Guides & Their Toys
Go Touch Down Travel & Tours
- Offices In:
-
United States
Canada
Australia - Size:
- 20-50 employees (Founded in 2010)
- Tour Types:
- Small & medium group tours (Mid-range & luxury)
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $300 to $800 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
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Email Sally | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a lifetime
All in all a fabulous trip. We saw tons of animals and the tour of Kruger National Park was fabulous. Every day was crammed with tours, and it would have been nice to have a little down time. Some nights there wasn’t even an opportunity to clean up and change clothes for dinner. Since we were just a few nights in the first two places, we were living out of our suitcases. Cape Town was wonderful, and we loved the Stillness Spa- enjoy a massage if you can find the time. The tour to two vineyards was wonderful but there was only 3 hours between lunch and dinner so we would suggest time adjustments be made there. We opted out of the hop on hop off bus and aquarium visit in Cape Town just so we could relax on our own. Our van drivers, Thabo, on our first stops and Chris in Cape Town were fabulous, as were all the staff at the three resorts. All in all, definitely worth the price and you will see pretty much everything that S. Africa has to offer.
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Email Sally | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A trip that went far beyond our expectations.
I booked a safari thru GTD in 2016. We had never traveled outside of the U.S. so my family & I were beyond excited and were set to go in 2019 but unfortunately Covid hit. We finally were able to go this past September. It was far beyond what we had anticipated or expected. No words or photos could ever capture the beauty of what we saw or the thrill of what we had the opportunity to do in South Africa. GTD made our adventure so easy and wonderful I can't say enough about the company. We stayed at Humala and Tshukudu, both were wonderful. I have to admit we were more partial to Humala, it's a HIDDEN GEM! The staff, rangers and the food were exceptional and lets not forget the ranger dog Layla. We fell in LOVE with everyone and everything and hope to go back one day soon! I've seen a few negative reviews on GTD but I have to disagree as the GTD staff took care of everything and helped ease my nerves when I had reservations or concerns. A safari thru GTD should be on everyone's bucket list.
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Email Steven & LeeAnna Silverman | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A class act! Go Touch Down provided an experience that far surpassed our expectations.
This was our first trip to Africa to celebrate our anniversary. We decided on the 10-day signature tour (option B) because it had safari's as well as a few days in Capetown. Our first stop was a safari camp called Humala in the Songimvelo Game Preserve. This was the most remote of the three places we stayed but the accommodations were 5-star! Our bungalow had a thatch roof with tent sides on a raised platform overlooking the river. It was furnished very comfortably, and we really enjoyed the outdoor shower. The staff was very attentive, and the chef was amazing. The morning and evening safaris were amazing but much different (and cooler temperatures) than we expected. Humala is in the mountains and not the huge flat lands you normally associate with African Safari's. The wildlife was everywhere, and I captured some amazing images. Though there are no predators in this area there was no shortage of zeba's, giraffe, wildebeest, hippos, and every species of antelope. As an award-winning wildlife photographer, I was very impressed by this location. The evening Sundowners (cocktails in the bush) were a great way to end each day. At the dance performance were we unexpectedly brough up to do a special anniversary dance with the performers. An experience that was just over the top.
After a long drive with several stops along the way to view/photograph the amazing scenery of the panorama route we arrived at Tshukudu, a private game lodge. Here the rooms were more like traditional hotel rooms but larger and very well furnished. When we arrived, our bed was covered in flower petals and chocolates, with a pair of heart shaped swans made from our towels, another anniversary surprise! The staff was great, and the meals tended to be buffet style which is a plus for a big eater like myself. Breakfast and lunch were served on the patio, but the dinners were served fire side in the Boma. This was a very beautiful and romantic setting. The game drives here were very different than at Humala. Here the land was flatter, and there was very dense brush. One our first game drive we saw a pair of lions, a small pack of elephants, and a mother and calf rhinoceros all within the first 30 minutes! Our guide was quick to point out that this was not a typical day, but it was an experience I will never forget. We saw 4 of the big five, only the elusive leopard was missed.
From Tshukudu we did a full day trip to Kruger National Park. It was 105 degrees that day and much of the wildlife was hiding or hanging out at the water hole. Don't get me wrong we saw plenty, and I captured some wonderful images. For me the highlights of Kruger were the Birds and Vervet monkeys. We saw two endangered birds that even our guide had never seen before. The saddle-billed stork and the Southern Ground Hornbill, this was very exciting. I also was able to photograph a Twany & Brown Snake Eagle within a few minutes of each other. There were several great small birds like the lilac-breasted roller and the little bee eater. A vervet monkey posed in a tree for us while its little ones were running all over. It was wonderful to watch the little ones play and occasionally stop and pose for a portrait.
At this point the safari part of our tour ended and we caught a flight (included) to Capetown. I highly recommend staying at the Belle Maroc, a little boutique hotel right on the beach. It's a very contemporary design that is decorated in comfortable Moracin. There are many little cozy areas to relax but the bar top overlooking the water was the place to be, even when it was cold. Because its small, the menu and bar selection were limited but the food was wonderful. We really enjoyed the open kitchen where we could watch the chef prepare our meals. I only wish the tour schedule allowed for some down time so we could have enjoyed the amenities. Our Capetown itinerary was packed and kept us busy from morning to night. Seal Island and World of Birds were nice but touristy. Cable mountain, and cape point were beautiful. We spent a full day in the wine country visiting wineries for tastings and pairings followed by lunch and shopping. The finally was going to Gold Dinner Theater later that night. The dinner was a 14-course tasting menu with dishes from around Africa. There were even comical drum lessons and a wonderful show.
The guides were all very knowledgeable and made it a fun experience. The small group size, 6 per van, was perfect, and we made some new lifelong friends from Australia. Even when a second van was following us to the same locations the group size was still limited to 12. The restaurant's they took us to were all top of the line and everything was included except our bar tab.
Go Touch Down Tours even arranged for us to spend a few extra days after the tour. They arranged our return flight to Johannesburg, hotel/airport transfers, and a guide who took us to the extra adventures we added. The only downside to this whole experience was the vans used to transport us around. While they were comfortable, we did have one break down and leave us stranded at cape point. We were finally able to drive it to the nearest town and find a bar to hang out in until a replacement could be found, made the best of it! In Capetown the air conditioning in the van was not working.
Booking our trip and working with the office staff was really easy. they assisted us with getting our trip insurance and professionally answered hundreds of questions. I highly recommend using go Touch down Tours if you plan to visit South Africa. Ours was the trip of a lifetime!
Ambitious but needs some fine tuning.
Just returned from two and a half weeks in South Africa. One week around Capetown and the east and west coasts. Second week was spent north of Johannesburg on safari.
South Africa is a beautiful place and having our time organized by Go Touch Down was a huge relief. It’s a busy place and a logistical nightmare if done on your own. The tour guide around Capetown, JP was knowledgeable, friendly and made us feel safe.
The safari week did not disappoint. So many opportunities to see wildlife in a natural habitat. Truly amazing. However, two game drives a day got to be a bit much, in the end. The safari week did have more free time between game drives, thank goodness. It’s nice to recharge when on vacation.
If I had a criticism it would be that the days were too jam packed and busy. Very little time to relax and unwind. A few things could have been omitted and it wouldn’t have affected the experience.
Also, I think it would be important to mention some level of physical fitness is essential. A lot of older or physically limited folks struggled getting into the jeeps for safari or couldn’t walk down to see some places.
Additionally, nothing was mentioned about “load shedding”. South Africa’s idea to save electricity. Entire grids of electricity are shut off for hours at least twice a day. It was an inconvenience and a nuisance. There has to be a better way.
CA
Email Dave | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Cape Town and Safari was wonderful, although intense, entirely memorable and good value.
Our group of six who have travelled together extensively, enjoyed the Cape Town and Safari tour immensely. The sights in the Wester Cape and especially the safari were great. The meals, as promised were first rate - a bit simpler on safari but given the limitations with the locations they were fine. The guides were top notch. Every one of them - and there were several counting rangers and one day tour guides at the different sites, was excellent. Really the most satisfaction that I can express was with the quality of the guides. Knowledgeable, safe, dependable, adaptable.
The safari sites were amazing. Especially interesting was Humala even though the wildlife viewing there was less than Tshukudfu and the incomparable Kruger. Humala was a delight in its remoteness, and the land was out of this world uniquely beautiful. Our guide there could answer every question except concerning the geology - a personal and perhaps quirky interest, and to this she admitted the void in her knowledge. Can't be expert in everything but not faking it, as she did is the best approach. The value for us was great - maybe even better as we paid in full in 2019. Very possibly the price has increased since then. If we had paid more for our tour my satisfaction would still be high. The only comment that I would like to provide to GTD concerns marketing. Many who I spoke to came to GTD and this tour through some sort 'limited time half price deal' - in fact every guest that I discussed this with did. It struck me, and others that I spoke to as inauthentic. That and my observation that some guests were ill prepared for the rigours of the this travel; safari vehicles and long days etc. Nevertheless bottom line: great value, great experience
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Email Bryan | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Dana was extremely busy. There were questions we had that we needed an appointment to have answered.
We were met at the airport by Joseph, who was very professional and friendly. Our accommodations at Seasons were nice and included a wonderful breakfast.
Humala lodge was a wonderful adventure with good food, excellent staff, and our game driver Tandy was excellent! The Boma Zulu dancers were really fun!
James transported us to Tshukudu via the Panorama route and was very helpful, answered questions and took care of transfers and accommodations questions for us for our Victoria Falls excursion.
Our Tshukudu cabin was nice, but there were ants everywhere. The food was excellent! Our game driver Tyler was excellent as well.
Our accommodations at Victoria Falls at the Ilala Lodge was magnificent! Beautiful room, excellent food and wonderful staff. Lucky picked us up at Victoria Falls airport and transported us to Victoria Falls and the Chobi river package. He was excellent and very helpful.
Our Victoria Falls accommodations only included breakfast. We were surprised that we had to pay for lunch and dinner!
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Email Marvene A. | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent! Detailed oriented.
Go Touch Down did an amazing job in coordinating our vacay to South Africa, from the excursions to the accommodations to the restaurants to the entertainment. To say we enjoyed the whole adventure is an understatement. Our tour guides were par excellent-Fabian, Thabo, Tony, and JP. They were so knowledgeable and always wore patience. We have gained a lifetime of memories from a once in a lifetime trip. Thanks
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Email VW | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Super accommodating and makes sure everyone is having a great time
Our experience with GoTouchDown has been great! We're the type of travellers who don't typically work with multi-day tour operators just because we prefer to explore on our own with a flexible schedule, but when we decided on South Africa as our "big trip", GoTouchDown definitely helped made it a huge success. We didn't know much about South Africa, but from reading online travel guides about the country, we knew we needed local experts to ensure we had a safe and memorable trip. The ground staff in the US were professional and had helped us a lot in providing the necessary documentations when we had to apply for visas to enter South Africa. Our local tour guide, Tabo, was with our small group of six 24/7...from Day 1 of when we started our trip in Johannesburg to Day 7 for when we depart from Hoedspruit back to Johannesburg, he made sure everything was good in our group, and tried to do as much as possible if we had any issues. He was super knowledgeable, friendly and professional, and a great personality that made the long drives a very enjoyable one! The rangers that we had at Songimvelo Game Reserve - Tandi, and at Tshukudu Game Reserve - Tyler, were both super knowledgeable and entertaining, and they were going the extra mile to make sure our group's wishes of seeing certain animals was fulfilled. Hands down, I would say the lodging at Humala was one of the most comfortable and luxurious "glamping" experience, and would definitely love to stay there again to unplug and be with nature.
Possibly because of all the things that happened in the last 2 years with the pandemic, the changes that was made to our initial booking (which was back in 2020) could have been communicated better and could have given the travellers more choice on what we wanted to do with the upgrade vs original itinerary. Sometimes the ground staff in the US was a bit hard to get to when we had questions in regards to visas and getting some help on documentations. I would say the tour may be a little bit expensive for travellers who don't want to splurge. Otherwise, if you want to know that you'll be well taken care of, don't want to worry about planning for the next day's activity and just have a great time, we would definitely recommend GoTouchDown.
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Email Doris Gragg | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Go Touchdown Travel & Tours is Committed to Customer Satisfaction
From the moment our group touched down in Johannasburg, South AFrica, we were treated like we were the most important people on the planet. Respectful, friendly employees made us feel like we were part of a family. Every request was answered with 'yes, we can make that work', with no additional expenses. Our group added on a hot air balloon ride, (which we paid for, but transports were free), shopping trips into town, and an excursion boat ride down Blyde River Canyon. Go Touch Down took care of all the planning, and all we had to do was show up, and enjoy every second of our experience. Safaris were amazing, with knowledgeable and patient guides.
Our tour guide (James) was the most amazing person we met on our vacation. He was always willing to explain any questions we had. He fed us knowledge throughout our time with him. He was always happy, and willing to help us in any way. We still consider him a member of our family!
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Email Vic B. | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Go Touch Down far exceeded our expectations. An amazing experience!
Go Touch Down delivered everything they promised and more. Our planners listened well, responded to our needs, made specific recommendations for us, and remained patient through our seemingly endless barrage of questions.
Our South Africa tour guides were friendly, knowledgeable, and always there to help. Given that we were out in a true wilderness, the facilities, meals, and staff were top notch. We couldn't have been more pleased.
Then, Go Touch Down really went the extra mile. We had added a Victoria Falls extension to the end of our safari tour. Upon arriving at JNB for our flight to Vic Falls, we find out that British Airways shut down their regional carrier literally hours before our flight, leaving us stranded at the Johannesburg airport (no fault of Go Touch Down). Rather than leaving us to fend for ourselves, James, our tour guide, stayed until our situation was resolved. He connected us with Anisa, a Go Touch Down representative in South Africa, who went to work for us and, within an hour, we were on a plane to one of their properties near Kruger National Park. While disappointed that we missed Victoria Falls, the option they provided turned out to be a highlight of our entire vacation.
Based on our experience, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Go Touch Down. in fact, whenever we get an another opportunity to visit Victoria Falls, you can be sure we'll be calling Go Touch Down.
