Lize Enderstein

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.

Lize
The remoteness of the Okavango was the perfect start to our trip and the attention to detail and quality of the staff at the lodge was exceptional we loved the walking safari and the mojito and when they handed us our hot water bottles on the first night I’ve never seen a happier bunch of ladies.
Our next stop at Chobe lodge felt a little more luxurious in terms of the lodge and rooms and the setting on the river was lovely. Our game drives were early but interesting and in spite of... read more

Lize
The remoteness of the Okavango was the perfect start to our trip and the attention to detail and quality of the staff at the lodge was exceptional we loved the walking safari and the mojito and when they handed us our hot water bottles on the first night I’ve never seen a happier bunch of ladies.
Our next stop at Chobe lodge felt a little more luxurious in terms of the lodge and rooms and the setting on the river was lovely. Our game drives were early but interesting and in spite of the lion remaining elusive we saw lots of elephant, hippo, giraffe, crocodile, many different antelope species and birds galore. The variety of dining there was excellent and we felt that the experienced so far was the right way round. A tricky transfer to Zimbabwe followed as we had not been alerted by anyone or taken on board ourselves that we were going to need crisp US dollars in cash to pay for our visas. Eventually with help from our driver and a trip back to the cash point and bureau de change we succeeded in getting our visas and passed through emigration.
The setting at the Victoria Falls game lodge was lovely and having the balcony overlooking the waterhole an added bonus. Victoria Falls itself lived up to expectations and we did the scenic helicopter ride which provided us with some amazing photos. Back through the borders and onto the Zambezi Queen which was everything and more. A combination of the excellent food and staff on board meant we had some relaxation time, gentle river safaris in the sunshine, elephants, crocs and hippos in abundance topped off by a rare sighting of a leopard. The perfect end to what was most definitely a very special holiday.
Thank you.

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

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 :)

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.