Exploring South Africa, Victoria Falls & Botswana From $6,169 pp*

Enjoyed everything so much

The tour included everything and more I expected. The local tour guide was outstanding. The game drive tour guides were fantastic, friendly and knowledgeable about the animals and their habitat.

Absolutely fabulous adventure including accommodations, Collette guide, Rahima, local guides, and animal sightings.

The trip was fantastic! We saw 4 of the Big Five on Safari. interacted with Elephants. We visited the spectacular Victoria Falls! We learned so much about the history Southern Africa and what the present day life is like.

I have already given Collette my feedback, Ian was incredible (my third trip with Collette, he was the best ever) Collette's app was wonky, wrong info on where we were staying. Would rather have 3 nights at tent camp than 2 nights at Chobe

Tour manager was outstanding ,great place to stay a see.

The trip of a lifetime! The natural beauty of Africa and the wildlife was amazing!

Well thought out. Local dinners were excellent maybe a little more down time would be nice. Local tour people very knowledgeable. Accommodations were excellent overall a great experience

this tour was an trip of a lifetime. There was never a dull moment- from safari to meals and accommodations were excellent

We saw so many animals in addition to the Big 5. My favorite was seeing the lions and the elephants up close. Our tour manager made sure everything went as planned.

We saw so many animals in addition to the Big 5. My favorite was seeing the lions and the elephants up close. Our tour manager made sure everything went as planned.

We saw so many animals in addition to the Big 5. My favorite was seeing the lions and the elephants up close. Our tour manager made sure everything went as planned.

Everything was done so well. All of the activities and things we saw were wonderful, the accommodations and meals were superb, and our tour manager looked after every detail so efficiently and professionally.

The most memorable is definitely all the wildlife we were able to see, especially the elephants, lions, giraffes, cheetahs, hippos and rhinos. It was also very interesting to visit the Cape of Good Hope and Table Mountain.

The tour was plan well and thing run every smooth.

We saw A lot of differ thing and had free time.

Michael, our guide in Dubai seemed to have too many tours to do and not enough time. It was a bummer not to have time to actually shop in the markets. Rudy, our guide in So. Africa, was absolutely excellent. He spoke clearly and was very patient with some of the slightly tardy people. He was really, really great. I think it would be better if in the future Collette offered the Dubai extension at the end of the tour rather than the beginning. It took us 44.5 hours to get home starting from Botswana to Zimbabwe to Johannesburg to Dubai to SFO. Way too long and extremely discouraging for future far-away travels.

Rudy, our guide, was excellent and all the tours were well-planned and we had a bit of free time every now and again.

This tour included everything I was hoping to experience in Africa and even more. Everything was top-notched from the experiences, hotels, food options and a fantastic tour director.

My primary emphasis in choosing this tour were the seven safaris. We started seeing animals in their natural settings from the moment we arrived until our last time out.

The guide, hotels and meals and tours were great. The smaller group was a nice way to know my fellow travellers better and they were a super bunch of people.

My favourite part of the tour was in Victoria Falls where the dining room was quite high on a hill and overlooked the forest area. I was able to sit and each breakfast while watching the giraffes in the distance.

The tour gave us just the right amount if time. A small group was a Absolutely refreshing. Our Tour guide Rahima was so accommodating not once did she ever loss her cool or interfere with our own unique interests. Because if this our group just gelled from day 1.

The hanglip resort with the safaris every thing was perfect

Our tour guide was excellent. She was a local, knowledgeable about the history and culture of al the areas we traveled. She had a great sense of humor that made it fun to listen to her local stories.

Most to the time, the food was very good. At the first safari in the mountains, the food was prepared by a chef. Excellent food and service. Conversely, at the next lodge near Victoria Falls, the food was very overpriced and not edible. What a disappointment! Consider removing this accommodation from your tour package.

Great sights. Super guide. Everything we were looking for.

"The Smoke that Thunders!" Couldn't describe it better. The weather was perfect and accommodations excellent.

Very helpful and informative staff in preparation of our trip. Answered all our questions and concerns. Always very friendly.

David was an Excellent tour leader and everything ran very smooth and organized. Impressed with the handling of logistics and activities.

Great tour, Great Guide, great scheduling. Guide was the best I have experienced. Personable, knowledgeable.

Hang lip Mountain and Botswana. Victoria Falls was beautiful. Safaris were outstanding.

Great trip to Africa. Guide was on top of everything. Good knowledge of people, history and culture. Ran into airline strike and they jumped on it. They had flights changed before others even acted. Would I do it again? in a heart beat!

Other than an awesome trip into Dubai, the Wildlife excursions hit the top!

Great trip

Lucky for all the animals we got to see.

The key may have been the tour guide, Charl, Was very informative and educational about the whole tour. Much to do, almost too much for me. Always on the go. Hotels/lodges were very nice, food very good. Suggest staying one less night in Capetown.

Seeing the ions, ect., at Entanabi.

Our tour manager and guides were personable and professional throughout our tour. They more than met our expectations with their knowledge and their availability to be of assistance.

The tour provided us with numerous game drives and other experiences which we much appreciated. Our favorite experience was the elephants coming out of the brush at dusk during our first game drive.

Best guide ever. Masterful planning. No problems on whole trip.

Everything was excellent. Great planning. Guide most efficient ever. Favorite experience Entebeni.

The tour guides were amazing.

The tour guides made the hectic trip go smoothly.

Great service. A couple of pieces of information in the guide book wrong. And I made 3 attempts to get answers about going to Mass while I was gone and didn't get a good response.

Seeing the big 5! Meeting the locals and eating the local food. Having a small group (less than 20) was great!

The whole trip was very well put together. The hotels were very good ,our tour manager was excellent. What we experienced was unbelievable.

The animals! Seeing up close along with the info given by the guides.

App was useful for flight reminders and gate changes

Excellent service all around.

From leaving the house to returning, all the hard things were handled by Collette. The trip went very well thanks to everyone that Collette employed for our trip. The hotels, the food the guide that was with us through the whole trip helped make it a wonderful experience.

We were able to see the big 5 and experience the thrills of the hunt so to speak. Plus learned about the animals, and their struggles, of poachers, looking for food and other problems.

Tour guide was exceptional. Knowledgeable and helpful. Was always there to help and make sure everyone was taken care of. Bus drivers were excellent and local guides couldn’t have been any better. All concerned made sure everyone in our group was happy and all our needs were met. Would highly recommend this tour.

The overall tour was fabulous. There was so many memorable experiences but the up close opportunities with the animals were my favorite. Learning the culture was also exciting and the wild habitat and conservation efforts that are required was an eye opener. Meeting the local people and learning how they live was also a highlight. Rooms were spacious and very nice. Food was good and it was fun going to restaurants that also provided local entertainment. Couldn’t have asked for a better experience.

Exxon itinerary

Entebani Conservancy in Cape Town what are the most memorable

Our guide Chris, The Safari excursions, Victoria Falls Hotel and the courtesy of the people in the hotels. Flight issues in Africa disrupted some planned excursions.

Safaris and the guides abilities.

Content of tour was excellent, experience of a lifetime. Logistics could be improved if ended at Estabani to eliminate same day internal flight going home. Flights arranged by Collette from & to US we're not good, too many lay overs, changes of planes, & seats changed after booking. Tour itself was great, tour guide was knowledgeable and did extras to make things special. We did miss out on one evening performance due to hotel change but where we stayed was excellent. All accomodations were first class, food was good and African drums were very entertaining Tipping was hard to plan for since we had no idea how many different drivers/local tour guides there would be and little availability of ATMs the last 5 days. Be better to have Tipping included for more if this.

Seeing animals in their natural habitat was breathtaking. Best was watching family of elephants with 5 babies walk down hill to River and swim across in front of us, and of course African sunsets on water.

Air arrangements. Of course it is not Collette's fault when the airline changes seat assignments. We ended up flying to and from DC = Johannesburg -19+ hours in the middle of the middle section. No one offered us to see if we wanted to upgrade to guarantee seats etc. etc. Why were we not routed Houston to Europe and then straight to Cape Town South, Africa. Why were we not booked on Houston to NY and then non-stop to South Africa. ------ Individual booklet was A+ but someone prepared it in a cookie cutter basis. One glaring mistake, It appears to assume that we cleared customs and immigration in cape Town. There needed to be better explanation about clearing customs and immigration in Johannesburg .. More about Johannesburg airport since no one was going to meet us to help us transfer to Cape Town flight. I consider myself a seasoned traveler so it cost me only $2.00 for some one to guide me to the terminal E gate in Johannesburg for Cape Town flight. Another traveler paid $50.00 ------------ Tour guide made changes but he gave only one copy per couple so I was in confusion about what was on the agenda. Of course, it frustrated Chris because he did not understand why we were not reading his agenda. ------------- Change in Victoria Falls was such that we missed dinner with African song and dance entertainment. -------------------- Last day we were to fly back from Victoria Falls to Johannesburg on British Airways. Who refused to check our bags to Houston. That meant we had to go through customs and immigration for no reason at all. Then the flight was late, so British Airways did (re)tag our bags to Houston. Of course, the bags arrived two days after we returned home. Why not book us on South African from Victoria Falls to Johannesburg (it left 30 minutes before British Airways)? Why not go straight from Cape Town to Victoria falls and then come back to Johannesburg and go to Entabeni. reserve. That way return flight home has no connection worries. ----------------- Again this has nothing to do with Collette but two immigration hall circus at DC did not help. But in our case it did not matter because our bags were still in South Africa.

Dinner at Gold in Cape Town. Entabeni Reserve Victoria Falls (wait till May when river is more likely to be full) Chobe National Park

It was a great trip. I enjoyed the variety of things we did and saw.

Game drives and Extra excursion to Elephabt Sanctuary.

Collette tour was top notch, places we stayed and things we saw and did were incredible. I would highly recommend.

The highlights of the trip were seeing a the animals, Victoria Falls was an amazing sight.

Great guides. guides, buses, events always met expectations, always on time, entries always went smoothly, rooms always ready

too many enjoyed table top, walking up to lighthouse (perfectly timed with both events, missed all the heavy traffic), seeing penguins, private game reserve Entibene, enjoyed river cruise, enjoyed African Gold ALOT Would have liked more time at Vic Falls instead of going to big sit down dinner ( too much like African Gold, there was too much traveling that day it would have been much nicer to have not had to rush through Vic Falls)

The tour itself was excellent but maybe a bit too ambitious. I loved it all the same! A first day introduction of each of the participants to each other would have been nice. Also, pre-departure it might have been nice to share our emails as some of us were on the same flight out of JFK and didn't know. I thought our tour guide was very informative and our safari guides, all excellent. There are a few things I would have changed/eliminated and replaced by other places/event. 1. The hosted dinner: eliminate. our experience was apparently not as good as the other half of our group. We were at a long table and the hostess was up and down getting food on the table so we barely got to speak with her. It would have been better to eat at the table and then to retire to a sitting area to talk. 2. Get rid of the winery; It would have been better for us to stay in Stellenbosch and maybe to do an afternoon visit to a local winery. We all loved Stellenbosch and would have liked to stay there another day at least. At the winery we were stuck and there was nothing to do at night plus the wine was inferior. 3. More time at Victoria falls; we were delayed at passport control and lost good time; the main reason why I personally chose this tour and not your other African tour was because of Victoria Falls and we were too rushed. It resulted in an unfortunate incident which I'm sure you heard all about. (I faulted the woman who complained about two members being 20 minutes late in getting back--no one really cared except for her). Also there was no need to hurry as we could have arrived at the Braai that evening later as many people were just dropping in. It really put a damper on the rest of the trip. 4. I was MOST disappointed that you did not offer as an Optional, tickets to Robbin Island. Many of us really wanted to go there and it was totally booked! Very disappointed. 5. Rehina was very sweet and was very informative. 6. I loved the visit to Ko Mpisi village at Victoria Falls. In fact, I am currently trying to raise money for that village; maybe Colette Travel might want to partner with me?! Those are the major things. I definitely would go on another tour with Collette.

See above. My favorite experiences were our stay at Entebeni; the visit to the Ko Mpisi village at Victoria Falls and Capetown/Cape Hope.

From the moment we met our Collette driver at the airport arrivals until we parted ways with the ever helpful tour manager, David Smith at the end of our tour, we experienced a next to perfection experience. Our hope and dreams of a wonderful trip of a lifetime was exceeded. We will cherish the memories made there in Southern Africa forever.

All wildlife drives. Seeing ever animal imaginable except the leopard.

Excelllent! Staff, guides, itenary - everything was TOP NOTCH! Meet our greatest expectations for South African experience.

Breathtaking! Tabi was very well versed on local history, economy, current events. She made us all feel very safe and welcomed.

great trip, great location, great tour guide

native village was a great experience, great wildlife

Very good itinerary, excellent accomodations, and great tour manager

Loved Victoria Falls and Chobia Park

Our guide was outstanding, accommodations at each stop were good, the line up of what we did left very little time to get bored!

Entabeni Conservancy safari's. Closeness to the lions, elephants and rhino's. I absolutely loved the 2 places we ate at that provided entertainment ! It's really hard to pick just 1 favorite experience! Just maybe not start the safari's quite so early in the morning and remember to advise guests to bring winter clothes!

I can't say that I missed out on anything. We saw it all, and did it all. We stayed in high-end hotels where the food, rooms, and staff were top notch. If you want to see all that South Africa has to offer, from different points of view. This tour is for you.

Everything you ever wanted in a tour.

The tour was great. The food, the knowledge of tour director, and the size of tour group was perfect.

The tour at Victoria Falls was arranged for wheel chair assistance which made it perfect.

The tour was terrific. Our tour manager, Jean Moore, was knowledgeable, warm, and caring. She knew everybody, everywhere. It was incredible to see so many beautiful animals, some up close, in a (mostly) natural habitat. The lodges were great and everyone we dealt with was friendly and helpful.

Everything about this tour was top notch.

There service was excellent ,I was very happy with how everything was so well organized .

The safari was spectacular especially Entabeni conservancy !The lodge was great and the rooms were wonderful ! The guides were very knowable and we were all excited to see all the wild animals !Our tour manager was the best ( Ian )

We couldn't have picked a better tour travel company for our South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Botswana experience. It was amazing and our guide Ian was the best. Look forward to booking future journeys with Collette.

The tour was fantastic. The Entebani and Chobe lodges were out of this world.

The Safaris and lodges were excellent. Hotels were great also. we didn't have any one at air port to pick us up which was a bit of a chaos.

the safaris were excellent and private lodge.

The Tour Guide, Ian Pletzer, was the best guide I have ever been with. He was efficient, but always kind and understanding. He was open and honest in answering questions and sharing his understanding and personal views on subjects. I feel I came away with an understanding of the issues facing southern Africa today. Kudoes to Ian.

Seeing the wildlife in their natural habitats. Exploring the history of the Cape Town region.

Land package was excellent - great guides, accommodations, sites, and transportation .

The land tour met or exceeded my expectations. However, the travel arrangements were excessively long and tiring.

The tour on land was wonderful and our guide, Hermina, was wonderful. the lodgings and food was great. Our air travel was not good. Going to Dubi and having a 9 hour layover then a 9 plus hour flight to Cape Town seemed not necessary and then the trip home was exhausting!! To say the least over 44 hours before we were home!! Really not necessary.

The land part of the tour was 5 star but the air part and layovers weren’t.

Excellent tour manager. Excellent hotels and locations.

Enjoyed all aspects of the tour.

Yes we would recommend them. We would use the service again if it was still available in the UK.

Excellent tour guide very knowledgeable and could not do enough to help us enjoy the experience. The size of the group was just right for interaction. Venues, accommodation and execution by the guides met our primary objectives; proximity and interaction with animals in the wild.

yes

chobe national park and other tours

This is my second tour with Collette. Our tour guide Don was professional, well organized. Don made every effort to ensure the safety of his guests. He was knowledgable and shared his passion./love of South Africa.

Victoria Falls and Entabeni were spectacular experiences!

Guide was great. Timing was good. Places visited were exceptional

Trip exceeded expectations

Collette Tours was an exceptional tour operator for my group. The accommodations, tour excursions and guides were excellent. The price point for everything we received was right on target for my particular group.

Again, the price point for my group was right on target. Not cheap or not too expensive and the accommodations were very good. The last resort we had no power which was a very much of a challenge. Thank goodness we were only there for 2 nights...

The tour was quite good and well planned.

Almost every day brought something memorable.

Best Collette trip ever! You might advertise the Segway tour at Spier Winery which I did instead of Hermanus— that and the Raptor show—since it was not whale season!

Perfect weather, perfect group of people, perfect pace great experiences and accomodations.

We all had a fantastic time on this trip! Collette coordinated everything perfectly. The accommodations were superb, as well as their locations. Great variety in the meals. The game drives were really exciting! Our Collette Tour manager was tops! He was very experienced and shared the history of south Africa with us. I highly recommend this tour!

Every game drive and safari cruise was amazing! Loved Victoria falls too!

They did everything right---the food, the lodges and hotels and the experiences that I had were the best!!

Seeing so many beautiful up close and personal.

Excellent tour

Loved the game drives and the family dinner

This is our third time of traveling with Collette. First to Nice France, then to Australia and NZ, and now to South Africa. Every time we have had great tour guides, my wife with Celiac was watched over for food allergies, the extremely smooth, informed, and efficient movement of the guests through Immigration, customs and also airport connections is unimaginable for larger groups. The accommodations on all or our trips have been centrally located, clean and very well staffed and equipped with additional services. Would highly recommend using Collette and will continue to use them for our travels where their tours are available.

Numerous close up encounters of animals in the wild and visiting with the local people who live there.

Customer service duing a trip delay was excellent.

It was a GREAT trip. All the details were handled in a proffessional manner. ti was a worry free trip. Great tour manage!

Just finished our 4th trip with Collette. My husband and I recommend them to everyone. Always top quality tour guides, places to stay, and lots of fun!

Great tour guide, great places to stay, lots of fun!

Our flight from Savannah to Washington DC was cancelled due to a snow storm. They put us up in a hotel for the night. Because we arrived a day late to Dubai we missed our tour of the city. They arranged a private tour of the city for us. Because we had another flight change on our return trip your driver was unable to pick us up at the Savannah airport Collette arranged for another driver to meet us there.

Our safari trips were awesome. Seeing lions, elephants, hippos, and all the many animals of Africa up close in their natural habitat definitely the highlight of the trip.

Itinerary was very good, accommodations were very comfortable and everything I could have wanted. Our guide was very knowledgeable, understanding, pleasant, patient and a nice person to travel with.

The safaris and all the animals sightings

Whenever I called for information they had the answers and went beyond the the simple reply

Wow!! All were terrific , my favorite was Table Mountain in Cape Town magnificent

One of the most action-packed & rewarding experiences of my life. Beautifully organized, excellent accommodations & food, & led by one of your local guides from Durban, a woman who was entertaining, very knowledgeable, and kind. We all loved her - she made the bus rides so much fun. I’d do it all again in a heartbeat

Game drives in So Africa, Stellenboch wines!

Great service. Our tour guide Desmond and Eddie in Zimbabwe were exceptionally good. Their knowledge made the trip educational and their personality made the trip fun.

Great adventure vacation. Entabeni, Victoria Falls, Chobe NP, Capetown and the wine country were all great stops. We also enjoyed the whale watching in Walker Bay.

This tour was just fantastic ..the best holiday that you could wish for. Our adventure started on 26th September and it could not have been a better date to start .. although it is springtime is South Africa we had virtually wall to wall sunshine .. and every moment was magic with the help of our fabulous tour guide Desmond . The scenery travelling down to the Cape of Good Hope was stunning again Desmond and Stephan made sure we beat the crowds and were first there .. The penguins at boulder beach were amazing Table mountain .. Desmond and Stephan changed the itinerary to make sure we seen this at its best. Stellenbosch is so sweet much prettier than we expected we stayed in the spier hotel which was just fab, right in the heart of the wine lands. Another great surprise is that it was the whale festival in Hermanus, we were so lucky to see umpteen whales and calf’s on our visit. Enterbeni game reserve... Collette have allocation at hangclip lodge which is just the right size for the 20 guests that this tour takes. I cannot put into words how special this place is , I would never have thought that we could get that close to so many wild animals with the help of our game drives and Amos and Issac ..true professionals in every sense of the word .. cheetahs - lions - elephants -giraffes- so close the the vehicles you could almost touch them. All the meals were taken in the main lodge which was a few steps from our room , which was just as well as there are no fences and you need to be escorted back to the rooms by the rangers.. the food was perfect . Vic Falls .. The Victoria falls safari lodge .. Just when you think things can’t get better they do .. this hotels ticks all the boxes We had room 10 which had great views over the watering hole .. will never forget sitting on the balcony watching the wildlife . The falls are something else again we visited at just the right time . We went on the afternoon when the rainbow is over the falls .. thanks again Desmond . Don’t miss the vulture feeding at 1 every afternoon .. we also opted for an helicopter trip over the falls a once in a lifetime experience . All our group took the optional river cruise on the Zambezi .. This was so special .. Desmond had booked the top deck , just for our group , the sunset is something we will always remember . Botswana A perfect end to the tour we had 2 land safaris and 1 water Safari .. all were brilliant but the river safari was our favourite .. I have never seen so many animals together Hippos, water buffalo and elephants ..hundreds of them.. we were so lucky .. crocs all sizes basked in the sunshine .. we were lucky enough to see a family of elephants cross the river in front of us as the sun was setting. All in all this tour is not to be missed .. there is not one thing we would change. If you are thinking about this tour ...do it . There is so much included in this tour ..we would do it again tomorrow. Thank you Collette tours and especially Desmond we had the time if our lives.

everything was just fantastic

Everything was handled smoothly.

Every activity we participated in was worthwhile, insightful, and exciting. The most memorable for me was the sunset cruise in Chobe National Park. We saw hundreds of elephants, water buffalo, zebras, giraffes,crocodiles, hippos, and many more.It was amazing to stop the boat and watch a troop of elephants walk by.

They met all my expectations and more. The guide allowed for variations in the schedule, working with the group to enhance all of our experiences. The meals and daily excursions were excellent. All aspects were set up to maximize the enjoyment of the tour for the participants.

I cannot choose just one experience as a favorite. Each day provided one.

Beautiful hotels and safari lodges to stay. Thankful for our scheduled group meals. Loved seeing the animals. Yes, l would recommend this tour and Colllette. It was not too strenuous. Good.

Meals included. Live,free animals. Good tour guide. Enjoyable evening shows. Great rooms.

I can not begin to explain how wonderful a tour this was. We were totally taken care of with something happening all the time. Our guide Marleen was great she made certain everyone was taken care of. She had to rearrange our schedule in Cape Town due to the weather and made everything work out perfectly. We were thrilled with the massive amount of animals we saw. I think it helped that we were there in their winter. We saw “The Big 5” including the leopard which is hard to see since they are a nocturnal animal. The trip included a nice variety; touring a village, seeing the penguins at the Cape of Good Hope, wine tasting in the wine country, since it was winter we saw the whales as well as many animals viewed in very close proximity on the seven game drives. One caution for the winter trip bring hats, gloves, long underwear and dress in layers. It will be cold. It was a trip of a life time. One the I have wanted to do for 15 years. I can not thank you enough for this great tour.

Wonderful variety great game drives.

The tour itself was great but I was not impressed at all with the service we got from this end. For example I phoned to ask about what type of clothing I should take at this time - was told take a raincoat. Well let me tell you it was ****** cold there, and we needed winter clothing such as is worn on the coast here in Canada and other places in the US. One couple from Wisconsin came with long underwear, mitts, hats, vests, etc. You fell very short on your advise on that question. Secondly I was taking my 14 year old grandson. I discovered later that your web site said to check the African web site for what is needed. When I pay $20,000 for a tour I expect to be told exactly what we needed, sorry that is what you are for. My own travel agent didn't even get the correct answer from you. Here is what you need, remember it and post it in your documentations: A consent letter from parents or guardians, notarized A full length birth certificate with parents names on it, properly notarized, but the original is best. A notarized copy of passports or other proper picture documentation of all the parents, guardians, etc. who are giving their permission. Ensure that the consent form has all the countries you are travelling to, just in case you take a side trip. For example we took at the last minutes a boat trip to Namibi from Chobe, Namibi was not on the list, however only the Immigration person who was giving us the exit stamp noticed it and he did just smile. We did not know we would need all this stuff to go on a 10 minute boat ride across a river. This lack of help made our trip extremely stressful, plus I had to take a whole day of my holiday to travel from Darlington, England back to London to meet my daughter at the airport with all this paperwork. Thank heaven they were also coming thru London at the time. This trip was close to $250 and took 3.5 hours plus both ways. On the plus side, our tour guide Marlene Neumann was excellent. She spent extra time ensuring my grandson was treated very special, he was the only young person. She deserves a lot of praise.

The tour itself was wonderful, but would have loved to have gone in warmer weather.

Well organized, good game drives and hotels. Too much food.

game drives xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

We were well cared for on the tour. We stayed in excellent hotels and lodges. Our tour manager, Ian, was attentive and always looking out for our safety. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was my wife chose the tour and I wasn't really interested in the destination.

My favourite memories were seeing the animals, especially the elephants. My least favorite moment was the optional tour, the boat cruise on the Zambizi river. I could have given that a miss.

This was our third Collette tour. They are easy to work with. Any questions are handled promptly and professionally.

We reviewed several tours, but this one included Victoria Falls, which the other South Africa tours didn't include. Our tour manager, Marlene, is a Cape Town native, and therefore knows the area well. We learned so much about South Africa's history and Marlene shared some South African folklore (like how the zebra got its stripes). There's always a special dinner of some sort Included in a Collette tour. This time there were two special dinners: one was a home visit. We had a wonderful, traditional South African dinner with a Cape Town family in their home. We also had a terrifc meal and drum ceremony. Marlene got us through airports, customs, passport control in 3 countries with ease. Hotels were all top notch; included full breakfasts were wonderful.

Marlene Newmann was Fabulous. She had a great balance of history and fun facts as well as the ability to make everyone in our group feel like family. She was well organized and very conscientious

The family dinner was a highlight as was the intimate time with the elephants.

We liked the information wallets that came prior to our departure, thought they were a nice touch, and well put together. We were pleased with every hotel we stayed in, the rating, and locations. Entabeni was amazing, the location, the very ambience of the place, and the staff. We had a truly wonderful time there. The transport laid on was good in South Africa, but somewhat dated, and dubious in Zimbabwe and Botswana. The vehicles there were no where near as spacious, especially over the rear wheels, and several of the seatbelts did not function at all. I don't expect you to necessarily sort out my visas, though it would have been nice, but I did expect you to know the full requirements of the visas namely the specific amount required to pay. Whilst I except that there can be changes made by any country in question, it shouldn't be too difficult to monitor this, and to keep your tour guide up to date via text or email. There was a lot of confusion at Zimbabwe immigration. The only other criticism I have is with the returning home flights. Why couldn't our flights be connected? We flew into Johannesburg from Victoria Falls, and we should have simply gone through to connections for our return flight to Heathrow. Instead we had to go through the whole process of collecting our bags, booking in our bags for the Heathrow flight, we had to go through both immigration and security again. We did thankfully have plenty of time, but the queue for immigration and security was horrendous, albeit we were informed by a frequent visitor to Jo'berg airport things on that day were pretty good in comparison. This would have caused you some extra work but in terms of customer relations it would boost the ratings I'm sure. In terms of the programme overall, I think you did well to provide a flavour of Africa in all aspects. The urbanisation experience was in the main very touristy, and I guess we did enough drive pasts to see the other side of Africa as it were. I'm not sure out of Whale season that Hermanus had much to offer, other than restaurants and a nice view out to sea. Stellenbosch was nice but again a place for rich Africans, and tourists. I know amongst us the generic feel was that in retrospect we would have all preferred more time in somewhere like Entabeni. Overall we really enjoyed our experience and although in my terms it was a lot of money, we didn't feel undersold except as mentioned above. We would certainly use Collette again should the opportunity arise, and happily refer them to anyone else.

Without doubt Table top mountain the views were stunning. The game drives in Entabeni were fantastic, the guides were knowledgeable and knew where to go, it helps that this is a relatively small game reserve I believe something like 22,000 hectares. Victoria Falls were breathtaking, it was easy to imagine what it was that Livingstone fell in love with. Both Zimbabwe and Botswana are very beautiful countries but the poverty is obvious. The game drives in Chobe were good but not as good as Entabeni. The Elephant sanctuary was a great experience, but tell the guys there that $45 is way, way, way too much to pay for a DVD that you'll look at once, and it's got pictures similar to what you've also taken. I would have bought one as it is a charity if the price had been sensible The meal in SA with the local family was actually a lot better than I anticipated, and we really enjoyed it, they were fantastic hosts. I thought the trip to the African village in Zimbabwe was interesting to a degree. The chief was a nice chap, who clearly likes talking or should I say preaching? I guess perhaps naively I expected someone in traditional dress, rather than a pair of jeans and an Adidas top. I didn't really expect to see old tyres and stuff lying around...it was OK but I wouldn't bother doing it again. As mentioned in another part of the review, I thought Hermanus out of whale spotting season was just another rich persons location that tourist go to for a spot of lunch. Overall on balance we enjoyed the whole experience though.

Fabulous trip. My husband took 5,000 photos!

Loved the Entabeni Conservancy - beautiful!

The Collette agents are always very knowledgeable and courteous.

The accommodations were very nice and the food was good at most places. The areas visited were very interesting. I would suggest skipping Stellenbosch/Hermanus unless it is whale season. In addition , the cost of the internal flights should be included in the tour price.

The tour was great! Our tour guide, Charl Chambers, was excellent. He was knowegable and nice. He knew the area well. I liked the excursions. There was one problem,however. South African Airlines. Both my partner and I became ill after eating the hot meal provided, he on the way over, and me on the return trip. Also on the return trip, I received many bites, either flea or bed bug, on the area of my body that came in contact with the airplane seat. Please reassess your use of that airline.

I particularly enjoyed the river ride in Chobe. We saw many elephants playing in the river. Hippos, too.

Collette always have superb tour guides who make your tour as enjoyable as it can be.

The tour was a not stop tour of different experiences. Everything I expected was delivered travel between places was painless every place lived up to expectation saw lots of wildlife,the first Lion encounter was my most memorable experience being so close to wild animals.

The trip was fine with a great tour leader, and fellow travelers. I completed an evaluation and gave it to the tour leader on the last day of the tour. The rating would have been 5 stars, but there was a monumental screw-up providing me my travel material. I called and explained this problem to your office, and do not need to repeat the complaint.

I just typed all my information and it disappeared. You already know my complaint about receiving the travel material in advance.

Outstanding tour manager . All top notch from safaris, travel, bus drivers, accommodation!

Trip of a lifetime ! From day 1 to the end of the trip we could not have asked for a more amazing experience!

Our tour manager **** ***** was absolutely out of this world! I would highly recommend this tour — with **** ***** as your manager!!

This tour far exceeded my expectations and this was all due to our tour manager **** *****! She anticipated absolutely every possible “want” we could have — from food to drinks, wine tours, accommodations, markets — everything! Loved every minute of it!

Our Africa tour with Collette could not have gone any better. We had a small group (9 tourists who all showed up on time every time), an outstanding guide (*** *******) who was very knowledgeable and great with group organization, and the weather was perfect for the entire period.

The tour was well organized, beginning with Cape Town and learning about the South African culture, a couple of nights at Stellenbosch, a smaller college town with a great winery, two nights in the Entabeni game preserve with lots of animals and great photos, two nights in Botswana with Victoria Falls and more great photos, one night in Johannesburg at the mall with Mandella’s statue, and culminated in Chobe National Park with a river cruise and more animals and great photos. All of the hotel accommodations were outstanding.

Knowedgeable

Kinda slow, although that was the tour we signed up for.

The actual trip was excellent but I did not like dealing with Colette. I have traveled all over the world and was never left without all my information until 2 weeks before the trip. I do lots of research and preparation and couldn't in dealing with your company. This frustrated and upset me to a great degree and made me sorry I had booked the trip with your company. I plain on another major trip with my daughters next year but probably won't consider using your company again.

The safaris were excellent and the hotels were outsanding. The first safari we went on was an evening one and a magnificent lion walked past the passenger side of the jeep went in front of it and sat in the road. His lioness and cubs were in the bushes on the side if the road.

I thought the trip was well planned. We decided to arrive early and we were surprised, by doing that, we were not eligible for the free transfer to our hotel upon arrival. Instead we would have to pay $50 per person. We took a cab instead for $35 and saved $65; ridiculous !

Wonderful, unique, part of the world.

The only complaint I had was that I did not see the animals as close up as I saw them in Kenya The food was great and so were the lodgings.

Lodgings and good were wonderful

Well laid out tour-busy yet enough free time to do your own thing. liked the small group - 20 people should be max.Would

Hard call - loved seeing Victoria Falls even though they not at full strength. However, wildlife is my thing - lucky to see all the Big 5.

Tour guide not experienced and knowledgeable. Not up to the standard experienced with Collett previously.

Safari and safari tour guide.

Entire trip was excellant-knowledgeable guide, beautiful hotels, delicious food, amazing scenery. Definitely recommending this to friends. It was a once in a lifetime experience.

There are no words to describe the morning we walked out our door to 3 giraffes eating in the yard.

Good itinerary and quality of accomodations

Favourite experience was our stay at Hang lip Mountain Lodge and game drives there

The hotels/lodges were well located, clean, with good food and service. I especially liked the added experiences such as the dinner in a home, visiting a native village, the African dinner. *****, our tour guide, was very clear in his run-down of the day, and very patient with the many questions. Overall, an excellent value for the money.

Overall, it was a wonderful experience. The only reason for the four stars was that the long trip to Hermanus to have lunch and then the long drive back was a waste of time. It was a charming town but we didn't have time to explore it, and I didn't need more time to shop in Stellenboch. The lunch and wine tasting was outstanding and memorable. Maybe a trip and tour through another winery would have been more enjoyable than the long drive just for lunch.

Well organised tour using very good hotels

Well paced tour with the right balance between for sightseeing and safaris. Seeing elephants in Chobe national park. Including all gratuities in the tour price is a very good idea. However it only works if all members of a tour group are on the same scheme. It is is embarrassing when some members of the group are seen tipping (those from the USA) and some (the British and Australians) are not. There was no information given as to how the gratuities that were included in the holiday price found their way to the intended recipients.

Easy to book by phone with very pleasant staff. Queries always dealt with promptly.

A very good tour which exceeded my expectations.Cape town is a great city and we felt very safe. The game drives were all excellent with very knowledgeable rangers. I would have preferred not to stay overnight in Johannesburg as it was just a hotel and shopping mall experience but understand that we had a flight to catch the next morning. I would have liked to stay overnight in Hermanus. We had quite a long drive to visit there and only stayed 1.5 hours. Inclusive tipping for British and Australians is a great idea but in practice it does not work. Everyone else is giving a tip and we just say thank you and walk on. Very embarrassing! So we give a tip and are in effect tipping twice. Inclusive tipping has to be for everyone or no-one. My one complaint about Collette is the misleading information about the Zimbabwe Visa. Even after querying this with them the final information booklet which we received still stated a multi entry visa, which is wrong! It is a double entry visa obtained on arrival. Multi entry visas can only be obtained in advance

I had previously traveled to China with Collette in 2014 and been very happy with the quality of service, accommodations, and itinerary, so when I decided to try a safari in Africa, I chose a Collette small group tour. The tour manager, Ian Pletzer, was exceptional in his ability to coordinate all the details so that everything went smoothly and in his commitment to making sure everyone's needs were met, including seeing to it that there were plenty of vegetarian foods available for me throughout the trip. All of the accommodations were excellent. The small size of the group (15 + Ian) was great. I am already looking at Collette's schedule of tours to plan my next trip.

The very best part, of course, was getting to see so many different kinds of animals in their natural environment. The itinerary was great; Victoria Falls, Hermanus, and the game drives in Chobe and Entabeni were amazing. I appreciated the flexibility in scheduling that enabled us to rearrange some excursions until the weather cleared enough for us to go to Table Mountain. The river cruise on the Zambezi River was very relaxing, and it was fun to see hippos in the water. The Chobe and Entabeni lodges were especially nice since they made me feel close to nature. I hope to go on Collette's tour of Kenya and Tanzania next year. Traveling with a small group creates a warmer social environment than being with a large group, and everyone in this group was friendly and cooperative. We all appreciated the high level of service Ian Pletzer, our tour manager, provided.

We have used Collette several times before and have become accustomed to their great service. We did not have to worry about anything from start to finish, which is what we like. From booking to traveling-all A+

One of the best, if not the best tour we have ever been on. great places to stay, great excursions, everything was great.

The people I met and the Travel Director we had on my recent trip couldn't have been better if I had picked them myself. The place we visited were outstanding.

The people I met and especially the TD *Personal details removed by Feefo* was outstanding. The places we stayed and visited was exactly what I would have put together myself...it felt just right for the money invested.

*Personal Details removed by Feefo* our tour guide was a walking encyclopedia! He made the trip very interesting.

Beautiful lovely breathtaking place

It was the best tour we had so far. Jean, Tour Manager, was superb and very accommodating to all. She have the patience of an elephant.

The sightseeing, the animals, THE VICTORIA FALLS and the breathtaking Reserve with live animals. We had our accommodations with the animals.

Collette and our tour guide *Personal details removed by Feefo* provided my wife and I with a great visit to southern Africa. The lodging, excursions, travel to Botswana, Zimbabwe, and South Africa was efficient and pleasurable. Thank you.

Safari game rides, Victoria Falls, beautiful Cape Town and the coast line of southwestern South Africa.

I had a fabulous trip to Dubai and South Africa. Beautiful hotels, amazing animal sightings, delicious food, fun travel friends and a great tour guide. *Personal details removed by Feefo*. The pace was perfect. Saw Victoria Falls. Collette suggested taking a small gift to the family who hosted our group for dinner. The couple were so welcoming and gracious. Gift suggestions such as wine, candy or flowers would have helped. This family didn't need knick knacks.

Started in Dubai & enjoyed city tour and sand dune drive and Bedouin camp dinner. Cape Town excelled with tours to Table Mountain, Boulder Beach & the Penguins, dinner at the Gold restaurant (wonderful) and a family hosted dinner was a great changed from hotel food. On to Stellenbosch for a wine tasting lunch and outdoor craft sale. On to Hermanus, a quaint seaside town for casual shopping and a meal by the water. Next up, Entabeni Conservatory where we saw an amazing selection of animals, lion family, elephants, zebras, wart hogs and RHINOS! Loved the tailgate coffee breaks and cocktail parties! Last stop was Chobi National Wildlife Park. Best part was going to the Elephant Sanctuary where we petted and fed treats to the elephants. Also saw Victoria Falls which was amazing! Best trip ever!

Everything about this trip was efficient, smooth and friendly. Overall a very positive experience. Beginning with the booking online right through to being picked up at the airport and then the daily itinerary, it was all very well done with no glitches. The small group size made this trip even more enjoyable.

The Entabeni Reserve was a highlight. The Hanglip Lodge was perfect for our group of 17. The whole place catered solely to our group, making it feel like our private resort and gave an overall feeling of home. The safari drives were amazing with knowledgeable guides and plenty of animals to observe. Having the elephants and wildabeast roam the property just outside our cabins contributed immensely to the African experience.

Considering the safety of the patrons at all times. All of the trips were to schedule and we had the option to take further side trips.

I went to see elephants and I saw lots of them.

For a first trip to Africa, the itinerary was great! It had everything. Sightseeing as well as wonderful safari adventures. Let's face it few people are going to go to Africa more than once. If so, this is the tour for you. The tour director, Rudy, was the best I have had on my over 12 escorted tours. I am glad I went.

the safari adventures were wonderful

arrangements were good from pick-up to return although final flight details were slow in coming

We were well looked after by ****** our tour manager. The tours arranged were what we expected (and wanted) and accommodations very good.

Excellent tour: lay over in Germany of 12 hours was hard!

Excellent tour ! Morning Safari at the Entabeni Game Reserve!

We've traveled with Collette for many years. We expected a superb trip and that is what we got. Jean Moore, our tour manager did an outstanding job. She was knowledgeable, enthusiastic, helpful and truly cared about delivering the best service possible. She made it extra special.

The hotels and meals were excellent. We were disappointed in our tour director.

The city guide in Dubai was terrible! We felt we hardly visited Cape Town, We would have loved a walking tour instead of zooming by everything by bus.

Greatly enjoyed the tour package. Meals and accommodations were excellent. Our tour director (Desmond) was poor.

3 day stay at Entabeni -- superior in every regard Elephant Sanctuary in Chobe, Botswana Chobe National Park.

Most of it was great, though the Tour Director definitely needed better training.

Mostly very well chosen venues, but this was the wrong time of year to be visiting Victoria Falls. Victoria is a shadow of itself in late October, with Iguassu in Brazil being far more impressive. They should have managed our expectations. Better, the incremental cost of the travel to take in Victoria may have been better spent to go elsewhere.

Animal sightings were great! Enjoyed the safari experience.

No comment on this section.

It was a very good experience overall. Very friendly and helpful

Excellent Safaris, very good excursions.

Requests from 3 couples for twin/double rooms were not passed to hotels although rooms were available. Courier, although very pleasant, lacked organisational skills

Wildlife experience in Entabeni was excellent.

Collette was very accommodating and easy to work with.

Excellent tour director, first class hotels, great pace of the the African tour, nice mingling of city and safari. The small group made the tour even better, you didn't feel herded. We would definitely consider another Collette tour. We especially liked the small groups and the boutique hotels that were selected.