My husband and I had the most wonderful time ...
South Africa
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Aug 21 - Sep 4, 2025
My husband and I had the most wonderful time in South Africa and did not want to leave, each place we visited was amazing in its own unique way! In many ways this trip has changed our lives, it was the perfect start to our 6th decade on earth. It gave us an opportunity to experience wonderful people and new things, reflect, reset, get clarity on what is important to us and envision new paths moving forward.
Our experience with kimkim has been excellent! We love the model and the platform, we will use kimkim again for future trips and recommend it to our friends and family.
We were matched with the lovely Tshepo as our travel planner, she listened closely to our ideas and we collaborated to put together a trip that was just right for us. She is very kind, thoughtful and understanding, she makes very helpful suggestions and recommendations. We give her our highest recommendation!
The highlight of our trip was 4 days on safari at Sabi Sands Game reserve, staying at the incredible Umkumbe Lodge Riverside and celebrating my birthday. Our guide Michaela and tracker Moses were the best we could have hoped for. We were privileged to see lions and leopards every day, along with so many other animals up close, we have some amazing photos to share with our friends and family. On my birthday, we saw a pangolin, the best gift I have ever received! I cried happy tears. Back at the lodge, my room was beautifully decorated, the staff made me a birthday cake and sang happy birthday to me in two languages at dinner. BEST BIRTHDAY EVER!
We experienced a high level of excellent service at all of our hotels and on our tours. Many thanks to the following:
Greeted warmly at the airport by Nokuthala and driven to our hotel by driver Roy. 5 stars
Tuk tuk tour of Soweto in Johannesburg - our driver Isaac and guide Luguile of Lebdo’s Backpackers shared their experiences of life in the township with us. They gifted us with a real experience and connection with the history of Johannesburg and the ongoing impact of the Apartheid system. We enjoyed the delicious food and hospitality of the backpacker lodge after the journey. 6 stars!
Private tour of Johannesburg with guide Andrees from Drifters- Andrews was fun and knowledgeable, he took us to all the places we wanted to see, provided a lot of information and context. We visited The Apartheid Museum, Constitutional Hill and the Maboneg neighborhood. I had been reading Nelson Mandela’s autobiography Long Walk to Freedom so I was able to connect more closely with the history of South Africa. I think it is important to learn about the countries we travel to and I felt that we got a good understanding. However, I would have preferred a Black guide and Andrees didn’t know much about Maboneneg, 4 stars.
Panorama tour from Unembeza, Hoesdpruit - our guide David was one of the best private guides I have ever had, so knowledgeable and open-minded. We had some wonderful conversations and shared information about our home as well. We visited the stunning Blyde River Canyon, Lisbon Falls, Bourke's Luck Potholes, God's Window, the Three Rondavels and had a fun lunch at the Chubby Pig. 5 stars.
Morning walk from Unembeza - our guide Jeramiah took us on an early morning walk in the vicinity of the lodge. We learned about the “Big 5 Trees” of the Kruger area: Baobab, Fever Tree, Knob Thorn, Marula and Mopane. It was refreshing to learn about some of the plant life instead of just animals. We also got some great pictures of zebras and 2 large kudu and learned how to identify different kinds of dung. Awesome, 5 stars.
Drivers Laurence and Vusi of Echo Africa Safaris transported us to and from Sabi Sands, very engaging conversations, 5 stars.
Visit Table Mountain by Cable Car tour in Cape Town - Our guide was Garreth from AWOL Tours and he was a great source of history and tips for enjoying the area. 5 stars.
Hotel Reviews
The HYDE hotel is stunning in it's design, food at the Proud Mary restaurant and service by an excellent staff! When we arrived, Tamara and her staff had a birthday surprise for me waiting in our room: champagne, red velvet cake and balloons. They went out of their way to make the first part of our trip special. The interior design of this hotel and restaurant are just gorgeous and the rooms are spacious with all the amenities. The location is perfection. The only reason we're giving it 4 stars is because when we were checking out, the staff member asked us if we had taken a towel. Apparently they tag all their towels and we walked through the security gate with a group of people so they couldn't tell who had removed a towel. Instead of looking for the guy who went to the gym or the other people, they implied that we had stolen a towel and had it in our suitcase. This was extremely insulting and coming at the very end of our stay, it soured the entire experience. Why would we take a $10 towel when we were on vacation and was it worth it to end our otherwise great experience on a sour note?
The highlight of our trip was 4 days on safari at Sabi Sands Game reserve, staying at the incredible Umkumbe Safari Lodge (Riverside) and celebrating my birthday. Our guide Michaela and tracker Moses were the best we could have hoped for. We were privileged to see lions and leopards every day, along with so many other animals up close. We have some amazing photos to share with our friends and family. On my birthday, we saw a pangolin, the best gift I have ever received! I cried happy tears. Back at the lodge, my room was beautifully decorated, the staff made me a birthday cake and sang happy birthday to me in two languages at dinner. BEST BIRTHDAY EVER!
This was a lovely place for a short visit to relax and recharge before our next adventure. The staff made us feel so welcome, the food and decor are a wonderful mix of modern and traditional elements. We loved the spa treatments, full day Panorama Tour with the incomparable David, outdoor dining and morning game walk with Jeramia. Highly recommended!
This hotel has everything you want for a visit to Cape Town. Stunning views of Camps Bay and the Twelve Apostles, gorgeous modern rooms, delicious breakfast and lunch and amazing staff who go out of their way to help you. We will stay here again, we can't wait to go back to see more of the area! We arrived late in the evening on a Sunday and there weren’t many food options available. We ordered on Uber Eats but had some challenges getting our food. Kinearr, the night guard, was incredibly supportive and understanding. He stood in the street with me looking for the driver and helped me give instructions. When the driver never showed, he rounded up some food for us from the kitchen, peanut butter and bread. We are so grateful for his kindness. One note: there are other locations with the same address (33 Victoria Road) when looking up in Google Maps or within Uber. It would be great if that could be cleared up <3
Activity Reviews
Our driver Isaac and guide Luguile of Lebdo’s Backpackers shared their experiences of life in the township with us. They gifted us with a real experience and connection with the history of Johannesburg and the ongoing impact of the Apartheid system. We enjoyed the delicious food and hospitality of the backpacker lodge after the journey. 6 stars!
Greeted warmly at the airport by Nokuthala and driven to our hotel by driver Roy.
Andrees from Drifters was so fun and knowledgeable! He took us to all the places we wanted to see, provided a lot of information and context. We visited The Apartheid Museum, Constitutional Hill and the Maboneg neighborhood. I had been reading Nelson Mandela’s autobiography Long Walk to Freedom so I was able to connect more closely with the history of South Africa. I think it is important to learn about the countries we travel to and I felt that we got a good understanding.
I had a massage and a facial, both were excellent! Highly recommended as a relaxing treat in the middle of a long vacation.
Our guide David was one of the best private guides we have ever had, so knowledgeable and open-minded. We had some wonderful conversations and shared information about our home as well. We visited the stunning Blyde River Canyon, Lisbon Falls, Bourke's Luck Potholes, God's Window, the Three Rondavels and had a fun lunch at the Chubby Pig. 6 stars!
The highlight of our trip was 4 days on safari at Sabi Sands Game reserve, staying at the incredible Umkumbe Lodge Riverside and celebrating my birthday. Our guide Michaela and tracker Moses were the best we could have hoped for. We were privileged to see lions and leopards every day, along with so many other animals up close, we have some amazing photos to share with our friends and family. On my birthday, we saw a pangolin, the best gift I have ever received! I cried happy tears. Back at the lodge, my room was beautifully decorated, the staff made me a birthday cake and sang happy birthday to me in two languages at dinner. BEST BIRTHDAY EVER!
Beautiful place, stunning garden, views and excellent food! Don't miss it.
We loved the concept of this activity, the staff was excellent and knowledgeable. However, the time of the activity was moved to earlier and we had to drive a long way in the dark to get there from Camps Bay in Cape Town. We're from Oregon and have a wonderful coastline with whales and such. We didn't see much that was any different on this tour except a small copper shark. In hindsight I would have preferred to do something else.
