African Travel Gateway

Lize made our dream trip come true. We had been thinking about this special trip for 2 years and once I reached out to Kim Kim, Lize took time and patience to genuinely understand our needs and pull together the right itinerary. Communication was smooth, everything was as promised and more. Lize checked in on us during the trip as well and helped organise a last minute activity (hot air ballooning in Sossuvei). I would 100% recommend Lize to any one my friends planning a trip.

Hotel Review

Otjiwa Mountain Lodge

This unique, intimate and beautiful property will leave you speechless

Authenticity & Character

The elegance

Location

The position and view

Staff

Very professional and warm

Cleanliness & Comfort

Spotless and beautifully furnished

Activity Review

Etosha South to Okonjima

Namibia

We loved all the tips on the App. Where to stop, get fuel and the visit to the cheetah conservation fund

Liz was an absolute pleasure to work with and had some great recommendations for places to stay and see, and took into account everything that we wanted as well. Everything was perfectly planned and executed. Our personal favorite thing was going to Sabi Sands, which was a personal recommendation by Liz. This trip was truly the trip of a lifetime. Have We 100% plan on coming back to South Africa in the next couple of years and hope that Liz is still there to guide us in our next adventure.

We are experienced and demanding senior travellers and Bianca was very responsive to our specific needs and responding to our questions in a timely fashion. We had to change our plan and she was able to make the appropriate changes. She proved to be knowledgeable and experienced as a travel advisor and planner.
We had an interesting and informative visit to Johannesburg based on travel guides recommended by Bianca. Victoria Fall was breathtaking and the accomodation at the Phezulu Guest Lodge was very enjoyable. Chobe and staying at the Chobe Bush Lodge with morning safari outings and the afternoon boat trips were amazing. Okavango swamp and Pom Pom Camp was outstanding with very personal service and staying among the animals with knowledgeable guides we found all the animal we wanted to see. The Pom Pom Camp was a very special experience.

Hotel Reviews

Premier OR Tambo Hotel

We liked the spacious rooms, the location next to the airport was perfect and the staff were helpful and professional

Authenticity & Character

Not sure what to say about character, but the staff were friendly and helpful

Location

next to the airport

Staff

Very helpful staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Phezulu Guest Lodge

Victoria Falls

As small hotel near Vic Falls and all that we needed for our stay. Staff were very helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Very helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Chobe Bush Lodge

Kasane

The rooms were very spacious and modern with large bathroom area and balconies. Location near the Chobe river was great. Very helpful staff that were very responsive when we needed their help. I would say that the food was a bit disappointing.

Authenticity & Character

Large thatched building that was very spacious.

Location

On the Chobe River

Cleanliness & Comfort

Great rooms

Pom Pom Camp

United Kingdom

Very personal service with a limited number of guests. We had safari outing to our selves most of the time. The food was good. The tent accomodations with open bathing areas was spacious but a bit warm in the afternoons. Staying among the animals was unique and watching them from the balcony was captivating. This was the peak experince of the trip and Ryder our guide knew where to find the animals including leopards, wild dogs as well as lions, elephants and giraffes . A magical experience with outings in the morning and late afternoons.

Authenticity & Character

Definitely a lot of character and the personal attention of the staff

Location

Isolated and staying among the animals next to a watering hole

Staff

Always address by name, our guide ate meals with us and the service was great

Cleanliness & Comfort

The tent rooms were spotless, just two small issues, the rooms were very hot in the afternoon and the need to be careful about the use of lights at night to avoid invasion by the insects

Activity Reviews

Chobe Safari Day

Botswana

The safari drives were nice but the best was the boat outing on the water since all the animals are drawn to the water. Seeing the elephants swim/walk through the water was great and the wallowing hippos.

Quality of Experience

Great sightings of animals on land and from the water.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Some of the drivers were a bit fast. They need to clean the area where they stop for morning tea as there seemed to be a lot of used toilet paper around the area.

Transport

Keep the speed down

Okavango Delta Safari

Okavango Delta

The morning and afternoon safari outings were amazing. Ryder our driver and guide was very professional and knowledgeable and we found all the animals that we wanted to see plus a few surprises

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very personal and friendly service and when one of our party was a bit sick they when out of their way to help him feel better

Transport

You have to be ready to be shaken a bit during the game drives

Our trip consisted of Sossusvlei (2 nights), Swakopmund (2 nights) and Damaraland (3 nights)
We opted for a driver and guide and this was a significant part of the enjoyment of our trip. Vincent Taylor is not just a driver and guide but a senior person with in-depth knowledge and experience in Namibia and the region which provided us with deeper insight into Namibia and visiting places that other might miss. I would encourage others visiting Namibia to consider having a driver and guide since 80% of the roads we travelled on were not paved and distances between gas stations and facilities are far, driving around 5 hours every other days is tiring even as a passenger and if something happens having a local expert is helpful. Travelling on your own would be a completely different experience and much less interesting. The dunes of Sossusvlei are like a gigantic art installation with the changing light and shadows on the dunes with the unique vegetation and salt pans. The accommodations at the Desert Homestead Lodge were super with the roomy individual cabins. Swakopmund with its cooler temperatures was a relief from the heat, the Swakopmund Luxury Suites were comfortable and a good location. We would encourage visitors to do the combination cruise on the bay in the morning and the Sandwich Bay dune ride in the afternoon, both were memorable. Damaraland was unique to be staying among the boulders and going out one morning for tracking the desert elephants which we found and appreciated. Afternoons were too hot to do very much. We could have done with a less fancy accommodations at Camp Kipwe but it was very unique and beautiful. Travelling the roads and experiencing the vastness of Namibia was an experience in itself. The final accomodation at the Windhoek Luxury Suites was fine with a restaurant in a courtyard mall in the Spanish style was quite unique and enjoyable. The staff at all the accommodations were very helpful, friendly and professional.
The CapeTown portion of the trip was totally different. Staying at the Commodore next to the wharf was very handy for restaurants and shopping. Hotel staff were helpful and friendly was we were able to do most of the things that CapeTown is famous for. A great final stop on our very memorable trip.

Hotel Reviews

Premier OR Tambo Hotel

Great for being near the airport. Helpful and friendly staff. Nice rooms and a good restaurant.

Authenticity & Character

Friendly staff

Location

Near the airport

Staff

Very helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Desert Homestead Lodge

The setting of the hotel, the main building with a thatched roof and tasteful design and facilities. The rooms were large and very nicely done in a rustic way

Authenticity & Character

Unique design

Location

Beautiful setting

Staff

Very helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Swakopmund Luxury Suites

Swakopmund

Good location and helpful staff

Authenticity & Character

Nice place, very modern design

Location

Near the beach and restaurants

Staff

Staff were very helpful when we had some problems

Cleanliness & Comfort

Camp Kipwe

Windhoek

This is a top end hotel set among boulders on a hill in the desert and barely visible from a distance. Each hut has a outdoor bathroom that we liked. Bar at the top of the hill for sunsets. Food was great and staff were friendly and helpful.

Authenticity & Character

The hotel is part of the landscape, very unique and special

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Windhoek Luxury Suites

Windhoek

Quite and peaceful.

Authenticity & Character

The restaurant neary by in a Spanish style mall was quite unique

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Commodore Hotel

Cape Town

Our room overlooked the city and Table Mountain.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Being next to the wharf is probably the best location in Capetown because of the mall and the restaurants and bars near by

Staff

Very helpful with a few issues and needs that we had

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Twyfelfontein Tour

Damaraland

Tracking the desert elephants was a great experience in a dry river bed. We did find the elephants and a few giraffe. The cultural center experience was interesting. The petroglyphs were interesting though the trail is a bit difficult. The organ pipes and black mountain were interesting but not as much as the other activities

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The service we received throughout our trip was amazing. From the start in Windhoek and the instruction guide from Maxine down to our airport return with Josef we could not have had a better time.
The planning and TravelKey app were fantastic - Anna at Spitzkoppen was great, Tim who flew the hot air balloon was funny and incredibly skillful while all the locations we stayed in were also excellent. Our tour guide in Swakopmund who took us to the dunes at Sandwich Bay - PJ Breytenbach - was fantastic - very knowledgeable and passionate about the area and he was determined to ensure we had a fabulous experience. The vehicle we had was superb - my wife and I and our two friends whom we toured with cannot have been happier.

We had a fabulous time the accommodations were vastly diffferent but it made it an even more of an experience. We loved it.. we will use KImkim again..

Our self-drive trip to Namibia was amazing! We didn't have much time but still managed to visit Sossusvlei, Swakopmund, Etosha South and East, as well as Windhoek. Every stop along the route was worth it. Great vistas all over, very few people around, quality accommodations and the best roads we have seen in Africa so far. It was a great opportunity to get away from it all as a family. Of course, seeing all the animals in the national parks was the most memorable part of the trip: plenty of lions, elephants, girafes, zebras, etc. We didn't know much about Namibia before but we are definitely recommending it to everybody now!