Our Client Testimonials

Ker & Downey® Africa planned a trip that perfectly matched our interests

Ker & Downey® Africa spent quality time with us to understand what type of experience we wanted. The three week trip was perfectly organized in a very logical way such that each part of the trip complimented each other. We were able to have a range of different experiences, from the more “civilized” parts of South Africa, to the remote bush regions along with many adventurous experiences such as shark cage diving, zip line across Victoria Falls, etc.

The service at each location was outstanding, with exceptional and knowledgeable guides. We had numerous short flights to each of the different locations, which helped minimize overall travel time, and everything went smoothly. We felt totally comfortable at every part of the trip and that we were in good hands at every camp. In addition, all of the documentation that we needed was online in an app so that no matter where we were, or whether we had internet access, we could still access our documents.

I would highly recommend Ker & Downey® Africa for their hands-on knowledge of all of the regions, camps and experiences and their commitment to working closely with their clients.

Dana, USA

Beautifully structured and executed African experience

When I was first exploring the possibilities for our first safari to Africa I was overwhelmed with the possibilities. I sent off inquiries to 4 or 5 of the Top Ten travel agencies listed in travel magazines. By far, Ker & Downey® Africa was the most responsive and willing to work out the details of what we wanted to see and do during our stay. Subsequently our two week experience was amazing!

Lauren, our tour planner, created a perfect trip. She was very responsive in answering our pre-trip questions, sending us much useful information for packing, clothing, and travel requirements. She then maintained contact with us throughout the trip via WhatsApp to make sure everything was going okay. Our questions were answered by the office immediately, which is very reassuring when you are half way around the world from home.

The lodging Lauren chose was simply among the best I have experienced anyplace in the world. There are many moving parts to arrange all the transports, air flights, tour guides, etc. in visiting Africa, and Ker & Downey® Africa pulled them off seamlessly. As to the main purpose of the trip, the wildlife, it could not have been better. I strongly suggest that you stay at a lodge using a private game reserve, such as ours at Sabi Sabi, adjoining Kruger. Lauren also chose a wonderful guide and hotel for our three days in Cape Town.

My wife and I are over 70 years old, and I confess we like a little “hand-holding” when we travel abroad. Ker & Downey® Africa, and Lauren specifically, provided us a beautifully structured and executed African experience. Give them a try.

Richard Boatman, USA

Thank you again so much for all your help in creating a trip of a lifetime

Lauren and the Ker & Downey® Africa team were absolutely incredible in helping us create the trip of a lifetime. Lauren planned a perfect trip that was personalized, well planned and organized.

I was extremely impressed with her prompt communication and dedication to making this trip truly a special adventure. From the months leading up to our trip, to the days before our departure and to the final day of our itinerary, she was kind, committed and available.

I would strongly recommend Lauren and the Ker & Downey® Africa team to plan your next travel adventure!

L Rousseau, USA

On a scale of one to ten, I give it an eleven!

We’re home now, safe and sound, but I can’t stop reliving the wonderful experiences we had during the past two weeks.

This trip had everything we could possibly have hoped for and much, much more: animals galore including all of “the big five”, multiple river crossings, deluxe accommodations, and a genuine feeling of warmth and caring from all the people with whom we came in contact.

The personal service we received from all of our escorts and guides was exceptional. From the time Geoffrey picked us up at the Arusha airport until Charles dropped us off there for the trip home, we felt very well taken care of. Our first guide, Ritchie, was fantastic! He not only knew everything about the animals we were seeing, he quickly learned the types of things that most interested us, and he went out of his way to find and explain things of great interest to us. We were particularly impressed when he interpreted an impala warning call to identify the presence of a lioness nearby, then tracked her down before anyone else had found her. It was an unforgettable experience.

When we moved on to the Serengeti, the entire group at Kaskaz made us feel as if we were part of their family. Omari and the staff at the camp were wonderful. Our guide, Kareem, also took excellent care of us. He too possessed an encyclopedic knowledge of animals, plants, geology and topography, and he seemed to have a sixth sense about animal behavior. He found both a leopard and a rhino for us, and he successfully anticipated three separate river crossings, each time putting us in the best possible vantage point to view the crossing.

Overall, the trip was a total success. On a scale of one to ten, I give it an eleven! The people, the animals, the scenery, and the experiences of the past two weeks were amongst the best we’ve ever had. My sincerest thanks to both of you and to all the team at Ker & Downey Africa for making our dream a reality.

R & S Bloom & Family, USA

Impeccable Organization

Sarah and her team made the trip a once-in-a-lifetime event for our family. Even though we were a big group with varied interests and requirements, everybody felt that they got exactly what they were dreaming of.

Sara and Bron did an incredible job of translating our confusing requests and questions into very clear recommendations that were exactly on point to what we really wanted. The organization of the trip was impeccable, everything was planned perfectly. I thoroughly recommend them.

Paulo Family, USA

Perfect mix of adventure, relaxation, family time and indulgence.

Thank you so much for planning a perfect vacation for our family!! I am happy to give feedback below:

All 4 of us said this was a trip of a lifetime. It was the perfect mix of adventure, relaxation, family time and indulgence. The accommodations were incredible, all exceeded our expectations, and all perfect configurations for our family. The kids had their own room, we had our own room and we had shared space. The mount Nelson had a hallway adjoining our rooms, VIc Falls River Lodge and Grootbos had shared space. Simbabili we had totally seperate rooms and we would prefer to have some shared space but they were right next door so it was fine and the rooms were lovely!

The service and hospitality at all the resorts were unmatched!! All the people we met, our guides, etc were so welcoming and helpful. They clearly cared about their guests experience! We felt spoiled the entire time.

The food was amazing everywhere we stayed. In fact, we began skipping meals half way through the trip as we were so stuffed!

The game viewing was incredible! We saw all the big 5 in pretty large numbers. The game viewing was different at Vic Falls than Sabi Sands but both incredible and complimentary and we were so glad we got to do both. Our guides and trackers were amazing, so experienced and clearly passionate about what they do!! Mike (Simbambili) had a lifetime of experience and stories! And we loved Faithy at VFRL, so humble and informative and eager to help!

We were completely wowed by our villa at Vic Falls River Lodge. It was the most special place we have ever stayed and we have traveled a lot. The villa was gorgeous with no detail overlooked and the setting was spectacular. Maybe one of our favorite memories is sitting out on the deck together after dark watching an elephant right off the river. We spotted crocs, hippos, impalas and tons of monkeys from our room.

The accommodations at all the other locations also exceeded our expectations but the villa was just beyond our wildest imaginations!!

Wayne was the perfect guide to start off our trip! He gave us a great overview of Cape Town, the coastline and tidbits of info along our drives. We very much enjoyed our time with him!!

Lauren, you were amazing to work with! You listened to what we were looking for in our family trip, and executed perfectly. You were SO responsive and got back to me with a plan overnight and made adjustments so quickly! You organized everything so well and made the trip seamless! You were always responsive even during the trip! I felt confident we were in good hands!! I have always planned our trips myself and this felt like such a gift to me to have you plan this trip. It would have taken me countless hours and would never have compared to what you planned.

This trip was such a great family trip with older children. I’m so glad you suggested a private safari where we were able to spend such quality time together! Priceless memories!!

So as you can tell, we want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We have no real complaints at all. We probably would skip the shark cage diving as it was clear they hadn’t seen great whites in a while, and the visibility was so low it was hard to see… but obviously we can’t know conditions ahead of time.

Also, Grootbos was a lovely, beautiful resort, our until was amazing, staff so friendly but unless shark cage diving, might not make a special trip for it. We got the best massages we have ever had though and the fat biking was one of our favorite activities

Terry family, USA

An ideal first-time safari in Africa

We couldn’t be more pleased with our trip, aside from the wild weather, which now adds to the story! From the start you listened to what we wanted, and adapted, and came up with the ideal itinerary for our first time in Africa. Thank you for being available throughout the trip to adjust, and check into things as needed. I absolutely loved each place we stayed. Each with their own strengths and highlights, and the intimate size of each camp was perfect. Also, our guides at each place were outstanding, we felt we lucked out.

Machaba- The staff was amazing. Warm, friendly and accomodating. For us, the BEST food, and for me personally they went all out on my gluten/dairy free menu. We weren’t here for very long, but it truly was the right starting point for our journey. We also loved sitting down to meals with our fellow travelers and some staff members, it added to the experience.

Duba Explorers- even getting there was fun… loved the heli ride! As soon as we got there, the guide threw us in a boat, to get to a spot where a jeep was waiting, because a cheetah had been spotted. What an incredible start, and we were thrilled they went to the trouble so we could experience this. This was the absolute most beautiful setting! The river, the wide open savannahs… it was stunning! Also by far the most ‘animal active’ camp, there was always activity you could see; from your deck, your shower etc:)
Our guide here was amazing, but the rest of the staff, while service was great, wasn’t as friendly. We felt we didn’t get the info of all that we could do and ask for, until we found out from other travelers, and they seemed to really be interested in one family in particular. So this camp was both my favorite in the scenery and animal encounters, and my least favorite in terms of staff and food. (again with the exception of our guide)

Victoria Falls – great break, as we were ready for a hotel with heat and a bathtub! Just the right amount of time here. Elephant Sanctuary was fun as well.

Cape Town- Loved our hotel in the garden district. It was just right for us. The apartment style, with everything for food and drink within walking distance. We had another fabulous guide here, and we enjoyed the cape tour completely! Also, one day of exploring on our own was great. If we had, had better weather I would have liked one more night here!

Sabi Sands- The exact right place to end on! Liked seeing the contrast between Botswana camps and South African ones. Staff and food was incredible, and the chef really worked hard to have choices on the menu that I could eat. Again, our guide and tracker were beyond incredible. Providing rewarding drives even when the animals were not coming out because of the rain! When we first got here, I thought 4 nights was going to be too long, but it actually gave a completely different feel, as you got a deeper level of familiarity with the guides and staff, so I was so glad that we had that time. The community tour was awesome, and the connection of it being our trackers village, made it that much richer.

Thank you for all of this… it was a trip of a lifetime!

Mr & Mrs Muniza, USA

So grateful for all the memories!

We had such an amazing time in South Africa. Thank you for organizing an amazing trip. We could not have come close to organizing a trip the way you did. We are so grateful for all the memories we made! We saw so many things and learned a lot from your beautiful country. From the time we were picked up in Johannesburg, things were very smooth. We enjoyed the people, hospitality and definitely the good of South Africa immensely!

We enjoyed all of the places and would not be able to pick a favorite as they all offered something different!

Phinda and Ngala were so much fun and the food was so good! The guides and staff at both places were top notch. Seeing all of the animals was something we only dreamed off and staff always went above and beyond. Everyone was great, especially our Ranger, Chell in Phinda and tracker Mo in Ngala. The driver, Stuart, who picked us up in Ngala for transport to the airport was kind and informative.
Oliver’s had incredible food. We really enjoyed the Panorama Tour-it felt like a plus as we did not know we were going to be stopping and seeing such incredible places like the potholes, Gods View and the Gorge. My only suggestion would be, with a younger child, it might have been nice to stay in Grasskop vs White River.

Cape Town was a highlight and the hotel was one of our favorites. We really enjoyed Wayne as our Guide! He was so kind, fun and easy to be around. He was definitely a highlight of our trip and we enjoyed meeting him- he really is an incredible guide. I hope you guys continue to work with him!

Casey and I really appreciate all the work that went into organizing this incredible trip and experience. It really went smoothly. The transfers went great, everything was planned and thought out and was not at all stressful for me which I truly appreciate! We have memories to last a lifetime! We have so much gratitude for you and your team!

J Thompson, USA

Ker & Downey® Africa did a fantastic job setting up our trip and then managing the trip – could not be happier

Each of our lodges and tent camps were outstanding – exceeded our expectations. Our two Ker & Downey® Africa guides were fantastic-knowledgeable, caring and fun. Being there in the rainy season was not a problem at all. Not nearly as crowded as June/July – I recommend going in December.

Our trip manager, Sarah, was always available and seamlessly accommodated all our changes.

I will definitely use Ker & Downey® Africa again.

Fiona, Thailand

Brilliant agents!

I got Ker & Downey Africa to arrange a 6 day safari for my wife and I in 2020 as part of a trip to South Africa. COVID killed that trip, but Ker & Downey Africa were fantastic in recovering or reserving all deposits for safari lodges and flights. We have just completed the rescheduled trip (Sep 2022), and everything went perfectly smoothly, and the lodges they recommended and booked were brilliant, both in terms of hospitality and game viewing. Apparently there were some hassles on a transfer, where industrial/protest action closed some park gates, but all this was handled to be virtually invisible to us. And I should add that in the course of booking other accommodation in South Africa, I came across direct booking access to the lodges we were in and got curious and did some sums – and allowing for the cost of road transfers, I found that the premium I paid for all this management was really quite marginal. In my situation, with the COVID cancellation and reschedule, it was a godsend to have an agent to handle the hassles for me. So I’d say use an agent to make things easy, and use this agent because they were brilliant.

Phil, USA

Our 19 & 19 year old granddaughters chose a trip to Africa as their destination. They graduated June 2022 and we started planning the trip with Sarah a year before our departure. I have been to Africa many times before and really wanted to see the migration of the wildebeests in Tanzania to Kenya. So the trip was designed around that request. The girls wanted to see Giraffes and Hernias. We were successful and saw our requests. My husband is a photographer and he was able to shot wonderful pictures on our 11 day trip.

We were taken care of from the moment we landed to the time we had to say good bye to Africa. We experienced 5 different camps and each one offered a different look at Africa. Sarah and Peter were always available before our trip and had everything mapped out for us. The transfers from camp to camp went very smoothly and we were always with a guide to help us with our luggage and get us to where we were going next. The camps were able to take care of our dietary needs as one of our granddaughters is a vegetarian.