baywatch safaris

STORIES

“If it wasn’t for us having engaged your services we would never have seen or accomplished what we have managed in the time available. What we have seen and experienced with you we would not have seen on our own”.

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We are proud that the above utterances are from the mouths of our guests.

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“Hi Ian, you are such a sweetheart! I knew they would have a blast with you … rest assured I will come and have a proper vacation in Cape Town at some point this year and of course will always refer people to you.
Best
Krishna Email: krishjaf@yahoo.com You are welcome to email her for references.

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Last summer, I was approached by a honeymoon couple from the USA at a small seaside resort along our coast. Having spotted my vehicle’s logo, they asked me how it would be possible to go to the “pristine endless beach” which they had spotted on a hike the previous day and enjoy a romantic evening watching the sun setting, sipping a cold glass of wine and picnicking on a delightful cold lobster (crayfish) which was duly arranged at short notice.
Having left them on this beach which is only accessible with a 4 x 4, I collected them after sundown and met them with the biggest smiles and exuberant expressions of enjoyment imaginable. Having thanked me for a truly “special” occasion, they didn’t hesitate to endorse that this experience must surely be one of the most unbelievable they would ever be able to experience anywhere in the world – the punch line being that they had the entire beach to themselves; surrounded by ocean and a backdrop of white dunes, topped with our unique indigenous flora.

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As we were nervous to drive on the left hand side of the road, and after consultation with the family, we elected to do the trip with a guide. Via our family we made contact with Ian and Linda. At the onset of meeting with Ian and Linda, we knew that we had made the right choice, as they are, as much as we are, ardent nature lovers.

The trip was meticulously planned to see and enjoy as much of nature as possible – thus no long and endless car trips in this beautiful and large country. Our first visit was to the Small Karoo region, a semi-dessert with exotic flora and fauna exclusive to that region. There we also visited an Ostrich Farm, housing 7000 ostriches ! The following day we drove through the most fascinating countryside to visit the Cango Caves, a series of the most beautiful caves in the world.

No trip to South Africa is complete without visiting a game farm to view the Big Five and various other wild animals in their natural habitat in the comfort of the terrain vehicle (kombi bus).

One of the highlights was the visit to the Garden of Eden, a genuine rain forest with colossal trees and the most beautiful tropical bids. We must mention that it is also extremely environmentally friendly towards the elderly and those with walking problems. This rain forest is situated in the famous Tsitsi Kamma Nature Reserve where we spent two days. Our accommodation of well furnished and comfortable wooden bungalows, over looked the Indian Ocean - an absolute feast for the eyes – whales and dolphins swam past us, monkeys on the roof and a huge variety of birdlife in the forest behind us. The lack of restaurants in that area meant Ian and Linda showed us their culinary talents and prepared the tastiest meals for us.

Our last visit was to the Nature Reserve, de Hoop (34 000 ha), where we saw an abundance of wild game. Imagine waking up in the morning and through the windows seeing zebra, bontebok and impalas walking past. De Hoop is also renowned as having the best sightings of Southern Whales at extremely close quarters.

During the entire week Ian and Linda catered to our needs and we are of the impression that both are real, genuine, trustworthy and wonderful people, who went that extra mile to make this a comfortable and memorable holiday for us. If you plan to visit South Africa and enjoy the breathtaking nature and scenery, do so in October and see the spectacular wild flowers in their natural state. At this time of the year, the temperature is also very comfortable.

Linda and Ian speak English, Afrikaans and understand Dutch. All in all, we had a wonderful week at affordable prices.

Tineke de Jong. Rinus van den Bos.

Rotterdam 12-11-2008

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Dear Ian and Linda,

This is a note to thank you once again for providing us with a highly professional and well thought tour tailored to our personal needs. You managed to merge the Wine Route with the Garden Route perfectly well and Ian had excellent comments well peppered with personal anecdotes which can only be related by someone like him who has lived all his life in this beautiful part of the world.
It is amazing how much we were able to see and do in the 8 days of our stay and there is still so much yet to be seen at a future visit. It is difficult to pick out “highlights” out of so many, but our favourites would be Plaisir de Merle winery, the caves, the Tsitsikamma Forest and Storms River Mouth where it would be nice to stay at during some future trip.
We wish you well and look forward to seeing you all again,

Janet and George

High Wycombe, England

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