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 Sandy | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Go "Worry Free" with GTD (Go Touch Down)!
For an "Adventure of a Lifetime" Don't Think Twice. Book it! I love to make my own travel plans, but in places where they drive on the opposite side of the road & limited wi-fi, why not go worry free. From the time we met Angie at the travel show with her enthusiasm & pictures (that really were accurate photo's of our adventures), to the phone conversations with Dana's knowledge, organization & fun planning our signature tour, and than the excellent helpful African guides like James, Bill & Fredrick, I say, think about the time of year you want to go for your best experience and than "just book it"!
Some tips that I think might be helpful: Wifi is available at several places,but usually it's by the resort lobbies or restaurants.Print or take pictures of the vouchers & itinerary found on the web site before you go. Enjoyed the small 5-6 group size. Much easier for the guide to accommodate everyone and would have been impossible on a big bus tour. Consider going a few days early with the signature tour for the cultural excursions. Lessedi, Mandala day in Joburg, Cradle of Mankind, interaction with the elephants (we even fed & got a kissed from an elephant). All of these were so worth the extra time & money.
Prepare for a wonderful culinary experience. The meals are 4 to 5 star. A great time to try the ostrich & other African dishes. We loved the true dirt road safari experience at Humala vs the commercialism of Kruger. Over exceeded our expectations for the animal & nature lover that I am. In October we were able to see several babies. For city lovers, you will love how they were able to pack so many adventures into the few days in Cape Town. The wait to get up to Table Mt was well worth it, Penguins, Seal Island, Wharf area, wineries & more. Consider the add on Vic Falls adventure. Not just for the falls but waking up to zebras outside your resort window, seeing herds of wild elephants, & interacting with the people from Zambia & Zimbabwe. We liked the low water season of the falls vs high water that you need to wear rain gear. The guides & resort staff helped us contact the African GTD contacts to answer any questions we had while in Africa, THANKS GTD for the memories & pictures of a lifetime".
US
Email Edward | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Overwhelmingly positive
We chanced upon Go Touchdown Tours at a South African art display in Sarasota, FL and entered to win a South African safari vacation. We did not win a trip, but we did receive discount coupons that, with trip prepayment, made the trip (for two adults and a teenage grandson) affordable. We were very pleased with the attention to detail, generally rapid response to questions, accommodations included, staff friendliness, dedicated driver while in SA (James), and overall value. Meals were “order anything off the menu” with no restrictions so we ate well and got to try local cuisine. We enjoyed Dunkeld Estate but especially liked our time at Humala River Lodge and the intimate game experience in the Songimvelo Reserve. In hindsight, we would have preferred another day at Humala rather than the trek to and disappointing quick day at Kruger, where we had a fairly “grumpy” Jeep driver who kept to the main road and did not give us much opportunity to see wildlife hiding off in the less exposed side areas. We saw the most wildlife at the Pilanesberg National Park, but enjoyed the most “in the bush” experience at Humala. Definitely worthwhile trip!
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Cape Town and Safari - 2 Weeks Of Bliss In South Africa
My husband and I were more than a little skeptical when we purchased 2 weeklong vacation packages in South Africa, back in 2013, at an invitation only event in Sarasota, Florida. The Travel Ambassador who represented the tour operator, Go Touch Down Travel and Tours, and her Manager, made us an offer that seemed too good to be true - but we took a deep breath and decided to take the plunge. Both their Cape Town and Safari Packages included almost everything one could ask for ... all ground-transportation, meals, accommodations, all excursions (and there were stacks of these) ... and even gratuity at the amazing restaurants we would visit ... plus a tour guide for both weeks, and a tracker during the safari week ... and even a South African cell phone, so that we were constantly in touch with our guide and family back in the US could reach us. Best of all were the terms. Firstly they gave us a fantastic promotional price at the event, that saved us thousands of dollars overall . Secondly, they asked only for a small 12% down-payment, and gave us 36 months to pay-off the balance, interest free! Well, we simply could not say 'no', but understandably, until we actually took the trip, we still had a few doubts.
Well, the reality was as good, if not better than, what we had been promised. Yes the flight was long, and at times the bar service was a little slow, but that had nothing to do with the tour operator, as we flew Delta from Atlanta, using our frequent flyer miles. As we touched down in Cape Town however, we were greeted by our smiling guide for the week, who took us under his wing, and made us feel like family.
We had two other couples in our group for the Cape Town week, one from the UK and the other from Toronto, Canada, and we quickly all became great friends (and have stayed in-touch via facebook ever since). My personal Cape Town highlight was our visit to Robben Island and learning about Nelson Mandela's incarceration there. Second favorite for my husband and me were the amazing restaurants we visited, followed by out trip up table mountain and then the visit to Hermanus.
The Safari week was also outstanding. The resorts, towns and sights we visited were all superb and the memories will be etched in my mind forever. The 3 days we spent at Kapama Private Game Reserve, managing to see and photograph 4 of the Big Five (we unfortunately never got to see Leopard, but our trekker did find their 'spoor'), were the highlight of the Safari week. Again the meals, transportation, game drives, and accommodations were simply superb, and we made more friends with whom we have remained in touch ever since.
Go Touch Down Travel And Tours offered outstanding communications both before, during and after the tours, and excellent service all round. For anyone thinking of visiting South Africa for the first time, or who is looking for an all inclusive, activity packed stay, this company will be hard to beat - and their prices and terms are simply unmatched by anything we have ever seen anywhere else. Unless you are prepared to pay a lot, lot more, we would recommend this company for all round value, outstanding service and unbeatable terms.