July 2007
May I thank you so much for an absolutely marvellous trip.
 
We loved every single part of it! And there were no hitches or problems at any stage.
 
I think our favourite place was Savuti, mostly because of the amazing variety of good animal sightings there, and the excellent guides - they really were very good. The Delta, Chobe Game Lodge and Songwe were also fabulous. No mokoro rides avaliable at Camp Moremi, so we enjoyed a very serene boat cruise instead. At Moremi, to my surprise ( but very good surprise !) a wonderful lady called Bernadette Lindstrom was waiting to be interviewed; she was absolutely superb, very good to talk to. Would have been good to have been prepared with a bit of advance research and my recorder and hi res camera though! Chobe Game Lodge was particularly good for elephant watching. And then Songwe was a beautiful experience, and good for my son to see the neighbouring village and understand more about the local way of life. We were the only guests at Songwe so it was particularly special!
 
Thanks so much for working so hard to make it the experience of a lifetime for us.
 
Sincerely
Sara Basra

July 2007
Feedback on Indigo Bay is as follows
 
Island-Safari
Very good. Answered all our queries and handled the rebooking as a result of the cyclone very well
 
Transfers
This was the only slight negative. Their larger plane was apparently in for repairs, so the transfer into the island was on a 4 and 5 seater plane. There were over 40 people who landed and we stood back and let everyone else go first. The result though was a 3-4 hour wait at the airport. Our guys were very relaxed and were drinking at the bar but after 2 hours you could see that people started to get frustrated and just wanted to get there. Over half of our crowd only got there at 5:30 on the first day. On the way back, we were faced with the same problem but Karl the manager was very good and organized a boat transfer for everyone to go together which made a huge difference. If we had to fly at 8am and wait until 1pm at the airport I would have been upset.
 
Rooms
We stayed in the beach chalets. Absolutely first class. I have stayed in many hotels and most of the time I do not think that 5 star hotels are worth the price, in particular, I believe that there are no significant differences in the quality of the rooms. This resort is different and was a significant step up.
 
Service
All the staff, including management and other went out of their way to make the stay comfortable and get us whatever we needed. The Mozambiquans are very friendly.
 
Food
The food was excellent and had a number of seafood options (which I like when going to an island), with lots of King Prawns, Crayfish, Lobster etc
 
Excursions
I did a dive and it was one of the better dives I have even done ( I have done over 50 dives before in Great Barrier, Florida, Zanzibar, Hawaii) Saw dolphins, turtles etc. Other people in the group did horse riding etc and everyone came back saying they loved whatever they did and there was not one complaint.
Prices of the excursions are very expensive. Diving is priced above market rates, although there is a large petrol charge as it is a 45 min ride to the reef. However, with the large expense comes a large amount of effort on their behalf. We did a trip to Paradise Island and there we over 10 staff members there for our group, serving drinks, taking people snorkeling etc Lunch includes prawns and a wide variety of stuff on the beach
 
Overall
Stunning setting. I love this part of the world, untouched and uncommercialised, with only a handfull of people there. This resort is better than the ones I stayed at in Mauritius and did not include all the people and that horrible feeling of commercialization that places like Hawaii and Mauritius has. Very expensive but actually worth every cent and more.
 
Thanks
Mark Pryce
 

July 2007
Thank you for a brilliant holiday, which was well organised. Everything went smoothly, pick ups and transfers were punctual, Mandy was always very prompt with her e-mail replies. The Metcourt Laurel was very clean and served a great breakfast.The Songwe accommodation was certainly a unique experience with exceptional views. Being the only guests there, we received exceptionally warm hospitality. Chobe had by far the  best game and birdlife viewing, and the guide, Cheepo, from the Garden Lodge, did her best to accommodate our interests. The Garden Lodge itself, I felt, was a bit run down and in need of a good clean from the cobwebs. The staff at Mapula Lodge were very warm and did their best to make our stay memorable. Met other guests there that had also booked through Island safari and were also very satisfied. Each location had it's own charm, but Magkadigkadi Camp took the cake. Reiner is such a character, who went out of his way to accommodate my limited special dietry requirements. Listening to Vivaldi, whilst watching the sunset, was the best.We're back in Oman truly relaxed and have wonderful memories.

Regards
Ine Wood

July 2007
The service you received from Island-Safari.com staff during the booking process and during your tour. Excellent service - far surpassed any other company we have dealt with on the Internet. Patricia kept us up to date continually and made several good suggestions to improve our itinerary. We were very grateful for these changes as they made our holiday much more enjoyable.

The transfers you had. Excellent. Everyone was on time and we were expected at each point. The co-ordination needed to get us from Muchenji Safari Lodge in Botswana to the Zambesi Sun Hotel in Zambia particularly deserves a mention. From the lodge to Kasane airport, the mini-bus to the river, our own boatman waiting for the river crossing, our names already on the visa list on the Zambian side and then the waiting mini-bus for the trip to Livingstone. Everything came together seamlessly. We couldn't possibly have organised that by ourselves!

Your stay at Makgadikgadi Camp A very good first experience. We were pleased we changed our itinerary to make this our starting point in Botswana.

Your stay at Kwara Camp Accommodation, food and service were all exceptional. The only discomfort occurred when the organisers tried to fit in just too much on an extended evening game drive. It had turned very cold and a long time was spent before there was a "comfort" stop.

Your stay at Delta Camp An experience not to be missed. Whilst it was far more "adventurous" than we had envisaged, it was very different from any other Camp in many ways. Especially the transfers by mokoro and accommodation in an authentic tree house - VERY high in the treetop. An excellent follow-on to the mostly land vehicle-based experience at Kwara.

Your stay at Muchenje Safari Lodge We are very pleased that this ended up as the last lodge in our Okavanga experience - it was in every respect THE GRAND FINALE!!! If one could only afford to spend time and money at one Lodge, this would be the choice. (Not that any of the others left anything to be desired. This one just provided the best game viewing of the whole trip.)

Your stay at Zambezi Sun Resort Hotel We were not disappointed. The location is superb for accessing the falls and the standard of accommodation is quite high. Clearly intended for the American tourist, we just found the atmosphere just a bit too "commercial" for our low-key Aussie tastes. We are very pleased we chose to stay on the Zambian side of the Falls given the unfolding events across the bridge in Zimbabwe!
Merlene Johnston

July 2007
Well back from our South Africa/Zimbabwe holidays would like to say that we were very satisfied with ALL the services rendered by ISLAND
SAFARI from DAY ONE when we started the contacts with your booking department to the final transfer back to the airport in Victoria Falls.

It was a real pleasure to work with you guys !
Best regards
Bertil Andersson

July 2007
Thank you so much for following up with us.
 
All round we have had a very pleasant experience.
 
The booking process and transfers were all without any problems.
 
The stay at Pom Pom Camp was delightful. Far too much to eat and every detail of our comfort was well thought through inclusive of hot water bottles at bed time. You can recommend it to any one.
 
Regards
Des Dalgleish

July 2007
This is to thank you for the good work you've done by suggesting us such beautiful places !
Everything was great and every connection has been perfect .
We've been especially delighted by "African Villa" and all its staff :we really felt as friends visiting other friends . And what a confortable accomodation ,the owners really have a special taste for design .we'll never forget our arrival at Muchenje Lodge ! It's really breathtaking !
Mrs Vera is a wonderful guest and she was so sweet with Carolina !
Thank you again, Claudia...especially for your delicate but important suggestion not to cancel all the journey. Luckily my husband felt well with his back...even on the land rover...maybe the enthusiasm made he forget all his troubles..
Grazie !
Cristina Marino and all the family

July 2007
Only back in the office this week so all a bit hectic I was hoping to send an email to Claudia thanking her for all her assistance but its been a pretty busy week, but to answer your questions

I received great service from Claudia, I really didn't know my exact dates at the start but she kept tweaking my request and giving me various suggestions, the only slight and I mean slight delay was receiving confirmation that payment had been received but all the documents that were received were all correct and easy for follow

The Transfers were seamless no fault at all

Our stay at Delta Camp was the highlight of our 3 week holiday even though it was only 2 nights it was just fantastic we stayed in their tree house and our guide Matsaui (I know that is spelt wrong) was fantastic he was so helpful. The sheer tranquility of the place is just so beautiful an oasis to be away from TV's, ringing phones and any sort of connection with the outside world! the number of animals obviously aren't as great as in Chobe but as you are so close and not at all closed off from them it feels more like you are in the wild. Also the food was fantastic.

Elephant Valley Lodge was lovely but I suppose after Delta we really had been spoilt my only change to the holiday would be to finish in Delta!. But we had a great guide Wren and saw absolutely loads of animals including a leopard and a pride of lions with elephants in the 100's. Accommodation was lovely and the food also very good.

Our stay at Victoria Falls was lovely very nice hotel and so near the Falls by this stage we really were winding down and preparing for the long journey home so it was a lovely spot to be able to lie by the pool for the last few days. At this stage we had ate so much on the safaris that we didn't try out all the restaurants on site but anything we had was very nice and all the staff are very friendly.

So I suppose to sum it all up, myself and Damien had a great time and I really appreciate all the help we received from Island-safari so thanks again to you all.

Many thanks
Anne Owens

July 2007
Our stay at the Elephant Valley Safari was the highlight of our trip.  We highly recommend this to anyone who wishes to stay there.  The service we received from the staff of Island Safari.com during our booking process was of a high standard and met all our expectations.
 
Thank-you for your speedy assistance.
Yours sincerely.
Judge Liebenberg

July 2007
Claudia from Island safaris was brilliant in re-scheduling al the flights when we were delayed.  She could not have been any more helpful.  All the transfers were on time and we were never left on our own to wonder what was happening.
Everyone at all the lodges were very welcoming and friendly.
The only small complaint was at Chobe they tried to split the family up into 2 rooms far apart.  But eventually got us closer but not next to each other.  They said they booked the rooms on 1st come 1st served basis.
Also we needed a reentry visa for botswana to zambia which we did not have.
Overall we enjoyed every minute and would recommend island safaris to anyone.
Catherine Murphy

July 2007
Our experience with Island-Safari.com was very positive. We will recommend that our friends use you.
 
Best regards,
Gordon Driver

July 2007
We had a great trip, and we were very impressed with the chap who collected us on time he was very helpful and friendly.  We really enjoyed our stay at the Vic Falls hotel, it had been 26 years since we were last there and we were a bit worried, what with the state of the Zimbabwe economy.
 
We were however, a bit shocked that a buffet style meal, with two glasses of wine, and a 10% tip cost us $90.  That is expensive by anyone's standards!  You certainly wouldn't pay that in America.  We thought the staff, quality and accomodation were of excellent standard.
 
Hope this answer's your questions.
regards,
Lynn de Keller.

July 2007
I was just about to thank Elize for the perfect organisation of our trip, everything went as planned.
A few comments on the various places visited :
 
Victoria Falls : very good hotel although a bit impersonnal, perfect to wait for our luggage which we only received the next day!..(nothing to do with island-safari anyway..). We very much enjoyed the elefant back safari.
 
Elefant valley lodge :  superb place, the best in fact to see many animals in an incredible environement; a great moment (my daughter loved the domesticated mangoose living around the lodge).
 
Delta camp : our stay was unforgettable thanks to Peter's and Lena warm welcome as well as the guide's experience ."Morroco's" excursions were very much appreciated by the parents , less by childrens (may be it's too contemplative for the youg generation....) the place is magnificent and to sleep in the "house tree" with an hippo just behind is something we wont forget!...
 
Footsteps camp :our great favourite; we loved this place the most : everithing was perfect (the meals simply amazing on an open fire), the competence and the kindness of the staff totaly devoted to satisfy our wishes. Highly recommanded !
 
Makgadikgadi :the least satisfactory. During the winter, the region presents little interest, few animals, and Rainer is a host with a "peculiar" personality. Our daughters were however very enthousiastic with "quads riding" in the desert. As for us we enjoyed the walks with a bushman who showed us animal footprints and the secrets of trapmaking.
 
Nothing to say about the transfers, they were even more "in time" that we are used to in Switrzerland, the pilots were "charming" and we found the reservation as planned on the flight from Maun to Johanesbourg.
 
Please say "thank you" to Elize for everything; we've already been back for one week now, and have full of wonderful memories.
I will gladly recommand your agency !
 
Best regards
Fabienne Hoffmann

July 2007
The service you received from Island-Safari.com staff during the booking process and during your tour. : The service, responsetime, quality of the information were excellent.

The transfers you had.: We missed the first flight from Jo'burg to Maun. I contacted your agency and asked to change the flight to the delta. Everything was organized by our company. We arrived in Maun at 06.07.2007 at 3 o' clock pm and flew to the delta at 4 o'clock pm. (Many thanks to Delta air - they are well organized and helped us in many ways as we lost our luggage on the way from Paris to Maun).

Your stay at Oddballs Camp: The stay at Oddballs as well as the safari to the outback are unforgettable impressions and moments. Camp: The organisation is very good, the ambiance is unique, the catering excellent. Outback: We had special luck with our guides - they did a very good job and showed us the wild life in the delta.
     
So in total: It was a special and unforgettable event and tour to Botswana.
Thank you once again for the good service.
Best regards 
Helmut Schrammel

July 2007
Below is my more detailed appraisal.
We were extremely pleased with this safari excursion, your service, and will be giving you more business -- soon I hope!
cheers,
Chris Haney

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

 

July 2007
we were very impressed with Deception Valley Lodge! We absolutely loved it and service was excellent. Booking process was an absolute pleasure and the food at DVL was excellent! We loved the set-up and the people were very kind! Our ranger Jacobus was exceptionally good and the staff were sooo friendly. We especially liked the bushman walk, it was one of the highlights of our trip. The airstrip was v.good and we will definately go again.
 
Regards,
Silke Schroedter

July 2007
My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed this whole trip. We saw incredible things and met great people along the way, both staff and other visitors like us.
 
As to the specific questions you ask:
 
1) Munchenje: great lodge. Fantastic view over the floodplain of Namibia. Confortable and friendly. I highly recommend visiting Chobe at this time of the year: the amount of game to see is extraordinary.
 
2) Nxabega: great lodge too. More luxurious than Munchenje (not that it matters). We also had a great time. Very friendly and competent staff and guides.
 
3) Vic Falls: Vic Falls hotel is great. Now of course the downside is that it is in Zimbabwe which is really trouble right now. It does not really impact on such short visit but Vic Falls is kind of dead compared to Linvingstone. The few restaurants outside hotel have little food to offer due to restrictions.
 
Overall it was really a fantastic trip. Uneventful in a negative way: everything was very well organized and we enjoyed every minute of it.
 
Thanks for your good organization.
 
Best regards,
Jean-Marc Epinosa

July 2007
Thank you for your email and for looking after my Kings School Canterbury Group.  I received excellent service from Michelle and she always replied very timeously to emails.  I have chatted to the tour leader Susan Webber who says that they had an excellent time in Botswana and were very impressed by Wild Horizons.  The school are only travelling back to the UK tomorrow and I will send them a questionnaire asking them about their overall tour.  Once I receive their feedback I will forward the relevant information to you.
 
Thanks again.
Vivien Spencer-Meadows

July 2007
We were very impressed with all aspects of our trip including the transfers. Everything went smooth and the accommodation was great.
 
Thank you very much. We will definitely make use of your services again.
 
Kind regards,
Michael Kruger.

July 2007
I am very happy to give you some feedback, especially as I am full of praise on absolutely all your questions. Let me start however with Elize Cavell Taylor, who was personally responsible for organizing our trip. Throughout the planning (and many changes due to my daughters timetable) she was always available, extremely helpful, in a good humour, full of different suggestions, and even when I started phoning her, she was so pleasant and patient with me. If I had to give marks, she would certainly get top marks. And one other thing, it was her competence and efficiency that made me trust your company explicitly, which means a lot when you just write to an e-mail address. We had the pleasure of meeting her at the airport, as we felt, that we had become good friends. You must be very proud to have such an efficient and competent lady on your staff.
 
°Transfers: First of all, everything went like clockwork, there are just one or two things I would mention, only to maybe still improve an already excellent service.
Nr 1 was our chartered flight from Windhoek to Maun, which was excessively high in cost( Euro 1600), which made us miss out on doing more things in Namibia in order to save money. I understand that we personally chartered a plane, but there should be more choices, and cheaper ones, available. Then another detail; being picked up by light aircraft from the Delta Camp to fly to Kasane, our bags were unnecessarily brutally handled and cramped into the luggage compartment under the plane, when they could have been stored on the free seats at the back of the plane, where the gas cylinders had been, which were delivered to the Oddballs Camp. This resulted in all our cosmetic containers being broken, including mirrors, perfumes etc. Otherwise however all was very well organized.
 
Our stay at Wolwedans Dunes Camp was one of the most memorable experiences in our live! The friendliness first of all of all the staff was amazing, and you could feel it was genuine and not done to get a nice tip. We felt in heaven, we felt spoiled (hot water bottles in your bed, hot thermos outside your camp at 5 o'clock in the morning for your first hot drink to defrost you after an incredibly cold night) and it was very intimate. We loved every minute of that stay and felt truly sad to leave...like leaving good and loved friends.
Delta Camp was also extremely delightful, charming manager (Leonard) and the most adorable guides (TK and Sheks), food was excellent and the treehouses very comfortable. Again we left with a very heavy heart.
 
The Elephant Valley Lodge was gorgeous, but when we first arrived there and were confronted with a lot of people, we felt very sad for having left behind all that solitude and silence. We even then considered whether it would not have been better to start at the Falls and slowly slowly grow into that beloved solitude. But at the end it didn't really matter anymore, because as soon as we met some of the people, we were united also with people who felt like us and shared a lot of things. Ebbie, the Lady who managed the place, was again very charming and interesting. The waterhole was amazing, and the whole lodge was really suburb. The only person in fact on the whole trip I found a bit disappointing was a guide called Obey, who just drove as fast as he could, whether it was in the jeep or with the boat, but the spotting of animals was more or less left to us.
 
And finally the Zambesi Sun; The Hotel is delightful, it's position could not be better situated when visiting the Falls, it's just so nice to have a warm room and indulge into showering without freezing! This is not running down any of the Lodges, and I would not change any of the Camps or Lodges, it's just that one has come to a different part of the trip, which is not a Safari anymore, and so one can enjoy again the little everyday luxuries.
 
So to sum up: the organization, the Camps, the Lodges, transfers and all was superb! I would always recommend you and choose you again. I hope this has helped, and I really hope to come back to that wonderful country which Africa is.Thank you for everything.
 
With kind regards
Uschi Pace

July 2007
I want to thank you very much for all your re-organising.  Everything was perfect and very well organised.  We felt very much looked after.
It must have been a pain having to rearrange everything and we do appreciate your efforts.
We enjoyed it so much that we are saving the pennies for 2 years time.  We would definately go to Robin popes house for 5 days this time.  I think this was the highlight although everywhere had its own great points.
So we will be in touch next year for 2009 as I have been recommending your services to everyone.
Thanks again
Catherine Blackstock

I dealt with Sakeena throughout the booking and she could not have been more helpful and was a pleasure to deal with.  All the information regarding visas into Zimbabwe/Zambia and the situation regarding currency/credit cards was most useful.

All transfers went like clockwork.

Ilala Lodge was very nice accomodation and the staff were all very friendly and most helpful.

Thank you very much for taking care of our booking to Victoria Falls we all had a most enjoyable time if not a bit wet at the falls!!
Karen Allington

July 2007
I did not work directly with your staff, but Larry and Jennifer did.  The trip was fabulous.  We were really pleased with both Mapula and Kwara.  The staff were lovely.  The accomodations were clean, comfortable, safe and seemed luxurious.
We were really impressed with the enthusiam and knowledge of the staff.  The food was excellent.  We would recommend using your service and both of these locations.  Delta Air was great.
You did an excellent job.
Many thanks.
Terry Grill

July 2007
It was really fantastic and everything went very smoothly­there’s no way we could have organized it on our own.  The Island Safari staff are extremely helpful and responsive.  In fact, that’s why we chose your organization over others. 
 
The transfers were fine and the camps and airline seemed to be in good communication with each other. 
 
Mapula Lodge was gorgeous.  The staff seem to be mostly new and we had a guide who was brand new to the lodge (although experienced at other places).  To be honest this was a bit of a problem because he didn’t know his way around the property very well and got our jeep seriously stuck both days that we were there.  (We also thought he was a bit reckless as compared to the other guide on the property.)  But in the end it was fine and we’re sure that as the staff grow more experienced at the lodge it will get better and better.  One thing that really stood out to us at Mapula was how truly excellent the food was­it was superb and we’ve already written them to ask for one of their recipes! 
 
Kwara Camp was also great and the staff there were seasoned and the guides truly excellent.  We felt they did a great job of balancing safety, adventure and comfort.  We especially appreciated how kind and attentive the staff and guides were to our 13 year old niece.  They truly gave her the experience of a lifetime.  
 
We really appreciated how Mandy chose two camps for us that were not too far away, yet offered totally different terrains and experiences.  All in all it was a memorable trip and we felt we were in good hands.  We are definitely telling our friends about you.
 
Thank you for everything and please pass on our appreciation to Mandy.
Jennifer Berkley

July 2007
The service levels from Island Safari.com were excellent and seamless. All the transfers were smooth and efficient. We had a great stay at Vumbura Plains.
 
You may indeed expect to receive referrals from us.
 
Kind regards,
Sincerely,
Berjis Desai

July 2007
Back in Vermont and have a few minutes while my grandson naps.  He's doing well, and we're looking forward to him being out of the cast in three weeks.

About the safari - we had an absolutely fabulous time!!!!  I'll start with the airport thing, because that was the only problem we had the whole time.
We got off the plane and followed the crowd until we came to a "fork in the road," so to speak.  We could either go left and go through customs, or go right and go through transit.  We were unsure, and most likely looked as though we needed help.  An airport employee asked where we were going, and when we said to Livingstone, she directed us to transit.  We walked straight to the Nationwide counter and were helped by a very nice young man.  I was a little concerned as I knew we needed to get our luggage, but he volunteered to do it for us.  I'm not sure that what we did was strictly legal, as we didn't go through customs, but it worked.

In Livingstone, we were met by Oliver from the Islands, who had a nice little sign, gave us water, and drove us to the lodge - spotting game for us along the way!  We were met by the manager and taken by boat to the lodge, then to our honeymoon chalet!!!  WOW - it was truly awesome!  Everything about the place was classy - the food was gourmet, we were fussed over and pampered, and we even had time to relax and nap and stare at the river!  The elephant safari was wonderful, and we decided to fly over the falls in microlights - the best decision ever!

The transition to Muchenjie went like clockwork, and we were incredibly pleased with that experience, as well.  Our guides were great, we saw wonderful game, our chalet was terrific, and the food was wonderful.  I especially liked the local dishes!

The little charter flight from Botswana to Zambia was a treat - I hadn't realized we would be doing that.  Sandy got to sit up with the pilot!

When we got to Livingstone, the Nationwide representative checked our bags all the way to Cairo, so we once again went through transit and didn't have to do the customs thing.  That was a real treat!

So - all in all it was a wonderful way to end our two-year adventure on the continent.  Thank you for your part - we can't say enough about the service and special treatment we received, and are already talking about someday taking our children and grandchildren on safari!

With kind regards,
Sandy and Bonnie Mohlman

July 2007
We had a wonderful stay at Oddballs camp. The staff was friendly and helpful - a really unforgettable experience.
 
Air transfers were spot - on. No extended waiting at Maun Airport.
 
Patricia at your offices was very helpful and promp with any queries.
 
Only complaint was Air Botswana that lost our sleeping bag at JHB airport.
 
Thanks for a wonderful holiday
Gerrit Haarhoff

July 2007
Just to let you know that we had a fantastic time & things could not have run more smoothly. Many thanks to Alison for her efficiency & help in organising our trip.
 
Transfers were perfect - we loved the little flight from Livingstone to Kesane. The pilot even obliged us by going out of his way to show us the falls from the air!! Everything ran smoothly & to time.
 
Lodges were fantastic. Stanley Safari lodge upgraded us to the most amazing room (possibly because we mentioned to you that it was our wedding aniversary whilst away).
 
We will highly recommend island-safari to friends wishing to holiday in AFrica. Many thanks.
 
We however are planning another to South Africa & Mocambique next year in June. Do you book etc for here
NIcky & Alf Chrascina

July2007
Service during booking and tour:
Absolutely first class with many helpful suggestions. Was met at J/berg by Tracey who was very polite, extremely professional and whisked us away with the greatest of ease to our hotel. Being met and transfered is certainly a huge benefit and greatly appreciated.

Monidior Concorde hotel.
Perfectly fine, friendly staff, convenient and delightful breakfasts.

Deception Valley Lodge.
Above and beyond what we expected. Was advertised as not a lodge for first timers, which I feel is incorrect. We had sightings of leopard( in trees) wild dog , a pride of 10 lions, kudu, and lots of nocturnal species. First class guiding, superb food and hospitality. The decor of the lodge and chalets was stunning ,comfortable and blended well into the surrounding savannah.
 
I think this was my favourite lodge though I loved them all!

Selinda
Once again a perfect tented camp, with friendly informative staff, great wildlife and of course lots of elephant. The ambience of the place is just gorgeous and everyone is made to feel part of the "Selinda" family. Went on the walk which I thought would be a casual stroll but was more of a hike and with that Kalahari sand was heavy going for a solid 3 hrs. I enjoyed it as after all the food one consumes and normally being an active person I had to do some exercise, but thankfully my 75yr old father elected not to come. Not winging but the lack of exercise facilities is a bit of a problem as one cannot simply go for a walk.
 
Chobe Chilwero
Yet again a superb lodge and beautifully run with an emphasis on first class cuisine. Extremely friendly staff and run very effeciently by Delmaine and Nashina(ex Selinda). The following comment is by no means a reflection on Chilwero but after coming from 2 private concessions and encountering no one on the drives it was a reality shock to go into the Chobe National park and be surrounded by vehicles everywhere, and not being able to explore off the main track.Perhaps it may be worth mentioning this when clients wish to visit Chobe after being spoilt in a private area.
 
V&A Hotel, Cape Town
Once again we cracked the jackpot. A brilliant, convenient hotel with the most beautiful beds. the breakfasts actually had oysters and champagne!
 
Very good value for money as we ate all our dinners there and it was only a fraction of the costs that we would have incurred back home . The beauty of the place is its position, right in the middle of the waterfront.I would stay here again for sure,
 
The only negative is the service of Delta Air who did all of our 3 transfers and on all 3 occassions were late. This did not pose a problem as we were not connecting to other flights, but at Selinda they were an hour late and we only found this out by calling up the lodge to find out what was going on. Subsequently we were late at Chilwero and missed our game drive though management were prepared to hold up a game drive for us, but we thought it unfair on other guests.
 
Some other guests ex Selinda were not flown out until 3.30 pm so missed the game drives, which when on limited time is not fair.
 
Also , but nothing to do with island-safari. The connecting time at any Africian Airport especially going through J/berg should be a minimum of 3 to 31/2 hours as late aircrafts cause major problems when transfering as we found out. My 75 yr old father had to literally run from the International to the domestic in J/berg to get on the last flight to cape Town. We made it thanks to the terrific staff at Nationwide Airlines. (this was booked by their Australian agent &  I had warned them this was not a good idea..!)
 
However all in all a truely wonderful flawless safari. Thank you Island-safari and I have no hesitation in reccommending you to any prospective clients
 
All the best
Liz Browning


July 2007
Me and Airy we want to express our gratitude with your for the unforgetable trip we had. The organization was excellent, the acommodations incredibles, and the experience . . . the best one!!!!

Thanks again for your help and cooperation in organazing such a perfect trip.

We will recomend Island-Safari to all our firends who have in mind to visit Africa.

Best reagards,
Airy and Luis Zabala

July 2007
The service we received during the booking process was excellent. We received prompt responses to our questions and received valuable advice. We made several changes during the process and these were graciously dealt with.
 
Our transfer driver was waiting for us at the airport and drove us safely to our destination. One could not ask for more.
 
We stayed at the Diplomat Guest house on your recommendation and were very happy with the choice. Lovely room. Arrival for two very tired people (after a 14 hour flight) was dealt with efficiently and sensitively. Our hostess and staff looked after us extremely well.
 
We cannot fault Rovos rail. The staff were excellent and one can tell that the owner takes a great interest in his customers. However, their statement that they are the most luxurious train in the world is not realistic. We have been on many train journeys and would class the Andalusian Express and the Eastern and Orient trains as being more luxurious. However, Rovos does beat the Venice Simplon Orient Express

Regard
Peter and Helga Spitzer.

July 2007
Sorry to have been awhile getting back to you, but things have been very busy since we got back from Botswana. We have had 10 inches of rain in June which is 5 times the normal and Lincolnshire looked much like the Okavango when we returned!

We have had a fantastic time all the arrangements for both Travel and accommodation have been excellent. The only slight hitch was that when we arrived at Johannesburg we did not know that we had to go through customs, thinking we would transfer straight through. This however was not much of a problem. It may be worth pointing it out to future Guests.
 
The Bush camping at Oddballs was the highlight of the trip.
Once again thanks for all the help your team at Island Safari put in to our trip
If you need any references I would not hesitate to help.
We will certainly come back to Botswana and would like to do so through Island Safari!
 
Kind regards, Jim.
 
PS I’ve copied this to Patricia who did most of the organising and patiently adjusted the trip when I changed my mind several times!
Jim Blaylock

July 2007
We had a fabulous time at Makgadigadi camp - assistance with booking, transfers and stay all excellent.
 
Thanks
Jean Meijer

July 2007
Everything was absolutely great!! Particulary the service I received from Sakeena during the booking process --- she was more than helpful and went above and beyond to fulfill all my requests!!
 
The transfer was waiting for us when we departed the plane and both hotels were more than we expected. It truly was memorable!!
 
Thank you,
Karen Freestone

July 2007
Patricia was absolutely wonderful to work with from the first email to the last.  Her suggestions and recommendations were terrific, and she was really responsive and helpful and patient and a delight to work with.  I will recommend her and island-safari to all of my friends planning a trip to Africa.
 
All the transfers were fine, except that the driver who picked us up from Kasane airport and took us to the ferry (for the river crossing into Zambia) was about 15 minutes late, which was a bit of a drag.

The Metcourt Laurel Hhotel was fine.  The Emperor Palace is a bit artificial and hermetically sealed – reminded me of Las Vegas – seems better suited for business travelers than vacationing families but it was very convenient – close to the airport, w/ all the shops/restaurants you could want. Buffet breakfast was superb!! I would recommend it for someone staying in the J’burg area only 1 or 2 nights (as we were) but for a longer stay, I would have preferred Sandton. 

We absolutely loved the Delta Camp, but we didn’t see as much big game as we were expecting – none in the mokoros, and just a few zebra, elephants, gazelles and giraffes from quite far away on the walking excursions on Chief’s Island.  On one of our long walks w/ the kids, we saw no game at all, which was quite a disappointment for the kids.  Overall, this wasn’t a big problem for us since we’d seen so much game in South Africa, but if we hadn’t gone to South Africa first and we’d just stayed at Delta Camp, we’d have been very disappointed.  However, there  were many things about Delta Camp that were fabulous – the hippos who come very close to the camp, the elephants who roam around the camp, the accommodations, the food, the trip to the village (amazing!!).  Lena is a wonderful host. 

So overall we had a great experience but if I had to do it again, I might have picked a camp that had game drives as well as mokoro/walking trips (To Patricia’s credit, she told me beforehand that we might not see as much game at Delta because of no game drives, but I didn’t realize we’d see as little as we did).

Your stay at Zambezi Sun Resort Hotel – absolutely loved this hotel.  Location can’t be beat, loved the décor of the hotel, great ambience, perfect for families w/ kids.   Great to have the zebras and baboons wandering about.  Would recommend this highly to others.

Thanks again for all your help. We had a fantastic time!!!!!

       Zazi Pope

 

July 2007
I will gladly provide feedback....

* The service you received from Island-Safari.com staff during the booking process and during your tour
Michelle was extremely helpful, professional and very pleasant during my interactions for enquiries and bookings, as well as being met at the airport by Rob and co, this was reassuring for me as a non-seasoned "international" traveller. - thank you very much.  Although not officially part of the holiday, it contributes towards the overall experience,
* The transfers you had
Wild Horizons staff were very friendly and helpful - they helped make the experience fun, and stress free, knowing they were always punctual.  Although there was a mis-understanding on one of the activities, the management made prompt decisions to rectify the matter as soon as possible to recover any negative perceptions.
* Your stay at Victoria Falls Safari Lodge
As good as it looks!!!! The staff are friendly, and on our return back there a few days later, some even recognised us - really welcoming!!  Although it seemed fully booked, there was never a time when I felt overwhelmed by guests.  The food and food presentation was outstanding.  I have and will continue to recommend as a place to stay.
* Your stay at Elephant Valley Lodge
WOW, for me this was one of the main highlights, much better than the pictures reflect.  Staff are wonderful and friendly, and nothing is too much trouble.  On the game drives and boat cruises, the guides "read" the people for their interests and go out of their way to try and accommplish this.  Definitely will be going back!!!!!

Thank you to Island Safaris for ensuring the places recommended ensured an overall awesome holiday to be remembered!!! 

In the words of Arnold Schwarzenegger in the Terminator....  " I will be back"...

Warmest regards
Glenda Niemand

July 2007
now that “our feet are back on the ground” we are delighted to give you feedback on our most extraordinary sojourn to Africa. We can only speak in the most glowing terms of all aspects of our trip and the arrangements that Island-Safari made to ensure that our pleasure trip was indeed just that – “a pleasure”. One could “carry on” at great length on the beauty, amazing landscape, wild life etc. that is Africa and what Africa is about – however that, obviously, is not of Island-Safari’s doing, but of nature itself.
What is of Island-Safari’s doing is its commitment to ensuring that its client’s requirements are met to the “nth ” degree without fuss or ado. This commitment most assuredly adds to the earlier mentioned “what Africa is about”. We are sure that Island-Safari owes Africa a lot, but we are equally as sure that Africa also owes Island-Safari a lot for the company’s promotion and presentation of the “world’s most exciting destination”.
To answer the individual queries we can only say the following:
(a)      The service provided by the staff (at all levels) was of an excellent quality. The company is to be congratulated on the quality of its personnel.
(b)      The transfer services provided at each location were carried out with the minimum fuss and to do. Border crossings, pick-up services etc. seemed so incredibly easy – something that aren’t necessarily the standard in a foreign location. Particular note is made here of Andy Rice and his Eco Tours in Cape Town. Andy was so informative and such pleasurable company that it seemed as if a long time friend was hosting us. We trust that you use his services wherever possible as you can be assured that he does a great service to your company.
(c)      Tongabezi Lodge is a magnificent feature equal to the best of any facility of its type in the world. The enigmatic, and beautiful, Zambezi River adds a certain ambience to the camp, which is wonderfully backed up with a superb staff.
(d)    We will give a “blanket cover” to the Orient Express camps of Savute, Eagle Island and Kwai River. While each has unique features insofar as scenery, position, wild life etc. is concerned their similar set-up and management makes it so much easier to “settle in” to your surroundings. We are sure that most travellers would agree that having to relocate (or move hotel rooms as it were) is tedious. In this instance we were quite stress-free about our movements, as eventhough each day was exceptional and distinctive our “end of day” was always calm, tranquil and relaxed in a familiar atmosphere.
(e)     The management of each lodge was of the highest order and the guides were of premier quality – friendly, knowledgeable and keen to assist wherever possible. The “house” staff at each establishment was always “at hand” for any need or want that might be required.
(f)        The Waterfront Village Apartments are sited in a fantastic location and are within “easy reach” of what Cape Town has to offer. If there were any shortcomings in this visit one would have to say that the management of the apartments does not do justice to the facility. Perhaps management could look at a guest “orientation” program to enlighten visitors of the fine distinction applicable to the apartment’s electrical and domestic devices (rather than just delivering visitors to their apartment). We would be most grateful if what is said here is treated as “constructive criticism” and not a denigration or condemnation of the apartments.
We hasten to say that whilst this survey sadly ends on a (seemingly) pessimistic note we have nothing but the utmost commendation to all aspects of Island-Safari’s input to our “once in a lifetime” adventure. And you can rest assured that it was just that – once in a lifetime!.
Should, at any time, you wish to use our Island-Safari experience as a promotional reference, or indeed if we are able, in any way, to encourage any prospective client we will gladly oblige. 
 
Kindest Regards and Best Wishes for your continued success
Bill and Margaret Park

July 2007
Please find attached my feedback as requested
 
The service you received from Island-Safari.com staff during the booking process and during your tour.
Outstanding. Many people say to us not to make use of an agent but we experienced that you have access to more destinations and specials at now higher cost. We were really surprised at Chobe where a lot more activities and meals were included in our deal. Carien at Island-safari is a real star. Thank you very much.
 
Your stay at Chobe Safari Lodge
Very, very good. Rooms are excellent and all the staff are very friendly. Service from all the staff really great. We can recommend the sunset cruise. The guide doing the cruise is very good with a lot of interesting facts about the wildlife.
 
Your stay at Makgadikgadi Camp
Very good but find it over rated in comparison with Mashatu and Chobe. The meals not up to standard. No warm water for the first night but they fixed it the next morning (it was really cold, snowing in Johannesburg and the water iced that night in the water before our tent). We enjoyed the quietness and camp fires. Over all experience good and really interesting.
 
Your stay at Mashatu Tented Camp
EXCELLENT. We will be back. Food outstanding. Guides very professional and they've got an outstanding knowledge. They've got also unbelievable driving skills and I felt very comfortable driving with them on the "inaccessible" places. We saw a lot of wildlife. The tents are luxurious and the camp very neat. Staff are friendly and professional, we felt like family from the very first minute.
 
Groete
Joey Opperman

July 2007
This is just a quick email to say that my husband and I were very pleased with every aspect of the trip.  The service we received from Island Safari was great.  We always heard back promptly, and our itinerary went exactly as planned, including the airport transfers and lodge stays.  In terms of the camps/lodges, we preferred Xakanaxa Camp in that the Moremi Reserve area had the best animals.  However, we also really enjoyed Deception Valley Lodge in that it gave us a chance to see a different example of African terrain.  In addition, the guides at Deception Valley Lodge were particularly good, and really helped to make the experience a memorable one.  Finally, the bushman tour at the Deception Valley Lodge added an additional interesting dimension to our trip.
 
We would recommend everything we did to others, including the Island Safari services.
 
Best,
Liz Seeley

July 2007
Thank you so much for arranging the most wonderful trip ever.  It was a fantastic experience... a once in a lifetime experience.  All of our planning was worth the effort.  There wasn't a hitch anywhere.  We loved our guides in all the camps.  The order in which we visited the camps was perfect with Kwara first and Jack's last.  I looked up an old email where you correctly mentioned that to be the best order.  Of course, Jack's was a great surprise.  Thank you for persisting in getting us booked that way.  Andy Rice was delightful to spend the day with and so knowledgeable. Stephen Fleisch is very good at what he does and we enjoyed our time with him. Again, you did a fine job putting our trip together for the six of us with our different needs.
Ellen and Gary Taft

July 2007
Everything was fantastic.  The service we recieved from island safari and the booking process was excellent.  We dealt with Mandy mostly and she was very timely on all responses and helped us work through the choices.  She was a pleasure to deal with.
 
Our transfers were perfect and all went to plan.   Only issue was on the way back from Quilea where we had booked the helicopter and ended up having to get a boat and plane.  This was due to the helicopter being out of service and so was unavoidable.  The plane was an experience anyway so not a major concern.  These things happen and we made all connecting flights.
 
Pemba beach hotel was great.  We were upgraded to a suite and provided with champagne and fruit on arrival which was a lovely gesture as we were on our honeymoon.  It was very special.
 
Quilalea was magnificant, even better than on the brochures.  We had an amazing time.
 
In short everything was great, we would have no issue recommending both yourselves and both locations to anyone who will listen to us.
So thank you and till we can afford a holiday again 
 
Kind Regards
Gillian Watson

July 2007
It was a fantastic trip. From Victoria falls to the Okavango Delta. Your service from the start (Alison immediate feedback on questions, schedules and bookings), to the actual trip went exactly as planned.


It was a pleasure to see Natasha waiting for us in Johannesburg at 05:30 to take us to our hotel after a tiering trip. From Vic Falls the bus had initially thougt we were going back to SA, but we explained and they then took us to Chobe as planned.

D'Oreal hotel was OK for a spending the night, great breakfast buffet.

Victoria Falls Hotel was brilliant. The service was excellent, food as well exceeded our expectations, and the place is beautiful, will definitely return one day. I was initially uneasy about travelling to Zimbabwe, but that went away as soon as we landed and passed through customs without incident.

Chobe game lodge: accomodation was comfortable, and beautiful view of the Chobe river and Caprvi. Food was really excellent both in choice and taste. One suggestion, it would have been nice if we had been offered a choice of activities, maybe a longer drive through the park rather than the same two hrs morning/evening drives x 2, but we had excellent game viewing and saw a Lion hunt.

Xugana: maybe my favorite place (hard to decide as all the places were very good). We had an excellent and friendly guide in Kitso, and luckiliy it was only us (May and myself in the group). I think next safari we will definitely go back, and walking, even though you don't see as much game is a much more rewarding experience, and the chance to see the Hippos in this envoirenment is a totally different experience than seeing them elsewhere.

Savute Safari Lodge was very nice. Accomodation was comfortable service also was good, Setch the manager was very nice, and we enjoyed his company as well as the rest of the staff. The food however was not as good as at the other places. Otherwise the game viewing was good, saw many bull elephants, lots of birds, Leopard, Cheetas feeding and lions roaring so loud we thought they were inside our hut.

Xakanaxa: maybe our other favorite place, really beautiful setting, as well as the area being the most beautiful with its diversity of habitat as well as the best gameviewing (saw lions, leopard, many species of bird in addition to the other regular game). The camp managers were super nice, the food was good, and the tents were really comfortable. However we were worried about the open bathrooms (maybe could install a mosquito net) but without incident.

Thank you for a really wonderful trip. We definitely plan to come back one day to Okavango, Kalahari and SA.
Albert & May Assely

July 2007
Its some time since we got back to this cold and wet place called home so excuse this delayed thank you note.
 
To start with we both agree we would never do it again, --- why,   well it would be impossible to repeat the wonderful experiences we had.
 
We set off hopeing for something special, and it was even better.
 
We are glad we started in Chobe, the Elephant Valley Lodge was great but to be honest , and I am being unkind when I say this, compared to the other two Camps it Chobe was like a Zoo, except from the river. Dont be offended by this remark bur the animals although free did not seem to have the same freedom as the other camps.
 
Lebala and Sandibe were great and very different to each other which is what we wanted, so again thanks.
 
At the Camps everyone was wonderful and we could not fault them. 
 
From our arrival in J'burgh to departure everything went like clockwork. We will pass over the time we actually had to wait 3 mins for the plane to pick us up at Sandibe---How do the do it?
 
Your choice of hotel in J'burg on return amused us, a touch of Las Vagas about it.
 
I could go on but no,  just a sincere thank you from us both
 
Kind regards
 
Anne & Derek

July 2007
In answer to your questions:
1.        Service from Island-Safari staff was always excellent.
2.        The Illala stay was great; the staff was friendly and the meals and accommodation were good. The position of the hotel is perfect for visiting the Falls.
Regards,
John Morgan

July 2007
Mandy, I am writing to tell you that our safari was so incredibly wonderful. We all fell in love with Africa. Every camp was so unique and special, we loved them all. Some for the people, some for location, some for the animals. The rafting and Stanley Lodge were fantastic. The bushmen were an absolute favorite of everyone. Every detail went so smoothly, including all the transfers.
We made many friends along the way. All the camp managers were very impressed with our itinerary. I want you to know that we will be back and we will tell all our friends to call you. Thank you so much for all your help in putting this brilliant trip together!
Best regards,
Susan Conway Kean

June 2007
We have only just returned from South Africa and I am delighted to give you feed back on our holiday.
I dealt with Alison de Bruyn on the booking of the holiday to the Okavango and all I can say is that she went out of her way to make sure that we chose the right Lodges and also ensured that everything was done so that we would enjoy the experience.  She was extremely helpful and I found that nothing was too much trouble.
 
The transfer services between Lodges was excellent and the staff were very courteous and helpful.  We had three flights and one boat transfer.
 
Our stay at Camp Moremi was really very good indeed and the staff were extremely helpful and very informative on the game drives.  We really enjoyed our time there.  The tents were very comfortable and the facilities good.
Our stay at Xugana Island Lodge was fabulous.  Completely different from Camp Moremi in that it was all water based and it was a wonderful experience.  The staff were all very good and all had a very good knowledge of the Delta.  We had various guides all of whom were extremely knowledgeable.  A thoroughly enjoyable experience with very comfortable accommodation.
Our stay at Savuti Safari Lodge was also very good.  We had an excellent guide who was very informative on the game drives which made it such a pleasant experience.  The Lodge was excellently place at a water hole where we saw a lot of elephants and other animals, including wild dogs.  All the staff were very helpful and pleasant.  Again the accommodation was very comfortable.
 
The food at all the Lodges was of a high standard and variable and all the staff were extremely courteously and helpful.  It certainly made our stay very pleasant indeed.  My husband and I really enjoyed our time in the Delta.
 
All in all we had a most enjoyable stay at your Lodges and would certainly recommend your organisation.
 
Regards,
Adele Elliott

June 2007
I am very sorry to have delayed my response to you but returning home and going back to work has been a shock!

It is difficult to know where to start with providing feedback. Initially we had reservations about booking with a company based overseas based on internet contact but we shouldn't have been concerned. Your company has been supportive throughout the booking process, answering many questions and coming up with different itineraries as our thoughts changed. To be met at JNB by one of your reps was very reassuring and from that moment on we knew everything would be fine. The rep was very friendly, efficeint and helpful, and we left for our onward trip to Livingstone completely relaxed.

Tongabezi is marvellous. I cannot speak highly enough of the lodge, its setting and the service. Our initial plans were to stay at the Royal Livingstone but they were full (thankfully). We visited the hotel on our trip to Livingstone Island - a must for any visitor to the falls - and although the hotel looked to be of a very high standard it was large and impersonal. Tongabezi was intimate, romantic even, and the small number of guests made for good company in the evenings without being overbearing. Three nights was good but four would not have been too many although it probably would then have been better to have had a night or more at Sindabezi. A very strong recommendation.

Munchenje was different, not quite to the same high standard as Tongabezi but very good nonetheless. The common areas were the better part of the lodge as I felt our room lacked finishing touches - 4* rather than 5. The lodge staff and managers were brilliant. We were celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary during our stay and had advised them in advance. They celebrated but holding a special dinner in the bush on the first night and with champagne and a cake on the second. For this level of personal service, the setting of the lodge and the full day game viewing in Chobe which was exceptional Munchenje is another very strong recommendation

Delta Camp was completely different in setting and complimentary to the other lodges. The makoro trips were a highlight of the holiday along with the walking safari. We were the only guests at the lodge at the time so service was verey attentive but it did make for a rather artifical atmosphere even though staff did their very best to make our stay relaxing. One of the benefits though was that we had the treehouse which was great fun and worth asking for.

Xakanaxa was on a par with Tongabezi - brilliant in every regard. Whilst 2 nights was right in every other game lodge, Xakanaxa was so good that a third or fourth night would not have been too many. It was the attention to detail along with the high standards and engaging hosts that sets this lodge apart. Game viewing from Xakanaxa was also very good with the guide being very professional as we found at all the lodges we stayed at. A very strong recommendation
Deception Valley was on the same level as Muchenje in that it was slightly less comfortable than Xakanaxa and didn't have the same attention to detail in the accomodation. For example, it sadly lacked comfortable seating outside. Food though was superb, making good use of local produce and possibly the best evening meals of all the lodges we stayed at. The setting and game viewing were completely different to the other lodges and we were very pleased to have booked there. You might reconsider the comments you make about it only being suitable for more 'experienced' safari goers as we found that game viewing in the dry season was as good as, but different, to Xakanaxa. For example, many good sightings of lions, giraffe etc and fortunate to see Leopard as well. The guide and trackers were great and a highlight was the walk with the trackers learning the way of the bush.

Overall we found that the mix of lodges and there different terrains/landscapes to be ideal. The transfers between were very efficeint and trouble free and even with hindsight we wouldn't have changed any, other than maybe raiding the bank for a couple more nights at Xakanaxa and Tongabezi.

Thank you for making our 25th anniversary a truely memorable time and Angie has at long last let me off for not having taken her on a decent honeymoon back then.
 
Ian Edwards

June 2007
First of all I would rate the service I received from Allison as outstanding. She answered every question and I had a lot very promptly and to my satisfaction.  My transfers all went smoothly. Pom Pom was amazing, the staff, the food, the quality of the overall experience was top notch. At Chobe everything was fine other than a not very good buffet. The Zambezi Sun was great and for a large property I was impressed with several staff members remembering my name after the first day. The location is outstanding. Please feel free to ask me any additional questions.
 
Thanks 
Bill Fitzsimmons

June 2007
What a wonderful time we had!  I meant to write sooner, but am still recovering from a very nasty cold I began on the trip home from Africa.  We wanted to let you know how much we appreciate your work in arranging the trip for us.  We loved the places you recommended and applaud your attention to the myriad of details involved in a 3-week trip. We all had a splendid time and mentioned frequently what a great job you did.   
I wanted to give you feedback on the places we stayed, because I know you can't personally stay in all of them and would probably like to hear our comments.  Feel free to write me for our "official" comments if you want some for the Island-Safari web-site, but this is for your interest and feedback.  Let me know if you'd be interested in pictures.  
First of all, as you probably know, the only thing that did not work out was the pick-up at Livingstone.  Stanley Safari Lodge did not expect to pick us up at the airport (and wasn't even apologetic about it, even though in their literature the airport pick-up is mentioned as their service, as it should be as they are quite a ways away).  Anyway, it worked out okay, because the porter's desk at the airport called Stanley Safari Lodge and arranged for Wild Horizons to bring us out.   Meet & Greet at J'Burg - It was such a relief to finally emerge from customs into the lobby and have Natasha waiting for us with a sign.  We were two hours late arriving and were just exhausted.  It was wonderful to be met and escorted to the hotel.  We really liked Natasha and Andre, and found her especially informative and helpful.  (We were even more grateful for her the next day, as our Nationwide flight had been cancelled and combined with a later flight and we'd have been pretty confused on our own.)  I'm so glad we arranged this extra escort.  
Metcourt Laurel - This worked out very well for us. They put us in beautiful rooms the first night, and the second time we overnighted there the rooms were a little less nice but still prefectly adequate.  We liked that there were restaurants nearby and we could just walk out for dinner rather than have to go into town.  We had a great welcome-to-Africa dinner at Tribes, which no doubt is a big tourist restaurant but was perfect for our first night there.  The hotel's breakfasts were great.  We left our large luggage there and that worked perfectly; they have a locked room for the purpose.   
Stanley Safari Lodge - We loved this place. The accomodations were just beautiful, the setting very unusual and the open rooms as interesting as I'd hoped.  My room was one of the neatest places I've stayed and the family suite my uncle and cousins were in was magnificent.  The common areas are lovely, and the entire place is filled with beautiful decorative touches in African art. We liked the manager (Carla), the staff was very friendly and attentive, and the food was good.  We thought the service was especially nice.  The power went out the first night but it seemed to mostly add to the ambiance to have to use lanterns!  I had read a number of negative reviews online, but after having experienced the lodge I really don't know what those critics were talking about.  Thank you for bringing this place to our attention!  
Elephant Valley Lodge - We had a great time here and felt we had stepped into the movie Jurassic Park.  It was surreal to have the large elephants and other animals hanging out so nearby.  This is a great spot for any party that includes people who may not want to go on every game ride, the less mobile or the elderly, because you can easily sit in camp (on your own private porch if you want) - and be entertained all day long by that waterhole.  We enjoyed the tent experience and would have been very sorry to have missed it.  We were escorted to our tents each night and found hot water bottles in our beds, a lovely touch.  Our guide, Patrick, was such an excellent guide that we were unable to imagine a better one; and the game drives and boat rides in Chobe National Park were just amazing.  We were all in awe at the number and variety of animals and birds we saw.  This was the best guide and game viewing of the entire trip.  Surprisingly, we were able to check email, which turned out to be a good thing as a family emergency developed while we were out of the country. (On the down side, we did find it irritating to be charged for drinking water when the tap water was not drinkable; we felt that should have been included.)  Otherwise, we liked this spot and we'd certainly return and recommend it to friends.   
Mapula Lodge - The Lodge and the chalets were just wonderful, my favorite accommodations of the trip.  (Please let me know if you'd like us to send you some pictures, because we certainly took hundreds!)  We were the only guests.  They are inbetween management teams right now, and we had an interim manager (Mariana) and her husband serving as hosts, both of whom we liked very much and enjoyed spending time with.  I think the lodge has had the same staff for awhile and they were top-notch, particularly nice, warm, and friendly as well as competent.  The food here was very, very good, the best of the trip. The setting was more remote than I'd expected, but it made for a peaceful place to stay.  We didn't see as many animals, although it was a different type of game experience altogether, with the water all around and the mekoro rides.  On the game drives, we drove through water up to the headlights, twice getting stuck, which made some of us a little nervous, but it all worked out.  The hippos were nearby in the lagoon and I was grateful to not see them while in the mekoro!  Although there are many elephants in that area, we were never able to find them on the game drives - but twice one wandered through camp.   Deception Valley Lodge - We loved it here and found it the most fascinating spot.  We really fell for it in its entirety. The Lodge and the whole experience had such a good "feel" to it that I am sure I will be back some day.  We liked the people, enjoyed meeting Adriaan and Wanda, and had an excellent guide.  The game drives were very good and we also enjoyed the walk with the bushmen.  I think we felt as though we'd barely sratched the surface of the area in three days, it was so interesting.  Three other couples were there at the same time, all of whom we enjoyed meeting; dinner was served communally and we all sat out by the campfire in the evening.  We'd never heard of "Kalahari Love" which entails a shovel of hot coals deposited under your camp chair, very warming and appreciated.  The only downside here is that it was quite cold.  We can't thank you enough for suggesting this spot, as we hadn't even thought of including the Kalahari in our trip!  
Kapama River Lodge - This was our least favorite place, in fact the only place we could even venture a complaint about.  It could not have been more beautiful - it's one of the most handsome places I've ever seen.  (And we did appreciate the upgrade!)  We liked our guide and found her knowledgeable and very helpful, and willing to research our questions and get back to us with answers. We also enjoyed our side trip to the cheetah refuge nearby.  We were surprised the safari vehicle wasn't 4-wheel drive, but luckily didn't get stuck.  This was our only viewing of rhinos, very close indeed, and the only time we saw a male lion up close.  The food was very good.  However, really, we found the staff to be almost disobliging (and this was remarkable because at every other place we stayed, people were just wonderful).  A few examples:  Breakfast the first day, no tables were set for 6 and we only saw large communal tables set up so we sat at one end of a large table and would have been quite happy to have others join us; but the staff forced us to move ourselves (after we had our food and were actually already eating!) to a hastily set-up table for six that they dragged in from outside.  That just did not seem the 5-star way to handle the situation!  Another example is that they wanted everyone to eat outside for dinner, which we did the first night (in the boma, which was fun).  We requested well ahead of time to eat inside the second night because my mother felt she could not stand the cold again.  I asked our guide to check again for us before dinner, and I personally overheard her having to argue at length with whoever was in charge of the food service in order to get them to grant our request.  It took her several times of having to say "this is what they want" before our request was finally met.  I was surprised that this would happen at a place that clearly prides itself on those five stars.  And it seemed odd to be charged for water at meals and for sundowner drinks on the game drives.  Anyway. This is not to say that this ruined our good time in the least; I just thought you'd be interested to hear about our experience.  
Commodore Hotel - Again, perfect for what we wanted.  The location was ideal.  Breakfasts were great.  We liked the staff, found them very helpful with our requests to the travel desk and the concierge for dinner arrangements.  We would definitely stay here again next time we visit Capetown, which we just adored.   Finally, we really, really liked Andy Rice of Eco-Tours and we're grateful you booked him for us.  We spent a great two days touring the area and enjoyed all the information he had to offer.  There's no substitute for being able to spend time with the people who actually live in a country and he was very interesting and informed.  We'll certainly be recommending him to anyone who asks about day tours of the Capetown area.  
Elize, I guarantee you that you'll hear from me if I am ever so fortunate as to be able to travel to Africa again! (What I really mean, is:  when I am able to afford it again...) 
Thanks again for all your good work on our behalf!
Andrea Crowell

June 2007
Island Safaris gave us the most incredible, fantastic, wonderful holiday
ever. It was a million times better than our wildest dreams.

I booked our trip almost a year before our departure date. During that
period, I dealt with Mandy. She answered every query promptly, accurately
and in a friendly manner. I must have asked some seemingly daft questions
but Mandy was always patient and polite. She is a credit to your company.

Every transfer went perfectly. We were met by someone at every transfer /
changeover point. Every flight was on time to the minute and we were never
left alone wondering what was happening. Everyone was so friendly, helpful
and looked after us very well.

The hotels / Lodges

Zambezi Sun
 - a great resort hotel. Everyone friendly, smiling and helpful. They
couldn't do enough for us. The food (buffet) was extremely good and, with
favourable exchange rates, good value. The rooms were very comfortable and
spotlessly clean. All the public areas were  well looked after. It was all
very tastefully themed to Africa - almost as if Disney had opened an Africa
hotel! (and I mean that in a very complimentary way!). Squires (?)
restaurant next door was great as well. Our helicopter trip and river cruise
were booked at the hotel and were organised really well.

Muchenje -
Nothing had prepared us for arriving in Muchenje and seeing the amazing view
over the Chobe flood plain. It was so stunning beautiful that I got quite
emotional. Our chalets were fantastic. Clean, comfortable and showing us
great views of the river.  The main lodge building was fabulous - very open
planned, welcoming and with a great ambiance.  The food was excellant and
again, everyone was so friendly. The game drives were amazing. I've never
seen so much and learnt so much. The guides were very knowledgable and happy
to answer every question. - 10/10

Pom Pom -
Very different to Muchenje in style and outlook. The food, staff and main
lodge were fantastic. Everyone was friendly and helpful. The mokoro trip was
one of the best highlights of the whole trip. Gliding over a lagoon with
thousands of pale blue waterlillies took our breath away. If I had to score
out of 10 - I'd give PomPom 9.99 - not as much game as other camps but
beautiful, restful and just as wonderful.

Xakanaxa -
Different style and outlook again!  This is getting difficult to write as
I'm running out of superlatives to describe these terrific camps. Food,
tents, staff, location, games drives - all totally wonderful. Bird life was
full on, hands on fun. We loved this camp (even though Mum & Baby hippo
bumped into our tent and woke us up!) - 10/10

Deception Valley Lodge -
The last and most different camp. Food, chalets, staff were all wonderful.
The guides here were extremely knowledgable and their driving was of ralley
driver standard as they had the most difficult terrain of all the camps to
contend with. Again, everyone was so friendly and helpful. They always had
time to chat and answer all our questions. One of the highlights here is the
family of 3 porcupines that they feed every night. Seeing them from 2 feet
away was fantastic. Another 10/10


In General -
Every camp was perfect. They all differed greatly from each other but were
equally as marvelous. We were very impressed by the hosts of the camps and
by their guides and by the general staff who kept the camps so well.

Our one minor disappointment was that the 1st 3 camps only served very
"safe" westernised food. Almost everyone on the trip said that they would
love to have tried an African dish - even if it was just a simple side dish.
We were thousands of miles from anywhere and we were served lasagne and
tiramisu -all homemade and very good but...........!    Only in Deception V
L did we get any typically African dishes which were very good indeed.

Please let all the camps know how wonderful we thought they were and pass on
our thanks.

Thanks again Island Safaris. We were so impressed that we're already
thinking of a trip to Namibia. We will of course put you at the very top of
our list and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend I S to anyone thinking about
booking a safari.

Island Safaris, you ROCK!       and now back to uploading over 400 photos!


Regards
Alan Barham

and agan:

Dear Mandy

How can we ever thank you enough for organising the most incredible holiday.

Everything went like clockwork - everyone was exactly where they were supposed to be, every 4 seater plane flew in on time and not once were we left alone miles from anywhere. It was perfect!

After a 23 hour day getting there, the Zamezi Sun Hotel provided some well deserved luxury. All the staff were wonderful and couldn't do enough. We were treated in a very friendly, welcoming manner. The food was great, the ambiance restful and the Vic Falls were amazing.

The 4 game lodges were fantastic. Each one was different. The surroundings were stunningly spectactular, the animals & birds were different but the friendliness and service were perfect. The food was great too!   All home cooked food & bread. Our only slight disappointment was that we didn't get any African food - not even a side dish! Everyone at the lodges all mentioned the same point. Us Brits aren't afraid to try new food these days!
We were thousands of miles away in very remote areas and one night we had lasagne & tiramisu !!!!    

Deception Vally Lodge did provide a chance to try Kudu steaks and Impala which we really liked.

All in all - it was the most wonderful experience we have ever had. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Island Safaris and we're already looking at going to Etosha in Namibia which I notice you can do.

Thanks again, Mandy.
Island Safaris, you ROCK !!

Regards
Alan Barham

June 2007
The tour was well organized, and went without a hitch. The Pom Pom Camp people were hospitable, efficient and friendly – as guides, rooms or at the dinning room table. The food was excellent – I thought better than Phinda was some 4 years ago. The accommodation was comfortable, the bed slept well, although the gas ran out the last night we tried to shower – there appeared to be no automatic cut in by a new gas cylinder. However, we did not see any lions ( heard them during the night in the distance), nor buffaloes, although the sighting of the Pels Fishing owl was spectacular, and our guide made a big effort to find an eagle owl – the guide was excellent. We had a memorable bush experience, an unforgettable experience for all the right reasons.
Best wishes ,
John Symons

June 2007
We were very pleased with all aspects of our bookings with Island-Safari.  Everyone was very helpful and courteous.  We enjoyed our stay in Victoria Falls.  Thanks for your assistance.
Carolyn Hall

June 2007
The service you received from Island-Safari.com staff during the booking process and during your tour. Mandy was wonderful.  She was most responsive to questions and also very knowledgeable about facilities, side trips, transportation. 

The transfers you had.
We were met in Joburg and transferred to the Metcourt by your people.  I was concerned about the next morning and getting back to the airport on our own using the hotel taxi.  However, it was easy and we didn't feel threatened by pushy porters, which we had been in the past.  The transfers between camps was excellent - on time and courteous.  Aid crossing into and out of Zim was most helpful.
Your stay at Metcourt Laurel Hotel The hotel was very comfortable and the breakfast lovely.  Having the casino there was a great diversion for the children.  The pool was too far and it was not warm enough to utilize it.
Your stay at Xakanaxa Camp Xakanaxa is a very special place.  The whole group definitely enjoyed all the game drives and the lovely service.  Lettie, Flo et al took very good care of us.
Your stay at Lokuthula Lodge Having our own lodges was just great.  The facilities, staff and proximity to the falls is just perfect, especially with the bus service.  The evening at the Boma is something we will always treasure - trying different grilled game, having our faces painted, interactive drum playing, etc. 
Your stay at Zambezi Sun Resort Hotel The decor looked more like Mexico to me than Africa, but the hotel was comfortable and right at the Falls on the Zambia side. 

Receiving the detailed itinerary and vouchers really helped keep us organized.  It was very clear when and where we were supposed to be and who and how we were to proceed.  Thank you for an excellent experience.  We will recommend Mandy and Island Safari to any and all of our friends traveling to Africa!
 
The Fairchild and Drew families.

June 2007
Thanks for your message and for offering us the opportunity to share some impressions of our trip.  Wilke and I just returned home yesterday, so this is my first chance to write properly and to thank you for all that you did to create such a wonderful holiday for us.  At every turn, the bookings (hotels and transfers) you arranged on our behalf worked perfectly, and we were free to enjoy one of the most memorable holidays that we have ever taken. We feel so grateful to you Elize for your kind assistance, your suggestions and your expertise.  We can point to many elements of our trip that were improved greatly by your advice and arrangements.  So to the first point on the list ("service received from Island-Safari staff"), our experience is entirely positive and we would be happy to recommend your organization to others, or better yet to come back to you again ourselves. Regarding the other points on the list, let me go through one by one: * The transfers you had. All of our transfers worked seamlessly.  We were met as arranged at every point along the way, and found everyone to be helpful and professional. * Your stay at Metcourt Laurel Hotel The hotel is fine and obviously very convenient to the airport.  The reception staff were very helpful in arranging a car tour for us (Johannesburg and Soweto) when we arrived early in the morning and our room was not yet ready for us. * Your stay at Pom Pom Camp We would recommend Pom Pom to anyone planning a trip to the Okavango Delta. There is a positive feeling among the staff and guides, and they quickly welcome visitors into their fold and share what is most interesting about that unusual region.  Our main guide Paul was particularly memorable, earnest but also quick to laugh and very good at his job.  The small size of the camp is also a plus, creating a sense of shared discovery with the other guests who are lucky enough to be there as well. * Your stay at Elephant Valley Lodge Again, a great experience.  The staff and guides were excellent; our main guide Obi particularly went the extra mile for us and we will always be grateful to him.  Our room was perfectly positioned to see the watering hole, and one of my favorite memories is of our mornings there, sitting up in bed with coffee and watching the first-light rituals of the locals around the watering hole.  The only disadvantage to this lodge might be the distance from the entrance to Chobe National Park, about a half hour drive, but the drive through Kasane Forest Reserve is still interesting, and we saw animals on this part of the drives that we did not see inside Chobe.  We would stay there again ourselves and would definitely recommend it to others. * Your stay at Sindabezi Island Camp For Sindabezi, we must thank you Elize a hundred times over.  We would not have known such a place existed, and we would have missed something unforgettable.  The staff were great, but of course it is the setting that locks it.  I hope that we can hold on to the feeling of being there; I think we will be able to, and it is something just to know that it exists.  Both Sindabezi and Tongabezi as you know offer a lot of included and extra tour options.   We took advantage of many of these and all were very well done. Because our stay was timed with the full moon, we had the unexpected benefit of seeing the lunar rainbow at Victoria Falls, a special tour that Tongabezi arranges at that time.  We also would highly recommend the Livingstone Island tour and the sunset ride down the Zambezi, where the motor is shut off and the boat is allowed to swirl and float downstream; it was magical. * Your stay at Tongabezi Lodge Our transfer and stay at Tongabezi were great as well.  Some of the comments above spill over to our stay here, with the addition of a Valet who made our evening by preparing a steaming hot bubble bath in our open-air tub, a surprise that was waiting for us when we returned from a game drive.  So wonderfully decadent, and as you said Elize, a very good place and way to finish our trip! Please let me know if there is any additional information that would be helpful to you, any specifics that I might not have covered.  We'd be happy to add to this. Thanks again so very much and best regards,

Elizabeth See-Tho

June 2007
We would be happy to respond. Our vacation was wonderful beyond our expectations. Patricia of island-safari.com was most helpful from the very beginning of our efforts to put together a memorable trip to Africa. My mother and I were very pleased with her attention to detail and thoughtfulness in suggesting various itineraries and choices of lodging and activities. Her responses to our questions and success in obtaining the choices we made were prompt and accurate. The young lady that met us in Johannesburg was a welcome sight, very helpful and courteous. Our transfer to Livingstone was very smooth and we were met by a representative of Stanley Safari Lodge on time (even with our early arrival) and very courteous. The transfer from Stanley Safari Lodge to Chobe Chilwero in Kasane was a great adventure by land and riverboat. There was no one there to meet us after we crossed the river, but the boat captain got on his cell phone and someone was there within 15 minutes. The transfer from Kasane to Kwara Airstrip went well, the Delta Air pilot was courteous and gave us a quick safety briefing and a good flight. The trip from Kwara to Maun was a little less satisfactory, everything went well but the pilot (again Delta Air) did not give a safety briefing, there was an oil leak evident on the airplane and the plane appeared old and a little less well cared for. The transfer on Air Botswana from Maun to Johannesburg was comfortable and on time but they insisted that we check our hand carry bags that every other airline allowed us to carry with no opportunity to secure our valuables. That gave some cause for alarm, especially when on arrival in Johannesburg it was obvious that one of the bags had been gone through and zippers and straps were left undone. Fortunately nothing was missing.
As for our lodging and activities:
    Stanley Safari Lodge was a unique and wonderful place to stay. Quiet, comfortable, and hospitable. We enjoyed all that Livingstone had to offer with beautiful views of the Falls and a great elephant riding experience. Clara at Stanley Safari went out of her way to secure a ride for us on a helicopter to view the Falls.
    Chobe Chilwero Lodge was a beautiful lodge with exquisite accomadations and great food. We had a wonderful time on the game drives and boat cruises. Our guide Gilbert was excellent. The hosts at the lodge were very helpful and gracious.
    Little Kwara Camp was the highlight of the trip. Jonah, camp manager, was very hospitable, had helpful photo suggestions and a glass of sherry ready every evening at the end of our game drives. David, our guide, and Captain John, our tracker, were so knowledgeable, hard-working, accomodating, and gracious. They really made our trip memorable with their ability to track and find different species of game we wanted to see and made a lasting impression about the people of Botswana. The entire camp staff were so welcoming and friendly. The small size of the camp was very nice. The accomodations were beautiful and very comfortable. We had a little trouble figuring out how to maintain hot water for a shower, but finally managed it on our last morning there. The food was great.
In all our trip was excellent. We will recommend Island-safari.com to our friends and will use your services again in the future.
Thank you very much for everything.
Julie Grohs and Donna Schultz

June 2007
We were very satisfied with everything.
 
Booking responsiveness was great.
 
Natasha met us at the airport in Jo'burg - got us going with no work required from us - that was a great start to the trip.
 
Flight from Maun was wonderful!  Oddballs is the perfect camp in the Delta, even tho we haven't been to any others - I can't imagine a better experience.  Rustic, tents, which was perfect.
 
We didn't know what we were getting into w/ the sleeping out w/ lions - don't know how you tell people that without scaring them off.   We might not have done it had we known, but are very glad to have done it now that we're back alive!
 
Great trip!  One of our best ever - an experience we won't ever forget - all for good reasons.
Paul Bender

June 2007
I'm happy to provide a little feedback.  To begin, everything exceeded all our expectations but we should've expected at least that with the entire planning portion of our trip.  Michelle did an amazing job for us, providing with absolutely anything we needed and more than anything else, she was very patient during our planning.  In this respect, she was extremely accomodating with revising itineraries as we wrestled with a few things on our end.  Michelle represents your organization tremendously.  As a result, there was no need to contact her during our tour, only to tie up a couple loose ends and perhaps to just tell her how everything was going. 
I believe we had 4 transfers during our week: Airport to Zambezi Sun; Zambezi Sun to Elephant Valley; Elephant Valley to Kasane Airport; and Kasane Airport to Livingstone Airport.  All these transfers went very smoothly, they were there on time to meet us at arrivals or at the hotel.  The only delay was returning to Livingstone Airport while at the border crossing from Botswana to Zambia, the main reason being that many of the others transferring were unaware of the transit visa, but we did not encounter such an issue since Michelle had notified us prior to departure of the fee. 
Our stay at the Zambezi Sun was excellent, we only stayed one night there and wished we had another night to enjoy the resort, especially the pool.  The staff is world-class and the proximity of the resort to the Falls is a big plus. 
The two nights at Elephant Valley was fantastic, a great spot to acclimate to the rest of the week and the game drive schedule.  The "tents" are great as we were not expecting them to be so nice and comfortable and we had a great view out our window of the nearby watering hole.  Shaun and John are extremely attentive as well as many of the staff who are very personable.  We had no idea we'd be able to see that much game while in Chobe, at least not to that extent. 
Our flight and two nights at Pom Pom Camp capped off a brilliant week.  Delta Air's pilot Richard is great and it was comforting to see him again on the return leg.  The tents at Pom Pom are extraordinary.  The person who separates this camp from the other is Cecil who created a unique environment that would be tough to duplicate.  We were very fortunate to have a small group with us which allowed us to hear more of his stories as well as befriend the other two groups of guests. 
After the prior week in Malawi, we were definitely excited that we were able to enjoy our final days without incident and an absolutely flawless final week. 
 
Thank you.
Jonathan Pan

June 2007
How's everything?  I'm sure you're still super busy, helping plan the next person's amazing vacation.  It's taken me a little while to settle back into things at home as you may imagine after a crazy vacation. 
I wanted to write and thank you for all your help, it's hard for me to fully express how appreciative we are of your patience and assistance in our entire planning process.  I definite speak for the three of us that each place exceeded all our expectations (especially after the week we had in Malawi, we'll be happy to share if you're interested), as early as our airport pick-up in Livingstone, it finally felt like a vacation.  The Zambezi Sun Hotel is absolutely fantastic, the facilities and staff are world-class, we wished we had a full day to spend there to more thoroughly enjoy the Falls in addition to spending a little R&R by the pool.  Heading across the border to Botswana, we weren't sure what to expect when arriving at Elephant Valley Lodge, but once we arrived and turned to corner from reception, we were blown away, instantly greeted by elephants around their watering hole while we enjoyed our first of many wonderful meals.  Shaun and the staff are very accomodating (our favorite is Charles) and it's hard to say we stayed in "tents" since we don't know of any tents here that have flushing toilets and hot water.  And lastly, I'm not sure where to begin with Cecil and everybody at Pom Pom Camp, the two days there may have been our favorite, a true gem.  We can only imagine all the other stories we'd hear if we were there for a few more days.  In addition to all the hospitality from the staff at the lodges, all the new friends we made and everything we saw made our week unlike any other we've ever experienced. 
 
Thank you Michelle!  Talk to you again soon.   
 
Katy, Ryan and Jonathan
 
P.S. Thanks for the heads-up with the cost of the transit visa back through Zambia.  There were many who were unprepared and had no idea about the fee, we were very glad we were ready. 

June 2007
i am really for the excellent service i received from island safari (claudia) and i keep her email adress for our next stay in africa.
also sandibe as well as xugana are both excellent with very helpful staff excellent guides which made us feel like at home (and my
mother speeks not a single word english). victoria falls hotel was also very good but due to poll problems it's quit empty
which made us a little bit sad. and a major problem is that you need a lot of usd in cash (shopping souvenirs) and you can't
buy usd.
the only thing which wasn't absolut perfect - the light plane flights (delays - changing airstrips (xugana had to organize our
transfer to another airfield - they were very helpful) and flying while some warning lights were burning first yellow then red.....)
 
it was a beautiful trip and we enjoyd it very much
thank you
daniel vögtli

June 2007
We had a wonderful time, everything worked out perfectly. We didn´t have any problems with transfers, all of them were very kind.
 
The hotel and lodges were great: service very good everywhere, guides excellent, people very nice,...
 
In our next trype to Africa we will contact again with you.
 
Thanks for everything,
Maria España

June 2007
I had my first contact with you a few weeks ago, and you passed me on to Elize Caville-Taylor, who designed our holiday to Namibia and Botswana. Now, that we have come to an end to all the planning, suggestions, revisions, changes etc, and we will start our holiday on the 03.07., I write this note just to let you know what an exceptional person Elize is! She has been patient and so helpful, always keeping our wishes in the foreground, and never tiring to answer questions. I even called her many times on the phone, because it was so much easier at times to understand, but she was always extremely friendly, efficient and professional. I was very lucky to have had her, who also instilled a lot of trust in your company. So my very profound thanks to Elize and your company, and all I need to look forward to now is our holiday.  
Thanks again.  
Kindest regards,  
Uschi Pace

June 2007
We are back home again safe and sound after our fabulous trip to Africa.  Thank you for all the itinerary arrangements you made.  It was all quite thorough and at every venue the people were just wonderful to us.  Celia van Wyk at the Thatchfoord Lodge was so nice that Ann wanted to pack her up and take her along with us on the rest of the trip.  The Oxenham's at the Inchingo Lodge and Camp were just wonderful folks as were Jeff and Vera and JJ at Muchenje.  Dorothy and Emanuel at Songwe were fabulous too. 
 
Naturally, I especially enjoyed the Ichobezi houseboat and the Ichingo Lodge and Camp.  I caught lots of tiger fish which was my quest.  I'd guess about 150 fish over 4 days of fishing. 
You should see the photos of the dentures on the larger ones.  Wow!!  Then there were the crocs - some of those bad boys were really big!!  Big as the boat from which we were fishing.
 
The wildlife photos I have from the Ichobezi and the Muchenje Camp are just fabulous.  We saw 4 of the big 5.  Somehow we missed seeing a lion, but the photos of the leopard and the rhinos are absolutely to be envied.  Emanuel took us to see the white rhinos at the Mosi-oa-Tunya park near Livingstone.  We got some fabulous up close photos.
 
At Muchenje we met the Keith and Karyen (sp?) Hughes family from Sydney, Australia, which your Island-Safari teammate Patricia booked.  (I think their last name is Hughes but I'm not absolutely sure.)  What 3 wonderful kids.  Their 7 year old, Kira, is just about as cute and fun as a little girl can be.  Brings back memories of my daughters when they were little.  Mitchell and Jamie, the older ones, are smart as can be.  Really nice folks.  They were having a great time and sang Patricia's praises for how well their itinerary was planned.
 
Unfortunately our bags enjoyed the trip so much they decided to stay in South Africa a little longer probably because of the delayed CE205 flight out of Livingstone.  I just hope that they will not decide to take up permanent residency South Africa and that we will meet them again soon.  That was the only hitch in the entire trip.  Everything else went off klick, klick smooth. 
 
It was a really great trip thanks to your work and for all the arrangements you made for us. 

Simply put -  Good Job!!  Thanks!! 
John Barber
Parker, TX

June 2007

The service you received from Island-Safari.com staff during the booking process and during your tour. excellent - patricia was very helpful and always came back quickly with answers on all our questions.  we even received an e-mail from her to update us about the conditions in delta (new flood waters arrived)

The transfers you had.      no problems

Your stay at Oddballs Camp      excellent - i will recommend this to anyone.  there was absolutely nothing we would have changed or done differently

    Colette Kitson

June 2007

Hi.
It is my pleasure to do the feedback. I have to say that everything was perfect. We are very very very happy with our travel and the Island Safari Service.

For your questions:

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

EXCELLENT (Elize is very helpful and efficient)

The transfers you had.

VERY GOOD

Your stay at Delta Camp

EXCELLENT (Wonderful experience)

Your stay at Deception Valley Lodge

EXCELLENT (amazing people)

Your stay at Muchenje Safari Lodge

GOOD (This was the lodge we liked it less compared to the others)

Best regards,
Guiomar Lopez Garcia.

 

June 2007

Service received from Island-safari.com

Excellent and well organized tour with a good mix between one and two nights stop over.

Elize has provided us with an excellent service. She was very friendly, competent, helpful and prompt in giving us the required feedback. 

The transfer in Windhoek

The transfer was excellent. Louise was friendly, took her time to brief and assist us and has given us a comprehensive documentation. 

Stay at A Little Sossus Lodge  

The accommodation is simple but the simplicity creates a lovely ambiance. The hosts and staff are friendly and very helpful. Our guided tour to the Sossusvlei was a great experience. The highlights were the candlelight dinners with good food and friendly service. We can recommend A little Sossus Lodge.

Stay at Cape Cross Lodge

We were given a friendly welcome and felt at home immediately. We appreciated the attentive service including a car wash without asking for. This lodge has a high standard is has a stunning position on the waterfront and is ideal for a one night stay over.

Stay at Palmwag Lodge

This is a place with two faces. The restaurant, bar and pool facilities are very good and so are the activities the lodge offers. We had an excellent guide giving not up until he could show us desert elephants. Also the position offers great potential with game viewing right outside the gate. On the other hand the accommodation is poor.

The shower room in no 6 needs a complete revamp. We had to ask for instructions on how to open the cold water tap in the shower. This instruction was promised but only given the next morning after we insisted again. So we could not have a shower after arrival. We compare the state of this facility with the old one in the Etosha rest camps. We cannot recommend this lodge to our friends.

The stay at Okaukeujo and Namutoni

There is not much to be said. The ongoing activities are proof that the local tourism authority knows what has to be done. The new infrastructure looks very promising and we are looking forward to go back to Etosha.

We are excited about the game we saw. We really were very spoiled. 

The stay at Waterberg

What an excellent place with luxury accommodation Waterberg is. Also the restaurant offers good food and friendly service. We also enjoyed the sun downer at the pool bar. Waterberg must be a paradise for hiker. We have to remember that when we visit that place again and stay a bit longer.

The stay at the Hilltop House  

The house is very spaciously laid out. The hosts were friendly and helpful and we enjoyed the breakfast served in our room.

General experience

It was good to upgrade the car we rented from a group C to a Nissan X-Trail. With the high ground clearance, the strong tyres we felt safe and comfortable and we could travel faster. On route and at the lodges we saw seldom tourists with group C cars. We can only recommend to renting this type of car when touring Namibia.

The surplus on safety and comfort values the difference in price. We always except once paid with our SA FNB petrol card.

We really enjoyed the tour and were excited about the country and the people. We shall go again including the northern part of Namibia.

We would like to thank Elize again for the excellent service and help she has provided for us.
Rosemarie and Joe Diener  

 

June 2007
Hi,  
We were extremely pleased with all aspects of our trip.  transfers were timely,  the food was great, we couldn't be more pleased.  The only glitch was no electricity and little water at the Victoria Falls Hotel for 24 of our 48 hr  stay.  This was mitigated by the fact the management agreed to not charge us for a delightful dinner.  Thanks,  I  hope I have friends who want to make a similar trip so that I can refer them to you to assure their upmost enjoyement of a trip to Africa.  
Sincerely,
Steve & Pattie Spainhower

June 2007
The service you received from Island-Safari.com staff during the booking process and during your tour. The transfers you had. Your stay at Chobe Game Lodge:
Excellent on all three counts.  The transfers worked perfectly, and the drivers were very helpful.  Chobe was terrific, particularly our guide, Moses.  Four star rating.

Rich Feeley

May 2007
the service I have received was very good. I got the fastest reply among all other (german) travel agencies. The professionalism, patience and knowledge of Claudia is superb. She even talks German.

The tour itself:

The pickup service was always there and it meant a great luxury for us. We always felt secure and there was not a single doubt in the further proceedings of the travel.

The Tongabezi lodge was superb. Big luxury, cosy atmosphere (Bird house), cooking and friendlyness of staff was great. It is for honeymooners the best to start with. Good activities (games by car), Victoria Falls, canooing and so on were incredible.

The Xugana lodge was also very good. Same applies as mentioned above. The guides were very professional. It was a walking safari and one should know that this is a totally different experience. One could see less or animals in big distance, but this was for us not the case. We saw almost everything.

With the Jack's Camp we had the highlight of the tour. It is top of the pops. Great atmosphere, Out of Africa feeling, professionalism of the guides, everything was wonderful and very romantic. This camp is for sure a MUST.

So in short, the best trip I ever did in my entire life, thanks to Safari-Islands. Although it is expensive, it is worth it! To the others: Do not be frightened to wire the amount for the payments. Everything is secure!!!

regards
M.v.Heyden-Linden

May 2007
Only two days ago we returned from our four weeks lasting tour through Southern Africa. Our visit to little Kwara was defenitely one of the absolute highlights of our trip. Accomodation, food, beverages activities and especially the people were perfect. We had a wonderful time. Also about the booking and the organisation we have no complains. We will recommend "Island - Safari" also to our friends.

By,By and best regards
Jürgen Mendheim

May 2007
Service, travel arrangements and accommodation was fine.
 
Thanks
Leon Selzer

May 2007
Sorry for not emailing you sooner but I have been very busy with work and homelife.
 
We had a fantastic time on our honeymoon. 
 
The service received from Island.Safari was excellent (Mandy was the person dealing with my tour) and the staff during the tour were very helpful also. 
 
The transfers were very good and ran smoothly so no problems there.
 
Our stay at Pom Pom camp was excellent, the people, the food (which was delicious), our tent, the game drives etc were all of excellent quality.  We would definitely go back to Pom Pom.
 
Our stay at Xakanaxa camp was very good also, the camp, our tent, the game drives etc were excellent.  The food was not as nice as in Pom Pom camp.
 
Our stay at the Kingdom hotel was excellent, the hotel was lovely, we wish would could have spent more time there.  Our guide "Umbecky" (not sure if I've spelt his name correctly) was wonderful, he was a very nice man and stayed with us during our trip to Victoria Falls, we would highly recommend him as a guide and wish we could have tipped him more money (as we had no more currency left).  We would return to Victoria Falls (Kingdom Hotel).
 
Overall we had an excellent time on our honeymoon and would definitely go back to the places we visited in Botswana and Victoria Falls.
 
Kind regards
Farhana Akhtar

May 2007
I am sorry it has taken long time and I hope you have not given up waiting for the pictures to come up. I have worked with sorting, grading and putting keywords to the pictures, and on the same time learn how to do all of in computers in a professional way.
The first pictures up are from the night drive at Pom Pom.
Now in the beginning there are some text in Latin and Swedish. Hopefully I will be able to get rid of the Latin and make the Swedish text to English. It is all made by the application.
Please, forward the web address to others as might be interested to look at the pictures. http://web.mac.com/truls_cronberg/
Cheers,
Truls Cronberg

May 2007
The service you received from Island-Safari.com staff during the booking process and during your tour.  - Elise was marvelous and indeed came to our rescue when we realized that our arrival to Johannesburg on British Airways did not leave enough time to get through customs etc and reach our flight to Maun. So she re booked everything for 24 hours later. Thank you Elise.

The transfers you had.  - Every transfer was done with great efficiency. The Delta Air pilot was a delight to meet and he steered that little plane around all the thunderhead clouds so that our experience was a smooth one.

Your stay at Xakanaxa Camp - The food was great, the staff very attentive. The game drives were well done and we saw a lot.

Your stay at Kwara Camp - We enjoyed all aspects of this camp too.

Your stay at Zambezi Sun Resort Hotel - After 7 days in the wilderness we had some trouble adjusting to a luxury hotel. However, the hotel was comfortable and the staff friendly. The taxi driver that the hotel found to take us around Livingstone was a great guy.

       So - thank you again. We will recommend your service to all our friends in Colorado.
       Tom and Marcia McCalden

 

May 2007
The service I received from 'Michelle'was excellent!
She sent me about a million emails of information about where I was going, what to expect, activities, etc.

My stay was at the Stanley and Livingstone hotel. It was a beautiful and very welcoming hotel. The staff and everybody involved were very friendly and
professional. The room was absolutely stunning and had a wonderful touch of class. I loved the bathroom! I would definately visit the hotel again.

The transfers to and from the airport were done promptly and efficiently. The ride was very comfortable too. The staff here were also very welcoming and friendly.

On a scale of 1-10, your service was 12!

Thanks
Ronnelle Smith

May 2007
everything was perfect, we enjoyed our stay very much and the organisation  fonctionned very good, nice people, and good planning !
Thank you for everything, and hope to come back again
Best regards
Marika and Armand Cottin

May 2007
The service we received with Mandy was fantastic. It was great communication with her.
 
The transfers we perfect. Our pick up was ready and the gal waiting at Jo Burg was there as well and very sweet and informative about our return.
The flights were on time. Duncan, was waiting for us in Maun and all his flights were perfect!
 
Our stay at Chief's was wonderful. I see now why it is rated #1 in Conde Nast. Great food and service. Anthony our guide was the best ever.  And the wildlife....We will go back!!!!
 
Chobe Chilwero after Chief's was a let down. The staff wasn't really that great and the rides were uneventful. The cruises were neat seeing all the wildlife about. We will not return to this property in the future.
 
The Royal Livingston was the best ever. 10+++++ One of the most beautiful properties we have be to in the world. Everything was superb. The Falls were at full force and we even managed to be there on a full Moon. What luck. It's the best ever to see from an aerial. I took the Heli ride. It really let's you appreciate the magnitude of the Falls. We defiantly will go again. I would love to spend some time pool-side with the Zebras!
 
All in all, I will highly recommend Island Safari in the future to my friends and will next year plan another trip to wonderful Africa!!!!!! I am already looking forward to it.
 
Cheers,
Stephanie Barden - Newport Beach, California  USA

May 2007
Martin and I are finally settling back in at home in the UK and we wanted to extend our thanks to yourself for organising such an amazing honeymoon for us.

Our wedding day was absolutely wonderful.  The sun shone, all our friends and family were relaxed and happy and everything went to plan.  And so the celebrations continued once we finally made it to Victoria Falls Hotel.  We were both so tired once we got there and the three nights being pampered with wonderful service from all the hotel staff was just fantastic.  There was a lovely attention to detail and the bottle of champagne on arrival went
down very well.  It was just what we needed and enabled us to wake refreshed for the safari on Thursday morning.

And I'm almost lost for words as far as that is concerned.  Scott and his crew were just out of this world really.  Scott was so professional, a wealth of knowledge and very easy to get along with and Chris and his team looked after us so well. The food was just incredible - and all of it cooked over the camp fire.

Amazing!  Thank you, thank you, thank you.  We would not have found Letaka Safari's if it wasn't for you.  We just can't thank you enough.

All the best for the rest of 2007
Best Wishes
Martin and Katie Watts

May 2007
What a fabulous trip we had! I really take my hat off to you and your Company for the very best time. Everything was taken care of to the tee. Traveling with my girlfriend we felt safe and taken care of the whole way. It was perfect!   I discussed with my husband and our daughter that we should go again. We decided to go again next year. When I firm up the time table we will be in touch to go with you. I will let you know. Chief's and The Livingston were wonderful. I think next time we will omit Chobe. We really liked the cruises but the game drives were really disappointing. After all the game we saw at Chief's it was rather anti climatic.   Thank you again for all your attention. I will recommend you to all our friends.
Cheers,
Stephanie Barden

May 2007
First of all, many congratulations to Elize and everyone else at Island Safari for doing all the organisational "bits" on what was a simply marvellous holiday!!  I had closen where and when I wanted to go, and Elize organized it into a seamless and totally trouble-free trip, so all 4 of us were singing your praises round Botswana and Zambia!!  All my emails and queries were answered immediately and several very helpful suggestions were made.  You might be interested to know that the reason I asked Elize to do all our bookings was that, when I made my original enquiries about Oddballs and the Buffalo Trail to several different tour operators, Elize was the only one who got back to me with all the information I had requested plus the offer to book any internal flights/transfers that might be required, so I decided to was a good idea to let her manage all the bookings rather than do it "piece-meal" myself!
1.  Transfers.  All worked perfectly and we were so pleased not to have to hastle with taxis at airports etc..  Very pleasant, helpful people doing the transfers.

2.  Airport Grand Hotel.  Not the highlight of the trip!!  However it was my choice as I wanted to be right by the airport (but I didn't realise we were virtually on the runway!!!) but it was clean with comfortable beds (and a swimming pool with excellent views of the undercarriage of the landing planes!).  The reception desk were helpful and arranged a taxis to take/collect us from a nice local restaurant so no complaints there!

3.  Island Safari Lodge.  I can't praise Shane (manageress) enough.  One of the group had a camera problem and she went to extreme lengths to help sort it out (and then bought us all ice creams because we had to wait in her transport while she helped in the camera shop!). She let us buy water from her stock (at cost) as the shops were shut on the Sunday when we left on the Buffalo Trail.  In fact, she helped us in any and every way she could.  It was a perfect base in Maun with a lovely swimming pool and comfy rooms.

4.  Oddballs.  The greatest fun!  We loved our time in the Delta  -  our polers/guides couldn't have been better and we had a marvellous time.  The only comment I would make was that we understood there would be a bush loo and shower when we did our island camping and, in fact, we had a spade and buckets of water to strip-wash in!  We really didn't mind (and it caused many laughs) but some people might object to 3 days of being very dirty!!  Oddballs Camp is well run and the whole thing is a great experience and one that we would happily repeat!!

5.  Buffalo Trail Safari.  Very well run trip and we saw so much.  Our guide/driver was Betta and he was very impressive  -  he managed to drive and spot simultaneously  -  the food was excellent, very varied, and well presented and the whole trip was hugely enjoyable.  The vehicle was superb as far as viewing/photographs were concerned, the tents were fine and the camping spots good.  In all, excellent value and most enjoyable.

6. Chundukwa Tree Lodge.  A perfect choice for the last couple of days to really relax.  Charmain (manageress) was excellent and couldn't do enough to make our (all too short) time there enjoyable and comfortable.  It's a lovely spot and we had the sunset cruise (as advertised) and also a lunch picnic (by boat) further up the river one day  -  tables, chairs etc. all beautifully laid out under a tree for a delicious lunch  -  unexpected and a lovely touch.  The rooms are extremely comfortable and the open views of the river quite lovely  -  Charmain even managed to arrange elephant in the grounds as we were having breakfast the last morning!!
As you can gather from the above it was a memorable trip  -  we are all very keen on Africa/safaris so I can assure you I will be in touch with Island Safari again when it's time to book the next one!!
Please pass on many, many thanks (and congratulation) to Elize for a job really well done!
Regards.
Judy Rylands

May 2007
My honeymoon was a dream come true. I could not have asked for a better tour operator. Verona was excellent and attended to every detail. The transfers to and from the hotel was of the highest quality. The cars were clean and well looked after and also looked to be roadworthy. The drivers were very good and I felt safe at all times. They were not speeding at all and adhered to all the road rules. The hotel was 5* all the way and would recommend it to anyone. We are already talking about returning next year. Please convey my thanks to Verona. I will still send her a personal e-mail. Looking forward to next year
Sincerely Jaco
Jacobus Marais

May 2007
we all extremely enjoyed our trip and loved all places we went. It was a wonderful trip and everything went very smooth. We want to thank you and will contact you again next we decide to go to Africa:)
Kind regards,
Vadim Yetsenko

May 2007
We made it back and can hardly believe that it is all over. I thought that you might like a bit of feed back on the trip.
-Wild Horizons were excellent. Always on time and courteous with clean buses.
-the Royal Livingstone accommodation is first class. The dinner was very average in quality on the first night and better on the second, the prices, however, are high for what you get.Breakfast is very good. Overall we were happy with the hotel. The helicopter is a must, particularly as we had not realized that you really cannot see much of the falls from the ground. We thoroughly enjoyed the sundowner cruise which is also great value for money.
-Muchenje is terrific. Everyone from the managers through the guides and staff were very friendly and very competent. We had some wonderful and memorable dinners with the other visitors and Vera and Jeff and our guides.The wildlife was great--many elephants of course! I would recommend Muchenje to anyone heading in that direction.
The transit fees have gone up to $100 for Americans wanting to make it from the border to Livingstone airport. Brits pay $65 and then there is a whole list of different prices for other nationalities. 
We changed our departure time from Muchenji as it took three hours to get from there to the airport and that was without any lines at either side of the border and with all of out international connections we did not want any chance of missing the flight.The previous day somebody was held up at the border and nearly missed their flight.
 We stayed at other places in South Africa
1. la Petite Ferme in Franschhoek is very very good . Fantastic views, great food and accommodation.
2. Klippe Rivier at Swellendam. The accommodation is first class but the dinner was very poor so we ate in town the second night.
3.Hunters Country Hotel at Plettenburg Bay ( or near anyway) is excellent from all points of view.
4.Grand Hotel and Conference Center at Jo'buug airport is awful. We were there for just one night in transit thank goodness. Accommodation and food are equally bad.
 
Thats about it. Many thanks for all of your help and guidance and be sure that we will try to find you if we ever plan another trip to Africa.Stay well and all success for the future.
Best regards
Roy Cage

May 2007
We are at home still remembering the beautiful holidays we had in Namibia with the co-organization of your company.

We never have seen such a well organized and well presented itinerary as the one that our guide give to us in Windhoek. It is exhaustive, easy to read, with lots of information and is very friendly and attractive to the eye.

The itinerary itself was very well though because it balances very well the times to drive, the times to do the activities offered by the lodges and the times to rest and prepare ourselves to the following journeys.

Our guide, Tutu Makamhela, was an excellent companion. He has a profound knowledge of wild life, especially in birds. He has excellent and fluent English. He has a very good nature, friendly, enjoying to be helpful and always in a good mood.

He is a true professional and friend.

Best regards
Eduarda Resendes and Jorge Avila 

May 2007
My feedback is as follows:

The service you received from Island-Safari.com staff during the booking process and during your tour.....Mandy was exceptional in being creative in her ideas, incredibly efficient and helpful.

*        The transfers you had.......All worked fine with a delightful lady greeting us in Joburg and good transfers in Pemba.
*        Your stay at Mondior Concorde Hotel.....perfectly good and functional
*        Your stay at Matemo Island Resort.....Fantastic island with only a small comment that waiting for lunch was excessive and probably should be more watersports as suggested by the website.  - Only one hobiecat and that was broken most of time.
Overall, a fantastic recommendation of Mandy's.

Mandy
Many thanks indeed for your arrangements and please note the new email address.
Best wishes
David Graham

 

May 2007
Sorry for the delay in replying but we have been traveling again since returning to Australia and just haven’t had time to answer you.
 
Our short stay (three days) in Victoria Falls went off exactly as planned and as you might know was designed to allow us to wind down after a very strenuous 4WD expedition during the preceding two weeks.  The service from Island-Safari.com was expert, friendly and efficient for which we thank you.  The transfers went exactly as planned and we thoroughly enjoyed the stay at the Victoria Falls Hotel despite two power failures on two of our three nights there (don’t they have capable generators?).
 
Thanks again for your service
Regards from Brian & Chris Willey

May 2007

           You actually pre-empted my e-mail-I was going to write to you anyway to thankyou for organizing such a WONDERFUL holiday for us. In detail:

   1). I was very impressed with your prompt reply after I first contacted you regarding my requirements-it showed to me your interest in “doing business”.

   2) Your subsequent briefings were very comprehensive & detailed such that I really didn’t need to know anything other than what you told me.

   3) Our first encounter with your staff was with a very efficient young lady who met us at JNB airport on Mon. morning(bang on time)& escorted us to check in with Air Botswana-all very easy & hassle free. She also had some good gen for us.

    4) Transfers went like a “well oiled Swiss watch”-no probs. Or nasty surprises there!

    5) Chobe.
Although we were a little disappointed with the large size of Chobe Safari Lodge( perhaps we should have investigated a bit more ) I am glad we stayed there as the game viewing,especially from the water was superb. We appreciated your organizing our own”private” boat& game drives after my wife spoke to you-it made a world of difference!

The accommodation was excellent but the mealtimes could be a bit of a bunfight due to the large numbers, however, I mist addd a VERY big thankyou for organizing the champagne breakfast & subsequent B’day cake for my wife, it was much enjoyed & appreciated by all.

 6) POM POM
Well what can I say? An absolute gem of a camp,well run by Nigel & Stephanie,very friendly& efficient local staff-my girls got on particularly well with our “rangers”.
The meals & indeed ,mealtimes were superb-rather like being invited to one’s “rich friends” for a few days-we could easily have stayed much longer(& no doubt will sometime!)

All in all a very satisfying & superbly organized holiday& I have no trouble in recommending youselves to any prospective clients-indeed you are welcome to use this e-mail(or any part of it) to show any prospective customers.Also, I would be more than happy to chat to them via e-mail about any part of our trip.

Once again,thankyou for a really enjoyable &hassle free holiday,

Kind Regards
Stu & Gina Davies & Family.XXXXXXXX

 

May 2007
All the trip was great  and the staff fantastic. Michelle, during the process book, was very kind and answer our questions very quickly, the staff during the tour was very nice too.

The transfer very well punctuality but the aircraft was old.

Our stay at the 3 sites (Nxabega camp, Mowana safari lodge and Zambezi sun Resort ´Hotel ) was very well.
Yours sincerely
Magi Borrell

April 2007
I know we have been back for a few days but i have been working my way through mountains of washing and post!
Anyway, i wanted to let you know how well everything went with the arrangements- it was excellent! There wasnt a single hiccough with anything other than the flight to Mauritius being delayed [ 14 hours ] due to mechanical problems which was obviously nothing to do with you! Our favourite camp was chief's camp - excellent game viewing, great food, rooms and convivial atmosphere.Stanleys safari in Livingstone was very good too but the falls had so much water in them that it was hard to see - not helped by the fantastic thunderstorm.The girls went on the gorge swing - my heart was in my mouth as they fell 53ms in 3.5 seconds - but they loved it.Sandibe was good but the game viewing a little harder - but the safari guides were lots of fun and great birthday cake from the staff for cassie.
The villa in Mauritius was really lovely - the weather was variable with several rain showers and the free water sports were cancelled a couple of times because of the wind. I am not sure that we would go to Mauritius again - as it was very expensive - particularly after South Africa which is great value.
If you want to use any thing i have said for a quote on your website then please do - as we were really pleased with everything that you arranged for us and you are personally very easy to deal with.
We are thinking of Madagascar [followed hopefully by Bazaruto] for next year so if you arrange holidays there please do let me know.
Once again, thanks for everything,
Regards
Tracy Rist,

April 2007
It’s been a busy time since we got back, getting the children back to school and generally catching up on 2 weeks of post etc.  However I have at last found a few minutes to write to you to say what a fantastic holiday package you put together for us.
 
We have been so pleased with Island Safari (in fact I have just been telling a friend about you – she may want to do something similar in South Africa.  Do you deal with this type of hols there as well?)  At every step of the way it has been great.  You were really helpful in your suggestions and you sent us off to just the kind of places we wanted to visit …………. and steered us away from those we would have hated (like Sun hotel at Vic Falls and Chobe Lodge, both would have been far too big/international for what we wanted).
 
We enjoyed all 3 lodges (Stanley’s, Muchenje, Camp Moremi) , each in different ways and I think we all ranked them in a different order.  The staff were always so friendly and helpful and of course we saw some fantastic game.  The Metcourt Laurel was just the job for an overnight stay at Johannesburg (although we thought the Emperors Palace complex was truly ghastly!!!) and the Paradis was much as we had expected i.e. a big resort hotel – although something of a culture shock after the smallness and friendliness of the African lodges!
 
We were met at Johannesburg by your representative who was very efficient and informative, and all the transfers worked seamlessly with fantastic communication between the lodges and the transfers/pilots etc.
 
The only weak link, if you want full feedback, was the Mauritours rep who came to the hotel – he was pretty useless, a real ‘box ticker’ who wasn’t remotely interested in helping us with any advance check in for our return flight and strangely didn’t even seem to try to sell us any of the Mauritours excursions.  Don’t get me wrong, this is not a complaint, but he did stand out as not being in anything like the same class as all your other agents.
 
Thank you so much for all your help with this.  I hope that we may use you again one day.
Best wishes
Jane Roberts

April 2007
We returned last week from the trip you booked for us to Zambia and Botswana.  I want to thank you for the absolutely fantastic itinerary and services.  The trip was immensely enjoyable and completely relaxing.

Your choice of accomodations and locations was superb.  We had no problems whatsoever with logistics or connections. Everyone was fully briefed in advance of our arrangements.  I can't compliment you and your organization enough for the wonderful service.  We are already telling our friends! 

Thanks so much!
With best regards,
Susan J. Suponcic, Ph.D.

 

April 2007
We had a great time and everything went really well. Thank you very much for all the effort Island-Safari went to. We had excellent service from Michelle and she was easy to deal with and came up with some useful suggestions. Also very prompt which was reassuring.
 
All the transfers went well. The Metcourt Laurel was fine with the exception of levying a small charge for the children’s breakfast which I thought should have been included. The Zambezi Sun was spot on for the kids although the room could have been a little less cramped. Also liked the Chobe Safari Lodge which had the best room of the trip and Bakubung was very nice – glad to stay there than actually in Sun City.
 
Thank you very much and see you again some time in the future.
Cheers
Ian Brazier

April 2007
To answer your question, we had an excellent safari.  Thanks for helping us with the details.  We will likely return later this year and I will contact you to prepare an itinerary.  We were chased by elephants and saw many other animals up very close.  Food and accommodation at Mapula Lodge were excellent.  Could not believe the peacefulness of the place.
 
Thanks Again,
Sam Rasmussen

April 2007
Further to your email we are delighted to provide feedback on our recent holiday.  My husband Rob spoke with Alison a few days ago, but specifically our responses are below.

We were very pleased with Alison's service to us - at all times she kept in contact and answered our numerous questions. When we were in doubt about staying at Muchenje she put us in touch with the owners, who happened to be there celebrating 10 years whilst we were there.  Muchenje was a terrific experience- everyone was more than willing to bend over backwards and provide outstanding service to us.  As we were there for 6 days we were treated to special outings specially for us.  The range of activities was excellent and very personalised.

Cape Town was equally delightful and the Commodore hotel was excellent - good value and great location.

We would definitely consider booking through island safari again.

Best regards,
Kerrie & Rob Canning

April 2007
Sorry its taken a while to feedback to you but I've been frantically busy since getting home.

We had a wonderful time. Naturally, having enjoyed Benguerra so much, we were somewhat sceptical that Medjumbe would be as good especially as it is right up North and further away from "civilisation". I'm pleased to say we were wrong: Medjumbe is fantastic but more about it later. Starting from the beginning:

The SAA Airlink flight was very good. We had a delay in leaving due to air traffic congestion but the direct service was excellent, only 2 hours 45minutes.
Fortunately the plane was pretty empty and we had a row of seats each! I think it may get a bit cramped once the flight becomes more popular and the plane is full - because the seats are very close together – but it was fine for us. Pemba airport is OK - far better than Vilanculos - but still somewhat dilapidated and disorganised. I had got visas in London so that sped up the immigration process but they still ripped me
off - $3 per person on top of the visas already paid with no explanation and no receipt ( and on departure they did the same - you pay the departure tax for which you get stamps and a receipt but the guy on passports then asks for another $3 per person again with no explanation and no receipt). They insist on searching your luggage on arrival and departure – my dive knife caused some interest!

Pemba Beach Hotel is alright but I wouldn't want to stay there more than one night. In some respects, because it is also a Rani Hotel like Medjumbe, one gets a bit worried about what Medjumbe will be like.
The rooms are OK but a little in need of maintenance and the food is awful - I had the worst seafood platter of my life for dinner. There are lots of Mosquitos so, whilst there are none on Medjumbe meaning one doesn't need anti-malarials for the Island, I'd have said the chance of getting malaria in Pemba is significant. The transfers to and from the hotel were good and the staff involved in the transfers were very friendly.

The flight to Medjumbe was great, nice plane, good pilot and superb views. Then one arrives at Medjumbe and is met at the airstrip by the hotel manager and F&B manager in a golf cart to take you to the hotel - which is about 300 yards away! The airstrip is the whole length of the island. The hotel is super with open central bar and dining area looking out to sea.
The rooms are separate chalets set away from the main building. Each has its own deck with plunge pool, hammock, loungers, table and chairs. There is an
outside shower as well as the one in the bathroom. The rooms are nicely furnished and done out with excellent airconditioning, TV - which I never turned on! – mini bar and sliding door opening on to the beach and, at high tide, the sea is about 5 yards away. The chalets have great privacy so when on your deck or in your room no-one overlooks or sees you. Some of the guests complained that the matresses are very hard but we thought they were fine.

Laundry is done very efficiently every day and the place is very casual so, if you spend the day in swim suits, you need to take very little clothing. The food is good, well cooked and presented, but is dependent on what is available. Lots of fruit and vegetables, salads etc and whatever fish is being caught at the time. I thought the manager was trying to make the
menus too complicated with some dishes containing upwards of 5 different flavours which is unnecessary.
Because all the ingredients are so fresh, much plainer cooking would be preferable. The chef agrees with me!
Also, they should arrange barbeques because the setting is so fantastic that barbequed fresh fish, prawns, crayfish etc with fresh salads would be perfect.

The drink selection is comprehensive, beers good and inclusive wines fine albeit a bit limited in choice.
The staff are learning but all very friendly and they go out of their way to be helpful. There was an internet link to a laptop upstairs in the sitting area which was a mixed blessing - some of the children used it extensively but, I have to say, when I'm on a beautiful island like that the last thing I want to do is peer into a computer screen. That said, for young children there is nothing to do and, normally, Medjumbe will not accept children under 12 - they only did for one family while we were there because that family had booked at Indigo Bay but couldn't go due to the Cyclone damage. Personally I think children under about 14 or 15 should be discouraged. Unless they can dive or snorkel unsupervised there is very little for them to do. For older children and adults the fishing, diving and snorkelling is out of this world.

The coral is extensive and in pristine condition, fish life abundant and, as the fish are not yet used to people, they are not frightened and do not swim away when approached. We did 51 dives between the 3 of us over the 9 days we could dive. We discovered a new dive site which is to be named The Brereton Contours" which was nice. If not the best, this has to be amongst the very best diving available anywhere in the world. The range of dive sites, depths, reefs and sea life is extensive.

The management team were superb and we made some good friendships with them - we were very sorry to leave.
The weather was nice, being 11 degrees South of the Equator meant the sun was almost overhead at the time so it got quite hot - midday one day it was 42 degrees but mostly around 32 - 35 midday and cooler in the evenings. We only had rain at night and one one morning otherwise clear skies. The best times I'm told are April to September and certainly it was lovely when we were there.

The Activities Manager and General Manager put together a computer disk of photos and videos taken while we were diving, and of a turtle laying eggs on the beach one night, which they gave to me. That was a very generous touch and I now have 1.45 GB of photos/video of Medjumbe in addition to the 100 or so photos I took. Overall, I think Medjumbe is one of the nicest places I've been. The owner has some expansion plans which I think are unfortunate and may spoil it so I hope that sense prevails. It is a very special place and should be carefully looked after - I did say this to both the owner and the general manager.

I wasn't aware that we were the first guests at Medjumbe since it reopened after 3 months closure for refurbishment. It was quite nice to be in that position and, for example, we were the first to use the knew dive boat. Originally you had said that I
would have to move rooms but this did not turn out to be necessary in the end. My room was great and, I think, the best situated of all. (I think the owner
was originally scheduled to have my room but in the event was next door).

Anyway I will definitely go back as soon as I can. I'm giving you this feedback with mixed feelings because Medjumbe is so good I'm tempted to keep it a secret!

The flight back was fine but, being with LAM, you have to change planes in Maputo making the journey 4 hours 40 minutes instead of Airlink's 2 hours 45.

Heia Safari Ranch was ok and it was my choice not to go somewhere better. I wouldn't go there again. It's nowhere near the  league of Medjumbe, Benguerra, Makweti or Idube but we knew that beforehand. The service is poor, food adequate and the "game drive" brief and uninteresting. The rooms were fine for the amount of time we were there. I'm not complaining at all and it was adequate for our needs but just giving you my views in case you should consider it for other people.

Transfers to and from Heia were very efficient and everything worked smoothly and on time.

Overall, I think you did an absolutely excellent job arranging this holiday for us. Everything, from initial contact, researching options, information supplied, recommendations made, bookings and logistics was very good. It is very, very seldom one gets such good service. I have no hesitation in using Island-Safari.com in future and I'll certainly recommend you to others. If your boss or any of your customers or suppliers want feedback I'd be happy to provide it or for you to quote any of the comments I've made in this email.

Thank you very much for all your help. I very much hope to be contacting you again soon to arrange another holiday for me.

Best wishes,
Colin Brereton

 

April 2007
We were pleased with the service we received during our booking phase as well as the arrangements made on our behalf. All services were booked and delivered as promised. The hotels picked by your staff were very nice and met all our needs. I just exchanged an email with Michelle regarding our trip concerning a future trip we are planning to southern Africa next year.
Thanks.
Mr Srirama

April 2007
Hi,
 
Firstly, let me commend Alison for arranging, what turned out to be, an amazing travel experience for my brother, father and me. We cannot think of anything that could have been improved.
My only other comments are:
1)    I would rank Muchenje as least as high as Savuti, if not higher. Though the rooms were a bit smaller, the setting and African ambience was better. The variety in game drives was much better. The service and food was just as good. Chief’s camp was exceptional!!
2)    Just to let you know, when we got to the Zambian border, our visa fee was not $25.00 but $100.00. I am assuming that since we were not staying in Zambia and therefore not going to spend money there, that the transit visa is higher than if we got a visa to stay there.
I will definitely recommend your company to anyone who plans on going to Africa for any type of tour. 
Dr Jack Ringer  

April 2007
On behalf of Anne Rose, Alison MacKay, Norma Scrimgeour and myself, I would like to extend our congratulations to Island-Safari and Mandy in particular, for putting together the truly memorable experience we enjoyed in Zambia and Botswana.  Right from our arrival in Johannesburg to our departure in Maun everything ran so smoothly and the camps and lodge we stayed in went beyond our expectations.  The wild life was spectacular and we were really bowled over by the Vic Falls.  From my personal point of view - and I think the others also - the highlight of the trip was viewing 2 leopards with a kill, the memory of which will stay with me for as long as I live.  

Thank you so much once again.

Kind regards  

Helen Stuart

April 2007
The service we received from Carien was exceptional throughout our booking - any request we made to her was dealt with in an efficient and highly professional manner, even when our original Honeymoon destination in Mozambique had to be changed at the last minute due to a direct Cyclone hit. 
Our transfers from Johannesburg to The Palms in Zanzibar and back to Johannesburg all went smoothly - although it was a little stressful obtaining our visa's at Dar es Salaam airport (perhaps in hindsight we should have looked in to obtaining those in the UK before we travelled).
Our Honeymoon stay at The Palms was exceptional, the accommodation, food, service and facilities were all of a very high standard.
 
It is our intention to return to Africa again so if you have a mailing list that you send out with special promotions, suggestions etc.. please can you add my email address to it, as we would certainly look to use you again and we intend recommending you to our friends and family should they look to travel to Africa.
 
Many thanks, 
Gary Barnard.  

April 2007
I have been meaning to write for a few days, but coming back to work there was a mountain waiting for me.
 
In answer to your questions, I was extremely happy with the service I got with Island Safari.  I am usually a bit sceptical doing things online but Carien was simply marvellous.  She always had time for my questions and emailed me promptly.
The transfers to and from the airport were all in order as well.
Did not use the tour in Mauritius as we preferred to take the bus, much cheaper and also to show the children how others life.
 
We were slightly disappointed in the Le Victoria Hotel. 
Mainly the beach, lots of coral and stones around, pictures showed a vast expanse of sand.  Could however be due to cyclones and also just the change in tides.
The watersking was limited too, a long wait to have a ski, not enough boats perhaps.
 
Otherwise the rooms were clean and spacious and staff were always pleasant and helpful.
 
No complaints in the food department either.  Beautifully prepared and well displayed.
 
All in all we had a wonderful time, maybe it could have been 2 or 3 days longer.
 
We certainly will use Island Safari again, if and when the need arises to plan a holiday, hopefully sooner than later.
 
Thank you for your service and organising a great holiday. 
Regards
Arline Young

April 2007
With regard to the feedback you requested i can only say that we were extremely happy with the whole experience.
 
From my first email to Mandy the level of service I recieved from island-safari.com was first class. We were  met in J'burg as promised, all the transfers were excellent, the camps were all very efficient - all we had to do was be in the correct place when requested and they did all the work! Brilliant..
 
As for the camps themselves they could not do enough to ensure our stay was a wonderful experience.
 
Hopefully we will return to Botswana in the future and will definatly use island-safari to book our trip.
 
Thank you
Regards
Susan Pearmain

April 2007
HELLO, HELLO,
 
It would be difficult to sum up in a few words how WONDERFUL the tour Island-Safari arranged was.  Everything went as scheduled: 
 

Emailing back and forth to arrange the tours worked very well - even arranging getting the last email with all the transfers, at our lodge reception because the my email didn't work correctly.

EVERY transfer was perfect - on time, friendly, knowledgeable, enthusiastic, courteous drivers including all the border transfers.

We can't say enough about Kwara Camp - SUPERB - management, guests, guides, food, schedule, animals.   We even had a lionese stroll past camp, just as management had told us that the pride was nearby and that we should stay right where we were-in the lodge. They took care of us most wonderfully.  We would not only return, but, also send others.

The only slightly difficult time was meeting Natasha (?) in the Jo'berg airport - she had our original vouchers ( we did have the emailed copies).  Because it took some time to turn our rental phone in, we missed meeting her, but another tour operator had seen her and suggested that she would watch for her as well, and with some patience, we met up and all was well.  Thankfully we had the time to wait. She did give us good information and helped us find the storage place for our suitcases that we left at the airport for the week.
 
We also want to thank Elize for all of her help in organizing this part of our trip.  Thank you,  thank you.
 
Most sincerely, 
Richard Garfinkle and Karla Green

 

April 2007
Sorry for the delay in responding especially as we were anxious to let you know what a wonderful time we had.
 
1)        Service from Island-Safari:
The process of booking was very straightforward and Michelle was extremely helpful throughout. I would specifically mention the advice proffered by Michelle when planning the first part of our time in Kasane when she suggested that Elephant Valley Lodge would be a better choice for us than Chobe Safari Lodge and how right she was.

2)        Transfers:
These all worked well and we enjoyed the flights over Botswana in the small Cessna aircraft. It was fun.
The only fly in the ointment was the return from Pom Pom to Cape Town. As you know the direct flights Maun / Cape Town have stopped…what a pity because the journey back to Cape Town via Jo’burg was a bit nightmarish. Jo;burg was chaotic, baggage on the wrong carousels, long queues at the boarding gates (no where to sit) then gates switched at last moment leading to big rugby scrums. But be assured everything else was excellent.
3)        Elephant Valley Lodge:
This was the perfect start to our Botswana holiday. The location was superb. We received a warm welcome. The staff were brilliant. The accommodation was excellent. The first night the lodge was full and the dining experience was different to the two subsequent evenings. We enjoyed the river cruises which were great for those with an interest in birds (us) and the variety of animals coming to the river was terrific. I have elephant photos to last a life time. The highlight of our second cruise was the sighting of a leopard from the boat and we tracked him quietly for 50 minutes ….what a joy. The game drives were very good but in his enthusiasm our guide spent a long time getting us back to camp in the dark, arriving as supper was being served, which did not suit some of our party. It did not happen the second evening. We were very well cared for throughout our stay, we enjoyed the food and the big fruit drinks and on our last evening when only six guests were in camp we were served dinner in the hide overlooking the waterhole in the light of paraffin lamps. It was magical as the different groups of animals came for water. It was like a moving tapestry accompanied by the special sounds of the night. We also met the pet banded mongoose in reception which also houses a Mozambique Hooded Cobra but missed the capture of a Black Mamba and Puff Adder by Sean’s father. Never a dull moment. Our fellow guests were great company.
4)        Pom Pom Camp.
The flight from Kasane was great and the final approach as we entered the delta was truly memorable as the lagoons, streams and islands unfolded below us before our descent onto the landing strip at Pom Pom. This location was our version of paradise one which I hope can be sustained as it is so that my grandchildren might one day experience the thrill and joy felt by their grandparents here.
We loved the informality of the place a testimony to the qualities of both Stephanie and Nigel through having our meals with both them and the guides alongside the guests. Really lovely experience.
Our tents were great especially the shower after dark! The lodge building is fantastic, rustic but comfortable with this lovely outlook over the lagoon with its everchanging moods of light, colour and reflections.
We enjoyed the company of roosting bats in the highest parts of the roof thatch and the wet and unhappy swallow sheltering from the storm on the beam above the dining table.
The sounds of the lions and hippos outside the tent as we lay electrified in our beds. The guides were truly excellent, it was like having an extra set of perfect eyes. They were so in touch with nature and its mysteries. Incredible instinctive responses to what was happening or about to happen out there which made me feel clumsy and uninformed. Do they know they live in paradise protected from the developed world?
We have so many vivid memories of our stay but here are but a few. It’s the last morning, can we set off really early for a morning drive. Hardly out of camp when Nigel radios in that a male lion is approaching camp. Quick return to camp to follow Leo as he walks through camp between the tents. Sight of Italian guest emerging from tent only to return a hundred times faster. Further pursuit of Leo with instructions from Nigel to use his camera to capture Leo crossing the bridge at the other side of camp. He does cross the bridge…wow. Half an hour later we are gazing, open jawed, at a magnificent leopard draped along the branch of a tree…..double wow. Just before leaving to take our flight to Maun we called to a very large fig tree to observe not one, not two but three Pel’s Fishing Owls…..thrice wow.
 
 
In conclusion:  This was a truly memorable holiday for my wife and I a dream come true. We would like to thank Island-Safari for the skill and advice given in helping us realise this dream. The staff at Elephant Valley and Pom Pom all spoke very highly about Island-Safari so keep up the good work. Special thanks to Michelle for her help, guidance and patience.
 
Many thanks and we hope we might return one day,
John and Celia Durham.
 
 

April 2007

Well i'm back at work after Easter and Botswana seems a very long way away!
 
I just wanted to let you know that we had the most BRILLIANT / FANTASTIC / AMAZING three weeks, the only thing that could have improved our trip was if it had been longer!!!
 
Thank you and Island Safari's for organising our holiday so brilliantly, everyone knew where and when we were suppossed to be transferring camps and it was all done very proffessionally.
 
We are already planning a return visit, unfortunatley unless we win the lottery or rob a bank (a distinct possibility) it may not be for 18 months or so. 
 
All of the camps that we stayed in were ideal for us, small and very welcoming and friendly with wonderful food - we are both eating lettuce leaves only for the next few months!
 
However I really must say Kwara was exceptional, even though Blue tried to evict us every day of our stay! The whole team provided us with so many brilliant moments, both in camp and on the drives, that we will remember for the rest of our lives.  Special mention must be made of the camp choir who performed on our last evening - pure magic. Next time we will have to stay longer here - if they will have us!
 
Better get back to plotting a bank robbery (or doing my payroll year end - not as exciting but probably safer)
 
Thank you once again for all your help in arranging our trip - it was fantastic.
 
Regards
Sue Pearmain

April 2007

I wanted to drop a line to let you know that we had a fantastic time in South Africa and Zambia. All the arrangements were wonderful, thanks a lot for making our trip a memorable one. My wife and I are already talking about another trip to SA, how about that for an endorsement. Next time around we'd like to spend more time in Zambia/Botswana and Mozambique. We'd like to spend a total of 16-18 days. In terms of timing it'll have to be in June 08 timeframe, is that a good time?
 
 In future you can use me as a reference for any of your US clients, I'll be glad to talk to them.
-Anantha-

April 2007

We are extremely happy with the service we received. Dealing with Patricia to work out the details was a pleasure & her suggestions as to where to stay turned out to be exactly what we wanted. Everything went very smoothly. Drivers were always there to meet us on time & were very friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. The only one to give any concern was the drive back from the boat to Livingstone which was in an open range rover type of vehicle (ie as used in the parks) on the main roads at full speed. Luckily no mishaps.

Upon arrival at the Kasani airport for the flight to Lagoon camp no one at the airport knew anything about the flight. It was a bit worrying but the plane arrived & everything was fine.

Another concern was being asked for $55 US cash per person at the passport control upon reentering Zambia on our way to Livingstone airport. We had been told to keep $20 US for a transit visa. I don't know if the price had gone up or the official was trying to pull a fast one but we did not have the cash. We really thought he intended to make us spend the night in the vehicle until he apparently realized we truly did not have the money & let us go. We should not have let ourselves get so short of cash but we wanted to be generous with tips (& buying curios at the Mukuni village) & felt we only needed to keep $20 aside (& I thought that was needed at the airport). We were foolish not to have kept more in case of emergencies. It might be an idea to strongly suggest to your travellers to do so. We are so used to being able to get cash so readily anywhere that when you find yourself in a place where you cannot you feel very foolish & vulnerable.

All 4 places we stayed were wonderful and the staff were fantastic. Stanley's was quite luzurious. Very quiet & intimate. The open air rooms were fascinating and the setting beautiful. The camps were also lovely & very well run. The food everywhere was great. We had hoped to do some Tiger fishing at one of the locations but it did not seem to be readily available. Perhaps we needed to have requested this specifically before going?? Thatchfoord Lodge was a lovely place to end the holiday. It had recently changed hands & some renovations were underway but we were in no way inconvenienced. The new owner & new manager were both delightful & very helpful.

All in all we had a wonderful holiday. Many thanks for making everything run so smoothly.
Kind regards,

Irene & John Lowe

April 2007

I had the absolutely best time and everything was perfect!
 
I sent an email to Patricia on Sunday when I got back, thanking her for the fantastic job she did.  I told her I was travelling alone and that I didnt want to go out in the dark looking for a bathroom so she organised it to suit me perfectly.
 
Answers below your questions -
The service you received from Island-Safari.com staff during the booking process and during your tour. Excellent

The transfers you had. Everything well organised and on time. Didn't have to worry about anything, it was all done for me.

Your stay at Mondior Concorde Hotel Very luxurious

Your stay at Khwai River Lodge Wonderful, the managers and staff very friendly and welcoming.

Your stay at Muchenje Safari Lodge Ditto above

Your stay at Zambezi Sun Resort Hotel Very comfortable, the room was clean and I loved the colours (particularly the bathroom). Different to the lodges of course, but I was quite happy. Because it was a big hotel it was impersonal, but the service was good, everyone friendly and helpful.

Your stay at Balaika Hotel Well, not as luxurious as the rest of my stay, but very convenient having the plaza adjoining and a short walk to that huge Square. I went to the plaza and had a delicious Indian meal and didnt have to worry about walking out onto the street to get home, so that was excellent.

Lynne Neal

For Jan - March 2007 Client Comments please click HERE

 

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