Dear Leony,
Germaine and I returned on Saturday from our African Safari.
We had an amazing time and I would like to thank you for arranging such an interesting and varied programme.
We certainly did and saw a marvellous variety of nature, wildlife, Africa and people.
Many thanks to you.
Kindest regards
Rita Jessup
Dear Leony,
Here is some feedback about our trip:
Despite having to wait 2 hours for us (the passport control wasn't very smooth...), the reception by the KIA staff was very warm. The Landcruiser was in very good condition. Everything was on board, albeit in minimal quantities.
Pilanesberg is a nice NP, the Mayane campsite is the best of the two, especially if you have a spot on the right-hand side.
The surprise was Doorndraai Dam: beautiful nature, very peaceful. We could easily have stayed an extra day here.
Blyde River is good for walks, with a number of well-marked hikes departing from the campsite. The (paid) Belvedere Day Hike (departing from the Potholes) was a bit of a disappointment for us.
Kruger is ideal for spotting the Big Five. The larger camps (Satana and Skukuza) are busy and not as pleasant. Balule and Melelane are much quieter and have nicer pitches.
We smoothly crossed the border with Swaziland.
Mlilwane is a very nice place, the horse riding was very wise.
Cross the border back without any problems.
Umkhuze Game Reserve is a good place to spot a lot of wildlife in a short time. As of October, they are even importing 9 lions. A recommendation is the Fig Tree Hike, a 2-hour walk led by an armed ranger. We received an enormous amount of information.
Cape Vidal, with its lovely beaches and dunes, was beautiful. The campsite at Cape Vidal is currently strongly not recommended! Not because of its location or layout, but due to the presence of Samango monkeys (not to be confused with common monkeys). These are bold animals that are not afraid of people. You cannot leave the camper open during the day. Management is aware of the problems but is not taking any initiative.
As a result, we stayed there one day less and checked into the Dolphin Holiday Resort one day earlier.
Ballito is a tranquil coastal town near Durban Airport, ideal for ending your journey.
A must-visit here is the restaurant Mo-Zam-Bik, just 10 metres from the campsite!
Everything went very smoothly then.
The GPS coordinates were very useful, the directions were clear.
Thank you for the work carried out.
Kind regards,
Philippe and Kathleen
Belgium
Hello Leony,
We're back and had a fantastic trip!
A very brief summary: the journey on the new Airbus 380 was in itself (still) quite special, despite the attractive multimedia, it wasn't our aircraft – compare it to a double-decker intercity compared to a normal intercity. Furthermore, everything went fine despite an enormously hard landing (the overhead locker doors even flew open).
At Europcar, there were 2 H1s ready for us, but we quickly convinced them that we only needed one. I also asked about maps, but they didn't provide them (so perhaps adjust your description/quote?). We did check and adjust the tyre pressure during the first refuel, as it was unfortunately much too low. Furthermore, a lovely car too (definitely) with 6 people: good advice.
The guesthouse was good. Hannelie regretted that she could no longer cancel the room, but in return, we received a number of bottles of wine for free (also to take home for those who stayed behind). The Hilltop Lodge was lovely, we received the 3 standard rooms, so they did not provide the luxury ones. We didn't ask about it again, but it was a bit of a shame as all the other accommodations where we had standard and luxury rooms did provide the luxury ones. The service and breakfast were otherwise great though! A beautiful place.
Kruger was beautiful, a complete Big 5 experience, and a lovely luxury bungalow in Skukuza. The spots in Olifants were also good; in principle, we even had a bit of a “river view”.
The leopard with its prey in the evening, just on the other side of the fence in Skukuza, was very special; we stood and watched with a whole group, out of breath.
Mbt the Crystal Springs Mountain Lodge; we actually had a semi-detached house where we could link the cottages by opening the connecting doors, which was very nice. It was good that there were only 6 of us instead of 8, as there were beds for 6 people and, in addition, two sofa beds. We did ask, but this space was what we would have received otherwise anyway.
Port Elizabeth was a surprise, we would have liked to have stayed longer. Oude Werf was also very hospitable and Hermanus wonderfully luxurious! We sailed beautifully among the whales from Plettenberg Bay!
Waterkant wasn't our favourite spot; it was nice being in the centre, but still not our sort of thing. We prefer to be more outdoors. For the parents-in-law, the hills there would have been an issue too, I think. Luckily we also had one studio because it included a car park.
The return journey with KLM and a Boeing 777 was also brilliant.
All in all, it was another fantastic trip! Thank you!
Greetings.,
Annamarie and Han A.
Bovensmilde
Dear Leony: We had a wonderful trip and are very satisfied with “Africa Online”. All arrangements were correct and we encountered no problems at all.
A few remarks for learning: When returning the rental car, the additional payment was a bit haphazardly arranged; there was no specification, and I still don't know if or how much the amount from Europcar is. My credit card was copied and I had to initial it, that was all. However, my credit card was subsequently blocked by ABN/AMRO ICS due to suspicious transfers in Africa, possibly premature action!! Quite annoying.
A second note.
Oysterbay Lodge was lovely, but it's 25 km of gravel road there and 15 km back, about 4 hours of bumpy driving, which is a bit much hassle for one night. Lastly, on the way back from Joburg to Paris, two airplane seats in a row were reserved; fortunately, we were able to change this.
Kind regards Roel and Anneke W. – Ettenleur
Hello Leony,
Even the persistent winter chill in the Netherlands does not prevent us from enjoying the memories.
It really took us some time to fully come back down to earth after the amazing impressions we gained in South Africa. From 3rd to 20th February, we travelled along the route you planned from Johannesburg to Cape Town.
In a Volkswagen Polo, we drove via Gods Window, Blyde River to the border of Kruger Park. After the Rondawel on the macadamia plantation in Hazyview, we are sleeping here in the authentic Thornhill Safari Lodge with the top chef Sunrise amidst zebras and giraffes. The rangers who accompanied us during the Gamedrive and the walking safari provided us with a wealth of information. Truly ”Out of Africa” here!
From Swaziland, where we slept in an original Beehive, to the Wetlands near St. Lucia. Along the Indian Ocean to Salt Rock and another guesthouse so original that we've felt at home away from home for weeks. The pace of half a day's drive, a full day for the surroundings, and then on to the next challenge suits us well as 60-plussers. Without navigation, we drove without problems according to your directions. In terms of nature and people, Africa offers so many challenges. For us, it surpasses the other continents we have visited.
In Salt Rock, we flew via Durban to Cape Town. We picked up a new hire car and after 2 days in Cape Town, we explored and tasted the wine regions around Stellenbosch ;-).
Again, we had a stay at guesthouse Kleinbosch, where we were so wonderfully spoiled by our creative host.
Leony, we only have one little drawback. We've overlooked so much to the left and right of the road. There's nothing else for it but for us to come back as soon as we have the opportunity. Thanks for putting it all together, for answering all our questions, and for the nice feeling that you were always nearby.
Have a fantastic time in your world of travel in beautiful South Africa and goodbye!
Add and Trude
Breda
Sent from my iPad
Hi Leony,
Just wanted to let you know everything is great here in Mozambique!
Will we get an email to check in online for the return flight?
Kind regards, Judith and Sander W.
Leonie,
We arrived home without any problems after a smooth process at the airport and an equally smooth flight.
Regarding the trip, I'll still think about some details, but in broad strokes, here is my initial, perhaps only, comment.
In all cases, the B&Bs and lodges were of excellent quality, exactly what we wanted. Excellent welcome everywhere and the hosts were very helpful with booking restaurants, trips, golf tee times, etc.
Unfortunately, Buffeldrift was unavailable and we ended up at the new location. It was luxurious, but much less personal. Unfortunately, the shortest route to Buffeldrift was also closed due to repairs, meaning you had to take a significant detour over a partially paved gravel road. Not pleasant, especially in the dark. We did go to Buffeldrift for lunch and it looked very good there.
The programme, with first a week in Gordon's Bay and finally another week in Stellenbosch, was perhaps a bit too much for this area. Although we did something every day, it could perhaps have been a bit shorter, and perhaps done the Addo Elephant Park and/or a stretch of the east coast.
But our final week at Hans's in Kleinbosch was truly special. A good location from which many excursions are possible. A kind host who senses the atmosphere well, with often mixed company. The accommodation was also excellent.
All in all a successful trip, partly thanks to your organisation. By the way, an excellent travel description!
Our thanks and who knows, maybe see you next year.
Casper and Monique
Bruinisse
Leonie,
We arrived home without any problems after a smooth process at the airport and an equally smooth flight.
Regarding the trip, I'll still think about some details, but in broad strokes, here is my initial, perhaps only, comment.
In all cases, the B&Bs and lodges were of excellent quality, exactly what we wanted. Excellent welcome everywhere and the hosts were very helpful with booking restaurants, trips, golf tee times, etc.
Unfortunately, Buffeldrift was unavailable and we ended up at the new location. It was luxurious, but much less personal. Unfortunately, the shortest route to Buffeldrift was also closed due to repairs, meaning you had to take a significant detour over a partially paved gravel road. Not pleasant, especially in the dark. We did go to Buffeldrift for lunch and it looked very good there.
The programme, with first a week in Gordon's Bay and finally another week in Stellenbosch, was perhaps a bit too much for this area. Although we did something every day, it could perhaps have been a bit shorter, and perhaps done the Addo Elephant Park and/or a stretch of the east coast.
But our final week at Hans's in Kleinbosch was truly special. A good location from which many excursions are possible. A kind host who senses the atmosphere well, with often mixed company. The accommodation was also excellent.
All in all a successful trip, partly thanks to your organisation. By the way, an excellent travel description!
Our thanks and who knows, maybe see you next year.
Casper and Monique
Bruinisse
Dear Leony,
Here is a short report of our Namibia trip from 2-24 October.
The flight from Amsterdam to Johannesburg went well. We find KLM's service to be good.
The transfer in Johannesburg from the airport to the Safari Club did not go as planned, but this is already known to you.
The Safari Club shuttle bus did come to the airport, but the driver didn't have us on the list and our luggage was very late.
So he left without us and we had to take a taxi. The journey then starts off a bit uncertain.
The Safari Club is a good place to use as a stopover. Quietly located, good rooms, excellent breakfast and friendly people.
The flight to Windhoek and the transfer to Casa Afrikana went well, and we received a very warm welcome at the hotel.
The next day we had an explanation about the safari tour.
The organisation of the Jenman Safari tour was very well looked after and punctual.
An extra compliment for the driver, tour guide and cook is in order!
Chantel van der Linde's knowledge and experience, her dedication and pleasant manner, made a significant contribution to the successful journey, which we look back on with great pleasure.
Casa Vondel was a cosy little hotel. Nice rooms and a great breakfast.
The rental car was delivered punctually and was even bigger than what we had booked.
The Kaliombo Safari Camp Lodge comes highly recommended! The lodges are quietly situated in a beautiful nature reserve near a farm. They look clean and cosy and have a lovely view of a watering hole where animals naturally come to drink. The people are warm and helpful and go out of their way to make guests feel welcome. We went on game drives there and had a delicious meal.
The Wabi Game Lodge was fully booked, but here too the people were friendly, the food was good, the rooms were excellent and there was a nice swimming pool. We were able to go on a beautiful game drive. There are many animals there, including rhinoceroses and hippopotamuses.
The Terra Africa Guesthouse in Windhoek was a nice end to the trip. Cosy decor, excellent rooms and lovely people.
The only downside we found was that it is very far from the city centre, but luckily we had our hire car and driving in Windhoek is not difficult.
All in all, we look back on a lovely holiday trip.
Our sincere thanks for putting together the programme. We found the relaxed week, after the intensive safari programme, to be very enjoyable. We also found the collaboration pleasant, for which we thank you.
We enjoyed this trip!!
Kind regards,
Wim and Klaasje S.
Your
Dear Leony,
Now that we've been back in the Netherlands for a few days and are still thoroughly enjoying the memories, here's a response.
The trip was amazing in every respect. Nice, comfortable accommodation in very diverse environments.
The restaurants were also of very high quality, cosy, and offered excellent value for money.
What really struck us was the friendliness and politeness of the people, a breath of fresh air compared to the Randstad in the Netherlands!
Thank you very much for all your help in planning the trip! We'll be talking about it often. And who knows, perhaps we'll go back again.
Kind regards,
Robert V. – Bussum
Hi Leony,
We're back in Holland after a lovely holiday in beautiful South Africa. Thank you for the delicious bottle of wine, which was in the rental car!
We slept in beautiful places, saw incredibly varied nature and lots of animals. It's a trip never to forget. We were warmly received by everyone.
We have a few more tips: – the directions aren't always completely clear. (The route to “Le Petite Provence” in Salt Rock)
The road to Hazyview is (much) longer than the 4-hour indication.
– In Swaziland, 3 nights in Mlilwane was one too many for us. Busloads of Dutch people are being unloaded, and it's very bizarre. We only heard Dutch around us, even though we are in the interior of Swaziland.
We had an unforgettable, beautiful trip, we are happy with your flexibility and your willingness to help.
Do you have any further questions?
Greetings,
Angelique and Marcel
Lucas and Jacco S.
Utrecht
Hello Leonie,
Back from South Africa.
All the best to all the addresses.
Next time, we'll go to the coast more in January because the interior is very hot then.
We don't know the individual prices per room, so it's not easy to give a review, but,
Regarding warm contact with the homeowners, they were very good: Clan Williams, Knysna, Franschhoek and Hermanus.
Regarding house, swimming pool, etc.: Wellington, Tulbagh and Franschhoek.
We do not wish to do an injustice to those not mentioned, as everything was fine.
Thanks again for upgrading the return journey.
On the plane, with the help of the cabin crew, we were able to swap seats so that we could sleep next to each other after all.
Kind regards,
Leen K.
Rijsbergen
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