Southern Africa Local culture Trips

In New Zealand breakfasts were same daily. Milliennium hotel ( fireplace in dining area) was their only heating source and we were sooooo cold. How many can sit close to the fireplace? I spoke firmly with the head person in the dining to please turn up the heat! People were eating breakfast in their coats! Next day we had a warm dining area! A customer had to speak up on this!? Really! Also the maid daily ignored poop in the toilet that stuck to the toilet. I had to call to have someone clean up the toilet! I told the young man to be sure and tell y the maid to do her job or I would call again and he could come back and do her job.

This trip exceeded our expectations with its well-balanced itinerary—an amazing mix of cultural landmarks, breathtaking landscapes, and relaxing beach time. The tour guides were insightful and made each stop even more memorable, especially during the Sapa trek. A special thanks to Long Pham, who helped coordinate everything so seamlessly. He kept track of our journey, ensured we were well taken care of, and made sure we had all the support we needed throughout the trip. I highly recommend this experience to anyone planning to explore Asia!

The entire trip was fascinating. I never knew how culturally diverse Sicily was. I would never have been able to have these experiences as a traveler on my own. First of all - our guide Rosario was AMAZING!!!! He is knowledgeable, well informed in local history and current events, personable and very caring. He has to be the best guide I have ever had. The high points were: Palermo and our hotel location. It was right in the heart of the city. A wonderful location for exploring solo or with the group. The excursion to Monreale and our guide, Jacqueline Alió made the experience memorable and one of my favorite stops. Her passion about the subject was infectious. It was an honor to have her as our guide. Agrigento was a real surprise. Ancient ruins in Sicily?? Who knew?? It was just a lovely experience. The garden excursion from Marsala could be replaced with a trip to Erice. The gardens were lovely but could have been skipped. The winery visit in Marsala was a really fun experience. We learned a little about wine and pasta making and had a wonderful time. The owners of the winery were exceptionally gracious and made us feel like we were the only group to ever visit. Salina was a unique, low key yet wonderful experience. The hotel was out of a story book! It was wonderful! Great choice. The caper farm was most enjoyable to have the very proud owners share their lives with us. Never had a caper dinner before and it was wonderful. And finally Taormina - WOW! The town was a shoppers paradise!! But the amphitheater overlooking Mt. Etna was a wonderful part of the tour. But the real high point was the excursion to Mt. etna, walking on lava stone paths and then onto the wine, honey and goat camp!! Such a contrast of nature!! It was wonderful. But Rosario was the reason why our group of 20 merged so beautifully and made the entire 2 weeks a very rewarding experience!! Thank you Collette.

The tour was comparable to South Africa and John was the nicest and most caring tour guide I’ve had. His personality and wit helped mold the group into a family and he was especially attentive when I could use an extra hand. I loved seeing the natural wonders of Vietnam and Laos. All the airport transports were a pain and rook so much extra time. We needed the whispers in Bangkok to hear everything that was being said.

The tour was precisely organised. Customers comfort being paramount. Our tour leader, Isobel, was a mine of information. She was never ‘in your face’ but there to give facts and history of the lovely islands that are New Zealand. Pete was our driver. He was excellent. The perfect foil for Isobel. Only one trip out in Queenstown we thought was misrepresented. The barbecue at the farm. We were looking forward to the beautiful boat ride across the lake, but not in the company of 280 other people! Had we have known we would not have gone. Thank you to Pete and Isobel for making it a great trip. My friend recommended your company after her holiday to New Zealand, and I would certainly pass on the recommendation.

The whole experience was spectacular! Seeing the glaciers, the magnificent waterfalls, the volcanic landscapes, swimming in the hot springs, the variety of food at our breakfast and dinners. Getting to know people from different places and countries was amazing! Made many new friends. Since we didn't go in November, we didn't get to see the puffins but the black beach and the diamond beach were unbelievable, something I will never forget! The tour guide and the driver had so much experience in the Iceland area that there was nothing that we did not know. We pretty much stayed in the south end of Iceland and saw many waterfalls some frozen and some just magnificent! I would love to go back and see more of Iceland when the puffins are there and when daylight is more than 6 hours long. It was an incredible experience that I will never forget. Colette did a wonderful job planning this amazing adventure. Thank you again. Leslie Winker from Oregon