With tears in my eyes, our trip to South Africa was a dream come true!

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How do I begin to describe this amazing trip?

There really are no words. With tears in my eyes, our trip to South Africa was a dream come true.

Liesl guided us gently, offered suggestions, communicated and responded quickly, and offered her expertise at every turn. We felt completely as ease every step of the way, through the planning process and with each amazing day as we travelled through South Africa, Zambia and Botswana.

We had a few small issues at the end of our trip (sprained ankle and airline debacle) which were handled with such expertise and ease that we felt completely taken care of. Thank you to Camille for helping us with this!

This trip has been a tremendous highlight in my life thus far….thank you Liesl for making our dream a reality! You are truly amazing!

Lisa, US

A 30th anniversary celebration to last for the next 30 years!

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We originally planned a 6 day photo safari trip to South Africa, but wanted to add more the trip. An acquaintance had recently taken the same photo safari trip and recommended we contact Southern Destinations to assist with our plans.

We will be forever in their debt for that suggestion, because as a result we connected with Camille at Southern Destinations. There are not enough words to thank Camille for all that she did to make our trip, quite simply, the vacation of a lifetime.

Every logistical detail was perfectly planned and executed. The accommodations — we can’t choose our favorite because all were superb, albeit each in their own unique way. The itinerary was full but not exhausting, and gave us a real sense of Southern Africa. The food and tea at the Mount Nelson were exceptional.

Without Camille, we would never have such wonderful memories of Capetown, the wine country, Victoria Falls, and the special extra safari in Botswana.

Thanks to Camille, we had a 30th anniversary celebration to last for the next 30 years! We also found out that she checked in with our hosts along the way to ensure that everything was going well — service and caring that go well beyond the ordinary!

Cindy & Nelu, US

 

This trip far surpassed our expectations

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It was our first trip to Africa and it far surpassed our expectations! Camille planned our trip down to the finest detail. We didn’t have a single moment of angst as we traveled from Johannesburg to Botswana to Zimbabwe.

The accommodations were stellar, the guides and staff were friendly, helpful and professional and the food was plentiful and delicious!

Best of all, the wildlife performed magnificently! I am sure Camille will send them a check for entertaining us so brilliantly. It was a “bucket list” trip and we are thrilled to have the memories of this wonderful experience.

We are grateful to Camille for her guidance and advice.

Josee and Jon Cox, US

 

We would not have had the time or the knowledge to plan this adventure on our own…

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I had never worked with a travel agent before and wasn’t sure what to expect; a friend referred me to Southern Destinations, and I’m so glad she did.

Candice was fantastic. She responded promptly to all of my questions and quickly understood what my fiance and I were looking for. She put together the perfect package for our interests and budget and helped us adjust it to make sure we were allocating our time and money in the best way possible. All of this was accomplished over e-mail, which was very convenient given my busy work schedule and the time difference between New York and Cape Town.

The trip itself was amazing! We fit Cape Town and the Cape Peninsula, wine country, and a safari in just one week; despite the busy itinerary, we felt quite relaxed and enjoyed it thoroughly. Our accommodations were exactly what we’d hoped for, all of our transfers went smoothly, and our safari was a truly memorable experience. The agency’s tips on packing, gratuities, etc. came in very handy.

We would not have had the time or the knowledge to plan this adventure on our own.

MVG, US

The most amazing vacation in Southern Africa

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Lise at Southern Destinations was absolutely tremendous in helping us plan the most amazing vacation in Southern Africa (we visited Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa).

Thanks to Lise’s knowledge, expertise and dedication we have memories to last a lifetime. Every detail was diligently & delightfully planned. She even provided an app-based itinerary that made everything simple and convenient.

All we had to do was show up and the rest was taken care of. We have already started to plan our next trip!

Graham, US

My family and other animals

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My family, consisting of three generations, went to Botswana, Cape Town, and Kapama Private Game Reserve in August 2018.

I learned about Southern Destinations from friends who had worked with them for their October 2017 trip. They were so thrilled with the service and assured me that we would be as well. Their consultant, Lise, was a delight to work with. She listened to what our objectives were, fine-tuned every suggestion I submitted, changed directions when I got lost in “friends who kept sending me their must-see lists”, and delivered an itinerary that was absolutely perfect for our family.

Lise planned every minute detail. And we did not have one single “hiccup” the entire two weeks. A flawless delivery from this wonderful company.

I have recommended them to friends who have Africa on their “to do list”. With Southern Destinations as a guide, I would not wait any longer.

Max and family, US

Namibia: “Truly mind tingling…we couldn’t get enough of each place!”

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We thoroughly loved the trip you planned.  The camps we stayed in were wonderful, staff fun and caring, and food great.  Wilderness Travel has particularly energetic employees and so ready to please. Onguma staff was great as well, very efficient.  The guides were terrific, especially Chris from Skeleton Coast. He knew everything about everything animal related, stars, plants.  All except shells, that was our inside joke.

The internal flights were a highlight.  The terrain is so magnificent and changing and we loved flying low to see, enjoy and appreciate how special Namibia really is.  They were all on schedule, we were confident with the pilots.

The sights….truly mind tingling…we couldn’t get enough of each place!!  Each so diverse and beyond exciting and interesting

Thanks for all your detailed efforts to make everything, and we mean everything, work so wonderfully.

We did think we would have private guides at each location.  We did at Little Kulala and were very surprised we shared guides after that.  Private guides couldn’t be arranged at Skeleton Coast due to staffing issues.  As it turned out we were 5 instead of 6 in the vehicle so Dick could have the back seat and move from side to side.  6 in the car wouldn’t have been good for us.  And, as mentioned Chris was terrific.  At Onguma, we were OK with having 4-6 in the vehicle which is their policy….had they filled the middle seat, we would have not been happy.

All in all, it was a wonderful experience, thank you, and hopefully, we will go somewhere else under your planning.

Nancy, US

An unforgettable birthday!

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The trip that Liesl helped me to arrange was amazing!! My family and I had such a fantastic time, and I couldn’t have planned it without all the help, expertise, support (and patience!) of Liesl. This was a special occasion for us, and Liesl went above and beyond with making our trip special and memorable.

Everything was perfect, from the accommodations to the tours, to the guides, to the transfers, and everything in between! I especially love the itinerary app.

Liesl was recommended to me by a work colleague, and I, in turn, have already recommended her to another colleague. Thank you, thank you, thank you! We look forward to coming back again!

Julia, Canada

A very memorable trip and well worth the money

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We just returned from a safari trip to South Africa arranged by Liesl and Michelle of Southern Destinations. This was our first trip to Africa and we were completely in their hands as novices.
The trip was fabulous. From the sumptuous “The Residence” in Johannesburg for our jet lag recovery night to the rustic Hamilton’s Tent Camp safari in Kruger National Park the service, the accommodations and the food were excellent. The itinerary flowed very smoothly and all the connections went according to plan.

We wondered a bit about the need for the person who greeted us at the Johannesburg airport on our return from Victoria Falls who was to guide us through to our connecting flight home. He was terrific. He guided us to all the priority lines and swept us through the airport in record time. We might have made it without him but it would have been very stressful.

Our trip also included a safari at Waterside Lodge in Thornybush, a guided trip along the Panoramic Drive from Thornybush to Nelspruit, an excursion on the Zambezi River, a helicopter ride over Victoria Falls and a walking tour of the falls.

It was a very memorable trip and well worth the money. My personal favourite is the safari at Hamiton’s Tent Camp. After 3 days it felt a bit like a family. Waterside was also great if you are looking for something on the posh side. Yes, we saw the big five many times over and much more including a cheetah and wild dogs, very rare sightings

Ken Kemper, Canada