Dear Miriam,
During my time with Nomad in South Africa I have seen many beautiful things, the variety of landschapes and the wildlife we have seen were beyond my expectations! We had a really nice group and after a long day of driving, sightseeing or other activities we all sat down around the campfire. The highlight of my trip was the game drive in Kruger, we saw the big 5 in one day! Thank you for this great time!
Kindest regards,
Elle from Africa Calling (3 Oct 2011)
Dear Claire,
we are satisfied so much with our holiday in Tanzania and Kenya. Thank you so much for perfect preparation our Africa Tour ! We had best of cookie and experienced guides from both your co-partners Tazanie Experience and Kibo Slopes Safari.
We watched a lot of kinds of animals and over 70 kinds of birds and other more. Hundreds elephants in Amboseli, big group giraffes in Tsavo, rhino in Ngorongoro, a lot of big cats in Tarangire, Serengeti and Masai Mara for example. Wildebeests were crossing Masai Mara River - it was so amazing ! Each national park was beautiful for us. We have a got over 10.000 pictures. After selection on next time I put some choice pictures to my website and I willl send you URL link.
Our accommodatins were grade too. Stay in Kilimanjaro View Lodge was unforgettbale. It was Eden on the Earth. Nice welcome from Philip and staff. It is realy beautifull place, grade view point to landscape. We watched Sunbirds drinking from flowers, flying Raptors, sleeping chameleon and other animals, especial White-Black Colobus Monkeys.
We are happy for everything, we hope, we will return to Africa on next time with your agency.
Thank you very much for everything again.
All the best, King regards,
Petr, Dana, Michal from Czech Republic
(Nomad Leisure – A Private Tour with our Local Operator, not run on a Nomad Adventure Truck – August 2011)
Hello Claire
We all made it to the top. It was great. The guides and everybody belonging to the group was very friendly and helpful aswell. Also Achim. Thanks for helping us to organize this trip!
Kind regards,
Gabriel, Olivier and Flavia (Kilimanjaro route- September 2011)
Dear Chemone,
I’m writing you to send you our feedback for the tour Cape Town to Windhoek that we have just done with Philani, Nyika, Stefan and the truck Marylin.
The tour was great in its whole, and the group was also very friendly. We enjoyed it so much that we’ve regretted having left the tour in Windhoek, instead of going to the end in Vic Falls.
The organization was perfect and the places we visited were wonderful!
I hope we’ll have the possibility to join you in another tour.
Many greetings from Italy
Luca Bosetti - (Cape Town to Victoria Falls - Aug 2011)
Dear Reshma
It was lovely to meet you 3 weeks ago at the start of my tour. I can’t believe how quickly time has gone and I returned home from SA this morning, very sad that my African adventure has been and gone.
Thank you for persuading me to go on the 20 day tour, I am glad this also gave me the opportunity to revisit Cape Town! I had an amazing time on the trip which was full of great experiences and memories to cherish. I can’t believe we did so much – time just flew by!
It will take me a long time to sort through my photos and video as there was so much to capture! If I wanted to send you some photos for consideration for inclusion in the next brochure, would it be best to send you a (facebook) weblink to a selection of my best photos from the trip?
Best wishes
Daniel Musikant - (Cape Town to Vic Falls - Aug 2011 )
Dear Reshma
Our adventure was great. We really enjoyed ourselves and the guides were amazing! We had such an wonderful time and I think we both now really love Africa with its people and nature.
Best regards from rainy Switzerland.
Rahel Baenninger - (Malawi & Vic Falls - Aug-2011)
Dear Reshma,
Many thanks for your email. We had a great trip and we'll consider NOMAD again for future trips in Africa. We all filled in the evaluation form at the end of the trip with our comments and suggestions. Hope they are helpful for you.
Thanks a lot for helping us with the organisation of the trip!
All the best,
Rocio - (Okavango & Chobe - Aug 2011)
Dear Claire
Thank you very much for the Green Seat Certificate. Also my second Nomad tour was great. What beautiful landscape in Swasiland and Lesotho! The absolute highlight was horse riding in Lesotho. A fantastic experience!
Thanks a lot for your effort and hopefully till another time!
Best regards
Marion (26 August 2011)
Hi Reshma,
Hope all is well!
Just to give you some brief feedback on my awesome tour!
From the first day to the last day I had a truly amazing time. My guides Derek (he spells it in Afrikaans but I don't remember how to do it) and Morrison were great. Both were very friendly, helpful, knowledgeable and funny. Had a great time with them! As for the truck and accommodations (tents), they were very comfortable and clean. Honestly they were much better than I initially expected!
The meals were also very good (prepared by Derek). All the locations where we stopped, especially the Delta, Etosha and Vic Falls were truly amazing places which I definitely hope to return to one day! The distances between stops were also very reasonable and I appreciated the fact that the treks were broken up into smaller sections as opposed to driving 10 hours in a day. Between 2 and 5 hours was perfect.
The facilities at each of the campsites were basic but more than enough to meet my needs. Generally clean and provided warm water. The additional staff including polers etc throughout the trip were excellent! The only concern on that respect is that the polers did not seem to have brought sufficient food for themselves in the Delta. I felt bad because we were all eating our meals and many of them did not seem to have anything. We always made sure to leave a little extra for them afterward. However, I would suggest that we should carry additional food into the Delta and that we would eat together as a group. It could be included in their compensation or something of that sort. Also, the trucks should probably be equipped with sealed (and durable) containers for all trips into the Delta. This would keep out bugs and maintain freshness.
Finally I really appreciate the pre and post trip services provided by Nomad (specifically you haha!). Receiving almost instantaneous email responses and always being there to address questions or concerns definitely sets Nomad apart. Prior to my trip I did some shopping around and Nomad's superior level of customer service was my deciding factor.
Thanks again for a truly unforgettable experience!
Sincerely,
Sam Imbeault (15 Aug 2011)
Good Morning Reshma,
We are home now and have seen to all my immediate tasks that need to be attended to on return.
I would like to thank you for all your assistance during my lead up to the 20 day Safari. You were just amazing with your response time and ability to answer all questions. I am a very seasoned traveler and not used to group tours. My research takes me months when heading off each year so I probably took up more time than most of your travelers with questions.
The tour was just perfect and I was so pleased to have someone take command and leave me to just enjoy everything.
The tour was far better than I could have imagined and I saw a lot more than I expected. The included tours were all amazing and I have some amazing photographs.
Johannes was just the best guide and leader one could hope for. He is a very special person with the most beautiful soul. His patience, humor and knowledge were excellent and his ability to organize us as a group amazing. As you would be aware, we had a break down some 170 kmls from our accommodation and we were left sitting beside the road for a few hours. It’s amazing the various ways we all found to amuse ourselves. Due to the respect we all had for Johannes, not one person complained. Johannes remarked on this on more than one occasion and I think he was so appreciative of our understanding.
We were picked up by Mama and taken to the accommodation late but at the end of the day we were fed and bedded in the great Nomad style.
The following day we had an adventure with Nick from Swakopmund in his rather small vehicle. Squashed in like sardines with our entire luggage we spent the day in Etosha. Nick had never been there so we all enjoyed the experience together and saw lots before heading off to our accommodation and later on the watering hole before dinner. Next morning Nick took our luggage to the next lot of accommodation whilst we all piled onto an open truck and headed off to explore more of Etosha. Another wonderful day of sightings and on return to camp we spent some exciting moments at the waterhole before finally being united with our leader and MJ Johannes had made it back and we were a group again.
Nomad along with Johannes was amazing in handling this situation and for this we were all most appreciative.
The lovely Siema was just delightful and assisted me with my lactose free meals on every occasion. Our meals were of good quality and varied each day – no complaints. She was a fun person who totally enjoyed her job and joining in with us. Manuala was a huge asset on the trip. She is so tiny but managed to lift my luggage on and off the truck much to my horror plus fuss over us at meal times. Her talents and experiences are amazing for one so young and I can see a huge future for her when her studies are completed.
| A summary of the crew | - | extraordinary. |
| The accommodation | - | so much better than I imagined, just wonderful (with one exception) |
| Driving and safety | - | never once did I feel unsafe in the vehicle, Johannes was an excellent driver. |
| Health | - | I had minor concerns about food preparation and hand washing, but Siema had this so under control . She performed amazing feasts in her outdoor kitchen and had the basin of water ready for hand washing. |
| Excursions | - | exceptional. |
I have passed on information to a woman from my Gym who is going to Africa next year with her husband and daughter. . I did ask them to email you. I know they have been on the web site and are very impressed.
Once again thank you Reshma and I hope to return 2013 to visit more of South Africa with Nomad of course. I met many local people on the overnight train, at B&B's and day tours and I was just so taken with their enthusiasm and hope for the future. What was I expecting? I don’t really know but I do know that I would have loved to have had a lot more time in Cape Town.
Sincerely
Dianne Hudson (29 Jul 2011)
Dear Nomad
I have just returned home from the Cape Town to Vic Falls camping tour and would just like to say I had the most amazing time!! Loved every minute of it and it is an experience I will never forget. The guide and cook were great and topped off the trip. Im already starting to think about another Nomad tour in the near future. Thank you!!
Kate Wildes (25 july 2011)
Dear Nomad
Gertie and Henk, you were the greatest guides and I loved the tour and everything about the places we visited! Can't wait to come back, Africa is beautiful and I miss the landscapes and you!
Laura Kraus (22 july 2011)
Hi Reshma,
I am very well, "recharged" after a relaxed holiday in east-africa.
It's absolutely true that eastern africa is very different from the southern countries. Unfortunately, our truck got stuck at the border between malawi and zambia, so we weren't picked up from the hotel in Nairobi by truck, but by shuttlebus, which took us to Arusha. This was fine and I was surprised that even though we had to change busses a few times, everything went pretty smoothly.
Mike was a very good driver and certainly a nice guy. I liked the fact that he informed us on everything necessary, but wasn't too much "in the picture". He just let us enjoy our trip without being too involved.
If I would have to come up with something negative, I'd say the facilties on the campsites in the Serengeti(pretty dirty) but I guess there's not much you can expect in east africa;-)
The campsite in Dar es Salaam was very good, and Zanzibar was just awesome.The accomodations there were better than I expected, although I'd recommend staying in Kendwa Rocks instead of Nungwi Inn. Nicer beach and more lively:) We stayed there for 7 nights after the tour, which was nice after the pretty intense serengeti tour and the 14 hour bumpy trip from arusha to Dar es Salaam.
I'll send you some pics. You can of course use them for the website if you wish.
Thanks again for arranging this tour, hakuna mataka it was:)
Regards,
Ivo Neut - Serengeti Trek & Zanzibar (25 June 2011)
Dear Claire,
We are all home alive and well our holiday was fantastic went too quick. Graemes mobile did not work in Uganda or Tanzania or Zimbabwae so sorry we could not ring you. It was too late in the evening when we reached our accomodation to contact you and the internets were down in Entebee. Thank you so much for all your work and attention to detail you made it very smooth running for us. The guides for both trips were fantastic.
I thought I would let every one down on the gorilla trip with being so slow thank goodness we had a porter with us who was very kind with help in the steep decent what an amazing experience I will sent photos when I process card. The Serengetti was fantastic we saw all the big five, the camp was luxury and we all had a wonderful time. Victoria Falls was wonderful as well. I will write again soon. Thanks again Claire for all your hard work and looking after all the details so well we hope to travel again for a longer stay next time.
Cheers
Debra Worland - Private Gorilla, Serengeti and Vic Falls Adventure (30 June to 10 July 2011)
Hi Fernanda!
We are back to Brazil!
Thank you so much for all your help. The trip was unforgettable!
We love the safari, the hotels and the food! Our guide, Michael, was wonderful. Zanzibar was perfect.
We had a little problem with the flight back to Arusha. The company cancelled the flight but after a long talk they put us on the next flight. At the end all went fine.
We hope to go back to Africa very soon!
Thank you so much once again!
Regards
Natalia Paz, Rita Portela & Isabel Braz
Dear Nomad Team
I took part in NJV - Okavango & Chobe Trail - North from 24-May-11.
I was so impressed with everything on the tour.
Thanks for fantastic guides - Prosper (Zimbabwe), Stephen (Republic of
South Africa) -
both very sociable and attentive.
Jaroslav Parkan, Kutna Hora, Czech Republic - (12 Jun 2011)
Hi Reshma!!
How are you?
I wanted to write to you since I came back but I always forget, so now here I am. I want you to know that I loved the trip, everything was perfect, we had a really nice group of people and fortunately a great crew (Morrison and Dereck).
I'm really happy about everything. I fell in love with Africa!! It was what I expected and much more. It was a dream come true!! I'm not exaggerating!!
Here I send you one of my pictures if you want to use it it's ok with me. I don't have anymore here at work but I'll send you more soon.
About me I'm coming back to normal little by little. It was hard :)
But if all goes well, I truly hope to come back next year, so you will hear from me soon. I would love to go to East Africa (Tanzania, Kenia, Mozambique)
Thank you for everything,
Laura Pereyra (Cape Town to Victoria Falls and Journey to Johannesburg April 2011)
Hey Reshma
Thanks for touching base… I’ve just “liked” Nomad's Facebook page!
I had the most incredible trip, seriously loved every minute of it and wish I could still be out there experiencing it all… although suppose I have to work so that I can pay for trips like these and travel the world. Always a good reason to keep working J
Everyone I’ve told about the trip has been in utter awe and so jealous.
I’ve got some great pictures, but I know that our professional photographer on the trip – Hai will have even better ones. I’ll make a note to send some through for you anyway.
Thanks for all the coordinating you did!
Suzanne Pullinger (Delta & Chobe Trail 22 April 2011 )
Dear Chemone,
many many warm thanks for a great trip. It was a fantastic tour with excellent guides and amazing destinations. I would recommend you anytime and I hope you continue to make great tours like that, so I can join another trip in the future.
The trainee Talitha, who was part of the team I travelled with, has a lovely and warm personality and contributed greatly to my enjoyment of the trip! I hope you keep her on. She will make a great tourguide and I'd go on trips with her anytime.
I would also like to say thank you Chemone, for the great correspondance and help before the trip. I was really impressed with your patience in answering all my questions and the excellent service you provided.
Thank you for a great great holiday!
Best regards,
Constanze (26th April 2011)
Hi Chemone,
You probably don't remember me, but my name is Kelli Holm and my husband Eric and I just completed the 8-day Cape Town to Windhoek tour you booked for us. We LOVED every minute of our trip and are so happy about it, we're now planning on coming back next year to do another one. Thanks so much for your help and consideration to details in helping us plan one of the best trips we've ever taken.
Have a great week and thanks again!
Kelli Holm - 26th April 2011
Dear Nomad
My name is Cecilia Mulatero, I did the Port Elizabeth to Cape Town tour from Feb 10 to Feb 15, and even though it has been a while since I finished my trip I did not want to pass on the opportunity to thank all the Nomad team for the fantastic experience I had. Better late than never right?
I would like to let you know that the guides Getty Ngwenya and Berven Pamine were excellent, both of them were very professional, always in a good mood. Getty is an excellent cook, she is very warm with people, keeps the group together, and is very good organizing the group. Whenever we arrived to the different places everything was already taken care of because she had already made the necessary calls.
Berven was an excellent driver, he brings a lot of good energy to the group, and is always happy to share stories.
And finally my congratulations to the whole team for the good organization of the tour. The first two nights at Tsisikama park the hotel did not have space for cooking, and they gave us the dinner in the hotel restaurant, without an extra charge. All the hotels were excellent quality, and really exceeded my expectations.
I had a great time and made me want to go back to Africa again someday. Looking forward to travelling again with Nomad.
Thanks.
Cecilia Mulatero (26th April 2011)
Hi Reshma!
The tour was wonderful -- I can't wait to come back to Africa and would (and hopefully will!) travel with Nomad again in a second.
Elana Pollak (21st April 2011 - Delta & Chobe 2011)
Hello Reshma!
Thanks for following up with me! I have to say that I truely enjoyed every minute of my African adventure along with my fellow nomads and our trusty guides! Henk and Gertie did an exceptional job of always ensuring our safety, comfort and enjoyment throughout the duration of the trip, doing an incredible job of maintaining a professional attitude towards all guest, especially those who thought they needed something to complain about. Being on the road for many days can be very tiring for a person, let alone having to be responsible for cooking and ensuring the safety of a number of people. I applaud them both for doing a great job.
My adventure with Livingstone was also thoroughly enjoyed. My guide Andre was very knowledgeable and a pleasure to be with for the time spent in Kruger, and I thank him for the experiences and stories he shared with us.
I look forward to returning to Africa and adventures with `Nomad to finish seeing the places I was not able to see this time around.
Best Regards,
Devon Johnston (14th April 2011)
Hi Chemone,
It was absolutely magical, thank you! I echo everything David said in his email and can honestly say that the folks who hadn’t been to Africa before were impressed with the beauty and friendliness of the places and people. I think they were all changed a little by the experience. I too got to reconnect with my roots and thoroughly enjoyed chatting with the guys in the Delta and Godfree and Thabani. I feel very inspired and hope to make good on a dream I have long had to work with people in Southern Africa.
The animals were very generous in showing themselves and we saw a wonderful selection. Experiencing elephants and giraffes and zebra on foot was just incredible. Chobe of course never disappoints with all its elephants. We took advantage of all the tours – elephant ride, lion walk, flight over the falls, etc and it was just one great moment after another.
Cape Town was impressive and most everyone thought it the prettiest city they have seen. Sorry that we didn’t get to meet you but the time just rushed by and I only got your email now once I returned to work. We did also have our ceremony on the beach with Dora so that was an excellent ending to a very special experience. Thank you for providing me with her contact details.
David took about 2000 photos! We will need to combine our pics and once we have done that we will send you some.
Please thank Thabani and Godfree for welcoming us into their hearts. And thank you for all your efforts to make this such a successful trip. If you ever find yourself in the US please look us up as you are always welcome to come and stay.
Take care
Sharon Duque (13th April 2011)
Dear Chemone,
I wanted to write you and thank you for all your hard work making our vacation such a success. Both Gottfried and Tobanny (I am sure I spelled their names incorrectly so please forgive me) were amazing tour guides. Both had such energy and enjoyment for the job, I feel as though I left Africa with two friends. I do not think anyone on the tour could say that it was not a success. Many times vacations have their ups and downs. I can honestly say that I do not recall any of the downs. Any issues that came up were quickly resolved. I know this is in part because of you working behind the scenes. So thank you for you and your crew for giving us such a wonderful vacation. I hope that I can return to Africa again in the future.
David M Petroski (11th April 2011)
Dear Reshma,
I am back in Hamburg - after having a fantastic time in South Africa and Namibia!
I loved the Nomad Adventure Tour and I would love to participate in another tour one day. The only thing I would be afraid of, is the size of the group. We were a very small group and I can easily imagine a few participants more on the truck. But if every single seat (there were 24 on our truck) is occupied, I think the truck would be very much overloaded... and that doesn´t sound like fun anymore, to be honest... I was told that it happens that you put 24 participants in one truck... and I know, of course, the more people the better for you, but I would prefer a smaller group, so at least a few seats remain unoccupied. But you never know in advance, I´m afraid... that´s the only thing I´d be worried about...
I loved the way to travel... and we had a lot of fun on the tour. I was quite lucky with the guides and the group. And southern Namibia was so beautiful - it rained a lot this year, so everything was so colorful. We were told that it didn´t look like this for many many years. So I was lucky in many ways :-). Except for Etosha - it was not the right season to visit Etosha, of course, but I expected that. But, at least, I saw one single elefant... ;-).
And you are right, Cape Town is a very very beautiful city! I spent a week there, it was great.
Best regards from Hamburg,
Elisabeth (11th April 2011)
Dear Nomad Team
I recently completed 2 of your tours NCV - Feb 2-21 and NAJC - Feb 24- Mar 15.
First, I would like to highly complement Nomad staff - NCV - Morrison and Yoho: delightful, well organized, got us out of some tough jams, professional.
NAJC - Shadi and Soliwe - delightful, well organized, professional, went out of their way to accommodate wishes of our small group. I rated both teams at the highest ratings and complemented them for thoroughly enjoyable experiences that I will always remember.
Secondly, I was disturbed by the lack of tipping my a number of the travelers, especially the Germans and Dutch. I know that people say that Americans tip excesssively but not tipping at all is inexcusable...the Kruger driver who spent 10 hours doing a drive safari received no...no tip from any of the 6 other clients. I would encourage Nomad to include in their pricing a tip fee of $1.50/person/guide/day..... Interpreters should receive half that amount....if one wanted to supplement the tip for selected individuals then they are at liberty to do so.
Third..I enjoyed the camping expereince more than the accomodated for one reason..the travel group. Camping had 20 people representing 6 countries with ages ranging from the 20s..30s..40s..50s...60s and 70s (I was the 72 year old). We got along very well and bonded. The accommodated group had 7 participants....6 women and me...4 Swiss and 2 Germans and 1 USA, me. The women spoke predominately German. I would like to have been advised of the make-up of the group and been offered tghe opportunity to join another group a few days later or extend my trip with Nomad to Kenya, Tanzania, etc. In serving your customers better, giving them a heads-up on unique situations would be desirable.
Fourth --- Suggest you provide your drivers with a satellite cell phone on routes that are remote. When we got stuck in the mud and delayed due to excessive rains in Namibia...Morrison's ability to communicate was greatly diminished because he had no cell phone coverage...also would have been nice in case of a serious injury to one of the travelers. I would highly recommend Nomad, both trips and your 1st class drivers and cooks.
I hope to revisit Southern Africa and see Kenya and Tanzania with Nomad...I will always remember the mokoro trip into and out-of the Okavango Delta...
Tom Worosz (29 March 2011)
DearTeam,
I would like to say thank you to you. I was on a tour from Vic Falls to Nairobi from 29 December to 18 January and I am still thinking a lot about this fantastic trip. A big contribution for the great success of the tour came from the guides Mike, Vincent and Ali. I think I am not only talking for myself if I say that we always felt well informed, well taken care of and in very good hands. The three of them were a great team!!! Apart from a big thank you to the three men on our tour, I would also like to thank you as a team for the great tour and organization. If I should ever plan another trip to Africa you are on top of the list of possible Operators.
Kind regards,
Gunter Tetzlaff (23rd February 2011)
Hi Reshma,
I’ve been so busy back at work L sorry I haven’t been able to reply.
We had a fantastic time on our tour!
It really was great!
Robinson in particular is a really good guide..
We have all, already said we want to do another Nomad tour J
Zane Simpson (19th of January 2011)
Dear Nomad Tours,
Hi Claire,
Thanks very much for your kind message and please apologise for our late reply. So much to do after such a long holiday…
It is very pleasant to hear of you even after our trip, it just goes to show that Nomad really strive to deliver their clients an unforgettable experience. After all the help you’ve provided us prior to our departure, it is hardly surprising to hear from you again. Customer service really isn’t just a hollow phrase with you guys – we’re absolutely impressed!
The same goes for the whole tour – it was exactly what we expected (how boring you might think…), we’d do it again (and again with Nomad) and we’ll certainly recommend you to anybody planning a similar trip. Nomad has been recommended to us by a friend who did a trip with you, and it was indeed a safe recommendation!
What we liked best about the trip were:
- the guides (Jabulani and Percy for the first three weeks; Owen and Percy for the last week) – they were very professional, but still fun and never tired of going to extremes to help people. Eastern Africa is a lot more demanding and puts a lot of strain on anyone, but it was just amazing how these guys coped with an easy smile on their faces.
- the food – Jabulani is a first class chef! We had better food than at home, and considering the limiting equipment he had to work with…
- the people we met – not all of them were equally “nice”, but then you don’t have any influence on this, but many certainly will make us remember this trip for a long time.
What we think could be improved:
- the tour dossier states that all visas had to be organized by oneself prior to departure, which made sense to us as Eastern Africa is a lot different to Southern Africa or South Africa for that matter. However, we soon found out that we were among the few people who actually organized their visas before, everybody else just had them issued at the borders, which was no problem, cost a lot less money and took hardly any extra time at all. We had a lot of trouble getting these visas, and it involved postage charges and long waiting times, so we were not exactly happy to learn that all that could have easily been avoided. Of course it was handy to have all the visas ready, but we could have saved us a lot of work if we’d known about this. We are aware of the fact that visa regulations keep changing frequently, but as it seems, more lenient rules have arrived even in Eastern Africa.
- Mention in the tour dossier that material donations make a lot more sense than monetary contributions. When we did the tour of Kande village in Malawi, it became evident that “simple things” (for us, at least) like painkillers, Alka Seltzer, tooth paste, tooth brushes, etc. etc. are desperately needed but hard to obtain even for those who have some money. Hospitals apparently have more than enough malarial remedies but hardly any other medicines which are just as important. People at the Kande hospital actually asked us for surplus medication that we might not need anymore. We’re pretty sure almost everybody has some pills and drugs at home that they don’t need or that are close to the expiry date and could easily be donated in Africa where they’d immediately be put to a good use. As we didn’t know about this, we didn’t have any surplus medicine with us, or none at all on the village tour.
As for photos, we’ve finally managed to sort them out (we took more than 3,000 pictures…), and we’ll upload them somewhere soon. We’ll send you the link and would be honoured if you used one or two of them on your website or even in your brochure (we met someone who did Nomad trips earlier and had some of their photos used in your 2009 brochure). Please bear with us and allow us some more time, but then we’re sure you’re literally flooded with pictures.
In the meantime, we wish you and everybody at Nomad a joyful spring, we envy you as the temperatures in Europe already dropped to very uncomfortable levels and talk of the first snow intensifies daily.
Best wishes from chilly Switzerland,
Carmela & Thomas (21st October 2010)
Hi Claire,
We arrived home Sunday 10th evening safe and well after having thoroughly enjoyed our Cape to Kruger Nomad Safari Tour, which was challenging and most enjoyable.
We thought that Nomad was great value for money and met all out expectations. My highlight was the Okavango Delta where we were canoed in for 1/12 hours to a bush camp with our own swimming hole, then entertained around the campfire by the polers. I would sincerely like to thank you for your quick answers to my emails and questions on the chat line. I could not have asked for better service. We have already advised a couple of our more adventuresome friends to travel South Africa with Nomad.
Every day we experienced a new highlight and we were happy to be advised and guided by your brilliant staff- "Zingie, Joe and work experience student Tobhi. The very nature of the tour was challenging, and "not for the faint-hearted and was an "adventure and not a holiday" - how-ever- do not forget that we are Aussies of the same stock as rugby's fearsome Wallabies that regularly thrash the Springboks - so for us - the tour was a piece of cake.
I should also mention that Zingie's effervescent personality was a bonus to us all, not to mention the wonderful food prepared by our Chef on tour Joseph. We also made some new friends arising from interaction the tour participants and next year - while in Paris for a month - we will be venturing to Holland to meet up with newfound friends and to stay for several days. - and Dianne (from Holland) - has already arranged to come to Australia to stay with us for 2 weeks and we are happy to have her.
Thanks once again,
Brian and Yvonne Edward (13th October 2010)
Hi Mixo,
i’m back @home – and totally impressed of our namibia-trip – it was awesome and Malvin & Zenzo are really the best MAMA’s Tourguide!
i’ll recommend you to everyone who would like to spend a great time in africa! ;)
Warm regards,
Sonja (28th July 2010)
Hi Nomad Team,
We started our tour 3.01.10 and it was the best travel of my life. Our guides (Malvin & Zenzo and the translater Thomas) was a Super-Crew. We have see many beautiful places and meet many interesting peoples & cultures . The life "on tour" was a really adventure - we love it !
This travel was a big dream for us and the guides helps with your professional works that our dreams was reality ! Many ,many thanks for Malvin,Zenzo and Thomas !!!! It's sure - we come back to Africa and we travel with NOMAD ..... a very good company !
Hannes (18th February 2010)
Hi Nomad,
Because of rushing to the airport in Windhoek I was not able to fill in the feedback form for you guys, so here we go. This was my first time in Africa and of course I was a bit concerned about taking a tour by myself over xmas and new years time. But all this concerns were blown away after first day of the trip - amazing views, great people that I hope to stay in touch for long long time and of course our wonderful guides- Arnold and Brian. I have to say after a while it really felt like we were a family and that made my experience in Africa even better.
Sometimes when the weather is not the best you need to see other positive sides. It was raining big times in himba village and etosha, but I will remember the best times we had in the swimming pool, water hole and kitchen sitting there long hours, sipping savannah and chit chatting. With having so much fun and new experience every day waking up before 6 didn't seem so bad after a while. Food - I thought as for a camping tour it was really good. We always had some fresh vegetables and Brian's dinners were really really good! I wish I could cook like him! And I've learned to eat pap with my hands - Arnold was the best teacher!:)
As for guiding and driving - guys were very professional and I thought they have handled the situations that came up very well. We were always clear what to expect and what's coming up. You can also tell that they have a lot of experience and are not doing it for the first time. I was very impressed by their knowledge and passion for their jobs. The one improvement area that I see after this trip -the tents are not really waterproof and it became a problem after few wet days I had the best time and didn't feel home sick for xmas(we made a xmas tree with empty green Windhoek lager cans - it was good fun:) ) I felt super sad that I have to finish already in Windhoek and can't go all the way to vic falls with the rest. For sure I'm going be back to complete this trip and bring some friends along to show them how beautiful Africa is!
Cheers, Milka (6th January 2010)
Dear Nomad,
We've spent a great time in Africa and enjoyed every day. This was the first trip with a group and definitely not the last one. Everything was well organized (thank you Lissom & Robson), we've learnt a lot not only about the country and it's people (and animals) but also about the African way of life. Next tour's already booked :o)
Kirsten (August 2009)
Dear Nomad,
I want to say booking through Chris du Preez (Nomad online) in your office was very easy. He was extremely helpful, quick to respond and patient. Thank you for a wonderful trip! I really enjoyed the tour.
(3rd July 2009)
Dear Reshma
Thanks for the email. The trip was awesome! I can honestly say that this tour was the best 2.5 weeks I ever had in my life, and that means something! This was of course partly due to the route and the highlights along it, but also to the people travelling along and last but definitely not least to our guides Lovemore, Tanya and Elroy. They did a great job as guides, but we also had a lot of fun and good discussions with them and we really became friends.
There’s only one thing that I would like to mention and which I forgot on the feedback form:
We noticed the guides didn’t have a room on the tour most of the time. Seeing how hard they worked and considering they almost had a 24h-a-day job and nevertheless were always in good moods, I think they should be the first ones deserving a room on the trip. Especially on those days when we rode a long distance, a decent bed would certainly help the driver’s back….
Regarding the pictures: I took quite a lot of them and if you’re interested, I can certainly send you a CD (they’re too big to be sent via email), but I first have to sort through them….
Best wishes and a nice Christmas (8th December 2008)
Ursina
Dear Mr. Craig,
I'm not sure if you remember me, but I e-mailed you earlier this year to let you know what a sincere pleasure it was dealing with Claire Muzzelle for all of the pre-trip arrangements.
I wanted to follow up with some personal feedback about the Nomad camping tour that we took in June (Cape to Vic Falls Camping or NCV 840).
Quite simply, it was fantastic!! Without question, it was the most enjoyable tour that any of us have ever been on in our entire lives.
The truck (Armstrong), the cooking (Pule's cooking was awesome), the camping equipment, the itinerary, and the local guides all far exceeded our expectations.
We especially want to recognize the contribution of our driver and tour leader, Noel Msekiwa. Noel is a natural leader and is able to take charge of the group in a firm, yet patient and friendly manner. He is also very knowledgeable about culture, history, flora and fauna, and is an excellent communicator. He has a good sense of humour and is able to put people at ease even when things don't go according to plan. Most importantly of all, he is a good and safe driver.
We certainly look forward to future tours with Nomad. But just to warn you, NCV 840 was so incredible that it may have set our expectations unrealistically high!!
Best regards,
Peter Munro
Barbara Munro
Dennis Chalmers
Diana Chalmers (30th September 2008)
Dear Reshma!
It was a great trip which I fully enjoyed. Sorry for my late response but after Namibia I was a couple of days in the Netherlands, then in June I volunteered at the European Football Championships in Zurich, then I was again in the Netherlands (my boyfriend lives there) and tomorrow I am going on my last trip (to Italy) before I go back to work (a new job) on 4th August 2008.
I indeed missed to visit Botswana and the Vic Falls and it is more than possible that I am coming back to visit what is left in the next couple of years. You can be sure that I will be travelling again with your tour operation.
Many thanks for everything!
Best regards
Karin (Lechert from Zurich, Switzerland - 17 July 2008)
Dear Mr. Craig,
We are four Canadians who have been planning a two-month trip to southern Africa for the last few months. With the help of Claire Muzzelle, we have booked two upcoming Nomad tours -- NCV 840 and NAJD 113.
We wanted you to know what a sincere pleasure it has been dealing with Claire.
During the many months of e-mailing back and forth, her responsiveness, product knowledge, professionalism, patience, and good sense of humour have been exemplary. She has really gone out of her way to answer our many questions and assist us with our travel plans.
We are excitedly looking forward to our upcoming tours and have already recommended the services of Claire, AATO, and Nomad to other potential customers in Canada.
Best regards,
Peter Munro
Barbara Munro
Dennis Chalmers
Diana Chalmers (27 May 2008)
Dear Reshma,
back in cold and rainy Germany I just wanted to say thank you so much. You cannot imagine how I loved this trip. It was without question the best holiday-experience of my life and I am so sad that I didn't book the trip up to Vic Falls (I have to work next week...).
Please tell Björn and Victor thank you again from me. Both were absolutely brilliant in their jobs. Nomad should be proud to have a guy like Björn for a Tour-Guide ;-).
I will come back, that's for sure.
Greetings,
Thomas (7th April 2008)
Dear Anita,
The trip was truly amazing and we have not stopped raving about it to everyone we know. We loved our guides (Jurn, Justine, and Zenzo) and can not wait to come back. My only wish is that we could have traveled longer, and would have definitely gone on to the Etosha portion of the trip if we knew it was continuing.
Thanks again for all of your help, it was truly a trip of a lifetime. All the best.
Liz and Brent Reilly (11 March 2008)
Hi Anita,
My adventure with Nomad was absolutely amazing. I can't imagine the trip being a more fulfilling experience. A million thanks to Bjorn, Thinus and Albert who made the tour so much more than I ever expected it could be. I will be sending a thank you package for them very soon. I really can't describe just how wonderful these guys are and how great the trip was because of them.
I have many photos that I need to sort through soon. I am more than happy to send them along to Nomad with only one condition - that if published I will receive credit.
I am already in the beginning stages of planning another tour with Nomad for next year, and with any luck one or all the three gentlemen from my first trip will be there.
Thanks for all your help (3rd March 2008)
Jen
Hey Reshma,
firstly, a THOUSAND THANKS for sorting out that scan and emailing it to Peter the minister for me – my friend’s marriage couldn’t have been made legal without it!! If ever you’re in London, I’d love to take you out for a drink to say a proper thank you.
We thoroughly enjoyed our Nomad trip. The group leaders were not only highly professional and well-organised, but very friendly and helpful. We always felt that they were striving to make our experience as memorable and as meaningful as possible (which they achieved). Catering was impressive, given the limitations, as was the camping equipment.
Overall, the structure of the tour was great. I think it did Namibia justice. However, I would personally have traded a night in Swakopmund and the night with the Himba tribe for an additional night at Spitzkoppe or perhaps a couple of nights further up the coast. I’d also prefer to go on a less crowded tour next time; our initial group size (18) was perfect, but comfort levels dropped once we had a full truck.
That’s it, I think! I loved my first experience of Africa and am keen to come back. Look forward to seeing how Nomad develops its routes and tours.
All the best,
Caroline (26th February 2008)
Dear Reshma,
How are you? I'm fine and already one month back in Switzerland. It's winter now and quite cold and cloudy...would like to come back to Africa as soon as possible...
Finally I can give you my feedback about Nomad, the tours, the guides, the pace, the experience and everything...Sorry for waiting such a long time for my answer.
I really enjoyed travelling with Nomad and would do it any time again. First of all the pre-departure information was very good and you could help me with all my (sometimes annoying) questions concerning the tour, the visa and everything. THANK you very much again for you help and assistance.
The tour itself was great and I've seen all the big five!! elephants, zebras, giraffes, springboks and a lot more. I've seen nine countries (or even ten - illegal Angola included) in two months and learnt a lot about other cultures and people. It was a very special and unforgettable experience for me.
The guides were very good as well and they have a lot of experience and knowledge and could give us a lot of information. I was travelling with Walt and Thinus the first three weeks and we had a lot of fun and Walt could (due to his huge experiences) tell us a lot about all the animals, the landscapes, the history of the countries and everything, it was really great. With Tabani and Godfree I made the same experience, great food and good information.
On my Uganda tour I was a bit disappointed concerning the guides. The information we received were a bit "average-range"..., but instead the gorillas in Bwindi NP were awesome!! It was really worth it to go there and see them, even if it was only for one hour. On my last tour to the Kruger NP it was great as well and we've seen lions, wild dogs, cheetahs and a lot more and Johann knows a lot as well about all the wildlife.
Furthermore, I was happy with the equipment, also compared with other overland tours. One night it was really heavy raining, but the tents were still dry inside in the morning :-). The trucks were good as well. However, Freddy was the most comfortable (enough space in the luggage rack and comfy seats...).
You see, I'm really happy having travelled with Nomad and I would like to come back soon. As I will participate on the photographic competition I would like to send you some of my pictures after the judge's decision. Hope you understand this.
So, that's all for the moment... or one last thing... I know that Walt has started working in the office in Somerset West today. Could you say hello to him? Do you perhaps have any email-address of him, where I can contact him and say thank you again for everything?
Thank you very much! I hope contacting you soon...
Best regards from cold Switzerland
Cornelia (Jan 2008)
Hi Reshma,
My sister, cousin and friend had a fantastic trip, they really enjoyed it a lot and got along with everybody... they said that the food was always very good and a lot, everything was good, no complaints at all. Thank you very much for the service... I will definately recommend it again (this was the second trip family and friends did with you guys).
Please find attached some pictures if you want to put them in the website.
I hope you have a peaceful Christmas and wish you all the best for 2008!
Regards,
Ana Fodere (Dec 2007)
Hi Claire,
What a nice surprise. I had a wonderful trip and I will return to Nomad Tours in near future (within 1 - 3 years). The country, nature, wildlife and people was amazing. The itinerary was well prepared and I guess we saw nearly every highlights in South Africa.
But the biggest and most pleasant surprise was the crew (Patrick and Dingi). I have never seen more friendly, enthusiastic and positive crew members anywhere. My deepest respect to these two guys. They deserve the best from Nomads. They are their weight worth in gold.
Another good thing about the company is you. Your quick replies. You seem to care for your customers. And this last mail after my return is the proof. You make the customer feel special.
Another good thing about the trip is, that we were only 12 passengers. I`m very glad that we were not 24! That would have been a nightmare and a very crowded experience. That´s too many for the truck.
Some things to work with:
Waterproof tents. Our tents were not waterproof. Even though the rain cover didn´t touch the inner tent, water was dripping into the tents. That´s not good enough. And make the covers a bit bigger, so that it covers the whole tent. The covers were approx 20 cm too short on every side of the tents.
Better maps to the drivers. The city maps and area maps they had, were worse than the maps in lonely planet.
A few changes to the itinerary could be: A visit to Cape Agulhas (it´s just a few hours detour). Right now the Tsitsikamma N.P is closed due a bush fire. One day is enough. Two days is too much. Maybe we could sent the second day at Jeffreys Bay instead. In Swaziland we stay in Mlilwane N.P. I think Hlane Royal N.P would be better. I would rather see lions than antilopes. In Kruger N.P we missed the opportunity to do a night drive and a morning walk, as these tours are to be booked 3 days in advance. If you wrote in the guides day-to-day-guide that he should ask us 3 days before Kruger, whether or not we are interested in the above optional tours.
But as I said, I will definately do 1 or 2 or 3 tours more with Nomad. And I can only recommend your company to everybody I meet. It´s a lifetime experience!
Best regards and a wonderful Christmas to you all,
Rene (Jan 2008)
Hi Reshma,
My apologies that it took me so long to reply. With New Year I went to the UK and now I'm finally trying to settle back to normal life again which isn't that easy...
About the trip: one word and that is that it was GREAT!
We saw a lot of things, did a lot of things and experienced a lot of things. Bell, the driver, was reliable and drove very good so we felt safe in the back of the truck. Charl, guide and cook, was very enthusiastic, had everything well organised, could give us a lot of information, was helpful and made his contribution to a very good and relaxed atmosphere in the group, worked hard and made us wonderful meals!
It was also very nice that we sometimes had some time off so we could do things on our own or for ourselves, so the pace of the tour was ok.
The campsites were all very beautiful, except for one campsite. That was the campsite in Drakensville. It was a very nice campsite but we didn't feel that it was a campsite suitable for people who choose to travel with Nomad.
I hope I have been able to give you a good idea about how our trip went. If you have any more questions, please let me now. And I would also like to take the opportunity to thank you for all the clear information you gave and your helpful attitude!
I'm definately coming back to Africa again, someday, somewhere...
Greetings,
Sharon Tap (Jan 2008)
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