AFRICAN SAFARI TESTIMONIALS

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More testimonials on Page 2

FEEDBACK FROM OUR CLIENTS:

Eyes on Africa are proud of our work and success in planning our clients' African safari vacations, exotic adventures and romantic honeymoons.  The following are just a few of the comments we've received from our clients regarding their Eyes on Africa safari experiences.

We would also be pleased to put you directly in touch with past clients as further referrals at your request.

Good Morning Marguerite,

The Eyes on Africa Digital Safari was spectacular in every regard. It has reset my criteria for a photo safari. Botswana, Okavango, the game viewing, the camps, James, Grant, & Robert were all superb. Now that is not all good because I’m trying to figure out how to do more in 2009 & 2010. My 2009 schedule is too full now & 2010 is too far away. As soon as I solve this puzzle, I’ll be contacting EOA.

Thank you for your excellent help in the process of making it all happen!

C. Zanoni, Connecticut - December 2008

Dear Pamela,

Elephant encounter in Botswana at Stanley's Camp

K. Burleson and Elephant

The Burleson's in Africa

K. Burleson and more elephants

Hi Pam,

Sorry it took a little while for us to let you know that we had a spectacular trip! The worst part was to adjust to being back home and going back to work afterwards! We took so many pictures there's no room to download them all onto the computer, and we're pretty sure we each gained about 10 pounds from all the excellent food. Thank you so much for picking just the perfect combination of lodging and experiences for our honeymoon.

We had a great time at 12 Apostles, and the guide and the transfers all showed up magically without our having to look for them. We had the most awesome guide at Kings Camp (Cynet), and went on some very exciting leopard-tracking drives. We thought the Kings Camp suite was beautiful, and yet the little house we had at Exeter Leadwood was something else, particularly with elephants and baboons coming right up to drink from the pool. The combination of experiences at Timbavati and Sabi Sands was perfect, since we saw things at each reserve that was difficult to find at the other.

We saw a herd of 300+ buffalo galloping to the waters to drink, followed a cheetah and a leopard on a hunt (unsuccessful, but still very exciting for us), watched 7 lions fighting over a kill from a few feet away, saw baby versions of elephants, lions, buffaloes and giraffes, and even learned a little about birding. It's impossible to describe all the wonderful animals we saw, from huge elephants ripping down branches to a little chameleon hiding on a twig. I am also very fond of the little mongooses, vervet monkeys and most of all the warthogs that wander through Kings Camp from time to time.

Thank you so much for figuring out exactly what we wanted for our honeymoon, and getting us a trip even better than we could have imagined. We met some great people at the camps, and would absolutely love to head back on safari again as soon as possible!

Much thanks, and pictures to come whenever we get a chance to wade through them!.

G. & T. Hsu, Rhode Island - October 2008

The Krohns in Africa

Leopard

Nicky,
 
We just returned from our trip to South Africa and Zambia and it exceeded my expectations across the board.  There were NO problems, everything happened as planned and the trip was fabulous.  Everybody from Gordon picking us up at the airport to the folks at Federal Air who delivered us back at the Johannesburg airport after our trip to Rocktail Bay were great!   
 
We particularly liked Nikwali.   The staff, accommodations, location, food, and game viewing were amazing.   The staff surprised us with a Champagne Sundowner on the ridge overlooking the park on our last night, (followed up with a leopard sighting -  dining on a freshly killed impala no less!).  It was hard to say goodbye to the staff, they were wonderful and knowledgeable!   Chongwe River Camp was wonderful in its own way and canoeing and boating was a nice change to the game drives.   Our final destination was Rocktail Bay Lodge.   The weather did not cooperate for diving our first day out but we did get diving in on the second day and it was excellent.  Rocktail lodge itself needs a bit of maintenance but the staff was excellent and the location was incredible.  We were told that Wilderness Safari were going to rebuild Rocktail in the next year or so.
 
Many thanks for arranging our tour in Johannesburg with Robin Binkes, he was a great guide, was very informative and educational and just a really nice guy.
 
I just can't say thank you enough.   Nicky, you did a great job of listening to what we wanted to do and absolutely delivered on your promises.   I can't wait to visit Africa again.

L. McCallum, Colorado - September 2008

Vanessa,

We had a wonderful trip. There are absolutely no complaints. Everything was excellent.

We were met by Akorn on time at the airport and they took us to the Serena Hotel. We enjoyed the hotel it was really really nice. It was clean, had good food, a friendly, helpful and courteous staff. The grounds were beautiful as was the pool. When we arrived around 9:00 PM we had a dinner buffet by the pool. The view and food was great. It was the best meal I had had in a restaurant since May 23. Akorn picked up our sons on Saturday night. They arrived around 10:30 PM from the US.

I was glad I chose to go to Lewa and to Intrepids at the Masai Mara. That was a good decision. It was two very different experiences. Lewa was small and private with very nice cottages. The scenery was different that the Masai Mara as were the activities. Intrepids was more sort of commercialized with more people. Because Lewa is smaller and more private it had a little higher level of service. In fact, the first day we arrived we were the only guests. The animals also exhibited different behaviors and the scenery was very different and the game drives had a different feel.

The cottages at Lewa were very nice and spacious. We had the two bedroom two bath cottage. Each bedroom was large with a sitting area. The bathroom was also very large. The two bedrooms were connected with an outdoor porch and a sitting room. The porch had some very comfortable little bed and chairs. The sitting room had a fireplace and a little bar. The staff had a fire going for us when we returned from the evening game drive around 6:30 or 7:00 PM. There was also a nice pool area, tennis court, a veranda attached to the main house, and another sitting area where we met for drinks before dinner. So, we had many comfortable places to hang out between game drives. There were some private places for the Graig's that were off limits to guests, but given all of the other places that were open to us we never felt restricted.

We left Serena around 10:00 AM to head out to Wilson Airport to fly into Lewa. As we were flying into to Lewa I was quite puzzled about where the animals might be. Before we got to Lewa we made one stop about 10 minutes away. I did not see any animals there and did not see any as were flew into the Lewa Conservatory airstrip. So as we were flying in I was thinking to my self, we have been taken, there are no animals here. I was certain we were going to hear something like, "Should have been here last week."

Was I ever wrong.

At the airport we were met by our driver/guide Moongi (sp?) and some sort of a guy in training named Peter. Peter was a Masai who was just going to be at Lewa for a few weeks for some training or something. I never really figured out exactly what sort of program he was on, but he was very pleasant to be around and I was glad he was with us. When I first met Moongi I did not fully appreciate his ability and talent. The more time we spent with him, the more we liked him. Anyway, I was thinking to myself as we left the airstrip, "There are no animals here!" I was preparing myself mentally for a let down. Was I ever wrong. We drove along a river bottom as we left the airstrip. We could not have been two minutes from the airstrip when we spotted our first zebra, giraffe and elephant. The drive over to the cottages and lodges was full of stops for pictures of animals. We were almost late for lunch. There were animals everywhere.

When we arrived we met the Craigs and had a nice lunch. After we rested after lunch we went on out first game drive with Moongi and Peter. Moongi was awesome. He knew everything about the animals. He had
been at Lewa for 22 years, 18 as a guide. I think we got lucky to get him because we were the only guests there the first day. Some other guests arrived on Monday and Tuesday I got the impression they were not as pleased with their guide as we were with Moongi. He knew everything about the animals. As he would drive along the roads he would lean out of the jeep looking for tracks and spoor. On Monday evening we were driving around and Moongi leaning out the jeep spotted a lion spoor. He got out and put his hand close to it said it was fresh. Monday evening he told us he thought he know where some Cheetahs were, but we needed to leave about 30 minutes earlier. That turned out to be a great decision as we, I say we but I mean Moongi, spotted three male cheetahs who were out hunting. They were beautiful and the light was perfect for taking pictures. It was a great morning. No other guests saw the cheetahs, so hats off to Moongi.

After we left the cheetahs we started looking for lions. One of the differences in behavior between Lewa lions and Masai Mara lions is that the Lewa lions are not really in a pride. They are more solitary and therefore harder to spot. Also, Lewa lions don't hunt during the day. Later that day on the afternoon game drive, after spending an about an hour looking for it, Moongi spotted a lion. It was perched on a big fallen tree
limb. It could not been in a better position for taking pictures. The thing about Moongi is that he spot those animals a mile away, without binoculars. He was amazing. He would say, "There are two rhinos over on the
side of that hill on the other side of the valley." They were only little dots. I could barley see them with binoculars. I don't know how he saw that lion. It had to be over half a mile away and it was sitting on a log that was almost the same color as the lion. I recall clearly he first spotted it without binoculars.

On Tuesday morning we went out on horseback for a bush breakfast. That was fun. We got really close to the animals on the back of a horse. We rode the camels back, but Jeffrey and I got off an walked about half way. Damn camels are hard to ride. We also took a hike down a little stream. That was just beautiful. To add excitement to the hike we went with a guy carrying a rifle for protection. Lewa was great. The weather was perfect. It was cold in the mornings.

We flew over Mara Intrepids on Wednesday morning. Intrepids was a tented camp on the Masai Mara. It was also real nice. The accommodations in the tent were great. The camp looks out over the Talek river. Food was good. Service in the restaurant was just ok. Game drives were different. Intrepids had three per day. Lewa just two. Two per day was plenty. We felt a little rushed with three. Not quite enough time to rest between drives. And, believe it or not the drives are tiring. Bouncing, and there is a lot of bouncing, around in the jeep in the sun and wind can be very tiring. You could say, that the drives aren't mandatory, which they are not, but after spending so much time and money getting there you hate to pass on an opportunity to see something new and different. By the end of the week were all very tired. In fact J. and F. passed on the last two game drives and those are the ones where Martha and I saw baby cheetahs and baby lions. Of course being the young men they are they could not let any disappointment show that they had missed seeing the baby cheetahs or baby lions.

One way that the game drives were different is that spotting the animals in the Masai Mara is a little easier because you can look for all of the other jeeps. If you see a bunch of jeeps gathered together go over there because there is something there. It was not that way at Lewa. Some of the things we saw at Masai Mara that we did not see at Lewa were big, huge crocs. These were unbelievably big crocs. We watched the crocs
feed on a dead buffalo that was floating in the river. That was awesome. I don't know if the crocs killed it or it drowned, but buffalos are big animals the crocs dwarfed the buffalo. Masai Mara also had hippos, leopards, baby lions and cheetahs.

One morning at the Masai Mara we watched some hyenas feasting on a wildebeests kill from the night before. Hyenas have powerful jaws. We could hear them breaking the rib bones as they were eating. We were that close and it was that quiet. Eventually about 30 vultures came over and tried to intimidate the hyenas into giving up the kill. That was real interesting to watch. I had seen that behavior on television, but to see it in person was incredible. We did not get to see a lot of migration. The timing was not right. We also did not see a river crossing. That would have been great. We did visit a Masai village. That was not that good. The smell was overpowering.

When we got back to Nairobi we went to the giraffe center. That was nice. We got to feed and touch the giraffes. The elephant orphanage was also great. All in all a very good trip.

Your website has some advice on binoculars. I bought some Nikon Monarch ATB 10X42. I paid about $300. Every time I passed them around to a guide to borrow they always said, "Wow, how clear and strong and light and wide field of vision." They were also good in low light situations. I bought them sight unseen off the internet and was really happy with them. They are about 20% the cost of the Leika's recommended on your website. This might be a good cheaper alternative to suggest to your clients.

Here is a list of the animals we saw
1. Lion and lion cubs
2. Cheetah and cheetah cubs
3. Hippopotamus
4. Giraffe
5. Cape buffalo
6. Hyena
7. Rhinoceros
8. Jackal
9. Kudu
10. Impala
11. Zebra
12. Warthog
13. Crocodile
14. Baboon
15. Waterbuck
16. Vulture
17. Eagle
18. The world’s largest flying bird (Kori Bustard).
19. Wildebeests

The Corbin family at Lewa Downs

Black Rhino at Lewa

Reticulated Giraffe at Lewa

Male lion at Lewa

Zebra at Lewa

Wildebeests in the Masai Mara

Gorilla trekking in Rwanda

Silverback Mountain Gorilla in Rwanda

Tree climbing lion in Kenya

Cheetah - Masai Mara

The Masai tribe in Kenya

Black Rhino

K. Selund on safari in Malawi

Safari in Malawi

Hello Nicky, I just wanted to write and tell you what a fabulous time we had in S.Africa. The trip definitely exceeded our expectations and most of the credit is due to your expert planning!  Both Ngala and Exeter River lodges were outstanding in their accommodations and service.  We were amazed at how many animals we saw and how close to them we were.

K. & B. Morrow on safari in South Africa

Leopard image by B. Morrow

Dear Nicky,

The Winters family at MalaMala

A. Winters and lion cubs

Hi Vanessa,

The trip was fantastic!  Everything was on schedule and the camps were amazing, both the amenities and the wildlife!  Each camp had its own highlights:

Mala Mala - Lions and Leopards were the theme here.  We spent three separate occasions photographing the Styx lionesses and their seven cubs;  we even discovered them feeding on an old wildebeest carcass.  We also spent time with two female leopards.  The first we got to see with her cub, and we were able to spend 30 minutes with the cub as it rested out in the open on a log.  The other female tried to catch a duiker right in front of our vehicle, although she was unsuccessful.

Savuti - This camp turned out to be the total opposite of what was expected (which was just as fun!).  The channel is now flowing and was almost up to the camp when we were there.  So, we saw no large plains predators ( in fact we saw no cats at all here).   We had tons of fun though with elephants galore;  we even got to see a herd of up to 100 crossing the Savute Channel.  The highlight at this camp had to be the chance to see a wild dog pack hunt (even though they failed).  We also decided to take a walking tour, which turned out to be a great experience!

Little Vumbura - It was great fun living on an island!  I have to admit that it started slow with a day that included getting stuck in the mud.  We saw lions that day, but they had just eaten so that meant all they did was sleep.  Day 2 turned out to be much more exciting.  I had the chance to photograph a martial eagle with a francolin kill at close range!  In addition we saw hyena, and I had the chance to photograph some giraffes as the sun set behind them.  We also saw numerous wetland birds and had an enjoyable powerboat ride and mokoro trip.

Chitabe -  We didn't see any wild dogs, but this camp sure turned out to be the grand finale (that may be an understatement).  On our first afternoon we saw a male cheetah (the only big cat we hadn't seen yet).  Well he seemed very skittish, and we thought we had scared him into the brush.  But while we were watching a herd of elephants cross a plain at sunset,  he rushed out of the brush to make an attempt on a herd of Impala (missed though).  It was a quite a sight to see a cheetah hunting at speed (even though it was half speed according to our guide).

Day 2 started with an old lion kill.  We got there just in time to see the male leave the kill.  After he left, over a 100 vultures rushed in with a jackal and hyena to clean up the mess.  It was a blast watching the jackal try to run off the vultures!  That afternoon we saw a leopard make two attempts on impala though both failed early in the hunt.  Day 3 managed to get even better.  The guides found a "hungry" cheetah with 3 almost full-grown cubs.  We spent the morning watching them hunt, which included a duiker chase that went right by the vehicle.   On our way to an outdoor lunch, we spotted another leopard (and saw another failed attempt on some Impala)!   That afternoon we decided to track cheetahs as they hunted.  We were lucky to see two more failed attempts on Impalas, before the mother left the cubs behind and went all out.  We didn't see much of the chase, as it was in thick brush, but we were first on the scene (by about 20 minutes) as she finished the kill and the cubs began feeding.  To top it off, we saw a honey badger on our last morning!

The trip was more than we expected.  It truly was amazing!

Sindelar family at the Victoria Falls

Hi Pam,

I just wanted to let you know that we had a great trip to Botswana and Zambia. We were very happy with all of our lodging and the logistics went smoothly. Thanks so much for all that you did to ensure that we had a good journey.

The Chongwe House was really spectacular--I'm glad you found that one for us! Kwando Lagoon gave us a rare opportunity to visit an African Wild Dog den--we got to see all of the pack members and even some 3-week old puppies! We had leopard sightings at three different locations--Vumbura, Chongwe and Robin's Camp. Jack's Camp was very special and our guide there, Cyrus, was outstanding.

We've really enjoyed working with you and will contact you when we plan our next trip to Africa, hopefully within the next couple of years.

J. Hogan, California - July 2008

The Johnson's on their safari

Johnson safari at MalaMala

R. & K. Breen on safari in Botswana

Mombo Leopard

Mokoro safari at Xigera Camp

Elephants at DumaTau Camp

The Hope family on safari in Botswana

Hi Nicky,

We are home from our trip and I just wanted to let you know we loved every minute!   Thanks so much for all your help in planning our vacation.   Everything worked out so well - things went so smoothly.   It was so nice to have all the "behind the scenes details" taken care of.   The people at Wilderness Safaris and all their drivers, pilots, etc. were so nice.

Our accomodations were great.   Loved the Welgelegen - what a nice bunch of people who work there.   If it hadn't been so far away from evening activities, we would have probably stayed there the whole time.   The safari camps were great - two different type of experiences, but we enjoyed them both.   Garonga had a more secluded feel, but didn't have as much of a variety of animals.   Simbambili had loads of animals, but they and the near by camps also had loads of people.   Both were wonderful accomodations and the people were so nice.   The Portswood in Cape Town was a great location - loads going on nearby.   The people there were also very nice.   Hmmm......did I mention that everyone was so nice?!

We were able to see and do a lot in Cape Town......took a trip to the Cape Pennisula, a city tour, a wine country tour and a trip to Robben Island.   Jim hiked to the top of Table Mountain.   I took a pass on that, but took the double decker bus tour instead that went to the outskirts of town and I was able to tour a township near Hout Bay.   It was so interesting........a bit depressing, but you could see that the people are working hard to make life better for themselves and their children.   

Thanks, too, for the beautiful "Big 5" book that you sent to us.   It was in our mail when we got home.    The photos are spectacular.   Please feel free to use us as a reference if anyone should ask.   I'd be more than happy to tell them about how helpful you were.

If and when we ever go back to Africa (we'd love to take our kids someday), I will definitely be calling you.

Thanks again
S. Vroman, Illinois - March 2008

Hello Marguerite,

We had an incredible time in Africa, a really fantastic vacation.  Chapungu and Champ Okavango were absolutely superb. Chapungu is very well run,with great guides and fantastic food. We saw the big 5 already the first night, fascinating. Unfortunately I cought a stomach bacteria, probably on the plane to SA and had to see a doctor, who put me on antibiotics. The management was extremely helpful and organized a car and driver to take me to the doctor's appointment. I was ok again after a couple of days.

Camp Okavango, a beautiful camp, was completely different to Chapungu. Trekking every morning at 6 on foot till 10. It got hot at 8 and the trekking was much more than a nature walk.The landscape was fantastic and spotting animals was probably even more exciting on foot than by car. The camp was well run and the cuisine was great.  The tents in both camps were great, rustic, clean and fitting, no frills and extras.

The Victoria Falls were great and so was the Zambezi river. The river cruises were fun after Chapungu and Okavango. The boys had a good time river rafting.

Cape Town, what a great town, Victoria & Alfred Hotel great location, breakfasts great. We had a fabulous time in Cape Town, saw all the sites, did some shopping and even went to the beach (the boys had a great time bodysurfing) a perfect ending to a great vacation.

Looking back, the trip was a great success and I would choose Eyes on Africa again for my next Africa vacation. We had a fabulous time, thanks for organizing our Africa adventure.

B. Buffam, Connecticut - January 2008

Hi Pam,
 
Hope is all well. I went to Hawaii this past week and even though i had a good time, i was thinking about Camp's Bay THE WHOLE TIME. Now that i've been, NOTHING COMPARES!! Maui just seemed "so white & fluffy", so overpriced and almost dull. I cannot wait to go back to Camps.  I use it as my anchor for finding my "goddess self." it was just so vibrant and alive and magical. I feel like I can do whatever I want when i put myself when i put myself in that mindset.  Anyways I wanted to FINALLY pass along the referral:
  
I recently used Pam at Eyes on Africa to set up a 3 week trip to go to South Africa.  I've had never been there before, and was traveling by myself, so I heavily relied on Pam to put together a trip that was both cost effective and full of adventure. She did both perfectly! I can honestly say that it was one of the best experiences of my life! I saw everything and did all of the things that I wanted, traveled like a queen, and felt great about the price. She was able to get a much cheaper airline & hotel prices than I could find. Her recommendations for the restaurants & shopping & activities that I should go to where spot on. Also, the safari was divine. Absolutely amazing... it's hard to put into words the experience. It's just one of those things that you have to do. I spent about 2 weeks in Cape Town splitting my time at the waterfront, the wineries, and Camp's Bay. I cannot wait to go back. I had such a good time that my parents are going this year and using Pam to plan the entire trip! I highly recommend her! CHEERS!

I'm already planning when my next trip is going to be. Hope you're well. XO.

H. Prosser on safari in South Africa

Table Mountain view

Dear Nicky,

I cannot belive that I have waited so long to write to thank you with deep and warm thanks for the most magnificent, beautiful, educational, amazing, fun, inspriring, exciting vacation of my life.  [On day 3 of our adventure, I was at a loss for appropriate adjectives that were able to express my overwhelming emotions and senses...except "wow"!!  What I had previously described as a 'once in a lifetime', quickly became our first of many experiences in South Africa!!]

Nicky, thank you for all your thought and efforts that you dedicated to our experience in your home country.  We appreciated and learned from each location, each experience, each person.... I have never been a photographer--and was quite apprehensive-- especially after reading your husband's recommendations for cameras, lenses and binoculars--of taking pictures, yet looking back and viewing our 856 shots (!!), I am additionally appreciative of all James' ideas, sharings which actually urged me to bring the camera (purchased the day before we left) and take pictures of any/everything!!

I always keep a journal with me; I rarely keep up with my thoughts, travels, perceptions.  In S.Africa, however, I could not keep up, yet kept writing and writing and weeping with glee and joy, sorrow (at my inaction, ignorance, and lack of action)...and placing more items, cards, notes in my journal.  The animals were magnificent and majestic, the accommodations were superb and luxurious, the people--from our Andrew, our Cape Town guide to Robin in Jo'burg, to each Ranger and Tracker in between--were gracious, grateful and generous, and the views and country were mind-boggling, mind-expanding, mind-enriching!!

Nicky, my only regret is that I waited so long for my first trip to South Africa!

We have shared our joy, lessons, learning and delight with all friends and associates, knowing that our travels were specially grand, extra-specially prepared, scheduled by you, Nicky!!   So, thank you for sharing South Africa with M. and me.  We had the time of our life, and our adventures were beyond every expectation we had.   

Warmest regards,
K. & M. Norris, South Carolina - November 2007

P.S. Nicky, I have a small 'regret' and major request: On the last day of our 2nd 'Camp', a server accidentally spilled coffee on my Eyes On Africa hat -- "See Africa, Fall In Love."  The red thread bled such that I could not salvage my hat.  Since I wore it each day--on each of 10 safaris --our hats are in many, many photos, and remains on M.'s head since we have returned home. I would treasure having another...!  If I am not asking too much--and there is no rush, may I please have a replacement Eyes On Africa hat?

Good morning Vanessa,

What a fun surprise to receive the fabulous Mombo book! It will be perfect to have over the holidays to show family and friends...especially since it many be months before I can work on  the 1200 pictures I took. I borrowed my son's "nice" camera with lenses and quickly turned into a photographer on the first game drive. In fact, we saw James and Nicky arrive with all their gear as we were leaving Mombo.
 
E. and I both are so impressed with the level of service you and Eyes on Africa were able to provide for our trip to Botswana and South Africa, especially at the last minute. You listened to our dream of Africa and made it happen. From start to finish we felt so well taken care of that all we had to do was relax and enjoy our journey. In Wilderness Safaris language, you are definitely 6 paws!!! Of course, we have already recommended you highly. Please pass along our very high praise to the management team at Wilderness Safaris, too. Without exception, each employee was well trained, engaging, positive and eager to do anything to make our visit pure pleasure. Eyes on Africa and Wilderness Safaris make a terrific team.
 
The Westcliff was the perfect enclave for us to rest after a week in Dubai. The Jacaranda trees were in full bloom and made the most idyllic view of Johannesburg from the pool terrace. My tour with Robin Binkes was a highlight of my trip. His knowledge, passion and ability to tell the story of South Africa's history in such a compelling manner made my day with him a fascinating introduction to our journey in South Africa. Darren, your Wilderness Safari representative, was delightful to meet and quickly followed through with every request we had during our stay.
 
Of course, we had "dreams" of what we hoped Africa would be. We wanted to fly in small planes looking out the entire time at the African landscape. We wanted small, comfortable tented camps. And most importantly, we wanted to see the animals. Botswana far surpassed our dreams of Africa! We arrived at our first camp, Mombo, and were warmly greeted by the staff singing. We walked along the board walk and through the entrance into the camp and came to an immediate stop...the view was amazing. You could see forever onto an open plain right in front of the camp deck. My first thought was that it was like Noah had opened the ark and let the animals out! We could hardly concentrate on the camp staff's welcome and introduction and watch the elephants, cape buffalo, giraffes, lechwe, impala, warthogs and baboons, too.
 
How can you explain to someone who has never been to Mombo how fabulous and luxurious a tent can be? Our guide, Alex, was an exceptionally knowledgeable young man and his passion for the bush made him the ideal guide for our first game drive experience. Not being a morning person, at all, I was concerned about the 5:30 am wake up and the morning game drive. Each drive was so spectacular, I couldn't imagine missing a single one...even at 5:30.  Chef Simon does a beautiful job of creating a dining experience that is both lovely in presentation and delicious to taste. We could have gained many pounds at Mombo, but feared we'd out grow our safari clothes the first week. The entire staff were engaging and delightful to spend time with during our stay. I couldn't think of a better entree to Africa than Mombo.
 
Arriving at Little Vumbura was just as I had hoped. We had a short plane hop from Mombo and were picked up by our guide "K" and driven to the boat landing, where we transferred to a small boat for our ride to Little Vumbura. E. and I enjoy boating and have a vacation home on a creek in a coastal nature preserve in South Carolina, so we loved every time we hopped on the boat to begin our game drives. Arriving at the dock, again to a delightful staff singing, a fun spirited tone was set for a wonderful visit to Little V. The camp has just been totally rebuilt and decorated, as you know. We thought it was fabulous. We especially enjoyed the view from the cozy library and lounge area. The tents are just as luxurious as Mombo, only smaller. When our guide learned we had not seen a leopard at Mombo, he made sure we saw three at Little V. Although we are certainly not "bird watchers," we thoroughly enjoyed the variety of bird sightings. Dining at Little Vumbura was like being invited to a fabulous small dinner party. The meals were excellent and it was obvious the staff took great pride in their work. They even shared a delicious recipe for sweet potatoes and leeks with me.  Our guide "K" was wise, witty, a wonderful story teller and determined that we come away loving Little Vumbura as much as he does. The community impact agreement with Wilderness Safaris is a wonderful model for social, environmental, political and economical success.

I did not think a trip to South Africa could be complete without a visit to MalaMala. But as you know, I was worried that Rattray's would not be an authentic experience.  His and her bathrooms, air conditioning, no tents and a private plunge pool we could get anywhere. Sometimes, I can be wrong. E. loved it! After being with people for two and half weeks, he asked for lunch to be delivered to our "villa"  with a bottle of wine and we lounged by the pool and napped in a COOL room until the afternoon game drive. The sequence of the camps was perfect, with our final destination being a  "colonial" experience. Steve along with his tracker, "Philiman"  guided us to the "Big Five" certificate. Two days there were perfect and I'm glad we went, but Botswana won our hearts.
 
We arrived in Cape Town with "The Doctors" and the rain. We were freezing after being in the 90's for three weeks. Our driver was right on time with umbrella in hand and drove us to Welgelegen. What a delightful B and B!  Fiona and her staff were lovely and eager to help in any way. Our room was on the top floor with a lovely view of the courtyard. We immediately got out our New York warm clothes and went to dinner at Ginja. This is a fabulous restaurant that you must recommend to clients. Food presentation and service is outstanding. The food is delicious, wine is excellent and all at a fraction of what it costs in US.

The next day we walked to the Green Market and visited the waterfront. That evening we had another outstanding meal at Jardin. On the third day, the car was delivered and thankfully the sun came out. The winds were still too strong to open Table Mountain or for boats to visit Robben Island.  So instead we drove to Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, which was beautiful and a relaxing way to start the day. From there we drove to Simon's Town and had lunch on the water. Touristy, but nice to be able to sit outside on the harbor. We had hoped to stop in Hout Bay but Chapman's Peak was closed. After lunch we drove down to the Cape of Good Hope and walked up to the Cape Point light house. What a spectacular view! The "Doctors" never left Cape Town while we were there so we never did get to the top of Table Mountain, or even see it for that matter, but we were glad we included Cape Town in our trip.
 
We left the city on a warm, blue sky day and made our way through Stellenbosch to Franschhoek. It's a pretty drive and we stopped for lunch outside at Terroir, in a vineyard just outside Stellenbosch. Franschhoek and Le Quartier was the ideal ending to our trip. Our suite was beautiful, overlooking the pool and the mountains. Our dinner in The Tasting Room was amazing and E. says its the best he's ever had...which is a huge compliment, since he's eaten in many fabulous restaurants all over the world. We relaxed, sat by the pool, visited a few vineyards, walked in the village and ate and drank our way to the last minute of our journey.
 
It was a luxury to spend a month with my husband of 38 years and have each day be so perfect. I wish you could plan all of our trips! Again, many thanks and praise. Have a wonderful holiday.

Fondly,
L. & E. Harrison, South Carolina - November 2007

Hello Nicky,

We were leaving Joburg the day you arrived.  It would have been great to meet you there. Our trip was excellent once again, probably as good as 2 years ago, but each one is different.
 
Kaya Mawa was very good.  The architecture and stonework are creative and stunning.  The site is beautiful.  The camp seems well managed, on a more casual schedule than a safari camp for good reason.  We did scuba by boat, and swimming directly off of our cottage.  Exploring the island by bicycle was very interesting too. R. and I would give Kaya Mawa a very good recommendation.  Nkwichi was very different, but also very good. Beautiful.    Qilalea was excellent. There is so so much to do there and the service is tops.

All of the safari camps were very good.  Mwamba and Kaingo were excellent bush camps.  The wildlife is great, the walking safaris were interesting and sometimes exciting, the place is crawling with lions, it was fantastic.   Mvuu was quite different, with focus on water safaris. There is less intensive wild game here, but the birds were amazing.  We went into a local village by bicycle for a different and interesting experience.
 
Thanks again for helping us to plan our trip.

M. Sinreich & R. Leone at Kaya Mawa

Kaya Mawa in Malawi

Dear Nicky,

The following is the e-mail I wrote family and friends from Cape Town.  I cannot add much to the total awe we had about the animals, the people, and the entire Botswana experience. The people in the camps were lovely and the people we met during the trip were interesting and fun. We returned about one week ago. We have yet to go through our photos, but when we do, I certainly will e-mail you a few!
  
Our continuation of our trip to South Africa worked out well. We even met Bishop Tutu at the Anglican Cathedral in Cape Town by chance! What a thrill that was. We spent six nights in Cape Town, drove to the Winelands - our first attempt at driving on the left - and then onto the Garden Route.
  
Thank you for all your planning and quick responses during the year we had to plan our wonderful trip. When we arrived home we received your lovely gift. The photos are gorgeous. Did your husband contribute to the book?  I have read some of the text also. It all brings back wonderful memories of our time in Mombo and Botswana. We were actually the only guests one of the nights in Little Mombo!
  
We will highly recommend your services.
  
Thank you again, Diane and Tom
D. & T. Gould, California - September 2007
 
Dear All,
We have just returned form our amazing time in Botswana. For as long as we have wanted to come to Africa, it is hard to imagine that this trip could exceed our expectations, but it did! We went to three safari camps- one in the far northeast, in a drier region near a spillway called Selinda, followed by a lovely camp in the Okavango Delta region called Little Vumbura,and finally Little Mombo in a national reserve called Moremi.

In the first two drives in Selinda, we saw leopards, lion, massive numbers of elephants ,zebra, hippos, buffalo, wildebeests, warthogs, impala, several types of antelope- too numerous to mention- wild dogs- which are very rare. The birds are so numerous and include, rollers, cranes, stork, ostrich, egrets, owls and eagles! Many people came up to us and told us how lucky we were to see that variety of animals in our brief time on safari.

The people were wonderful and kind. At Little Vumbura we lived on an island in the middle of the Delta.This camp had six tents and we were assigned the honeymoon cottage! This camp provided the opportunity to do both water and land "drive". We were visited by baboons one morning while we were gone and they seemed to like my calcium pills and travel books! No harm done, but the next day when T. saw the baboons, he said "There they go with green pills in their hands!"

We also were privileged to celebrate Botswana Independence Day with the wonderful people of this camp. They sang and danced for us and ended with the National Anthem.The night sky was amazing and you could even see the "clouds" of the Milky Way!  At our last game, in the Reserve (Moremi), there were many more animals and they seemed a bit less skittish. Although we were generally amazed that yo could get within 20 ft. of the animals, here you could get within ten ft. - but stay in the vehicle!  We saw two prides of lions, one 18 in number and one 22 in number. One evening we saw one of those prides feed on a buffalo. It was bloody and difficult for me to watch, but that is part of nature. T. was more impressed than I. When we came back the next morning to see the remains, there was just the seven vertebrae and skull left. We also observed leopard lounging on a tree limb and even saw two leopard mating- unusual.
  
Yesterday we flew from the bush to Maun, Botswana and then on to Joburg and then Cape Town. Today we went on an historical walking tour of Cape Town. We walked around on our own and then back here at out hotel, the African Villa. Tomorrow we are going to Robben Island. We have four more days in Cape Town and then it is on to the Winelands.

The Goulds at a Boma dinner in Botswana

Lions eating a buffalo at Mombo

Dear Nicky,
 
I had intended to come straight home from Africa and write you a  note.  But of course, I got home and tried to catch up with everything at home.
 
J. and I had a wonderful time on our trip.  We were just amazed at  how smoothly everything went, considering the fact that most of the time we were in the middle of nowhere.  We loved the Grace Hotel in Johannesburg.   We really liked the staff at the Sussi & Chuma.  I guess you know that Abercrombie and Kent has bought it and is remodelling. I hope that they don't  mess it up...we really liked it the way it was.  The manager was particularly interesting and well educated. The staff sang and danced both nights at dinner which we adored.
 
I think that our favorite camp was Little Vumbura.  Everything about  it was special. I think that we liked the staff at Selinda the best.  The manager, Ishmael, was friendly and welcoming.  We saw great animals at Chitabe and enjoyed the celebration of Botswana independence day. It was quite an affair there.
 
Cape Town was wonderful and we did wish that we had planned three nights there.  Our guide for the one day that we were there was really good, and we made it to all the sites that we wanted to see.  We also loved the Welgelegen....it was like staying in someone's very nice home.  The staff there was particularly helpful.
 
Your beautiful book arrived this week.  Thank you so very much.   It brings back such fond memories and the pictures are just a little bit better than ours (1000 of them).  The only one of the big five that we missed was of course the rhino.  I guess that we are just going to have to come back and see the rhinos in South Africa.
 
Thank you so much for your expert planning.  The traveling was exhausting but we had no worries about the arrangements.
 
Sincerely, 
C. & J. Caudill, Texas - September 2007
 
P.S.  We met Diane and Tom (don't know last name) at Selinda and then ran into them again at Little Vumbura.  It was such fun to meet and then remeet them. We shared the fact that you had planned both of our trips.

Hi Nicky,

Fantastic. That's all I can say. Everything went wonderfully and smoothly and the places were all, without exception, fantastic! Thanks so much.

I liked Royal Malewane better than Singita Boulders -- just had a bit better feel. I'm glad we stayed at both and I can see how the next guy might prefer the Singita experience to RM, but for me, I liked Royal Malewane better. Just had a more homey, less corporate, slightly cleaner feel. But again, this isn't a complaint and I am really happy to have visited both. Five nights at one would have made me a bit antsy.

The wedding was good. We had rain, and most of it was supposed to be outdoors, but what can you do. And we had a great plan B in case of rain -- so I was very pleased. Also, in the end it's the people that make it special and fun -- and they all showed up in spite of the rain. So yes, it went smoothly (enough)!

Regarding North Island -- It was heaven on earth. The absolute perfect way to get away and unwind -- especially right after such a big event. The setting, the villa, the help (Kamal was great) were all perfect. We really, really enjoyed our time there.

Also, regarding Singita Boulders, just so I leave you with the right impression -- it was super and if we'd never seen Royal Malewane, we'd be so in love with Singita Boulders. The setting, the people, the game, the food -- it was all first rate and no regrets whatsoever. It's just that when you stay back to back -- it begs a comparison. So that's where that came from.

Anyway. All went wonderfully and we are both very glad that we trusted you with our most special trip -- because it couldn't have been better or gone more smoothly. Thanks again for the help and if you ever need a reference -- I'm a fan!

Hope all is well with you and look forward to the next time we talk, which will mean I'm closer to returning!

Wedding ceremony in Europe

Honeymoon safari in South Africa

Dear Nicky,

Our trip was absolutely amazing!! Thanks so much for all of your help and advice in picking hotels/camps and getting everything booked. We had a wonderful few days in Cape Town and the Wilderness camps were absolutely unforgettable....we saw everything and loved every second.

It was the best trip we have taken in our lives and you helped make it happen. Thanks again for everything and I am sure I will be sending some additional business your way b/c many of our friends are looking to take similar trips...

Atop Table Mountain, Cape Town, South Africa

Cape Town, South Africa

Leopard, Mombo Camp, Botswana

Cheetah brothers, Botswana

Boat ride in the Okavango Delta, Botswana

With guide Alex at Mombo

Elephants in Botswana

Dear Vanessa,

Thank you, we had a wonderful African experience!  Your knowledge, expertise, and most of all your personal touch in designing our itinerary was right on.  You included all of our expressed points of interest, in addition, the transfers at the airports, hotels, etc., provided reassurance in an unfamiliar environment.  

B. and I especially appreciated your guidance in packing, what to see, and the other important nuances for travel in Africa.  We were captivated with the beauty of Cape Town. The guide escorted us on a full day tour of the peninsular. His commentary regarding the historical and current political and economic climate provided much insight.

Atop Table Mountain, Cape Town

Cape Point

Brunch in the Cape

Hi Vanessa,

I would like to thank you for the part you played in providing us with one of the most wonderful vacations we have ever had as a family.  What ever hesitation we had originally regarding this trip was immediately alleviated once we arrived at the camps. Each and every camp that you suggested was perfect.  I can’t say enough about all the people we met at the camps.  Each person made us feel welcome and comfortable from the moment we arrived.  Thank you for making this exciting adventure unforgettable.

The Bernal family on safari in Botswana

The Bernals ready for a mekoro safari

Red dunes of Sossusvlei, Namibia

Climbing the dunes, Sossusvlei, Namibia

The Tse family, Dead Vlei, Namibia

Hot air balloon view of the dunes, Sossusvlei

Zebras drinking at Etosha, Namibia

White Rhinos at Ongava, Namibia

Tents at Skeleton Coast Camp, Namibia

Sand and vehicle - Skeleton Coast

Eland, Kudu and Hartebeest, Etosha

Rocktail Bay coast - South Africa

Dear Vanessa,

Thank you so much for all you did to help us plan the 'perfect trip' to South Africa. It was our first time traveling to Africa and after our experience, it will not be our last. From our arrival in Johannesburg 'til our departure from Cape Town 2 weeks later, it was a spectacular vacation.

The safaris at both Chapungu and MalaMala were incredible - the animals so close, so beautiful...I felt like we were living 'National Geographic live'.  Our rangers and trackers were very knowledgeable, so we learned so much about the animals, their lives, the environment and the issues that threaten their continued existence. I took countless photos and the memories will last a lifetime. The food was delicious; we tried kudu, crocodile, warthog, springbok and ostrich - all cooked to perfection and complimented by choice South African wines. The accommodations were superb - I felt pampered and spoiled while 'on-safari'.

Traveling south to Grootbos, we enjoyed the South African shoreline, and the 'caged shark dive' was awesome...those great white sharks are huge up close! The Grootbos lodge and our stay in Cape Town at Cape Cadogan were equally impressive - superb food and facilities...and everyone so friendly, welcoming and helpful. We learned a lot about the political and economic issues South Africa faces as it works to develop its tourism industry and recover from the Apartheid era.

I so appreciate all of the suggestions you made to make our trip so memorable...you truly listened to our trip dreams and goals and made it a reality. It is very rare to return from a trip and not have something that could have 'been done better' - but there is nothing from our trip that could have been improved. You have our highest praise and compliments!!

On safari at MalaMala, South Africa

Leopard cubs

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