Dear Drum Africa
Joe’s Bar is a must for anyone visiting Windhoek and it is very accessible from Olive Grove. I had a very good Zebra Steak there. I wanted to go back there on our last day and get some pictures and a tee shirt, but it was Mothers Day and the place was overflowing!
The Rhino Camp was a real experience – stalking Rhino on foot just us two and the guide. I was disappointed that we did not have time to explore the Skeleton Coast on the way there, and next time, I will probably stay at the Skeleton Coast Camp so we can have all day on the coast road. The staff here were real genuine people and a pleasure to meet.
Doros !Nawas made us very welcome indeed, if a bit over the top at times. The food was good and the catering and cleaning staff were excellent. The lodge/tent was very comfortable and star gazing at night really showed off the African sky to its best. The Rock engravings and Petrified Forest made useful and very interesting excursions
Ongava Lodge was good.
Overall we thoroughly enjoyed our short visit and thank you very much for guiding us through the booking maze
Regards,
Chris Bradburn, UK, April 2009 ___________________________________________________________________________ Dear Brent
Well, Rosemary and I have been home for a week now - landing at Heathrow at - 3 degrees. We have so many memories and can only say that it was by far one of the best holidays we have taken, either together or apart. I keep pinching myself because I think it is a dream. The memory of our trips around The Cape with Brent will stay with us for a long time. You have no idea how embarrassed I was when having asked for a 'goodlooking' guide that it would turn out to be himself - I wont do that again in a hurry but he did us proud and we thoroughly enjoyed everything he showed us and how patient he was. It was good to meet up with you too as we felt that we had got to know you so well and that you helped us so much with all our requests and plans.
Our Safari was fantastic even though we had to rise at 5.00a.m. for our first safari each day. Marco was great and told us so much bout the animals and flora and fauna.
I think at first he thought we would not stand the pace but quickly got to know us and that we were really interested in everything and we had a good laugh together. He too was 'great' although too young for us!! The time went too quickly and he agreed that one nights stay was not long enough to really enjoy a safari. We have to tell you
that we were not upgraded - Tilney had been upgraded but there was a party of men staying there and we presume that they thought we would be happier at Khanni which proved to be the best idea as we had Marco to ourselves!! Khanni we hear has been sold to the Arabs from Dubai as we believe their other property (somewhere) has. They are opening the tented lodge in April and going in more for timeshare with other lodges that are being built there. We were SO privileged to see the release of their white lions and get up close to their cheetahs. We also met Roman a 'bushman' who was able to tell us more about life in the bush. As you can see we really did enjoy our time there.
Following this we were at Blue Gum and our time there was very relaxing - we arrived with Wayne completely exhausted having been up from 5.00a.m. from the energetic safari and our stay in the Villa did just the trick to revive us. We met some people who live near to me and the owner has also spent time in Watford - also near me. It was sad to leave BG but Wayne drove us back to the airport - a rather quite journey - he looked after us very well - please pass on our thanks to him. We feel we will be back again and the next time Rosemary and I meet up we will be discussing where to go next. We do hope Brent had a good time with Max and was able to do all the things he had planned.
Our very best wishes to you both ----Judith and Rosemary, UK, February 2009 __________________________________________________________________
Dear Brent, Thanks a lot for your help in my vacation. To say it was amazing – not to say nothing. Your organization of all trip was perfect – always in time, all the moving were well organized, all the places nice and different. I definitely received a feeling of real Africa. i’ve seen a lot of wild animals in natural life, wonderful nature and, of course, received my portion of pure adrenalin at the world’s highest bungy jumping. Thanks, it was bright! Kind regards, Iryna Lysenko, Ukraine, November 2008 __________________________________________________________________
Brent - The trip was wonderful. We saw everything we wanted to see, no problems, nice people, great weather, many, many animals, terrific guides, and a wonderful person to watch over us during our stay and that would be YOU! Olonana was beautiful and probably ranked as the all around best camp we stayed at. Brent and Wayne did a great job of getting us acquainted with Cape Town and surrounding area. Accommodations in Cape Town were terrific. We have told all our friends we've talked to since we got home that they would be far better off by using Drum Africa for trip planning than to use a local travel agent. No promises but we will keep pushing. I'm busy loading more than 500 photos on to my computer. They will enhance our memories of our wonderful trip. Again, thank you for what you did for us, and also thank Brent and Wayne. Cheers, John MacIlwaine, September 2008 __________________________________________________________________
Hi We had a fantastic time and will be back. There are lots of places and things I want to see. The service you provided was excellent. Thanks again for all that you, and all at Drum Africa, did for us. Kind Regards Maggie and Steve Maggie and Steve Dyer, Kitchen, United Kingdom, October 2007. __________________________________________________________________
Hi, Thank you for your e-mail.Thank you for looking after us during our tour, and especially Brent, for all that he had to put with! Regards, Chris Bradburn, Kitchen, United Kingdom, October 2007. __________________________________________________________________ Hi thank you the email and a brilliant trip. The supply of brandy could be slightly higher in one of the establishments, but apart from that it was great. Brent was very brave and gets lots of brownie points for dealing with us all. Once again, many thanks. Gilly Gillian, United Kingdom, October 2007. __________________________________________________________________ Thank you , It was a BRILLIANT trip, all aspects of it, so we are v. grateful to you all, especially your early rise to say goodbye and Brent's unerring care. (I'm sure he was ready to strangle us sometimes but just kept smiling!) We couldn't have done it solo.Yes, we would love to come back and will immediately contact Drum Africa when planning it. Thanks to all of you, Les and Lucy. Les and Lucy Farley, England October 2007. __________________________________________________________________
Hey Brent Hope you’re well and also “back hard at work”. Thanks for making us all feel so welcome in your country and If your ever in London and gasping for a pint, give me a cal Reggie Athwal, Redding, United Kingdom, July 2007 ____________________________________________________________
Hi there ! This was a really good trip and I would like to return, possibly SA or to Botswana. If I do, I will definitely look you up ! Cheers Robert Ashby, North London, United Kingdom, July 2007 __________________________________________________________________
Hi Brent, thanks, I will definitely come back and will definitely contact you then, Cheers, Klemens Sattlegger, Austria, July 2007 _________________________________________________________________
Hi Brent, The trip was terrific, and Johann and his colleagues were excellent. Thank you for arranging this.................... Scott Tanas, Acta-Canada, June 2006 __________________________________________________________________
You'll be pleased to know I had a fantastic trip and can't wait to go back! Johan was a superb guide and it was a pleasure to spend a few days with him - Pilansberg and Soweto were the highlights - and I would recommend Johan to lead any tour party. Anyway, thanks again for all your help. Jonathan Richmond, London United Kingdom, May 2006 __________________________________________________________________
Joel and I had a great trip and will probably be boring our friends with pictures and stories for a long time to come. When people ask how we enjoyed our trip to South Africa, we can only respond that it surpassed our hopes and expectations. You and Brent were a big part in making that possible. I’m so glad we had an opportunity to meet. In review, the highlight of the trip was the safari at Mkuze Falls. We have stayed at many five-star hotels, but none match the level of service and friendliness of the staff at Mkuze Falls. They anticipated our every need, but did so in a totally unpretentious manner. We were also thrilled with the variety of animals we encountered on our game drives and walks, including lions, rhinos, elephants, hippos and giraffes, to mention just a few. Cape Town is awesome and Brent was a wonderful guide. Living there, you probably don’t appreciate its magnificent setting, but we are still talking about it. Everywhere we looked, every turn in the road, brought a postcard view. Our accommodations, both at Simons Town and Glen Avon were wonderful. Paul, the chef at Glen Avon, asked what we wanted to eat, then shopped and prepared two unbelievable gourmet dinners just for us. Tell Brent we said "hello" and thank you both for everything. Sue, Florida, USA, May 2006 __________________________________________________________________
We had a great time and Christine keeps muttering about coming to live there. She was absolutely taken aback by everything and loved every minute. Sanbonna was lovely-very, very well run and great fun and Blue Gum likewise. We had a slow leisurely drive back spending a fortune on art on the way!! Anyway thank you very much indeed for all of your help-it was great. Nigel and Christine, London,UK, Feb 2006 __________________________________________________________________
I spoke to both Charlotte and Johan, and they confirmed your guide's sentiments that everything went off smoothly. The three of them had a good time, and found your guide, Johan, very informative. Thank you once again so much for all the trouble you went to accommodate us at such short, it is really appreciated. Your service was exceptional, and in future if I need to book another trip of this nature, I will definitely make use of your services again. Dorothy van der Merwe, Novartis South Africa (Pty) Ltd, Animal Health Business Unit, December 2005 __________________________________________________________________
I was meaning to send you all an e-mail after we returned but this morning when I got back to my office I was absolutely inundated with e-mails, phone calls and meetings. In any event, we made it back safe and sound. The flight was long and very tiresome but we are both fine. I want to tell you all that you all did a fantastic job with our trip! We had a seamless voyage throughout SA and enjoyed every minute of our time there. We are already trying to plan ahead for our next trip there and you can be sure that we’ll be booking with Drum (2010 World Cup ….!!!) I want to especially thank Brent for the time he spent with us, his never-ending patience with us, and for the excellent guiding and information services he provided us. We have SO MANY wonderful memories and he truly made them even better by being there with us and treating us like good friends rather than just business clients. The personal and private experience we had with Drum Africa is what we believe made our trip so special. You can be sure that we will be telling ALL of our friends and family about your company and the level of service you provided before and during our honeymoon. As for our impressions of South Africa…I have been telling all of our friends and family back here that our two week tour just cracked the surface of your country. We only sampled a small cross-section of the culture and resources and I can tell you that Destiny and I are still blown away in amazement and awe. At this point we are pretty much speechless as to the splendor of the Western Cape…the friendly people, the natural beauty, the level of infrastructure, the history, the culture…WOW! We will be talking about it for years to come. What a country!!!!! Thanks to Andre (Jo’Burg), Brent, Amanda, and your supporting cast of people for everything! WE HAD A GREAT HONEYMOON! Best Regards, Amit and Destiny Hazra, Florida, USA, October 2005 __________________________________________________________________
I can't say enough wonderful things about Drum Africa, with wonderful arrangements and Brent was the best guide, made great suggestions about what to do/where to go, etc. I very highly recommend their service. When/if I get back to Capetown (I really hope to) I would book EVERYTHING through their company. I used a combination of tour operators and they were by far the best. If you go, tell them HI for me! Theresa Blomgren, October 2005 __________________________________________________________________
Michele and I have arrived home safe and completely overwhelmed by our time in South Africa. Every bit of the trip was more than we could have hoped for. Thank you for making our honeymoon absolutely unforgettable. The sharks, as you might have guessed, were a significant highlight. I actually spent all but about 15 minutes of the time we were out on the water in the cage - far more than anyone. I was just so into it! Michele and I were both so excited about the experience, including seeing 10 different sharks, that we couldn't stop talking about it . A close second in memories was Shamwari. The entire time we were there was incredible, and we struck up such a nice friendship with our guide Chris that made the whole thing that much more meaningful. That really is a magical place. I had high expectations and even those were surpassed. We also really enjoyed the wine farms very much, and would have loved even more time there. All the accommodations were wonderful, and we were just blown away. Please send my heartfelt thanks to Brent and also Amanda as well. Thank you from both of us for the trip of a lifetime, Ryan Blask, Chicago, USA, September 2005 __________________________________________________________________
Brent, Just returned home from our trip to your wonderful country and would just like to thank you for all arrangements etc that made this such a great experience and enjoyable holiday for all of us. Thank you for all the initial assistance and preparation for the trip and Brent for your very informative and interesting guided tour of the Cape Peninsular and the Wine Lands. We intend to return and will look for your guidance to assist us. Many thanks once again. Jim,Sheila and Marjorie August, 2005 __________________________________________________________________
Hi Brent, hope you are doing well and wish you have had a great time surfing with the Americans. Just a short note to thank you know how we appreciated your company during our tour in Cape Town and also making arrangements in a short time to go to Victoria falls. Wishing you all the best in future and will definitely recommend you to other friends, Take care. Tania Patel, Birmingham, England, July 2004.
