Just wanted to let you know we all had a fabulous time. I had a problem with my camera while in Victoria Falls and your land operator in Harare, and the manager of Ilala Lodge went absolutely above and beyond to help me. I was so impressed. To be quite frank, I just really haven’t been able to find words that can accurately convey to others what I think of African Travel and your colleagues in Africa.  Absolutely tremendous.  You really find out the true nature of people and a company when a problem arises, big or small.  If you (African Travel & colleagues) took such care over what was really a ‘small’ issue, like a camera, I can only imagine the lengths you all would go to if there was a more important issue, like an illness or safety concern.

Somalisa and Linyanti Camps were exactly what I wanted and our stays there, by far, exceeded my expectations. The guides, managers and staff were phenomenal. There really aren’t words to describe it all.

I have already given your name and African Travel Inc. as a referral to people we met along the way, and to a couple flight attendants as well.

I can’t thank you enough for all you did. Every single detail was just perfect. To sum it up, you and African Travel are downright impressive. When/if my travel plans take me back to Africa, you will definitely be my first call. 

Meredith F

I traveled to Tanzania in June 2012 and visited the parks on the” northern circuit” (Tarangire, Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti and Lake Manyara) after a 15 year absence.  Much has changed in Tanzania in 15 years.  So many new camps and lodges have been built, both permanent and mobile.  Tanzania now rivals Kenya in the quality and diversity of accommodation.  The feel of old Africa is being kept alive at the tented camps in particular, with safari showers, pre-dinner drinks around the campfire, communal dining and up close encounters with the wildlife. 

I can’t say enough about the beauty of the country at this time of year when it’s green and lush after the rains.  Tarangire was particularly beautiful with its  grasslands, wildflowers and huge baobob and acacia trees.   The animal population is holding steady and I saw many thousands of wildebeest in the central Serengeti.  One of my favorite memories of the trip is waking up one morning at Dunia Camp to find several lion lounging just outside the dining room – great excitement and nervous laughter among the guests who were told to stay in the tents!  The lions were chased off at last.  I was lucky enough to stay at Olakira, a mobile camp in the northern Serengeti and had a lovely view of the Mara River from my tent.  A sad surprise was seeing how much Lake Manyara has decreased in size from when I first saw it in 1997.  The three rivers which feed the lake are now being used for agriculture and rice growing in particular,  which takes a lot of water.   Consequently the lake is so shallow now that it is possible to walk across it!    It has been estimated that the lake my disappear altogether in ten years time.

At the end of the trip we had three relaxing days at Matemwe Lodge on Zanzibar.   The beach has the finest, softest white sand, and at low tide, the locals do some fishing!

Just a note to let you know we are back from our trip to Africa. Thanks to your recommendation for using African Travel for our Safari everything was perfect.

All of the land and flight arrangements were excellent. We loved the small charming Khwai River Lodge in the Okavango Delta. The staff was very gracious and efficient. Also the Royal Livingstone Hotel was beautiful in every aspect.  The grounds were beautiful and the dining very gourmet. It was a wondrous journey and we thank you for your services in making this a trip of a lifetime. Picture taken of us on Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa.We would certainly recommend African Travel to anyone planning a trip to Africa.

 Regards,

Peggy and Jose Rebolledo
Martha and Michael Rebolledo

The Miles College department that requested this trip is part of a 25-college program that requires 3 international trips per year per college.  Dr. Be-Shen Welch told me she was very happy with our work, and would be recommending me to the other colleges.  And I will be recommending African Travel to any college interested in travel to Africa, as well as any and all future clients I may have.

Thank you again,

Gary  

“This was my dream trip and all of my expectations and hopes were exceeded.”

Mary Ann Krueger

December 2012

My husband and I sampled African Travel’s Egypt, Exclusively Yours land package for our vacation. The program provides your own private Egyptologist throughout the entire Egypt experience including the Nile River Cruise as well as private car and driver. What an amazing way to see one of the most fascinating places on Earth.  I wanted to give you a snapshot of my personal first-time journey to this alluring place. By the way, we traveled to Egypt the first week of December 2012 and never felt threatened or in harm’s way at any time. In fact, just the opposite! We found the people genuine and warm, the sightseeing easy as the lines…or lack thereof made visiting a pure joy and the weather perfect (not too hot, not too cold and always sunny). So my journey begins:

Today we arrived in Cairo and was met planeside by a representative from Spring Tours. It was easy to purchase VISA’s at the airport and we cleared customs and baggage with ease and speed. The meet and assist guide drove us to the Marriott Cairo hotel lobby, checked us in and gave us a quick overview of the next day’s itinerary.  The Marriott is situated on the Nile and was a quick 45 minute drive from the airport.  The four-star hotel was an older grand property. Our room was quite large and well appointed.  The room faced the garden and partial view of the Nile.  There were fantastic views of the Nile from other upgraded room categories.  The hotel was large with a beautiful pool and courtyard.  It was busy with people from all over the world. We crashed and headed out early the next morning.

We met our guide who was delightful and greeted us in the hotel lobby at 8am. The buffet breakfast, this was included in the room charge, and was fantastic. With our bellies full, we head to the pyramids of Giza. Our 45-minute drive and was interesting as the traffic is some of the worse in the world. The streets are total chaos as taxis, buses, donkeys pulling sugar cane and beats and private cars all share the same narrow roads with very little traffic lights. Instead of traffic lights, speed bumps which made it very uncomfortable to nap to and from the sites. 

The Giza Pyramids were much larger than expected. It was hard to us to get our heads around the fact that they were built with no machinery all by hand 4,000 years ago.

There were very few tourists there. We were able, without a wait, to go inside the larger one (a separate price for the experience – about $10 US). It was a very interesting experience and glad we did it. If it had been crowded or hot, we would not have enjoyed as it is cramped with small stairs and certainly not for those claustrophobic or not in good physical shape.

The vendors were not nearly as aggressive as we were warned but were selling pretty tacky trinkets of little value. The vendors were an amazing group of characters with ancient faces and traditional dress. I had a ball taking their photos…of course for a small fee.

Camel rides were offered for $6 per person and worth it if you haven’t been on one before. If I had once place in my lifetime to ride camels, it would be here as the  pyramids in the background make for a perfect place to experience. We were actually really impressed with the whole experience and it was much better than expected. The perfect weather and light crowds were great for us but bad for the Egyptian economy.

We headed back to Cairo for lunch at the hotel and then onto the Museum.  While the actual building is a little rundown, the actual artifacts are well laid out in date order and well worth every cent. The museum was one of the highlights of our entire journey.  We were absolutely blown away with the amount of findings there. Only 20% are even displayed. Egypt is building a larger facility in future so for now, the rest of the relics are in their basement. King Tut’s tomb treasures and the mummy room were definitely highlights as there were no lines or crowds.

Our personal Egyptologist stayed with us and explained the background behind each relic throughout.  The entire experience was excellent and again exceeded expectations.  We spent two hours and could have wondered around the museum for days. There was so much to see.

We headed to dinner that evening to an Egyptian Restaurant, El Said which was an easy walk from hotel. We were not sure why we were warned not to leave our hotel by foot as we felt totally safe. We are the only Americans in the entire restaurant which was local Egyptian cuisine. Our meals were good, not great but the atmosphere made up for the food. We returned to The Marriott for John to experience the hookah bar which John tried the apple flavored tobacco.  He did not particularly like it and decided to stick to smoking the occasional cigar.

Tips: Exchange dollars for at least $40 worth of Egyptian coins. One Egyptian pound about 15 cents. You will need coins for the bathroom attendant tips.  The bathrooms are not as clean as they were in Jordan and very little toilet paper.  

What can we say? The fabulous trip you so kind kindly put together for us really is the vacation of a lifetime. It has exceeded our expectations in each and every respect.

Starting with kissing the Giraffe, hand feeding them, enjoying an amazing property in Giraffe Manor, and experiencing truly exceptional service, we did not think it could get any better. (BUT IT DID)!

Our Lewa Downs experience was beyond imagination.  We don’t have time to write all the details, but our Lewa experience could not have been any better.  We are now at The Manor at Ngorongoro preparing to explore the Crater and then continue our journey to the Serengeti.

We can’t thank you enough for designing this unforgettable Safari that we will remember for the rest of our lives.

Laurie, Janet, Libby and Ellen

Dale & Jane Harberts did the Ultimate Safari and everything was handled perfectly. I really like working with Jennifer Luckow and always recommend Jennifer.  I love working with African Travel. The documentation is superb! I love getting the zebra box!!

Janice Coates,
AA Travel

Best,

Susan Hudson
AAA Travel