South Africa - trip of dreams
South Africa
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Jun 16 - Jun 28, 2026
Lucy was amazing! My dad got sick at the beginning of the trip and would up in the hospital for a couple days. But thanks to Lucy, I had a place to stay close to the hospital set up as soon as she knew I needed it and she checked in on my dad through out the trip. Being so far from home it was nice to have a local helping with all the little bumps in the road.
Leon was our guide in Cape Town and made the whole experience wonderful. He knew so much and was funny and friendly. My dad didn’t always feel up to walking and Leon stayed and was a great companion while we adventured a bit. Definitely made that portion of the trip special for our family. The Romney Park Luxury apartments were gorgeous! Their elevator was not working and they moved us to a ground floor apartment to make it easier for my dad, the ground floor was not nearly as nice of an apartment, but we appreciated the accommodation since their elevator was broken.
Marine Dynamics was greatly enjoyed by my husband and kid's. The shark diving was the highlight of the trip for my daughter. The Abalone hotel was lovely and they really enjoyed eating in town at The Chard- best milkshakes ever! Steaks, calamari and side dishes were also delicious!
Moditlo Lodge was my favorite stay. We were treated so well, every need anticipated, every staff member kind and attentive. They knew it was our anniversary and we were treated with hearts and champagne in our room. My dad’s birthday was also celebrated with all staff singing and a cake at lunch time. Kailey the check was phenomenal and our guide and tracker (Dumi and Derrick) were so knowledgeable and enthusiastic about making sure we had the best time. The game drives were the highlight of the trip for me, seeing hundreds of animals and my children getting to see all the ones they wanted to and more. The hot water bottles, lined ponchos and warm drinks made the chilly mornings and adventure and something to look forward too. My words don’t do the experience justice. I do wish we had know that the entire experience was outside the park, we would have asked to spend at least one day in Kruger.
Victoria Falls - the Shearwater was a real downgrade after Moditlo, no one cleaned our rooms or replaced amenities like coffee and water without a request and the staff wasn’t very responsive. More than once I stood in line waiting to be helped while watching staff gossip about guests, one night the kitchen staff got in a huge fight and you could hear them yelling at each other from the dining room. Definitely a place you kept all the doors locked every minute.
Kuda was a wonderful guide to the falls, full of local information and willing to share a lot about the culture and what it was like to grow up in Victoria Falls. The helicopter flight was the highlight of my dad’s trip and fell on his 82nd birthday. The view from above was spectacular! We also great enjoyed our tour of the Wildlife Trust, the work they do there is so important and fascinating. Kuda went on that trip with us as well and said he learned a lot himself.
Bamba train was fun. The Chobe day trip was my son’s favorite day and probably tied for one of my favorites as well. Our guides, Captain O, Terrance and Kenneth, were funny and obviously enjoyed showing us around on bus, boat and safari. We saw THOUSANDS of birds and animals that day, it was unreal and felt like the scenes you see in movies. Our fellow passengers were also very fun on this trip.
Our last experience was the Dusty Roads dinner and it was informative, colorful, whimsical and funny. We were able to try grubs - my daughter ate two!! And all kinds of different local foods while learning about what plants they came from and how they were prepared. The owner came to our table and chatted for quite awhile, it was interesting to learn about her family and time in Zimbabwe. We loved it!
We would encourage people to follow the travel agents advice and to not walk alone and keep valuables secure. I should have Ubered from my hotel to the hospital! Had to cancel my credit card and file a police report after an encounter in the street with a few young men.
AirLink was a very hit or miss airline to travel with about half the staff was polite, friendly and helpful, the other half was dismissive if not out and out rude at times.
All in all it was a trip of a lifetime and I would highly recommend working with Lucy. She was so helpful, kind and if she didn’t know the answer she said so and told you she would get it!
Hotel Reviews
Beautiful rooms with ocean views!
Treated like family and special guests all at the same time
Didn’t really feel safe or welcome hear
Staff was lovely and helpful. Breakfast was tasty and quick in the morning. Top floor apartments were so cute and probably the nicest apartment we stayed in. Such a nice place to stay with multiple family members and not have to go in and out of separate rooms with separate keys.
Activity Reviews
Very efficient
Awesome concept and execution
One of the best days of the whole trip!
Pretty view and another way to have people come and sell you stuff
Cool to see everything they were doing and meet their current guests
This day was amazing!! Leon really helped make it memorable with his local historical knowledge.
Dumi and Derrick were the very best! It was so fun talking with them and learning from them.
Love the look at local history by those directly impacted by the Robben Island prison. Table Mountain was spectacular and we felt lucky to have such nice weather.
According to my daughter - the best day of her life!
Much better with a guide - Kuda had so much local knowledge about the plants, the river as an energy source and local history. Greatly added to the walk.
We wound up on the dinner cruise instead of the dinner cruise. It was too late and cold for my 82 year old dad. Our itinerary said sunset cruise, but what was booked was the dinner cruise. It was nice, but not what we had planned.
