Planning first trip to SA-Advise needed on choosing a travel agent.
 

Hi

I am looking for a travel agent to help us plan our first trip to SA. I have requested some quotes from the following companies:
Africa Direct
Island-safari.com
Premier tours
Lion World tours
Any suggestions on who offers the best sercvice? Is it better to book with a travel agent from SA?
Here is our initial plan:
Cape town 4 nights: accomodation: something like Parker cottage? looks nice. Is it well located? http://www.parkercottage.co.za/
Wineland on 2 nights: accomodation : something like La petite vigne ? http://www.la-petite-vigne.co.za/
Safari-Kruger national park 4 nights: accomodation: I like Elephant Plains Game Lodge
Victoria falls 2 nights : accomodation??what would you suggest?
Mauritius island? 4 nights
Cape town : 1 night to take our return flight to Canada
Tks
Godin

We had a flawless experience with Island-Safari.com - - we visited Zambia for Vic Falls, Chobe, two lodges in the Delta, Namibian Desert, Capetown and a Phinda in South Africa - so it was a complex vacation but all the land and charter flights were perfect and the accommodations were much better than we anticipated. Michelle was our contact and she was very responsive and helpful. Perfect score for Island-Safari - they are based in South Africa. Fire away any specific questions about the 18 months of planning for our flawless Sept 2010 initial visit to Africa.

I think you might want to consider options for a beach other than MAuritius.


Yes, I think it is a big advantage to use a local agent. This is the SA agent I used and I recommend very highly. They are very responsive to e-mails and also have an 800 number for toll-free phone calls; I wrote a trip report about my first, but hopefully not last, SA visit in 2007:

http://www.southerndestinations.com/

As ekscrunchy, rather than Mauritius, consider Mozambique... it's on the same continent, right next to South Africa. And, if air tickets not yet purchased, consider flying home out of Johannesburg/JNB instead of CPT... it's just closer arriving from beach locale.

There are a lot of good African Safari facilitators out there. Rather than recommend a company I will simply offer the following. I recommend using a company that at least has an office in North America simply for ease of communication, especially if you hit a snag. Make sure they have first hand experience in regards to the recommendations they are making. An African safari means different things to different people. You need to be able to have a lengthy conversation with your tour operator, or person that will be building your itinerary. You need to convey to them what your expectations and priorities are and allow them to make recommendations based on those. A good tour company will take these into consideration before recommending any trip.
A good example: Your question regarding Victoria Falls and accommodations. Vic Falls has accommodations ranging from a Casino type hotel, "The Kingdom Hotel" to luxury tented camp lodges. "Matetsi Water Lodge". I have visited both locations on several occasions and both are wonderful in their own right. With that being said one person may be very disappointed with the Kingdom Hotel and another disappointed with staying in a “tented camp” like Matetsi.

I'll recommend <green>Take2Tours</green> in Cape Town.

Here is what I wrote about them in a previous report:

<green>
<b>Take2 Tours </b>

Though I knew nothing about the company, I stuck with this recommendation by African Shark Eco-Charters. And I am glad I did!

From my first email correspondence, which soon escalated into an assault from me on Take2’s inbox, I was impressed. In 18 months of contact, I made many tweaks, date changes, and alterations to my plans. All were accommodated graciously by owner, Wayne, with guidance and redirection bestowed when needed.

I ended up having Wayne book the hotels I chose (from choices recommended by African Shark Eco-Charters and Take2) and get my Robben Island tickets. He made sure I had all the confirmation numbers, and provided copies on my arrival.

He was especially helpful with Robben Island where there was a slight problem with the booking office and he alerted me to bring the credit card used to reserve the ticket.

Wayne was great in every respect and contributed in a huge way to my enjoyment of the Cape Town environs. His general knowledge of the area was immense and he knew the tricks and short cuts for what I wanted to do, such as hiking certain trails in the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve and dropping me off and picking me up in the best spots.

He made the time-saving and money-saving suggestion of having me do Robben Island on my own, my first morning in Cape Town, after checking out of the Waterfront Hotel and storing my bags at reception. Then he picked me up at the ferry dock, we retrieved the bags, had lunch, and began our Cape Town sight seeing that ended in Simons Town.

He had some good back up plans when last minute changes were needed. The cable car was not running on Table Mountain so instead we headed up Signal Mountain for nice views. The noontime canon blast on Signal Mountain represents the longest running daily cannon firing tradition in the world. Chapman’s Peak road was closed, so we went as far as we could and then headed to scenic Hout Bay.

Though I did not do a township tour, I ran into a family at the baboon walk who was raving about their recent township visit. They mentioned their guide named Wayne. When I inquired further, we discovered it was our very own Wayne of Take2 Tours!

Even with all he did for me, I believe I did not even really tap into Wayne’s forte. He could recommend what to order at various restaurants in and around Cape Town, from entrees to dessert. (I did follow some of this menu advice with great success.) He knew the wines and wineries, where to get the best croissants, what art galleries to go, which gift shops had the most unique book selections, the charms of each bay around Cape Town. For anyone with epicurean interests beyond, say, munching a sandwich and Ranch Doritos on the shark boat in the stench of Seal Island, Wayne would be a most valuable resource.

Wayne’s helpfulness and dedication can be seen in this example. On the day we went to Kirstenbosch Gardens, I came right off the shark boat to meet him at the dock. He arranged for me to change clothes in the restroom of a nearby restaurant, so I could remove some long underwear and other layers that I needed on the boat. We piled my extra clothes, including my waterproof socks and balaclava, in the back seat and we were off. After a lovely day at the gardens, Wayne drove back to Sea Spray. He gathered up the huge pile of clothing, which represented about four extra layers for top and bottom, with his one arm-—my waterproof socks and balaclava dangling. He was on his cell phone with his other hand to Rikki Taxi or somebody on my behalf, as he schlepped my wardrobe down the steps to the entrance of Sea Spray. He truly had his hands full with helping to make every part of my Cape Town trip enjoyable." </green>