Kimkim Trip Reviews for South Africa

We had an amazing time on our trip to South Africa! With only a brief description from us about what we were looking for Deb was able to plan just the type of accommodations and experiences we were looking for.

Rochelle was fantastic and showed us around Cape Town and the surrounding areas at the start of our trip. Stellenbosch was beautiful and our wine tastings and e-bike ride in Stellenbosch were some of our favorite memories from the trip. The highlight of our trip was definitely our... read more

We had an amazing time on our trip to South Africa! With only a brief description from us about what we were looking for Deb was able to plan just the type of accommodations and experiences we were looking for.

Rochelle was fantastic and showed us around Cape Town and the surrounding areas at the start of our trip. Stellenbosch was beautiful and our wine tastings and e-bike ride in Stellenbosch were some of our favorite memories from the trip. The highlight of our trip was definitely our stay at Ivory Wilderness in Kruger National Park, where Warren and the whole staff were extremely warm, helpful, and knowledgeable. On our last day in South Africa we went on a full day bike tour through Soweto with Linda, who not only explained but showed us the history of the townships and the resilient people who live there.

It was a once in a lifetime trip and one I'm sure we'll remember for the rest of our lives.

Hotel Reviews

Tree House Boutique Hotel

Cape Town

We loved our stay at Tree House Boutique Hotel in Cape Town. The room was large, clean, and modern, the pool area was beautiful, and the staff were so friendly and accommodating. The breakfasts (which were included) were perfect - fresh fruit, yogurt, pastries, and meats and cheeses at the ready, plus several made-to-order options from the menu. We've already recommended this hotel to people we know who are planning a trip to South Africa.

Authenticity & Character

Location

The hotel is at the top of a quiet street, but there are several restaurants and bars on the main road at the bottom of the hill that were only a few minutes walk away. It's only a few minutes drive to many of the places around the city we wanted to go so getting around was very easy.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ivory Wilderness

Hoedspruit

We loved our stay at Ivory Wilderness. The grounds were beautiful and overlooked a river where we saw plenty of wildlife, the staff was incredible, and the guides were so knowledgeable, friendly, and accommodating we couldn't have asked for more. The pool looked like it needed some service, but fortunately it wasn't too hot while we were there so we spent our downtime lounging on the deck chairs and in the hammock. Our rondavel was clean and comfortable and was perfect for our stay.

Authenticity & Character

Location

We loved that this location was farther into the park than many others, since it meant that we didn't see too many other jeeps while we were out on our game drives, but the drive out from Hoedspruit Airport was a bit long (1.5 hours) and bumpy.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Lunch at Crofter's Kitchen

Cape Town

This was definitely one of the most memorable experiences of our entire trip. Nicky was incredibly warm and gracious and really made us feel like we were at home in her house. The meal was unforgettable - each dish was unique and full of flavor, and you could tell how much thought and creativity went into each ingredient. Halfway through the meal Nicky took us on a tour of her garden and let us taste the ingredients straight from the source, explaining the culinary and medicinal properties of many of the plants she cultivates, which made her knowledge and passion come to life. This is a must do for anyone who loves unique dining experiences.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

First we were so skeptical cause we didnt know kimkim.com. Now that we are back, we have been recommending to everyone ! We had an amazing time. Everything was so well planned. We could have never done such a great job ourselves. we have decided to use kimkim.com to any upcoming trip. Lucy and her team were so kind to accommodate any request we had. They had planned everything perfectly. Great communication. read more

First we were so skeptical cause we didnt know kimkim.com. Now that we are back, we have been recommending to everyone ! We had an amazing time. Everything was so well planned. We could have never done such a great job ourselves. we have decided to use kimkim.com to any upcoming trip. Lucy and her team were so kind to accommodate any request we had. They had planned everything perfectly. Great communication.

Absolutely wonderful trip! We had a fabulous time in South Africa.

To start off, we stayed at the Hotel Onyx. It was a great location - not far from the airport or the tourist-friendly waterfront area, but not itself in a crowded or tourist-heavy area. Enough street activity that you felt safe walking around, but nothing loud to keep you up at night. The hospitality from the staff was first rate. Our room was beautiful and gave us a great view. The breakfast spread was expansive and the... read more

Absolutely wonderful trip! We had a fabulous time in South Africa.

To start off, we stayed at the Hotel Onyx. It was a great location - not far from the airport or the tourist-friendly waterfront area, but not itself in a crowded or tourist-heavy area. Enough street activity that you felt safe walking around, but nothing loud to keep you up at night. The hospitality from the staff was first rate. Our room was beautiful and gave us a great view. The breakfast spread was expansive and the waitstaff was very attentive. We never ordered off the menu because the continental offerings were more than enough food to get us started. We took advantage of all the amenities - the lounge on the 4th floor, the pool, and the spa. All were great and lovely options to have. The lounge especially was a great option for those in-between times when you didn't want to be in your hotel room, but maybe too tired to be out at a bar or restaurant. The spa was beautifully soothing and the massage I received was the perfect ending to our stay in Cape Town before a long flight home. 10/10 would definitely recommend.

We walked to the V&A waterfront and kept walking along the path curving along the north side of the city, along Mouille Point. We walked for about an hour and a half, finally stopping for a drink and snack at the Hussar Grill along the seafront. We walked through Green Point Park, which was abuzz with families picnicking in the shade, before uber-ing back to our hotel. After a short rest, we hopped in the car and drove down to coast to the Cape of Good Hope. We saw our first wildlife - some ostriches and springbok were along the roadside. There were only a few tourists, so we were able to climb up a few of the boulder paths to the top and got our picture with the sign. We drove back north along the False Bay coast, and stopped in Simon's Town to see if we could still see some penguins. The very helpful parking lot attendant told us the beach was closed for the day, but we could still walk along the path. I'm so glad we took him up on it, because we had such a unique experience - all the penguins had come in off the beach for the night and were nestled along the fenced boardwalk, and we had the place to ourselves to see the penguins get ready to sleep for the night. It was a top rate experience. That educated us on parking attendants and learned that tipping those folks was a wise investment to feel your vehicle was secure. We ate dinner at Dixie's in Glencairn and had a great meal. The hospitality from all the folks we interacted with in SA was really stand out.

The drive to Hermanus was pretty simple and straightforward. The Guest House was beautifully appointed in a French country style and a major change from the urban hotel in Cape Town. We were again greetly very warmly by the host/receptionist, who directed us to the parking and our room. We had an amazing balcony that faced the water with doors that opened spanning the length of the balcony. Unfortunately, the weather was quite windy, so we weren't able to take full advantage of the beaches or waterside offerings. I walked along the beachwalk that started directly outside our hotel and was a lovely way to spend an afternoon and get a sense of Hermanus. I walked to the quaint little downtown area and perused the many artist galleries and shops. We went out in the downtown for dinner and had a lovely meal. We returned in the morning and purchased some art to remember our trip by. We had a quick stay in Hermanus. It was a lovely, quaint beach town that we didn't get to know very well, but we were charmed by what we were able to see/experience.

It was a long drive to Knysna, but the landscape and scenery were enrapturing. My husband comes from a dairy farming family, so he really enjoyed seeing the farmland and cattle. We were advised by one of the gallerists in Hermanus to stop by a farmstall along the way, and I'm glad we took his advice. We stopped by a farm stall and roadside shopping area, where we picked up some locally made snacks and adorable keepsakes for us and friends and family back home.

The Brenton on Sea guest house was a luxurious stay, and if anyone is interested in true beach time, I highly recommend it. Again, the weather was quite windy for our stay, so we weren't able to use it as such, but I still greatly enjoyed walking along the beach picking up shells and watching the waves. It was both mine and my husband's first times touching the Indian Ocean. Our room had a deck that looked out to the ocean and a walking path that led directly down to the beach. That was great and felt very special. We drove back into Knysna and east towards Plettenberg Bay to check out the area. On our full day in Knysna, we found a place that offered 4-wheeling (4x4) rides, which was a fun stop. Chase had been wanting to golf, so we popped into the Knysna Golf Club and he was able to scoop up the 3:30 tee time for the same day.

We had a bit of a nightmare the next morning when we woke up to realize our 3:30 am alarm had never gone off and we were going to miss our flight from George. That is when the travel agency came in clutch and were able to reschedule us out of Cape Town and, overall, we only landed about 30 minutes later than originally scheduled. It was a stressful morning, but we were grateful to have someone on call to help us. And boy, am I so glad we didn't lose a day at the Thabamati. I am in love with that place.

We have never stayed at a place so beautifully designed as Thabamati. Mich and Charlie are wonderful hosts, and again, the staff were incredibly friendly and accommodating. We both so enjoyed our time there and could rave about it at length. But I will summarize to say - the accommodations were beautiful and luxurious. The food was incredible - every meal was a delight. Charlie and Caswell were a great guide/tracker team, and their approach to game drives were incredibly respectful of the animals, which made me feel very comfortable. Their knowledge was incredibly deep and broad. I am an "animal nerd" and peppered them with questions - none of which they could not answer. We saw lots of animals, and even on the "slower" rides, it was a joy to take in the scenery, and Charlie didn't shy away from calling out every bird and bug to really give us an in-depth knowledge of the place.

We were sad to leave, but excited to experience our next stop. We are low key, flexible travelers and I would encourage anyone who is traveling from the Timbavati to Sabi Sands to bring that same attitude. It is a very long drive from one to the other - about 3.5 hours. A lot of the roads are dirt and ridden with potholes, which makes for very slow-going. Only about 1/3 of the drive is on paved roads where you can drive with some speed. You also travel through some villages, which is a real opportunity for humility, gratitude, and reflection about the developed vs the developing world and the history of colonialism by the white Europeans into black Africa. We drove through both on our way to and from the Sabi Sands, and both of our drivers were friendly and chatty about village life. I was glad to have learned from them about what day-to-day life is like.

By the end of our time in Nkhoro, I really came to enjoy it, but it was a real adjustment from Thabamati. Coming from a lodge of 4 tents, only 3 of which were occupied, a lodge of 8 fully-booked tents felt like a huge change. There were a majority German tourists there, so we weren't really able to chat with any of the other guests our first night. However, the game drive our first evening was a very good night of animal sightings. That was really the saving grace in our first 24 hours. And luckily, all 10 of the Germans left the next morning, so the rest of our game drives were only with one other Dutch couple, who were our age and much chattier. Our guide, Deon, was also much younger than Charlie at Thabamati, and while he was also incredibly knowledgeable about the animals and the Sabi Sands overall, you could tell he was still getting his "sea legs" with working with the tracker, while also operating the vehicle and keeping track of the radio. The general attitude was also different from Thabamati. Because there are so many more reserves in the Sabi Sands, the radios were almost constantly going off, and there was a bit more of a frantic attitude when one car would report a sighting to rush to get there. It by no means felt exploitative or invasive to the animals, it was a little more competitive than Thabamati. However, the animal sightings were top notch. We saw some incredible sights and some really rare animals, which was very special. My advice for future planners would be to start with Nkorho, then move to Thabamti, because Thabamati is a superior stay, but Nkorho had better animal sightings. But we still saw the Big 5 at both. Another minor disappointment was that at Nkorho, the ranger was away for the week, so we weren't able to go on a game walk there, like we were able to at Thabamati. Overall, I'd say Thabamati was a 10/10 and Nkorho was a 8.5/10. Still a wonderful experience, but Thabamati is hard to top.

Our travel on the way back home went very smoothly. We had about 6 hours once we landed back in Cape Town before our flight out of the country, so we returned to Hotel Onyx, where they didn't blink an eye when we asked if we could stash our luggage there. That is when I took advantage of the spa, which was very enjoyable and soothing before 24 hours of straight travel. After the massage, we walked back along the V&A Waterfront and got dinner and a drink in the shadow of Table Mountain, which was a beautiful way to say goodbye to a place we had really come to love!

One small area of improvement for KimKim. As we got closer to the start of our trip, I thought of a few different logistical questions. I was a little disappointed in the nature of the answers - they were quite vague and didn't really give me what I was looking for. In the future, I'd recommend a bit more in-depth answers or a more personal touch. I felt like I needed to look elsewhere (which is what I was trying to avoid) to really get the real answers I wanted. However, I was overall very pleased with our experience with KimKim. We definitely wouldn't have found the accommodations they booked for us, and I was very thankful to have someone hand me an itinerary with every booking and activity listed in one place, as well as a resource to fall back on when/if anything went awry.

We both thought of this trip as a trip-of-a-lifetime, but I think we might be back! We so enjoyed our time and everything was absolutely beyond our wildest expectations.

Hotel Reviews

The Onyx

Cape Town

I talked about the hotel in my previous review. A great place - beautiful design, lovely accommodations, warm and friendly staff, great location that is convenient to the airport and the waterfront.

Authenticity & Character

Location

20 min from the airport, which is great. Wouldn't really want to be any further than that. And walkable to the waterfront, which is very tourist-friendly, and a great place to walk around your first day in Cape Town to get your barrings.

Staff

Staff went out of their way to be accommodating. All very friendly.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms were very clean and comfortable. The bathroom showers were lovely.

Hermanus Boutique Guest House

Hermanus

We only had one night here, but it was great. Staff were friendly, rooms were beautifully appointed, breakfast was delicious.

Authenticity & Character

Location

An easy drive from Cape Town. Right on the water. A quick 15 min walk from the quaint downtown.

Staff

The receptionist that greeted us was exceptionally friendly and ready to make recommendations at the drop of a hat. If we were to spend more time here, I think she would have been a great resource.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Brenton Haven Beachfront Resort

Knysna

Amazing for real beach time. The walk out from the deck directly to the beach path would be worth it alone to me. But the room was also huge, and the restaurant had great breakfast and dinner.

Authenticity & Character

Location

A bit off the beaten path if you're looking for time in Knysna itself, but if it's beach you're looking for, it's the perfect spot.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Thabamati Luxury Tented Camp

Timbavati Game Reserve

The best stay of our whole trip. Send everyone here. The lodge, the tents, the food, the staff - all stunning.

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. You can feel the love that Mich and Charlie have for the lodge and the area overall. They really set the tone for the whole place, and it's amazing. They knew it was our honeymoon, so they arranged a lovely meal at our tent for our first evening's dinner. They had also drawn the bath and strewn the bathroom with rose petals. Made us feel very special.

Location

Not a far ride from Hoedspruit, which is nice after a busy morning of travel.

Staff

The place is so small you know all the staff by name/sight. All very friendly and ready to pour you a drink at the drop of a hat. Left them all hefty tips.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nkorho Bush Lodge

Kruger National Park

Furnishings were a bit more economical compared to Thabamati, but still clean and functional. The A/C unit in the room was greatly appreciated.

Authenticity & Character

We were treated to a dance performance by some of the staff our 2nd night.

Location

If you want to see a lot of animals, you will be thrilled.

Staff

The staff were very friendly - the hosts and guides dine with you at night, and we had a great time drinking at the bar and chatting after dinner on our 2nd night.

Cleanliness & Comfort

We really could've used a welcome mat at the entrance to our room/tent, as our shoes got quite sandy on the game drives, and we couldn't help but track that into our space. Each day, I smacked my shoes together outside the room to get the dirt out.

Activity Reviews

Timbavati Private Game Reserve Safari Day

Timbavati Game Reserve

Amazing. We saw a lot of animals, but also had some down time. Charlie and Caswell did a great job - they were a good team and communicated well.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Timbavati Game Reserve to Sabi Sands Game Reserve

South Africa

There's no getting around it's a long day in the car. But our driver Kingsley was friendly and chatty, and willing to put the car in reverse when I spotted a buffalo snoozing under a tree along the roadside.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Days on Safari

South Africa

We saw an unbelievable amount of animals. It was fabulous.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

I think our guide Deon will get better and better with time. He was still amazing, and I recognize I'm being a little nitpicky. He's quite young, and I think can get sucked into the competitive nature of spotting something first or rushing to someone else's sighting, but that seemed to improve even over the course of the 4 game drives we did with him. A wealth of knowledge.

Transport

Many thanks to Lucy at Salty Travel, who set us up with a fantastic holiday in Cape Town/environs and Johannesburg, South Africa. The lodgings were diverse, comfortable and welcoming. The daily activities were varied and exceeded expectations and the guides and drivers, without exception, were deeply knowledgeable and a pleasure to spend time with. In addition to Lucy, special thanks go to Craig Taljaard and Humphrey at Capey Travel, for great driving, great food, insights into ZA and... read more

Many thanks to Lucy at Salty Travel, who set us up with a fantastic holiday in Cape Town/environs and Johannesburg, South Africa. The lodgings were diverse, comfortable and welcoming. The daily activities were varied and exceeded expectations and the guides and drivers, without exception, were deeply knowledgeable and a pleasure to spend time with. In addition to Lucy, special thanks go to Craig Taljaard and Humphrey at Capey Travel, for great driving, great food, insights into ZA and excellent reggae. Also, the entire staff at Cederberg Ridge Wilderness Lodge for general wonderfulness and special birthday treats, with a special mention to David, the guide who took us walking to see the rock art. The Penguins were amazing! Our Cape Sidecar Adventure was a delight. Our Johannesburg visit was eye-opening, deeply meaningful, and often fun, thanks to our hosts at Lebo's Backpackers, who supported and challenged us. This was our second outing with kimkim and we will continue to use them or future trips. Thank you!!!

We had an amazing trip and loved working with KimKim. They were very responsive and helpful.
Thank you read more

We had an amazing trip and loved working with KimKim. They were very responsive and helpful.
Thank you

Hotel Reviews

The Silo

Cape Town

The Silo was one of the best hotels Ive ever stayed in. I’ve been all over the world and this hotel had ceiling to floor windows in every room. I loved my view of the harbour and Table Mountain! Just can’t describe how pleased we were. The staff was super friendly and actually fixed my husbands broken reading glasses! Who does that!

Authenticity & Character

Unique character, decked out bedrooms, beautiful art.

Location

Right on the waterfront!

Staff

Always had a smile on their face and willing to help always

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Royal Malewane & Spa

Hoedspruit

The staff at the Royal Malewane made our trip very special! I can’t say enough about them. They went out of their way to create alcohol free cocktails for us to have on our safari rides. Loved every bit of the resort. Amazing views. We saw over 100 cafe buffalo by our watering hole right outside of our dining room!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

I want to give a big shout out to our friendly engaging guide to Jacques Briam. He made our trip enjoyable. Honestly felt like I was amongst family. Haley was amazing as well! Loved everyone there!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Arrival Thornybush

Thornybush Game Reserve

Quality of Experience

Y

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Days on Safari

South Africa

As I mentioned before Jacques Briam and Loderick our guides were absolutely amazing. Especially Jacques! We felt like we were with family!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cape Town Urban, Table Mountain & Kirstenbosch Exploration

Cape Town

Our guide was full of knowledge. She knew about all the flora and fauna. She knew the answer to all of our questions!

Quality of Experience

Food

They had snacks and drinks packed for us! How cool is that!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cape Peninsula Out & About Discovery Day

Cape Town

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had an amazing trip! With Deborah's coordination, expertise and knowledge, she blended our request for traditional African cultural experiences and off the beaten path adventures. We visited Johannesburg (Soweto, Cradle of Humankind, Sterkfontein Caves), Safari in Kruger Bush, Cape Town coastal tours (including lunch with Nicky Gibbs!), Paternoster (Penguins, lunch at Wolfgat), Cederberg, (Rock Art), Franschhoek (Wine Country), National Parks (both Western & Fossil), Victoria Falls, then... read more

We had an amazing trip! With Deborah's coordination, expertise and knowledge, she blended our request for traditional African cultural experiences and off the beaten path adventures. We visited Johannesburg (Soweto, Cradle of Humankind, Sterkfontein Caves), Safari in Kruger Bush, Cape Town coastal tours (including lunch with Nicky Gibbs!), Paternoster (Penguins, lunch at Wolfgat), Cederberg, (Rock Art), Franschhoek (Wine Country), National Parks (both Western & Fossil), Victoria Falls, then onto the Grand Finale on the Chobe River Boat. Transfers went smoothly, as with every hand-off to a new wonderful Tour Guide. Would highly recommend her to personalize your next adventure. We can’t thank her enough!

The trip was great overall, Our guide, Steph, was fantastic. We changed a few items in the itinerary due to weather/cancellations & added a few unplanned activities. All of the hotels were great. Activities
Bettys bay - Stoney Point Penguins colony; Wilderness - canoeing/hike; Boutkans bridge bungee jump; Tsitsikamma National park hike; Plettenburg Bay skydive; Robberg nature areas hike; Knysna catamaran sunset cruise; whale watch tour; Oudsthoorn cango caves; meerkat viewing
read more

The trip was great overall, Our guide, Steph, was fantastic. We changed a few items in the itinerary due to weather/cancellations & added a few unplanned activities. All of the hotels were great. Activities
Bettys bay - Stoney Point Penguins colony; Wilderness - canoeing/hike; Boutkans bridge bungee jump; Tsitsikamma National park hike; Plettenburg Bay skydive; Robberg nature areas hike; Knysna catamaran sunset cruise; whale watch tour; Oudsthoorn cango caves; meerkat viewing

Petru did a great job organizing the trip for us. She was responsive and available throughout the entire booking process as well as when we were in country. The accommodations and tours she arranged certainly exceeded our expectations! She was also happy to answer questions we had about South Africa in general and expectations for travel.

Noel was our guide, and we really enjoyed having a dedicated private guide for our time in Cape Town. He was personable and knowledgeable, and really... read more

Petru did a great job organizing the trip for us. She was responsive and available throughout the entire booking process as well as when we were in country. The accommodations and tours she arranged certainly exceeded our expectations! She was also happy to answer questions we had about South Africa in general and expectations for travel.

Noel was our guide, and we really enjoyed having a dedicated private guide for our time in Cape Town. He was personable and knowledgeable, and really tailored our daily experiences for us. When the weather didn't cooperate for an outdoor activity, he had great fallback options for us including museums and wine tastings. I recommend him to anyone visiting the Cape!

thank you Lize and the Kimkim team and our wonderful knowledgeable guides. Rehana and Leisel for a fantastic trip . The experiences from the hike up Table Mountain, Cape Tour and phenomenal Garden Route and all their suggestions made for unforgettable memories! First rate!

This was our first time working with a travel agent, so we went into it with apprehensions. Taf and her team were exceptional at planning out our trip, giving us a unique mix of experiences, and they were always there when we needed them - literally day or night. We thoroughly enjoyed our experience and look forward to working with Taf again! read more

This was our first time working with a travel agent, so we went into it with apprehensions. Taf and her team were exceptional at planning out our trip, giving us a unique mix of experiences, and they were always there when we needed them - literally day or night. We thoroughly enjoyed our experience and look forward to working with Taf again!

Our trip was wonderful from start to finish. The hotel in Capetown was great and such a good location. Our guide Chris was fantastic. Some of the items listed to see we did not see and I was disappointed about some of those. I felt they should not have been listed if we actually could not get to see them because I chose this trip based on some of them. The things we did do were terrific.
The Nkorho lodge was another highlight - the food, services and amenities were wonderful and the safari... read more

Our trip was wonderful from start to finish. The hotel in Capetown was great and such a good location. Our guide Chris was fantastic. Some of the items listed to see we did not see and I was disappointed about some of those. I felt they should not have been listed if we actually could not get to see them because I chose this trip based on some of them. The things we did do were terrific.
The Nkorho lodge was another highlight - the food, services and amenities were wonderful and the safari experience was top notch.

Lize did a good job. Some suggestions in hindsight:
At Victoria Falls, I recommend doing both sides of the falls. Pioneer Lodge is very good. The trip to Chobe is very good.
At Cape Town our guide Mario was very good.
Tangala--the tents have no heat. The sleeping and shower were accordingly very uncomfortable. Guests should be made aware of that before hand; we were not.
Elephant Plains is a great property, but the wi-fi is very limited to the bar area--nothing in the rooms. ... read more

Lize did a good job. Some suggestions in hindsight:
At Victoria Falls, I recommend doing both sides of the falls. Pioneer Lodge is very good. The trip to Chobe is very good.
At Cape Town our guide Mario was very good.
Tangala--the tents have no heat. The sleeping and shower were accordingly very uncomfortable. Guests should be made aware of that before hand; we were not.
Elephant Plains is a great property, but the wi-fi is very limited to the bar area--nothing in the rooms. The quality of the wildlife viewing was good, but the quantity was lacking. The quantity at Chobe and Tangala was much greater.

Craig with Capey Tours in Capetown was amazing he made our trip even better with his knowledge of Capetown and fun personality

Eddy and Adolph at Chisomo went above and beyond to make our safari exciting and packed with a great variety of animals.

Lucy was so easy to work with on our entire trip and was very fast to respond to any query. I will definitely recommend Kimkim to family and friends our trip could not have been better short of staying another week.

Tafadzwa (Taf to us) Chindove was the generous genius that helped my family plan and execute our life changing trip to Southern Africa. It was the 50th anniversary of our marriage, the high school graduation of our oldest grandchild, the 15th wedding anniversary of one of our children and so much more to celebrate that the trip just had to be perfect. It exceeded all of sour expectations.

There were 22 of our family on that trip. My wife and I, all four of our kids and spouses and all of... read more

Tafadzwa (Taf to us) Chindove was the generous genius that helped my family plan and execute our life changing trip to Southern Africa. It was the 50th anniversary of our marriage, the high school graduation of our oldest grandchild, the 15th wedding anniversary of one of our children and so much more to celebrate that the trip just had to be perfect. It exceeded all of sour expectations.

There were 22 of our family on that trip. My wife and I, all four of our kids and spouses and all of our grandchildren ranging in age from 5 to 18. All along the way there were fascinating things for all of us to see and do. We had dinner in a world class restaurant on a Cape Town mountain top with great child care we got to interview ahead of time, we saw the good the bad and the ugly of Soweto, the creation wonder of the Kruger complex including 43 species we counted of animals including all of the “big 5” at Kapama reserve, the Victoria Falls in full bloom, and had dinner on a 19th century luxury steam train on our 50th in Zambia.

Everywhere we stayed we saw the magnificence of Africa. And Taf was right there the whole time. We modified things along the way and she was right there to pave the way. She arranged medical visits to out hotel when testing for travel to Zimbabwe was required, handled small issues of time changes and large matters of air flights with coolness and professionalism.

Taf and her team are all 5 star as far as my family are concerned and all of the adults are professionals used to efficiency and competency and in KIMKIM and Taf we found that in excess. We will always remember our days in Southern Africa and if we ever get the opportunity to return to this sweet land you can bet we will be in touch with Taf before all else.

Taf and her company Salty Travel are amount the best of the best and is affiliated with KIMKIM travel as the consultant for South Africa. We really trust KIMKIM. When traveling in the first world we often plan our own trips though we consult with KIMKIM on diversions into the second or third world areas, or on hard to reach or time constricted travel. We used them to plan trips to Turkey, last fall to Egypt and now to Africa. They are just the best. Period

Our trip was absolutely fantastic! IT was 2 weeks and we did so much. There were a few activities that had to change and we received communication way ahead of time. This is the second time I have used Kimkim Travel for trips and I will continue to use them. I was so please with how Lucy stayed in touch and responded quickly. This trip was only my youngest son and myself. We will be taking the entire family back after such a wonderful time we had. We WILL be contacting Lucy through... read more

Our trip was absolutely fantastic! IT was 2 weeks and we did so much. There were a few activities that had to change and we received communication way ahead of time. This is the second time I have used Kimkim Travel for trips and I will continue to use them. I was so please with how Lucy stayed in touch and responded quickly. This trip was only my youngest son and myself. We will be taking the entire family back after such a wonderful time we had. We WILL be contacting Lucy through KimKim.com again! We had a very detailed itinerary with rest days and were able to move things around if needed.

I loved the people in South Africa. I felt at home everywhere we went. I have way too many wonderful pictures, so picking one for this is NOT easy.

The trip was fantastic. The suggestions were very good. We started communicating last minute with very little time left before our departure to cape town.
We didn't figure out the Kruger Safari and we are glad that we connected with Lize and booked our Kruger Safari experience and the Shark cage diving day trip through her.

She is super helpful, knowledgable and our go to person for another trip to SA in future.
Thank you Lize once again, you are awesome!
read more

The trip was fantastic. The suggestions were very good. We started communicating last minute with very little time left before our departure to cape town.
We didn't figure out the Kruger Safari and we are glad that we connected with Lize and booked our Kruger Safari experience and the Shark cage diving day trip through her.

She is super helpful, knowledgable and our go to person for another trip to SA in future.
Thank you Lize once again, you are awesome!

Hotel Review

Elephant Plains Game Lodge

Bushbuckridge

Great hospitality, food and service. The staff is super nice, pleasing and fun! Everyone was so good. Highly recommended.

Tips for future travelers

None

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Shark Cage Diving

South Africa

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Days on Safari

South Africa

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Deborah (AKA the Debz), was such a joy to work with. She coordinated travel for my honeymoon which included stops in Johannesburg, Cape Town, the Winelands, Chobe, Victoria Falls, Kruger and Zanzibar. A trip we coined "Beach Wine Safari." She answered all my questions, big and small, leading up to our trip. Deborah really listened to what we wanted to get out of the trip and made all our dreams come true. She is extremely knowledgeable. Additionally, throughout our trip she was... read more

Deborah (AKA the Debz), was such a joy to work with. She coordinated travel for my honeymoon which included stops in Johannesburg, Cape Town, the Winelands, Chobe, Victoria Falls, Kruger and Zanzibar. A trip we coined "Beach Wine Safari." She answered all my questions, big and small, leading up to our trip. Deborah really listened to what we wanted to get out of the trip and made all our dreams come true. She is extremely knowledgeable. Additionally, throughout our trip she was immediately responsive. Setting expectations was very important to us and even though things do not always go as planned, we really had a seamless travel experience. We had the pleasure of meeting Deborah in person as well. She went above and beyond by using her personal contacts to ensure we had the best possible experience. I enthusiastically recommend her for all your Africa travel needs.

Our trip to South Africa was fantastic. We spent some time in Cape Town, drove the garden route, then stayed at Lions Sands for the safari experience. There has not been any major issues and we were very happy with the entire trip. Lize was very responsive and remained very flexible as we planned our trip. She is a professional and I enjoyed working with her. Our guide in Cape town, Rehanna was an outstanding guide, going above and beyond to ensure we had a great trip. We firmly believe our... read more

Our trip to South Africa was fantastic. We spent some time in Cape Town, drove the garden route, then stayed at Lions Sands for the safari experience. There has not been any major issues and we were very happy with the entire trip. Lize was very responsive and remained very flexible as we planned our trip. She is a professional and I enjoyed working with her. Our guide in Cape town, Rehanna was an outstanding guide, going above and beyond to ensure we had a great trip. We firmly believe our trip was that much better due to her passion and knowledge about South Africa.

There were some minor things I wasn't too happy about. Again, these are not anything major but because I am a detailed person, it bothered me. One could argue I should've caught all these ahead of time but I suppose I trusted that there won't be any surprises since, well, that's why I am paying someone from the area to plan it.

When we arrived and met with our guide, she told us there was a marathon going on the day we were supposed to go to Cape Peninsula. Because of the road closures, we would not be able to go on the designated day. However, thankfully she worked it out and we were still able to visit Cape Peninsula on a different day and get other tours in. A marathon is a well-planned event that should've already been identified when planning our trip. Also, when Lize asked about visiting the winery area, I told her no because my husband and I do not drink. However, Rehanna had a different opinion and told us it was well-worth the visit despite the fact that we don't drink wine. We trusted her and we were glad we did! It was such a beautiful area and she was able to get us in for an Easter lunch at Delaire graff restaurant with an excellent view. We lucked out because she knew someone there so we were still able to get in despite not having a reservation.

There were also some minor confusion with the costs and specific details in the plan. There were few times I had to ask about what was laid out on the plan and Lize had to assure me. For example, she did not provide what time we were supposed to meet our guide in Cape town. When I asked, she said it was in another section(?) of the plan. However, I did not see that in the plan nor was able to access it on my phone. In addition, the plan had stated what meals were covered. However, all the meals were covered at Lions Sands but on the plan, it stated breakfast only.

When we picked up the rental car, I was surprised to find there was an additional cost we owe for dropping the car off in another city. When I asked, Lize did provide me the rental car document and it sure did say it was not included. Hence, it was my fault for not reading the fine print. But in some ways, I felt like this should have been identified up front, not me having to read the fine print. Our entire trip was about $17K (excluding international airfare) so it wasn't so much about the cost itself; it was the fact that I was surprised. In addition, I was not informed of the additional cost that we would've incurred if the rental car company picked up the car from the hotel vs us dropping it off. Our flight was early and we did not know how far it was from one another. Lize did inform me before that there may be a cost but never came back and said what the cost was. I "assumed" there wasn't any cost. Again, another minor surprise. We ended up dropping the car off on our own because it was a very small airport so it was just a walking distance.

Prior to the trip, I asked who I'd contact if there were issues. Lize provided her number but told me nothing should go wrong. I was glad to have her number because the only other method I was able to contact her was through the email/Kimkim conversation. Since I am sure she has other clients, it took little longer for her to respond while we were in Africa.

I also looked up some places to visit on the garden route since Lize recommended we spend 3 days in Knysna. However, we realized all the places we visited were either prior to Knysna or past Knysna. I am not so sure if that was a good recommendation. Furthermore, we had to find our own what places to stop by in that area as it was never recommended prior to the trip. Again, we had to learn it once we got there but in my mind, isn't that the reason why we would hire someone local so he or she can share with us what they recommend vs what we read on google?

In addition, we did not know we had to drive on the other side of the road and the steering wheel was also on the other side. Lize told us many do drive on their own and it's easy. Yes, we did not have any major issues other than the fact that my husband struggled a little since he is left handed and I drove some of the way (my husband is usually the one who drives). I think it would've been good to know that ahead of time.

There were some other minor things that did irritate me a little but perhaps due to managing my expectations. In some ways, I am not sure if it was worth paying that much money to plan the trip esp since I am used to planning our trips and we've been to over 40 countries. To be fair, there were things that I am not aware of which I am sure Lize was able to work it out.

Again, those things mentioned above is very detailed, minor things I found that can be improved. Overall, Lize was great and pleasant to work with and our trip was definitely once in a lifetime trip that we will never forget. Devils are in the details so it was a good lesson learned on my end as well - not to assume and manage my expectations.

Will we use Kimkim again? Probably. But next time, I'd be more hands on and go through the plan with a fine tooth comb so there won't be any surprises :)

Deb was phenomenal! From the start, she was super communicative and eased us into the process of working with a travel agent, as we had never done so before. Every morning we would wake up to amazing updates that got us incredibly excited for our trip.

As she learned more about ourselves and what we wanted from our trip, she never batted an eye about making changes to our itinerary and even made suggestions about things that we never thought possible. When we were on the trip, we had a few... read more

Deb was phenomenal! From the start, she was super communicative and eased us into the process of working with a travel agent, as we had never done so before. Every morning we would wake up to amazing updates that got us incredibly excited for our trip.

As she learned more about ourselves and what we wanted from our trip, she never batted an eye about making changes to our itinerary and even made suggestions about things that we never thought possible. When we were on the trip, we had a few hiccups (of our own doing) and Deb was right there with us making updates and helping us come up with a new plan of attack.

Deb, you have given us an experience that we will never forget. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being such an amazing person, a stellar travel agent, and for having a gigantic heart. I can't wait to work with you again.

- Marc

Hotel Review

Ivory Wilderness

Hoedspruit

Ivory Wilderness was the highlight of my trip. The night tours, early morning treks, and being able to walk around the bush on foot was incredible. The food was delicious, the accommodations were perfect, the setting is unbeatable, and the crew that put the experience together treated me as though I was one of their life long friends. I could not have wished for a better time. Thank you so much!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

A Day in the Kruger Bush with Two Game Drives

Kruger National Park

Amazing itinerary and client-focused service by Deb! The itinerary was fairly complex since we were visiting 4 countries, but the activity selection, local guide selection, accommodations, and the *numerous* transfers were all seamless. We are so happy with our trip, and could not have done it without flawless execution by Deb. She was also very mindful of our budget and we felt she maximized the experience and value based on what we had planned on spending. Also amazingly responsive during... read more

Amazing itinerary and client-focused service by Deb! The itinerary was fairly complex since we were visiting 4 countries, but the activity selection, local guide selection, accommodations, and the *numerous* transfers were all seamless. We are so happy with our trip, and could not have done it without flawless execution by Deb. She was also very mindful of our budget and we felt she maximized the experience and value based on what we had planned on spending. Also amazingly responsive during our vacation whenever we had questions.

Hotel Review

Ivory Wilderness

Hoedspruit

Great accommodations, *impeccable* hospitality, and Craig was an amazing safari guide! It was 100% the highlight of our trip.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Private reserve, and can view so many animals right from the lodge deck.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

E-biking or hiking Stellenbosch followed by wine farm visits

Cape Town

Beautiful way to experience Stellenbosch.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Deborah could not have been more perfect from start to finish.

The start: we were taking a last minute vacation to South Africa as part of our honeymoon (I worked for an airline so that was feasible). When I say last minute, we were coming in a week!!! That was absolutely no problem for Deborah, who took it in stride, perfectly planning every detail from our time in Cape Town to our safari in Krueger. If you are considering working with Deborah, do it! Thanks again for making our trip one we’ll never forget.

We had an amazing time in South Africa and the ease of coordinating on KimKim and our specialist Carla was great. Would definitely book this way again!

Our honeymoon to South Africa was truly unforgettable, and we are already dreaming of our next safari trip. We wouldn’t change anything about the itinerary Petru helped us put together, other than adding more time! We can’t wait to be back and would use Petru again, especially with how communicative she is and how easily she helped us navigate having to delay our trip by 8 months due to Covid. Thanks for helping us create the best memories!

I was very impressed with Stephanie. She was wonderful and i would reccommend her and book with her again. We were loving our trip but then the Government of South Africa declared a national disaster and the Canadian Government ordered all Canadians abroad to come home so we needed to leave our trip early and forego our 2 nights at Addo Elephant park, our 3 night safari at Hlosi and our flight on safair back to Cape Town. Given the circumstances, I am extremely shocked and upset that we... read more

I was very impressed with Stephanie. She was wonderful and i would reccommend her and book with her again. We were loving our trip but then the Government of South Africa declared a national disaster and the Canadian Government ordered all Canadians abroad to come home so we needed to leave our trip early and forego our 2 nights at Addo Elephant park, our 3 night safari at Hlosi and our flight on safair back to Cape Town. Given the circumstances, I am extremely shocked and upset that we have not been refunded for the portion foregone. I am also still waiting on paperwork to show what we lost having to leave early so that i can at least try to make a claim through travel insurance. Please advise. Thank you, Brianna Davies

Our local specialist Deborah was fantastic in helping us organise the trip from start to finish. We encountered a few teething problems along the way to do with booking of flights but all issues were resolved to our total satisfaction without any fuss. Deborah also arranged excellent choice of on the ground personal guides and car transfers which all went very smoothly, they were all very professional and knowledgeable. All in all we would highly recommend Deborah and her team and would like to thank her for making our honeymoon so memorable in South Africa.

My friends and I had an AMAZING trip to South Africa and Zimbabwe. It was probably the best vacation of my life...and I've gone on a lot of vacations. Cindy was such a great agent, and she created an exceptional itinerary for us. I will definitely be telling all my friends to use her when planning their trips to the area. Thank you, Cindy!!

My wife and I traveled with another couple to Victoria Falls (2 nights) and South Africa. We toured the garden route (5 nights), had 3 nights in Cape Town, and had 2 nights at Inyati Game Lodge. Kimkim did an excellent job in making all our travel arrangements. This included internal flights, rental car, and all hotels. All our hotels were excellent with the exception of Ibhayi Guest Lodge in Port Elizabeth.

Our rooms in Victoria Falls Safari Lodge overlooked a watering hole. From our... read more

My wife and I traveled with another couple to Victoria Falls (2 nights) and South Africa. We toured the garden route (5 nights), had 3 nights in Cape Town, and had 2 nights at Inyati Game Lodge. Kimkim did an excellent job in making all our travel arrangements. This included internal flights, rental car, and all hotels. All our hotels were excellent with the exception of Ibhayi Guest Lodge in Port Elizabeth.

Our rooms in Victoria Falls Safari Lodge overlooked a watering hole. From our balcony we saw hyenas, elephants, zebras, giraffes, and multiple antelopes. Outside of Knysna we stayed at Brenton Haven. The rooms were large, self catering, and had excellent views of the beach. We also enjoyed the food at their restaurant.

Our last two nights were spent at the Inyati Game Lodge in Sabi Sand Private Game Reserve. Their food was excellent and plentiful. The rooms were also very nice. We loved our guide Diff and tracker Rodger and highly recommend both of them. We were fortunate to see a pack of dogs and a clan of hyenas fighting over a kill. We also saw a leopard in a tree eating an impala. Both Diff and Rodger were friendly and informative. Diff also would identify all the birds. We were able to see the big five before our trip was over.

The service from our travel specialist Lize was prompt and efficient. This included fulfilling our request to move our pick up time up by 30 minutes on our last day. (request was made at 9 am, pickup at 1230). She also arranged to have another couple added to our Cape Town tour with short notice.

This is the third trip my wife and I have taken with kimkim. We highly recommend them.

Stephanie was great, really helpful, knowlegable and able to work within our modest budget. Thoroughly recomend Stephanie and kim kim

Eon was excellent! He was very knowledgeable and gave us time to spend together as a family.
Thanks to Debra for all the helpful tips for the road trip as well!

Our 21 day South African “Investment Trip” was over the top in so many ways: tailor made itinerary by Carla and Deidre @ Salty Travel with revisions, figuring out and responding to our “wants”, including:
Lodgings:
*Cape Town/Presidents Hotel @Bantry Bay - 2 bedroom 2 en-suite bath sitting room and kitchenette, delicious European & full breakfast (eggs cooked to order), delightful staff and daily chocolates!
*Hermanus/Baleens Hotel - unique in style but very comfortable and close proximity... read more

Our 21 day South African “Investment Trip” was over the top in so many ways: tailor made itinerary by Carla and Deidre @ Salty Travel with revisions, figuring out and responding to our “wants”, including:
Lodgings:
*Cape Town/Presidents Hotel @Bantry Bay - 2 bedroom 2 en-suite bath sitting room and kitchenette, delicious European & full breakfast (eggs cooked to order), delightful staff and daily chocolates!
*Hermanus/Baleens Hotel - unique in style but very comfortable and close proximity to the beautiful beach, delicious cooked to order breakfast.
*Albertinia/Garden Route Game Lodge - “posh” and lovely, 2 adventure filled Safari drives (including ‘happy hour’ adult refreshments), delicious meals served in the Lodge with well appointed tables (linens, floral centerpieces), private and comfortable ‘mini’ self contained lodges with water hole views of animals coming in for a dip or drink.
*Knysna/Belvidere Manor - European styled bungalow 2 bed 2 bath, living room, fireplace and full kitchen fronting a large lawn with a swimming pool and lawn game courts from the lagoon-bay to the east and the Belvidere Manor to the west, Spectacular Service, delicious food and delightful Pub onsite! Clearly one of our favorites!
*Addo National Elephant/Schotia Private Game Reserve - our in the bush private ‘huts’ en-suite full bath, freestanding fireplace, beverage center, and a resident wild cat that guarded our residence,.fabulous guide who shared his outstanding knowledge of animals, habitats, and made the Safaris memorable!
*Kwalucia Private Safari Retreat - the absolute “highlight” of our trip - fabulous B & B hosted by Adrian and Marie Joubert, private, secluded, restful, beautiful extra large rooms with en-suite, personalized service, incredible, delicious, traditional South African food that made our stay EXTRA SPECIAL! Adrian also suggested a whale watching boat trip that also included deep sea fishing - catching a yellow fin tuna that was then prepared and served for our breakfast -SPECTACULAR memories and adventure on the water. Incredible atmosphere, service and friendship!
*Ermelo/Ermelo Inn - a quick overnight enroute to the Panorama Route Scenic drive. Adequate but very ho-hum compared to other “stays” - please note there were very FEW choices in Ermelo.
*Graskop/Graskop Inn - traditional, historical Inn with so much character! Individually designed/decorated en-suite rooms by South African artists & designers. This stay was treasured as we enjoyed an evening ‘a cappella’ serenade by hotel staff during dinner! The warm fun loving staff made this overnight stay WONDERFUL!
*Hoedspruit-Kruger Orpen Gate/ Tremisana Safari Lodge & Marc’s Treehouse Lodge - this was the most unique and in some ways least accommodating of our wonderful stays! We ‘chose’ this Safari lodging because it sounded fun, unique and accommodating. The bottom line - unique/yes, fun/yes because of kitchen & Safari staff, unique / NOT delivered as advertised - treehouses were anything but! ALL would never pass an inspection codes in the USA! We signed a liability waiver for good reason - so many unsafe situations (unsafe tree rooted walking paths to accommodations, poor lighting, electrical issues that left several guests “shocked” while showering, etc...) MAINTENANCE issues too numerous to list! YET, this accommodation will remain a favorite in spite of its ruggedness and disrepair (that could easily be corrected with a bit of infrastructure investment) because of the wonderful staff and fellow GUESTS (from around the world) that provided many discussions and giggles in a friendship forming environment. I can’t thank the cooks enough for a very special birthday cake with candles that was baked in the tiniest of ovens!
*Johannesburg /The Capital-on Bath - Carla had booked a 2 bedroom apartment, but we were initially placed in two separate rooms far apart in the hotel... after producing our printed itinerary to the staff a correction was quickly made and our accommodations were TOP NOTCH! The service was wonderful as well.

Tours arranged for by Carla and staff:
*Cape Town - Hop-on Hop-off - great way to see the city, becoming familiar with the surroundings (would highly recommend). It would have been nice to have pre-paid vouchers for Table Mountain but now reflecting back - we were very fortunate to even get to the top due to erratic weather!
*Robben Island Museum Tour - prearranged/prepaid tickets made this MUST SEE Cape Town landmark a wonderful trip without waiting in walk-up lines.
NOT INCLUDED ON ITINERARY-Cape Point/Boulder Beach/Cape of Good Hope private tour arranged by another private tour company once we realized the time and difficulty of doing it “self drive” - highly recommended when in Cape Town! .
*Spier Wine Farm - fabulous, wonderful setting, great wines and knowledgeable staff! Thanks for the recommendation!
*Garden Route Game Lodge - absolutely “posh” but a bit contrived as far as animals in “natural” environments. Being familiar with San Diego Zoo Park - not much different but the Garden Route Game Lodge is a whole lot farther away!
*Knysna - Knysna Eco Adventure/Featherbed Eco reserve (outstanding). In spite of a rainy day, we loved this active hiking Eco Tour! The Lodge, newly rebuilt after being leveled by a wildfire in 2017 was AMAZING! The buffet style lunch was incredible offering locally sourced fresh foods, some cooked South African meats, soups, salads, and Malva pudding or ice cream sundae bar!
*Addo Elephant Park - Schotia Private Game Reserve Safari included 2 dusk drives, 2 dawn break drives and 2 nighttime after dinner drives - EXCELLENT Safari GUIDE/Naturalist. Additional Safari to Addo Elephant National Park - outstanding opportunities to see over 8,000 + elephants in their natural surroundings.
*St. Lucia - Hippo & Croc Sunset Cruise - at best “okay” crowded with boats on the estuary.
*iSimangaliso Wetland Park Tour - UNESCO World Heritage Site - absolutely WONDERFUL!
One of the best Guides we had our whole trip! We didn’t get to snorkel due to high winds/waves but were allowed to wander the beach for two hours and then stopped at several beach heads on the tour!
NOT INCLUDED ON ITINERARY: but arranged by B & B host - a pre dawn departure whale watching (migration season) and deep sea fishing tour by a private provider... breath taking, incredible, thrilling and a MUST DO tour in St. Lucia!

Rental Cars
Cape Town delivery - seamless in the pouring rain - however we didn’t notice a sizable dent as a pre-existing damage during the initial inspection. When loading our luggage we then noticed the dent and took “time and date stamped” photos - we then presented photos at drop off in Port Elizabeth with no problems and no incurred charges!
Durban - airport pickup very easy but time consuming.
Hoedspruit /Eastgate Airport - Very Easy once we found The airport!

Maps/printed directions:
Schotia Game Reserve - drove right past it! Poorly marked! We were 1/2 hour late checking in and missed part of the afternoon game drive - Schotia Reserve was very accommodating and quickly made adjustments to deliver us to the tour already underway in the bush!
Hoedspruit Airport - directions took us to the South African Air Force Airport and after several local inquiries and our own GPS locator we finally found the Eastgate Private Airport/airstrip 1 hour later than anticipated!

SIM Card: unfortunately, not being familiar with SIM card replacement on my apple iPhone we thought we had accomplished the set up when in actuality we had NOT! We did rectify the issue six days into the trip. Fortunately, we did not have the EMERGENCY of NEED to use the SIM card but we did have the USA based SIM card with us and could have used it for an expensive option if absolutely needed. Very minor detail that was easily corrected.

OVERALL - our itinerary was wonderful and the website information was easy to refer to, maps were primarily correct (our experience with Google or Garmin GPS is 95% accurate) useful and helpful. We certainly appreciated Carla’s accommodating us via Skype on several occasions - even though our emailing was equally useful - talking to and seeing who you are working with is MOST ASSURING! The importance of working with local travel specialists ie, Carla, Deidre and Shonna @ Salty Travel is ADVANTAGEOUS ! We would HIGHLY RECOMMEND others to use Kim Kim Travel and their localized selected travel specialists.

We had a great trip to southern Africa! Deb booked everything we asked for and more. Our favorite experiences included shark cage diving in South Africa, the Chobe photographic safari with Pangolin lodge in Botswana, a great Kruger safari, and the eye opening Soweto tour in Johannesburg. Beautiful parts of the world with comfortable lodging and memorable moments. Deb took away all of the logistical issues I was stressed about when I initially started planning, and incorporated experiences I wouldn’t have known about otherwise. Loved it!

First, I need to thank Deborah and Tara from Eglin Africa Travel in Cape Town for their recommendations and for planning & arranging an amazing two week holiday in Africa. This was important as my family celebrated my wife's 60th while away.
I cannot recommend their services highly enough - real five star support right throughout the process and they even created a WhatsApp group so we could communicate while away.
Deborah recommended amazing hotels in Cape Town and Stellenbosch and three... read more

First, I need to thank Deborah and Tara from Eglin Africa Travel in Cape Town for their recommendations and for planning & arranging an amazing two week holiday in Africa. This was important as my family celebrated my wife's 60th while away.
I cannot recommend their services highly enough - real five star support right throughout the process and they even created a WhatsApp group so we could communicate while away.
Deborah recommended amazing hotels in Cape Town and Stellenbosch and three fantastic game lodges in Khwai, Chobe and Victoria Falls.
Two of the lodges were Pangolin Photo Safaris. Each guest is given a Canon 80D DSLR camera with a 150-600 telephoto lens and taught how to use it to take fantastic photos of the amazing wild animals in Africa. My entire family, none of who have photographic experience beyond an iPhone, really enjoyed the experience and we have hundreds of photos of lion, leopard, elephant, hippo and the amazing African antelope and birds.
If you travel to Africa, please contact Deborah and Tara.

The rafting trip was well organised and a great day out !

This is the third time I’ve used kimkim to help with my travel planning. Clearly they work with the best travel specialists in the world. For my South African adventure kimkim connected me with Elgin Africa, I couldn’t have asked for a better match!

Deborah contacted me first, she got back to me right away with answers for my questions about budget and best time to visit South Africa. After couple of emails I knew I was in good hands.

Tara contacted me second, she was wonderful from the... read more

This is the third time I’ve used kimkim to help with my travel planning. Clearly they work with the best travel specialists in the world. For my South African adventure kimkim connected me with Elgin Africa, I couldn’t have asked for a better match!

Deborah contacted me first, she got back to me right away with answers for my questions about budget and best time to visit South Africa. After couple of emails I knew I was in good hands.

Tara contacted me second, she was wonderful from the start, always available to quickly and patiently answer any questions, worked around my budget and tailored the itinerary based on the list of places and experiences I wanted.

This trip was amazing largely to Tara’s impeccable planning, I never had to worry about a transfer, guide (the guides that Elgin Africa works with are wonderful), or accommodation, everything was perfect!

While traveling, Deborah and Tara checked up on me often making sure everything was running smoothly and that I was enjoying my trip.

Anybody planning to visit South Africa should contact Elgin Africa, they are the best!

We had two tours- one with Eon and one with Lisa- and both were wonderful! Eon took us to the wine country- 3 wineries and lunch- and Lisa took us on a scenic tour of the peninsula- Cape Point, Boulders Beach- and lunch at Two Oceans. We cannot say enough about them- both guides were so knowledgeable, fun, interesting, attentive, sweet- we were so very impressed! Would definitely recommend both to our family and friends.

We had a truly great trip. We spoke with Deborah and Tara beforehand and they planned everything out perfectly. All great choices for accommodations, tours and guides. Also, they stayed in touch with us the whole time to make sure we had no problems or to make additional suggestions on the go. So glad we found them and KimKim!! Seth Jacobson

We were quite apprehensive embarking on this trip due to the fear of the unknown. However, right from the onset our fears were allayed by the excellent planning by Tara and her team and the constant follow up throughout the trip. We felt assured that if we ran Into any problems, they would be taken care of by Tara.
Overall the iterarany planned between Tara and us was excellent!!! The only suggestion we would have is for the day trip to the Drakensberg should be done in two days if time... read more

We were quite apprehensive embarking on this trip due to the fear of the unknown. However, right from the onset our fears were allayed by the excellent planning by Tara and her team and the constant follow up throughout the trip. We felt assured that if we ran Into any problems, they would be taken care of by Tara.
Overall the iterarany planned between Tara and us was excellent!!! The only suggestion we would have is for the day trip to the Drakensberg should be done in two days if time allows. Otherwise you end up driving over 12 hours in a day!!!
The Earth Stompers tour was absolutely fantastic!!! Our guide Christine deserves many kudos as she dealt with everything with expertise and a constant smile!!!
Tours organizers in St. Lucia we’re also awesome. We were very happy with the game we saw and we would certainly recommend Cape Vidal. Our guide Arno was beyond amazing. His knowledge, passion for his job and again a constant smile made the tour incredibly fun.

Overall a fantastic trip!!! South Africa is beautiful and so are the people.

Please note that this review pertains to the Elgin Africa travel agency, and is not a reflection of the small group tour we joined, which was delightful.

My boyfriend and I chose to use KimKim because of the wonderful reviews and business model – offering customized, local attention for a 5% service fee. We are economical travelers and have spent nights in modest quarters (including a tent in the desert without heating, cooling or a personal toilet). Which is why we specifically described... read more

Please note that this review pertains to the Elgin Africa travel agency, and is not a reflection of the small group tour we joined, which was delightful.

My boyfriend and I chose to use KimKim because of the wonderful reviews and business model – offering customized, local attention for a 5% service fee. We are economical travelers and have spent nights in modest quarters (including a tent in the desert without heating, cooling or a personal toilet). Which is why we specifically described our accommodation needs as “something comfortable, but it does not need to be luxurious. Comfortable and affordable will do as we do not intend to spend much time confined to a room.” However, we quickly realized while on our trip that we had been hoodwinked into needlessly extravagant lodgings. On our first night we were booked in a 5 star hotel with amenities that, since our flight was not scheduled to land until nearly 11 pm, we could not even take advantage of. In addition, during the group tour, we discovered we had been booked at completely separate and more expensive accommodations than the rest of our group. On one night we had an entire two story, two bedroom “castle” with a balcony overlooking citrus orchards completely to ourselves. Does that sound like comfortable and affordable to you? Several other couples on the tour had backpacker en suites; yet we were never even provided that option. Being separated from the group was far from ideal and required extra busing back and forth, less time with our companions, and a greater expense.

We also discovered, during the course of the trip, that none of the added activities we had scheduled were included in the final price. Why, then, was it imperative to know which activities we would participate in to finalize the bill? We presumed, since we were not given the final invoice until after we determined our full course of activities, that the activities were included in the total price. What an unpleasant surprise to discover mid-trip.

In fact, now knowing the true cost of the group trip (based on materials emailed directly from the tour company), we actually appear to have been overcharged at least ZAR6,600 given that our only extras on top of the tour were a one night hotel stay and an airport transfer. After the trip concluded, I sent a note to the specialists asking to see an itemized breakdown from the trip as well as a rationale for why we were not offered the backpackers en suite option, but have received zero response.

Using a service like KimKim I expected much better. My boyfriend and I debated greatly amongst ourselves over the cost of the trip, but we certainly did not presume we were being exploited. Since we may never have another opportunity to visit South Africa, we made sacrifices to pay for the trip only to find out after that we could have paid far less. Elgin Africa did not provide full transparency and tricked us into the most expensive accommodations package with no apparent motive beyond fattening their own wallets.

Deborah was a fantastic tour guide and helped us to find 2 amazing once in a lifetime tours.
Kruger national park was amazing and hosted by an awesome local guide who showed us the big 5 and more. Everything went really smoothly with meeting the guide and Deborah and Tara were super helpful ensuring we were collected and happy throughout the trip.
The second part of our holiday was doing the garden route which again was a fantastic experience and showed us many of the best sights!
I'd really... read more

Deborah was a fantastic tour guide and helped us to find 2 amazing once in a lifetime tours.
Kruger national park was amazing and hosted by an awesome local guide who showed us the big 5 and more. Everything went really smoothly with meeting the guide and Deborah and Tara were super helpful ensuring we were collected and happy throughout the trip.
The second part of our holiday was doing the garden route which again was a fantastic experience and showed us many of the best sights!
I'd really recommend Deborah and Tara to anyone going to S Africa as they helped us find 2 great tours that were perfect for us and ensured we had an amazing holiday!
Thanks again!
Zoe and Rob

Excellent service from Deborah. She managed to find a group tour of the Garden route which suited our needs. She was always quick to respond to my messages.
Would highly recommend Kimkim!

Carla was incredibly helpful, friendly, approachable, knowledgable, and adaptable to my changing requests. Even when I thought I was being annoying with my constant questions, I definitely never got that impression from her. I would absolutely use kimkim again, and would recommend Carla to anyone thinking of visiting South Africa.

We started planning our trip several months before coming to South Africa. Carla was extremely responsive, she worked with us on itinerary to accommodate our interests. She worked through small issues and we had a wonderful informative tour with our guide Mark. Highly recommend.

This is an incredible service, and I can’t express how much I appreciate being able to visit a new place — new cultures, new languages, contested histories — and feel like I left it with something more than a superficial layer of tourist-appropriate experience.

Deborah (with help from Tara - of Elgin Africa) provided us with an incredibly thoughtful and perfectly paced itinerary for our 22-day holiday. Deborah’s understanding of us — she really listened to us — and of the options before... read more

This is an incredible service, and I can’t express how much I appreciate being able to visit a new place — new cultures, new languages, contested histories — and feel like I left it with something more than a superficial layer of tourist-appropriate experience.

Deborah (with help from Tara - of Elgin Africa) provided us with an incredibly thoughtful and perfectly paced itinerary for our 22-day holiday. Deborah’s understanding of us — she really listened to us — and of the options before us, given our interests and length of stay allowed her to guide us to choices we wouldn’t have considered or known about. The process of working with Deborah was easy — we emailed several times, and spoke on the phone once — and each ‘visit’ with her left us more and more excited about our trip.

Deborah has worked in tourism for many years, and not only knows places and people, but has an encyclopedic knowledge of how businesses are run, what their values are, and how accommodations, tours, and even key local people will suit her clients.

We loved (LOVED) this trip. We would trust KimKim with any future travel based on our experience with Deborah. She heard our desire to travel according to our values, even though it might mean risking new experiences with accommodation, local tour guides, or wildlife (!). We asked for a non-Disney version of South Africa, and that’s exactly what we got. We’ve been home for two weeks, and already we’re saving for our next holiday (with Deborah at the helm).

My husband’s primary interest was in tracing the lives and contributions of Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Deborah ensured that we visited each significant location in that ‘Long Walk to Freedom’ — including the various branches of the Apartheid Museum. More than that, Deborah identified several contacts for us over the course of our holiday who we would meet and speak with to help us understand personal stories of activism during the struggle for a Democratic South Africa.

In Johannesburg, we stayed in the arts district Maboneng, and toured the city with “King,” a Soweto-born tour guide whose vibrancy and realistic portrait of the city challenged the ‘victory’ narrative. It was wonderful to have a more complex portrait of the country immediately — and with personal experiences and explanations to make that portrait more concerning.

In Qunu, the place of Mandela’s birth, Deborah paired us with an incredible local guide we’re still talking about. His activism during the struggle to end apartheid forced him out of university and into prison. Still an activist, and finished with his formal education, “Zim” allowed us to question him about his current work (defining and re-defining masculinity, and leading groups of people to experience their own power). Deborah had arranged for us to have lunch at his home, where we met his wife and ate a beautiful meal prepared with fresh vegetables grow in their garden. This sort of encounter is simply not possible without current connections and deep interest in one’s work. Wow, Deborah!

Deborah’s care throughout the trip created opportunities and connections like this for us. In Cape Town, for example, tickets to Robben Island were scarce because of ferry trouble and unforeseen closures of the museum. Deborah to the rescue. Robben Island may sound like a trip only for tourists, but I found it to be remarkably organized, insightful, and deeply moving. Need I mention that our tour of the prison/museum was led by a former political prisoner?

My primary interest in the trip was to see and experience the vast expanse of South Africa — its open skies, its languages, its people, and expressions of its cultures. Deborah consistently steered us toward places and encounters we wouldn’t have been able to have on our own. The range of people she put us in touch with ranged from shops selling the work of local people (sometimes co-owned and operated by those people), or informal locations where she was sure we would encounter local artisans selling their work. Our accommodations provided us with not just a white South African holiday. (On our flight home, we noticed that the cosmopolitan artsy 12 Decades Hotel in Johannesburg was written up as a ‘must-go’ location in the in-flight magazine!) Even before we left home, Deborah’s itinerary for us included descriptions of accommodations like this one, describing a beautifully designed backpacker lodge: “Hopefully you’ll meet one of the owners, Sal, who basically grew up at the lodge and is very knowledgeable about all the community projects in the area.” Intersperced with backpacker accommodations, Deborah planned luxurious nights for us. In another part of the itinerary she writes: “It’s 5-star accommodation at 4-star rates and includes breakfast.” She failed to mention that the staff at Falcon’s View Manor (“high above the town of Knysna”) would wash our car (!) while it was parked overnight in their covered carport. At this hotel, we got to our room and discovered that Deborah, who had passed through the area days before, left a beautiful bottle of wine for us. (Need I mention that the adjustment to routine life at home has been difficult!?)

Deborah arranged for several game drives during our holiday, including photographic safaris in Chobe National Park in Botswana. She had personally experienced these safaris, and although such an excursion wasn’t on our radar, our stay at Pangolin Lodge and experiences with drivers and our photography ‘teacher’ couldn’t have been better.

Our trip covered a true range of natural environments, cultural locations, and physical activities. Everywhere we were safe and cared for with attention to detail. Deborah put us in the path of people and encounters that moved us and enlarged our personal and political worldviews. This is the best of travel.

Deborah’s deep knowledge of her client’s desires (we wanted to support family-owned and community-supportive businesses), coupled with her vast knowledge of opportunities for tourism in South Africa, and even Zambia and Botswana, made this a trip our friends simply can’t believe we were able to take. Deborah’s itinerary for us included details about the businesses we patronized, what we should expect for food, even what to pack for day hikes in specific regions... I can’t tell you how grateful I am for her knowledge. Impressed, and grateful.

I can’t thank you enough for referring us to Deborah and to her collegue Tara at Elgin Africa. Although we’ll need to save for a bit before we travel again, I’d reach out to Deborah without hesitation. KimKim was a terrific way to get us started. I’m grateful for your expertise and for the thoughtfulness of your method in pairing travelers with local experts like Deborah.

Cheers!

The trip was amazing from start to finish! I had an amazing time. Carla and my tour guide, Julian were superb! Thank you.

OH MY GOD, Deborah is Awesome, so nice ,patient and always answer when i call on her , sometimes 12 am . She is GREAT and the best i have ever known my whole Life . Indeed she is a Specialist. I recommend anyone going to South Africa and booking with KimKim should Chose Deborah . God this lady is Amazing , her timing , planning and service is amazing , she will make you feel like a Royal away from Home . I have decided to come go to cape town every year because of her. She is the best i have... read more

OH MY GOD, Deborah is Awesome, so nice ,patient and always answer when i call on her , sometimes 12 am . She is GREAT and the best i have ever known my whole Life . Indeed she is a Specialist. I recommend anyone going to South Africa and booking with KimKim should Chose Deborah . God this lady is Amazing , her timing , planning and service is amazing , she will make you feel like a Royal away from Home . I have decided to come go to cape town every year because of her. She is the best i have ever seen in the whole wide world . Deborah thumps up. Be proud of yourself , Thank you for the wonderful service , God bless you ..

Hello,
I found the experience to be good overall. I especially enjoyed the Tremisana lodge in South America and the folks at Marc's treehouse were very accommodating. They had not received my requirement or did not accurately record my requirement for an ensuite but they switched rooms without any problems.
It happened to be a low season and the switch perhaps could not have been possible during the high season.
Initially I found Carla, my kimkim travel agent to be hard to get a hold of... read more

Hello,
I found the experience to be good overall. I especially enjoyed the Tremisana lodge in South America and the folks at Marc's treehouse were very accommodating. They had not received my requirement or did not accurately record my requirement for an ensuite but they switched rooms without any problems.
It happened to be a low season and the switch perhaps could not have been possible during the high season.
Initially I found Carla, my kimkim travel agent to be hard to get a hold of but she explained that she had been out of reach because she was at a conference. I found her colleague (who took over from Carla on the day to day details of my trip) to be very responsive and helpful.
Regards,
Vinita

great day trips to both cape point and the safari!!

Every part of my trip went like clockwork exactly according to plan. Both of the lodges that I went to were very good although Settlers Drift was the best. The rangers and wild life was also excellent.
All my car transfers wore on time with good drivers and my Avis hire car was good and as planned

Thanks Carla for your guide through emails. Everything was perfect, on time and the price is reasonable. The driver also cooperative and give us lots of information about cape town. Will definitely recommend this tour.

We have just returned from a quite superb trip to South Africa and will most definitely be going again! We made our way from Cape Town to the Eastern Cape ending with a Safari at Amakhala, where our amazingly knowledgeable and funny guide made every minute fascinating...it was surprisingly cold in the early mornings and evenings though (mid November), so make sure you take long sleeves and plenty of layers...they do have fleece blankets (which we used every day) but I wish I had more... read more

We have just returned from a quite superb trip to South Africa and will most definitely be going again! We made our way from Cape Town to the Eastern Cape ending with a Safari at Amakhala, where our amazingly knowledgeable and funny guide made every minute fascinating...it was surprisingly cold in the early mornings and evenings though (mid November), so make sure you take long sleeves and plenty of layers...they do have fleece blankets (which we used every day) but I wish I had more clothes!

The trip down the Garden Route was wonderful - empty roads, happy people, low prices and great wines! We particularly loved The Sands in St Francis Bay...pricy, but very special indeed.

Thanks for organising a great trip!

Didn't really have much contact with Howard, mostly done with Lize Enderstein, who always responded to our emails quickly and efficiently.

Maybe more could be done initially to ascertain client's preferences in terms of types of hotels and budget, and maybe more questions regarding client's likes and dislikes, but overall Lize chose very good Hotels and we were very happy with Paradise Tours in Cape Town.

A little more fine details information would have been good, e.g. good idea to... read more

Didn't really have much contact with Howard, mostly done with Lize Enderstein, who always responded to our emails quickly and efficiently.

Maybe more could be done initially to ascertain client's preferences in terms of types of hotels and budget, and maybe more questions regarding client's likes and dislikes, but overall Lize chose very good Hotels and we were very happy with Paradise Tours in Cape Town.

A little more fine details information would have been good, e.g. good idea to book tickets online for Table Mountain and Cango Caves to avoid waiting in long queues. Also more information about the Amakahala itinerary would have been helpful as we didn't realise that we would get lunch and a safari drive on Day 1, and nearly missed this.

Overall very happy and will be back!

First time we've booked on the internet. It couldn't have been easier. Great communication.

Howard was very helpful and knowledgeable. Didn't tire of answering even the daftest of my questions. Also very helpful during the holiday, not just before it.

We had a tight budget and were exploring different options to see what best fit our interests and budget for our Cape Town & Kruger Park Safari. Howard was extremely patient and helpful with suitable recommendations. Overall, it was a generally fuss free and enjoyable process.

I was very impressed with the excursion and hotel bookings. As well as it Guide Ian, with Paradise Touring. He as extremely helpful and knowledgeable about our trip. I would highly recommend Kimkim and Ian for anyone I know traveling to South Africa. Thank you!!

Very easy to work with, and accommodating no matter how many times we asked him to revise our itnerary.