very organised and efficient
 
Matemo was a dream come true and we wish we could have stayed longer - beautiful island, great food and service. We hope to return in the not too distant future
 
Coming back to Joburg, LAM was delayed by 2 hours, which meant I missed my flight back to CT
 
The holiday was wonderful, the only aspect which we would definitely not repeat again is travel with LAM airlines - we would rather travel with SAA or any other airline
 
Thank you again for all your assistance
 
Warm regards
Sheila Otieno

April 2008
I must say that your office was a pleasure to deal with, and Carien was great.
 
Kind regards 
ALASTAIR MACKIE

April 2008
We returned from our Matemo visit yesterday, and I wish to say THANK YOU for such a great recommendation! We throughly enjoyed the scenery, hospitality and tranquility that Matemo offered. Everything was just as was advertised on their website, so there were no unpleasant surprises (which often happens when you book something via the intenet!). We really had a great time, and the facilties and food were excellent.

You are most welcome to use us as reference should you want to refer others to Matemo in future.

Kind regards,
Quentin and Erika Campbell

April 2008
since my sisters and my brother in laws englisch ist not that good, they asked me to contact you on their behalve .
 
They have been very happy and were TOTALLY  satisified at  ALL  camps.  Each one of the camps have been an unforgetable experience with animal viewing beyond their wildest dreams !
Each and every person at the camps, from Camp Manager to Guides to personell have been friendly, honest and made theit stay very special.
 
So thank you and all concerned very much from my sister and her husband, as well as from me, because this booking had been a first for me - but will definately not be the last  !!!
 
with kindest regards
Uta Vering

April 2008
Thanks for your concern.
The whole trip was fantastically well organized, by Patricia.
Even tho` she is in Australia, I am in Canada, the safari was in Botswana, and I paid a bank in Mauritius, the whole thing came together really well.
Transportation was fun between camps, and is part of the whole adventure.
The camps were both superb, one rustic, and the other more upscale, but the food was perfect, as were the hosts, and the rangers.
I could not complain about one single point, other than there was not a lot of game to be seen, due to long grass.
I will take a group next year again, maybe 8 people, but will go to Little Kwarra and boat down to Xakanaxa, rather than flying. Please do not misunderstand this, I think it will be better for us to do it this way round, now that I know the layout.
I would like to work with Patricia again.
Thanks for a wonderful holiday!
Cheers,
Doug Eglington.

April 2008
The whole trip was absolutely fantastic all the places we stayed were superb.

The itinerary Mandy came up with was just right and the level of service organising and answering my many questions (as well as  helping sort flights) was fast efficient and friendly.

The highlight was Savuti Under Canvas which is an experience we will never forget. Joe was a great guide and all the staff were superb. The camp and hospitality were all 6 star!

Muchenje lodge was great with a very friendly atmosphere in a beautiful setting.

Thorntree and Vic Falls Hotel were also excellent choices.

The only problem was that we spent most of our holiday without our luggage.  It got lost on the flight to Livingstone on the satuday. Although it got to the airport on Sunday Wild Horizons failed to deliver it until the Thursday night despite being told where we were going to be staying and promising that they would deliver immediately. With hindsight we should have contacted you and I am sure Mandy would have sorted it!

All in all a fantastic trip and I will certainly recommend Island Safari to firends looking to go on Safari

All the best
Gavin Haqynes

April 2008
Well, the service from Island-Safaris could not have been of a higher standard.
 
From the first email received from Michelle months before our departure, to when we landed back in South Africa your organisation did itself proud.
 
I have to say , Michelle was an absolute delight to deal with and was so prompt with her replies, so I was never left wondering if all was in order or not.
 
Your agents at Oliver Tambo were first class and were not at all perturbed when we were delayed in the dreaded joburg-traffic-fiasco. Saw us through swiftly and could not have been more professional.
 
The 2 camps 'Little Kwara" and "Xakanaxa" were absolutely charming, each in its own way.
 
The "All Botswanan" staff at Little Kwara were exceptionally welcoming and friendly, and the rangers and trackers really knowledgeable and accommodating. Even tho it was still fairly wet and difficult to find game they went the extra mile every time to make each outing really exciting and informative.
 
If I had to find a weakness with this camp it would only be to say that the food was fairly ordinary, with very little choice or variety. Obviously, if we had asked for vegetarian or special meals I am sure they would have made a plan.
 
The brunch that was served at 11ish , after a lengthy game drive was just a normal English-Style breakfast , which was quite enough for us, but most camps of this nature would normally offer breakfast plus something more lunch-styled at this time, given that they only offer tea/coffee and rusks at 6am.
 
That said , it could not detract from the fabulous hospitality that the Local staff offered at all times.
 
Xakanaxa is, a more established camp, naturally, with the managers Flo and Bob having been there for 16years and they run the place like clock-work. Beautiful Accommodation and excellent bush cuisine of a very high standard. At a guess i would assume that the rates are much higher at Xakanaxa than at Little Kwara as all in all it struck us as quite a bit more up-market than Kwara. However , the charm of little Kwara and the double-storey boat rides made up the difference.
 
Thanks all in all for a wonderful holiday and if I can find Michelles email address I shall forward this to her as well.
 
Regards 
Julie and Des Fenning

March 2008
We are very pleased of the service received before and during our visit to Mauriritius. We had one our best tours ever.

The service you received from Island-Safari.com staff during the booking process and during your tour.
Everything was taken care in time and the right way. We just needed to wait for voucher long than promises but it was solved in propoer time.

The transfers you had.
The transfers were organized smoothly and in time. The cars were cleaned and air-contioned

Your stay at Le Canonnier Hotel
The standard of the hotel was even more than we had expected. the rooms was cleaned very good people were friendly and service was good food was very good and one could taste different kitchen and eating same stuff every day pool area and beacthes very tidy travel agency (Maltourco): the lady was very freiendly and 100 % professional

We do recommend Mauritius and  Island-Safari ltd to our friends and relatives. We will contact you once we are planning the next tour to your part of globe.
Brgds,
Family Huunonen

March 2008
The service you received from Island-Safari.com staff during the booking process and during your tour.   We had great service from Michelle. She was always available by phone and although we had a few little glitches, it all worked out in the end.  There were some misunderstandings about seat availability but we were able to change our preferred dates and get booked.  We started the whole process late and so it is understandable that there would be a few last minute details to fix up, but they were fixed in plenty of time.
The transfers you had. Very good service. Lovely fellow met us in Maun and also same guy on the way back.  He was efficient, spoke good English, and very nice.  Our boat ride from Xakanaxa to Kwara was fun and also became something of a safari ride, as we saw an elephant in the water and got quite close to him.  Could not believe how the guide knew where to turn among all the reeds and waterways, but we got there in good time and were met immediately at the other end by the interim manager himself (brother of our boat driver).
Your stay at Xakanaxa Camp   Great.  We loved our guide and we saw lots of animals up close.  We were either alone or in a very small group with the guide.  Food great, hosts were welcoming and energetic.  Accommodations were wonderful.
Your stay at Kwara Camp Also great. Another spectacular guide, and only flaw was rain one night that cut short the night drive.  Not that the guide wanted to quit, but all the animals were hiding and we were soaked.  Regular hosts arrived back on our first afternoon, and they added more to the visit.  Food excellent, accommodations were just fine, and we had a wonderful time.We enjoyed the little food and drink stops during the animal rides, too.  
We felt that the whole experience was well worth the cost - good value for the money.  And we will recommend your company to others. 
Ellen Baron

March 2008
Apologies for taking this long to reply to your request for feedback. We travelled for a further five weeks following our time at Mapula Lodge and have been frantically busy since our return.
However, if it's not too late here it is:-
 
The service you received from Island-Safari.com staff during the booking process and during your tour. Excellent. helpful detailed and prompt replies to enquiries at all times. The communication was very impressive
The transfers you had. Again cannot be faulted. Everything worked without a hith and we were very impressed by the quality of the staff and their friendliness.
Your stay at Mapula Lodge. Sorry to be boring, but again this was brilliant. The decor was inspiringly indigenous; the locality and views were terrific; the staff were completely efficient, friendly, full of fun; the food was very enjoyable. We have shared our positive experience of this place with a number of people and, on the basis of our experience, would recommend it to anybody.
Best wishes
Peter Konig

March 2008
As for the trip - excellent service.   In fact, I have posted as much on Fodor's reader forum.
 
The transfers were on time and excellent.  Little Kwara was superb.  Mapula was OK.  Not nearly as good as L. Kwara in terms of accommodations, service, meals, or game viewing.  Mapula was fine on its own but when compared to L. Kwara, it wasn't at the same level.
 
The Kingdom hotel was also great.  Very close to the falls.
 
I would say that the weight restrictions on the short intra-Delta flights wasn't as strict as led to believe but this isn't a big deal.
 
I would absolutely book with Island-Safari again and Mandy did a great job.
 
Definitely recommend L. Kwara, and Mapula if it is less expensive than others.
 
Thank you again!
Stephen Paquelet

March 2008
Some of the properties were recommended by you and some came my way from other research.
 
The booking phase went very well and I always got quick responses whenever I needed one.
 
The Transfer at the Royal Livingstone was good and they did explain that they were looking for us the day before.  However due to the delay in our International flights we were a day late and the transfer was fine even with some commentary on Livingstone which was well received.  The return to the airport was a little different.  The company had quite a few vehicles at the hotel and there was a large party of Ladies going to the airport to catch the same flight.  However our transport was the last one which meant we had to follow a long queue at the airport.  This did not really matter as when we got to the desk we found the aircraft was overbooked so we were upgraded to Johannesburg.
 
Our stay at the Royal Livingstone was very good but two days was not enough.  Due to the delays from London to Johannesburg of our BA flight and then a further delay on the ground waiting over an hour for a bus meant that we had to stay at an airport hotel overnight and fly to Livingstone on the Tuesday.  We had already been told by Cara that the Visa Waiver had finished yet it was still disappointing to have to pay US$280 for a two night stay especially on top of the rates for the Royal Livingstone.  It was an expensive two days and now we do not know how to advise others when they ask where should they go.
 
Brighton Lodge was a really nice introduction to Guest House accommodation in South Africa.  However we did have to phone from the airport as there was no one to meet us.  They eventually sent a taxi which only cost 50 Rand but they paid.  On the return to the airport to pick up the hire car we had to pay for the Taxi, again this was only 50 Rand.  I do not know how much we had paid or how much you agreed to pay Brighton Lodge.  Cara knows all about this.  We were well looked after at Brighton Lodge and it was very private.  We both thought it was in a lovely area and it was disappointing to see all the high walls and security even in such a nice area and no one walking on the streets after dark although it was only early evening.  We did walk from the Boardwalk to Brighton Lodge at 8.00pm in the evening though and all appeared OK.
 
Shamwari and Riverdene Lodge was excellent even though it was so hot many animals were unseen.  We did very well on the Game drives which were well organised and our meals were first class and it appeared nothing was too much trouble for the staff.
 
Bradach Manor was a delight.  It is very hard to place the accommodations in an order of preference but this was probably a joint No 1.  With its marvellous views and striking features from its lofty position it helped us to enjoy Knysna.  The Guest House is now part of the Ambience Group and they now have about five properties and from the standard we have seen we would probably use the group if we get to SA again.
 
De Kloof was another delight but may be in the wrong place.  It had the nicest pool area and some golf and there were people there who had been before.  The accommodation was in various buildings at the site, good car parking and the car was washed every day.  Not a lot to do in the area but they are trying to promote the Robertson Wine Valley.  The Town has one of the best museums but the town itself is a little old and tired looking.
 
Klein Oliphantshoek was number one even though it had changed a little since we first read about it.  The building was fantastic and the rooms even better that we could imagine.  A beautiful Garden made breakfast outside a real treat.  The ownersa used to run a restaurant at the guesthouse but have moved on to run a seafood restaurant on the main street.  We did not get to try it out as there were so many poptions.  The Lady who now owns the place, Renate, will probably do meals for the clients on request as she is as much in love with the place as her clients are.
 
Welgelegen Guesthouse was a shock at first as it appeared to be out of the way.  We soon found that it was a beautiful place and in one of the best locations to see Cape Town and an easy place to drive out of the City to other Locations.  We were able to walk to Museums and Gardens that people at the Waterfront probably would not see and we certainly preferred it Camps Bay etc.  It was convenient for all things and especially Kloof Street and Long Street for eating.  Again the place was magical and we were made to feel very welcome by the owner Fiona and her Manager Anine.  We did have a problem in that on our way into Cape Town we stopped at the Mall at Somerset West.  It was the only wet day we had.  While there we were at Cape Town Tourism and we booked a cultural tour to a Township and Robben Island.  We paid the deposit, gave in all the details of where we were staying and were told to expect to be picked up at 8:45am on the Wednesday.  Fiona always made sure her guests were OK and she took an interest in what we were doing.  At 9:00am when we had seen no one she got onto the Tour Company who did not have us down to be picked up.  Obviously there was a problem between the Booking and the Company who were Hilton Ross.  The guest house has mini bus which does airport runs and some other work and she organised that the driver would take us to District 6 Museum to join the Tour.  We were very grateful to her.  On this one I suppose that someone should put out health warning and that is if you want to go to Robben Island book a tour but it can't just be Robben Island and then again if the wind is up you will not get there anyway as you would have to book the same tour again to get on.  As you will learn it was a windy week.  We did however get up Table Mountain on our last day as the wind had dropped for us.  I don't suppose it had anything to do with going to the Cathedral first for Palm Sunday.
 
We had a wonderful Holiday and hope to return some time in the future
Regards
John and Joan Longstaff

March 2008
The service you received from Island-Safari.com staff during the booking process and during your tour.
(All very good except we missed our contact at the Cape Town airport upon our arrival)
The transfers you had. (see above)
Your stay at Metcourt Laurel Hotel (fine. It was close to the airport and nice location to food court in the huge mall.)
Your stay at Makalali (fabulous. Great staff and good game drives. Grass was quite tall this time of year which made game viewing tough. But we saw some amazing things anyway )
Your stay at Camp Jabulani (fabulous. The food was out of this world. The game drives were great. And we really enjoyed the morning at the endangered species center. The promo for the elephant -back safaris that they put out is a little misleading. I expected several hours safari on elephant back. Basically, it was a great experience learning about the elephants and riding on them. But it was more like an elephant ride than actually being on safari. The actual rides were probably no more than 45 minutes long.)
Your stay at Mala Mala (This was absolutely fantastic. Great food (although not as good as Jabulani) great facilities and great game viewing. )
Your stay at Victoria & Alfred Hotel (The V & A is always lovely. I had forgotten they did not have a pool on site, which was a little disappointing. But the location and service was lovely as were the morning breakfasts!.)

We would definitely book through you again, and in fact will be passing your name along to some friends from the company where my husband works. Our consultant, Elize was on top of everything and was absolutely a pleasure to work with. I couldn't have wanted for any better service or response.
Yours sincerely
Rebecca Saggau

March 2008
Hi Patricia and Island Safari   Just home and just have to tell you how fantastic every single thing was!!!  We cannot fault your organisation - totally seamless - totally stress free.  You may be interested to know that other travellers commented about you in the same way and the lodges really appreciated the fact that you are the only people to ring and check that all is well just before we arrive.  As to the lodges what can i say each different, interesting and fully professional in their service.  Our safari experiences were amazing particulary the walking safaris at Oddballs.  We would most certainly like to go again one day and would recommend you to any one we know thinking of doing the same.  Our expectations have been more than met and we have had such fun.  Thankyou all so much and for all the time you had to spend altering answering etc. 
Regards
Hilary and Andrew Smith

March 2008
Thank you so much for the Vouchers and the Itinerary for our trip. As mentioned, as I am in India this week I have only skimmed through it all briefly but it looks very complete and detailed. In the unlikely event that I - or my wife - could dream up anything else to ask from a practical point of view, I will definitely get back to you. Also, after our trip I will get back to you with whatever feed-back I would believe could be helpful to you for your future arrangements.
 
It has been very satidfying to receive such a professional service from day one which has made it so much easier for us to plan a trip like this with so short notice and with very little prior planning from our side. Thanks for your advices and guidance.
 
Looking forward to a great experience with warmest regards
 
Mogens Henningsen

March 2008
The service you received from Island-Safari.com staff during the booking process and during your tour. Very good.
The transfers you had.  - perfect, everyone was there waiting for us,courteous, etc
Your stay at The Safari Club SA - lovely, what a great place!
Your stay at Xakanaxa Camp - lovely, incredibly well run, everything done very well
Your stay at Mapula Lodge - good, (Xakanaxa is a hard act to folow), our guide was a bit arrogant, I didn't have lanterns lit in my room one night, I didn't get awoken one mroning, altho we might have been confusing for the staff with our rooms. They also asked me what i was allergic to foodwise (which Xakanaka did not) but then paid no attention to it. I would go back to Xakanaka anytime, wouldn't do Mapula again.
Your stay at Victoria Falls Hotel - excellent, altho we did not get the rooms overlooking the Falls as requested, they did try to reaccomodate us but we ended up keeping our adjoining rooms which worked out well for the child.
All in all it was a fantastic trip and all the transfers, flights, etc were seamless.
Please let me know if you have any other questions.
Allison Branson

March 2008
Overall we had an amazing time and we would definitely recommend your services again. The Falstaff Inn was perfect and the Muchenje and Mapula Lodges were
absolutely great. The staff at both of them were wonderful and we had so much fun. Chanter's lodge was not great (this was our pick because it had been recommended to us so definitely not your fault). I don't think I would recommend Chanters to anyone. The transfers and flights were perfect. The only
problem we had was an issue with our Air Botswana flight - they did not show that we were supposed to be on the flight so we had to buy tickets. But Cara
was really helpful and made sure that we were reimbursed quickly.

Thank you so much for giving us an amazing vacation!
Jennifer E. Phillippe,

March 2008
I could not be happier with the service I have received from your company and have already recommended you to some other Aussies wishing to travel to Africa on safari. I would like to say a special thankyou to Louise for the work right up to the last minute due to weather conditions at one of the lodges. I had the holiday that you dream about everything was seamless from flights to transfers to the lodges(my dream came true).
I will continue to tell all who will listen about your services and if I'm heading over there again then i will be giving Louise a call.
 
Deception Valley Lodge -- Excellent -- Great Staff,very nice accommodation and good wildlife viewing.
Delta Camp --Very Good --Good Staff,very nice accommodation and good wildlife viewing.
Mapula Lodge -- Excellent --Great Staff,very nice accommodation and great wildlife viewing.
Muchenje Safari Lodge -- Excellent --Great staff,very nice accommodation and great wildlife viewing.
Ilala Lodge -- Good --Nice staff,good accommodation,but felt a little unsafe walking around.
Airport Grand Hotel --Good -- Good staff, basic accommodation
Arathusa Safari Lodge -- Excellent--Great Staff,very nice accommodation and excellent wildlife viewing
Scott Norton

March 2008
We ware very happy with your help by the bookings.
The Bazaruto Lodge was wonderfull, very friendly people and we have a very nice time.
 
There was only one negative thing but that has nothing to doo with Island-Safari but with Pelican Air, we have to pay for 14 kg. overwight 265,00 US dollar.
We ware a little bith angry of that.
 
Your sincerely,
Paul Ruis

March 2008

Where to begin, except to qualify that the entire trip was, as expected, absolutely out of this world and in serious competition as one of our best holidays ever. Thanks again to your meticulous planning and organisation we were able to enjoy yet another lifetime experience, which from arrival in Cape Town, during our stay in Camps Bay and onwards to Namibia was without complaint and absolutely unforgettable. I think it's only fair to try and respond as Melissa had requested by effectively itemising each element of the trip and giving feedback to the fullest, so here goes!

1. Primi Royal Hotel, Camps Bay.

As I think I mentioned when you telephoned to check on our safe arrival, we were able to get all nostalgic as we were given exactly the same room as three years ago and almost felt at home so to speak. The room was clean, comfortable, complete with ocean view and en-suite bathroom and serviced daily to the highest standard. Breakfasts were of a good standard with plenty of choice and pleasant surroundings. We cannot speak highly enough of the politeness and
courteousness of all the staff and management and were made to feel absolutely welcome. Minor criticisms would be of a couple of power outages (probably beyond the hotel's control?) and a Venetian blind in the en-suite which was as we would say "a bit passed its sell by date". Again, only minor points which did not have any serious effect on our enjoyment. The Primi is in an excellent location off the main ocean drive but close enough to all the restaurants and bars where we enjoyed a particularly strong Pound v Rand. Great location for taxis and explorer open-top bus into town and around the various sites.

2. Olive Grove Guest House, Windhoek

Seamless airport transfer with 'Joseph' to Olive Grove, arriving just in time for dinner. Meals of an average standard but maybe unfair criticism as we were so spoilt for choice and quality in Cape Town. Room clean and spacious with shower and huge bath. Hotel staff very friendly and kindly allowed us to leave our large suitcases while we travelled light until our return the following Sunday. Out of town location not a problem in our case as only two single night stays. Would recommend booking taxis via hotel as one we thought had been booked from a local bar on our second night happened to be outside the bar by coincidence and the driver tried to take us for a ride in more ways than one. Problem sorted as he realised we were wise to him and fortunately no consequences.

3. The Stiltz, Swakopmund

Nice and prompt departure from Olive Grove to Windhoek Eros Airport again with Joseph our driver. Felt like Royalty as our own pilot greeted us and escorted us to our very own private charter light aircraft. Excellent 50 minute flight to Swakop (as us locals say!) and met promptly by our driver who took us to The Stiltz. Excellent accommodation in our own bungalow (No.7) with true Africa feel having been met and shown there by friendly staff. Would recommend No.7 as
probaly the best for views of ocean, dunes and river bed. Good for birdwatching and chilling out on our own deck. Excellent omelette breakfasts cooked to order. Edge of town location but still able to walk into centre for bars, restaurants and shops. Had a good cruise from Walvis bay watching dolphins, seals (on boat!), pelicans etc.

4. Sossosvvlei Mountain Lodge

Wow! Again prompt pick up from Stiltz with same friendly driver to Swakop airport for another private charter (dune hopper) to SML. Cool, young pilot Jaco Theron handled bumpy flight well and guided us to safe landing. I did ask and he confirmed that he was not related to Charlize the South African actress. SML Land Rover arrived within minutes to take us back to the lodge. Fantastically friendly welcome from lodge management with cold towels and home made lemonade. Accommodation in private 'villa' out of this world! Beautifully furnished with huge bed and lounge area, large bathroom with outside shower option. Painting and sketching materials available for the artists in us (NOT!). Skylight above bed for night time star gazing (sublime). Best of all though was the view through the large sliding windows. In room telescope for wildlife watching and candlelit champagne surprise in the room for us as we were there on Valentines Day. Resident astronomer worth spending time with after evening meals. Actually saw the planet Saturn through her huge telescope. Really interesting and enlightening. Meals and service second to none with beautiful dinners by candlelight. Had an early morning trip to see giant dunes c/w bush breakfast. Unbelivable views and great guide 'Nestar' looked after us. Also enjoyed quad biking and relaxing by pool.

5. Wolwedans Dunes Lodge

Picked up on time after breakfast by WDL guide Jose`. Land Rover drive across Namib Nature Reserve which was effectively a game drive in itself. Arrived safely @ WDL for lunch. Again excellent accommodation in our private lodge with fantastic views and open air sleeping arrangements. Several game drives including two 'sun downers' which will stay in the memory forever. First class evening meals and service, good breakfasts and suitably light lunches considering the climate (45
degrees!). Prompt pick up with Jose` for drive to WDL airstrip. Greeted again by our pilot Jaco who delivered us safely back to Windhoek.

I could probably write a book about the whole trip, everything was so fantastic. We were blessed with fantastic weather, although Camps Bay had quite a few really windy nights, making the most of each day and having such a relaxing time. Thanks again Ali for all your help and organisation. Your planning of our Namibia trip meant that the whole experience felt seamless considering we diddn't stay in the same place for more than two days. With regard to the latter point, two days is perfect for Sossosvlei and Wowedans. In retrospect, I would maybe have liked a night or two longer in Swakop because as usually is the case we were just beginning to discover more places we liked and began to settle.

As Deb and I both agreed, without the help of Island Safari and particularly your own efforts the entire experience would not have been the same. Once again you are a credit not only to your company but to your profession in genaral and we cannot extend our gratitude highly enough. We both sincerely look forward to booking a Southern Africa experience with you in the future.

Thanks again so much!
Terry & Deb Fields xx.

March 2008
We are back from SA. We spent the most incredible holiday ever !!! Our Safari Trip at ARATHUSA was fantastic. Everything went fine and we actually had not only the big five but THE SUPER SIX !!! We can hardly recommend to stay in the Arathusa Lodge. The staff is great and the rangers & spotters are excellent. Thanks Cara, thank you for your kind help to make this dream come true.
Greetings from Switzerland.
Mimi & Stefan Moest

March 2008
Am back now in Cape Town for a further 4 weeks before returning to Ireland but I just want to say a very BIG THANK YOU to you for all the wonderful help, support and advice you gave us.  Without you we would never have had the wonderful experience on Safari that we had. 
All 5 of us agreed that we had the most amazing time in Muchenje Lodge.  The staff there were just incredible and nothing was too much trouble anything that could possibly done for us was done and in such a pleasant way.  We enjoyed every minute of our Safari experience but the day we spent on the Chobe River was, we agreed, the most memorable experience of all. To see so many Hippos, Elephants and Crocks everywhere you looked was just awesome.

We we will definitely do it again next year and so will be contacting
you once more for your invaluable help and advice.

Thanks you again Michelle from all of us.
Joan Kelly

March 2008
Very good holidays in South Africa
 
Island safari service was very well.
rent a car perfect
hotel very beautiful
 
Thanks a lot
regards
Brune Vellas-Rieunier

March 2008
The service and acc. was really excellant in all of the places mentioned. My daughter and her partner were "over the moon"
 
Your best service however came from Cara in your sales office, she is brilliant. that's the least I can say, prompt replies, very pleasant and totally efficient. Really loved dealing with her, she made it all so pleasant and easy..
 
Once again a big thank you to Cara and all concerned.
Best wishes,
Melly Braverman

March 2008
I must say Elise was absolutely wonderful!  She took care of our every need.  She explained everything we needed to know before we left.  Every aspect of our trip was perfect.  None of our valuable vacation time was spent worrying if our bookings were taken care of.  I would say the Desert Express was our least favorite thing to do.  Only because for us, we would have been better off staying another night in a hotel and experiencing what life was like in the city rather than being  isolated on a train.  The staff on the train was wonderful but we would prefer to get to know the customs of the people actually living in the area rather than being in the desert.
Irene Valatka

March 2008
The service you received from Island-Safari.com staff during the booking process and during your tour.
EXCELLENT
The transfers you had.
EXCELLENT
Your stay at Waterfront Village Apartments
EXCELLENT
Your stay at Elephant Plains Game Lodge
EXCELLENT
Your stay at Franschhoek Country House
EXCELLENT
Your stay at Bloomestate
EXCELLENT

The attention I recieved by Louise was just perfect ! very patient and delivered what I needed at my request.

The Franschhoek Country House was the best experience we had.

Elephant Plains was exactly what we were looking for a Safari. (lots of leopards and lions !! )

The Waterfront Village fantastic place to spend the time at Capetown.

Bloomestate was very nice and restful, plus Carla was a pleasure! La sosta the best dinner we had in South Africa.

Ocean 11 Guest House at Hermanus is located on the best view of the cliffs.

Altogether the whole itinerary took us over all different style-designed hotels which enriched our honeymoon and made it unforgettable.

thks and congratulations to you all.

b rgds
Alejandro Punta

 

March 2008
By far the best Honeymoon I could have imagined.
Thank you Island-safari.
Benguerra Island Lodge is a honeymoons paradise, and I recommend them to all future couples looking for a honeymoon in paradise.
John Muller

March 2008
We had the most wonderful holiday and everything ran smoothly and according to plan. I will run through each of the places we stayed at and give you our thoughts.
 
Tongabezi Lodge - This was a great start to our trip.  Lovely location with plenty to do for 3 days. The food was good but they are a bit obsessed with tipping!!!!!
 
The overland transfer to Botswana was definately worth doing and gave us the chance to see what life is like for the local people, trying to cross the border. We then had air transfers to both camps in Botswana which worked extremely well.
 
Selinda Camp - I think this was our favourite camp.  Very friendly and well run with excellent food and lodges. A good one to recommend.
 
Little Kwara - Again very good but more basic.  A true bush experience.  We enjoyed it here but food not very good. We spent a  lot of time stopping to have tyre changes due to punctures.  We were told that the company who owns the camp are reluctant to provide new tyres which was very frustrating for everyone - we had 6 or 7 punctures during 3 days.  They asked us to pass this on as it's the only hope they have of getting new tyres!!
 
Armagh Country Guest House - This was a rather strange place! The whole place is rather tired and run down, although our rooms were clean and ok. We did'nt think they had changed the menu since opening and food was not good. Would not stay here again.
 
Blue Oyster - Again a little disappointing as it had a 4 star rating but did not quite hit the spot.  The owner is obviously trying to make things work but I think we could have done better in Knysna.
 
Ballon Rouge - It was fantastic here, great location and excellent service.  We would stay here again.  This was also rated a 4 star but way superior to the Blue Oyster.
 
Waterfront Village Apartments - This was the best way to end our holiday.  We could have stayed here forever! Thank you Mandy for suggesting we stay here, we will definately be staying here again next time we visit the Cape.  Very safe and great location - it beats Camps Bay.
 
I would like to thank Mandy for her help and advice in planning our trip.  She always responded quickly to my emails and I have enjoyed our communications over the last year.
 
I hope that is of some use to you. I will be in touch next time we want to plan a big trip.....I am thinking of Mozambique but it will be a way off yet, sadly.
 
Best wishes,
Jaqui Raimondo

March 2008
The service you received from Island-Safari.com staff during the booking process and during your tour.
First of all many hugs and kisses to Michelle for her perfect and professional help.   She was always very patient with us and our hundreds of questions. Really great work and the result of it  - the best vacations we have ever had. (and we travel a lot around the world mostly as scuba divers ).  We were very lucky met her personally at the Safari Club SA at the end of our trip ! She is so nice and pretty !  GIGA -Thanks  to you ! We are very lucky to have her not only as assistent who organized it all  -  I hope also as a Friend !  
 
The transfers you had.
Many thanks and greetings to our bush-pilots: Roy and Steve !  Truly said I was a bit nervous because of Cessna flights ( thermic in that region ?) but it was everything perfect. Great pilots, everything on time.  Nice and really friendly ! What a pity they are so far away and we can not not give our „hugs“ per eMaill to Roy (he was the one who took us three times from one lodge to another ! 
 
Your stay at Zambezi Sun Resort Hotel
The location ! This is the best of that Hotel. Despite of the fact you meet Zebras and Girafes walking around. And  - just few minutes and you are at Vic Falls. During our stay we „visited“ Victoria Falls every day. We also did from here „the Walk with lions“ ( booked by Michelle) in Zimbabwe . We advice it to all. Nice experience. Also game drive in National Park in Zambia ( could be booked at Hotel/ Activity center; 2-3 hrs./ at 6:30, 9:00 and afternoon). Also very good ! We saw Rhino !!
 
Your stay at Muchenje Safari Lodge
Lots of love to Kathy and her husband (Manager at Muchenje Safari lodge). Wonderful place. Each detail in the room was so nice. For example small soaps  - elephant-shaped !   Nice bungalows with lovely bathroom (incl. even Hairdrayer !) and with a view... nothing compare to it !!! I wish we could stay longer than we booked Phantastic guides ! Our game drives were absolutely marvelous. Brilliant meals. Here we started to feel how it is to enjoy the sundowner like gin and tonic (after being under stress at work before as system programmers ). Magic place ! Lots of animals and we were in heaven ! Unfortunately after 3 nights we had to leave… and we had our first flight with Roy to Mapula airstrip.
    
Your stay at Mapula Lodge
Mapula lodge gave us the feeling we are going to stay in Botswana forever ! Lovely people who greet us with a song… I was from the very beginning in teears ! Kisses to Dudu ! She is a beauty and really lovely lady. Unfortunately (privat reasons) she spent with us only the first day. I wish her all the best,   I wish we could spent more time with her. She managed that all preapared a spectacular show with singing songs and dancing  - to bring us their culture closer. What a brilliant time. Not to forget great guides like our Mathiew and phantastic game drives / walks and sundowner with following full moon     My advice: let  stop at waterwhole at night and listen to the frog concert.  
Again flight to Delta Camp with „our Roy !   
 
Your stay at Delta Camp
After landing on airstrip I visited a splush toilet in bush   What a surprise. Then we travelled by mokoro ( small boat ) from the airstrip to the Delta Camp. Around 50 Minutes. Okavango Delta is a place where you are able to relax completely. Peacefull, watching the birds, frogs ( painted frog , chameleon !) than we got to the Delta Camp. Emi and Jass are manager here. We love both of them ! Staying in the Treehouse was an unforgottable time ( bedroom, balcony, bathroom with cold and hot shower!).  Matsaudi our private guide, was simply phantastic.  Walk safaris, Mokoro safaris and visiting the village. Hippos gave us definetely the adventure feeling here   Their bristle with anger and hippo-traffic on the "hippo-highway"… made our stay here as a somethithing very special ! But we had to leave after 3 nights. Just on time to meet Roy !
 
Your stay at Deception Valley Lodge
Kalahari below… that flight was for me the most memorable. I read so many books about Botswana (love the country!) and my heart belongs definitely to Kalahari.
Adrian and Wanda were more than I expected. Great and friendly and fulfilled with love to the semidesert. Thanks to you 2, only here we could meet Bushman ( showing us their culture and  traditions ) in a way which is absolutely unforgettable  impression.  Even now, writing this I  feel some tears rolling down... Sorry, it was something I would never ever forget !!!!        
Last flight with Steve ( but we met Roy at Maun Airport  !!! )
 
Your stay at The Safari Club SA
 
Tired and full of emotions we spent our last night (before our flight to Germany) in Jo‘burg in the famous Safari Club SA. Lovely house. Nice & big room ( with TV  - nice to have news after more than 2 weeks  !) . A perfect  place to relax and refresh before we had to leave Africa.    
 
Conclusion:  we love Botswana, met a lot of friends there (even if for a short time; we hope keeping contact per email) , saw the big five. Every  encounter with wild animals would be an extra  report worth. We can not say which was the most impressiv situation. ALL !!! It is not a flowery phrase ! It is truth !!! Thank you Michell , you‘ve made it !  
 
Beate Kostyrka and Martin Kuenscher from Germany  
PS. During our rainy-season  ( 13th- 28th of February 2008 ) we had only one rain-night at Zambesi Sun and one spectacular rain in Kalahari ( 20 Minutes). All beautiful sunny days ! We advice to take a sweatshirt ( night gamedrives could be cold ). In every lodge you are able to recharge your batteries ( camcorder/ camera). We had too many t-shirts/ shirts. You can really limit your luggage (in each lodge you have loundry service / despite underwear & socks). Also very good repellants. Not as many mosquitos as I thought ( they love me .   We can recommend Island-Safari and of course all the places we visited. 100% ! 
 
 
March 2008
Your service during the booking process was really good. We got quick response on our questions and good help when choosing where to stay.

Our stay at Portswood was a nice experience. The staff was always friendly and ready to help. The location was perfect and we had a wonderful stay.
It is more than likely taht we will use your agency if we decide to go back to Africa again.

Sincerely
Stine Johansen

March 2008
We had the most wonderful holiday and everything ran smoothly and according to plan. I will run through each of the places we stayed at and give you our thoughts.
 
Tongabezi Lodge - This was a great start to our trip.  Lovely location with plenty to do for 3 days. The food was good but they are a bit obsessed with tipping!!!!!
 
The overland transfer to Botswana was definately worth doing and gave us the chance to see what life is like for the local people, trying to cross the border. We then had air transfers to both camps in Botswana which worked extremely well.
 
Selinda Camp - I think this was our favourite camp.  Very friendly and well run with excellent food and lodges. A good one to recommend.
 
Little Kwara - Again very good but more basic.  A true bush experience.  We enjoyed it here but food not very good. We spent a  lot of time stopping to have tyre changes due to punctures.  We were told that the company who owns the camp are reluctant to provide new tyres which was very frustrating for everyone - we had 6 or 7 punctures during 3 days.  They asked us to pass this on as it's the only hope they have of getting new tyres!!
 
Armagh Country Guest House - This was a rather strange place! The whole place is rather tired and run down, although our rooms were clean and ok. We did'nt think they had changed the menu since opening and food was not good. Would not stay here again.
 
Blue Oyster - Again a little disappointing as it had a 4 star rating but did not quite hit the spot.  The owner is obviously trying to make things work but I think we could have done better in Knysna.
 
Ballon Rouge - It was fantastic here, great location and excellent service.  We would stay here again.  This was also rated a 4 star but way superior to the Blue Oyster.
 
Waterfront Village Apartments - This was the best way to end our holiday.  We could have stayed here forever! Thank you Mandy for suggesting we stay here, we will definately be staying here again next time we visit the Cape.  Very safe and great location - it beats Camps Bay.
 
I would like to thank Mandy for her help and advice in planning our trip.  She always responded quickly to my emails and I have enjoyed our communications over the last year.