Our African Safari Travel Specialists

The Zicasso travel company was a pleasure to work with and their attention to every detail was much appreciated. Communication from our agents was open and clear. Their experience and insights were invaluable to making our safari an amazing experience. 
Our trip included stops at three camps, each with a unique and different perspective. The accommodations, food, and service at these camps were outstanding and tailored to us. The guides for the game drives were all exceptional, with deep knowledge about the animals and plants. They went above and beyond to ensure we saw the complete variety of animals and were able to capture amazing photos. This trip was truly an epic adventure and exceeded our expectations.

Zicasso's travel company nailed it with an exceptional itinerary. Everything went very smoothly.

The trip was absolutely wonderful. Thanks to our travel planner and guide, we were able to fit so much adventure into 12 days. Communication was always prompt and our planner quickly answered all of our questions leading up to and during the trip. The transfer from our Kenya guide to our Uganda guide was seamless. We had an issue with logistics in the last few days, but our planner helped us solve it quickly.
The only thing I would suggest they do differently: Our communication leading up to the Uganda portion of the trip was with the operations manager. We didn't meet our guide (or know they weren’t the operations manager) until the morning we left for Kibale. It would have been nice to have some communication with our guide beforehand as there were a couple of things on the itinerary (prepared by the manager) that our guide seemed not to know anything about, namely a game drive in Queen Elizabeth Park.

This was our first safari as a group of six friends, and from the moment we connected with our Zicasso travel company, they were fantastic. They were always eager to accommodate all our wishes.
We had a call with them and shared that our main goal was to see as much of Tanzania's wildlife as possible and end our trip relaxing on Zanzibar's exquisite beaches. The first itinerary they sent us was perfect and we trusted their expertise on which parks to visit.
Thanks to our travel company and their staff, we had the most amazing first safari experience.

I just got back from a wonderful two-week trip to Southern Africa and want to thank Zicasso for putting me in touch with the travel agency and Shannon, who did a wonderful job of constructing my dream trip. Everything was top-notch and well-executed, and Shannon was friendly, responsive (I'm very picky and made many revisions), and a great communicator. 
When there was a wrinkle (which fortunately was very rare), she was right on top of it (in one case a lodge had booked us into their other property and tried to move us there, but Shannon showed them proof that we had booked over a year in advance and insisted we stay in the original property. They honored that).
Here is my review of specific aspects of the trip:
Cape Town. I can't say enough about the hotel, which was one of the best we'd ever stayed in. The property itself (it's a very modern and beautiful boutique hotel steps from the beach) and the customer service were wonderful. We stayed for four nights and I can't imagine a better place to stay in Cape Town. We spent one night in the wharf area before coming to the hotel and I'm so glad we opted to stay near the beach instead. Having a beautiful ocean view and being able to walk to the beach to watch the sunset every night was incredible. 
Also, the staff were over-the-top amazing; they were so flexible and accommodating (if you wanted breakfast early or after the regular serving period, they would happily oblige; if you walked in with take-out, they would plate it for you and bring it to your room. They would also pick up take-out and deliver it to you). 
There were also many special touches - free wine, free, stocked mini-bar, free hot cocoa, and popcorn that they would deliver to your room any time - we felt very cared for. One of the managers led us on a guided hike up Lion's Head mountain, which was super-fun (he not only brought tea and snacks, but is an excellent photographer and took beautiful photos of us that he shared). I highly recommend the activity to anyone who is reasonably fit (the views at the top are outstanding). We also did a peninsula tour and an all-day food and culture walking tour the next, and highly recommend our guide - she was delightful and fun.
The lodge. Wow, I had read all the five-star reviews of this lodge on a private reserve near Kruger before we left and wondered how it could ever meet such high expectations, but it exceeded them. This was more like 10-star than 5-star. The staff (much like the staff at our hotel in Cape Town) were so friendly, professional and responsive. They would do anything to make you happy. And like them, all of the warmth and special treatment felt genuine rather than fake or forced. 
The food was amazing (and plentiful - all meals, alcohol and high tea were included), but what set this lodge apart was the amazing rangers (we were lucky to have the head ranger and his tracker). I learned so much from them about animal behavior as they were incredibly knowledgeable (and extremely respectful) of the animals. As a result, we saw all of the big five multiple times (my favorites were seeing three leopards and seven lions, including both male lions sleeping after a kill and female lions slowly hunting Cape buffalo in the early evening). We met people at this lodge who had stayed at multiple other five-star lodges and all said this one was the best, which I can believe.
Victoria Falls. The lodge was the number one rated lodge in Victoria Falls and though it was very nice, it did honestly pale by comparison to our lodge near Kruger (the outdoor bathtub and pool were both dirty and not usable. I'm not sure how one would remedy this, other than to re-order the trip so one ends in Sabi Sands). 
The staff were nice and the food was wonderful, and like our other lodge, activities were included (the guided trip to Victoria Falls was very informative as was the private "sundowner" river cruise we had on our arrival night. We saw male elephants engaging in "horseplay" in the water, a trip highlight. However, the game drive (no tracker and a much smaller park) paled in comparison to those we did in Sabi Sands). 
The optional (extra charge) elephant interaction at their sanctuary was really amazing and we highly recommend it to anyone staying in Victoria Falls. The falls were about a third dry because we went after the winter dry season. Shannon had warned us about this in advance, so they were a little underwhelming, but I'm still glad we went because we wanted to see them and weren't sure if we'd get back to this part of the continent on another trip. If you want to visit the falls, be sure to look at photos of how they look during certain months so your expectations are met. 
Chobe River Cruise (Namibia).  I'm so glad we did this cruise because it was a great way to end our trip on a really high note. We originally wanted to book the Zambezi Queen (which is bigger, more modern, and more luxurious), but only the Chobe Princess was available for our dates and we ended up getting the smallest (four rooms) of the three CPs. I thought it might be underwhelming, but I was wrong. We had a great time on our small ship with six members of a German family. 
The staff were wonderful (amazing food from Chef Edgar!) and "game drives" on the river turned out to be a game-changer. Although we saw many animals during our land-based safaris, we did see different behavior from the water (elephant herds crossing the river; baboons at play for 30 minutes at a time, whereas on land, the baboons would run away; huge groups of giraffe in an open field). 
Unlike on land, where you would sometimes drive 30 minutes or an hour in search of a sighting, we saw animals the entire time we were on small boat excursions from the larger boat. Essentially, we'd spend 30 minutes watching elephants and then move to crocodiles, baboons, and giraffes, etc.). Of my top recommendations for people going to Africa, it's to do this river cruise in addition to land-based safaris.
Thanks again to Shannon (and Zicasso) for making our dream trip come true. Although we've been to many wonderful places (including Patagonia, Bora Bora, Australia/New Zealand, etc), my wife and I agree that this was the best trip we've ever taken. And we will be back!

We had a very good travel experience with Zicasso's tour company. Our travel agent was organized and responsive to our requests before the trip, and he stayed in communication with us throughout the trip. We traveled as a couple and were delighted with the intimate and comfortable safari camp and the luxurious city and Diani Beach accommodations. Our guides in the cities and in the Maasai Mara National Reserve were knowledgeable and helpful. Overall, it was a great experience.

Communication with our Zicasso travel team was fantastic. They were very responsive to all questions and calmed any concerns we had.
We were met at the airport by our travel agent, who was our guide for the week. He was amazing! He ensured we had the best experience possible – we traveled and explored on our schedule, making sure we saw all the animals and sights we wanted to see.
The Serengeti was everything I imagined it would be. The plains were alive with all kinds of animals, and watching the cheetahs, lions, and leopards hunting was magical. We didn’t see them catch anything, but it was still fantastic to see them in action.
We were there during a drought, so the Great Migration hadn't started yet, but it started raining and we saw thousands of animals gathering to start their long trek. It was a beautiful sight.
Our agent did his best to ensure we saw the Big Five – elephant, leopard, buffalo, lion, and rhino, and we managed to see four of them on our first day out in the Serengeti. We had to wait until the last day in the Ngorongoro Crater to see a rhino, but it was worth the wait.
It was the best vacation I have ever had and our travel agent was a big reason why.
Thank you to our travel team!

The trip to Kenya and Tanzania was absolutely amazing! The itinerary chosen for us was perfect and checked off all the things I wanted to accomplish on our first safari. Zicasso's tour agency was the best to work with. They offered great suggestions and were very responsive to all our questions and concerns!