Kimkim Trip Reviews for South Africa

My recent trip to Victoria Falls and the Western Cape was a great success, and one of my best vacations. This was mainly due to the excellent itinerary and arrangements suggested and finalized by the folks at Kimkim. They also selected all the lodgings, which were unique, perfect locations, and fun.

Starting in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe I toured the incredible Falls. I visited a local Matabele village, Mpisi, where I leaned how people live and work. They were so friendly and inviting, it deepened my knowledge of the place and was one of the highlights of my visit to Vic Falls. I also went on a sunset cruise of the Zambezi River. Outstandingly beautiful, and the boat, the Zambezi Vista, was superbly outfitted and the crew informative and fun.

In Cape Town I enjoyed a private tour with guide Zaki Harris of the Bo-Kaap neighborhood. Having grown up there, his insights and knowledge enriched my time there. Of course I visited Table Mountain, with its beautiful views.

Another highlight for me was my private tour of the Cape Peninsula. Rochelle, my guide and driver, was first-rate and made the whole experience rewarding. Her enthusiasm, knowledge and joy of showing me South Africia’s Western Cape was infectious, and the best part of my entire trip. The scenery was stunning, and one of the most beautiful places I’ve seen.

We ventured to wine country, where Rochelle took me to a winey outside of Stellenbosch, where I sampled superb wines. With each wine, the staff provided with informative explanations of the grapes used and wine making process.

Another stop was Babylonstoren Farm. I toured the large establishment where various food and other products are produced. It was fun to wonder over the grounds and buildings, and taste the local specialities.

The day ended at Franschhoek, where I stayed in another marvelous property. Utilizing the easy to use Wine Tram I visited two stellar wineries and enjoyed some lovely wines and learned why South Africa produces exceptional wines.

My next and final stop was Hermanus on the coast, where I boarded a boat in the hope of seeing whales. To my delight we saw many in the Bay. It was very exciting to have the whales break the surface right by the boat.

Staying near Hermanus at a fantastic place overlooking the Klein River Lagoon. A local guide, Vitalis, took me on a nature walk and a water bird sightseeing trip by boat. Both informative and entertaining.

All the transfers went smoothly, with amicable and professional. The lodgings were excellent, as were the meals. Thanks to the great endeavors of Anna-marie and Deb and all their team members this first class trip was memorable.

Mark did a wonderful job showing us around the Cape Town area. He was extremely knowledgeable of the area. Every place he recommended to eat was great food and reasonably priced.
Eddie was our guide at DeHoop Nature Preserve. We had a great time seeing all of the animals in the area. We had never seen so many zebras before. The chef made some amazing meals. Everythi ng tasted great.

We had a great time working with Lucy and her team. Lucy listened to what works for our family and took that into account when she was planning our trip. Our trip was multi-generational and had a lot of activities and a lot of moving around. Everything was well organized. All we had to do was show up! Lucy booked a lot of really special meals and activities for our family. We were all looking forward to the safari, but our trip was so much more than that. We had a great time and are still talking about our trip!

Tshepo was wonderful in helping us plan and keeping us updated on changes to the itinerary for our trip. The accommodations she chose were great, the Lebo tour of Soweto was also an amazing experience.
The people throughout our trip were very knowledgable and helpful, including:
Nokuthula - she was very kind and helpful in guiding us to the hotel and welcoming us after a long flight
Nadine - Our greeter at Kariega was very helpful and made us feel at home.
Osmond - Our ranger at the Kariega reserve, he was very personable, funny and extremely knowledgeable. We were excited and did 4 game rides with him.
The staff at Kariega was great as well and gave us a evening campfire barbecue meal which was tasty.
In Oceana, Max and Zed were great and helpful in answering all of our questions. They helped us arrange a short visit to Bathurst to see The Pineapple museum and Pig n Whistle bar. Luke was very knowledgeable and friendly.
FInally, our Soweto Tuk-Tuk tour guide Tami was kind-hearted and energetic and gave us a final tour of Soweto and took us to Mandela House.
All in all , it was a great first experience to South Africa - and has inspired us to consider future visits!

Hotel Reviews

Kariega River Lodge

Great Lodge, staff is kind and helpful. Osmond was a great ranger , knowledgeable and funny.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Osmond was personable , friendly and had a great sense of humor. He was also very knowledgeable

Cleanliness & Comfort

Oceana Beach and Wildlife Reserve

Wonderful resort, beautiful views of Indian Ocean

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

All the staff was kind and helpful. Max and Zed were in constant communication helping us plan out our day and activities.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Tuk-Tuk Tour

Johannesburg

Tami was a great host and driver, he explained to us the history of Soweto and had a great smile and sense of humor. It was a great pleasure to learn about Soweto from him.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guides, drivers, staffs, food & accommodations went beyond expectations. We traveled the Garden Route and then 2 lodges for safari. Even the animals cooperated with stunning appearances. Thru our travel experts, Salty Travel we were totally surprised by several locations providing kosher meat. Couldn't be better.

Hotel Reviews

Queen Victoria Hotel

Cape Town

Great location, accommodations and staff. Superb

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Abalone Guest Lodge

Hermanus

Beautiful lodge on the ocean. Great staff and breakfasts.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Ainsley the manager.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Suerb view from the room

Head over Hills

Knysna

Doesn't get any better than this.

Authenticity & Character

So special. From the owner to the manager to the staff, so hospitable

Location

Spectacular views of the ocean

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms were beautiful. Ocean views

Pumba Private Game Reserve

Grahamstown, Eastern Cape

Beautiful location, superb accommodation and dining arra.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Guides to animals were excellent.

Cleanliness & Comfort

5 star for sure

Simbavati River Lodge

Kruger National Park

Could imagine staying in a more beautiful place with great warm friendly accommodating staff

Authenticity & Character

This is the place to experience safari, our guide Marc was brilliant

Location

In the middle of the resetve open to Kruger

Staff

Very very accommodating to your needs. Class act

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lodge was very clean

Activity Reviews

Marine Big 5 Boat Tour

South Africa

The Marine Big 5 Boat Tour did not quite live up to my expectations. Having been on whale watches before, I found it less engaging and the payoff was minimal compared to the effort required. It wasn't as thrilling as other marine experiences I've had.

Knysna Elephant Park

Knysna

The Knysna Elephant Park was a lovely experience. The chance to see these majestic creatures up close was a highlight of the trip. I would highly recommend it to anyone visiting the area.

Full Day City Tour, Robben Island & Table Mountain

South Africa

The visit to Robben Island was incredibly meaningful. It offered a poignant look into history and was one of the standout experiences of our trip to Cape Town. It set a somber yet enlightening tone which we appreciated.

We had an amazing trip. We had a wonderful time in Sun City doing a self drive Safari in Pilanesberg, The palace and the breakfast were fantastic. Our early morning balloon ride was such a beautiful experience.
Sabi Sands was amazing. We went straight to a leapord kill upon arrival. Our guide Peter was amazing and actually tracked a pride of Lions for us.
Victoria Falls was beautiful. We went when the water was high so there was a lot of mist making it hard to see the entire falls, but it was still amazing. The Victoria Falls River lodge was incredible. We had an amazing cook and our Butler David was awesome. Overall the trip was amazing and everything went smoothly with Lize taking care of everthing for us as we traveled from place to place.
We will use Kimkim again in the future. Thank you so much for an amazing trip!!!

My partner, and my, 19 day trip to South Africa and Zimbabwe was a trip of a lifetime.
The success of the trip was in no small part due to the excellent work of Lize (Enderstein). Lize took our high level "would like to do's" and turned them into a marvellous adventure. Her communications were at all times clear, timely and responsive to our needs. The itinerary that Lize put together was detailed, with activities, providers, accommodation, transport and times all clearly spelt out. Accordingly, we felt most comfortable in embarking on the trip.
We did the three night ROVOS Rail trip from Pretoria to Cape Town, spent four nights in Cape Town and three nights in each of the Thabamati Luxury Tented Camp, Timbavati Game Reserve, and the Nkorho Bush Lodge, Sabi Sands. In addition, we spent three nights at the Victoria Falls River Lodge. All were excellent.
To call out highlights is doing the others an injustice, but I will. The ROVOS Rail was 5 star travel. The accommodation was first class, the staff super friendly and efficient, and the food delightful. Our guide, Oliver, in Cape Town made our day trips to Table Mountain and Cape Town, the Winelands, and Cape of Good Hope most enjoyable and informative. Courtene and Brett, our hosts at Thabamati, and their staff, made our stay a real luxury experience. The game drives at both Thabamati and Nkorho were something else. We were most fortunate to see an abundance of a diverse range of wildlife in their habitat. Amazing. And then there was the Victoria Falls River Lodge. We were treated like royalty, with our personal butler Reeves going far and beyond. The excursions to Victoria Falls were outstanding. Finally, in Johannesburg we did a guided tuk tuk tour of Soweto, Johannesburg, which was quite an eye opener.
Well, I haven't missed much, but it was such a great trip.
Thanks to all involved, particularly Lize.
I will use KimKim again.

Hotel Reviews

Intercontinental Johannesburg O.R Tambo Airport

Johannesburg

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rovos Rail

Foreshore

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nkorho Bush Lodge

Kruger National Park

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Manor House

Cape Town

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Thabamati Luxury Tented Camp

Kruger National Park

Luxury and service at its best

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Welcoming, friendly and service driven

Cleanliness & Comfort

Victoria Falls River Lodge

Wow, what an experience. Every need is catered for in style.

Authenticity & Character

Location

What more could you want than a treehouse on an island in the middle 'of the raging Zambezi River

Staff

Excellent in all respects. We offer our gratitude to the services provided by our butler Reeves.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Rovos Rail Pretoria to Cape Town Journey

Pretoria

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The disruption caused by the change in "pilots" was quizical

Transport

The change in "pilots" caused unnecessary delays.

Morning and Afternoon Game Drives

Sabi Sands Game Reserve

I perceived that some of the driving to get to the wildlife locations was at times somewhat unsafe.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Johannesburg Private Historic Walking and Tuk Tuk Tour

South Africa

Having approached this experience with some reluctance, our guides, particularly our tuk tuk driver, made the day one of learning in a fun environment.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our tuk tuk driver (sorry I've misplaced his name) made this a great excursion, through sharing freely his personal experiences.

Transport

Half Day Private Table Mountain and City Tour

Cape Town

Oliver, our guide, was tremedndous.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Oliver was attentive, informative and responsive.

Transport

Full Day Cape Peninsula Tour (including lunch)

South Africa

Oliver, our guide, was tremendous.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Oliver, our guide, is highly recommended. He was informative and responsive.

Transport

Timbavati Game Reserve to Sabi Sands Game Reserve

South Africa

Quality of Experience

The transfer was done by road. My rating is no reflection on the provider and our driver who were first class, it is a statement on the condition opf the roads.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Vic Falls River Lodge Activities

Victoria Falls

Our guides made the experiences special.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

All our guides and drivers did an outstanding job.

Transport

Full Day Winelands Tour (including lunch)

South Africa

Oliver, our guide, made the day.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Highly recommend Oliver our guide.

Transport

Afternoon Game Drive

South Africa

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Days on Safari

South Africa

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Timbavati Private Game Reserve Safari Day

Timbavati Game Reserve

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Helicopter Flight

Victoria Falls

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We enjoyed the trip arranged by KimKim and Nadia very much. The process was excellent from start to finish. We really liked our guide Mark who did a great job showing us around for the the time we spent in Cape Town. They were flexible too, when we wanted to add an excursion to Khayelitsha they arranged it with no problem at all. The days we spent in the wine country were very good also. We liked the Winchester Hotel in Cape Town a lot, but the La Fontaine in Franschhoek was really outstanding. About the only quibble i would have is that the stop in Bo-Kaap on the food tour wasn't that great, due to the owner not being available to talk to us about the food and things. The rest of the food tour was excellent though and we enjoyed it very much. I would recommend Kim-Kim to anyone. Some of our group used Kim-Kim on travel to other parts of the world and thought very highly of their experience there as well. Thank you!!

Excellent trip! Our guide was Rosamary Balino for Capetown and Franschoek and she was energetic, fun and knowledgable. We stayed at Timbavati game reserve at the Thabamati luxury tented camp which was wonderful and the game drives were amazing. Then at the Victoria Falls Lodge which was the most luxurious place we have ever stayed. Kimkim, particularly Lize, did a great job putting our trip together based on our wants and it was so well coordinated, we didn't need to worry about anything on the trip. Everyone picking us up or guiding us were always right on time and were they they were supposed to be throughout the 16 days in Continent. Thank you Lize and kimkim for a trip of a lifetime!

Our trip to the southern part of Africa is something we will never forget. Typically when planning our trips, I like to do the research and build the itinerary myself. However not being familiar with South Africa and the surrounding countries, I figured I might need a little help. Luckily I found KimKim and Lize!

Planning/ Building The Trip: This step could not have been made easier. I was able to let Lize know what places we wanted to visit and activities we are interested in and POOF - out came a well crafted and smooth flowing itinerary that checked off all the major sites we wanted to visit. This made for an incredibly convenient trip. Driver's waiting for us at the airport when we landed - quick and easy hotel check in - activities already booked and transportation scheduled to take you to them - flight tickets within the country booked (to airport I did not even know existed!).

The accommodations/ hotels we stayed in were immaculate! Specifically we wanted to give a shout out to The Nkorho Lodge in Sabi Sands. All of the staff here was amazing and friendly. Spending time with our game driver Matt made our time here very special. He is very knowledgeable about the animals/ environment, but also a great time to be around. We had a great time chatting and joking with him and Luka as we made our way in and out of the bush. You cannot go wrong with anyone at Nkorho Lodge.

We also wanted to give a shoutout to Baams at the Okuti Lodge in Botswana. We had an amazing time joking and getting to know Baams. It was fascinating learning how he can track certain animals not only by their foot tracks, but also by listening to the birds in the trees. It cannot be understated how much Okuti makes your feel like family from the moment you pull up to the lodge. The entire staff is waiting there to introduce themselves to you and even greet you with a song. It was truly an experience we will never forget.

If you are thinking about planning a trip to Africa, I HIGHLY recommend utilizing KimKim and working with Lize. You will not regret it.

Hotel Reviews

The Commodore Hotel

Cape Town

Perfect location! Steps away from the V&A Waterfront and restaurants/ bars. The staff here is incredibly friendly and eager to help if you have any questions about activities. Breakfast was very good. Hotel bar well stocked and comfortable. Rooms were very clean- beds a little on the firmer side, but I do not mind that (pillows and sheets were comfy).

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nkorho Bush Lodge

Kruger National Park

This is one of the best accommodations we have ever stayed at. The rooms are very spacious and clean. The beds, sheets, and pillows very comfy. Some rooms you can even get a view of the watering hole where animals drop by throughout the day. Food was very good, and the overall vibe is very laid back (which is nice after game drives). Not the mention the infinity pool looking out at the watering hole. However what makes this place special is the staff. We had a blast getting to know and speak with Roscoe, Luka, Carl, Matt, and others. Everyone is so easily approachable and fun to converse with. Matt and David were our game driver/ spotter and we cannot say enough great things about them and how much fun we had getting to spend a few days with them.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Insika Lodge

Victoria Falls

We really enjoyed our time at Insika. The rooms were very spacious and comfortable. We really enjoyed the hotel pool and bar area when we had some down time. We want to give a shoutout to Granger behind the bar. We loved catching up with him at the end of the day. Also the women at the front desk are incredibly helpful with any questions or scheduling needs you have. Breakfast was very good. Lastly we really enjoyed the shuttle into town. It was very convenient and a great perk to getting to explore the local area.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Okuti

Botswana

Our stay at Okuti was one of our favorites of the trip. It is very unusual to show up to an accommodation and instantly feel part of the family. Saying the staff here is amazing would be an understatement. Everyone is so friendly and engaging. They truly want to know how your day is and what your enjoyed about it. We really enjoyed our basket making class in the afternoon. The food here was also amazing. Every night at dinner was made to feel like a big family gathering which was very welcoming and warm. We loved sitting by the firepit afterwards and recapping our day or sharing stories with the staff and other travelers. The rooms here were one of our favorites on our trip. They are very spacious and the most comfortable bed we had during our travels around Africa. Lastly the game drives. We loved joking around and spending time with our driver Baams. He was incredibly knowledgeable and we had a blast tracking lions, leopards, and cheetahs with him.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Tour of the falls and sunset cruise

Victoria Falls

We really enjoyed our tour of the falls, but the only reason I would not give it 5 stars is I do not believe you need to do this with a guide. Perhaps there was not a ton of info to share, but our guide did not have much to say. The paths to walk through the park are well marked and we often found ourselves in front of our group waiting on people. If we did this again, we would just go by ourselves. The views of the falls are AMAZING! It is 100% worth going and experiencing.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide was not very engaging. You can tell he does a lot of these walks in a day.

Transport

Full Day Cape Peninsula Tour (including lunch)

South Africa

We highly recommend this trip. We had a great time driving around with our guide Ian. He was very knowledgeable and engaging. He made a great suggestion for a lunch stop near Boulder Beach that was right on the water and inevitably ended up being one of our favorite meals of our 3 week trip.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Helicopter Flight

Victoria Falls

Amazing experience and the views you get of the falls and local area are breathtaking. We did the 12-13 minute flight which seemed like it would not be enough time. In fact it was the perfect amount of time. You get up there and make some loops, grab your pictures, and by that time you are good to go.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Afternoon Game Drive

Sabi Sands Game Reserve

The Sabi Sands area is amazing. We were lucky to have a great guide and spotter (Matt/ David). Who made our time in the bush very enjoyable. The safari vehicles are comfortable and in the colder times they will supply you with a blanket should you like one. We really enjoyed our sun downer breaks with cocktails. It is amazing the animals you will see on your safari - remembering it is not a zoo - so you're not guaranteed to see everything. However the guides are very good at tracking and make even the down time engaging and fun.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Zip Line - Zimbabwe

Victoria Falls

Very fun zip line over the gorge. However it is not like traditional ziplines where you end on another platform. You go up the other side of the canyon and come to rest dangling in the middle of the line. Someone comes down and wenches you back up to the starting point. Absolutely nothing wrong with this, we had a great time, but it is over quite quickly.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Okavango Delta Safari

Okavango Delta

We loved our time in the Okavango Delta. It was really cool getting to experience safari both on land and on the water. We had a great time with our guide Baams.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Both safari camps were awesome. Guide Tips at Muchenje was super. All game drives were great. The boat trip at Muchenje duplicated our houseboat trip. Should have opted for something else like the canoe. This camp was so great that we thought it should have been last. Houseboat had ups and downs. Getting through Namibia immigration was a disaster. We were not aware that there was a visa fee. Fortunately they took credit cards. Took us only 1-1/2 hours to get through because we were near the head of the line. Others in our group took over 4 hours. Then there was the plumbing problem in our cabin. Lucy advocated on our behalf and got us a 25% reduction in our cabin rate. The staff and food was great. We especially enjoyed the village visit. Animal viewing from small boats was excellent. But on our last outing the boat broke down. We had to wait for someone to come with tools to repair. We returned to the houseboat after a long ride in the dark. This was sort of scary. On our return to the Kasame airport we were misinformed by one hour about our Mackair flight departure time. Our Elephant Pan safari camp was awesome with elephants and giraffes right at the camp. We had our doubts on our bumpy hour drive from the airstrip. Our guide Sixteen was the best. Could have done without the hour drive to the River. Didn't seen many animals except hyenas and birds. Our least favorite part of the trip was Victoria Falls. The walk along the Falls was great as was our guide Joy (English translation of her name) from Shearwater. The rest of the activities we could have done without. Sunset cruise was not near the Falls and mainly a cocktail party. Drinking is not something we are very into. The lookout café had nice view, but they tried to seat us away from the view when there were empty view tables. Food and service was poor. The elephant sanctuary just wanted our money. We would have liked to visit more sight around the Falls. Like going out on the bridge and crossing over into Zambia and viewing the Falls from that side. We did pay for a combined Zimbabwe/Zambia visa at the border. All in all it was a wonderful trip Thanks to Lucy for doing all the planning, Kaye & Gail

Hotel Reviews

Chobe Princess Small Luxury Houseboat

Kasane, Botswana

Toilet didn't not flush. Cabin smelled like sewer.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Plumbing in houseboat Maintenance of small boats

Sunrock Guesthouse

Johannesburg

Great staff and food

Authenticity & Character

Great art

Location

Near airport

Staff

Drove us to Cultural villag

Cleanliness & Comfort

Housekeeping goog

Muchenje Safari Lodge

Kasane, Chobe

Great location for animal viewing drives

Authenticity & Character

Great decor

Location

Near chobe national park

Staff

Tips was the best guide

Cleanliness & Comfort

Everything clean and comfortable

Bayete Guest Lodge

Victoria Falls

Great restaurant on site. Comfortable room.

Authenticity & Character

Nice decor

Location

Sort of remote

Staff

Restaurant staff great Delivered dinner.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bathroom weird. All floor wet after shower. No grab bar by tub.

Hyena Pan

Botswana

Awesome. Elephants and giraffes right there.

Authenticity & Character

Great decor

Location

Animals came to us

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sixteen best guide Wait staff great. Very attentaive

Activity Reviews

On Safari in Chobe National Park

Chobe National Park

All good. Guide Tips great. Saw lots of animals. Saw encounter between cheetah and leopard on first day.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sunset Cruise - Signature Deck

Victoria Falls

Boring

Quality of Experience

Just a cocktail party. Have some commentary about what we were seeing.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Fewer people to pick up.

Transport

Get the elephant off the road.

Tour Victoria Falls

Victoria Falls

Falls are awesome. Joy was a good guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Joy was great

Transport

Through the eye of an elephant

Victoria Falls

They just wanted our money

Quality of Experience

Less pressure to donate

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Nice folks

Transport

Long drive, I slept

Lunch at Look out Cafe

Victoria Falls

Not worth it. Staff rude. Food not great.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Friendlier staff

Transport

Joy got us there and picked us up promptly

We had the most amazing trip to Africa , Zimbabwe and Botswana because of the expertise , care and knowledge from Anna Marie. From the beginning of our communications she understood our goals , budget and desires and arranged for us the perfect trip .
tour guide , driver and transfer was on time , friendly and knowledgeable . All the hotels and lodges exceeded our expectations and were outstanding .
Anna Marie arranged a special wine tasting for us and then joined us which was a highlight to meet her after communicating for over 6 months . She is amazing and continued to check in with me during the 11 day trip to ensure everything went perfectly ( which it did)
We also really enjoyed Rochelle our guide for the wine tasting day who managed to fit in for us. 4 special wineries and lunch on a very rainy day .
We saw the Big 5 at our first lodge in Sabi Sands Umkumbe Safari Lodge including 3 leopards many rhinos , lioness , elephant and buffalo herd right outside our room on the river . In Chobe at Ngoma Lodge the abundance of animals we saw
herds of buffalo ,giraffe ,zebra , hippos, wild dogs , cheetah , impalas, kudos , elephants and more elephants and many others was astounding and breathtaking watching them interact .
We will return to South Africa . The people are so nice , kind and special .
My husband and I agree our favorite trip ever and we look forward to planning our next trip with Kim Kim.
Thank you Anna-Marie !

Hotel Reviews

The Victoria & Alfred Hotel

Cape Town

Excellent hotel , location and staff Loved the breakfast and also had dinner too that was delicious . Room was a great size

Authenticity & Character

Location

On waterfront near attractions shopping and dining !

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Room

Umkumbe Safari Lodge

Hoedspruit

Staff are all amazing and work so hard for the guests! We loved Jessica our guide . Her expertise and sense of locating the animals was superb . We saw Big 5 and many more ! Food was delicious too!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Room right on the river ! Had everything we needed! Saw animals right outside our deck

Staff

Jessica rocks !

Cleanliness & Comfort

Insika Lodge

Victoria Falls

Beautiful hotel . Nice modern room great size Great bar and delicious restaurant

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful gardens

Location

Secluded beautiful offered a free shuttle to falls and town .

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ngoma Safari Lodge

Chobe

Impressive from The moment we arrived Personal care and attention from the entire team from arrival to departure . The food was amazing with menus designed daily from the chef . They celebrated our anniversary by preparing our room with wine , champagne and Decorated our room with flower petals candles and bubble bath . Ngoma is a very special place ! We saw so many animals . The safaris were truly Amazing We wish we could have stayed longer .

Authenticity & Character

Perfect !

Location

Located on a floodplain with a water hole .saw so many animals in front of our room . Beautiful lodge and location.

Staff

We loved everyone! The entire team is amazing

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Dinner at GOLD Restaurant

Cape Town

So much fun

Quality of Experience

Food

Cape Peninsula & Penguins

South Africa

Although it was a rainy day we saw the penguins and cape .

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cape Winelands Wine, Cheese & Chocolate Excursion

South Africa

Amazing day with Rochelle and Anna Marie 4 wineries and outstanding lunch .

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arrive at Your Lodge in Kruger & First Game Drive

South Africa

Amazing lodge guide Jessica and tracker Saw big 5 on first safari .

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Victoria Premium River Safari Sunset Cruise

Victoria Falls

Very nice . excellent appetizers !

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Game Drives in Chobe National Park

South Africa

So many animals . Boat cruise and safaris Loved Chobe !

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Unfortunately we had to postpone and then cancel our trip due to illness, but Deborah and Anna-marie could not have been more kind, helpful, or gracious, not to mention professional. They not only helped us plan a fabulous trip but then were super responsive and accommodating as we tried to rebook and then cancel the trip, providing all the documentation we needed for filing an insurance claim. I’ll continue using KimKim for all our trips; this experience is another example of its excellent service and support, including when life gets in the way of best laid plans.

I can't say enough wonderful things about our most amazing trip to Africa. I’m still in awe of the experience. From the breathtaking landscapes to the vibrant cultures and the incredible wildlife, every moment felt like a dream come true. Each place (Sun City, Sabi Sands, and Victoria Falls) that we visited brought something new and unforgettable. The safaris were absolutely magical — seeing lions, elephants, giraffes, and leopards in their natural habitat were both humbling and exhilarating. The guides (Peiter at Sabi Sands and Kheto at Victoria Falls) were incredibly knowledgeable and passionate, which made the experience even more meaningful. We were also deeply impressed by the people we met and their hospitality. We had the chance to get to know some of them and learn about their culture and background as well as try their cuisine. David especially went above and beyond and we hope to ‘meet him at the tree’! These experiences left a lasting impression on us all. We will never forget the sunsets over the savanna, the amazing stories of the friends we made, and the majestic animals we were with. You helped make our dreams come true!

the recently completed a trip to South Africa including Capetown, Klaserie reserve in Kruger national Park, Victoria Falls and Chobe national Park.

right from the start Annamarie at Kim Kim was extremely attentive and knowledgeable. She even scheduled a Facetime call to make sure that she understood what we were wanting. Her recommendations were excellent and exactly what we were looking for. (in terms of accommodations). The only small part of the trip we regretted was Victoria Falls - it was a surprise to us that we had to pay $75US each for an entry VISA (we had been told $10) and the area was too touristy for us.

I would say the highlight was our safari in Kruger -we stayed at Ivory Wilderness Lodge and their accommodations and food were excellent. Most importantly our guide Wienand made the trip spectacular. He was extremely knowledgeable and put a lot of effort into making sure we got the most out of our Safari experience.

Hotel Reviews

Ivory Wilderness River Rock Lodge

Hoedspruit

top-notch lodge. Set in a very quiet area almost 2 hours from the airport. He will barely see another person. the accommodations are extremely comfortable and food was excellent. Most importantly their guide Wienand made the safari drives amazing - his knowledge and attention to detail were superb

Authenticity & Character

A very true African Lodge experience. We will definitely go there again when we are lucky enough to go on Safari in the future

Location

set far from any other lodges-you are in the middle of the bush

Staff

Great personal attention

Cleanliness & Comfort

rooms are just lovely

Tree House Boutique Hotel

Cape Town

Great location and very quiet. Easy walk to harbourfront and no issue getting an Uber to go out at night.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Shongwe Lookout

Victoria Falls

We just didn't love Victoria Falls - too touristy

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

A Day in the Kruger Bush with Two Game Drives

South Africa

Absolutely amazing - we saw huge variety of wildlife

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Wienand is amzing

Transport

Boat life on the Chobe River

Chobe River - Namibia Side

We didn't love the river safari as much as the driving one - saw less wildlife

Quality of Experience

lodge amazing - awesome lodge staff

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

guide was not great - pointed out animals but had very little knowledge about the wildlife

Transport

We had an issue with our transfers both ways - had to wait over an hour to get picked up in Botswana and then again 90 minutes when boat driver from lodge took us back (there was no airport shuttle to take us to airport)

Kayak with Penguins

South Africa

Didn't get to do this due to rain

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Dinner at GOLD Restaurant

Cape Town

Touristy and loud but good food and enjoyed the dances

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

we arranged our own Uber

Victoria Premium River Safari Sunset Cruise

Victoria Falls

we didn't end up getting to do this-we had a very long wait at the airport and the timing was just tooo tight. Sadly this was nonrefundable

Dusty Road Township Dinner Experience **highly recommended by our team

Victoria Falls

Dinner was fairly good and Sarah is trying to do a good thing. It just lacks entertainment I think. There was a short dance done by some local kids which was very sweet. Otherwise there was too much time to just eat dinner - everything went fairly slowly.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our transport was arranged for 3 hours after drop off - this is really a 60-90 min experience. And we couldn't get ahold of Transport to pick us up early. Sarah was very kind and arranged for one of her workers to take us back early to our hotel

Kimkim arranged a once-in-a-lifetime trip for us in South Africa. We told them some of what we wanted to see and do, where we wanted to go, and asked that they put together an itinerary that fit our time frame. Our South African agent, Anna-marie Mocke worked with us tirelessly and came up with a perfect plan. Pickups, drop offs, tours and golf tee times were all very well organized. And it was comforting to know that Anna-marie (or if she was not available, another agent) was always reachable and responded to queries almost immediately. Every one of our accommodations was lovely and the service was excellent. The warmth and welcoming of the staff at every location was outstanding. Our safari location was exceptional. It was a truly amazing journey. We highly recommend Kimkim.
Sincerely,
Brian, Debbie, Jamie and Bev

Hotel Reviews

Tree House Boutique Hotel

Cape Town

Very Charming Hotel. The staff were wonderful, so friendly and helpful. We could walk to the BoKaap area and to the waterfront as well. We would like to say how much we enjoyed our interactions with Melody, Tiffany and Sheila. They were great.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Cotte Farm

Franschhoek

The surrounding country was spectacularly beautiful. Our accommodations were opulent.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Schoone Oordt Country House

Swellendam

Very nice hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Lofts Boutique Hotel

Knysna

What a unique hotel. We enjoyed our stay here very much.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Walkers Beach

Plettenberg Bay

An intimate hotel with stunning architecture and stunning views. The staff was wonderful. We would like to mention Lloyd and Sindi and Maya. They took very good care of us. Jayne was excellent as well. The food was amazing.

Authenticity & Character

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Walkers Plains Camp

This camp was wonderful. Our guide Millie and tracker Walter worked very hard to make our experience fantastic. And the staff at the camp - Cosmo, Charles, Carolina, Ntisiyo. They took good care of us! We didn't want to leave. It was very nice to meet the Walkers brothers and their pups! It was a very intimate environment that fostered friendships amongst the other guests.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Full-Day Wine Tour

South Africa

The tastings were very good. We visited in the fall after the harvest, so we didn't have the opportunity to walk through the vineyards. And we were not offered tours of the cellars or other parts of the operation. The tram was a fun way to travel.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bo-Kaap Walking Tour

Cape Town

Zaki was a very articulate and passionate guide. The fact that we were able to visit his home and taste some of the family recipes was special.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Dinner at GOLD Restaurant

Cape Town

Somewhat touristy - but we were tourists... The food was fantastic and partaking in the drumming was a lot of fun.

Quality of Experience

Food

Knysna Featherbed Eco Experience

South Africa

The views were spectacular. And it was a very pleasant hike down the hill (thank goodness we didn't have to walk up - the drive up was scary enough!) The buffet meal provided was excellent.

Quality of Experience

Food

Transport

Lucy was very responsive and helpful throughout the trip. The trip was also very well organized and we appreciated the build up to the safari at the end. The recommendations were fantastic.

When we landed on the soils of “The Mother City” we were greeted by the KimKim team to welcome us to “The Motherland” and to make sure we had access to transportation that got us to our first destination in Cape Town. The small touches of wine and treats really made this a special time to celebrate our milestone birthdays. What a beautiful couple of days we would have exploring CT, Robben Island, and Table Mountain. Before heading off to Hoedspruit, where we would then stay at Unembeza and tour the panorama views of with Titus who was great. The lodge where we stayed was other worldly — we never expected waking up to a giraffe right outside of our bedroom window, we didn’t anticipate the views of the African Sky, and the delicious meals we had cooked and prepared for us daily. It was the true essence of being cared for. And our tour guide for the panorama views was exceptional we think he was an actual historian or professor shadowing moonlighting as a tour guide. Titus was so knowledgeable and impressive with his info sharing. It was intoxicating the amount of knowledge he shared about the views, the history of the land, and the people and villages we passed. It was like being on a private tour of some of the most hidden gems of South Africa. Again, the lodge and Nokuthula had delightful small touches to make us feel special.

Then we were off to the Bush for Safari which was STUNNING to say the least. We did have a small issue with our housing (please prepare for camp style living if you are going on safari) after we were upgraded to the suites housing got better thanks to Nokuthula. But other than that the public amenities of our safari lodge was warm, comfortable, and tasty food. Our safari guide Michaela and watcher were I think the best. We got to see ALL of the BIG 5 during our (4 nights 5 day safari). Low key we didn’t want to leave the once in a lifetime views and animal crossing but had to be on our way to Johannesburg which was part of the tour that we planned ourselves in terms of excursions. Yet the parts that KimKim planned was exactly what we needed.

If you’ve never been to the Mother Land I urge you to Go!! But most importantly if you’re looking for talented individuals who actually live on the continent to help your planning you must start with the talents of KimKim and Nokuthula. We will certainly return to now one of our favorite places on EARTH South Africa and it’s largely due to the time we had during this our first journey home.

My husband and I just completed a wonderful 16 day trip to Zimbabwe and South Africa starting in Victoria Falls and traveling by train to South Africa. Our agent Lucy did an exceptional job by putting together an activity filled itinerary experiencing some of the best of both regions. Always very responsive before and during our trip. Very nice quality accommodations during the self drive portion on the Garden Route, exceptional local guides, professional hotel staff. All in all an unforgettable experience!

Some of our highlights :
- The Victoria Waterfalls. Stunning!
- The Rovos Rail. What an indulgence!
- Through the Eye of an Elephant. Being so close to these gentle giants was an amazing experience.
- Cape Town, Robben Island and Table Mountain
- Cape Peninsula
- The Garden Route. Stunning vistas.
- Featherbed Eco Experience
- Tsitsikamma National Park
- Full day wine tour experience in Franschhoek.

This was our first trip to South Africa and we could never have imagined it to be so wonderful. We would definitely use KimKim again on our next trip.

Esther was great to work with and organized a very customized trip for us that included lots of time with our local family while we were in South Africa, while also suggesting places to stay or visit that we wouldn't have known about. She helped find accommodations that our family of 6 were comfortable in and was super responsive and accessible throughout the planning process and the trip itself. She managed to keep us within budget, and when there were small hiccups a few places we went, her team was able to troubleshoot to get us the best outcome possible.

We had a magical experience with our family of 4 teen and pre-teen boys, and I know it was in no small part due to Esther's help, ideas, creativity, and resourcefulness.