Ker & Downey® Africa staff
Ker & Downey Africa
- Located In:
-
United Kingdom
- Size:
- 50-100 employees (Founded in 2012)
- Member Of:
- APTA, SATSA, CTT & Safe Travels
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $500 to $950 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
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Email Susan and Bill | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Ker & Downey was reliable, knowledgeable, responsive making our legacy trip spectacular
The trip was really great and one of the biggest reasons from my perspective was that the logistics were executed perfectly by K&D taking an enormous load off my shoulders and allowing me to enjoy the vacation as much as the rest of my family.
We arrived in J'burg at night, left the next morning for our first game resort (Rock Fig), travelled to Rhino Post, then Cape Town, and finally Mosaic Lagoon. Every transfer was spot on, our tour guide in Cape Town was excellent, and having WhatsApp as a fallback every step of the way was reassuring - although largely unnecessary given how well you did your job.
Our flight to J'burg was delayed but that was a non-issue since K&D were on top of the arrivals. I left something on the plane (my own stupidity) and K&D helped immediately when we used WhatsApp to get some assistance. Other than those very small wrinkles, the trip went off beautifully.
Rock Fig was probably the highlight. It was small, exquisitely run, and gave us the perfect introduction to game drives. Rhino Post was less luxe and our guide more green but we still valued the chance to be in Kruger Park proper and we saw different wildlife and flora. We really valued our guide in Cape Town and probably should have spent another day in the city. Our final stop, Mosaic Lagoon, was in a spectacular setting and was a relaxing vacation from our vacation but we couldn't take full advantage of its offerings because the weather was a bit iffy limiting our chance to get on the water to whale watch.
I usually plan our family vacations but I knew I needed help planning such a big trip. I cannot even remember how I landed on K and D but I am so happy I did and I am spoiled now. Not sure I want to go back to being my own travel agent ever again.
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Email Tom and Kim | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Africa Changed Our Lives
We booked our Travel through Ker & Downey and they handled everything perfectly. We had never been on a Safari and we left our itinerary up to Ker & Downey. Sarah was our primary contact and she booked us at 3 different safari lodges to give us a sample of 3 different game reserves. Then we spent 4 days in Cape Town which was also magnificent. Rather than write all the details of the trip I will just leave you with two major thoughts that will hopefully address any concerns you might have about traveling to South Africa.
1. Don't hesitate to use Ker & Downey. Their service was absolutely perfect and we had no delays. They had someone meet us at the end of each flight and we had the best tour guide that one could have for Cape Town. We had a party of 5 people and everything went like clock work!
2. If you have ever considered a Safari but for what ever reason have not taken the step, DO IT!!! It truly changed our perceptions of South Africa and wildlife. The people were incredible and we had the opportunity to get up close to some amazing animals. Every scene had a story for example; watching a leopard guard it's kill while also guarding it's cub as a hyena circled the tree. Lions on a hunt for Impala. They were so close we could touch them. Elephants drinking out of our pool at one lodge. They were so close you could have touched them. On and On!! Just GO and let Ker Downey take care of the details. As they say, You Only Live Once so do a trip of a lifetime. We are already working on our next trip to beautiful Africa!!
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Email William G | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
East Africa Epic Excellence
This review may be as long as the wait for our pandemic postponed trip to East Africa, but I want to acknowledge everyone that made it so special. Ker Downey Africa team lead by Sarah Morris and Peter Pittendirgh took every request, wish and desire and designed and delivered the most wonderful luxury adventure, exceeding our every expectations.
Our driver greeted us upon arrival at the Kilimanjaro Airport and escorted us to Elewana's Arusha Coffee Plantation Lodge for a good night's rest after the long flights from the US. The next morning, we met Charmy, our Ker Downey driver and guide, who was with us for two days. He took care of our every need from shopping to guiding our game drives through Lake Manyara and the Ngorongoro Crater. The two nights at Gibbs Farm were made special by the comfortable furnishings and nightly fires in the fireplace of our cozy cottage. The well prepared meals were fresh farm to table. A private dinner was prepared for us in celebration of our 45th wedding anniversary.
The flights to the Serengeti were flawless. Octavian, our Asilia Sayari Camp guide, met us upon arrival. He took us immediately on a personalized game drive before checking us in at the camp. Sayari Camp is a luxury tented safari lodging. Eric and the rest of the staff were friendly and attentive. We witnessed two wildebeest crossings of the Mara River, a true highlight.
Travel from the Serengeti in Tanzania to the Masai Mara in Kenya is a little complicated. A small plane flight to motor coach. A drive to two immigration offices, followed by a motor coach ride to another small plane flight to Elewana's Sand River Camp.
Sand River Camp is on the banks of the peaceful and tranquil Sand River. Outstanding game drives with our Masai guide, Alex. World class cuisine prepared by the kitchen staff for ever meal. Hot Air Balloon Safari delivered a awesome balloon ride over the Masai Mara. True highlight.
After leaving the Masai Mara, we overnighted at the Hemingway Nairobi, an outstanding property and Ker Downey Africa arranged a visit to the Sheldrick Wildlife Elephant Orphanage. If you are in Nairobi, this is a must see. An incredible conservation effort to rescue and care for the elephants orphaned by human wildlife conflict and drought.
We flew to Rwanda and were met by Eric, our driver and guide for our last three days of our trip. After a night's stay in Kigali Serena Hotel, Eric drove us to Volcanoes National Park and The Singita Kwitonda Lodge. Kwitonda Lodge is probably the finest accommodations we have ever stayed. Rob and his staff provide a level of service second to none. Jonas, our personal attendant, took care of us 24 hours a day.
The Gorilla trek was beyond words. We spent an hour plus with the "Igisha" family of over thirty gorillas, including five silverbacks.
The next day we trekked the Golden Monkeys. Again, a lifetime experience. The only regret was we only stay two nights at Singita Kwitonda Lodge.
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Email Jane & David | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very professional, attentive, and prompt. We travel a lot and would highly recommend Ker & Downey
It was so easy to work with Sarah Morris to arrange our 12 day Egypt Tour. We did not do much research of our own, but the itinerary she put together was perfect and exceeded all our expectation, making our trip one of the most memorable one. All the important places were on our list as well as not to miss "extras" (e.g., entry to Seti I 's and Nefariti's tombs). Visit National Museum of Egyptian Civilization vs. Cairo Museum - I've heard other tourists complaining about the lack of AC at Cairo Musuem; besides all key pieces have been moved to the new Museum which is yet to open. Plan on visiting the Luxor in the late afternoon/early evening and splitting the visit to Luxor and Karnak Temples on different days, which is what we did. Highly recommend staying at the 4 Seasons at Nile Plaza in Cairo and at the Old Cataract Hotel in Aswan, even if the stay costs more. Highly recommend doing a private tour. Local Egyptologists were phenomenal, and it was great to hear that they prefer to work with Ker & Downey. The support team was also awesome - they were easily accessible and took care of our need in a real time.
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Email Cecily | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The Best Honeymoon Experience with Ker & Downey
My husband and I booked our honeymoon through Ker & Downey and it was the absolute best experience. They provided top notch service from the point of reaching out to them, to the actual experience while we were in Africa. We worked with Lauren who created a custom itinerary based on our needs. She was exceptional to work with- professional, responsive and very attentive, even getting on a call with us before the trip to walk us through the itinerary so we knew what to expect, what to pack, etc. Once we arrived everything was perfect- from the airport transfers to the incredible accommodations they had booked. We loved our tours in Cape Town and the surrounding areas with our tour guide Wayne, who was knowledgeable and again customized the tour, especially once he got to know us and what we were interested in seeing/experiencing. Laruen and the Ker & Downey team truly put a lot of thought in the overall experience as well, building an itinerary that just kept getting better. We ended the trip with safari at Londolozi, which was truly the highlight, followed by a few days in Victoria Falls. We did have a slight issue with flight delays in Victoria Falls, but the whole K&D team was there to support us via WhatsApp and helped get us a hotel in Johannesburg after we missed our connection and was ready to help us with anything we needed as we navigated missed flights home. Overall, it was the trip of a lifetime and we are so thankful to Lauren and K&D. We would definitely book with them again and recommend highly!
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Email Michael R | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing and an experience my family will never forget
Sarah put together an amazing itinerary and from the moment we landed in Kilimanjaro to the day we left Zanzibar everything went perfectly smoothly; everything was taken care of and we had an amazing time. I couldn't be more pleased with the way Ker and Downey Africa did everything. Highly recommend!
Email Patricia Bywaters | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Ker & Downey Africa gave us the trip we asked for, stress free and memorable.
This we hoped would be the holiday of a lifetime for myself and my family and we chose Ker &Downey Africa to organise it for us, we were not disappointed. They listened to what we wanted and came up with an itinerary which proved to be perfect, something for everyone young and not so young. Communications were excellent, when a problem arose they dealt with it quickly leaving us very happy with the proposed solution. This was not a budget holiday but we were happy that it was good value for money, we got what we paid for. From the time we landed on African soil we felt that Ker & Downey Africa were looking after us, they were there for us all the way not for one moment did we have to worry, stress free we asked for and that is exactly what we got. The lodges they chose for us were perfect, we could not have asked for more, the memories we brought home are priceless. Thank you Ker & Downey Africa for organising our dream trip.
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Email Fiona | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Flawless from ideation to execution
Thank you Ker & Downey Africa for crafting the most magical 2 week trip to Tanzania over New Year.
The entire trip was flawless from ideation to execution to being super quick to address any additional requirements/queries we had once we were on the trip itself.
Sarah Morris was on the ball from the moment we reach out to K&D to plan our trip. Respond time to all our emails was very prompt. We even had a group call a few weeks before we traveled to go over all our details, ensure we had all our documents and travel essentials ready. Sarah, Lauren, and Brondwyn also set up a whatsapp chat group to ensure they were always a message away while we were traveling.
I cant imagine Africa without this amazing team and will not hesitate to recommend K&D to anyone looking for a top notch travel agent to plan their once in a lifetime trip!
Asante Sana!
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Email Gil Judson | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Ker&Downey did a fantastic job setting up our trip and then managing the trip - could not be happier
Each of our lodges and tent camps were outstanding - exceeded our expectations.
Our two K&D guides were fantastic-knowledgeable, caring and fun.
Being there in the rainy season was not a problem at all. Not nearly as crowded as June/July - I recommend going in December.
Our trip manager, Sarah, was always available and seamlessly accommodated all our changes.
I will definitely use K&D again.
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Email Esther | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Couldn't be better
One of the best travel agencies. From the first contact we felt more than welcome and Sarah created the perfect tour for us. Even when we came down with Covid 3 days for departure last year, it was not a problem to shift the Safari.
Now we are back from the Safari and everything worked just perfect. We were pampered from the first step until to the last one.
Many thanks to Sarah and her team for this perfect holidays.
