South Africa Travel Agents & Reviews

This travel company provided multiple options for our trip. Once we decided on a more specific location, Sasha did an amazing job of putting together an itinerary based on exactly what we wanted.

Zicasso matched us with two excellent travel agents who were both professional, responsive, and knowledgeable. We selected this travel company. Our agent, Richelle, worked with us to design an itinerary that transformed our wish list into an incredible African journey. Her prompt responses to our questions or needs were greatly appreciated.

We were attempting to see a lot of South Africa and Namibia in only two weeks. Throughout our trip, the accommodations, transfers, guides, restaurants, flights, and activities that Richelle had arranged or suggested were superb. She helped us create a portal for our trip that served as a source of information, pick-up times, e-tickets, and things like our allergies that restaurants knew ahead of time. Additionally, she was there for us as we were traveling in case we had a problem or question. We can't say enough about her professionalism, patience, and genuine concern that our vacation would be everything we hoped for.

Our itinerary was ambitious, but Richelle's preparation made it possible. First, we spent three days at Marataba. The accommodations, food, and staff were first-rate. Our guide on the safaris was excellent and the variety of game we saw was impressive.

The next part of our trip was in Cape Town. We arrived in a storm that the locals called "the storm of the century". There was extensive damage and some loss of life as well. While the storm certainly curtailed some activities, the following days had brilliant sunshine. We had a great time visiting the V&A Waterfront, a colony of African penguins at Boulders Beach, enjoying the gorgeous coastal scenery along Chapman's Peak Drive, and a too-short visit to the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden. Our accommodations at the hotel in Sea Point were excellent for location and the professional staff.

After three days in Cape Town, our guide drove us for about an hour to the Cape Winelands. We arranged for two wine tastings in Stellenbosch. The winery was outstanding for the beautiful views and excellent wine. We also saw zebra and impala in the field just in front of the outdoor verandah. We had lunch at a boutique hotel and winery with spectacular views and delicious wine and food. Our accommodations at the hotel in Franschhoek were outstanding. The setting, service, food, and beautiful views were a highlight of our trip. Our room was large and beautifully appointed. An example of their generous hospitality was that all items in the minibar, including a bottle of wine produced at their winery, were gratis. We regretted having to leave after only one night's stay.

Our guide then returned us to the airport in Cape Town for our flight to Walvis Bay, Namibia. We were met by our driver at the airport to transfer us to the hotel in Swakopmund. The hotel was on the Atlantic Ocean and a perfect location to explore the town. The staff was top-notch. Warm, friendly, efficient, willing to help you arrange drivers, restaurant reservations, or figuring out how to work the TV remote.

After three days in Swakopmund, our excellent guide drove us to the lodge in the private Kulala Wilderness Reserve. Once again, the warm hospitality of the staff here and throughout our travels will stay with us for a long time. The lodge is a gateway to the magnificent dunes of Sossusvlei. Our guide was outstanding. He was an excellent driver over some awful roads and sand, and the depth and breadth of his knowledge were impressive. He cooked us a lovely chicken and salad lunch out in the desert. He drove us to Windhoek for our flight back to Johannesburg and our return home. 

There will be many wonderful things to remember about our journey in southern Africa, but Richelle's excellent guidance and the warmth of the African people are what will stay with us the longest.

We worked with Zicasso's travel partner to plan a trip around a seven-night sail in the Seychelles. After sailing, we followed the itinerary we put together with our agent to Namibia and Botswana. We had a glitch in Namibia with a scenic flight of the Skeleton Coast that did not go as planned. I made contact with our agent and over a couple of days, he forged a solution that fixed the oversight by one of his vendors.

We enjoyed the desert lodge very much. It was a first-class and beyond operation. We also really enjoyed Sossusvlei. We were not happy with our shared guided rides as we were with parents and their 11-year-old only child who ran their lives. It affected us on our tour of Sossusvlei in that we were left alone without a guide for three hours to hike Deadvlei while they unsuccessfully attempted to hike Big Daddy. The longest anyone takes to do that hike is an hour and three quarters. They only made it halfway and were gone for three hours.

We were not thrilled with the two-hour, very rugged ride from and back to the airstrip to the camp, but we did enjoy the camp very much. In hindsight, if we had known the ride would be dissatisfying, we would have likely opted for a different accommodation. This said, the private rides in the Hoanib Valley were unique and very satisfying.

We loved that as much as both of our camps in Botswana, which were in the Okavango Delta and in quite different environments. The camp was wonderful. The highlight of our trip came at our last camp in Botswana. We really enjoyed this area of the Delta in that it had a lot of water. This created a very unique guided driving experience. The safari rides were arguably the best we’ve ever done as we witnessed three warthog kills by lions. We almost witnessed a fourth, of a lechwe by a hyena.

What made this camp a cut above the rest was the food and overall culinary approach of the executive chef. He was at the top of his game. This camp also offered surprise after surprise to make us feel special – lunch in the field, a private dinner in our room, bubble bath, etc.

Our travel agent put together an incredible itinerary and trip. He too was at the top of his game!

My boyfriend and I booked a three-week trip to Africa this fall through Zicasso’s travel company. We visited Johannesburg, three safari camps in Zimbabwe and Zambia, Cape Town, and Hermanus. It was our first trip to Africa and we relied heavily on our travel team's expertise in booking our trip.

We are back home now and I can say our trip was a smashing success. Zicasso's travel partner did such a great job for us that he is now booking another trip for us next year.

Some highlights:

The accommodations and service in all cities and camps were beyond our expectations.

All travel and transfers were hassle-free, with transfer agents with us at each step.

Our agent personally escorted us in cities, making sure we were safe, comfortable, and had a great time. He was super-fun. We laughed a lot!

The food was amazing. We are both on diets now.

Our safari guides were knowledgeable and made sure we got close to the action while staying out of trouble.

The sundowner experience was a great close to every day in the bush

What we experienced will stay with us for the rest of our lives; it was an action-packed, magical trip.

I would highly recommend our travel company work with you on your next trip.

We had an absolutely incredible experience and wonderful service from Zicasso's tour operator. Everything was well organized, so we didn't have to worry about a thing. The accommodations were all top-notch and we were treated so warmly at each location on our itinerary. The food was incredible and the drivers were all friendly, knowledgeable, and wonderful to spend time with. They enhanced our experience so much!

It was comforting to know that we were in such good hands and had support at the ready if needed. Our agent was wonderful to work with. He was friendly, responsive, and knowledgeable, and put together an amazing trip for us. We would highly recommend them and use them for any future travel. Thank you to Zicasso for pairing us up with our travel company!

Zicasso’s travel agent was a delight to work with. He turned our extremely ambitious wish list into a two-week dream itinerary that included stays in Cape Town, the Winelands, a safari lodge, and Victoria Falls, and ended with three nights aboard a houseboat on the Chobe River. All accommodations were superb and perfectly situated for enjoying the local scenery and culture. 

We transitioned from the cosmopolitan beachside vibe of Cape Town’s Camps Bay to a safari lodge that looked out on a busy watering hole frequented by hippos, zebras, elephants, antelopes and giraffes. We took advantage of many excursion opportunities: shark-tank diving, a swim in Devil’s Pool above Victoria Falls, a helicopter ride over the falls, ziplining, wine tasting, quad biking through vineyards, and a visit to an elephant sanctuary that included interaction with the animals.

Thanks to our agent’s meticulous planning, each day flowed seamlessly into the next. Transportation to and from airports and excursions was handled by a friendly cast of drivers and guides, all determined to make sure we had the best experience possible. We went to bed each day feeling like it had been the best day of the journey. It’s rare for my expectations to be exceeded, but our agent and his team did just that. It was an extraordinary experience.

Zicasso’s trip planner created the perfect honeymoon for us. She was helpful with her suggestions, asked the right questions, was budget-conscious, and amazing every step of the way.