Today we woke up in the beautiful town of Franschhoek. Wine country has a much different vibe than the other parts of the country we have visited. While South Africa was colonized by the British and the Dutch as a whole, this wine country had an unmistakable French influence. Our hotel, the Franschhoek Country House was absolutely stunning. Watching the morning mist rise off of the mountains, I knew that our last day in Africa is going to be a memorable one.
On the agenda was a full day of wine tasting! We arrived in the city center early and get our tickets for the wine train. We stopped at four wineries throughout the day. Each winery had a different vibe, a different character. The wines were all delicious and the staff were so kind and professional. We couldn’t drink wine without also enjoying a cheese pairing – yum! We were particularly impressed with a white wine, the Chenin Blanc, which is only available in South Africa. It is similar to a Sauvignon Blanc but it is more buttery on the pallet.
There are dozens of wineries to visit, but the tram only stops at certain wineries each day. There are a total of three different schedules each with it’s own list of wineries that you can visit on any given day. There was no way we could have possibly visited each winery on the schedule, and we had not done research, so we decided to just go with the flow. The wine country is absolutely stunning. It is not only what I pictured when I thought of Africa, or even South Africa. The more I learn about this country, the more I learn how ignorant I am to the entire continent and how much I have to learn.
We headed back to the hotel in time for a beautiful dinner, which we enjoyed in a gorgeous private setting. We then headed back to our room, grateful for the time we had, but also sad knowing this was our last day in Africa.
The response from Adventure Life to my first inquiry was prompt and promising. I worked with Jamie Broeckel, Trip Planner, via text, email, and phone calls- always extremely responsive and thorough with information and explaining the process to arrange a private tour for me to Malaysia Borneo. Within about week, the booking was complete and I made decisions because of Jamie's great customer service , friendly manner, and overall competence on behalf of the company's travel expertise. Now I have an itinerary, additional Trip Planner Assistants, several links for vital information for traveling to Maylasia, etc. Still many details for Sept. trip, but now the heavy lifting is done and I can enjoy the rest of the anticipation and research!! Thanks Jamie- you are amazing!!!!
Susan Campo
2 days ago
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
3 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.