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
US
Email Liz | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Go Touch Down Travel & Tours organizes amazing trips that make memories of a lifetime.
Our Go Touch Down South Africa Safari and Cape Town trip was truly exceptional. We can't thank the Go Touch Down staff enough. Their behind-the-scenes planning and hard work—especially during a pandemic—provided us with a seamless experience from beginning to end. Although we are accustomed to traveling around the world and often make our own travel arrangements, trying to plan a trip to South Africa was daunting and we knew the logistics would be complicated since we wanted to visit game reserves as well as Cape Town. Where to start? Reviewing Go Touch Down's itineraries and relying on them to handle all the planning and details allowed us to relax and look forward to a memorable trip. We found the pricing reasonable. As it turned out, the value was excellent. Before leaving, the staff answered our questions and concerns quickly and effectively. They also provided a very complete handout that contained information about the itinerary, currency, etc. Once we arrived in South Africa, our guide picked us up at the airport, handled our luggage, and brought us to our first resort. Along the way, we were made to feel welcome, told about our itinerary, and began to learn about the area we would be visiting. When it came time to change locations and resorts, our guide handled everything and either transferred us personally to the guide at the next location or assisted us with checking in at the airport, etc., giving us easy instructions for meeting our next guide. It all worked flawlessly and we felt very comfortable at every step along the way. The small group size and comfortable vans made our day-to-day travel pleasant. We can't say enough about our guides. Their professionalism, friendliness, thoughtfulness, and knowledge helped educate and give us an appreciation of each location we visited. More than that, their love of and pride in South Africa and the areas where they live and work came shining through, which greatly enhanced our experience and made us appreciate this beautiful country and its warm and friendly people. The itinerary was well paced to maximize our time yet also allowed for periods of relaxation. The abundance of wildlife, our memorable encounters during game drives, and the incredible natural beauty of our surroundings from beginning to end were outstanding. No one place was better or more beautiful than the other; each provided different perspectives in diverse settings from our glamping accommodations at Humala River Lodge to our pampered boutique hotel experience at the Belle Maroc on the beach, overlooking Cape Town's iconic Table Mountain. We are so glad that we combined the safari and Cape Town itinerary. The latter is a beautiful city surrounded by outstanding natural beauty. The neighboring areas offer many interesting encounters with remarkable flora and fauna that should not be missed. Overall, our Go Touch Down experience was excellent and we look forward to returning to South Africa!
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Email Firebrand | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Africa via Go Touch Down was Splended
My best friend and I went on the Signature Adventure Experience (11 days) tour and it was, simply put, AH-mazing. All the stay locations were lovely with a good amount of wilderness, animals, luxury and food. Food was exceptional, if not, too much at Humala River Lodge (3 meals and 2 big snacks a day). While some days spotting animals was difficult on game reserves that are 49,000 acres plus, it was still a magical adventure trying to find them. The views at Humala River Lodge were stunning, Seasons Resort and Spa was wonderful despite the torrential rains and I can't say enough about Belle Maroc in Cape Town (views, service and food to die for). Truly an enjoyable trip and worth every penny. I haven't stopped talking about it since I returned. Fair warning there were bats in our rooms at Humala River Lodge. That is the only negative. I never saw one, but my BFF did.
US
Email Keith | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Friendly, accommodating and knowledgeable.
I’m sitting on the plane in Johannesburg about to take off for our return flight home. I have to take a moment to THANK GoTouchdown for a unforgettable and perfect vacation. Your staff is to be commended for an amazing job. Everyone was so friendly and accommodating. Your four properties that we stayed at were world class. From Seasons, to Dunkeld, to Humala Lodge and finally Shark Bay all were outstanding. We only wish we could have spent more time at each. You did this in the face of extreme challenges put forth by the Coronavirus. Incredible. A sincere and heartfelt thank you to you and everyone at GoTouchdown.
If you ever need someone for a personal reference for any of your future potential guests please feel free to have them contact me directly. I will be happy to sing your praises.
Forever grateful,
Keith
US
Email Dave | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Did not meet expectations
After a year delay due to the pandemic we finally made out trip to South Africa. I would first like to say that the Go Touch Down staff were friendly and accommodating. We started our tour at the Seasons Resort and Spa, we would not rate this as a five star resort there were many small maintenance issues that needed to be corrected, from loose door knob, no wash clothes for 4 days, towels not replaced, animal droppings on the miniature golf course playing area, bricks sticking up on with walking path. The restaurant on the property (only one) had a very limited menu offering and than a lot of the items were not available. The elephant sanctuary tour was fantastic, would highly recommend, also enjoyed the hot air balloon ride. The drive from Seasons to Dullstroom for the panoramic route was long however the sights were very beautiful. It started with a grab and go breakfast to enjoy while driving, ( a cheese sandwich, hard boiled egg and an apple) , not a usual American type of breakfast. Made three stops along the way. The Dunkeld Lodge was very nice, we had a late lunch in the 1883 dinning room, in the evening we had an outdoor fire with a dance performance and retreated into the bar area to enjoy the bbq that was prepared. Was a cool temperature for the time of the year but the fireplace in the room kept it warm and cozy. Next morning we left for Humala River Lodge, stopped in Dullstroom, would have enjoyed a longer stop in town, only had 30 minutes to walk around. than a long drive. Once we got to Humala we had to transfer from the van to the game jeep for a 45 minute ride from the entrance out to the lodge. The lodge was everything we expected it to be, little cold as it got down to 39 degrees one night, the game drives we great. The only negative might have been at there is no menu , you get what the cook prepares. For us luckily it was all good and we enjoyed everything but for some people it could be a problem .
Humala was what you expect Africa to be. We again had an outdoor bonfire and Swaziland dancers did a show. Since this is a game reserve the amount and type of animals are limited. Than a long drive back to Seasons Resort. with a stop at Lion and Safari Park. The animals here are in large fenced in areas that you are driven through, have a good variety of animals but it is a captive situation. Next day it was drive to Pilamesberg National Park. again we had grab and go breakfast to eat in the car (tuna sandwich which no one ate) at the park we choose the open jeep and had a very good guide. Highlight here was watching the parade of 17 elephants going to the water hole, the restaurant at the park was closed so we ended up at Blimpies a fast food hamburger restaurant. Next day it was off for the hot air balloon ride which had been delayed from day to until the next to last day. We originally received a very detailed itinerary for the trip, it was however in constant state of flux as tours changed, and due to the pandemic some tours were cancelled or only parts of them were available.
Overall for the cost you get a lot with the tour, meals, transportation in country, some tour guide local tours it is not a high end tour but it is a good tour, more detail to the property maintenance at Seasons and what US visitors are expecting could be improved. Expect to spend a lot of time driving 6 people plus the tour guide in a 2 row van.
Email Kallia Papapetrou | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
I have found my travel agency for all my trips
They are a very polite team. They have fast and impeccable service. Immediate information for each step. And of course they are interested in the good of their client.
As I have said to my title I have found my travel agency for all the trips I will do from now on.
Guys are the best
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Email Donna | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fabulous Safari Adventure
A safari was always on our bucket list. Despite our many travels around the globe, this safari was an incredible experience and a fun adventure. The Go Touch Down staff took good care of us and were responsive to our every need. The accommodations, meals, entertainment, transportation, and knowledgeable guides were all outstanding, and South Africa is beautiful. The trip included a variety of stops that showcased waterfalls and mountains and other wonders of the country, and while on safari we managed to see a wide range of animals in their natural habitat -- giraffes, zebras, elephants, hippos, rhinos, wildebeests, antelopes, and kudus, to name a few.
As part of the safari trip organized by Go Touch Down, we also visited Pilanesberg, a lion sanctuary, and an elephant sanctuary, which gave us a much closer look at the animals and the efforts to protect them. Those side trips offered additional photo opportunities.
Although my husband and I were traveling together, our small safari group included some singles, work friends, and a few other couples. Everyone seemed to have a great time and we made friends with each other, remaining in contact after returning to our home countries.
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Email Lynn | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Journey of a Lifetime in Africa
Our trip to Africa with Go Touch Down Travel & Tours was everything we hoped for. Our group of 11 found the guides, accommodations, meals and excursions to all be first class and well organized. The level of customer service both before the trip and during our travels was exceptional and we felt very well taken care of. In Capetown and the surrounding area, we experienced so many wonderful things including whale watching, penguins, seals, a diamond / tanzanite factory, Robbens Island, and a tour of Langa Township. Once on safari, we were treated to many animal sightings including giraffes, zebra, ostrich, elephants, rhinos, wildebeests, lions, baboons, and hippos, just to name a few...:) We were most impressed with the extremely comfortable accommodations everywhere we stayed and the meals were always first class and plentiful. In addition, our guides both in Capetown and on Safari were knowledgeable, flexible, and a lot of fun! As a bonus, we extended our trip to spend 2 days near Victoria Falls in Zambia which was equally spectacular and well worth the additional time. Overall, we agreed that it was, indeed, a "Journey of a Lifetime" and we have hundreds of photos and wonderful memories to show for it.
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Email Steve and Renée | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
All of us experienced an incredible vacation!
It all began when I met Angie Main at the San Diego Travel Convention. Because of her genuine warmth, I immediately trusted what she told me about what to expect on a South African Safari. It's now 6 months after we returned from our memorable vacation. If we were told that we could only ever go on one more vacation and asked where we would go, we would immediately reply South Africa with Go Touch Down Travel. It all started in September 2019 when four of us traveled on a l-o-n-g flight to Johannesburg where we were met by our guide, the full-of-knowledge, fun-loving, thoughtful Thabo. Oh, the beautiful sights we saw as he drove us from one destination to another! Staying at Dunkeld was our first eye-opener to South Africa. The staff was super helpful and kind; bending over backwards to meet our every need. And the food? WOW!!! Humala was breathtaking! We all LOVED our lodge; safe, comfy, and cozy. Our guide, Wessel, was always pointing out wildlife. To have zebras and giraffes casually strolling by our safari vehicle was awesome. Favorite events? Our daughter would probably say being mauled by a lion at Lion Safari Park (Yup, a little lion cub decided to chew holes in her sneakers!) and hugging and playing with Tumbo, the gigantic, gentle elephant at the Elephant Whisperers excursion. My husband's and my favorite would probably be the glorious morning hot air balloon ride over the Magaliesburg Valley. Our son-in-law would probably say EVERYTHING was incredible!
CA
Email Barb C. | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing-Trip of a Lifetime!!
I travelled with Go Touch Down in 2019. The customer service from the get go was great. Staff helped to arrange our add-ons, flights etc when time to travel.
The lay away plan over 3yrs was great, I don’t think I could have gone without it.
Our guide in Cape Town (Tony) was awesome and knowledgeable, we definitely made a friend for life. You definitely will not go hungry on this trip!
Our guide for the Safari portion (Bekkies) was also amazing, lots of stories and fun facts he will keep you entertained.
Definitely worth doing both the Cape Town and Safari ventures. Accommodations for both were great very clean and welcoming.
You’ll get to try some amazing food.
I would definitely travel with Go Touch Down again if given the opportunity in the future. The people we met and places we saw were fantastic. And it was nice only having 5 people in our tour group.
CA
Email Lynda | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Absolutely fabulous experience.
I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to South Africa. I was very impressed that on this trip they were one of the very few companies that did not charge an extra premium because I was travelling alone. Being in small groups was excellent as we were all friends by the end of the trip. Both in Johannesburg and Capetown our guides were excellent. They were flexible with us while providing an excellent experience.