The Tailormade Africa team - Cape of Good Hope SA
Tailormade Africa
- Located In:
-
United Kingdom
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 2015)
- Member Of:
- ATTA, SATOA, ATOL & Fair Trade Tourism
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $126 to $1,885 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
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Email Tommy & Keri Gallo | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Clyde planned a trip of a lifetime that far exceeded our expectations and made us fall in love with.
When we set out to plan our 3 week trip to Africa, we thought we knew where we wanted to go and when. After researching many companies to plan our trip, it was quite obvious who stood out above them all. Clyde at Tailormade Africa was the only one to truly understand our wants and needs. We weren't just another customer. He really listened to us.
He has such a love for Africa and wanted to make sure that he passed that feeling on to us. We can't say enough about Clyde and the amazing experience he planned for us.
Based on what we wanted to see during our trip, Clyde choreographed such a memorable trip. He educated us on where we wanted to be and when. We wouldn't have changed a thing.
We were treated like royalty. Every detail was taken care of. Clyde was always there for us while planning our trip, as well as during our trip. Our trip was a very uptempo 3 weeks, with a lot of moving parts. We were guided smoothly every step of the way. He would reach out to our camp or hotel if he couldn't check in with us. Who would do that? It was such a touching personal touch.
Every camp that Clyde booked for us was outstanding. The accommodations, the food, the staff, the wildlife!! WOW!! WOW!!WOW!!
Our hotels were gorgeous. Best locations. Top notch. We would repeat the entire trip tomorrow if we could.
We never met Clyde in person, but definitely feel that we can call him friend. He deeply touched our heart and soul and helped us to fall in love with Africa. I have tears welling up in my eyes as I write this because it was such a memorable trip. We are blessed to have found Clyde and to have found our new love of Africa.
Our hope is to return one day soon.
In the meantime, I am eager to share my experience with anyone who will listen. My hope is that if you're reading this you'll be able to experience a fraction of what we did. And that you'll return with a newfound love of Africa. Happy travels.
CH
Email Wael Jabi | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Exceptional Service with unparalleled level of attention to detail
Clyde at TailorMade Africa really takes the time to get to know you on personal level. Only once he's done that, he's able to recommend the right trip with the right budget. I highly recommend him. He has surpassed all my expectations every time i book with him. It is a real pleasure dealing with him as he is very responsive and knows the industry very very well. He even knows most of the game rangers that are on my trip! & i've been to many countries in Africa!! a rare gem!
Email Sarah and Jonathon | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable 6-week African Honeymoon - South Africa, Victoria Falls, Tanzania and Uganda
After some Internet research and getting ourselves very overwhelmed with 'where to start planning this trip to Africa?!' we came across Tailormade Africa. From our first email response from Rob it was clear this was a different service to the others. No generic email or pamphlets were sent to us. Straight away Rob really just wanted to get us on the phone to understand who we were and what we wanted out of our holiday. Our first phone call went for over an hour!
The phone calls and planning kept going for months and months but were always enjoyable. The communication was always prompt and professional, close to 12 months of changing and refining our plans. The end result was a 6-week honeymoon that had so many complex, moving parts. So many internal flights and countries and transfers but all ran so smoothly and not one hiccup. A real credit to the planning and support we received from Rob.
We had such an amazing range of experiences. Starting with a 2-week self-driving trip along the Garden Route in South Africa, through to Victoria Falls for a few days and then onto Tanzania for our 6-day safari through Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti. We had a week of sun and relaxation on Zanzibar Island before heading to Uganda for the final leg. Here we went on another Safari and experienced the truly unforgettable and surreal gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.
We truly had the most amazing holiday and are dreaming about planning another trip to Africa. We have already got two of our friends planning their honeymoon with Rob next year and couldn't recommend him and Tailormade Africa more!
Email Anne and Mal Bolton | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
We asked for a 'holiday of a lifetime' we got it and so much more.
From the very first telephone conversation with Rob Morley at Tailormade Africa he understood who we were and what we wanted. We were tourists but did not want a tourist holiday. We wanted to see the 'real africa' and meet and get to know its people. Rob's understanding and personal touch ensured we did this. With his expert knowledge and attention to detail our trip was flawless. From the trek and spine tingling encounter with the mountain gorillas in Uganda through the awesome spectacle that is the Masai Mara to the beauty of the Manta Resort on Pemba Island where it shows what can be done to enhance this world and not destroy it. The lodges and resorts Rob chose were small, intimate and just perfect and the local people we met were fantastic. Their warmth, lust for life and smiles are infectious.
We now consider Rob a friend and have no hesitation in recommending Rob and Tailormade Africa to friends and family.
And yes we really do think we saw the 'real africa'
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Email Sue B. and Bill Z. | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Tailormade Africa perfectly crafted every single amazing detail of our return trip to Botswana!
We trust, respect and adore our friend Clyde Beatty, co-founder of Tailormade Africa! We first worked with Clyde several years ago when he was part of another safari business. When we discovered by accident that Clyde now has his own company, we immediately contacted him and asked if he would help us plan our long-awaited return to Botswana. Through email and pre-planned early morning Seattle-to-UK phone chats, Clyde both patiently asked us a lot of questions about where we wanted to go and what we were looking for in our trip AND (because he had spent the time to get to know us well) suggested visiting a different part of Botswana. It turned out to be the perfect combination of familiar and exciting! We revisited the Okavango Delta and Linyanti regions AND experienced the picturesque Tuli Block for the first time! In fact, the Tuli Block lodge Clyde recommended was our favorite! Except for our international flights, Clyde arranged every single detail of our trip, and every single detail was perfection. How often can one say that these days, especially about something as complex as international travel? As middle-aged travelers, we were very happy that there was no drama and no glitches - we were absolutely free to enjoy being in Africa without having to worry about day-to-day travel plans.
The tour that Tailormade Africa planned for us included thoughtful details and had a great rhythm to it - exhilarating, but not overwhelming. For example:
- Clyde suggested a one-night stay in J'burg between arriving in Africa and starting the safari that was extremely helpful in shaking off jet lag.
- We couldn't stay at Kwara in the delta (where we'd stayed in 2010) because it was closed for remodeling, but got to visit Little Kwara instead.
- We were astonished at the beauty of Lagoon camp.
- We had a comfortable one-night stopover in Maun at peaceful Thamalakane Lodge north of town where my husband could go online and check in with his work.
- And, as he has done in the past, Clyde arranged for our most comfortable lodge to be the last one in the safari: Mashatu Game Reserve.
Traveling as a couple, we were able to meet other like-minded people on our game drives and at meals. We were treated like family by all camp and lodge staff; I really miss them, particularly our exceptional guides and trackers, who put up with all our questions! The food included vegetarian options and was delicious. Compared to 2010, we experienced more African cuisine choices at the buffets and we loved seeing that! And we always had the time frame of about noon to three each day to relax, regroup, write, nap, and/or shower between morning and afternoon/evening game drives.
As two biologists, the game drives were the highlights of our trip. We loved every sighting: the tiniest flowers to baobabs and mashatu trees; dung beetle balls to a coalition of two male cheetahs making a kill! We were most surprised by the number of baby animals we got to see! For instance: African wild dogs and their pups; leopards and their cubs; elephants and their calves; spotted hyenas and their cubs; and lions and their cubs. ANY of those ALONE would have been wonderful, but to experience all of them was unimaginably rewarding.
We've been home for 48 hours now, but all we can think about is... when can we go to Africa AGAIN? God willing, our health will hold out so that we can return, and when we do, it will be with Tailormade Africa!
Email Rob | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic, well organised and stress free holiday
Our agent Rob, did a fantastic job of crafting an itinerary with us - incorporating what we were excited to do, what we weren’t interested in, and addressing the concerns that we had (as a gay couple this was quite important to us).
There was plenty of communication, with our questions addressed quickly, and lots of information provided.
The tour, facilities, guide, hotels etc all were fantastic. Much more than we were expecting. Everything was super relaxed, but well organised. Staff (including our guide Amani) helping us to feel welcome, relaxed and unhurried.
Overall an amazing experience, and one we hope to repeat again
Email Anne and Andrew | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Excellent service, demonstrating a high level of knowledge and experience, delivering top quality.
Our experience throughout with Tailormade Africa was excellent. We felt that Clyde understood our requirements and demonstrated a real interest in getting to know what we wanted and our level of safari experience. In putting together our trip we always felt that he was striving for something tailored to us and seeking the best of what was available. Having booked, Clyde then looked after us at all stages up to and through the trip, meaning that we never felt out of his care. We had a most fantastic trip, with superb accommodation, excellent guides and very memorable experiences throughout, both in South Africa (at the beginning and end) and on safari in Botswana (the main part of the trip). Overall, we were extremely satisfied and would definitely use Tailormade Africa again.
Email Dilini, Bhanu & Shalinda | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Incredible experience and our best trip to date!
This was our fourth trip to Africa and certainly our best to date. We started planning nearly two years in advance and Clyde was with us every step of the way sharing his personal experiences and ideas but still being willing to listen and consider our needs. The level of service and expertise extended to us surpassed our expectations, especially when we had to suddenly bring our trip forward to March from August. Clyde never batted an eyelid and did everything needed to ensure that we had a successful trip. He was always super responsive (even on weekends) and used to get on the phone with us to discuss issues and concerns even though we were based in Sydney.
Travelling to Botswana in the green season is always tricky. We had heard horror stories from friends who had travelled the previous year and were quite apprehensive about it all. Clyde assuaged all our fears and promised us that we would enjoy our three weeks in Bots and how right he was.
Clyde chose some amazing camps and operators for us - we did not want super luxury accommodation but did want operators who prioritised the game viewing experience and that we did get. We started with mobile camping with Letaka, moved on to a combo of Kwando camps and finished off in relative luxury in Mashatu. The areas chosen covered quite a bit of what Botswana had to offer and the game viewing took our breath away.
We camped in the Okavango Delta and slept under the stars on an open deck in the Kalahari. We felt our jeep vibrate with the roars of lions, spent hours with leopards, saw cheetahs hunt, came face to face with black maned Kalahari lions, observed the funny antics of wild dogs and were surrounded by elephants and mock charged by feisty teenagers.
From the time we landed in Johannesburg to the time we left for home we were looked after like royalty. Clyde not only monitored our progress and got messages across to us but when one of our flights got cancelled due to bad weather he went out of his way to arrange alternative transport methods so that we still made it on time for our evening safari.
We cannot recommend Clyde and TMA enough. In fact we have already booked a tour to Uganda with them for December and are in the process of organising a trip to Zimbabwe next year.
Email Andy | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
A very successful trip, with extremely high quality advice, planning and execution from TMA.
Clyde jumped into action at very short notice, quickly understood our preferences and put together a carefully thought-out itinerary that hit our high expectations. Clyde was super-responsive and clearly has a deep knowledge of the safari experience from his time as a guide. He appreciated that we had been on many safaris in the past and that we were focused on the wildlife and quality of the guiding - the camps and guides he found for us were really excellent and just what we had in mind. All of the arrangements worked flawlessly and it was impressive that Clyde was monitoring our progress as the trip unfolded. We felt that he was taking a genuine interest in the experience we were having. The order of camps was also thoughtful - Mara Expedition Camp (in a private concession) for a rich experience with a great volume of wildlife but of course also many tourists; Ol Donyo in the Chyulu Hills, for a more remote (although extremely luxurious) experience with some really epic wildlife experiences, particularly on night drives (incredibly, we saw aardwolf, striped hyena, african wild cat, porcupine, chameleon, genet, spring hare); and Campi Ya Kanzi, also in the Chylulu Hills, for a remote and wonderful cultural experience and great walking opportunities. All guiding was first rate - particuarly Edwin in the Mara and James at Ol Donyo. All accommodation was of an extremely high standard (although, as a minor constructive comment, Ol Donyo did seem somewhat over the top in terms of luxury and they will need to ensure they don't over-sanitise the lodge experience). All in all, a fantastic and memorable experience. A big thank you to Clyde.
Email Nicola and Steve | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Clyde and the team where very helpful, very proffesional and organised everything perfectly.
Everything that Clyde said he would do, he did. The organisation was second to none, we were looked after at every juncture. The guides we had (3 in total) were good company, very knowledgeable and a pleasure to spend time with. The accommodation was as good if not better that expectation. We had 4 internal flights and every one was organised well, we were handed over from one person to another with no room for getting lost or being unsure of what to do. We had an itinerary with us at all time and were given contact details for every eventuality, including Clyde had we needed him.
I would have no hesitation with recommending Clyde and the company, and we will use them again for our next adventure.
Many thanks