There were small, personal touches along the way – a birthday cake surprise and African birthday song that made the trip so special and personal. The trip truly was the trip of a lifetime! We would strongly recommend working with Africa&You. We loved the lodges and game drives in both locales. All throughout the trip, the people, the food, and the lodges were outstanding! A great big thank you to Rachel!

Rovos train was pure luxury. Victoria Falls was breathtaking. Cape Town was exciting. Timbavati was beyond expectation. An incredible trip.

I am beyond thrilled with how it all turned out! We loved all parts of the trip for different reasons. We loved the food and scenery in Cape Town. We loved the safari camp and seeing the animals in the wild. Our safari guides were fabulous and the accommodations were amazing. Katherine was so wonderful, even when someone in our party got injured and needed help with airlines as we were going to Zimbabwe. Thank you!

The hotels at Camp Bay and in the Winelands were both fantastic. I would highly recommend them for future guests. Staying at Grand Provence was total decadence. A stunning venue and amazing hospitality.
Simbavati Waterhole was a great choice. It’s a new lodge with stunning interior design. On the first night we saw the big five! The drivers and the tour guides gave a very insightful view of South African culture, history and conservation initiatives. This was a significant trip for us because we went to a dear friend’s wedding and the Safari was my 60th birthday present. We will remember it for a long time to come!

The trip itself went on without a hitch. All the arrangements were ready for us in a timely manner. The hotel accommodations were first class, as was the service provided by the local tour agencies. I would single out the guide who provided us with a very enjoyable four-day guided tour of Cape Town and surroundings.

After many years of traveling around the world, I put Rachel & Africa&You in the top echelon of travel companies we have worked with. She was a delight to work with. Every leg of our journey provided a memorable experience.

The Rovos Rail trip from Cape Town to Johannesburg was a unique opportunity to experience travel in a luxury train, as in times past. In addition to the fantastic meals and overall service, we enjoyed meeting people from all over the world with whom we shared and compared travel stories.

Our brief stay in Johannesburg was highlighted by a lengthy visit to the Apartheid Museum. We were immensely impacted by the graphic exhibits and by the well-laid-out timeline description of the events leading up to and after the release of Nelson Mandela, and how South Africa has prospered since. A lesson for the entire world.

Sossusvlei, and the lodge there, was perhaps the highlight of our trip. The sheer beauty and expanse of the desert, with its uniquely colored and majestic dunes, delighted our senses. Wonderful activities such as the helicopter flight, hot-air balloon ride, ATV tour, and trekking to the Deadvlei allowed us to enjoy the natural beauty of the environment to its fullest. Africa&You’s staff and service were superb in every sense.

Cape Town was a repeat visit for most of the members of our group, but never ceases to amaze for the diversity of its people, its beautiful landscape, and wonderful wines.

Thank you Katherine at the Africa&You team!

The only thing we had to organize on our own were our flights to and from Africa. And of course, those were the only two “issues” we had. In fact, our flight to Zimbabwe was so delayed that we were stuck overnight in Ethiopia. We were so devastated to be missing our sunset cruise and elephant encounter due to the delay. I made Tara aware of our delay and in no time, she was able to rebook all of our activities to squeeze everything into our itinerary! I was amazed and relieved and so thrilled. It made for a crazy busy 24 hours in Victoria Falls, but I was so grateful for Tara and her efforts.

The rest of the trip went off without a hitch. Every tour guide was prompt and kind, and every experience was better than the last. Each hotel/accommodation provided us with a special treat for our honeymoon. It truly was perfect. We had the trip of a lifetime and made the most special memories, all thanks to Tara and Africa&You.Being able to spend time and make new memories as husband and wife were the most enjoyable/memorable parts of our trip. We saw Victoria Falls, fed orphaned elephants, hiked Table Mountain (in the rain!), walked to the end of the world at the Cape of Good Hope, learned about the history and culture of South Africa, tasted incredible wine, saw the Big Five, relaxed on the beach and dipped our toes in the Indian Ocean, tried new foods, and met incredible people – all alongside the person we love most! It felt like every single day was better than the last.

The trip itself was, in short, flawless. Every selection our agent made on our behalf – camps, hotels, activities, tours, guides, transport – was excellent. We didn’t have a single miscue throughout our trip.

We learned, from the various operators that work with Africa&You, of their strong and reliable reputation, as well as respect, which reinforced the decision we made about using them. Based on our experience, we can confidently recommend Africa&You and, in particular, Rachel!There are so many great memories that will last the remainder of our lives. It truly was the “trip of a lifetime.”

We spent 13 days on safari, visiting four camps. The camp selection was terrific, providing a high level of comfort and luxury, with very high-quality meals. Three of the camps were on concessions which allow off-roading during the game drives. This provided up-close observation of the wildlife, even allowing us, on a number of occasions, to follow, in real time, an actual hunt of prey by predators. We experienced, up close and personal, just about all of the wildlife available in each of the areas we visited.

The meals and accommodations were outstanding! We will always remember the people we encountered in the camps. The camp staff and guides were a delight, courteous, respectful, informative, gracious, and genuine.

If you could take your trip again, what would you do differently?
I am not sure we would do anything differently, which is a direct tribute to the quality of the planning and execution by Africa&You. One thing I know for sure is that if we ever return to Africa, it will definitely be planned and booked by Rachel and her team!

Because of their encouragement, we added the Okavango Delta to the trip and I’m so glad we did. If anything, we wished we’d stayed longer. The wild vistas and diversity of life were epic. The entire trip was epic. It really couldn’t have gone better.

And what a relief it was to be greeted at each new location by competent drivers and guides and whisked into the next stage of our trip. Everything went like clockwork. It was really remarkable.

I will not hesitate to recommend Africa&You to anyone who asks. There are so many things that can go awry while traveling and it is really something when all aspects of transportation and lodging go without a hitch. And that was due to the expertise of Africa&You.

A safari was a bucket-list trip for us that we thought we would cross off the list. But as my husband says, it is still on the list. If we are fortunate enough to travel back to Africa, we would not hesitate to use Africa&You again.

I am so grateful Zicasso exists for the purpose of uniting travelers with local travel companies in their destination. It allows for a richness of knowledge and expertise that is unsurpassed. We have become Zicasso converts and will be using you again.
We really couldn’t pick a favourite part. Clearly, our goal was a safari and we could not have been more thrilled with each and every game drive. We loved arising at 5am to prepare for a 6am game drive and were astounded that three to four hours could pass so quickly. The quality of the lodges and the quality of our rangers and trackers were outstanding.

We enjoyed Cape Town as well. The history of apartheid became real on the Robben Island tour, given by a former prisoner there. It was so interesting to compare with the racism in the USA and all we are dealing with in America.

We were pampered on South Africa’s Whale Coast, even if we were a bit late for the whales.

We were so grateful we added Botswana’s Okavango Delta at Africa&You’s urging. The wildness, the varied savannah terrain, and the wildlife were unsurpassed. We will never forget any of it, but the Delta really stood out.

If you could take your trip again, what would you do differently?
We would do two things differently. We would go earlier in August to avoid the warmer temperatures (not terrible, but warmer) we encountered in Botswana and would stay in the Okavango Delta longer.

We would use Africa&You to plan a return trip.

All of it was fantastic, but getting up close to rhinos, elephants, cheetahs and lions was beyond expectations. The guides and trackers were incredible. We wouldn’t change a thing.

Experiencing the trip with my children and grandchildren created memories for a lifetime for all of us. They will be talking about this trip long after we are gone. Also I have a new appreciation for nature, the animal kingdom and the “circle of life.” It has led me to be more contemplative of their origins.

The most memorable parts of this fabulous trip were the friendly South African people we met along the way and, of course, the animal encounters.

Africa&You will be recommended by all of us for anyone traveling to Africa. It was the trip of a lifetime with no disappointments.

What were the most enjoyable or memorable parts of your trip?

Africa&You listened to what we wanted to do and did not send us on excursions that we were not interested in. Every single event was memorable and I am still not able to process all of the excitement we had. The safari’s with our guides was the highlight.

If you could take your trip again, what would you do differently?

I would be more prepared for the cold – travelling in July, we were surprised by it even though we knew it was winter.

We started planning the trip 3 years before we could actually travel due to the restrictions imposed by Covid but Africa&You stood by us and worked with us the entire way to make this happen. At every step of the way, I felt that we received the best advice, recommendation, and service. We stayed at 12 locations, flew 7 flights intra-Africa,  and had 17 transfers to and from our destinations, not to mention the 30 plus trips/outings/drives that we took at the various locations. All this worked without one single snag. Everybody we met along the way and worked with were absolutely incredible; professional, courteous, friendly, and happy to assist in a genuine way, which made us feel welcome and added tremendously to the experience. Africa&You was always just an email or phone call away. 

In addition, we had several heartwarming surprises along the way that the company arranged to help us celebrate an anniversary and my wife’s birthday.

I do not hesitate to give the highest rating and warm recommendation to Africa&You. Book with confidence knowing that they will go the extra hundred miles to ensure you will have the time of your life and remember fondly your trip to Africa.

What were the most enjoyable or memorable parts of your trip?

Animal encounters, morning drives, learning about the people, places, and history, lions dozing under acacia trees, sunsets on the Chobe, windswept deserts, driving in dry riverbeds, climbing red sand dunes, sleeping under the stars, touching the velvety ears of elephants, all these were incredible experiences but most importantly; every single place we visited during our 30 day trip was memorable and enjoyable in its own right. 

Africa is incredible and I truly hope I will be able to go back one day.

If you could take your trip again, what would you do differently?

I would stay another month, if I could! 🙂

What were the most enjoyable or memorable parts of your trip?

Each activity felt like it was specially planned for us. It was the perfect combination of relaxing, adventure, and sightseeing. The private nature of all of our tours was very special. Each guide we had was knowledgeable and unique in the best way!!

If you could take your trip again, what would you do differently?

Nothing except stay longer in this beautiful country!