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 Simon | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fabulous safari experiences
We had a fantastic experience from the moment that Thabo our guide picked us up till the time we left. We were a group of 6 strangers at first, but became good friends almost immediately, and we stayed together for the entire safari. The stay at Humalo Lodge was great with fantastic service from the staff, and the food was amazing. The tent experience is really up to individual likes. The animals and the game drives were fascinating and productive. Then we moved to Tshkudu about a 6 hour drive, but we stopped and saw some amazing countryside, and enjoyed a good lunch. Tshkudu was another great experience, with great staff, food, accommodations and of course great game viewing. We then transferred to Livingston and stayed at the Avani Resort, right next to the Victoria Falls, what a great resort, it is in a game reserve, and animals walk and graze freely on the property. GoTouchdown has really vetted their properties and guides and does an amazing job.
Our only concern, really was with the communications regarding plane flights Relying on the internet with electricity outages and poor internet service caused a lot of angst amongst all of us. However, their contacts do respond quickly when there is service. One big recommendation is to provide easier to follow itineraries, one where the flights and transfers are separated from the location details, so that it can be easily sent as a pdf file, not uploaded to a difficult to access web page.
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Email Vivian | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
The tour operator was amazing. So helpful and nice.
The trip was amazing. The tour guides and the hotel operators were very helpful and very nice.
This was one of the best trips I have taken. I recommend everyone to take a trip like this.
Everyone always let us know where we were going and what time we needed to be ready for our tour for the day.
I wish we had a better camera because it was so beautiful. (not your fault) haha.
We made friends during the trip, which was so fun.
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Email Jim Adams | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Go Touchdown gave us an experience of a lifetime
All the accommodations were wonderful, with exceptional guides. The guides are so personal, and really take the time to give you 100% of their attention. The animals were of course the highlight and all excursions were thrilling. The food was so well prepared and just delicious.
Thanks Go Touchdown
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Email Charlie | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Go Touchdown is a great travel asset to help navigate an unforgettable vacation experience.
We enjoyed an extraordinary vacation in South Africa. Our guides were extremely knowledgeable of the historical and current culture of this beautiful country. The game drives were unforgettable. I couldn’t believe how close we were able to get to the many different types of animals. This was truly a bucket list trip.
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Email Denis W | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
South Africa at its best.
This is our second trip to South Africa using Go Touchdown Travel & Tours, our first bring in 2016. We used them again because we had a wonderful experience with them in 2016 and were excited to see and catch up with several of the Go Touchdown family/staff we met from our 2016 vacation. In 2016, we were some of the very first travelers to visit The Songimvelo Nature Preserve, staying in the Humala Lodge, deep inside the preserve. Songimvelo/Humala Lodge is one of our most favorite places in the world with stunning South African savanna’s, mountains, game drives and wonderful hosts, who we have kept in contact with since 2016.
We planned for a 3 week tour of South Africa and Victoria Falls for the Fall of 2020, but then COVID happened. With constant contact with Go Touchdown, we were able to postpone and eventually reschedule our trip for the Fall of 2022, Spring in South Africa, time to view p all of the baby animals. This time, we had a group of 6 travelers, taking in Cape Town, Songimvelo/Humala Lodge, Tshukudu Lodge, Kruger National Park, Victoria Falks in Zimbabwe and Chobe River National Park in Botswana.
In Cape Town, we stayed in three boutique hotels, Belle Morac, Sharks Bay in Langebaan and Stillness Manor on the foothills of Table Mountain. In Cape Town, we took in all of the sights, Table Mountain, Robben Island, Cape of Good Hope, wine country in Stellenbosch and Franschoek and so much more. We had a wonderful experience at the Gold Restaurant, featuring African cuisine and African performers and dancers.
From there, off to Songimvelo/Humala Lodge in East Central South Africa, bordering Swaziland. The views are simply stunning, everything we’d imagined Africa would be like. Mountains, savanna’s, rivers, rough roads and animals, lots and lots of animals. And you are alone with your game driver, no big crowds, no timelines, just you, nature, animals and great views. From here, on to Tshukudu Game Lodge and Kruger National Park. Now we’d view the Big 5, elephants, rhinos, Cape Buffalo, lions and leopards. No African Safari is complete without a trip into Kruger, and Kruger doesn’t disappoint. The views, the animals, the experience, a once in a lifetime experience.
We finished with traveling to Zimbabwe to experience Victoria Falls, one of the seven wonders of the world. Another breathtaking experience. Then onto Botswana and the Chobe River National Park. Here viewing hundreds of elephants on the Chobe River.
What makes Go Touchdown so wonderful, is the people we interact with at all their locations. The drivers, the game rangers, the staff, the performers at Humala, everyone made you feel at home and special.
I’d highly recommend this company and tour packages for anyone looking to experience their dream African Safari.
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Email Maggie | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The best
Well organized everything was unbelievable great , hotels we stayed were clean, food was good service excellent
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Email Cristina O. | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Exceptional Service
I went with my 4 sisters and 2 friends and we all had a memorable experience. All the staff were very friendly and helpful. They always have a big smile on their faces. Both our tour guides Thabo and Shamrack were exceptional. Thabo is a very happy person and very efficient. He’ll get things done even without you asking. Shamrack is a very skilled game guide. He knew exactly where to find the animals and we learned so much from his knowledge. We were so lucky to have both take care of us. We also think the food was delicious. We really had a very nice and memorable trip.
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Email Natalie Malin | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Dream of a Lifetime AND no single supplement
Overall, my trip to South Africa through Go Touch Down Tours was fantastic. The trip was everything that the tour operator said it would be. It was tremendous value for the money as all the accommodations were included and were first rate; majority of meals were included; all entry fees were covered; and we covered a lot of South Africa. This was one of my first times traveling internationally by myself, and I always felt safe with the Tour group. Here are some highlights:
· Mpumalanga - Tour guides & Tracker – I cannot say enough wonderful things about our tour guide, Joseph. He was very kind, and extremely personable. He ensured we saw everything promised on the tour, but he was flexible, and was so gracious in answering our questions and sharing about his country and culture with us. Additionally, our tracker at Tshukudu, Johnson, was so knowledgeable about the land and the animals. Our time with him at the game reserve and at Kruger were some of my best highlights. The staff at Tshukudu were all very warm and friendly. They were always ready to serve and to ensure we had a great visit. Food was delicious and there was always ample to try and experience.
· Mpumalanga itinerary – I am a city girl, but hands down, the safari portion of the trip was my favorite. The beauty in the area is amazing between The Chief and his three wives to Lisbon Falls to Potholes to God’s Window….all are majestic and photos cannot capture the true beauty of the area. BUT nothing matches the beauty of the animals and how close we were to many. I have a short video I took which I affectionately call “The Lion King Shot.” It has giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, impalas running in the shot, and it was amazing to see. We were with Johnson one day, and he turned a corner, for us to immediately start going backwards because two elephants were walking on the road towards us. Another day, we saw the lions eating a wildebeest, and then one morning the lions were walking near our jeep. There are so many wonderful memories!
· Cape Town tour and staff – This is an action packed itinerary, and JP, our tour guide, did a great job of dealing with Cape Town traffic and showing us all the sites. Cape Town is stunning from Simons Town with the penguins, Chapman’s Peak, the Cape of Good Hope, V&A Waterfront, the coastline, Table Mountain, and of course the wineries. Robben Island, which was an extra excursion on the last day was fantastic, and it is a must see!
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Email Susan | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
A fine tuned, well oiled machine.
The guides were great. They all knew everything about everything. I had a million questions about animals and birds and they were able to answer them. The food was great. No bad meals. The accommodations were very nice and they kept getting nicer as the tour went on. At first, I didn't understand how it all worked since I had never travelled with guides who helped us with everything and took us everywhere. Other than the road into Tshukudu was extremely bumpy (gravel might help the vans negotiate the road better), all of the accommodations were nice--once we got there.
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Email Jan | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
She was very helpful even though we had set backs because of Covid.
We were four senior ladies traveling for the first time to Africa so we had to trust our tour company for their knowledge. The safari exceeded our expectations from the accommodations to the food. We saw all of the big five animals in the first two days of the safari, The staff in the lodges couldn't have been more accommodating.
Tsukudu Game Reservewas beautiful and our rooms were spotless. Avani resort at Victoria falls was beautiful as well as the falls. Each time we were to be picked up the driver was there to bring us to our destination.
We couldn't have been more pleased.