Testimonial for Stephen Abelsohn

Our trip to South Africa and Botswana in autumn 2006 was fantastic!

 Before we had spoken with Stephen, we’d been getting frustrated with local travel agents, all of whom wanted to pack us into canned and cautious bus tours, a prospect that seemed like traveling in a cage. Then we stumbled on a link to Stephen’s website.

He immediately engaged us in planning an intriguing and customized itinerary, was very responsive to our interests, and was expert in providing suggestions and guidance.

After Cape Town (our guide Ian was terrific), driving through the beautiful Western Cape and wine-lands with their amazing guest houses, Route 62 and the Klein Karoo, the Garden Route, and hiking for three nights in the stunning Amatole mountains, we arrived at Alice.

Lindiwe and the dancers at the Mak & Mak Guest House enchanted us all afternoon with their beautiful and warm welcome.

Our guide Zuks was a consummate and jovial host with a quiet pride and passion for the living history and culture of the Xhosa and all of South Africa.

We were thankful for Stephen’s recommendation to fly north to Botswana. In the jewel of wilderness that is the Okavanga Delta, on safari at Jacana, expertly hosted by Katie, Conrad and team, we experienced many wonders, while drifting on a sense of profound peace. We would love to return.

Regrets? Only two: the very rugged and somewhat directionless couple of hours when our guide took us off-track in the Amatole; also, the time and expense devoted to seeing Victoria Falls for an hour in low water season could have been spared. 

 All in all, though, this experience was not to be missed. Stephen coordinated everything and everyone perfectly.

Karen/Peter  Canada