One Week South Africa Safari

Zicasso's travel partner planned a trip for us that exceeded even our very high expectations. We started our search by contacting three travel agents and explaining what we wanted in terms of timeline, cost, and experiences. Our travel agent came back with a plan that was exactly what we were looking for. He clearly understood that our main goal was a variety of experiences, a trip that included Cape Town and Victoria Falls, safaris where we could have a chance of seeing the Big Five, no driving of our own, a pace that would not leave us exhausted, a price that would not break our budget, accommodations that were comfortable but not extravagant, and to end our trip sitting by a beach for several days. He managed to do all that and more.

The result was a 33-day trip in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique that included all of the above, plus two days of whale watching, two days in the heart of South Africa's wine country, with multiple winery visits and tastings led by a very knowledgeable guide, three safaris (11 safari days in total), and six days relaxing by the Indian Ocean at an amazing, intimate, foodie paradise complete with free daily massages.

He also arranged all transfers ‒ car and large and small planes ‒ and had someone help us find a good deal on our transatlantic flights. Every vendor he selected was excellent and there was not a single glitch the whole trip, despite the numerous transfers.

What impressed me the most was his knowledge of all the properties and the thought he put into the ones he suggested, including the order of our stays. For example, he gave us plenty of time to relax and explore the Cape Town, Hermanus (whales), and Stellenbosch (wine) areas before going on our safaris. He then had our first safari stay be a tented camp. It was very comfortable and we enjoyed it immensely, seeing four of the Big Five there. Then, he stepped us up to somewhat fancier accommodations for our second safari, also an amazing experience, where we saw the last of the Big Five and the quite rare wild dogs (or painted wolves as they are sometimes known). Our last safari stay was one he had to talk me into because it seemed like the accommodations were fancier than what we were looking for or needed. However, he assured me that the experience would also be a step up, and wow, was he right. While the accommodations were great, what made the experience perfect was the knowledge of our guide, his tracking ability, and the unique location of the reserve, which even in drought conditions had a river running through it that attracted lots of animals we hadn't seen elsewhere. Our safaris were all on private land adjoining unfenced game reserves, so the animals could travel freely back and forth. We weren't faced with a slew of other vehicles vying to see the animals and we were able to go off-road to better track the animals we were following.

The back-and-forth dialogue with our agent in the planning process was something I truly appreciated. While some people might want to just set a budget and get a final itinerary (which I'm sure our agent can do), I wanted a more interactive process where he would give us different options and we would discuss the pros and cons, and then come to a decision. No question was too stupid and he never tried to rush us. I would book with him again in a heartbeat and have already recommended him to several friends.

On top of all I've already mentioned, he was fantastic when we had to delay our trip for a year because I learned shortly before we were going to go that I had to undergo chemotherapy. He was great in helping me make my claim on my travel insurance and in working with the properties so I was out very little money at all. And amazingly, when I was finally cleared to go, he was able to rebook almost exactly the same itinerary we had originally planned. There were also some other nice surprise extras he arranged, but I won't spoil them for you by saying what they were. I will say, however, that I can't imagine a more perfect trip or a more perfect travel agent to work with!