Randee H
We have truly enjoyed and been absolutely amazed at the trips put together for our family by Discover Africa and Hadas. Hadas has been instrumental in helping us design several terrific customized vacations throughout Africa, be it Botswana, Namibia, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Zambia and South Africa.. Hadas not only has superior knowledge of the numerous camps, game, transport and attractions in Africa but, more importantly, she is extremely insightful in being able to meet and exceed your expectations. She performs all of this seamlessly, as Africa isn’t an easy place to get around, tour and feel safe. We have worked with Hadas and Discover Africa to plan three absolutely fabulous trips and are confident that we are getting a top notch experience because of their invaluable knowledge!
Sisi and Charles, Brooklyn, NY DEC 2014
Hi Lesley,
We had a truly wonderful time on our honeymoon. Thank you so
much for taking care of us. We loved the Safari and maybe plan to do it again for an
anniversary down the road. Vumbura Plains had the biggest open room layouts
with super nice staff. Mombo’s room layouts were a little congested (we’re
curious what it will look like post the 2016 renovation) but the food and game
viewing was by far the best. Lastly we fell in love with Abu’s elephants which
was the camp’s highlight. Overall, we were super happy and impressed with the
Wilderness Safaris model of taking care of you from start to finish. We loved Cape town, especially wine country. We wished we
could have spent more time there. In hindsight, we also should have listened to
you and stayed at the 12 apostles. The Atlantic view had amazing views from
Camps bay and a very friendly staff but our room was smaller than we expected,
especially given the price range. By far, our favorite spot in wine country was Babylonstoren.
The food was amazing and the entire vinyard and farmhouse look was beautiful.
Our favorite places were Babylonstoren, Delaire and The Cellars (had dinner at
the Greenhouse which was wonderful). Delaire is just at another level in terms
of luxury. Wow. Thank you again for your help. We certainly would recommend
the trip to any friends in the future.
Very warm regards, Sisi and Charles DEC 2014
Judy H. NY NOV 2014
Well, what a trip of a lifetime! Bob and I thank you for
this perfect experience for our first visit to Africa. We loved it all -- the hotels and camps, the
sequence of the trip (which was so important). You were absolutely right in putting the safari last. However, we were overwhelmed with our good
fortune to get Robin Binkes as our Johannesburg guide. He made our tour so powerful, as he is so
passionate - and a wonderful story teller. Going with him to his school and seeing his interaction with kids in
Soweto and Alexandra was so special. History came alive with him. Words really can't describe our experience in seeing the
animals up close, and those SUNSETS!! The combination of Lebombo and Boulders was perfect. So different, but we loved them both. Enough of the superlatives. Suffice it to say -- it will be an
unbelievable experience for us forever.
THANK YOU for your attention to all the details, and for
creating a memory of a lifetime.
Best, Judy
Evan & Kim NYC OCT 2014
Hi
Marianne,
Our trip
was wonderful thank you. The travel and transfers went incredibly smoothly,
especially the pickup from Victoria Falls to Kasane. The luggage storage and
meet and greet was flawless on both ends of our trip. Our favorite camp was
Selinda but we really enjoyed them all. Selinda had the best combination of food (including one of the best
steaks we have ever had anywhere), accommodation (beautiful tent covered by
thatching with very few bugs), and staff (on our last night we got a bubble
bath with champagne, a private dinner on the porch, and some other incredible
touches). We also got to see an absolutely incredible range of animals at
Selinda (basically everything from wild dog to leopard to cheetah) and Lesh,
our guide, was the best of the 3 guides we had. Kwetsani was probably the least
nice of the three accommodation wise but their main area and boardwalk were
fantastic and they had an incredible staff. The managers were really funny and
had tons of stories to tell. We also got to take a mokoro ride here which was
really nice. The birdlife and huge herds of red lechwe were the highlight here.
Duba, in my mind had the best landscape and some very unique animal encounters
(aardwolves, tssessebe, and some very cool hippo encounters spring to mind). We
werent huge fans of the common area but the accommodation was really nice, the
food excellent and the staff and guide very good. They also offer massages
which was a nice touch.
Best, Evan and
Kim
Glenn D. NYC SEP 2014
Dear
Debra,
The trip was amazing and you are amazing!!! You
did a spectacular job. Everything was perfect. 10 out of 10. I'm
going to have all of my photographs put on a thumb drive and I will send them
to you.
Thank you again!
Glenn
Laurie & Howard, Ohio SEP 2014
Hi Marianne, We got back lat night after about 26 hrs of flying and layovers. But I have to say it was all worth it. This was truly a trip of a lifetime. We enjoyed every minute of our trip. I now understand how you and Lesley put our itinerary together., Each lodging was different and each place we experienced was different. All in all, it truly was a trip of a lifetime and we thank you for planning it and helping us have a very memorable time!!!
Eric D. Horodas
"Our trip to Africa was simply awesome. Debra Baumgart and Discover Africa planned and executed an incredible trip. We saw everything we wanted to see and more. The accommodations were amazing, the service fantastic and everything happened exactly as it was supposed to happen. We could not have asked for more!"
Linda
I really have to thank Petra at Discover Africa for making all the arrangements for us. She went above and beyond what we expected. Her attention to detail and her obvious emotional involvement made all the difference. Petra, we will never, ever be able to thank you enough for your help and advice in making this truly the "TRIP OF A LIFETIME".
Dennis E. Eckart
When we arrived we were treated like royalty, and while we were there we were treated like family.
Tom M
The details of our trip were organized by our USA travel agent, Discover Africa, in Beachwood, Ohio; working with Wilderness Safaris in SA. The planning, communications, and daily support/implementation was extraordinarily excellent. We were a little anxious about making such a long, complex tour alone. Your warm, caring assistance and the travel teams' expert, high quality support removed that anxiety---and resulted in this being a "lifelong memory bank experience!
Ron & Winalee Zeeb (Scuba Tycoon & Heartdance Pres)
Our Africa adventure expanded our hearts beyond our wildest imagination. We both feel the outstanding trip planning by Discover Africa allowed for that experience! The safari camps far exceeded our expectations; the delicious food, the helpful courteous staff, the knowledgeable guides & trackers, the comfortable, clean and sometimes quite luxurious accommodations all created the best experience possible. The flights and all transfers went smoothly as well. The service provided by Discover Africa made our trip a life changing experience and we KNOW that is the truth. We were well taken care of in all ways. And we WILL return and recommend them to everyone interested in traveling there.
Chris Shirtcliff
When you book through Discover Africa, no detail is left to chance. Drivers, accommodations and advice are all superb!
Dina
We've been busy catching up here at home. We spent a day with Robin going through Alexandra township. A remarkable day visiting the streets with attendant funerals and gambling, one of the hostels, Nelson Mandela's first home (a tin-roofed shack with brick walls), and the sights and smells of a thriving poor neighborhood. All the people were very friendly and welcoming yet we were the only white folks in evidence for most of that day. We had lunch in a pleasant hotel near the township and then visited the home where Mandela was arrested and finally the Apartheid museum. The tour is a "must" for your other travelers, although we would have been afraid except for the confident and knowledgeable guidance of Robin. We planted a bouganvillea in the yard of an Alex resident that was named "Dina" in my honor! I promised Robin a Sleepless in Seattle shirt and a UW baseball hat that I will send soon.
It is hard to describe the rest of the trip: so much to say about this experience. We have never felt so removed from our daily lives, so totally immersed in another reality. Antarctica paralleled this experience, yet there I felt closer to our urban life as we were on the ship several times during the day. In contrast, in Africa we felt very in touch with the rawness of nature. The felines and ungulates were so close that we could smell them. The endless dust of Africa lingered in our noses for many days after we got home.
Ken and the Bellons took many, many photos. I wrote a journal that I will type and put together with photos of Ken's. It will be fun to re-live the trip in this way.
Thanks for helping us put this together. We will definitely contact you when we want to return.
Penny Brown and Jeff Rappin
"We just returned from a three week adventure to
South Africa planned by Hadas Rudy that was just marvelous and was in no small
measure due to her expertise. Everything
she suggested was just perfect and the entire trip was remarkably
seamless. Not only that, but Hadas kept
in touch with us during the trip, just to insure things were going
smoothly. Hadas is just wonderful and
her responsiveness, both in the planning stage and while we were traveling is
pretty amazing. I can't wait to take
another trip so that I might have the pleasure and fun of working with her
again and to share her enthusiasm for Africa." Penny Brown and Jeff Rappin, Chicago
Jean Lindenbaum
Lesley Kaye organized a wonderful trip for our family to South Africa and Botswana, and we were so impressed that I have recommended several of our friends and their families who have been equally pleased. Lesley is extremely knowledgeable and can plan a very personalized trip.
Donna B MacKenna
I cannot express enough my deepest appreciation for your hard work in planning our family trip of a lifetime. It has been a lifelong dream of mine to go on an African safari and every dream was fulfilled. The contrasts among the 3 camps, both with the camps themselves and the terrains, was just right. Jao Camp is exquisite, Selinda was friendly, welcoming and a terrific introduction to the bush camp experience and Jack's Camp was like going back 100 years. All wonderful, all highly recommended by the MacKenna family. I went with 3 teenage boys and was so pleased to hear all of them to this day tell their friends that this was the best vacation we ever did. Attached are just a few of the hundreds of beautiful photos we came home with. I had them printed in bound books by Kodak online and the boys still pull the books out to relive the memories. In order, these 5 photos are of Victoria Falls, sunset on the Okavengo Delta, leopard on the Okavengo, a bull elephant and a malachite kingfisher.
Thank you once again for everything. I will recommend Discover Africa to anyone who asks.
I forgot one of the highlights of the MacKenna family trip to southern Africa last year. Your office kindly notified Jack's Camp that my oldest son, Duncan, was turning 20 during that part of the trip. In the middle of the Makgadikgaki Pans, the most desolate terrain I have ever seen (a picture of which is attached), while most of the crew was off fighting grass fires, the kitchen baked Duncan a chocolate birthday cake! A picture of Duncan being presented with the cake by our guide Cyrus in the tea tent is attached. And of course no picture of this part of Botswana is complete without a picture of meerkats, so I attached one of those (we have many and they are all cute).
Thanks again for wonderful memories.
Ellen Grosovsky
Hi Debbie
I just wanted to tell you what a wonderful trip we had! It was
really amazing in every way! We saw such beautiful scenery and the game
was unbelievable!! On North Island we even saw a sea turtle laying her eggs!
So thank you for all your help in making this the trip of a lifetime for
us!
All best and have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Kyle Ramachandran
Hi Debra -
We had an amazing honeymoon, thanks for all your help!
Here is some quick feedback:
Mnemba - was amazing just as you described. Food, service,
views, all of it. I was a little disappointed we didn't get the honeymoon
suite. Another honeymooning couple got that suite. They stayed for only 3
nights. We stayed for 4 nights. Stonetown was interesting, but you're right
only needed a couple hours.
Serengeti Under Canvas - our favorite spot in the bush.
Right in the heart of all the activity. We woke up several times each to
animals right outside of our tent! The tents were a little worn (staining on
carpets, maybe it was just from rain water or something). I think they were
preparing to leave to go to the next site so maybe we just saw the tail end of
the site and it needed a freshening up.
Batchelor camp - was a great place to get started. Very good
game viewing. Would be great to go back there for the Mara river crossing in
the Migration. Service and meals were very good.
Noronogoro - lodge was amazing, great views, very romantic.
Walk around the rim was a lot of fun too. The game viewing was interesting. We
enjoyed seeing a different behavior in the animals. But after being at places
where you could get off road it was, tough to have to stick to the roads with all
the cars. The guiding was definitely the least interactive. Felt more like a
guided tour. Obviously a place everyone should see but it's a long trip there
and the game viewing just isn't as interesting as elsewhere.
Giraffe manor was fun for a night, especially for some jet
lag recovery.
We really enjoyed the elephant sanctuary. Had a lot of time
up close and personal with the animals which was fun.
We are looking forward to our next trip in the bush!
H. Boesky
It was great. We were sad to leave. It was very special. And, we had just amazing experiences that we’ll remember forever!!
Doug Sopfe
Hi Hadas,
Namibia was incredible overall and Desert Rhino Camp in
particular was fantastic. Really friendly and passionate staff and guides who
had a ton of respect and knowledge for the land. Beautiful landscape and
incredible animal sightings with the desert adapted rhinos and lions (albeit
which are rare and sometimes difficult to find). There was just a great vibe
overall that's hard to describe, but I would happily go back and recommend to
anyone else.
Joyce Askinasi
Hi Marianne, wanted to formally THANKYOU for all your
hard work in helping to plan this most AMAZING and MEMORABLE trip for Rachel
and I. I can't begin to tell you what a
wonderful time we had. The VIP meeting
at airports etc was great as well. The only other small glitch was that our driver
from Mouille Point to Stellenbosch was 1/2 hour late.
Once we got over no AC it was all up hill from there.
Luckily thy had a bit of a cold spell while we were staying there . Loved Oufe Werf and Vineyard. Had no idea
they were are sister hotels Pot luck club and Indochine were fantastic. Thanks
for that as well I can go on forever as I so hooked on CapeTown. Rachel took over the entire trip and planned
everything. She took me to Shimmy Club and her privates as well as her
favorite local restaurants. Went to Four and Twenty twice for breakfast I
am enclosing a few photos Again. THE BEST. Thanks for helping to create great
memories for us Best, Joyce and Rachel too!!!
Lindsey Weller
Hi Debra,
WOW! What a trip! From the flawless arrangements, beautiful
properties, to the amazing food, wine (we have some time to put in at the gym
coming up!!!) to the welcoming and kind people of South Africa--we just had the
best time!
We can't thank you enough for putting together our dream
trip---it exceeded all our hopes and expectations!
My mom just asked me what my favorite spot was--and I really
could not pick one--each location was so special and different and offered new
adventures!
Some restaurant highlights we LOVED (because food and wine played a major part
in our trip!!) included:
Zinzi and Emily Moon in Plett
Shoremarket Club, Kloof Street House, and One and Only (for
brunch!) in Capetown
Monneux, Haute Cabriere, and La Motte Winery in Franscheok.
We also did the "curated wine experience" offered through the Wine
Tram and would highly recommend it! I believe it is a newer offering and we
were met at the first vineyard by an expert who literally took us to the grapes
to begin explaining the wine process, to the cellars, barrel rooms, and then
for three tastings at three different vineyards-with also a gourmet lunch
included!
Overall South Africa had such a welcoming vibe---we always
joked the people we encountered were so nice and friendly...every time we went
to thank someone, they immediately responded with "thank you!" to our
thanks!
Please let us know if you would like any other feedback! We
loved our trip and already have told everyone we know that South Africa needs
to top their travel lists!
Thank you so much!
Robin Jacobs
Hi Marianne,
First and foremost, thank you for creating and organizing
one of our most favorite family vacations! Nearly every detail was thought
about and taken care of and the day to day activities/transitions/reservations
were all handed seamlessly.
Tyler Himes
Petra,
Thank you! We had such a great time - the people and places you partner with there are first class. We would highly recommend both places that we stayed in Cape Town and Timbavati. Makayni was unbelievable - the facilities there might have been the nicest place we have been.
Thanks for putting the trip together, we will pass along your name if we run into others wanting to make the trip over.
-Tyler & Shanti
Joanne Weinbach
Hi Debra,
We arrived in Cape Town today after a fabulous stay at the
Saxon. We ate there both nights as Arthur had a business call at eight the
first night and last night we were still too jet lagged to venture far.
The best best of our trip so far was our tour with
Robin. He was entertaining, informative and so pleasant. He is obviously
passionate about his job and we felt we left Johannesburg with a much
greater understanding and appreciation of the history of SA.
Today touring Robbins Island we were able to apply what we
learned and therefore had a much deeper appreciation of the tour and
guide.
We look forward to the wine tour tomorrow and just exploring
and shopping on our own Sat.
So thank you for your part in launching our trip. You really
nailed it!
Joanne
and Arthur Weinbach
Wendy Wright
Hi Debra, boy is Africa far, far away! And there was a lot of traveling...7 out of the 15 days. Yet you put together a great trip in the right order. We couldn't have been happier. And all of the contractors were first rate. You have great connections there. Also, being met and escorted everywhere made all the travel worry free. It was fabulous. Everything was great, thank you so much. Everything exceeded my expectations.
Frank Sterling
Thank you Debra! Great trip, absolutely loved it! Cape Town was really beautiful as promised and the safaris were unreal.
Overall a great trip and one I would recommend to anyone! Thanks for all your hard work in putting it together for us!
Best, Frank
Diane Lund
Our trip to So Africa was amazing! Everything was wonderful and the arrangements were awesome!
Everything you arranged for us was wonderful, exciting and well planned. The tour drivers were very nice and always on time. We felt that we had a full day of activity each and every day, and we had time to relax or explore on our own. We thank you for your services and we would recommend your company to friends.
Sheila and Orry Jacobs
Discover Africa did an outstanding job planning our trip to South Africa (Capetown, Franschoek, and Plettenberg Bay), Victoria Falls, and the three safaris in Botswana. All of the arrangements worked flawlessly, and the South Africans we met were very impressed with the itinerary we were provided. We have recommended Discover Africa to a number of our friends, and they have been equally pleased.
Wendy Taylor
We recently returned from our trip to South Africa. The easiest way to sum it up was 'unbelieveable.' We wanted to thank you for all your help and great suggestions. You may recall we originally went for a safari we purchased at auction and you convinced us to see Cape Town and the Winelands. You also convinced us to take a guided day-tour, which I was initially not too keen on. What a great decision you had. We were shown around by a guy our age who was very very nice and knowledgeable - in spite of the weather, it was the perfect day.
The Cape Cadogan is one of the most beautiful hotels I've seen and the service was impecable. The staff could not have been nicer or more polite. They genuinely made us feel spoiled and 'at home' at the same time.
If I recall, you had not had much interaction with Steenberg before you and I started researching them. Keep them on your list! Amazing. Absolutely amazing. It was my fiancee's birthday and everyone, and I mean everyone, wished him a happy birthday. We had champagne waiting in our room, the women at the spa gave him a candle and we had more champagne waiting at Catherine's, the restaurant (a great restaurant - worth recommendation!). I have a nice overhead photo of Steenberg if you would like to keep it on file...
In addition to thanking you, I am writing to tell you that we WILL be returning to Africa, at least once more, if not twice. This is saying alot, as I have never returned to the same place twice (it's a big world with much to see). But we would like to spend some time in the Winelands in the Franshoech and Stellenboch regions. We would like to consider 'camping' at the facilities at the Cape of Good Hope National Park (I can't believe you can spend the night there). We would also like to spend some time on the "Garden Route," this time with a car. Another trip we would like to consider would be Mozambique - for diving. We are told it is some of the best diving in the world. We would love some recommendations for other places near Mozambique to see.
We will definitely speak again, as we begin our planning to return to Africa. Thank you again so much.
Amy V. Marsters
Just a quick note to thank you (and Frank) for the wonderful care you gave us during our trip to your beautiful country. You went above and beyond any service position as tour guides, you are much more like family to us and we already miss you! We are back home with our dogs and are sifting through over 600 pictures (not counting the video we took with the camcorder). We are tired from the long flight, the customs, the security checks, the flat tire on our vehicle when we went to retrieve it, and the time changes. Needless to say, we all slept very soundly last night. We cannot tell you how much we appreciated all the information you shared with us and how honestly you answered all of our questions. We feel as though we now have a sense of your country’s struggles, history, and hopes for the future. Thank you for being so authentic. AND, South Africa beat England in the rugby games!!! We feel very different and this is hard to explain, but our visit to South Africa has changed us and we hope this feeling stays with us forever. It is kind of like we inhaled new, fresh air and exhaled the old, tired air that was filling our lungs. We do want to return and we probably will. If either of you ever need a letter of reference, please do not hesitate to ask. We would be happy to tell others just how wonderful and professional you are. And when you get to the US for a visit, at least give us a call and let us know where you are and if there is anything we can do for you. You are welcome at our home anytime. Thanks again and we will be in touch every so often with updates on our lives here.
Ezra Steiger MD
Our Discover Africa trip to South Africa in 2005 was very exciting and interesting thanks to your wonderful planning and suggestions. The safari at Mala Mala was the highlight of our stay and the attached photos attest to the wonderful opportunities we had to see the animals up close and personal.
Bere and Giacomo Antonini
Discover Africa has arranged both our trips to Africa. We have a real passion for travel and have indulged that passion over the years. Since that has given us first-hand experience in what it takes to organize trips, we can appreciate all of the arrangements that Petra at Discover Africa made for us. I also appreciated the ease of communication and Petra's keen understanding of what we wanted. North Island was, in its entirety, the best place we have ever been. It is as though someone said ‘Here is your chance to create a fantasy. Now go to it.’ Throughout I was reminded of how wonderful it is to deal with a professional - Petra, Vielen Dank!
