The Giltedge family - end of the year function
Giltedge
- Located In:
-
United States
- Size:
- 50-100 employees (Founded in 1999)
- Member Of:
- IATA, ASTA, SATSA & CTT
- Tour Types:
- Custom luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $500 to $1,400 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
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Email Jerry | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Too many problems -- but the best guide
We booked our safari with Giltedge through Mangata Travel based on a recommendation from a friend. Things started off well and we built a terrific itinerary. Shortly after we made our deposit (which pretty much locked us in), Mangata became less responsive. As we poured over the itinerary in detail, we found several holes and contradictions. Some of our questions were answered but some were ignored. We started communicating directly with Giltedge in order to get answers.
When we landed in Africa and met with the local Giltedge representative, he was working with an outdated itinerary. The next morning, we met our guide/driver and discovered that his itinerary did not fully match ours. For example, at our first stop - Lake Manyara National Park - we had purchased four game drives, but he was only given passes for two. Not a good start.
From our first contact with Mangata, our #1 priority for our trip was to experience the great migration of wildebeest and other animals. Having never been to Africa, we relied on the experience claimed by Mangata and their partner, Giltedge Africa. Mangata placed us at a lodge in central Serengeti. When we met our guide/driver at the beginning of the trip at Kilimanjaro airport and reviewed the itinerary, he told us that regardless of how much or little rain there was, the migration is NEVER in central Serengeti in August. He offered to take us to the Masai Mara, but that would entail an 11-hour round trip on terrible roads just to fight the crowds to spend a brief time to see just a small part of the migration. I didn't think it was worth it. But thanks to our great guide, we had a wonderful week in Tanzania where we saw everything there is to see, except for the migration -- for which I will always resent Mangata and Giltedge.
After our safari, our plan was to go from the Serengeti to Uganda for gorilla trekking. It seemed the most direct way was to fly from Seronera to Entebbe. But Mangata told us that such flights don't exist. So Mangata routed us from Seronera to Kilimanjaro, then to Nairobi, and then to Entebbe - all in one day. About 2 weeks before our trip I noticed we were not yet given our tickets for the first leg to Kilimanjaro. (Note: this is something I believe the travel agent should have caught.) I asked for the tickets. When they finally came, it showed an additional stop in Arusha. This didn't seem to bother our travel agent. But four flights in one day seems excessive to us. One slip-up and we could miss a connection. Since we had expensive gorilla trekking permits for a specific day, we could not afford any problems. After we complained, miraculously we were booked on a flight from Seronera to Entebbe. Mangata and Giltedge said they were"calling in a favor" to get this flight. But once in Africa we learned that this is a regularly scheduled daily flight! This entire run-around was totally avoidable and caused a lot of unnecessary angst for us.
Apparently, Mangata does not have the experience claimed and adequate attention to detail needed to arrange a trip like this. We will not be booking through them again.
The biggest positive by far, though -- and for which we are thankful to Giltedge -- was our guide/driver, Meshack Godson from Arusha. He must be the best guide in all of Tanzania! His knowledge and instincts were top notch. And I learned quite a bit of Swahili from him. What we realized is that no matter how much you plan your safari, your guide is truly the key to it all. And we lucked out big time with Meshack!!!
Reply from Giltedge
Posted on Dec 23, 2019Hi Jerrry,
thanks for leaving us a feedback.
We immediately went back to your travel agent (Beth at Mangata Travel) to get further information & address some of the points you raised.
We're sorry to hear that your safari didn't turn out as you had expected but trust that Giltedge Africa always strive to deliver the best experience, as per the hundreds of positive feedback we have received since we've been in operations for the last 20 years.
Once again, thanks for delivering this feedback so we can improve where possible.
The Giltedge Africa team.
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Email David and Valerie | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Meg listened to what we wanted and worked with us to provide the perfect African Safari experience!
Meg was very prompt with her emails. We emailed several tour companies and she was the only one who listened to what we wanted and went above and beyond to provide it for us. She knew this was an anniversary trip for us and communicated that to the resorts/camps who then provided us with special treats. That was totally a surprise! She sent us specific information on what to expect and how to prepare for the trip. We felt like we were better informed than some of the other guests at the resorts/camps. For example, clothing, tipping, attitude toward the locals, etc. The tour itself was everything we anticipated and more! We wanted to be able to experience seeing the animals in their natural environment, take pictures of them and enjoy the scenery and different cultures. The guides were amazing and well prepared, knowledgeable and very accommodating. The hotel/camp staff were so friendly. They went out of their way to remember our names and treat us like family. We can't thank you enough for the amazing time we had. Thank you!
Email kev | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Good communications and put together a fantastic itinerary
Giltedge proposed an itinerary and managed to tailor it to our needs. The pick up went to plan and then every transfer from camp to camp were handled seamlessly with no lost time . The safari tour was excellent and all aspects handled in a professional way. Very happy with the service from Giltedge.
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Email Stanley | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Outstanding
The tour was wonderfully organized. We were met at every transfer point. Accomodations were very good, as were the guides.
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Email Elaine | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
My first safari experience was amazing!
I used Giltedge Africa to plan my first safari experience. My contact, Robyn-Lea was excellent. She responded promptly to any inquiries and had excellent suggestions. I was absolutely amazed by the entire experience! Everything was very well planned - accommodations were wonderful, tour guides were top-notch, and travel between countries was on time, and transfers from airports to hotels was smooth. I will not hesitate to use Giltedge Africa and Robyn-Lea in the future.
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Email Nancy & Vicki Sheppard | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
First class tour company that handles everything for you !
Robyn-Lea was wonderful and pleasant to communicate with in handling every aspect of our safari trip to South Africa, Botswana, and Zimbabwe. As first time South African visitors, she was able to get a feel for what our dreams were and set everything up to make our dreams come true. The whole trip was made easy by her organizing escorts at every stop of our trip. She even arranged luggage transfers when we had to par down our weight due to traveling in smaller airplanes.
We loved our trip! We will definitely use her and Giltedge to set it up our next trip!
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Email Char. Clamp | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent In Every Way
This is the second trip to Southern Africa that I have used Giltedge Travel and Robyn-Lea Meyer as my travel agency and agent. I cannot speak highly enough about this company and the service I received from the beginning stages of planning to the end of the trip. All questions and comments were responded to in a very timely fashion. Since this travel agency is based in Cape Town, it knows the southern Africa area and can develop the perfect vacation for you. Pom Pom Capo was recommended while we were in the Okavanga Delta and it was perfect. We moved onto the Victoria Falls Safari Camp in Zimbabwe where Robyn-Lea had booked us a dinner cruise and a Boma dinner. Wonderful! Victoria and Alfred Hotel in Cape Town has the best location on the waterfront and the service there cannot be beaten. We ended at Jock Safari Lodge in Kruger National Park which is a five star lodge in the middle of the bushveld. Without Robyn-Lea's knowledge and guidance, we never could have booked a trip like this on our own. Every transport was on time and the guides that were hired for private tours were fantastic. Would I use this agency again? Absolutely! The trip I took in 2015 and then again in 2019 were perfect without one problem. Giltedge Travel is the agency to use for African travel.
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Email Dwight | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Vic Falls plus Linyanti, Khwai, & Sanctuary Stanley's safari camps in Botswana
For this trip we compared four different tour operators in order to find the best option for our interests and timeline, Giltedge provided the best package that matched all our needs. The overall experience was fantastic and just as advertised/communicated to us up front. Very impressed with the Giltedge team and their attention to detail, what was promised was delivered. All of the connections, transfers, accommodations, and activities occurred without any problems or delays.
A special thank you to our consultant Sandi Bird who did a marvelous job of packaging this trip to meet our cost, schedule, and destination requests. I would highly recommend Sandi and Giltedge, their efforts made our first trip to Africa a truly special experience.
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Email Pamela Loper | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Absolutely Stellar!
Giltedge & African Travel Expert, Sandi Bird, surpassed ALL of our expectations! This was not a basic trip plan logistically, we had 4 small aircraft flights into bush camps, two commercial flights in and out of Maun, road transfers, greeters at Johansburg International to walk us through customs to get on another flight to Livingston, Zambezi river cruise, helicopter ride over Victoria Falls and all of this was done flawlessly! I mean not a minute delay, someone was always there to coordinate and greet us. The communication remained constant as all the bush flights are arranged the evening before. Sandi was extremly responsive during our booking process offering various suggestions and recommendations which all were an A+. This was our second Safari but our first with Giltedge and I would not hesitate to book with them and of course Sandi again! Sandi also recommended 2 different African Bush Camps as our tented camps (Linyanti and Khwai) and they were incredible-from the staff, guides, location and accommodations. They really made you feel special. We ended our trip at another of Sandi's recommendations, Stanley's Sanctuary, where you can have a real experience with two rescued elephants from culling operations. Very well worth it! I will be back Africa!
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Email Kevin & Diane | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
They carefully plan and execute an amazing trip for all needs.
We were very pleased with the company and especially with the staff that we had direct contact with. The itinerary that Lisa put together for us as well as the hotels and special touches, like a quieter hotel away from the aircraft flight route, made our African safari and vacation a wonderful and memorable experience. We appreciated her attention to detail and quick replies across the 5 hour time difference. Our guides were all top notch, well informed and very pleasant to be around. After 2 missed flights in transit to Cape Town our first guide, Noel, suggested moving our half day morning tour to the afternoon to give us time to rest and the opportunity to shop because our suitcases were delayed for 24 hours. He was eager to show us his city and we delighted in the unique spots that he took us to for morning coffee and lunch. We also followed his recommendations for dinner and were not disappointed. The four places that we stayed at (from luxury apartment to safari lodge) were exceptional in quality and staffing. We felt cared for and comfortable in all places. Giltedge Africa exceeded our expectations and we will be recommending this company to our friends who will want to replicate our amazing journey from Cape Town to Livingstone.