SALTY.TRAVEL

Trip was well organized. Maximized my 15 days with excellent guides. Plenty of info and travelling tips from them. They were professional and kind. Lindi continually kept me updated with next day events.
Thank you KimKim. read more

Trip was well organized. Maximized my 15 days with excellent guides. Plenty of info and travelling tips from them. They were professional and kind. Lindi continually kept me updated with next day events.
Thank you KimKim.

Hotel Review

Mohlabetsi Safari Lodge

Hoedspruit

Excellent service. Chase safari guide was extremely knowledgeable and kind. Ent out of way for us to see big 5. Meals were 5*. Amazing ! Staff beyond generous. Thank you

Authenticity & Character

Location

Tranquillity, meals, location, kind staff

Staff

Kind professional and serving .

Cleanliness & Comfort

Housekeeping 2 times a day. Very clean

Activity Reviews

Table Mountain Guided Hike

Cape Town

Must do if you’re in Capetown! Amazing view

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cape Town Wine, Cheese & Chocolate Tour

South Africa

Cape Town Walking Tour

Cape Town

Nice quaint town.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Activities at Makalali Game Reserve

Kruger National Park

Amazing

Quality of Experience

Very kind staff

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... read more

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... read more

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

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

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

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

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

Activity Reviews

Cape Town City Tour & Table Mountain

Cape Town

Quality of Experience

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

Dinner Restaurant Suggestions

Cape Town

Quality of Experience

Food and Drinks are really affordable

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

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 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

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

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

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

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

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... read more

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. read more

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

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

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

The hotels that were booked for us, including service, were great. Local guides were very dedicated, knowledgeable and very pleasant to work with. The tour was very well planned and executed.
Interactions with Taf during the trip were very efficient. She was very responsive, flexible and helpful above and beyond. Not once we felt at lost. If we needed an information or her guidance, she was there for us no matter what time of day or night that was. It was very assuring to know... read more

The hotels that were booked for us, including service, were great. Local guides were very dedicated, knowledgeable and very pleasant to work with. The tour was very well planned and executed.
Interactions with Taf during the trip were very efficient. She was very responsive, flexible and helpful above and beyond. Not once we felt at lost. If we needed an information or her guidance, she was there for us no matter what time of day or night that was. It was very assuring to know that there was someone working to make our trip not only pleasurable but also very safe. All the bookings and places we went to were well targeted as if she knew us for a long time. We expected a memorable trip but she made this trip a very special one. She has also rememberd my husband birthday and surprised us with a very special b-day cake.
Most memorable places for us were: Cape Town, Franschhoek and wine country (specificaly The Grand Provence and the Franschhoek Country House and Villas. Courtney, the manager spent as much time with us as we needed and also was able to answer the many questions that we had, Safari in Gondwana, and Victoria Falls.
In Gondwana we had multiple interactions with Izanee, Service Manager and Ruan, our safari guide. Both were very dedicated, knowledgeable very pleasant to work with.
The hotels that were booked for us included: Cape Town Table Bay Hotel, Franschhoek Country House & Villas, Gondwana Lodges, and Victoria Falls Safari Club. All of them were excellent choices and we would not have any hesitation to stay at them again. Hotels were clean and very well equipped.We specifically enjoyed the fact that all of them have had a fantastic views!! Well done, Taf.

Hotel Reviews

Table Bay Hotel

Waterfront

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Gondwana Game Reserve

Herbertsdale, Mossel Bay

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Franschhoek Country House & Villas

Franschhoek

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Victoria Falls Safari Club

Victoria Falls

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Protea Hotel by Marriott O.R. Tambo Airport

Kempton Park

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Cape Town Guided City Tour

South Africa

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pot & Cruise

Victoria Falls

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bo-Kaap district Cape Malay cooking Class

South Africa

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arts and Culture Peninsula Tour

Cape Town

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Jaen Marie was great

Activities at Gondwana Game Reserve

South Africa

All experiences, including food and services, were above our expectations.

Quality of Experience

We loved the interactions with the staff.Their knowledge and friendliness was fantastic.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

As above and I loved my facial. Very professional. I remember seeing buffalo in the meadow while having facial. An amazing experience.

Transport

Village Art Morning Tour

Victoria Falls

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Wine Tram Exclusive Wine & Cuisine Experience

South Africa

Exquisite experience for all the senses! Spectacular views were only an addition to the fantastic food, presentation, and absolutely amazing service. We loved it all.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour Victoria Falls

Victoria Falls

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Boma Dinner and Drum Show

Victoria Falls

We have not participate in this activity.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tuk Tuk Tour

South Africa

WE have not participate in this activity

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

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

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

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.

We had the most amazing time in Tanzania. Taf had planned the most perfect trip for us, it truly felt like a dream. Taf was great to work with, and was so helpful, kind and patient helping us postpone our trip multiple times due to covid. read more

We had the most amazing time in Tanzania. Taf had planned the most perfect trip for us, it truly felt like a dream. Taf was great to work with, and was so helpful, kind and patient helping us postpone our trip multiple times due to covid.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

We just returned from an 18-day trip. What an amazing experience!!! We want to say it was a Trip-of-a-Lifetime, but we loved it so much, we plan to return. This trip was two years in the making due to Covid restrictions. Thank you, Taf, for coordinating this entire trip for us. It was perfectly planned! And we appreciate your prompt replies to all our concerns prior to going. Once we arrived to Uganda, we realized our fears were due to social media/political issues of our own country. ... read more

We just returned from an 18-day trip. What an amazing experience!!! We want to say it was a Trip-of-a-Lifetime, but we loved it so much, we plan to return. This trip was two years in the making due to Covid restrictions. Thank you, Taf, for coordinating this entire trip for us. It was perfectly planned! And we appreciate your prompt replies to all our concerns prior to going. Once we arrived to Uganda, we realized our fears were due to social media/political issues of our own country. To anyone on the fence of visiting Uganda - Just go! You won't regret it.

Upon arrival to Uganda, we were greeted by Agnes and Nasser. These two took care of our every want and needs. Besides the game drives, we asked for cultural experiences. Each day was exciting and we always looked forward to the next day.

Activities we did:
Jinja - Sunset boat ride to Source of the Nile
Game drive of Murchison Falls National Park
Boat Ride to Murchison Falls, also went to the Top of the Falls
Ziwa Rhino Santuary
Fishing on Lake Victoria
Game drive of Lake Mburo National Park
Long Horned Cattle Milking
Water safari on the Kazinga Channel
Chimpanzee trekking
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park - Gorilla Tracking
Batwa Pygmies Cultural Experience
Tour of a private school with boarding and converse with head teacher
Stopped at the Equator
Tour in Kampala - Idi Amin Torture Chamber
Craft markets
Searched for Shoebill bird
Toured Entebbe arboretum
Local community village experience

I could go on and on about our time in Uganda. Loved every minute of our time there and we were sad to leave. Again, thank you, Taf, for organizing this trip. Thank you, Agnes, for accommodating us on the trip. And thank you, Nasser, for guiding and driving us around the entire time.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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