Client Blog: Gill and Keith's anniversary family trip through Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa
When Gill got in touch back in January, recommended by another of my lovely clients, she wanted something special: a trip to bring three generations of her family together - all 14 of them - to celebrate her and Keith's diamond wedding anniversary.
Every detail, from Heathrow lounge passes to a private sunset boat trip on the Zambezi, was carefully planned with my go-to Africa specialists.
Here's how their journey through Botswana, Victoria Falls and Cape Town, with a little extra luxury in Durban for four of them, unfolded - in their own words…
Amanda, thank you for arranging such an amazing holiday in Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa for us.
What an amazing trip the 14 of us had. We were looked after so well from leaving Heathrow to our arrival in Johannesburg. The Meet & Greet was excellent and the airport lounge in Johannesburg was a relaxing spot before our flight to Botswana.
When we landed in Botswana, we were picked up straight away for our journey to Nogatsaa Pans Chobe Lodge. The transfer really is your first safari ride. We saw elephants, zebra and many other animals en route to the lodge.
What a welcome we had - and we were well looked after for our two-night stay. The tents were amazing, with lovely large beds and hot water bottles at bedtime, which we needed as we were visiting in winter.
The safari drives on our next morning and afternoon were great - seeing hippos, elephants, hyenas and giraffes, to name just a few. The food here was excellent and we had singing and dancing at night as we gathered before dinner.
We then travelled on another safari ride back to the airport to be picked up by our courier and coach for the transfer into Zimbabwe.
We arrived at the Insika Lodge and had lunch before being collected by coach and taken to Victoria Falls for our guided tour. This is an amazing tour and there were lots of ‘wows!’ It is a 'Wonder of the World', and it certainly did justice to that name.
On our second day, we were free to relax, swim, sunbathe or visit the town. We then had a coach pick-up at 5pm for our private sunset river cruise. This was a highlight of the tour as it was just the 14 of us and we again saw so much wildlife, including elephants, crocodiles, rhinos and many others.
Our hosts looked after us so well with canapés and drinks, and did their absolute best to track down the animals.
The Insika Lodge is a great hotel. Nothing was any trouble and, considering there were so many of us, ranging in age from 12 to 84, everyone was well looked after. The youngsters all enjoyed the hotel and pool here.
The next day we had breakfast, which had an amazing selection, and then it was off to the airport at Victoria Falls for our flight to Cape Town for the next four nights.
Our accommodation in Cape Town was by the river and just an eight-minute walk to the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, where there are many restaurants. All the restaurants we visited were really good and considerably cheaper than here in the UK!
We all visited Table Mountain, and some of the family went to Robben Island and to see the penguins at Boulders Beach. Cape Town is a great place to visit.
We finished the main part of our trip with a visit to Camps Bay for dinner. It was an amazing finish, and the family have all asked when I can arrange another one!
Amanda, every part of this was organised so well by you. Even all the small things that you arranged for us made such a big difference, from the coach tours and couriers to the airport Meet & Greet. When there are 14 people to organise, you made everything so much easier.
Ten of our group went home after Cape Town and four of us travelled to Durban for a five-night stay.
The Oyster Box! What a difference in the staff compared to the Waterfront. We were welcomed with smiles! Check-in was sorted in five minutes, and we were taken around and shown where everything was. Our rooms were fabulous, and we had a great time. The staff are amazing and the food even more so. This is the best hotel we have ever stayed at!
Thank you again for arranging our trip. We will definitely come back to you again.
Gill and Keith
