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 Erica | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Beware of contract language!
My family’s experience with Go Touch Down for our “safari tour” was a complete disaster. I would absolutely NEVER book with them again, even if offered a trip at a fraction of the cost. They are able to lean heavily on clauses in their stock contract that allow them to entirely modify their itinerary.
Taken directly from the contract: “Go Touch Down shall not be responsible or held liable to secure the originally intended vacation package, which in many cases may not be available or its procurement may not be practicable due to forces of nature, market factors, or other related reasons” and “…when deemed necessary in its sole discretion reserves the right to: (1) cancel any itinerary or any part of it for any reason; (2) make any alterations to the itinerary (including, but not limited to, alterations or substitutions of hotels).”
In other words, they can promise WHATEVER they want and then dump you into whatever itinerary they come up with! I stupidly assumed this was boilerplate language that we’d have no choice but to agree to in order to sign up for any safari. But even if it is common contract language, most of us have to trust that tour companies wouldn’t dare abuse it; our experience with Go Touch Down revealed that this is not a company worthy of our trust.
My story is a long one, but here is the gist of key issues (though there were many more, too numerous to cover in detail). Go Touch Down closed one of our two safari lodges six months before our trip. They did not reveal this to me, but I instead discovered it on my own…even as I was having multiple phone conversations with our agent (the owner’s wife) about our stay at that very lodge because I was trying to make some arrival arrangements. Of note, Go Touch Down manages the lodges they use on their South African tours, so they knew of the closure, and I found they’d actually removed this lodge from a prominent corporate branding image months prior. When I asked our agent about the lodge closure, she became extremely rude and combative. Go Touch Down then used contract language to prevent us from getting a refund even though this was going to cut the safari portion of our trip in half and dump us at a freezing cold trout fishing timeshare they manage instead (this was the unfortunate fate for months of guests; we got last-minute lucky when they opened a new lodge just before our arrival and spared us the fish pond).
While we may have gotten a safari in the end (after so much grief and stress), it wasn’t the one we were sold. The number one reason I chose this tour had been the promise of a maximum of six people on game drives. In fact, the brief Go Town Down self-written bio on social media is “small group tours of max 6 people.” Upon arrival, we discovered that we would have ten people on our game drives – every seat in the truck filled, including the one up with the driver. Those squished into the middle seats could barely see anything, especially since nearly all of our drives were in covered-top vehicles and some fellow passengers were quite tall. Even the most barebones budget safari packages generally guarantee an outside seat. One high-level staff member brought up specifically how unacceptable this was and explained that many game drive vehicles no longer even have middle seats and instead place storage compartments down the middle! (I’m intentionally leaving out specific details like staff titles and names because I don’t want any of these wonderful people to get in trouble – we encountered so many who were very candid with us about their extreme frustration with Go Touch Down, and it is a testament to their own professionalism that they did not take out this frustration on their guests.) The entirety of our Morubisi stay was packed in like this, as was our full day in Kruger (even though in the latter case, we were assured the day prior that we would all ride together to Kruger and that a second game drive vehicle would be waiting to collect half of us for the smaller tour we’d been promised, but this didn’t actually happen).
Once again, Go Touch Down chose to lean heavily on contract language as an excuse. We certainly were not the only ones on our tour who were extremely upset, as many had chosen Go Touch Down for the six-person cap just as we had. One fellow traveler then astutely observed that the final documents we received the week of departure had been tweaked to state that any “outsourced” activities, including game drives, may have more than six people. First of all, Go Touch Down runs the game lodges, so the drives are hardly “outsourced.” Furthermore, this left only the transport from the airport and between lodges as what they’d deem non-outsourced. Who cares how many people we ride from the airport to the hotel with, it’s the game drives where that actually matters!
There were numerous other key advertised features of the tour that never came to fruition. For example, there was supposed to be a cultural music performance that never happened. There was also supposed to be a walking safari, but this was never offered. In addition, we were supposed to traverse the Panorama Route, a famous region of South Africa, when we were going to travel from Humala to Tshukudu. With the closure of Humala, we still faced a six-hour drive (not including a lunch stop), but we lost the morning game drive that was supposed to happen on that day and traveled a rather dull route to Tshukudu without scenic stops. And when we learned we’d be going to Morubisi, we were told of a wide variety of optional activities to choose from, such as a river cruise, to fill the long period between morning and evening game drives. But when we asked about this on site, we were told that only the reserve owner could drive the boat, and he wasn’t available to do so. In the end, there were no activities offered to fill the mid-day hours at Morubisi. Lodge staff were very apologetic and told us that Go Touch Down had frequently shifted financial priorities and was in the process of opening multiple new lodges which was causing not-atypical disruptions that were frustrating for them as well.
To be clear, this review is about Go Touch Down and why I would never recommend booking with them. The staff at the properties were almost uniformly lovely, and they were very candid about their own hatred of Go Touch Down management and about how guests constantly arrive having been entirely misled and taken advantage of. “They only know hotels” said one frustrated high-level staff member who was doing everything possible to give guests the safari experience they thought they’d purchased in the context of a management tour agency that seemed to think we were there for fancy rooms and meals that they attempted to spin as “upgrades.” So if your goal is to book an African safari, I would say this is NOT the company with which to do so – their contract is written in such a way that they may ultimately decide not to bring you to a safari property after all, and even if they do, it doesn’t have to be the safari you were promised.
South Africa is a lovely place, and there were many wonderful staff, animals, meals, fellow tour members, and hotel amenities that allowed us to make the most of our trip despite its many uncertainties and unkept promises. I have a lot of travel experience and love discovering joy in even the worst of situations. But ultimately what it comes down to is that Go Touch Down is a company that repeatedly made excuses for not delivering what we as clients were sold. Maybe they sometimes pull through, but it doesn’t seem like a risk worth taking when there are so many other options out there. This review has nothing to do with whether I would return to South Africa for a safari or whether the lodges we stayed at were nice. It is instead about warning people that there are thousands of actual SAFARI booking agencies, so I would highly recommend staying away from what was in our experience the unreliable, contract-abusing Go Touch Down when booking something as special as a safari.
Reply from Go Touch Down Travel & Tours
Posted on Sep 29, 2023Dear Erica,
Yes, Humala Lodge came as a surprise to all of us, but I know we made the right call.
My team and I are surprised to read the context of your review, and sadly we do not agree with you. Below are the facts on your file:
1. you bought a safari for 8 days that included 2x lodges (both 4 star). Humala Lodge was not big 5 reserve and has no lion or cheetah (keep that in mind, as that's what you paid for)
2. in Nov and Dec of 2022 there was ongoing unrest in the village outside Humala and Go Touch Down made a decision to stop sending clients to Humala (for safety reasons)
3. Jan 13th, 2023 Humala closed its camp. You were informed of this on *Jan 19th, 2023 (6 days later - we have the recorded call). *remember this date because we will address it again below.
4. Your new itinerary was going to incl. Dunkeld Estate for the 1st 3 days and it included a full day in Panorama Route plus Gumboot Dancers in the evening (you were not happy about this new change and wanted a full refund)
5. We then changed your itinerary and upgraded you to the 5-star Royal Morubisi (Big Five reserve that incl. Lions, cheetahs, and many wildlife that Humala did not offer).
6. The 5-star lodge opened June 2023 and you traveled July 2023. The Riverboat (was not included in the sale) was not available during your visit as it needed a qualified captain on that river (hippo's, rocks, etc.). (this is no longer an issue as we have a full-time staff that can)
7. Your sale docs are very clear about "Groups and Transport", and in addition, this sentence was included in your itinerary under Docs before you traveled to SA - I quote: "Our fleet of vehicles consists of Hyundai H1 9 seater vehicles. Our tour bus seating will not exceed 6 passengers; excluding your driver, for all our Exclusive Safari and Cape Town tours. However, outsourced excursions such as Table Mountain cable car, Robben Island Ferry, Cultural Township Tour, Game Drives, and airport transfers may exceed 6 passengers. Please be considerate and rotate tour bus seating with fellow travelers daily"
Your family of 3 would have occupied an entire row on your own during safaris. On the 4 days on safari at Tshukudu, you were only 5 people total on the jeep (your family of 3 and 2 others).
Regarding your comments about the Resort staff hating us and giving their opinions about our financial responsibilities - I have no comment, other than:
We asked the GM at Tshukudu about 'hate' statement, and he replied "These international clients from Go Touch Down are our bread & butter. The rangers and guides will never speak badly or get involved in politics. There are always cameras and videos around that can record ill behavior. We are not stupid to bite the hand that feeds us. This client is stirring".
The GM at Royal Moribisi replied and said: "Please get names from the client because we would never say that. The client told us that she only found out about Humala in the van on the way to Royal. We would like to know who she is quoting."
Go Touch Down's statement: "We send 2,000 + travelers from North America, Europe, and Australia to these lodges each year and we have never heard any other client say what you just did"
Covid and the 2 years that followed was a huge challenge for us. Many suppliers, airlines, and vendors closed their doors. So many tours had to be honored in the years that followed, and we made it all happen, and 'none' of our clients lost their investment they made pre covid.
9 out 10 clients are happy with our product. We are sorry that you did not see the value in this tour.
In closing: We sent you all the links and details prior to the trip, and Your email reply to us on May 2nd, 2023 said (and I quote): "Thank you for your very helpful responses! I've reviewed all of the materials, and only two quick additional questions come to mind....." You then continued to ask general questions, one of which was about the cost of the riverboat.
Sincerely,
JC - Corporate
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Email Cynthia | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Diligent, accommodating, friendly, professional, best travel agent ever
I thank Go Touch Down travel for providing me with the most exhilarating journey of a lifetime. Go Touchdown was flexible with my payment plan & helped me to meet my travel goals. Angie & the Go Touch Down team took care of ALL the details. Everything I needed was provided in a timely manner. Angie, my travel agent was available to answer questions and take care of all of my needs before and during my journey. The hotel arrangements were exceptional. All tours & excursions helped me to discover and learn the beauty of South Africa, Capetown, & Zimbabwe. I highly recommend Go Touch Down to everyone I talk to about my trip and to anyone consider the journey. Go Touch Down is definitely a highly professional travel company and I will call on them again for more trips to Africa.
Email Gillian | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very helpful
It was very well organised. All food provided was excellent and there was plenty of it. There was so much to see. I think that an overnight stay in Kruger would have been beneficial so that we could see the wild life in the early morning as well. There was again so much to see and very little time when we were only there for the day. The tour guides were very informative. The staff were very friendly and accommodating. It is unfortunate that we were unable to walk outside of the reserve itself because they do not have a gun licence. The scenery and wild life were breathtaking.
CA
Email Clyde | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
They were very professional
I booked a trip with Go Touch Down Travel for a Kruger safari and Victoria Falls tour. Angie and her staff were very professional. The accommodations provided were top notch. Meals were well prepared and tasty. The tour guides were very knowledgeable and friendly. I gave them a four-star rating as part of the safari required me to take a flight to one of the safari locations, however only a last-minute observation prevented me from being left at the location after the safari. The flight did not include a return. This return flight became an additional expense. Notwithstanding the return flight mix up, I would recommend Go Touch Down Travel to others.
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Email Lisl B | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
We had an incredible experience with Go Touchdown Tours at Tshukudu Game Lodge!
We had an incredible experience with Go Touchdown Tours at Tshukudu Game Lodge. The staff was wonderful, always friendly and attentive. The guides were knowledgeable and made our game drives unforgettable. The food was delicious, offering a variety of tasty options. The accommodation was amazing, providing comfort and stunning views. Highly recommended for an unforgettable safari adventure! Price was great and worth every penny. Communication with staff beforehand was on point, while at the lodge staff kept us informed. Very reliable and we can't wait to go again!
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Email Bob L | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very knowledgeable in the tracking of the animals and had a fantastic personality.
This was our once in a lifetime vacation and it didn't disappoint. The staff was very friendly and helpful while we were there. You'll never go hungry because they feed you four times a day and the food was great! We saw were able to see almost ALL of the animals and get plenty of pictures. Would highly recommend this to anyone.
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Email Donna | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great guides food selection off menus in restaurants. Happy 2 weeks
Very good. The days were long and tiring but worth it
CA
Email Susan | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
overall a wonderful experience
Both the Cape Town and Safari tour were wonderful,knowledgeable staff,very good food and accommodations and amazing animals on safari.Africa is a very beautiful country that your company enables tourists to experience.
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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 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.
