African Safaris - Safari Testimonials and Guest Feedback | African Safaris with Taga Safaris Africa

On Video

Below are some Video Testimonials that we have made of some of our Guests

	Hans and Marion Knebbes

Kim and Jeanette Parker	Eric Carpenter & Courtney Walker	Guy & Eva

Vidal Sassoon (USA)	The Ducros & Cote Families (Canada)	Tom & Brenda Garland (USA)

Ray & Judith Cox (USA)	The Boelkins Family (USA)	Lord Richard Attenborough (UK)

Dr Mark Stolar Group (Worldwide)	The Abilgaard & Landis Families (USA)	Dean & Ginny Schulman (USA)

The McGuiness Family (Hong Kong)	Mark & Claire Taylor (UK)	Richard & Jennifer Egen (USA)

Guy & Marie Berube (Canada)	The Boyd & Resnick Families (Dubai)	Mark & Karissa Kovner (USA)

The Washington Delegation (USA)	Lawrence & Cathy Trimmingham (Bermuda)	Denise K Young (USA)

Ralph & Paulette DeDecker (USA)	Don & Chris Reidy (USA)

By Email

Below are some of our Guests Safari Testimonials and Feedback

Tim and Dusty Roberts and Bill and Glenda Abildgaard – Duba Plains Camp, Selinda Camp and Chobe Chilwero Safari Lodge in Botswana – (USA) April 2012

We have been to Africa with Taga Safaris before, and had a wonderful time. We take photography pretty seriously i am afraid. We had to come back again. We greatly value the experience and insight of the amazing Mark! He has never let us down. Very few people have been to so many camps and in so many conditions as Mark. Hey!, he lives there! What do you expect. You tell him what you are interested in and he will know where to send you. And how to get you there and back and from camp to camp with reasonable expense. Mark has just been great for us.

My wife , Debra and I had the good fortune of booking another safari into Botswanna with Taga Safaris. I have been to Africa several times so I know what it takes to get great images. We toured three camps in Botswanna that were calculated to see inter reactions with lions and buffalo. Boy, did we get lucky! We had top flight vehicles with really good guides. The food was always better than I can get in California. The vast majority of food was grown in Botswanna and was fresh and picked at the peak of ripeness. We had no problems with food safety, other than that we ate too much !

The lions were paying attention to the buffalos and vice versa. I have a lot more appreciation for Cape Buffalo than I had before this trip. They have to look out for each other, have babies, migrate, defend themselves and be fruitful and multiply under the watchful eye of two prides of lions. Buffalos don’t like lions and lions just love the taste of buffalo burgers ! So this war has been going on for what 32,000 years? We witnessed the buffalo herd dispatch bouncers to move the lions around to buy time while a baby learned to walk ( in under two hours) and then to turn the sorrow of two big bulls, one of which killed the other, to morn, hold thier ground and then when they realized the big one wasn’t going to stand and walk with them again and the newest member of the herd could walk and would have to swim, they retreated with military precision and used the body of their fallen comrade to offer as a “sacrifice” to cover their retreat across the river to better feeding grounds. It was an excellent balancing of needs and making the best of a bad situation. It was brilliant indeed.

The lions , while really wanting buffalo have the greatest respect for the buffalo. Preferring the very young, pregnant or injured or elderly. They pick the easiest and safest. As the buffalo wiegh several times what a lion does, great care must be excercised to avoid injury or death. We watched the tides of buffalo move against the lions and the lions give way with ear layed back, hating every second of retreat. When the buffalo over extended their offence, the lions would regroup and close in and the buffalo beat a hasty retreat to the safety of the herd. On and on it went. Excellent photography to document these everyday, but life giving or taking decisions by different species often with split second timing

When the buffalos pressed down on the lions, they sometimes took refuge behind our Landrover ! We didn’t want to pick sides or be caught in the cross fire. Pretty exciting times. Check the slide show for more details. You just have to see it for yourself. it looks like a documentary, but it has gone on for thousands of years before we came and it will continue long after we leave. If you possible can, you should make an attempt to watch the Buffalo wars if you can.

The usual day was up before dawn, a hasty cup of coffee and snacks and we were out in the bush to watch the sun come up. I am pretty sure the guides had radio contact with their scouts, as they had a pretty good idea of where to go to find us action. And of course, I always want to pull up and take advantage of friendly exotic birds. There must be hundreds of species, many unique to Botswanna. Birds are one of the few things that look better in strong day light than they do in the magic hour of the start and the end of the day. So save those hours for the big cats, or large animals, if they can be located. When the sun rises and gets stronger, I pay more attention to birds. check with your fellow passengers before you book if you can, as not everyone appreciates a good bird image! I don’t know how that is possible, but I hear it happens.

In all, my wife and I, and Dr. Bill and Glenda Abildgaard, just had a fabulous time. ( Again!) Our safari was one of our best and we felt we had received a superb value for services. We look forward to a return engagement. ( or Returning again, as well , as again )

Sincerely
Tim Roberts

Tim Landis

Malcolm and Judy Rogers – Australia (Dec 2011) – Mala Mala Game Reserve

Hi Celeste,

Firstly, Malcolm and I would like to thank you for helping us choose Mala Mala.

We had the most amazing 4 days experience.

The Game Reserve was wonderful, the facilities and food better than we had hoped for. On Christmas Eve we had a special dinner with our new friends and our ranger/driver Gary. Gary showed us an incredible time on each drive. The photo is of leopards who were mating and we followed them for quite a while. We saw elephants, monkeys, lions, leopards, giraffe, rhinos, buffalo, hippos, kudu, impalas, crocodile ,baboons, zebras, wild dogs, and many beautifully coloured birds.

Had to send this photo. The Lion walked past the jeep he was no more than 1 and half meters from me when I took this photo.

Thank you again and Happy New Year.

Judy and Malcolm Rogers

Elmer W Dyke – USA (July 2011) – (Idube Game Reserve and Lukimbi Safari Lodge)

Hi, Celeste.

Yes, the trip went great. We had a great and remarkable trip. Definitely met our expectations.

Here’s a quick snapshot:

1. Idube: Nice lodge with outstanding animal views. (only complaint is that the hot water was sporadic, making showers exciting during the winter…)

2. Lukimbi: Outstanding lodge (and food which was truly gourmet!) with good animal views.

As you know, since there are more vehicles (trackers) in Sabi Sands and as Sabi Sands is not nearly as overgrown, it is much easier to see more game there than at Lukimbi. Lukimbi, there are only 2 or 3 vehicles out to cover a huge expanse and the bush is too overgrown. It makes it very difficult to see game consistently. Also, as the rules of engagement are different, we were able to get much closer to the animals for ‘personal’ encounters in

Sabi Sands than at Lukimbi.

For us, we were all about seeing the game, so Sabi Sands was by far our favorite place. Nonetheless, Lukimbi had some exciting and incredible and memorable moments, including seeing 5 male lions (the ‘coalition’) that control the region together; seeing 2 hyaena pups; seeing 5 very rare black rhinos (in three separate sitings). So, you can imagine that the game viewings in Sabi Sands had to be incredible! A few of our favorites in Sabi Sands: driving through a herd of 500 cape buffalo; seeing the 3 lion coalition together and the next day following two of them through the bush for 30 minutes; seeing two female leopards on different days and during the day; seeing a lioness and her two cubs; seeing two white rhinos sparring, and seeing lots of elephants, white rhinos and a pod of 25 hippos. On two of four game rides in Sabi Sands we saw 4 of the Big 5! Needless to say we saw all of the Big 5 more than once. We saw all of the Big 5 except leopard in Lukimbi.

Thanks again! It was a great trip. The next time I hope to take the entire family (wife and both sons).

Brad and Jennifer Howland – USA (May 2011) – (Arathusa, Zambezi Sun, Selinda and Banoka Bush Camps)

Hi Celeste,

So it has been just over 2 weeks since returning to our own “animal kingdom” – corporate America. As Jennifer & I had hoped, each element of our safaris offered a different & exciting experience… and there were so many. It was spectacular and this will be a lasting memory! I sense that someday we will return. Many thanks to you for helping make this happen and your last minute assistance when we were hampered by the delay of our SAA flight arrival.

Some highlights:

Arathusa Lodge – Seeing the Big 5 plus so much more was a treat! Our guide & tracker ( Ryan & Debeer ) were outstanding… friendly and knowledgeable. We saw and learned so much from them. It is clear that they have a passion for what they do. Between game drives one day I had arranged for a mid-day helicopter tour of Blyde River Canyon and its surrounding area (numerous waterfalls and picnic stop near God’s Window)… so impressive. The food and accommodations at Arathusa was wonderful, and helpful if asked. Overall, this portion of our trip was tops.

Victoria Falls / Zambezi Sun – The accommodations were suitable though the proximity to the falls was a major plus.. A few notable memories were; 1.) seeing the Falls / getting soaked by the mist, 2.) Lion Encounter [walked with and petted several 4 month old lion cubs], and 3.) watching our 17 year old daughter – Elena – Bungy Jump the gorge.

Selinda Camp – This was another top level experience. Once again all the people we came into contact with were friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. Our guide – Mots – did an outstanding job. A special feature of the camp has to do with its ownership… by renowned National Geographic photojournalists Beverly & Dereck Joubert.

Banoka Bush Camp – By definition & design, this camp is not on the same level as Arathusa & Selinda so we at times made unjust comparisons. The rough trail roads were more extreme in places than otherwise experienced. Being on the Khwai River of the Okavango Delta offered another unique ecosystem experience. We had the unique sighting of wild dogs, as well as hippo pods, lions, giraffes and elephants… to name a few.

Thanks again,

Brad Howland

Candy and Liz- South Africa – (East Africa Camping Safari)

Hi Celeste,

Please find attached some pics we have taken, these are just a few, I have not photo shopped yet but will do so shortly.Will send you more later!

The East African trip was wonderful! A no-frills, no fuss, get down and dirty true African experience which allowed us to experience the bush in a profound and intimate way.Close encounters with wildlife led to us witnessing the natural harshness of a lion kill, a cheetah chase, the massive migration of Wildebeest and Zebra and scary moments with hyena and leopards nosing around our camp at night. We loved every minute of this trip and would do it again anytime!

Thanks for the opportunity,

Candy

Jeffrey Krish and Friends- USA – (Kruger National Park)

Dear Celeste

Thank you for helping organizing such a great event for us. We went on the 3 day safari (wish we could have stayed longer), and were able to have some many memorable experiences. We saw pretty much all the animals we wanted to see except for the Lion, and the highlight of the animals we saw were the leopards on our night drive. The guides that drove us through the park were amazing and the camp grounds that we slept at really enhanced our experience of being out in the wild.

Here are some pictures that we took of our group of 3 out on the safari.

Thanks again!

Jeff

Victoria and Darren – USA – (Cape Town)

Hi Mark

The trip was great. After a few days at the Cape Town waterfront, I did a 3 day safari in Kruger, which was wonderful, then came back and explored Cape Town’s wine country. What a rich, exciting and gorgeous country you live in!

“We really enjoyed our day of kayaking, visiting the penguins, and touring the Cape of Good Hope. Our guide Charles was extremely knowledgable of the history, wild life and statistics of the region and he took great care of us. From start to finish, it was a wonderful tour and we would recommend it to others.”

Thank You

Ockie De Jager – South Africa – (Rovos Rail)

Dear Celeste

We just came back from our trip on Rovos Rail which you did all the bookings for us.

Thank you ever so much.

Everything went as planned and we thank you for an excellent job.

Regards

Ockie De Jager

William and Amania Dudley – USA – (Cape Town, Garden Route and Sabi Sabi Game Reserve)

Dear Celeste

We had a wonderful trip and felt we got a good taste of what Africa has to offer. Of course we are back in the daily grind of work but we have shared our experience with our friends and family and everyone was truly amazed.

William Dudley, P.E.

Hans Jorg & Marion Knebes – Germany – (Sabora Tented Camp, Serengeti National Park, Tanzania)

Dear Celeste

Let me tell you, that we have seen most of the best lodges in Africa during our travelling within the last 15 years.

Sabora Tented Camp in our opinion is the absolute best hideaway you can find. Even in one of our german wellknown newspapers Sabora Tented Camp was described as one of the eight stunning lodges in the world..

Besides excellent service, meals and wines we were lucky to find thousands of wildebees, zebra and topi as well as big herds of Elephants. At the end we did not want to leave the place.

If there will be a chance to go again to Tanzania we will visit this place again even for another 8 days.

Attached please find some pictures, which only can give you a glimpse of an impression.

When we know the exact dates for our next travel in our spring back to Africa we will contact you to make the reservations.

Best regards

Marion Knebes

Helen Krawiec & Andrew Leonard – England – (South African Essentials Tour)

Hi Mark

We had a fantastic time thanks, so much so that my boyfriend proposed when we were in Cape Town, very romantic!

I will be sure to send you some photo’s soon

regards

Helen

Tammy and Walter Wolffs – Australia – (Cape to Kenya Overland Safari)

Hi Celeste

Lovely to hear from you.

The overland from Cape Town to Vic Falls was fabulous, thank you, and have just joined the group for Tanzania and Kenya after arriving in Zanzibar a few days early to chill.

I absolutely love Africa and have changed my mind about it being a once only trip! Walter is also already planning to come back with his friends and do it all again when he finishes school.

I’ll forward you my notes from the trip in the next two e-mails (I’m on my Blackberry, so limited space in every message!). We have taken some fabulous photos, too, and will send you some when I have access to a high speed Internet.

Thanks again for all your organising and catch you soon.

Cheers

Tammy

Report:

The overland tour was slightly overbooked and the truck was filled to capacity with 23 of us, the tour guide Lesley and the cook Anneli.

Will give more detail about some of our fellow travellers as we spend more time on the road but, for now, there is a mixture of ages and nationalities. I thought Walter and I would be the youngest and oldest respectively – Walter is the youngest, but the Belgian couple and another Australian are older and there’s a Scottish bloke who’s the same age.

Had a really bad head cold and sore throat on the first two days. Think it was the cold weather in Cape Town, lack of warm clothes and the aversion to heating found there.

The first day two days were mainly driving and camping. The food is pretty bad – cheap and nasty – brings back memories of school camps. Luckily, now in a position to get (at least some of) my own supplies, including fresh bread, cheese, butter and lots of fresh fruit. I just wish I had some Tabasco sauce or some fresh chilli.

Our last night in South Africa was spent on the Orange River, forming the border with Namibia. We arrived in time for a swim and a hot shower and the bar was open until late. There was a kid living there, too, so Walter had someone to play with until dinner time. We were staying until after lunch the next day, so could get my washing done.

After a walk and lunch, drove the 10 kms to the border, where it took around two hours to get us processed, putting us about an hour behind schedule. Meant we would only have a few minutes to set out camp before heading to Fish River Canyon for sunset and dinner.

Namibia looks like a giant quarry – dust and rock. This view was only confirmed by the site of the Canyon, which looks like the heart of the quarry. Surprising anything can live here, but have seen kudo, springbok, oryx, zebra, ostriches and other birds. Lesley enclosed himself in four benches before going to sleep in front of the camp fire, for fear a hyena would bite his nose off in the night (they’re apparently attracted to mucous).

The landscape changed a little on our long drive the next day. There was more vegetation and living trees, signs of human life, including the odd town and signs of attempts at farming (livestock only; no crops).

Signs of life increased the next day and we were fascinated by the social weavers – tiny, talkative birds that build their nests together, increasing its size year by year. They’re protected by wasps that build their nests on the underside.

The next day, we experienced real sand desert, rising early to climb a giant dune at dawn and then tumbling down. The geometrical shapes of the dunes and the shadows they cast are spectacular.

Looking at Walter now, I barely recognise him, as his hair gets fairer and his skin darker!

We spent the night at Solitaire. It’s called a “town” but, essentially, it’s the campsite and lodge adjoining a bar, corner shop, petrol station and German bakery – which makes fabulous rye and apple pie to die for.

Lesley usually has at least one good campfire story to tell us each evening. They generally revolve around his own adventures or, if not, the misadventures of clients he’s taken on tours – and the central character always seems to be an Australian male!

Day 6 of the tour and we arrived in Swakopmund on the Atlantic coast. It’s totally a tourist town, but at least it’s a town! I’m sharing a dorm room with three blokes – Walter, Nick and Pavel. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone spend as much time on personal grooming as Pavel. He must’ve spent an hour and a half on Friday night and again on Saturday afternoon making himself beautiful! After dinner on our first night, the group went to a pub that was really just for young tourists and had terrible music. I ditched the group and went to the Cuban bar across the road. Had a fabulous time and was even persuaded to dance. Had to laugh, though (with one of my new friends), when some of the group arrived later and asked the barman to turn the volume of the music down.

Finally gave in to Walter on quad biking on Saturday – and sorry I did. He’s way too small and I had trouble hanging on to him and that was before he spilled the bike!

Am the only one in the group to go out on Saturday night – our last before hitting the real bush on Sunday and departure from civilisation until we hit Windhoek late next week. Ended up at a nightclub with some locals. There were a few people there, but it seemed dead because the place was way too big for such a small town, with capacity matching that found in big city venues.

Walter finished reading a Michael Crichton novel he found on the bus within about 4 days of starting it. I don’t think I’d seen him that absorbed in any book since Harry Potter!

Day 9 of the tour was a visit with a Himba tribe. The exploitation was a little discomforting even though the women and children were so welcoming. Seems that the Namibian government sold all the farming land to wealthy (read Afrikaaner) farmers, who then permitted the Himba tribes to stay on their traditional homelands in exchange for tending the cattle. To add insult to injury, the landowners charge tour groups 1800 rand to camp and have a cultural exchange with their tenants.

Got into a long political discussion with Lesley about Zimbabwe – his home country. His view is that Mugabe is unfairly treated by the West, which is economically sabotaging Zimbabwe. He argues that Zimbabweans have been kept poor through low wages, reducing educational attainment and other opportunities. He gave the example of his dad, who worked as a park ranger for $50 a month – not enough to care for a large family and increasing pressure for the kids to leave school early to help financially. And, of course, without that education, income is limited. The takeover of farms is by the people who have been managing them anyway, so their failure is not because of mismanagement, but because of freezing out by the West, led by the UK, because of the former colonial ties.

Had a walking tour, the highight of which was when the guide stopped to talk about a tree. Walter kept asking to climb it so, when he was finished, the guide gave the all clear. The guide was unaware of the wasps’ nest – never seen Walter get down from a tree so quickly! He only got stung four times and, luckily, unlike Australian wasps, the swelling goes down and the pain subsides within an hour.

The best part of the tour started on day 10, when we entered Etosha.

Unfortunately, the Belgian couple had to leave us, when Vera had a health scare. They were able to meet up with us for dinner at Windhoek before flying home to get proper medical treatment.

We set up camp, had lunch and (naughtily) hand fed some squirrels, and then walked the 50 metres or so to the nearby waterhole (with a wall between us and the animals) where elephants were basking and giraffes making their way down. Our first game drive yielded sightings of lions, elephants, zebra, giraffes, mongoose, amazing birds, springbok, oryx, gnu, helmsbok, jackals and a giant iguana.

The weather turned wild after dinner – gusty and stormy. Just as I was ready and about to go brush my teeth for our 5.40 am game drive, Lesley ran around to tell everyone that he’d made a mistake and the gates don’t open until 6.50 am. After threatening murder, I decided I may as well see what’s happening at the waterhole. Made it just in time to see a lion, which sauntered off a few minutes later. The next morning we found a lion eating part af a zebra and trying to stave off a whole pack of jackals that wanted some. Other highlights included being surrounded by a herd of elephants and seeing a whole family of lions at a waterhole. That night, a mother and baby rhino arrived at the waterhole next to our campsite just after I did. Was very lucky as got a full viewing of the only thing happening there for the night.

Shortly after, while enjoying a g&t at the bar, it started to rain. We had to rush back to cover the tents and I had to move Walter out of a puddle. We managed to keep reasonably dry, but I didn’t sleep much between worrying about the rain getting in and the persistent cough I’ve had since my cold cleared – I put it down to all the dust, which also seems to have permeated the tent, so I keep breathing it in.

Next afternoon, we arrived in the capital, Windhoek. Two more of the group finished their tour here – Sandra from Germany and Johan from Korea. Great shops, but I spent over an hour looking for a bookshop as Walter has run out of reading. Found one bookshop to start with, but the 9 to 12 year old section only had Enid Blytons and Ben 10s. I asked the shopkeeper if there was anything for older children and she said only the general A-Z shelves. Well, there weren’t too many shelves and they weren’t strictly in alphabetical order with S and P sittling above L and K. After circling the city and coming up blank, I returned and, as I was walking out empty handed spotted a great little bookshop opposite that I’d missed the first time around. Was sorry later that I didn’t buy him two books as it didn’t last the rest of the trip, but it was the last bookshop we saw.

While the rest of the group went to Joe’s Beer House for steaks, Walter and I had a fabulous Indian dinner around the corner before joining them. The trouble with Windhoek is that I was advised not to walk even short distances at night, so had to cab it everywhere. While cabs are cheap, it’s just very inhibiting. There’s also not much nightlife. The club I went to is, I’m told, one of only four in town and the crowd was very young.

Another border crossing the next day – much quicker this time – and arrived at our first campsite in Botswana in the late afternoon and as the storm clouds were gathering. Pleasant surprise as there are huts – with solar powered electric lights that we can upgrade to for $US5 – best $10 I’ve spent this trip I reckon. Next night was a repeat. Was able to upgrade to a cabin in Maun, too, where it rained again.

By now, my travel coffee plunger is the envy of all and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it – the flask takes enough to last for an hour of sipping and keeps it hot, too.

Foot and mouth disease is a problem among livestock in Botswana. There seem to be far more donkeys around than cows and goats and they are being turned to more as a food product. Anyway, it means that there are regular road blocks where the truck is searched for fresh meat and we have to get out and walk over a disinfecting solution. We are also asked to bring our spare shoes to disinfect. I keep taking the chance and only going with the shoes I have on – it would be too embarrassing and I’d hold up the whole shown, as everyone else brings their single other pair!

Maun was our base for our big trip to the Delta. We started with a 45 minute flight in the late afternoon of our arrival. Unfortunately for Walter, the pilot wanted him in the back seat. Walter was even less impressed when I snaffled the front seat next to the pilot, but it was a fantastic flight. Really amazing seeing the whole delta and really gave us a perspective for our camping trip next day. Incredibly, too, we saw a herd of buffalo – there must’ve been well over 200 animals!

Got up early next morning for our trip to the Delta. Only packed a small bag, plus tent, sleeping bags, snacks, water and grog. After an hour’s drive in an open truck, we arrived at the Delta and the starting point of our adventure.

A poler – Oman – chooses us and loads our things into his moroko. Most of the morokos are made from fibreglass now, as the traditional method of using an eighty year old sausage tree to build a canoe with a five year life span is unsustainable, but Oman takes us in a real one. It sits lower in the water than the fibreglass version, so I think we were chosen because of Walter’s smaller size and weight.

Two hours of gliding down channels through rushes, beds of lilypads and open lagoons brought us to our campsite for the next two days. Safari walks and moroko trips are only in the early mornings and late afternoons, so after setting up our tents and having lunch, we spend the hottest part of the afternoon swimming, reading, playing cards and other games. Walter and I learn a new card game, “Arsehole”, which groups of us then play on and off over the few days of the tour we have left.

We were very lucky with weather as the two nights before our arrival were very wet, but we had lovely clear weather for the our two nights. Feeling healthier, too, as my cough starts to clear.

This is the first time we’ve walked in areas where large African animals live – rather than being in a vehicle or human enclosure and it’s so exciting. Over our stay, we get close to zebra, giraffes, gnu and baboons and park our morokos in a lagoon with bathing hippos.

While watching the hippos, I see the guides pulling large reeds out by the roots, peeling the tip and eating the inside. I ask to try and find that, while it has a bland taste, they are very juicy and quite nice. Oman tells me he finds the taste sweet and it’s like eating lollies. On the way back, Walter and I egged Oman to race the other polers and we won!

On our second night, the polers put on a fabulous show for us around the camp fire (they make the best fires I’ve ever seen) and then we are expected to reciprocate. Our effort was nowhere near fabulous I’m afraid, and mainly relied on nursery songd, but Tina saved the night with an operatic solo.

After our last early morning safari, where we met up with an elephant, our polers packed us up and we headed back in our morokos. For a long while, I lay back with my eyes shut and hands skimming the water and just took in the incredible sounds of birds and other wildlife and the feel of the movement of the boat. Later, we sang songs and after starting “My Eyes are Dim” with Walter, then Oman, then me, Oman kept me going with the names of all the other polers – some were really tough to rhyme.

Had to laugh, though (as did all the polers, I’m sure – I think I could tell they were sharing the story even though they weren’t speaking English), when at our midway stop, one couple bailed up their poler and asked if he could change the route for the rest of the way back as she’s scared of spiders and so many were falling into the boat using the current channels.

Arrived back for lunch and showers before heading off on the long trip to Chobe. Couldn’t get good fruit at either of the supermarkets in Maun, so shared our last orange in the afternoon and Walter ate the last apple in the morning.

Day 19 of 20 and we’re on a “sunset” cruise on the Chobe River. Very quickly relinquished the chairs to sit on the front of the boat. Put Walter on the other side of the esky so we had the best views, but we were both down low so we didn’t block anyone else. As we were coming back a hippo was right in front of the boat, so that my foot almost touched its eye before it dived under the boat at the last second. Lots of buffalo, elephants, hippos, baboons, kudo and crocodiles. This is probably sounding a bit passe, and even Walter can come up with a “whatever” when we pass another zebra on the road, but this may be the first and last time in our lives that we see African animals in the wild and we still get a thrill every time.

The boat ride was shared with another two groups, one of which was the Gap overland group that is following the same route, staying at many of the same places on the same nights, and had mooned our truck from theirs once before. True to form, they mooned us after we had each boarded our respective trucks. We persuaded Lesley to block the gate to the campsite with our truck, as a whole group jumped out to return the favour. Surprisingly, Walter would’ve been happy for me to participate a (I say surprisingly because this is the boy that conducts random checks to make sure I have undies on!).

Last day and we arrived at Vic Falls. We were both awestruck. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Walter take landscape photos before. Of course, pictures don’t do the place justice because you can only see small sections of it. But when you look at it as a whole, its sheer length, height and overall extent are just amazing.

Walter was also impressed with all the monkeys, baboons and warthogs – both at the falls and wandering around town. we did some shopping in the afternoon and still find the bargaining hard. It is particularly unique in Zimbabwe because basic commodities are so hard to get, so trading is a big part of the negotiations. Clothes, shoes and books are in high demand, but people will swap for almost anything – Stacey got a necklace for her washing line rope! People also keep asking for things and other kids, particularly, kept chasing Walter for his shoes.

I also spent some time in the afternoon trying to get info for the next leg of our trip, but came up against a brick wall, as the 10 kms across the border of Zambia to Livingstone may as well be to another planet. Thought I’d just have to cross the border the next day to sort it out. Then after our last group dinner at Shoestrings – hotel, bar, backpackers – and traditional music, I met a bloke who does bush camping tours in Botswana. He gave me contacts in town that checked out and Jo at one of the tour companies sorted out all my travel and accommodation en route to Tanzania.

Jeremy and Pennie Marko – USA – (Honeymoon to Cape Town and Shamwari Game Reserve)

Greetings Mark,

Mark – The trip was amazing! Shamwari was absolutely the best….I don’t think I could have expected more. The game drives were great, the service excellent – Eagles Crag was fabulous. We have a million pictures to go through but will send some when we do! Thanks for everything. We will be returning!

Pennie

Melody Meadows – USA – (Chitwa Chitwa Game Reserve)

Jessica and I were just reminiscing about our trip to Chitwa and I realised that I haven’t sent you a thank you for an incredible vacation experience. While I had a mental picture of what a safari would be like, this experience far surpassed anything imagined. We arrived in time to join the late afternoon safari and had seen 4 of the “big five” by our return from that trip. The water hole outside our room kept us mesmerized throughout the afternoons, watching the various animal species make their daily visit. By the end of our 3-day stay, we had seen every possible species, including wild dogs and a chameleon. I’m attaching a couple photos of a leopard with a kill.

Although I leave South Africa in Dec., I’m sure I’ll be in touch about how to recreate the experience, perhaps in Namibia next June or July.

Thanks again for selecting Chitwa – their safaris and their staff made it a perfect vacation,

Melody Meadows

Aart de Zeeuw – Netherlands – (Mala Mala Game Reserve and the Panoramic Tour)

From Thursday, November 6, until Saturday, November 8, I spent two days at Mala Mala Main Camp. Taga Safaris arranged the trip. In one word, it was magnificent. The room is very nice, the food is good, the ranger is friendly but above all game viewing is superb. We have seen four leopards: a female in a tree with her impala kill and later playing with her cub, a male chased away from his kudu kill by a hyena, and a young one stretched out on a pile of sand. We have seen a pride of lions: six lionesses with seven cubs and an old male. One of the lionesses and her two cubs regularly separated from the pride and her cubs were clearly better off. Big herds of buffalos with young ones and oxpickers, many rhinos with young ones, and a small herd of elephants with young ones. But this was not all: giraffe, zebra, impala, steenbok, kudu, wildebeest, wardhog, monkeys, a family of jackals, many eagles, malibu, many colourful birds, and small animals down to the cameleon. The ranger was active in following herds through the bush in his Toyota Landcruiser, pulling up close to the cats, and checking out places where malibu were waiting. The rangers communicate with each other so in case one of them finds something the others can come to see it as well. One drive it was raining but that was actually good because the animals are more active than in the heat. I feel privileged that I was able to have this wonderful experience.

Thank you Mark

Aart de Zeeuw

Luc and Gea Boussauw – USA – (Chitabe, Duba Plains, Jao, Vumbura Plains, Zarafa, Ichobezi Safariboat & The River Club)

Hey Mark!

Yes, we have been back already a week and not reported back to you. Shame on us! Part of the reason is my new video camera. We came back with some 1000 still shots, but also with almost 6 hours of video, some of it great, most of it good and some of it shaky. And editing this stuff is a time consuming job.

But to give you the short story: we had an excellent absolutely amazing trip. We were also VERY impressed with the build up. Exactly right. Starting off with Chitabe, which offered a wide variety of game, followed by Duba Plains, where we did not have luck with lion-buffalo interaction, but were very impressed with the massive herd of buffalo (2000 or more?). Also they had an incredibly cute litter of lion cubs, of which I have nice video. In addition to that, one evening after dark when crossing a little creek, we surprised a hippo (and he sure surprised us as well), jumping around the car in full panic for a couple of minutes. We were too stunned to take pictures however, and when I finally had the camera up again, he had disappeared in the dark. We had lots of elephants in and around the camp as well.

Then came Jao, our first more watery camp. And what sumptuous accommodation! We loved the mokoro tours, a bit shaky at first but we became more confident after a little bit. Thank goodness no hippo interaction there.

“Wilderness Safaris” were on the ball, all representatives showed up on schedule, all reservations for lodges and air were exactly as planned, and they had a couple of unexpected treats for us, like transportation by small helicopter on two stretches. After Jao we still traded up with Vumbura Plains. The atmosphere is somewhat less formal then Jao, which we liked and the accommodations, including the little plunge pool are also tops, as is the food. And then, last but not least Zarafa. What a charming lodge and special compliments go to the lady chef there.

We saw many cats: leopard, serval, caracal, African wildcat and of course lion, and made many many good pictures. And of course literally tons of elephant. But from that point of view the best was still to come. We moved to the Ichobezi boat and thoroughly enjoyed the calm and quiet of the full moon African nights on the Chobe river. The amazing sights of herds of elephant, including babies, frolicking on the banks and even crossing the river, and the amazing sights of a lion stalking a wart hog while we were floating past.

Oh, and then the birds! We started keeping track from day one and at the end of the trip we had seen and identified (with the help of the guides, of course) up to 116 species, including 6 different eagles, cranes, storks, 4 different hornbill, and many, many more. Some good pictures, but Luc needs to upgrade his camera. Bird shots are not so easy.

For the last part of our trip, the Victoria falls, we were very happy that you had guided us to the River Club, rather then staying in Livingstone. The falls were nice, but of course in this season there is not much water on the Zambian side. We did however cross the border to Zimbabwe briefly to buy a few billion Zimbabwe currency notes, and to have a look from that side. We can imagine how it would be quite a wet adventure when there is more water. Also excellent food here.

Thank you very much for preparing this excellent schedule and a big thank you also to all the Wilderness guys and gals, who made us feel welcome, prepared all this excellent food and most importantly all our excellent guides, who with enthusiasm shared there extensive knowledge of the local flora and fauna with us.

Ah, what more can we say, the safari bug has firmly hooked us. So we will be back soon we hope….

With best regards

Gea and Luc Boussauw

Pamela Zigomo – UK – (Pemba Beach, Mozambique)

Dear Celeste

This has been a long time coming but I just wanted to write and thank you for all your hard work in getting my holiday booked and sorted. I had an amazing time in Pemba, the hotel was gorgeous, well maintained, all the staff were very friendly and helpful and the food was delicious!. I went at the right time for me as I wanted some peace and quiet and the only thing I would change next time is to arrange to go with SAA rather than LAM.

I have been busy telling my friends and showing them pictures of my trip and after posting them on Facebook, I have received numerous queries on who I booked with and I have passed on your details.

Thank you again for helping me book such a wonderful holiday and I definitely will be planning on making Pemba a regular annual trip.

I have attached a few pictures from my holiday.

All the best

Pam Zigomo

William and Missy Levit – (Melrose Arch Hotel, Duba Plains Camp, Tubu Tree Camp, Chitabe Camp and Cape Town)

Mark and Celeste:

Botswana was fabulous! Beyond our expectations! Every arrangement, every detail, was in the words of our tracker at Tubu Tree “Super Duper!” I believe we saw every animal we could have seen including seeing wild dogs two days in succession at Chitabe.

Among our highlights was a baboon getting into our tent at Duba Plains and pilfering Missy’s warm-up jacket, which was ready for the Salvation Army anyway, and an elephant charging our Land Rover at Tubu Tree.

We are most appreciative you booked us only into Wilderness Safari camps. They are a first rate operation and run a very tight ship. At Chitabe we went on a seven hour game drive. When we arrived at a spot on the channel at 12:30 PM another Land Rover arrived within five minutes with a fabulous luncheon spread. We managed to see a cheetah track an impala, a hyena steal an impala carcass from a female leopard and her cub, and a female leopard and her cub chowing down on a kudu.

All flights and transfers were right on time. We had a wonderful helicopter transfer from Duba Plains to Tubu Tree and Celeste, you were right, we really liked the Melrose Arch.

Mark, when we got to our hotel in Cape Town we picked up the current issue of what we believe was “Equinox” in our room and read your “profile.” Great advertising!

All in all, we had a wonderful trip and want to thank you for your creativity, diligence and care.

All the best,

Bill & Missy Levit

P.S. Mark, we enjoyed meeting your mother and having a chance to see Houghton again. What changes! The Soweto redux was also fascinating.

The Ambani Family – Sri Lanka – (Puku Ridge Camp – South Luangwa NP)

Hi Mark,

Firstly let me place on record my appreciation for the fine arrangements you made for us in Zambia.

It was exactly 20 years since I last visited Luangwa and staying at the relatively new “Puku Ridge” camp was indeed a unique experience. The luxury camps on either side of the reception/ dining area was in a magnificent setting, in the game reserve and that too in an unprotected area blending well with the surrounding.

The staff was super in their professionalism as well as their kind disposition. The food was 5 star +

With regard to game viewing I must state, that since I last visited the park I get the impression that the animal population seems to have decreased some what. I hope I am wrong in this assessment.

Not withstanding the game viewing was indeed superb.

J.J.Ambani and family

Hari Santharam and Family – India – (Mala Mala Rattrays)

Hi Mark,

Many thanks to you for organizing our family’s SA safari. Everything was smooth from day one – great gameviewing, a great time overall!!! Back to the reality of work and how I wish I was still on safari.

Cheers Hari

Bill O’Regan (Oct 2007) – (Inyati Game Reserve)

Dear Celeste

Sorry for such a long delay in coming back to you but I have to congratulate you on your service. Inyati was great and we were happy we followed your advice. Both the lodge and Sabi Sands were fantastic.

I am currently looking into organising my honeymoon for the end of this year and we would like to come to Africa again and perhaps mix safari with the beach…..we are open to suggestions

Can you propose something

Best Regards

Bill O’Regan

Diane Lee and Family (August 2007) – (Arathusa Game Reserve)

Hi Mark

I am back to reality (WORK). Arathusa Lodge was a wonderful experience. I would go there again next week if I could take the time off from work.! Bit of a bumpy road to get there – but what a treat. Staff were very attentive. Our tracker, ROY, and JACQUE, our driver, were enthusiastic, full of information and so much fun to be with it was hard to say goodbye!

Thanks again for the recommendation and also for your effort to come to the airport to give us an official greeting.

Diane Lee

Kirk Hamilton – Canada – (Every year since 1997)

“I have been visiting Southern Africa since 1997 and have come to rely on Taga Safaris for my safari plans. Mark provides excellent suggestions and advice, and has organized great safaris, sometimes on very short notice. It helps that he is a fellow enthusiast for the beauty of Southern Africa and its wildlife. All arrangements have been very professional and impeccably organized.”

Kirk Hamilton

Washington DC

Tim & Debra Landis and Bill and Glena Abildgard – USA (May 2007) – (Londolozi & Simbambili Game Reserves)

Hi Mark.. we got home safely. Only about 47 hours from getting up at 05:30 for game drive to putting our little heads on our own pillows. Whew!

Debra and I had the most wonderful time on your tour. The food was out of this world. Much better than I can buy in Sacramento California. We all gained weight! The game drives were really great. We have been to Africa in various regions 5 different times. This time, with Bill and Glenda, we really wanted to see more leopards as they are shy and reclusive. Very hard to photograph. So we were not only pleasantly surprised, we were blown away by the quality and quantitiy of your leopards. We were not prepared for it. But we blazed away and got some lucky shots. Your Drivers and Trackers were first class. Or should I say , a class of their own. When they started tracking, 9 times out of 10 we were looking at a leopard quite quickly. This was surprising. The animals, totally ignored our presence, which is unusual as they usually flee and vanish. We were really delighted by the whole first class experience and would recommend it to anyone seriously interested in leopards. And yes, we saw the big 5 our first morning out. We saw families of Rhinos, Journies of giraffes, herds of elephants, occasionaly at arms length distance. (whew) and Lions and cubs, and lots and lots of leopards. I hope you can post these sample images. You are the best!

Sincerely,

Tim and Debra Landis. May, 2007.

Jason and Kirsten Lacombe (2007) – (Djuma Vuyatela Game Reserve)

Hi Mark,

Admittedly it’s been a little while since we returned from S. Africa but didn’t want to forget to thank you for putting together a great trip for my me and my wife, Kirsten. Everything worked out fantastic: transfers were spot-on, the itinerary/guide you included was incredibly helpful and the animals, well, the animals were unbelievable. We had a fantastic time.

Thanks again,

Jason and Kirsten Lacombe

Kaare Foy (2007) – (Simbambili Game Reserve)

Hi Celeste,

Thank you for organizing the “safari” last month. I was met in Jo’burg as planned, taken to the hotel by a very polite and efficient young man, and everything went superbly smoothly for the entire vacation.

Thank you especially for recommending Simbambili.

Every time I thought it could not get any better, it did!

Hippo’s on three occasions, including five in one location, four giraffe, a family of warthogs, kudu, white rhino and black rhino, hyenas, African wild dogs, hundreds of impala, zebra, dozens of elephants within a few yards, snake eagles and fish eagles, wildebeest, leopard mother and cubs, three other leopards, vultures, a Wahlberg eagle, a lion and seven lionesses within a few feet, being surrounded by hundreds of Cape Buffalo, Nyala, Steenbuck, a Genet, waterbuck, duikers, snakes, Harrier hawks, mongoose, monitor lizard, etc.

The Simbambili staff were very bright, friendly, efficient and competent. The accommodation far exceeded expectations – awesome. The food was excellent, with a good selection of wines – and we hardly saw a mozzie.

Well done!

Kind regards

Kaare Foy

Patrick and Marie-Christine Guerin (2006) – (Rocktail Bay Lodge)

Dear Mark,

A short note to wish you and all at Taga Safaris a happy New Year.

You organized a trip for us to Rocktail Bay last October and I promised then to let you know how it went.

Well it was really memorable, perfectly hosted at the Rocktail Bay lodge where we had a very good rest in idyllic surroundings, with very friendly people at the lodge. The return flights with the two ZUMAT pilots between Rocktail Bay and Richards Bay were extraordinary. The humpback whales were migrating south so, in addition, we had many whale sightings along that spectacular north eastern coast of South Africa.

Many thanks for your organization and professionalism.

Yours truly,

Patrick and Marie-Christine Guerin

Roger & Sue Yandle (2006) – (Leadwood Game Lodge)

Hello Celeste

I can only describe our holiday as fabulous and Leadwood is definately one of the highlights. Thank you so much for recommending it. I was disappointed when we couldn’t get into Londolozi but wow, am I glad. Have you seen it for yourself? It is hard to do it justice to anyone who hasn’t benn there but everything about it was truly amazing.

Thanks once again and next time we want a South African experience, I will come back to you.

Best wishes

Sue

Donald & Barbara Brown (2006) – (Jacana Camp, Jack’s Camp, Duma Tau Camp, Chobe Game Lodge and The Royal Livingstone)

We had a wonderful time. Jacana, Jacks and Duma Tau were terrific. I would return to Jacana and Duma Tau. Once is enough at Jacks. Chobe Game Lodge was fine. The Royal Livingstone was impressive. Everything worked out on schedule and without a hitch. Thanks for your help. I identified 201 bird species that were new to me, against my original target of 150. My wife and I saw lots of the animals we came to see and she got some excellent photos of both the birds and the animals. It was a trip of a lifetime.

Don and Barbara Brown

Allen & Phyllis Siegle (2006) – (The Grace Hotel, Chitabe Camp, Vumbura Plains and Kings Pool Camps)

Hi, Celeste

We had a fabulous time in Botswana and enjoyed each of the 3 WS camps, especially Vumbura Plains, which was just beautiful. I know its modern décor/design has been controversial, but we really enjoyed the bright, expansive accommodations. We were fortunate to have been able to go out alone with a guide 2 times, so Allen had wonderful opportunities to watch for birds during these rides. Most guests like to stop only for big game, so we didn’t push to see birds on other days. If time shares were available at VP, I’d love to consider it as a vacation option. I’m glad we chose camps run by Wilderness Safaris, since their management was so capable and attentive. I’d recommend WS any time.

Did you hear that we had to be evacuated from Chitabe due to the spread of a fire in a local village? As it turned out, we were sent to VP a day early and that was very fortunate, since we really had a terrific time there.

I’ve attached a link to our photos (just a few that we culled from the thousands we took between us). Hope you enjoy them.

By the way, the vegetarian meals on SAA during our return trip were so much better than on our inbound flight. I guess the food service in South Africa far exceeds the food service in the U.S.

Also, I figured out that Allen & I moved out of 41 Burnett Terrace in West Orange at the end of May, 1971. Is that when your sister bought the house? Everyone who has heard the story about your sister living in that house has gotten goose bumps. What a small world this really is!!!

Wishing you a good year.

Phyllis

Val & Kevin Davis (2006) – (The Coach House, Mount Sheba Country Lodge, Simbambili, Mala Mala, Hulala Lakeside Lodge, Diaz 15, Hog Hollow, Hilltop Country Lodge, De Zeekoe Guest House, Mimosa Lodge, Auberge Burgundy Guesthouse, Grootbos Nature Reserve, Franschhoek Country House, Eikendal Guest House & Table Bay Hotel)

Hi Mark,

Sorry not to have got back to you sooner but we have just gone back to school and can now access this e-mail address again. We had an absolutely fabulous time in South Africa thanks to all your organisation. Simbambili and Mala Mala certainly delivered leopards – we saw 11 different one in the 5 days, and it was lovely to be able to put names to them and know who was whose mum etc. Fantastic tree views and kills up trees etc. We could’nt have wished for better sightings of leopards and lion families.

We await with interest the diary of when we were there on 1st – 3rd August . Kevin took some good digital photos of leopards lions etc and we wondered if you would like a selection to go on your website. I would also like to add some complementary comments to your guest book when I have time. I have to say that Simbambili was by far my favourite place – the atmosphere was so relaxed and friendly and we got on well with Emma and Chris, although we had Mamps and Debeer as our team and they got the best sightings of the day for us, with Chris arriving with his guests just as the leopard came out of the hole or climbed down the tree so they missed all the action!

We promised to report to Emma on how we liked Mala Mala to compare. It was great viewing and a wonderful setting, but if I am honest I felt totally relaxed at Simbambili and they made us feel like friends not paying guests. The rest of the trip went really well and we were so lucky to miss all the rain and floods at Knysna but did see all the debris and roads cut off even two weeks later. It was even sunny in Cape Town and we finally managed to get up Table Mountain. I can thoroughly recommend all the lodges and guest houses.

The day with Grant the Meerkat man at Oudtshorn was amazing as well as we got so close to them and then followed them through the bush for about 4 hours – can highly recommend it if anyone wants to see meerkats without going to Botswana. Sadly it it back to England, rain and work, but we have some great pictures and loads of memories to take us through the dark winter. Time to start planning next year ! I would love to go back to Simbambili some time but there are other places to see first.

If I can convince Kevin I want to go to East Africa and see how that compares but suspect I might be disappointed as Namibia and South Africa have set such a high standard it is going to be hard to beat. We also want to see something of South America including the Galapagos and Easter Island, but I would still love to get my ‘big game fix’ sometime next year, although not on such a grand scale ! I shall continue to drool over the leopard and lion diaries as they are now personal friends and look forward to hearing how the cubs get on.

Many thanks again for all your work on our behalf – I wish we could have met in Jo’burg but perhaps another time. Let me know if you want some photos and if there is anything in particular that you could use. I have nothing but praise for your organisation and will take every opportunity to promote it to people in England that are looking to go to South Africa in the future. Have you ever thought about advertising at the Travel Show in London in January each year – there are a lot of potential customers out there and we can certainly vouch for the quality of service .

Best wishes

Val Davis

Kirk Hamilton (2006) – (Kapinga Camp, Kafue National Park, Zambia)

Hi Mark,

Busanga is absolutely fantastic. It was still pretty wet, but there was lots of game (and it only gets better as things dry out). Altogether a very beautiful place. I attach the first photo I have processed (just got home last night), and will send you a web link once I have some more photos online.

Kapinga camp is gorgeous – if you get a chance you should stay there.

Cheers,

Kirk

Dave & Jan Denholm (2006) – (Inyati Game Reserve)

Dear Mark,

Just a quick line after our return to the UK to say what a fantastic time we had at Inyati. There are just too many good things to say about the staff, our ranger and tracker and the wealth of experiences we enjoyed.

Thanks for all your help and Celeste’s, in making this part of our “special” holiday so special.

Best wishes,

Dave and Jan Denholm

Southampton,

Gordon Scott and family (2006) – (Lanzerac Manor, Cape Grace, Kings Pool, Vumbura Plains, Dulini Game Lodge and Melrose Arch Hotel)

Dear Celeste:

It was great to meet you and Mark. After working with you for a bit over a year it was like meeting old friends, and thanks for the drinks.

As we said, our trip to South Africa and Botswana was so much more than we expected in every way. Animals, scenery, people, service and food seemed to conspire to make each day even better, more dramatic and exciting than the day before. Thank you for your wonderful suggestions! The three camps were each unique and special; we could not have had a better camp experience. Outstanding accommodations, service and food plus games drives and sundowners with extremely knowledgeable and friendly guides made us not want to leave.

Everything went without a snag. Having organized and led tours in other parts of the world ourselves one anticipates some bloopers along the way; we had none. The in-depth knowledge of the camps, hotels and tours that you have is outstanding and your recommendations made our trip the joy it was.

Again our thanks for giving us such an outstanding trip. We can’t wait to do it again.

Riki Geldenhuys and family (2006) – (Shumbalala, Mala Mala and Rocktail Bay Lodges)

Hi Celeste

Thanks, everything went very well.

We all enjoyed the trip very much and it was a pleasure to see how the kids were fascinated by everything they saw.

Both Shumbalala and Mala Mala were great, and I was surprised how child friendly both places were. Rocktail Bay Lodge is a place we will go to again (perhaps in the turtle season).

Everything went smoothly and there were no hitches along the way.

Thank you for the fruit and goodies basket in Shumbalala, also to you and Mark for your help and responsiveness.

Hopefully we can be in touch again.

Kind regards

Riki

Ilse Fourie (2006) – (Dulini Game Lodge)

Hi Sherise

Just wanted you to know that our experience at Dulini was awesome! The rooms were stunning, the service excellent and the game was outstanding! We saw the Big 5 in 2 days. The only thing we didn’t see was zebra, but that’s not the worst thing that can happen to a person! I attach a pic (in black and white) of a beautiful leopard we saw within 30 minutes of our first game drive.Thanks for the tip on Dulini! It was a very special experience for us. I’ll keep your details on file and will contact you in the future for our next safari!

Thanks for everything.

Regards, Ilse

Rod McClure (2006) – (Inyati and Dulini Game Lodges)

Dear Celeste,

just a short note to say i am back home…. I had the most wonderful time on Safari, and am impressed and so appreciative of your ability to organise the whole thing at less than a moments notice. And you were right, Dulini was a dream….. But Inyati was great too, and the bush was fantastic……….

Thank you so much,

Rod

Antonella (2006) – (Inyati Game Reserve)

Dear Sherise,

Just wanted to let you know that we had a great time at Inyati and saw the big 5 in 24 hrs!! We had a great ranger, George, and a very nice tracker, Solly.

I am already starting to write about it so my memory don´t do me a trick.

Francine was also very friendly and we had great chats.

Imagine we almost got flooded and could barely get our way out due to the last day´s heavy pouring. The whole reserve was under water, but we managed.

Well, you will certainly hear from me and hope to meet you next time we come to SA.

best regards

Antonella

Ralph and Phyllis Hahn (2006) – (South Africa and Zimbabwe)

Hi Celeste,

Just wanted to let you know that we have returned from our trip to South Africa and Zimbabwe. We had a wonderful time and the plans that you made for us were great.

We certainly enjoyed the Gorah Elephant Camp and loved the tents plus the convenience of it being so close to Port Elizabeth. We would highly recommend it.

Everything was wonderful at the Victoria Falls Hotel and the Wilderness Safari people were prompt and well organized.

We enjoyed our entire trip and just wanted to thank you for helping us put all the pieces together.

Best Regards,

Phyllis and Rolf Hahn