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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

March 2008

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

1. Primi Royal Hotel, Camps Bay.

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

2. Olive Grove Guest House, Windhoek

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

3. The Stiltz, Swakopmund

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

4. Sossosvvlei Mountain Lodge

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

5. Wolwedans Dunes Lodge

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

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

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

Thanks again so much!
Terry & Deb Fields xx.

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

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

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

Thanks you again Michelle from all of us.
Joan Kelly

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

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

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

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

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

The Franschhoek Country House was the best experience we had.

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

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

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

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

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

thks and congratulations to you all.

b rgds
Alejandro Punta

 

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

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

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

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

Sincerely
Stine Johansen

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

March 2008
We would first of like to thank Louise for organising our accommodation. The hotels and guest houses were all excellent and well planed along our route.
The service we received from Island Safari was overall very good
Kelway Hotel was good just the right distance from Port Elizabeth Airport after 24 hrs travel.
Sandals Guesthouse excellent accommodation,very friendly.Good food and wine. Fantastic room.
Knysna a  nice tourist hotel in the centre of town but in the right place to visit everything in Knysna. Staying two nights here was an excellent decision on your part.
Two restaurants in Knysna were the best we have eaten at in South Africa.
Oceans Eleven Guesthouse was again excellent. Fabulous location, friendly good rooms.
Portswood Hotel very nice large hotel in exactly the right location for visiting Cape Town in two nights! No complaints at all very good room and again the staff were very helpful and friendly.
We had an excellent time, everything was right and all went to plan and we would like to thank you again for all your help in making it a memorable time for both of us.
 
Hilary & Chris Fletcher

February 2008
back from Southern Africa I wish to express my thanks for the perfect organisation of my trip to the Botswana camps. My correspondence with a very attentive Mrs. Claudia was agreable and purposeful, and her advice proved to be good. All flights were on time. As to the lodges I preferred Pom Pom for its hospitality and genuine effort of the guides. Camp Moremi, alltogether, was o.k., but rather negligent, compared to others I visited before - especially with regard to the game drives.
 
Sincerely yours
Wolf Compter   

February 2008
The booking and reservation service from Sakeena was first class.
Our transfers to and from the airport and various outings were excellent.
Our stay at the Victoria Falls Hotel was just as I expected - outstanding - one of the worlds best hotels - even with all the troubles in Zim. The staff were so helpful and friendly.
 
Only one problem that maybe should have been forseen.
I booked three de-luxe twin rooms with bridge/gorge view. Unfortunately upon arrival we were informed that there was only one room with twin beds available. As far as I could ascertain the rooms are in demand as doubles not twins hence the non- availability.
Due to the formation of our group, one married couple and four hetrosexual males, this was going to be a problem for us! After some discussion the four males were offered alternative twin rooms that only detracted slightly from our most enjoyable stay.
I guess such a romantic place is set up for newly weds and the Mr & Mrs Smiths, so no complaints from us just passing on knowledge to you.
 
Sakeena asked me to send proof that we got there, please see attached photo, that is me wearing shorts standing next to Gertrude Khosa, Customer Services Manager who looked after us so well.
 
An outstanding holiday, thank you for getting us there. Be assured next time I arrange a holiday in Africa Island Safari will be top of my list.
 
Regards,
David Mundy

February 2008
We were very pleased with the whole trip.
The transfers were painless.
Baines Camp
very good but due to the high level of rainfall game viewing was poor.
Chiefs Camp
Faultless
Chobe Chilwero
Lodge good, Chobe park disappointing but river safari was great.
Royal Livingstone
Great Hotel, like going back in time we would have liked to shave stayed longer in this hotel and think Victoria falls is a super holiday destination.
We would look to use your company for any future trips we have to Africa.
Regards 
 
Gary Widdowson

February 2008
My view of the service I received is excellent. I knew nothing about Africa before the trip, so had no ideas on where best to go, stay and so on. I must compliment Cara, who was very informative, helpful, and patient!I had an idea of the basic itinerary I wanted, and she delivered exactly what I was looking for. I must admit to a few pre-booking nerves, as I was not aware of the company behind the website, and there is always a fear of fraud, but was sufficiently reassured to proceed.
 
I was extremely pleased with the way in which Island Safari took all of the stress and worry out of the trip, by having someone meet us at each airport, by arranging all transfers, and everything worked very smoothly. The accommodation Cara selected was also excellent. Camps Bay Retreat was truly a retreat; the food was excellent, the hotel itself extremely pleasant, and the staff there catered for every request. I would certainly recommend to others, although our room was smaller than expected.
 
Elephant plains was probably the highlight of our trip. The lodge was excellent, the staff absolutely superb, and the game viewing everything we could have expected and a bit more. The food was great, and even when our leaving flight was cancelled, they arranged road transfers, made some food for us to take with us, and could not have been more helpful. Our ranger (Craig) was also terrific, and helped make the stay there memorable. The honeymoon house is stunning, and I have no negative things to say at all regarding our stay in the lodge.
 
Tongabezi was also very good indeed. Overall I found  the lodge to be very comfortable, and the service very good indeed. The food was also in the main very good (other than a bad meal on the first night, everything was of a good standard), and the activities we did in the few days there were perfect (Victoria Falls visit, Helicopter, Microlight, Livingstone Island, Elephant Safari). When they found out we were on Honeymoon, we were given the Livingstone Island lunch trip as complimentary, which was a lovely gesture. My only post trip piece of advice would be to make sure you have enough cash for the Visa's (Cara warned us, some were not so lucky!), and don;t bother taking travellers cheques. They are not that keen to accept them, and a credit card is far less hassle. Most expenses were charged to the room, and settled at the end - by far the easiest way.
 
Overall, I could not be more pleased with the way the trip turned out. The organisation and transfers were all conducted very smoothly, and I must thank and compliment Cara and the team for that. I would certainly use Island Safari again when I return to Africa.
 
Best regards
SteveYendell

February 2008
My experience dealing with Island-Safari was very good. From start to finish, Louise was very helpful in finding us the right fit regarding dates and price as well as any other travel tips. She was great!
Our stay at King Camp was by far the highlight of our trip. From the moment we arrived, the welcome by the staff and other lodgers was outstanding! The property was manicured beautifully. The rooms and personal touches were top of the line. The food options and service was fantastic and the safari guides and drives were more than we ever expected!
 
Thank you for all your help!
Jessica Pierce

February 2008
We had a wonderful trip.
 
Mandy was our contact at Island Safari and she was extremely helpful and efficient
 
All the transfers went smoothly – we would probably not select to go in a five seater again from Kasane to Oddballs but I think that had more to do with the fact that it was quite warm in the plane and it seemed that the air vents were not working well (if at all) – it made the 1hr 40 min flight quite long.  However the view was fantastic.  The trip from Oddballs Camp to Pom Pom Camp was again in the same five seater plane but only 10 mins and was a lot more acceptable.  >From Pom Pom Camp to Maun, we went in a 10 seater plane due to another couple and staff member leaving at the same time.  Again, the vents were not much use but the fact that the flight was only 20 mins it was OK.
 
A point which may be best to make a little clearer to clients is the soft sided bags – we thought we had done the right thing however it appears that our bags were not as soft as expected.  Our bags had wheels in the base and that made them a little bit sturdier than the pilot would have liked.  They fit into the luggage area but with a little bit of force needed to pack them in.  Also, we were not aware of the need for soft sided bags with a maximum limit of 12.5kg until we received the final itinerary after paying all the travel costs.  I think that for people to make an informed decision as to whether they can commit to that restriction, it would be better to have this information as part of the initial tour details.  We did our tour after traveling to Capetown (part of this time in Capetown was business) and had to make arrangements to have some of our luggage taken to Gaborone so that we met the 12.5kg limit. 
 
As it turns out we were upgraded at Livingstone from the Zambesi Sun to the Royal Livingstone, so as you can imagine we were really surprised when we got there.  We enjoyed seeing zebras stroll past our table on the first evening.  My husband and daughter tried the flying fox and the elephant ride and had an exhilarating time at both.  We all then had a helicopter ride over the falls as well as walking down to them.  It was a beautiful area.
 
Our transfer from Victoria Falls to Chobe was fine.  Just amazed at the number of trucks at the border waiting to cross the river into Botswana and vice-versa.  Chobe Safari Lodge was delightful and the safaris were great.  It was here that we started to see all those terrific animals (including the warthogs that ran across the lawn in front of our room).  We enjoyed the afternoon boat cruise and the morning and afternoon game safaris.  A suggestion – at Chobe the rooms on the top level have the thatched roofs and in the case of our son and fiancée, the room smelled very musty and the safari lodge was able to relocate them to a lower room – if anyone has health issues they may be better in a lower room.
 
Oddballs Camp – my husband and I really enjoyed the serenity of this camp.  The kids were a little less comfortable with the walk to the bathroom (in the middle of the night) and my daughter (because she was alone)said that the fact that she could hear the hippos feeding during the night so close to her tent made her a little uneasy.  We explained that this was the African experience we were trying to expose them to.  The food at Oddballs was great.  I am not sure that walking safaris are for me but I really enjoyed seeing the local village; a mokoro being made and eventually seeing elephants and giraffes on the first morning there.  Our guides were very knowledgeable and amiable.
 
Pom Pom Camp – everyone was pleased to see that our toilet was inside the tent (how spoilt do we sound).  We were back to driving safaris and the kids were very pleased.  Again we saw so many animals, including a leopard.  On our final morning at camp we went for a mokoro ride.  It was eventful.  As we paddled away from camp, we saw a hippo returning to the water after grazing.  The paddlers stopped and crouched at the back of the mokoros until it passed.  We proceeded with the ride and was looking at birds and frogs – two of the mokoros (one with my husband and I; the other with my son and fiancée) had started in one direction, when we heard a huge splash of water behind us.  My daughter’s mokoro was out of my sight.  As it turns out, a hippo breached the water just behind my daughter’s mokoro.  Her paddler started moving the mokoro to the reeded area very quickly and was talking with the other paddlers at the same time.  The other paddlers then started for the reeds as quickly as possible.  For a while, I was not aware of my daughter’s status.  I eventually heard her voice and was relieved that she and her paddler were still in their mokoro.  We on the other hand were stuck in the reeds and eventually assisted the paddler to get ourselves free of the reeds.  As you can imagine, this made for an interesting conversation over lunch.  It was only the second time that our daughter’s paddler had had that experience with a hippo and he said that the other time it was at Oddballs Camp (where we had come from).  My son’s comment was – “Great, we have been here for less than a week and we have encountered what everyone keeps telling us happens very irregularly – how lucky or unlucky are we” – he also sees it as his near death experience.  My daughter on the other hand, was the closest to the hippo and said she saw it dropping back into the water with its mouth open.  She’s not sure why her brother classes it as his near death experience.  She was very grateful that her paddler remained calm and that gave her confidence to do the same.
 
Then we were off to Gaborone via Maun.
 
I hope this was not too long winded but I wanted to express our enjoyment and experiences.
 
Thanks
Lynelle Crawford

February 2008
From the first day I contacted your office, I received an email from Nigel Garner indicating that Patricia would be in contact with me.  Impressively, Patricia responded in under 24 hours with initial ideas for our safari, plus providing more information on various other options the next working day.   Needless to say, I was very impressed with the service from Patricia, then when Patricia was on leave, from Melissa.  Nothing was too much trouble and solutions were found on several occasions when the ‘regular’ options were not suitable for a large group or due to the wet weather. 
 
The transfers with Mack Air were excellent.  The group were looked after very well with their excess luggage cared for safely by the airline in their secure offices in Maun. 
 
For our group of 24 people, Patricia suggested a mobile safari with Letaka Safaris, as no Safari lodge in this area could take such large numbers.  The mobile camp was a unique way for this group to experience Africa first hand, right in the thick of Africa’s bushland.  Camping in tents was quite unique to this group, and added to the adventure of the trip.  Your guides Scotty, Lisa, etc, provided wonderful organisation and entertainment.  They helped make the most of a short amount of time in the Delta (less than 24hrs) finding many wildlife to photograph and the odd escapade like the car becoming bogged with a full load of financiers!
 
In all, the response from individuals within the group was overwhelmingly positive and I see this as a credit to your company and its superb organisational skills.  We will certainly use Island-Safari.com for future client and company entertainment.
 
Thank you again to you both.
 
Regards
Emily Griffiths
Discovery Metals Limited

February 2008
Now that we are back from our holiday I just wanted to thank you so much for all your help and assistance in making sure our holiday was perfect.

All of the accommodations were fantastic and each of them had something special to offer.  We had a beautiful room in Port Elizabeth with a balcony on the decking overlooking the swimming pool it was superb.  The cottage at Knysna was great a huge area and a beautiful view overlooking the lagoon we could not have asked for more.  The view form out room in Hermanus was fantastic looking across the ocean and the whole accommodation was laid out so beautifully.  The Ambassador whilst a little bit away from the Waterfront at Cape Town was very comfortable and again we had a tremendous view from our room.  Fortunately the hotel had a free shuttle to the Waterfront which was very helpful indeed.

I know that you had a lot of problems with our internal flight but I am pleased to say that everything worked well on the day without any problems.

We so much enjoyed our holiday and thank you so much for all your hard work to ensure that our time in South Africa was perfect.  Whenever we come back to South Africa in the future we will not hesitate to use your services again.

Thanks once again for a very enjoyable and relaxed holiday.
All the very best
John Moore

February 2008
I was very happy with your service.
Regarding our stay in Mauritius, The Residence hotel was much better value for money compared to the Royal Palm.
 
Kind regards
Matilde Trisconi

February 2008
The service you received from Island-Safari.com staff during the booking process and during your tour. [The service we received from Louise was extremely good. She was very helpful, responding quickly to my many queries, and suggesting an itinerary which was exactly what we were after]
The transfers you had. [We had transfers to and from 10 Bompas on 2 occasions. The first was perfect, however on our second stay at 10 Bompas there was a mix up with our pick up from the airport, but this was very quickly resolved after a few phone calls. Unfortunately, given the time of the day (peak time), we did have to wait for around an hour and a half after arrival for the pick up. The transfers to and from Sun City were fine]
Your stay at The Ambassador Hotel [We really enjoyed the stay at the Ambassador. The staff were extremely friendly and very helpful, the breakfasts were very good, great selection and good quality, the location was great, and our 1 bedroom suite was perfect for what we wanted. The sunsets from our balcony were amazing.]
Your stay at The Royal Livingstone Hotel [An amazing hotel. Very beautiful, and excellent proximity to the falls. The Activities organised, the meals (esp breakfasts), the service etc etc was first class. Would definitely recommend]
Your stay at The Palace at the Lost City [The Palace was fantastic. We were pleasantly suprised at the size of the room. Although, the Palace is showing signs of wearing old a little. Again, concierge service was great. The facilities of the whole complex were fantastic too. The Hotel was very full with a lot of German tourist who were there for a work function, and on one of the evenings they were very loud in the lobby by our room until the early hours of the morning. I was surprised that the Hotel didn't put a stop to this. We didn't complain about it though, so perhaps if we had they would have done something. This was just a minor point though. Otherwise this was also great.]
Your stay at Indigo Bay Lodge [Indigo Bay was the highlight of our already amazing trip. Right from landing at the Resort to the minute we left, the service was fantastic. The resort is very nice and we were thrilled with our room. The staff went well out of their way for not only us, but all guests. The food was fantastic, in particular the buffet dinners. We did a number of activities and all were very well planned and executed and we had a fantastic time over all. We were also very lucky with the weather we had.]
Your stay at Hotel Ten Bompas [This was our second stay at 10 Bompas, and once again it was fantastic. The service was great. On our second stay, due to a later flight, they arranged for us to move into another room until our transfer time, which was a great help. Also, on both of the nights we stayed here (before and after the travel to Zambia, Sun City and Bazaruto Island) the laundry service was complimentary and we were able to get our clothing cleaned. It was all done very efficiently, and the clothes returned cleaner/whiter than ever, and ironed to perfection. This was a real bonus. Other than that, the rooms are very nice and spacious, as are the bathrooms and we were very pleased over all.]

Many thanks to Louise for organising this amazing trip for us. Everything was seamless and we didn't worry about a thing, knowing that all of our plans had been carefully planned, thought-out and executed. We will definitely be using Louise's services in the future and have already recommended her to many of our friends in the UK who are all planning to do trips to Africa in the next year or two.
Melody Fortuin

February 2007
now I’ m back in Germany and I spend a wonderful  time at Camp Jabulani. It was great to see so many animals, to ride elephants and to hear the lions roaring in the evening. The camp is really a very nice place for spending holidays and for relaxing. My room was elegant and very comfortable. The food is delicious, the
organisation of excursions and the service are perfect. The only problem was that the time was over much to fast!

The transfer from/to Hoedspruit Airport to the camp was okay, too. My very friendly and helpful ranger of Camp Jabulani was already waiting as I arrived and he brought me back after my holiday.

With the booking process I was absolutely satisfied. Cara answered very fast and pleasant to my e-mails. During the tour I didn ‘t contact Island-Safari.

I hope I could help you a little bit with my conclusion

My best wishes
Diana Koll

February 2008
I wanted to let you know that from the beginning to the end, Island Safari, specifically Louise, has been flawless!  Every question/need has been answered/catered to in a very timely fashion and Louise went beyond our expectations!  There were no complaints on our end!
 
Thank you,
Melissa Archer

February 2008
I just have to say how amazed we were at how smoothly the whole trip ran – it was absolutely incredible how everything was dealt with so efficiently by Carien it was almost too good to be true – such a competitive price (and we certainly shopped around!), complete smooth functioning of the entire trip, transfers worked perfectly, Le Cannonier was so awesome for our family holiday – the right hotel for our kind of trip, just the unbelievable efficiency and comfort given to us by Carien – it was incredible. Also we were hesitant booking such a huge trip via the internet with no face contact (30 of us in the end who booked through you after we started) but there was absolutely no hitch whatsoever. I have recommended you to anyone who even utters the word island holiday!! I wish your business the greatest success which I am sure will no doubt happen given your competitive prices and smooth holiday planning!!
 
Thank you thank you thank you for never letting me down with our great big family holiday! Thank you!
Alison Hind.

February 2008
I have arrived back in Canada now and will be happy to answer your questions.

Working with Island-Safari.com and especially Mandy was a delight. I had chosen your company from the internet because the responses from users had been so positive and I wasn't disappointed. I would send off an email in the evening and the answer from Mandy would be waiting for me when I woke up - I even received one on a Sunday, so I don't think she sleeps! There was only one tiny glitch that needed to be handled in Africa - someone forgot to hand us our airline tickets (of course we also forgot to ask!) and Mandy handled that very expeditiously. In the end, no one asked to see my ticket anyway!

The transfers worked just fine - we connected to everything perfectly and everyone was very friendly and helpful. The tour of Soweto in Johannesburg was very interesting - our guide was very knowledgeable and got us to the bus station with no problem. (Despite everyone's concern about us taking the bus from Joburg to Gabarone, it went very smoothly and my daughter said it was the fastest trip anyone she knew had managed!) All the internal flights worked like a charm and someone was always at the airports to help us with luggage and ticketing.

The Safari Club was a delight - a little oasis of calm and elegance so close to the airport. They have a fabulous library too, so I was able to read up on some of the places we would be visiting while waiting for the arrival of my friend.

Both Chobe Safari Lodge and Mapula Lodge were lovely and we visited them in the correct order. Chobe was very quite big and high end luxury and was our first intro to safaris so we found it very enjoyable. However when we got to Mapula Lodge we realized how much more fun their excursions were, with the ability to get off the roads and actually track animals, and also the flexibility to stay longer when necessary to find those lions! We were usually the only jeep we saw all day.Their accommodation was exquisite - both rustic and elegant with views out on the lagoon from our bedroom and bathroom. The staff were kind, friendly, knowledgable and fun. The one night we were the only guests there, the rest of the time there was only one other couple so we were definitely spoiled! Great food in both locations.

We did have lots of rain, but we chose to go in the rainy season, so can't complain about that. Everything was lush and green and their were lots of baby animals around. The mad dash home in a pelting thunderstorm one evening was exhilarating.
All in all it was a wonderful experience working with your company. I'd love to come back!
Mary Kirton

February 2008
We arrived back home yesterday morning.
The arrangements you made for us went like clockwork.
No horror stories to share with our friends, just praise for your organisation, and we have to tell you that all three accommodations exceeded our expectations.
The Botswan locations were outstanding.
We appreciate your help, and offer you our heartfelt thanks.
Best regards,
Jill and Frank Hart

February 2008
I had great service from Island Safari.  You always did everything as promised and there were no surprises.
The transfers were perfect.  The pilots were very cordial and friendly.
The Mapula Lodge was ok.  The staff there was very helpful and friendly.
 
Joe Laethem

February 2008
First I have to say that there has been not one change to the programme, we were always at the right hotels, the flights were on time etc. Absolutely perfect!
What I specially liked was the mix of your programme and each time we were arriving somewhere it was a surprise and a good one.
Chundukwa Tree Lodge was charming and we received a lot of information about the country, Elephant Valley Lodge had excellent game drives and boat cruises,  Selinda is located on a beautiful place but I must say it’s a bit too snob, this would be the only lodge I wouldn’t go back, Oddballs was an adventure and the walking safari a hit and than we thought nothing more could impress us, but as you probably know Planet Baobab is amazing. The night on the Salt Plans, we will all of us never forget.
I don’t know if my comment will help you a lot but I can’t find anything negative and if you have guests who complain, they must be very very spoiled!!!
Now to our next trip, we intend to go to Zambia in 2009 and if you have some suggestions I would love to read them.
Best regards
Monique Bolay

February 2008
The service you received from Island-Safari.com staff during the booking process and during your tour.
Perfect an very kind. I will recommend you to all my friends. Louise was really a wonderful person to work with, even during her holidays.
Your stay at Lily Pond Country House
Marvelous place, so romantic. They even helped us serving breakfast in our rooms on the terrace. Wanted to stay longer.
Your stay at Ocean Eleven Guesthouse
Very helpful staff. Beautiful accommodation. Wanted to stay longer.
Your stay at The Commodore Hotel
Location is good. The service was average from the reception, rest of hotel was good. They good better advertise the facilities in the hotel.
Hai Vo

January 2008
1. Service - I sent an email inquiry to the general mailbox on 18 December at 7:30 pm your time. I got an immediate response from Nigel who put me in touch with Michelle. Over the next three weeks Michelle did an outstanding job in putting together a last minute safari for me and also arranging all the other accommodations surrounding my business trips. I have never had better or more personalized service!! Feel free to quote me or if you want me to post something somewhere let me know.
 
2. Tansfers - Fine except for Maun airport to Audi which I believe was Delta Air's responsibility
 
3. Walmont Ambassador Hotel- Decent business class hotel. Food choices limited to the hotel but having driven around Gaborone I don't know what else would be available.
 
4. Audi Camp - Just as advertised, very charming, fun.
 
5. Delta Air - Nice folks. Getting to Audi took a while since the taxi didn't show up. I left a couple a bags in their storage room during my trip to Pom Pom and they had a break in but nothing was taken. The return flight from Pom Pom was 45 minutes late which meant I arrived in Maun with 20 minutes to make the connection. It worked out fine but I had wanted to do some shopping in Maun. These are all minor inconveniences and did not impact my trip.
 
6. Pom Pom Camp - Fantastic! Everything was perfect - Nigel/Stephanie, staff, guides (very knowledgeable), food, drink. I can't imagine why anyone would want to stay in a more expensive camp. Everyone back at home was amazed by my photos and video. Couldn't believe I did all that in 2.5 days.
 
7. Safari Club - Emile was very gracious picking me up at the airport and then driving a group of us out to dinner during a power outage. It is a very nice property and the main building is very nice with the open bar, internet and breakfast. As a business traveler the lack of food on site (aggravated by the lack of delivery due to the power outage) is somewhat frustrating. I was exhausted by the time I got there and just wanted to eat and crash in my room. It all worked out fine and I have no major complaints.
 
8. Tour - Nice tour with Andre, very knowledgeable.
 
I don't know what you could have done better! I hope we win this project so I can return and see more. Let me know how I can help spread the word about Island Safari!!
 
Best regards,
Jim Wheeler

January 2008
I have no complaints concerning the booking process and the transfers were timely and convenient.

The only complaint is that at Camp Moremi there just was not a lot to see on safari.  Muchenje had numerous elephants, giraffes, and lions.  Whereas Xugana was a unique experience in the Delta.  Moremi did not offer anything unique, except for the tent sleeping arrangements, not a lot of animals to see (we saw one old elephant several times) and we opted to skip the last
safari of the final day.  If I had to do it over again, I would have liked to visit another area besides Camp Moremi.
Tamara Shockley

January 2008
All the staff were excellent, as was Indigo Bay itself.  The only issues were the transfers – in retrospect, we should have allowed more time between the flight from Turkey landing and the outwardbound flight to Mozambique.  Not your fault.

On a separate note, I think I left a large package of flies (for fishing) in my room or on the boat when I left.  These were relatively large and expensive flies (typically 4 inches and longer) and brightly coloured.  I do not seem to have them at home and must have left them at Indigo Bay.  I am not sure if it is possible to find out whether they turned up.  I would happily pay any postage to have them sent to me if they are sitting in lost property at the resort.

With many thanks,
Richard Maitland.

January 2008
I had the most wonderful time in Botswana.  All the flight were perfect , on time and with good connections.  The Pilots on the light aircraft delightful and Air Botswana flights had very good service and were quite comfortable.  Loved the Biltong !!
 
Mapula Lodge was very special and all the people involved in the running of the lodge, the game drives, food and the hospitality faultless.  I feel like I left there having made some very special friends. Nothing was too much trouble and we had a lot of fun along the way.  I am not too sure how Deeks and Doc felt about my request to rise at 4am to start the morning drive so I could see a sunrise.  But this was all done in good spirit and we even had muffins baked at this early hour with our coffee. I did not add this to the comments in the book on site as they did not really want future guests to get a wind of this mad Australian/South African woman's whims.
 
We were very fortunate and saw a lot of nature and animals and birds and at times I felt like a grain of sand in the Sahara desert  being out there in mighty Africa. What a priveledge it was to enjoy those four nights there in that beautiful setting and in Paradise for sure.
 
Patricia was most helpful in all the booking procedures and I really felt I knew quite well by the time I departed for my trip. The advice I received was excellent and staying the 4 nights was a good recommendation.  I would love to go back one day.
 
I would certainly recommend Island Safaris to my friends and have already done so, and would use your facilities again.
 
So,  Thank you so much
Kind Regards
Penny McInnes

January 2008
My overall rating: excellent trip the best I ever had in Africa and i had several before!

The service you received from Island-Safari.com staff during the booking process and during your tour.To find a fitting timeperiod for travelling was a huge problem from our site due to work and availibility of international flights. Patricia had to reschedule our trip several times and did an excellent job.

The transfers you had.Transfers did work perfect. No delays and there was all the times someone to pick us up.

Your stay at De Waterkant ApartmentsWe liked the apartment very much. It was nice to have a small house and to be able to have dinner there. It was like coming home.

Your stay at Franschoek Country House Very nice location with a very good restaurant. We enjoyed it very much.

Your stay at Zambezi Sun Resort Hotel This hotel is like every huge one. But the location close to the falls is perfect. The rooms are good and the restaurants were very good.

Your stay a t Elephant Valley LodgeThe lodge was good but compared to the next ones not perfect. The Chobe park is a nice area but still very civilised.

Your stay at Deception Valley Lodge
Dception Valley Lodge was perfect. Accomodation and especially the service was perfect. We felt like visiting friends. We felt sad when we had to leave.

Your stay at Mapula Lodge
Mapula was as perfect as deception valley.

Your stay at Elephant Sanctuary First of all it was a shock for us coming from natural wild areas into civilisation. But the expierence to work with elephant to be able to touch and feed them was great.

Overall it was a perfect trip. Thanks to all of you and especially to Patricia. We will recommand Island Safari to our friends if they plan to go to southern Africa.

Regards
Robert and Trixi Froeber

January 2008
It was an absolute pleasure working with Michelle, she did all the work and I got all the credit!
 
Check-in at OR Tambo was smooth and effortless and the same goes for our return trip from Vic Falls.  The transfers from and to the airport was just as pleasurable and the drivers made an effort to keep us informed at all times. 
 
Our accommodation at both Vic Falls Safari Lodge and Chobe Safari Lodge was just brilliant and very comfortable.  The staff at both venues was just great, nothing was too much trouble considering that we were such a big group.  The food at both venues was awesome!
 
Thank you for making our trip so enjoyable.
Regards
Ella Aitken

January 2008
We had the most brilliant holiday and loved every minute of it.As is always the way ,it all went past far too quickly.
Thank you for all that you did.....it was handled most efficiently and the only thing I am sad about is that I never met you personally.
The transfers were all handled most professionally and efficiently.
We loved Le Canonnier hotel and found the staff to be extremely helpful and pleasant and it was ideal for a family holiday.Thank goodness we took the all in package as the drinks cost a fortune !!! The only part we couldnt rave about was the wine....not great but bearable.
Our room wasnt brilliant because it was probably one of the older rooms but we were happy to be near our kids.We enjoyed being able to walk out onto the grass and to have a beautiful view of the sea.
Next time we would never go via JHB but rather take the direct flight from Durban. it would be so much more convenient and we would not waste so much time.Also we wouldnt have our bags tampered with in JHB.
But many many thanks for everything Carien,
hope we will be in touch again,
Best regards,
Di York

January 2008
The service you received from Island-Safari.com staff during the booking process and during your tour.
We couldn’t have been happier with our whole planning process. Cara was patient, knowledgeable, and prompt with all of her responses and suggestions. We didn’t know it then, but even the order of our places was strategically laid out with each place showing us something new and preparing us for the next place. I would (and have!) highly recommend Island Safari to anyone organizing an African safari. 

The transfers you had.
Our transfers were perfect. We’re both mild control freaks so not knowing until the last second left us a little uneasy, but we saw that everything worked like clockwork and were able to relax. We had one small potential hiccup when we got to the Botswana border on our trip to Kasane. Our guide told us we weren’t on his car but we actually were. Thankfully we kept pressing him otherwise we might still be there under the rain! Other than that everything was perfect, everyone was very kind and welcoming.

Your stay at Sindabezi Island Lodge
Check in was a little confused as the hosts didn't ask us who we were and assumed we were another couple staying at the main lodge. After the meet and greet they were about to show us to our rooms when we reminded them that we were to go to Sindabezi. Then they had to call the boatsmen to come and get us. This happened a couple of times - so let's just say that they could perfect that flow of communication. That said, the trip to Sindabezi left us speechless. As it was our first impact we didn't realize that we would be driving at 10 meters distance from hundreds of hippos and so our experience began immediately.

The island staff is impeccable. Our guide was Fabias, and our valet was Charles. The meals were delicious, though more western food than local specialties. This might have been the only "too bad" about the place. It would have been nice to see Stepford's cooking skills on local dishes. Although I have to give him kudos because at night he prepares dinner with no lights, a definite miracle.

Of the three places we stayed, I will say that their excursion guides were the least prepared. They took us on a trip to Vic Falls and then a game drive through a small nearby national park. The guide didn't have much to offer in terms of information or nice to know's, he seemed to be there just to drive us around.
That said it was definitely a unique experience and I’m glad we did it first, because it gave us a chance to ease into direct wildlife encounters.

Your stay at Muchenje Safari Lodge
Kathy and Rob, the couple from Zim who run the place, are very welcoming and do make sure that everyone is happy.

Meals were really delicious. Lunch leaves a bit to be desired, but the dinners were the best we had on our entire trip. The staff is a bit quick to clear everything, although I'm sure that's on orders.

The rooms were nice and spacious and are proper rooms with 4 walls. This definitely helps with comfort but at the end of the day, I think it took away a little from the “safari experience”, but don’t get me wrong we were happy to see it. .

Our guide Dan was very nice and extremely knowledgeable, happy to answer any questions and go into detailed descriptions.

We enjoyed the full day safari where you leave in the morning, take a boat trip and then do a 3-4 hour game drive in the afternoon. We to see TONS of animals. The only problem is that as it's a national park you can't go off road and so the animals have to walk in front of you - very hard with the lions – in fact we didn’t see them. Also given the amount of territory that has to be covered from one point to the next you have to keep moving, so there's no chance to turn off the engine and observe for 15 minutes, should you wish to.

All in all a lovely stay, we have no complaints.
 
Your stay at Mapula Lodge
We LOVED Mapula. This was the exact experience that we had in our minds (thanks to all the movies) and was really exactly what we were looking for. The heart and soul of this place were so fabulous that I really can’t say enough. We were greeted by our guide Doctor and our tracker John, within minutes it felt like we had been friends for a while.

They showed us around the common grounds, which are beautiful and overlook a lagoon filled with hippo. Everything is open and they suggest that you help yourself to coffee, tea, or any beverages from the bar. They stress that the lodge should feel like your home and it does.

Then they showed us our room - gorgeous! The details are fantastic and the decorations are just beautiful.

The game drives are great. You tell Doctor what your most interested in seeing and he and John get to work tracking those animals. We wanted to see our lions and we had a great time tracking them down, both when we saw them and when we didn’t.

The thing we loved the most about our team was that they were happy to explain and teach about everything around them, but even better they were really passionate about us experiencing the place - and this made all of the difference. You really felt their passion and love for where they live and it really added a lot for us.

The food is delicious, and there's early morning breakfast, brunch, high tea and dinner.  The staff was happy to attend to your needs and they really try to ensure that you have a great time. Doctor interrupted one of our mokoro trips because he got word that they found the lions and he brought us immediately there.

I cannot recommend this place highly enough. I was so sad to leave and really look forward to going back as soon as possible.
NOT RELATED:
The only thing I want to give you guys a heads up on is the hotel that we stayed at in Joburg. We were supposed to stay at the safari club, but there was a problem with a group booking so we moved to the Airport Grand. I would stop booking people in this hotel.. It’s really not good. Not clean and feels unsafe. The staff is as nice as they can be, but the structure itself is no where near the four stars it claims to have. Just a heads up.
Also I would warn clients not to put ANYTHING in the luggage lock up at Joburg airport. I had no valuables, but they took a pair of headphones and sunglasses out of my bag anyway.
Hope this helps, happy to answer any other questions.
Ciao
Erika Ferszt
 

January 2008
Everything was TOP QUALITY - Thank you so much for your excellent service!
Sheri Lingnau

January 2008
All aspects of our experience with Island-Safari were outstanding.  We were very pleased with the experience and would be happy to recommend your service to friends.  The booking was straightforward, and we got very good help and advice from Alison.  The transfers took place with out any problem (which, frankly, pleasantly surprised me), and the stay at Muchenjie was spectacular.  Everyone involved in this process was both very professional and a pleasure to deal with.
 
Thanks very much,
John Staatz

January 2008
1)        Metcourt Laurel – great transit hotel.  They had a wonderful breakfast.
2)        Victoria Falls Hotel – very nice service and the people were so friendly and helpful.  As for the Vic Falls experience, I would highly recommend the Walking with Lions tour.  Other than seeing the Falls, the other highlight was Walking with the Lions.  We were not as impressed with the Zip line and Elephant Back Safari.  Also you might want to warn people of the hasseling by the locals there to buy curios from them.  Not sure if this has been the typical experience in Vic Falls or if the locals have stepped things up a notch with the declining economy.
3)        Xaxanaxa Camp – This was a beautiful camp with lovely accommodations.  The overall camp was great with good food and good service.  We saw some amazing things on our game drives like lion prides with cubs, wild dogs and jackal young.  Our only complaint would be our game drive guide.  He did not seem very experienced.  We saw more game due to luck than any tracking that he did.
4)        Pom Pom Camp– This was a beautiful camp with lovely accommodations.  The overall camp was great with good food and good service.  Stephanie was an absolute angel, however Nigel could have been friendlier and more helpful in our collective opinion.  We again saw amazing things on our game drives like spending 30 minutes watching a young leopard at close range.  Again while our game driver, Paul, was more experienced and much more helpful and friendly than at Xaxanaxa, he also appeared to be lacking experience.  He seemed to need to look up many of the birds and animals in the book.  However, his charm and helpfulness more than made up for his lack of experience.  We are also comparing all of our guides to our guide at Meno-a-Kwena who could not be beat.
5)        Meno-a-Kwena – For all of us, this was the best camp of all.  While the accommodations were more rustic than the other camps, the food, service, atmosphere and authenticity more than made up for it.  Even though David was not with us at camp, Jeff and our “bushman” guide Dawbe more than made up for it.  The whole team at Meno-a-Kwena spent so much time educating us on the animals and the bush, we really felt like we were a part of the bush and not just a short time visitor.  Not only did we enjoy the authenticity of the camp and the education and friendliness of the staff, we felt like the animals in the Makhadikhadi pans were truly wild and we were the interlopers on their land.  For example, we came across Kalahari lions, who growled at us and zebra, elephant and antelope who would bolt away as soon as they saw us.  Our guide, Dawbe, made it even more enjoyable of an experience by demonstrating his keen knowledge of the animal, bird and plan life, not learned from any books by attained by being raised in the bush.  He also acted as excited as we did when encountering animals helping us to realize how privileged we were to be there.  He even gave us an education on the “bushman life” by making us fire and showing us how to track animals on foot.  Dawbe also found the meerkats for me which was definitely “the highlight” for my entire trip.  As you may remember, the meerkats were my impetus for planning the trip and including the Makhadikhadi pans to our itinerary.  Our only complaint would have been to have had a more comfortable vehicle for the long trip to/from Maun and long game drives.  This camp is truly a gem for anyone who is looking for a more authentic safari experience.
 
Mandy – Please consider any of my criticisms to be nit picky and minor.  We all truly loved all of the camps and our experiences there, expecially Meno-a-Kwena.  We especially appreciated how you planned 3 very different camps for us with different flavors, landscapes and sets of animals to see at each.  We all felt that we got such a balanced and complete view of what safari in Bostwana has to offer from game drives, mokoro rides, animal education and safari camp styles.
 
We would all definitely use Island Safari again to plan our safari holiday in Southern Africa and thank you so much for putting such a lovely holiday experience together for all of us.
 
Please feel free to copy parts of this testimony onto your website and omit any of the criticisms.  The criticisms are more for you to take back to the camps so they can learn what minor improvements that they can make in the future.
 
I copied the entire group on this e-mail so they have an opportunity to add anything that I may have forgotten.
 
Regards
Oksana M. Kukurudza

January 2008
The service you received from Island-Safari.com staff during the booking process and during your tour.
Excellent.  All our needs were met.  Emails were responded to in a timely fashion and the detailed itinerary was particularly useful. Recommendations made by Mandy took all our requirements into account.
The transfers you had.
Transfer as Joburg was excellent.  Our representative was waiting for us at arrivals and stayed with us right through to security.  She handled all matters for us and told us what to expect on arrival at Maun. Transfer from Maun to Xakanaxa took about 10 mins which was incredible.  Transfer from Xakanaxa by boat to Kwara was great fun and we were also able to get close to Hippos.
Your stay at Xakanaxa Camp
Accommodation in Xakanaxa was excellent.  Food was fantastic.  Game drives limited due to being in reserve. Our guide Walter was entertaining and knowlegeable.
Your stay at Kwara Camp
Our preferred camp.  More rugged. Accommodation excellent and views of the waterhole were stunning.  Food not as good as Xakanaxa. Game activites were excellent.  Huge amount of flexibility in what we did.  One night we were the only guests in the camp so a surprised private meal was waiting for us on our return to our room which was a lovely touch.  Our hosts were far more social than at Xakanaxa and determined to make our stay as enjoyable as possible.  Our guide Justice was wonderful.  Lovely personality and with his tracker Alfred, they showed great skill in finding the game for us to see.  They modestly called it 'postive thinking'.  
Our last half day was particularly enjoyable and included a game drive, safari walk, breakfast at a waterhole followed by another game drive befor being dropped off at the landing strip to catch our plan back to Maun.
 
We would highly recommend Kwara and look forward hopefully to returning to Kwara in the near future with our two children.
 
Thanks to all at Island Safari for such a wonderful and memorable holiday.
Charles and Cathy McKenzie

January 2008
We had a wonderful holiday and all the information we received from you was great. We had no transfers as we had our own car and arranged the rest of our holiday ourselves. The stay at Umlani was fantastic and has left us with wonderful memories and lots of great pictures. I have already recommended you as well as Umlani to other friends who wish to travel to South Africa and go on Safari.
 
Best regards,
Jessica Gropberg

January 2008
The service we received for the booking, during the tour and the transfers was excellent. The contact made by your office with the Audi Lodge re transfers was impressive.
 
We loved Oddballs, staff, accommodation, food was great.
 
The only bit of criticism I do have, there was lion activity but the guides were reluctant to take us there the first two days...then when came to last two days they wanted to give us the big finale...but despite two days tracking they had moved on.
 
I realise nothing is guaranteed, I am not a guide but experienced field geologist with some knowledge of the bush, I have the feeling that the guides were bit overconfident and tried to plan bit too nice and as result we lost the opportunity to see the lions.
 
Regards
Alexander L. Meyer
 

January 2008
The service you received from Island-Safari.com staff during the booking process and during your tour. - Professional
The transfers you had. - Just one transfer from Botswana/Zambia border to the Elephant Valley Lodge, we were driving so it was more to show us the way to the Lodge (although Elephant Valley Lodge does not have any sign, not even one!)
Your stay at Elephant Valley Lodge - Lodge is very clean, nicely furnished, friendly and helpful. We had the tent number 18 which is facing a small river, very nice view. We spent a very nice Christmas with them. Elephant Valley Lodge is the only place during our trip in Africa where we had such a high level of service. Very good value for money.
Frederic Defever

January 2008
The service you received from Island-Safari.com staff during the booking process and during your tour.
    Excellent
The transfers you had.
    Very good
Your stay at Ivory Tree Lodge
    Very good
 
Best regards
Wilfried Kopp

January 2008
I received excellent service from the staff during the booking process!  Elize really helped to ensure that I knew what was going on.
 
The Delta flights and their support were good as well.  The flights were on time and no problems were experienced,
 
Finally the Mapula Lodge; I have just one word – Wonderful!!  All the staff was very helpful.  Our guide “Doc” and our spotter John did an excellent job in ensuring we saw all the game that was in the area.  The accommodations were wonderful; and the food was great as well.  I would definitely recommend this lodge to others!
 
Thanks so much for arranging this tour for my family and I!
 
Best Regards,
Erling Anderson

January 2008
It has been a good surprise when I discovered Island-Safari through internet. The answer you sent me was immediate and during all the time we decide our trip I was very much delighted with Cara attention,  and  we changed more than 200 e-mails, the way she gave me suggestions, the way she solved all problems and as I had not a definition about what we would like to see, where would we like to go, she was very important helping me. I would like to congratulate Cara for the wonderfull time we had in South Africa.
I changed my mind some times about the places we would like to go, the dates, the transport, and she made everything to do the best for us. My family and I (14 people) are very gratefull for her attention.
About the transfer, we had a problem because the van that pick us up to take to Sun City, to Kapama and to Johannesburg was for only 13 people, and we were 14, but as we had 6 children, it was possible to do the transfer in the van, but not so confortable nor safe. Even though the driver was very nice and they observe very well the time to pick us up.
The Metcourt Laurel Hotel was fantastic, and we had a good time there.
The stay at Sun City Cabanas was also very good.
The Kapama River Lodge is a fantastic hotel, and the safaris were very good.
And the Cape Milner was also very good, the team was very courteous.
I would like to assure you that I will recomend you to all my friends.
RAQUEL CHERPAK

January 2008
Service from Island-Safari I can honestly say was excellent. Carien would always respond to every mail within a short time. She was very helpful when she discovered that Dugong Beach Lodge would not be ready for our booking in the 1st week of December. She found the Villa at Indigo Bay Lodge and we felt as though we got a good price for it. She was excellent at sending us info and pics of the resort for us to finally make our decision on the alternative to Dugong Beach Lodge.
 
Im not 100% on the transfers you mention? We flew on Pelican Air to Bazaruto (Indigo Air Strip).
 
Indigo Bay Lodge is truly an impressive place. Most luxurious picture-perfect place I have ever stayed in. They put us in a Villa that was “lower”  (unit no. 2) compared to the other villas. The only reason we knew this and asked for a change is because we were put in a villa right next door to my boyfriends friends and we really wanted some privacy from them.  But Im so glad they managed to move us (immediately) because our new unit (unit 10) had a 100% better view. So now I know if I ever go back that I would ask for no. 10 (or higher).
 
Food was FANTASTIC. I love the way they serve dinner in different places (each with a very different feel).  It was fabulous to be able to have a great dinner on the beach with our feet in the sand.
 
It was unfortunate that we were unable to get onto a trip to snorkel on Paradise Island as there was a Standard Bank group there and they booked it entirely the only day we could go (we were there for 3 nights and 2 days).
 
I would definitely recommend Island-safari and use the company again for any future island holidays.
 
Many thanks
Sharon Gray
Ps:  we came back engaged ... so it definitely was all good!

January 2008
Here is my feedback on the three aspects of our trip that you mention in your email:

1. Island-Safari service: I am very satisfied with this. All my messages were answered quickly and satisfactorily.  In my opinion, your colleague Cara did an excellent job and I would be happy to use
your services again in the future or recommend your company to a friend.

2. Transfers: A very pleasant lady was there to meet us at Nelspruit airport when we arrived and the 2-hour trip to Kwa Mbili was fine. We were taken to Hoedspruit airport by another lady who was also very pleasant.

3. Kwa Mbili Lodge: The owners were  away while we were there, but we were very well looked after by Justine. She ran the place extremely well in their absence and made us very welcome and comfortable.
In short, she was the perfect host!! The lodge itself is a very pleasant place to stay. It is very well designed and attractively decorated. Our chalet was quite spacious and comfortable. The meals were very tasty. The ranger (Sebastian) and tracker (Solly) did their best to find us as many animals as possible. All in all, my wife and I were very happy with all aspects of our stay at Kwa Mbili and would happily recommend it to anybody looking for a lodge in this price bracket.

I only have one slightly negative comment: Perhaps because of their enthusiasm to please the visitors by getting as close as possible to the animals they spot, we feel that the rangers often invade their space too much. Nowadays, most cameras have zoom lenses which means that it is easy to get good photos without having to be less than a metre away from the subject. Moreover, as the vehicles have no sides or roofs, it can make one feel somewhat uncomfortable to park next to a fully-grown lion or elephant however much they asure that their is no danger!!

Many thanks for organising a very pleasant holiday for us!

Best wishes,
Mike Gates

January 2008
We would like to offer our deepest thanks to you for all of your superb efforts on our recent safari trip in December 2007. It exceeded all expectations and your efforts in locating me at my meeting at the Cape Town conference center to notify us that our airline was grounded and you had rescheduled us was nothing short of ‘super detective’ caliber. You managed to put together the best itinerary that we could have hoped for a first trip (and we anticipate more to follow). Not only did the five camps provide an exquisite range of diversity in camp experience, wildlife and environment, each camp built upon the previous one with anticipation. We’ve been back home for a few weeks and the memories are still vivid and the photos we took will help to keep our safari trip forever. As promised, below is some feedback on our trip.

1st camp ­ Islands of Siankaba in Zambia was an absolutely great first camp which provided total relaxation after attending an international meeting in Cape Town, S. Africa. The ‘tent’ had a panorama view of the river and it was a great base to explore the surrounding area of Victoria Falls and Livingstone. The staff was so accommodating and gracious with outstanding food including a private candlelight dinner. John and LizAnn, Steven and the rest of the staff took care of every need and then some. We were so glad to be able to book the elephant safari and had an absolutely amazing time. On the more adventurous note we swam in devil’s pool at the edge of Victoria Falls or Mosi-o-Tunya which was breathtaking and something we never would have thought possible. We would highly recommend the local village tour and Doctor provided a great overview and answered all of our questions. It was a real and moving experience. We learned a lot and have much respect for village life. It was nice to see some trickle down benefit of tourism. We just sent off some photos of Russell, the fisherman and the children who loved to see their pictures.

2nd camp ­ Chobe Safari Lodge, our first safari lodge was nice but much more commercial compared to the other camps. Some of staff also had a less than caring attitude. The game drive was good although we didn’t see a large number of animals. However, during the boat cruise we were able to see a large number of elephants, hippos, crocs, kudus, and others despite a crying baby aboard. Chobe was a nice transition to the ‘real’ safari experience.

3rd camp - Lebala Camp, Botswana was such a classy and real safari experience that was really over the top in terms of the quality of the game-guiding. The camp was unique with the level of tracking and the off road driving. We were able to see a wide diversity of sightings such as elephant, hippos, zebra, giraffe, hyena, ostrich, impala, wildebeest, kudu, etc. and one day we tracked for 10 hours to find a leopard and group of cheetahs. The night game drives were a unique experience. We especially liked the tents which were what one would envision for an ‘Out of Africa’ safari experience. And the dining was superb. All of the staff including Allwyn, Tim, Hector, and Moe was outstanding. The two most impressive aspects at Lebala were the tracking ability and knowledge of the guides and being in the middle of nowhere.

4th camp ­ Delta Camp in the Okavango offered a different perspective to the vehicle drives as we explored by foot and mokoro. One of the benefits was that we had our own game guide for the two days so we got a chance to know each other (as in Lebala and Deception camps also). Our guide, Masaudi, was so well informed about the area, the animals that lived there and how they intertwined. He was outstanding and his storytelling ability contributed immensely to the experience. Our hosts, Jess and Amy, were terrific and made us feel right at home. The reed chalets and tree house were amazing places to spend a night and their minimal ecological footprint was an inspiration. It reminded us of the story, the Swiss Family Robinson. Just 5 minutes after settling into the chalet a group of 3 elephants came calling at our front door, a truly remarkable and up close experience which was the best photo-op of the trip. We thoroughly enjoyed the experience of Delta Camp and the wonderful scenery.

5th camp ­ Deception Valley Lodge in the central Kalahari Game Reserve was another unique experience in a different bush environment, the desert. All of the staff (Jacobiss, Deckam, Kunta and others) was excellent. The incredible experience here was to travel on foot with the bushman guides of the San peoples and learn how they survived in this harsh environment. Priceless!

Thank you again, Cara for organizing the perfect safari trip that was a unique and amazing adventure. Also, we were so impressed with the smooth and timely transfers between camps and incredible service that did not miss a beat. It was like clockwork which continued to amaze us as we did expect to have a hitch or two but to our delight it was flawless. We will treasure the memories of our trip and the spirit of Africa for a lifetime.
All our Best,
Pat & David Fair

January 2008
we are back home and would like to thank you for all
This trip was wonderful, everything perfectly organized, all transfers on time, everywhere a very warmfull welcome, very attentive guides.
We will remember for long all the people we met and all the view we had during our stay in the thre countries we visited.
We seldom had a such good experience along all our travels.
Please convey our thanks to all the people who made the transfers, to all the staff of Tonkabezi, Sindabezi and Muchenje lodges and Rosedene guest house.
we very much enjoyed the new year eve dinner at Tuscanny beach restaurant.
A special thank to Andy who drove us to the winneland and cape point, we appreciated a lot his comments on the wines and his knowledge of national history.
once again many thanks to you for the perfect organization and to everyone who have made this trip unforgetable.
we will certainly recommend island-safari.com to all our freinds who intend to travel to south africa and neighbouring countries.
Best regards
micheline, lucien and gauthier Delmee

January 2008
Everything ran very smoothly for us regarding this component of the holiday.  All the transfers worked extremely well with the transfer people waiting for us.  Island Sarari staff during the booking tour and during our tour were all very helpful.
 
Our stay at Victoria Falls was fantastic.  The only thing was that Victoria Falls Hotel was not aware that our package included "high tea" and upon investigation by them they discovered that were entitled to the "high tea" and to our surprise we were entitled to free laundry as well, which we were not aware of! 
 
We will again choose Island-Safari when we are holidaying next and would like to be kept updated with any specials/deals that you have.
 
On a personal note Patricia was extra helpful and I felt very reassured by her emails and her help, she always responded immediately to all of my queries and I believe she guided me in the right direction when I was confused.  Thanks must go to Patricia for her assistance.
 
Regards
Sue Bird

January 2008
Overall: it was a fantastic trip from beginning to end. It is the first time I have completely entrusted all our travel arrangements to someone else (I'm one of those control freaks who usually does it all myself) and was a bit nervous. However, everything went so smoothly and it was lovely not having the headache of worrying about bookings falling through etc!! I have thanked Mandy directly for all her help but I also wanted to let you know how impressed I was with her support and guidance in arranging our trip. I have never known anyone respond so promptly to all our messages - does she actually ever have any time off?! She was amazing and very lovely to deal with - a definite asset to Island Safari.
 
Delta Air:all the Delta Air staff were friendly and helpful. We enjoyed the flights and all our pilots were fab - got us to our destinations safely. A great way to get around.
 
Deception Valley Lodge: what a fantastic way to start our Botswana experience. The lodge was beautiful - very comfortable but a wonderful relaxing atmosphere. Our little cabin was great - amazing views and we loved the outside shower. Food was fantastic - and there was so much of it!!  We were made to feel so at home it was like visiting friends or family! All the lodge staff were very friendly and great fun - being Kiwi's and having just lost the first cricket test to South Africa we took a bit of ribbing from a couple of the guides!! Both our guide Do and tracker Dachem (sorry if that is spelt wrong) were very knowledgeable and we saw lots of amazing nature and wildlife. It was also a great experience to be able to go on night drives as we couldn't do that at any of the other lodges we stayed at. We are definitely very pleased we took the time to visit the Kalahari and that we chose Deception Valley.
 
Camp Okavango:such a different setting and quite a different style of lodge but just as comfortable, friendly and enjoyable. The delta is such a contrast to the desert and it was great to have a couple of outings in boats - we particulalry enjoyed the mokoro outing and the sundowner cafe on the river bank was a real treat!! It was also wonderful to do a walking safari - tracking the buffalo was an experience not to be missed. Our guide Robert was very knowledgeable and was able to answer all our questions and provide intersting information about the environment and wildlife - he also found us a Situanga which we got a couple of great shots of! The 'tent' was fabulous, the setting great and, again, food and overall service wonderful.
 
Our transfer between Okavango and Moremi was a very pleasant experience with lots of wildlife sitings on the way. While we were there the Moremi airstrip was closed for repairs - this created some logistical challenges for the staff at both camps but we would never have known. Contingencies were put in place and no one's travel arrangements were affected. I think that says it all in terms of the amazing organisational skills and flexbility of the staff - and the smiles never stopped!
 
Camp Moremi:fantastic (I'm running out of different ways to say how much we loved everything!). Beautiful 'tents' - absolute privacy and such a lovely bush setting with the monkey's swinging past! The game drives were awesome and our guide again very knowledgeable and friendly - we had amazing sightings of lions, including getting very close to a lioness and her two cubs (awesome!) and saw a huge variety of wildlife. The camp staff again were wonderful - everyone was so friendly and lots of fun. On our first night there the full staff choir sang for us which was beautiful. Food was great - Mark was especially delighted with the roast lamb (his NZ favourite and the thing he always misses when we travel!)
 
Savute Safari Lodge: we didn't think it could get much better but, wow, this place is amazing! We were absolutely stunned - the rooms are incredible. We were lucky enough to get one of the cabins that has a water hole right outside and what an experience! I think elephants are one of the most amazing creatures on our planet so this was sheer heaven for me. We have not been able to stop talking about Savuti and our lovely cabin and 'private' water hole! The rest of the lodge was also stunning and staff, food etc equally amazing as previous lodges. We had two guides over our stay here and both were again very knowledgeable - all of the guides at the camps obvioiusly love the wildlife and it shows. I will never forget Energy at Savuti talking about the 'Ellies'. We didn't just see elephants however and again saw a great variety of wildlife including cheetah and wild dogs both of which we had not seen before.
 
Chobe Game Lodge:  I think after 8 days at the smaller camps/lodges and the serenity of not being around many people, we found it a bit overwhelming! That's no reflection on the lodge however and we enjoyed our stay. It is larger but was comfortable and the service was friendly and efficient. We had great game drives and saw heaps - including our only hyena sightings.
 
So as you can probably tell we pretty much everything!  We also had a fantastic stay at the Royal Livingston which is all that we would have expected and a very informative visit to Soweto on our return to Johannesburg.
 
As I told Mandy, this was our first trip to Africa and we have to come back. When we do we will be in touch for your help with our travels. I will also definitely be recommending Island Safari to anyone else I know who is intending to travel in Africa.
 
Thanks!
Lesley and Mark Wildes

January 2008
we are very satisfaid with everything michelle was really helpfull with our booking and helpt us very much our transfer by wild horizons was very good the helpt us with everything by the boarders
elephant vaelly lodge was really great the food the guid during the safaris was really nice and helpt us too see a lots of animals we are really satisfaid with our safari it was just fantastic
thank you very much and a merry chrismas
family gunnarsson

January 2008
We  had the most wonderful holiday, Patricia booked everything for me, and the service was brilliant. Everything went really smoothly. I  had to change dates a couple of days before we left and she handled it all beautifully. I would certainly recommend her to anyone. All the transfers went very smoothly.
The stay at Selinda was truly wonderful, we were both very sad to leave and I would love to go back there. The staff were fantastic.
Tongabezi was also wonderful, the location is spectacular. And the Safari club was great after a long flight, they were both warm and friendly.
I will definnitely be going back to Botswana, and would not hesitate to book with Isalnd safari again.

Thankyou so much,
Brenna Grant  

January 2008
Hi Michelle
 
All the best for 2008.
 
Just a quick note to say thanks so much for arranging our stay at Pom Pom, we really enjoyed our time at Pom Pom, it was very special. If you can convey our thanks to Nigel and Stephenie and also to Paul our ranger, he was very good and thanks to him we got to saw a Leopard two days running.  All the rangers are so friendly and it just adds to the good feeling of Pom Pom. In fact all the staff make the stay enjoyable.
 
Many thanks
Gale Jordan

 

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