Hello Stephen,

Finally getting a chance to tell you about our adventure.

I wish to compliment you on a beautifully coordinated trip.

We had an incredible , exciting, rich experience. Thank you.

Before I go on with details, though, I must tell you that I am extremely private, and do not wish my comments to be publicized. I am very pleased with your service, and will do my best to send business your way, whenever I hear(note from Stephen I do  not publish the named or e mail   addresses)

of anyone wishing to travel to Africa. Our stories have already captivated many.

A. Johannesburg
 Not crazy about the Airport Grand Hotel.
 Rooms appeared run-down, and the place was a bit depressing.
 Positives were the shuttle service to the airport, and proximity to airport, which is why you chose it.

B. Kwando Lebala
 We LOVED it there.

Simple, but so personable.
Quiet and unpretentious.

The private jeep/guide/tracker were excellent.

 We saw a three cheetahs with a zebra kill, wild dogs, giraffe, elephant, wildabeest, ostrich, lions on the hunt...

 It was our first safari experience, and it made the biggest impression on us.
 Would go back here in a heartbeat.

C. Camp Okuti
 Lovely people, comfortable, and welcoming.
But lacking in animal sitings.
 We spent hours and hours driving, with no animals to be seen.
Made waking up that early less appealing.
I had heard so much about the abundance of animals on the Okavango Delta.... but they certainly weren't there.
 We did see a leapard, though, which made the entire stay worthwhile!
 Would not return here.

D. Chobe
Chobe was rich with animals, in addition to being beautiful.
 Chobe camping with Safari Guide Services was fun for one night.
 It was the part of the trip I was most hesitant about, safety-speaking, despite your reassurance.
 The moment we drove into camp and saw Jen and Phil with their big smiles, I knew we were fine.
 They were completely set up when we arrived, and they made the camping experience more comfortable, clean, accomodating than I imagined.

The children were giddy with excitement over sleeping in a tent, and sitting
 around the campfire, as they had not camped before (I told you I was a Four Seasons girl!). We heard the  elephants close-by in the night, and it was a unique experience, which added to the adventure.

House Safari Boat
 The experience on the safari boat was very positive, and a complement to the other types of wildlife viewing.
 The first day (of 2) was incredible, as we were the only ones on the boat!

 After a night of camping, it felt luxurious to have it all to ourselves, being able to sit on the sofas, read, and
 be served!  It was all so relaxing and serene, and we all needed a bit of peace and downtime, by this point   in the trip.

The best part was viewing the elephants and hippos from here. We were able to see them in there  unthreatened, natural state. I spent hours viewing them through binoculars, the families, the interactions.

 I had been reading a lot about elephants, so this was especially enriching. The children enjoyed the boat, and the fishing. Also, very enlightening to see the village on the cultural tour, as this was the first experience  seeing Africans, and African children in their simple home.

 The second day, others joined, which intruded on our "private yacht" experience!
 This family boarded with their South African travel agent.
 In sharing their trip experience, ours was far superior. Kudos to you.
 Chobe is quite magical.

 Would return there in a heartbeat (perhaps would try one of the game lodges).:

E. Zambia/Victoria Falls.

 The David Livingstone was a lovely property.
The hotel is very tastefully designed. Our suite was huge, and elegant!
 What a nice surprise... 

 My only complaint was that the hotel staff was totally untrained. There were many, but no idea what they were  doing. 

 

 Example- I called reception to pick up dirty dishes from our room in the afternoon. No one came. Called  later. No one came. Finally put them outside the door at bedtime, and called them to tell them they were there.

 They were still there in the morning.  Another example: I got a call in the afternoon of arrival telling us we needed  to be down for our boat cruise right away! I said I didn't know anything about a boat cruise. They said we had booked one with our package, and it was leaving in three minutes....could we get down RIGHT AWAY!

 Now, while I was wondering how I could have missed this in your notes, and our conversations, I quickly gathered the kids  and ran down. The large cruise bo at was docked at river's edge, and the hostess publically berated me for being  late! She said , "where were you? everyone has been waiting for you for 20 minutes" loudly, and in front of all  the guests, in a disgusted tone.

 Since they had only called me five or six minutes prior, and we sprinted, I felt
 humiliated and upset. Anyhow, we made the best of it, and took this somewhat boring cruise down the zambesi river for an hour or two, and were served cocktails and hors d'oevres. It was not my kind of thing.

 Just trapped with a boat load of tourists, stuffing their faces. 

 When checking out, I saw a big charge on our bill for the cruise. I mentioned that they had told me it was part of our package. They removed it. Then the activities coordinator came running across to tell me she had made a mistake, and had confused us for another family who had booked the cruise, then cancelled it awhile ago.

 She had heard that the woman had been rude to us, and the 
concierge apologized for that, but then asked me if I could pay for it. I said no. So that's what I mean about  the staff being inadequate.  I'm glad I saw Vic Falls once, but would not return there.

F. Back to Johannesburg, Airport Grand for one night.
 I dreaded going back there.
 If I could have gone to Vic Falls for the day, arriving in am, see the falls, then leave, I'd of been fine. But I guess there was no way to get from Zambia to Mozambique.

G. AZURA
 What an amazing place.
 It was the perfect ending to our holiday.
 The staff spoiled us...
 It was wonderful to be able to be free... to walk, fun, breath in the fresh air, be lazy and relax.
 The food and service were exquisite.
 The children "bonded" with the staff, and were basically adopted by them.
 It was our good luck that Indigo Bay cancelled us, and we were "forced" to go to Azura.
 Could have easily stayed here another day or two... it was hard to leave.
The snorkeling was superb, the food was superb, as were the stars and the intelligent, accomplished staff.
 Liked visiting the school.
Their prices seem over the top, but they were full (unlike all of our other stays).
 Would return here tomorrow, if I could afford it!

H. Transfers
 Every single transfer, whe ther it be boat, plane, helicopter or jeep was on time, efficient, professional, and safe.
 I was terribly impressed by this!
 This made a huge difference in the success of the trip, and the smooth transfers limited the wear-and-tear on us.

Sorry to be so long-winded, Stephen.
Wanted to give you good feedback, as I know you spent many hours working on this.
The only thing I wished was different, from your end, was that I would have liked to know what was costing what!

I had no idea, and when I asked you, you said it's a package rate, and can't be broken down. So to send this huge amount off to you required a bit of faith!

But in the end, I thanked you a million times in my head, while I was there.

My first priority, when traveling with my children, is safety, and all of your contacts were safe and very good to us.

This meant a great deal to me. I've thought about Africa for so long. But it wasn't as I had imagined.

It was so much BETTER!

Overall, it was a FANTASTIC experience, one which far exceeded my expectations.

Thank you ever so much for your insights, honesty, and desire to make it special.

You did.

Sincerely,