South Africa Travel Guide

I have just returned from the trip of a lifetime, a “bucket-list” trip with dangerously high expectations that Zicasso's travel specialist somehow managed to far exceed.

Planning began more than a year ago when I came across Zicasso during my research and was connected with our travel specialist, who specializes in travel throughout Africa.

After an email or two, we scheduled a phone call and, from the beginning, our travel specialist listened carefully to what we were looking for in an African adventure. She understood that we wanted to experience as much as possible without spending our vacation enduring arduous travel days or flying on tiny planes. As I learned more about the region, she helped us craft an itinerary that perfectly blended safari, culture, the beautiful wine country, and the history and energy of Cape Town.

Every accommodation was magnificent, and our transfers and private guides were seamless, knowledgeable, and professional. Several of the people we met along the way made such an impression that we hope to remain in touch with them. Our travel specialist’s firsthand knowledge of the region was invaluable, not only in helping us choose the places she knew we would love, but also in knowing which places could wait for another trip.

Over the course of the year, through a handful of phone calls and emails, she crafted what truly felt like the perfect itinerary. Everything was set, until the night we were supposed to board our flight to begin the adventure. Our flight was canceled due to weather and could not be rebooked for several days. Because every detail of the trip had been meticulously coordinated, transfers, internal flights, hotels, safari lodges, and private guides, I watched our carefully planned holiday begin to fall like a row of dominoes.

I immediately reached out to our travel specialist and she went to work. Tirelessly and seemingly miraculously, she managed to salvage our trip, rearranging flights, accommodations, transfers, and the first several days of an itinerary that had taken a year to plan. Because of her extraordinary effort, we were still able to experience one of the most special and memorable trips of our lives.

A great travel advisor can plan a wonderful trip. You discover just how exceptional one is when everything goes wrong. Our travel specialist was there when we needed her most and I cannot imagine how we would have navigated those first few days without her.

If you are lucky enough to visit Africa, you may come home with incredible photographs and memories, but also with something far more lasting: a greater understanding of the world, a deeper appreciation for your own life, and a little more humility about your place in it.

We are enormously grateful to our travel specialist for helping make this truly the trip of a lifetime and I would recommend her without hesitation to anyone considering an African adventure.

We loved working with Zicasso’s travel company. We were impressed by their firsthand experience. They did a wonderful job on our entire trip. Beautiful hotels, great camps, awesome guides - everything was so well planned, seamless from start to finish! We had a fantastic time and highly recommend them!!

In Botswana, we stayed at a camp in the Okavango Delta - a beautiful camp - everything first-rate - wonderful staff - just loved it!! Our second camp was in Linyanti. We liked that both the camps were just a few rooms. This camp was also very nice! The animal experiences were terrific at both camps. Nice service, great food and lots of it, as you get a lot of snacks throughout the day!

We had gorgeous hotels in Johannesburg, Victoria Falls, and Cape Town. Most of the tours were small-group for the four of us, which made it even better to not be in a big group.

In Cape Town, we enjoyed the peninsula, city area, and the wine country. We also enjoyed the Hermanus region.

Our trip was a 5 out of 5 and I would gladly recommend Zicasso’s tour operator and our travel designer to anyone who is planning a trip to Africa. We loved all of our accommodations, which included 3 camps as well as our accommodation in Cape Town.

All of the people we encountered throughout our 2 weeks took care of our every need in such a thoughtful way. The safaris themselves were spectacular, and our guides were super-knowledgeable and fun to spend time with. Food at all of our stays was excellent. And the logistics for the entire trip were seamless!

We love Zicasso! Zicasso made planning our dream honeymoon a breeze! The travel company was wonderful! They were so friendly and patient! They really took our interests, pace, and budget into account in planning a wonderful trip. They were so communicative and available, answering all of our questions, from big to small.

The trip itself was smooth, without any issues. Throughout our journey, we always felt supported and safe. From the drivers and tour guides to the hotel staff we interacted with while in South Africa, everyone was so welcoming and kind.

We raved about the ease in planning travel with Zicasso and passed along this amazing tool to many of the travelers we met on safari. Thank you again for everything!

Excellent. Zicasso’s travel specialist was wonderful!!! Highly recommend her for any and all trips!!!!

Zicasso’s travel company planned the perfect multigenerational safari trip for our family. It was amazing and everyone loved it! Unbelievable opportunities to observe animals in their natural habitat, with excellent guides who educated us about the wildlife and the area. The camps were beautiful and comfortable, and the food was abundant and delicious. A once-in-a-lifetime experience that we will never forget!