Kimkim Trip Reviews for South Africa

I cannot thank the Wildr.Africa team enough for the trip of a lifetime. South Africa was exquisite! Beautiful topography, animals, interiors (!!), fabulous food and wine.

I am thankful I found kimkim who connected me to a great team on the ground in my destination. There is literally no reason to pay a US front company when all the expertise comes from the local team.

Anne Marie and her team were excellent communicators both via the app and via what’s app despite the time difference. They kept the planning process moving and helped me make decisions without overwhelm.

They understood my priorities for the trip and worked within those parameters to create the perfect trip for us.

All drivers, guides, and accommodations were seamless, and they helped us work through any challenges that arose. We are so grateful!

Many fabulous people to mention:
Walkers beach: maya, jane
Robberg hike
Monkeyland
Peninsula tour
Earthstompers: Rachelle
Babylonstoren
La Cotte farm
Pearl valley golf and spa
Walkers plain: James, roan, Clarence, zoli
… and of course Debra, Anne- marie and Cornelia without whom none of this would have happened.

Anna-marie and her colleagues provided a fabulous trip of South Africa to us on 3 weeks notice. It is a long story, but our world cruise was diverted from traversing the Red Sea, and the excursions offered by the cruise line were in about 8 ports averaging 6-7 hours with 22 sea days around Africa. We decided to take vacation from the cruise!

She helped us plan the trip and made reservations at very good to great hotels, camp and resort. She arranged all driving, land excursions, and provided great advice on restaurants and activities.

Our trip to South Africa was pretty much flawless. Anna-marie kept in close contact with us and quickly addressed all questions and concerns. One of our concerns was how my husband could go on a safari with his major back surgeries and his needing a cane to walk. She found a safari camp bordering Krueger National Park where they did accommodate him by not traversing the more typical rough roads. Our guide/driver, who was phenomenal in tracking wildlife, did go off road but was careful to avoid substantial jolting. We saw a lot more than the Big 5 in 3 days, and our driver took us to places where we could sit and watch elephants, lions and other wildlife interact. It was amazing!

When we were to reboard our cruise, there was a Category 9 storm with high wind gusts in Capetown. After the ship tried to dock twice unsuccessfully, I reached out to Anna-marie, and she said that she would help us get hotels and transportation to the next port in Namibia if needed. Thankfully the ship docked on the 3rd try.

The cost of the trip was very reasonable. We felt safe at all times in a country, which unfortunately has a high crime rate. We are very grateful to Anne-marie and her team for providing us with a trip of a lifetime. I have traveled extensively throughout the world, and I can say without hesitation, she is the best travel agent with whom I have ever dealt.

Planning our trip to South Africa, Botswana, and Zimbabwe with Steph at Salty Travel went very smoothly. She accommodated our requests and suggestions and adjusted the proposed itinerary accordingly. All of the flight arrangements and transfers went smoothly without any surprises. The hotels were all extremely comfortable and spacious and activities were very informative, fun, and beautiful.

Our guide in Johannesburg, Tableto, was knowledgeable and friendly. We really enjoyed the day we spent with him touring the Apartheid Museum and Soweto. At Elephant Valley Lodge, our guide, Lebo, was masterful at spotting wildlife in Chobe, and he told numerous stories and shared facts about the animals. We spent 11 days on a garden route roadtrip with Ben as our guide. He was warm and friendly and knew all the insider restaurants and things to do. He's spontaneous, as are we, and the three of us enjoyed starting out each day with minimal plans and taking routes as the mood struck.

This trip was one of the best we've ever taken. The beauty was overwhelming. Thank you, Steph, Tableto, Lebo, and Ben.

We began our planning with Debra months prior to our trip and she was always helpful with information and flexible for our requests about the area and what was the most important places for us to visit.
Our hotel, Queen Victoria, was gorgeous and right next to the waterfront. The transportation from our ship to our hotel and to our different destinations was impeccable. We did have one problem with a lost credit card and they took care of that. Our guide to the cape and to the wine country, Christine was fabulous! We had a rainy day at the cape and honestly it made it more fun. The vineyards chosen for us to visit were first class. No one should miss Table Top Mountain. What a fantastic view. From there we went to Umkumbe Safari Camp and had a fabulous five days full of game drives where we saw all the big five. Again transportation was right on point. The staff at the camp were fun. The luxury tent accommodations were nice. All in all, you expect a great experience when you go that far and that is what we had!! First class.

Hotel Reviews

Queen Victoria Hotel

Cape Town

Amazing hotel in a perfect location next to the waterfront dining and shopping center. Daily breakfast was more than you could ask for and gorgeous. But what made it was the staff. They were so friendly, helpful and professional. Loved this hotel and would recommend it to anyone.

Authenticity & Character

History and decor

Location

Next to the waterfront

Staff

All the reception and dining staff.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Umkumbe Bush Lodge

Sabie Park

The staff here are what make it. The game drives with Charne and our trackers were great and we saw all the big five! The food staff, reception staff and the food were also terrific. Abagail and Sharon were particularly wonderful. If it weren’t for the staff I would rate the accommodations at a four, as we had a toilet that ran even after they tried to fix it. Lighting in the tent was poor and we never could regulate the shower temperature. However, the beds were very comfortable, linens first rate and we even got hot water bottles in the bed at night!!

Authenticity & Character

Very authentic. Sundowner game drives and drinks as well as coffe in the bush perfect!

Location

Right next to Kruger National Park

Staff

They were all amazing!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Beds were very comfortable and linens great.

Activity Reviews

Dinner at GOLD Restaurant

Cape Town

This is obviously for tourists but so amazing we were blown away! The entertainment fabulous and the sixteen different food items were simply delicious! The decor beautiful and the staff terrific!

Quality of Experience

Just the whole very unique experience!

Food

Authentic and delicious!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Driver was totally mixed up but Kim Kim kept in touch with us to get us there and back.

Transport

Driver needs to know where he is going.

Cape Peninsula & Penguins

South Africa

It was windy and pouring rain that day but we still had a fabulous time. Christine was great and the scenery perfect. Loved the funicular.

Quality of Experience

The scenery is beautiful.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Christine was knowledgeable and flexible- also picked out a great place for lunch.

Transport

Nice van

Full-Day Wine Tour

South Africa

Napa Valley move over because the vineyards in Africa were fabulous. Our favorite was the Babylonstroen, but we liked the two others for professional knowledge of wine, staff and different wines paired with chocolates as well as the views. A day that should not be missed!

Quality of Experience

Variety of experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Helpful and fun

Transport

Nice van

Arrive at Your Lodge in Kruger & First Game Drive

South Africa

Lovely arrival and we were greeted by a drink and warm staff. We jumped right on the safari jeep and took off for gorgeous and peaceful scenery. Luckily we saw lots of animals and then had our sundowner drinks in a perfect setting.

Quality of Experience

Saw lots of animals. So different to see them in their environment.

Food

Loved the evening snacks and drinks.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Good ranger. Charnae.

Transport

Lots these land rover safari jeeps. Blankets and panchos in case you need them and you can see perfectly from each seat.

A Day in the Kruger Bush with Two Private Game Drives

South Africa

Fabulous game drives. We ended up seeing all the big five and the elusive Cheetah and Leopard. The animals were often within ten feet of us. Each day was different but you had the same ranger. Chantae was very interesting and a great ranger. She knew exactly where animals would pop out. The scenery was beautiful. It did rain on one drive but we still saw animals. Ponchos were provided.

Quality of Experience

Lots of animals and so close!!

Food

Coffee and pancakes in the bush.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Great tracking

Transport

Loved the fact every seat was great.

Another Day in the Kruger with 2 private game drives

South Africa

Another awesome day viewing lots of animals!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Final morning game drive & next stop

South Africa

We had not yet seen lions and hoped to see them on our last drive and voila - we did.

Quality of Experience

Best last drive.

Food

Lovely pancake breakfast on this morning.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Found the Lions. Knew right where they would emerge from the bush.

Transport

We were thrilled with all aspects of the trip, including all planning contact with Ann-Marie and team.

Special shout out to the Bushtracks team, especially Mbusi. He is an absolute gem - kind, informative, made everything easy and fun.

Finally, Shongwe Lookoit was fantastic - clean, comfortable and the nicest staff.

We can’t say enough good things!

Hotel Review

Shongwe Lookout

Victoria Falls

Amazing above and beyond service, beautiful and comfortable hotel!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Quiet!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Victoria Premium River Safari Sunset Cruise

Victoria Falls

This was so far above and beyond expectations! The boat was stunning, the staff treated us like family, the drinks delicious and the food - wow! So much and so delicious. Not to mention the gorgeous scenery, hippos and mist from the falls. Such a fun evening!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Chobe Day Trip

Victoria Falls

Everything was taken care of for us, we had a nice drive to the border, then our hands were held for the immigration process to enter Botswana. The guides on the Botswana side were great, as was Mbusi in Zimbabwe. The morning game drive was great - we saw so much! Lunch delicious at a gorgeous locale, then the afternoon on the water surprised us with even closer views of the animals. Great experience!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Tour of Vic Falls

Victoria Falls

Mbusi made sure we did this at the best time of the day, and gave us a ton of history and information about the falls. It was a beautiful walk with so many viewpoints- we were all in awe!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a fabulous time the accommodations were vastly diffferent but it made it an even more of an experience. We loved it.. we will use KImkim again..

Wonderful trip to South Africa, gorgeous country, we were able to accomplish so much in one week thanks to Lucy's planning. Our guide in Capetown, Ben, was terrific about being flexible and optimizing our time there.

Esther did an amazing job of coming up with a great itinerary and location. Very easy to work with and she knows what is best for the customer.

Positive thoughts regarding using Kimkim would be the ability to review the itinerary prior to booking.
Things needed for improvement: Utilizing travel agents with experience agents who will be knowledgeable and clear concise with the ability to take initiative in providing the client needs. For instance, if you have three travel destinations with plane changes then take the initiative to find out the appropriate luggage allowance and make suggestion on packing for trip. If the hotels are booked by the agency asking the hotel what toiletries do you provide to reduce the amount of items being brought. The agency taking the initiative to assure whatever tour company they choose to work with are on the same page as what was explained to the client. Our tours were amazing once started but there were confusion with both Cape town tour company and Zimbabwe tour company. With a great travel agency taking that extra little time to assure everything runs smoothly gives the clients an ease and the ability to enjoy their expensive vacation. Thanks.

Hotel Reviews

South Beach Camps Bay Boutique Hotel

Cape Town

Authenticity & Character

Location

O

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nkosi Guest Lodge

Victoria Falls

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Chobe Princess Small Luxury Houseboat

Kasane, Botswana

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Arrival Day aboard the Chobe Princess

Chobe River - Namibia Side

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sunset Cruise - Signature Deck

Victoria Falls

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cape Peninsula Tour

South Africa

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day two on Chobe Princess

Chobe River - Namibia Side

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day City Tour, Robben Island & Table Mountain

South Africa

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Boma Dinner and Drum Show

Victoria Falls

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Through the eye of an elephant

Victoria Falls

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour Victoria Falls

Victoria Falls

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We really enjoyed our first trip to South Africa. Bernice was amazing to work with and super responsive throughout the entire process. The level of customer service was excellent- Bernice or her co-workers would follow up to make sure transfers were on time and that we were taken care of during our stay and even left gift packages to help us celebrate our wedding anniversary. Our trip to the winelands was amazing and the 2 lodges she picked for our safaris in Kruger National Park (pondoro and lion sands river lodge) exceeded our expectations. We will definitely use KimKim for our next trip.

Anna-Marie and her team were absolutely incredible! They made scheduling a breeze and we never had to worry about any miscommunication. Booking was easy and Anna-Marie was always available during our trip to answer any of our questions. She even made a point to come meet us in person one of the days of our trip! I highly recommend her and her team to anyone looking to book a trip through kimkim and especially anyone looking to book a trip to South Africa.

Hotel Reviews

Oude Werf Hotel

Stellenbosch

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

One Marine Drive Boutique Hotel

Hermanus

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tree House Boutique Hotel

Cape Town

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Umkumbe Bush Lodge

Sabie Park

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Full-Day Wine Tour

South Africa

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

E-Biking in the Winelands

South Africa

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cape Peninsula & Penguins

South Africa

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

A Day in the Kruger Bush with Two Private Game Drives

South Africa

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kayak with Penguins

South Africa

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Dinner at GOLD Restaurant

Cape Town

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had the most amazing time thanks to Anna Marie and her team! Steph with Earthstompers was such a fantastic guide as well. All of the activities selected were such fun. The pace of the trip was perfect with blocks of free time scattered throughout. It was a treat to get to meet Anna Marie in person at one of the wine tastings. The ebiking was a bit of a challenge for me but I appreciated the opportunity. I loved Gold restaurant and getting to try so many different kinds of food. Each of our accommodations were perfect and so cute. All the rooms were clean and beautiful. The one in Hermanus had the most amazing view and Oude Werf was a palace! Overall it was a phenomenal first taste of Africa!

Hotel Reviews

Oude Werf Hotel

Stellenbosch

The room was gorgeous and palatial! I really enjoyed the dining area as well!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

One Marine Drive Boutique Hotel

Hermanus

The view here was incredible!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tree House Boutique Hotel

Cape Town

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Umkumbe Bush Lodge

Sabie Park

This was such a neat experience! First time staying in a place like this and it was great! Had everything needed.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Dinner at GOLD Restaurant

Cape Town

This was such a neat dinner. The food was delicious and the entertainment was so fun!!

Stanford River Cruise

South Africa

This was a nice leisurely activity, very low key. I do think it was for more of a mature crowd but we still had a good time.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full-Day Wine Tour

South Africa

The full day wine tour was a good time. The three wineries we went to were absolutely gorgeous. The wines were delicious. The restaurant we went to for lunch in town wasn’t the greatest but it was a nice view.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

E-Biking in the Winelands

South Africa

The activity itself was a good challenge. It did seem more of a mountain biking activity-a little tougher than expected.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kayak with Penguins

South Africa

This was such a neat way to start the trip! The weather was perfect and it was a cool outing in the water and being so close to seals and penguins.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Amazing trip and excellent communication. I plan to use them again to plan another trip!

So easy to form your perfect trip with their help and guidance. Any modifications you want are easily done. And they are very responsive and easily available to you at all times. Highly recommend !

We unfortunately had to cut our two week trip very short due to a family tragedy but Esther was an amazing travel agent. She meticulously planned our trip and thought about everything and for the few days we’ were there was very responsive when we were in country. Even after we had to cut our trip short she helped us with our insurance claim. I really wish we had been able to complete the rest of the wonderful trip she planned and can’t recommend her enough.

A marquee trip. Our biggest concern now is that we will never have as good of a vacation ever again.
In regards to kimim; Esther made it very easy to plan a trip that we found overwhelming. All of our activities, and transportation handled and executed flawlessly. Our preferences address, and planned for to ensure the trip delivered everything we wanted from our travel budget. Kagiso and Lucy were our mom's in country, their advice, insight, and quick responses took all the stress out of travel. They were friendly and seamed genuinely interested in how things were going and what kind of experiences we were having
In regards to specific events/vendors.

We found the hop on hop off bus easy, informative, and comprehensive in Cape town (blue line)

The botanical garden was nice. Worth seeing, but would have been nice to know that it was part of our cape point tour.

Cape point was really very good; penguins really delivered, which was lucky because of the fires. Our driver found a back way to ensure we got to hit this spot, and stayed late to drop us at a pharmacy- very nice man

On Dec25th our transfer driver stayed an hour longer than expected when the restaurant took longer with our food than is usual. Nice guy

The hotel in cape town had an incredible view of table mountain, and was so close to restaurants and shopping, it was ideal

Our hotel in Franshoek also had an incredible view of mount Rochel. I stared at the sunset for what felt like an hour watching the clouds swirl. The service and food were excellent, the location ideal to experience the city. They did some some trouble with the pipes, and the smell of pipe cleaner. But we just covered the drains, and aired out the room before going to sleep

I have already written about the bikes n wines guide Eon, but to reiterate, he went over and above, even so far as to ride through injury (we did not tell him to do that)

In Hoedsrpuit. our canyon tour guide Jason, was very candid about his life and growing up in S. Africa, one of the more interesting conversations we had. And he pushed ot make sure we saw everything possible with the time provided

Our first hotel was in a private game reserve that we could walk through- unbelievably nice. We woke up to a waterbuck outside our window. The kind of thing we didn't even know was possible/existed. Had some incredible walks.

Kapama is the ultimate destination. The pinnacle of the trip. We cried. We loved the staff, we loved the animals, we had the most incredible time. We will be talking about it for the rest of our lives.

Esther, Kagiso, and Lucy were all so amazing! I don't think our trip to South Africa would have ever actually happened without their guidance and advice and expert itinerary. They were incredible and so is South Africa. They handled all of the overwhelming details, which left us to get to simply sit back and enjoy where we were and the incredible opportunity we had. They were often like our "moms" checking in just enough, but not too much, showed interest in our trip, and provided much needed advice throughout the trip. It was so helpful and reassuring to know we had expert advocates with us. All of the accommodations were clean, safe, and in good locations with helpful and friendly staff. I am sure we will be using kimkim again on future trips. The only bad part about this trip is now wondering how on earth we'll top it, guess we'll have to go back!

As for reviewing South Africa: I can't possibly say enough good things about this country other than what one local said while we were there "It's like cake, and everyone wanted a slice"

We had a once in a lifetime experience visiting South Africa thanks to kimkim, our local specialists Bernice and Lucy, and the service providers throughout our 2-week stay! Our trip gave us so many memories. First, I must say that Bernice and Lucy were extremely responsive, helpful, and patient with us (it was our first time using kimkim and going to South Africa). They helped me plan an action-packed itinerary and make short notice adjustments during the trip when needed (be prepared for unforeseen weather, inconsistent Uber availability, or other possible surprises). We saw the most breathtaking landscapes in the Blyde River Canyon Panorama. We observed all of the big 5 safari animals and had a super spectacular team at the Singita Lebombo lodge, especially our host Andrew, guide Solomon, tracker Andrew, and server Victor. We also visited Robben Island, wandered the V&A Waterfront, and had delicious South African cuisine. The Kimkim app design sometimes made it hard to see parts of the itinerary which caused some confusion, but I plan to use kimkim again and would love to work with Bernice and Lucy for the next chance we have to travel to South Africa!

We had a wonderful family trip to Cape Town and safari. Petru arranged the hotel, safari lodge, drivers and guides, and in-country air flights. She really listened to our priorities and was very flexible and responsive with arrangements. The hotel in Cape Town was excellent, wonderful location, nice rooms, good food, great for our 3-generation family of 7 adults and teens. The Senalala safari lodge was everything we could have wanted, with a great guide (Gina), fantastic animal viewing (we got all the Big 5 in 3 days with some extra special viewings of family groups, leopard/hyena food contest, etc.), terrific meal (including special consideration for several allergies and our youngest, a choosy eater), well organized daily schedule, rooms that were better than almost any hotel, and a view of a watering hole that treated us to several visitors. Would recommend to anyone.

Hi Esther and team, thank u so much for such a well coordinated travel itinerary. Hand on heart wouldn’t have asked for a better travel planner. We enjoyed our honeymoon very much and South Africa will always leave special place in our heart. Will definitely recommend my friends to you. Thank u ☺️