Lucy Berndt

Africa was phenomenal! Out specialist Lucy made sure that we had the most incredible experience. She helped us with the planning and was in touch with us while we were there making sure we had no issues. This was my second time using Kimkim and I would definitely use them again.

Hotel Reviews

Sable Alley

Khwai

We loved this place. It was more rustic and wilderness-like than what we were used to but we liked that. The food was great and the people were nice

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Intercontinental Johannesburg O.R Tambo Airport

Johannesburg

The accommodations were great and the people were nice, but we didn't like the restaurant. The food was too fancy for our liking.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Kapama Buffalo Camp

Hoedspruit

This place was fabulous. The people were very friendly, our guide was great and the accommodations were amazing.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Abalone Guest Lodge

Hermanus

We loved this hotel. The location was beautiful, the space was great and we enjoyed walking along the path by the ocean.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Victoria & Alfred Hotel

Cape Town

This hotel was beautiful and in a great location. However, we had a bit of a situation where my friends had money stolen. The hotel said they did an investigation but we felt they could have done more.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Tour of Jo'burg & Soweto

South Africa

The tour was interesting and informative, but our guide was quite intense and pushy.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Activities at Sable Alley

Okavango Delta

We loved Botswana, it was my favorite place. The safari was even better and the Okavango Delta was incredible.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Through the eye of an elephant

Victoria Falls

We enjoyed all these activities, especially the elephant sanctuary and Victoria Falls. However, we had issues with the tour company as they were often late

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sunset Cruise

Victoria Falls

This was a lot of fun. We really enjoyed the experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day Trip to Kapama Game Reserve

South Africa

We loved the game reserve. Our guide was good and we enjoyed the accommodations and spa.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Marine Big 5 Boat Tour

Hermanus

This tour was okay. We saw some whales, but we thought we were going to see more and there were a lot of people on the boat. It was fine but not great.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cape Town Wine, Cheese & Chocolate Tour

South Africa

We visited a few different wineries and had cheese at different places. It was not really a wine and chocolate tour, but more of a tasting experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cape Peninsula Tour

Cape Town

This was a nice tour, and our guide was excellent. We enjoyed exploring the area.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day City Tour, Robben Island & Table Mountain

South Africa

I adored Cape Town and our guide was fabulous. He was with us the whole time we were there, taking us to the wine country, Cape Point, and the city. He was very personable and it was great having the same guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had an amazing trip to Kruger National Park, Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe) & Choble National Park (Botswana). Lucy's recommendation of places to stay plus all the game drives/boat cruises were spot on. We got to see the Big 5! The people at the Lodges we stayed were fantastic and so so hospitable esp in Tremisana (a special shout out to Mamma Di, who manages the F&B). The rangers in all the locations were so knowledgable and took their time to explain about the animals and their habits. Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed this trip and definitely recommend this trip. A big thank you to Lucy for the organisation (even though there was a small hiccup in Chobe)

Hotel Reviews

Chobe Safari Lodge

Kasane

The hotel got our stay package wrong initially but it all ended well. We had a wonderful stay here, from room comfort to the food and the game drives/river cruise. The breakfast and dinner serving choices was great. A special recognition to housekeeping staff, Penny, for her initiative and honesty to check the room on our checking out and notice we had left a handphone in the room.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

Shearwater Explorers Village

Victoria Falls

We stayed 2 nights here to visit Victoria Falls and the Elephant Sanctuary. The staffs at the front office and housekeeping were friendly and helpful. The rooms were adequate with all the amenities and good supply of hot water. The restaurant within the resort needs BIG improvement.....service was poor. Staffs were busy lingering amongst themselves at the counter and quality of food is poor. Breakfast serving was a major disappointment as quality of products at the buffett spread was poor.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sunrock Guesthouse

Johannesburg

Stayed 1 night. Good location as it is near the airport if you are on transit.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Near airport

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Needs improvement on the heating

Tremisana Safari Lodge

Hoedspruit

Basic lodge with homely feel. The staffs, from housekeeping, kitchen and rangers, were all so friendly and made our stay there so memorable. Will definitely stay in this Lodge if we were to visit Kruger again

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

1 Night Kruger Safari

South Africa

Great day spend in Kruger National Park....

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Activities at Chobe Safari OR Bush Lodge

South Africa

Great time doing both the river cruise and morning game drive.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour Victoria Falls

Victoria Falls

We thoroughly enjoyed our day visiting the fall.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Through the eye of an elephant

Victoria Falls

We had a wonderful time lerning about elephants here at the Sanctuary plus got to interact with the elephants.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sunset Cruise

Victoria Falls

We were a little disappointed with the trip....maybe our expectations were set a little too high.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

3 night 4 day Tremisana

South Africa

We saw what we came to see!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Incredible experience from the time we landed in the airport till we headed back home. Also Lucy, Lindi was able to add a last min 5 hour tour of Johannesburg which was really good.

I cannot recommend the Lion’s Sand Narina Lodge highly enough. The staff was top tier and the lodge absolutely breathtaking and if in Cape Town the Marly Hotel will not disappoint. Simply beautiful. In Cape Town definitely book with Capey Tours (ask for Hendrick) and in Johannesburg MoAfrika through the eyes of experienced local guides will enlighten you. And lastly, none of it would have come together without Lucy at Travel Touch. Thank you for the trip of a lifetime.

Wonderful service , I never used to book through an agency but Lucy really changed that for us… the recommendations the support and service all throughout our travels was on the highest levels and worth every penny paid..

Highly recommended

The guides we had in Johannesburg and Stellenbosch were all excellent. Itu was our guide for Soweto and the Apartheid Museum. He gave us a very clear picture through his eyes and experience that was both informative and emotionally moving. Mthandeni, who took us to Pretoria and the Cullinan Diamond Mine was also very thorough and had interesting things to share with us. Craig with Capey Tours was a fun guide for the wine country. He captured our idea of how we wanted to experience that. He was also very helpful (and flexible) in helping us arrange for wine shipping.

On the downside, I feel that there were some definite glitches with Moafrika, the agent in Johannesburg. Let me be specific: Itu was supposed to take us to Lebo’s for dinner after our Soweto tour. The address he was given was incorrect. We searched and finally found Lebo’s, but they had no booking for us. This was a dinner that was included in the price of the tour. We went back to the hotel and settled for UberEats. We were supposed to have a private driver for the trip to Pilanesberg, but were on a crowded bus with 20+ people. Lucy did arrange for a driver to pick us up after the game drive.
Finally, there was to be an airport transfer for the other couple joining us. They waited half an hour at the airport and finally called an Uber to get to the hotel.

I say all this not to be critical of Lucy at all. She was very responsive. I just feel that there needs to be better communication of expectations to Moafrika.

Hotel Review

Capital on Bath

Johannesburg

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Friendly, responsive.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Khayamandi Township Tour

Cape Town

We toured Lange. The local guide was very gracious and gave us a complete look at life in the township.

Cape Winelands Private Tour

South Africa

Meeting wine makers at each of the farms was a great experience.

Private Transfer O.R Tambo Intl Airport to Hotel

Johannesburg

Connection between driver and client was not made. There was a 30 minute discrepancy in the time of arrival that I tried repeatedly to correct. This may be the reason the driver was not there.

Ultimate Pilanesberg Open Vehicle Day Tour

South Africa

There was supposed to be a private driver. We were on a bus with 20+ people.

Dinner at Lebo's

South Africa

Did not happen.

Full Day Soweto & Apartheid Tour

Johannesburg

Quality of Experience

Food

Dinner was supposed to be provided and guide did not have the correct information

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I didn't initiate the booking and planning with kimkim. Overall, the trip has been pleasant as we managed to see big 4/5 and the accommodation has been okay in general.

As this is the first time in South Africa for the group, there have been a lot of times where we weren't sure what we can do especially on free days. While instructions are provided, it would be good if it is clearer or in details given everyone is not familiar with the place. Understandably that the group got larger as time goes and the original plan might not work too well with more people.

The major unpleasant moment was with the hop on hop off bus as the information provided was not consistent (with when we can use the ticket if we didn't go on to the bus/cableway on the booked day). No further communication was provided afterward and we had to check with the company ourselves. The wine tram was not a real hop on hop off experience and because of that some of us have to take Uber to leave earlier. While some of the information could have been found on website, it would have been nicer if it is provided on almost daily basis as it is quite inconvenience to have to refer to KimKim.com sometimes.

While we understand the incident in airport and weather is not under anyone's control, it seems like dietary requirements was not considered given there are a lot of us who don't eat beef. While we are thankful for the goodies bag, some of us can't have biltong. During the meet up session, while expressing our opinions on the trip, we don't think we were taken too seriously.

Cresta hotel need some improvement in housekeeping service. Bathroom mat was taken away everyday without replenish.

Special shout out and thanks to our private tour guides and drivers as they have done an amazing job showing us the beautiful South Africa and go above and beyond helping out one of the members who unfortunately injured her leg at the end of the trip.

If I could give Lucy 10 stars for how well she communicated from start to finish and even after the trip was over I would and that communication really made all the difference. If your expecting perfect stay at home, minor hiccups is all part of the experience and Lucy, Kimkim and the team stayed committed. Some of there venders were excellent, Capey Tours and there guide Henrik was the best for a small group like ours, always on time gave great advice to be early for most tours to avoid the long lines during peak season and really added the family like personal touch. Vomba tour made an avoidable error on the Kruger national park side of the trip but was quick to recover and make up they did with an excellent Panoramic drive with a guide that was super warm and was at our side every step of that journey. Lebo's Soweto backpackers gave our group a really good tour of the Soweto township and the tour guide Lollypop was extremally knowledgeable not just about Soweto but about the history of South Africa and even current world events and kept everyone entuned and engaged as we drove around Johannesburg. Some of the other Johannesburg vender needs to be reviewed and brought up to level of Capey Tours

Hotel Reviews

Cresta Grande Cape Town

Cape Town

My reason for a three star rating has to do more with the time of my visit as there was some sort of political meeting and high level of security around making the hotel extremally busy, but the staff is very warm and welcoming

Authenticity & Character

Location

nice location, easy walk to restaurants and activities

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Radisson Red Rosebank

Johannesburg

Location Location Location, This hotel is very well located, 5mins walk from the Rosebank Mall 8-10mins drive from Mandela Square

Authenticity & Character

Location

Felt safe

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean and modern, rooms on the smaller side of the scale but functional, the bathroom is to die for

Mjejane River Lodge

Hectorspruit

Authenticity & Character

Very nice spot being on the bank of the river, like the fact that there is no TV in the rooms

Location

South entrance to the park was blocked off, so we were limited to the lodge

Staff

Super Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms were pretty comfy and had everything in it

Lavender Farm Guest House

Franschhoek

This place is simply amazing, the rooms are large and excellent, if your looking for peace and quite after a day spent doing wine tasting and a nice dinner in Franschhoek this is the place. the host is super cool and friendly would definitely stay here again and would highly recommend

Authenticity & Character

This place just says peace

Location

Less than 10mins from main attractions

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean large room space, home away from home

Activity Reviews

Depart Africa

South Africa

The original pick up time was 5:15pm, to avoid the rush we ask that the pick up be changed to 4pm this was clearly communicated by our Kimkim team and the information shared with out group from the day before our departure, the arrived 40 mins late so everyone was just standing around in the hotel lobby

Quality of Experience

40mins Late for our pick up

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Vehicle and Transport was good just late

Soweto Guided Tour & Storytelling Dinner

South Africa

Lollypop is the man, He made this part of the trip really worth it, very knowledgeable guide, Soweto has a very dark history, really different side of SA. The Apartheid Museum is a must visit to really understand the history of the struggles. Lunch at Lebo's was more of the taste of SA cuisine

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide and Driver was really great and accommodating

Transport

The vehicle needs to be updated or replaced, only bad thing about this experience

Mjejane River Lodge Activities

Kruger National Park

The food in Mjejane River Lodge was some of the best our group had throughout South Africa

Quality of Experience

Good food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Staff is the best

Transport

Big 5 Sunset Game Drive

Hoedspruit

Was able to see 4 of the notable big 5 only missed the Leppard. was also expecting to actually drive in Kruger but the south entrance over the bridge was blocked

Quality of Experience

Very good experience to be honest, but was expecting more

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cape Winelands Half Day Tour (45 minute drive from Cape Town)

South Africa

This is a must do

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Experience South African Cuisine and Culture

Cape Town

This can be optional was nice and the host was super, I think I was just expecting more

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cape Peninsula Tour

Cape Town

Welcome to the United States of South Africa The views and coastal drive is so beautiful

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Dinner Restaurant Suggestions

Cape Town

Quality of Experience

Food and Drinks are really affordable

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Robben Island Tour

Cape Town

This place is so rich with history

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cape Town City Tour & Table Mountain

Cape Town

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Total trip was perfect except for the last night in Soweto when the event was canceled without being aware. Guudes were great, activities interesting and unique and hotels beautiful.

Lucy was an incredible travel planner. We worked with her for over a year planning our honeymoon to South Africa. She was very supportive, responsive, and flexible with us throughout the entire process.

Our in-country guide Craig Taljaardt from Capey Tours took our trip to a whole new level with his expert knowledge of the country and his over the top kindness to us. We spent a lot of time with Craig and his wife, Michelle, and they both were a pleasure.

The highlights of our trip included a safari experience at the Kuzuko Lodge, Table Mountain in Cape Town, great white shark diving in Mossel Bay, kayaking in the Tsitsikamma National Park, and staying at La Terra de Luc in Franschhoek.

We would recommend kimkim and Capey Tours to anyone!

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.

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!!!

Lucy was meticulous in organizing our trip. She happily juggled things around as our preferences . She was available whenever we ran into a glitch (of which there were not many) but her timely interventions were reassuring. All the places of accommodation that she chose were unique and comfortable. Perhaps, one day I will do a tour of boutique hotels of southern Africa!
Five star sites/experiences: Robben island, Penguin Colony, Sandwich harbor, Ongava Lodge, Helicopter ride over and into Okavango. Mbangula Lungile, the guide who took us around Soweto.

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.

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.