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 Anthony | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best tour guide I have ever met!
Cape Town was worth every penny. We had a wonderful time. Everyone we came in contact with was friendly and accommodating. The food was outstanding. We loved the villa upgrade, especially the fireplace and the hot tub. Our tour guide Johnathan made our vacation so memorable, he gets five stars! Also, we would like to request him for our next visit to Cape Town. Go Touchdown Travel we love you all.
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Email Theresa | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Go Touchdown Tours is a great tour operator!
I can't say enough about Go Touchdown! Great company! I added a day in Johannesburg before my 8 day Cape Town Tour. They booked all my flights for me and my hotel in Johannesburg and a tour. The Go Touchdown staff was very helpful with questions and concerns I had.
I stayed at City Lodge at O.R. Tambo Airport. Very convenient. Great hotel. Friendly staff! It's right in the airport!
I took the Soweto Tour in Johannesburg and enjoyed it. I learned a lot. Went to Nelson Mandela's house. It is very small.
Cape Town is beautiful! Had great weather! The cruise along Langebaan Lagoon was wonderful. We had a beautiful sunny day for it. Learned about fossils at the West Coast Fossil Park. The !Khwa ttu San Culture and Education Centre was very educational. We even got to cook a piece of Spring Bok on an open fire! We went to Table Mountain. The views from there are incredible! Loved the ride up to the top. The floor in the car rotates so everyone can get the same view! Saw the penguins and seals! Cape Point Lighthouse was great. Great views from there as well. We also went to Cape of Good Hope. The Victoria & Alfred Waterfront has some great shopping. The Watershed is a local place where individuals can sell their jewelry, clothing and other items! On our last full day in Cape Town, we did 2 wine tastings. The wine is great! I bought a bottle! The dinner at Gold Restaurant was incredible! Each course was delicious!
The hotels we stayed at were great. Very friendly staff. The manager at Shark Bay could not have been more accommodating! My only issue was that my bed at Stillness Manor creaked when I got up from it. Being a beach girl, I loved the location of Belle Maroc Blouberg! Right on the beach!
Our tour guide Jonathan is one of, if not the best, tour guide I ever had! He was always on time or even early. He is very knowledgeable and is a proud native of Cape Town! He recommended a great restaurant at the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront for fish! I had the King Clip and it did not disappoint! He was also very helpful when taking me to Cape Town International Airport for my flight home.
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Email Patricia Grech | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Go Touch Down is a first class act!
Go Touch Down communicated regularly & always replied promptly to our questions. My friends and I, immediately recognized the professionalism and were impressed with Marie and the group in Sarasota, Florida. The tour guides, Jonathan, Bakkis, and Bastion were the ultimate professionals, each fun in their own way; and very knowledgeable. Without a doubt, on my/our return to South Africa, I/we will go through Go Touch Down.
Cape Town was more than I/we had ever imagined. It is truly an impressive city with the most majestic sceneries one can ever experience. The dining experiences were beyond our expectations. Jonathan, our tour guide and was kind and patient, but more importantly, we learned so much from him about the South African people, history, and its cultures. He is a class act for sure!
Bakkis, our tour guide for the second leg of our trip, was a very "happy chappie" and always made sure we were all taken care of and safe. Bakkis was fun and we enjoyed his great expressions. He is unforgettable!
Bastion, our tour guide for the safari/game drives, appears serious, but has a great sense of humor. We shall never forget his keen eye for detail and loved that he knew exactly where to stop to capture the ultimate sunrise or sunset experience. These are treasured moments for the rest of our lives!
Thank you a million times! My long life dream came true and it would not have been so perfect withour your entire team at Go Touch Down. Look forward to seeing you all again!
Affectionately,
Pat Grech
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Email Christy | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Presentation, contract, itinerary, and actual experience never matched up, and no resolution.
We booked a safari in South Africa at a travel show in Dallas. We received an itinerary 2 weeks before the trip. On the trip our experiences were not what was communicated at the travel show, nor on our contract, nor on the itinerary. The contract says they can change anything they want at their leisure and as a customer there is no recourse. Many of our safari guides exceeded the 6 passengers, so that small group feel...gone, forget it. They only allow you to stay at their resorts so there is EXTENSIVE driving to and from every activity. Our itinerary said we would be on a jeep safari in Kruger, but once we arrived we were told we had to pay an additional 130 for the jeep. Our trip to Kruger took 3.5 hours to arrive, only got 3 hours on the jeep, then a 5 hour drive back to the resort (Hamala). It was a miserable day in the van and not worth the drive for such a short safari. Hamala is a nice resort but dinner is what they choose, not what the customer would like. They served a steak one night that was too tough to eat. I told the host the steak was too tough and his response was "your welcome", so needless to say I went to bed hungry that night (there were NO other food options provided). The safari's at Hamala were at 7 am, wake up call at 5:30, coffee at 6:30 and safari from 7-10, then breakfast is at 10am. I struggled with my blood sugar being up for 5 hours without any food. I finally had to buy snack cakes at the gas station during an outing. Persons on the Cape Town tour are flown into JBurg and they say a free night at Seasons resorts to recover from the travel, but all it is, is a sales pitch to buy into the resort, as they then have to fly from JBurg to Cape Town the next day. We also booked a shark dive with Go Touch Down, they charged us 350 per person. When we arrived at the shark dive operator we found out the cost is 186 per person. I assumed there would be a small up charge for Go Touch down to book it, but seriously, double the cost. Save your money and book your own shark cage dive directly with Apex Shark Encounters in Simon's Town, your cost will be cut in HALF. I will never recommend this company. I wrote 6 emails during my travels of my negative experience and received NO assistance, many emails I didn't even get a response. I wasted so much money with the company and want to ensure other people don't get scammed like I did.
Reply from Go Touch Down Travel & Tours
Posted on Aug 11, 2020Dear Christy
It is with sadness that I read your review. Our clients travel far and the trip to South Africa is often a trip of a lifetime. We pride ourselves on our success rate and social media reviews.
You wrote to us 5 times during your tour in South Africa. I replied to you every time that you did. My replies were detailed and lengthy, even thou you were in destination. Four of your emails were about the same subject. I replied with extracts from your agreement and the itinerary you agreed on.
There is no point in going over each point you raised, as we have done so in detail in writing to you after this review. Your detailed itinerary you received prior covered the times, breakfasts, and driving. Instead, I want to say I am sorry that we do not agree on all the points you raised, as the other 3 people on tour with you enjoyed the experience. All the constructive remarks have been shared with the resorts/camps and they have taken your review to heart.
Please note that after much feedback, including yours, we no longer drive to Kruger Park as it is a long day, and instead now visit Pilanesberg that's only 70 min away. The reviews are fantastic.
Again, I am sorry to hear that you did not enjoy our 8-day Safari and would like to offer you a travel voucher for $500 to use towards one of our other Exclusive Tours.
Sincerely,
the COO
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Email Sherry | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Bucketlist - Retirement Gift to Self!
Since forever, I have wanted to go on an African Safari. Through serendipitous connections, I was introduced to a lady who had travelled with GoTouchDown in the Spring of 2017 and absolutely raved about it. From start to finish I was not disappointed and everything that she had shared with me of her experiences were met and more... accept, perhaps, for some confusion around the mobile phone offered at the time.
My friend and I signed on for the Signature Tour with GoTouchDown. They took care of getting us an amazing deal on flights; accommodations were great including 3 meals a day (unheard of - and not a set menu ever!); staff were extremely personable and accommodating; and friends who are from SA said that the tour had captured all the highlights, and from my perspective in fine style!
We were told up front that other than tips (and they even suggested the amounts) there would be no additional costs. That was never my experience until this trip!
We were there in the SA spring and seeing new births in their natural habitat left me awestruck. South Africa, is beautiful, which is not of GoTouchDown's doing, but they certainly provided an experience that will last my lifetime. Since our return, both my traveling companion and I have had friends/family sign-up.
Thank you GoTouchDown.
CA
Email Y E | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Memories
Hello and thank you for this offer to give a review of my South Africa experience. For me, this was a trip of a life long desire, considering that I had been a part of the resistance of apartheid oppression, while attending university some 50 years ago. So I was happily blown away by the beauty of the country, the tours offered and my living accommodations, making allowances when necessary, as the tours mattered more than sleeping quarters. What has left an unforgettable impression and which I have retold excessively is the following incident. Five individuals (me included) arrived at XXX for the safari experience. The Five consisted of a White couple and 3 Black ladies. At dinner on the first night, the 3 Black ladies were seated at a table by themselves, while the other guests (all white and meeting for the first time ) were seated together. Not a good impression. This practice changed but only after the guests themselves (foreigners) reacted to the situation On leaving the safari, we were told that any gratuities should be given to the owner for distribution to staff.. Again this smacked of something distrustful to foreign eyes, I am happy with my memories and momentous of your beautiful country, but there is a nagging reminder that the arc of progress is slow.
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Email Tonda | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Small group and well done choices on the itinerary!
The Humala River Lodge was beyond expectations. Service was excellent everywhere.
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Email Dr. C. D. Brooks, Washington, DC | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Thanks to Go Touch Down A Beautiful Gem between the mountain and the ocean is MY Paradise
What can you say about Paradise?!? You will know it when you TOUCH your Paradise--just as I did on my recent first trip to Cape Town, South Africa. There are not words enough to describe the beauty, the setting, the wine vineyards with elegant wine tastings; Table Mountain high over the city with "a blanket atop it" and the ocean with a visit to "The Cape of Good Hope"; shopping; museums; and everything else to do with direct pickup from your large, comfortable hotel room in the mornings for breakfast and drop off and pick up for elegant dinners on the waterfront and elsewhere in the evenings. I can hardly wait to go back as I begin to plan my next trip with Go Touch Down Travel & Tours who made my first "no hassle" trip there from beginning to end one that I will never forget in MY Paradise.
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Email Bettye | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The Tour Guide was knowledgeable, accommodating, and timely.
My tour was Cape Town only. The service was impeccable, the restaurants selected were "top of the line" and each wine tour that we went on were very memorable experiences. I enjoyed myself so much, I have plans to return to Cape Town with Go Touch Down Travel & Tours. It my understanding that there are over 500 winery in that region, I need to go back to do some more tasting. The best thing about the whole trip was the maximum number on the tour was 6 people. I highly recommend this trip.
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Top notch all the way. Great guides who looked out for us. Great food. Great places to stay. Great!!
GTD was quick to answer all questions and help with all travel arrangements. The tour and safari far exceeded our expectations in every way. The price was fair. We love GTD and have nothing negative to say about anything! If you get a chance, book with them!!!