Guides & Their Toys
Go Touch Down Travel & Tours
- Offices In:
-
United States
Canada
Australia - Size:
- 20-50 employees (Founded in 2010)
- Tour Types:
- Small & medium group tours (Mid-range & luxury)
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $300 to $800 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
US
Email Christine | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
The Best!
The GoTouchdown tour was fabulous! The tour guides were always on time and full of information about everything from the animals to the terrain to the history and people of the region and culture of the area. And they were incredibly friendly, nice and unbelievably helpful getting you whatever you needed.
The Seasons hotel was ok but the Hamala and Dunkeld accommodations were fabulous! Dunkeld Estates was a total surprise - it was like Scotland in the middle of Africa with stone buildings and beautiful horses and trees - and with incredible accommodations, definitely 5-star.
The Safari guides were so knowledgeable both at Hamala and Pilanesburg that they made the experience even better. I had tears of joy seeing the giraffes, zebras, hippos, and elephants so close. The park were the lions, cheetahs, etc were was just ok but I was happy to see the big cats, and they had fabulous gift stores. I must say the Hamala Safari ride is not for people with back or neck problems but I thoroughly enjoyed the bumpy ride. Visiting the local terrain and parks showed me how vast and mountainous and diverse South Africa was.
I loved the Safari week so much that I thought the 2nd week which was in Cape Town would be a letdown but I could not have been more wrong! Our fantastic guide, JP, picked us up every morning at 7:30 or 8:00 from the Stillness Manor and we were on the go all day long seeing everything from the Most Southern tip of Africa, botanical gardens, penguins, beautiful villages like Hermanes, a cable car ride with incredible views, a bird zoo where squirrel monkeys crawled all over you ( I could have stayed there for hours), various shopping venues that had primitive local art to others with upscale African designers, and a tour of the history of diamond mining ending with an opportunity to purchase some beautiful gems.
And the restaurants! Lots of incredible food and beautiful places. My favorite was Gold where everyone got their face painted, played native drums, was entertained with various vignettes of native singing and dancing, all while dining on 14 courses (tapas size) of native foods! This place is not to be missed! There was also the restaurant at the edge of the rocky shore in Hermanes which was gorgeous. And there were lots more all included in the tour price.
The Township Tour explained how apartheid affected the people, showed how some of the poorest people still live, and showed the continuing struggle in neighborhoods today. It ended with lunch in a lovely lady’s home. It was truly an education that enhanced my understanding of South Africa and should not be missed.
I honestly didn’t want to leave. By the way, I was traveling alone and had a wonderful time meeting new people and felt safe and secure the whole trip.
US
Email Cathy Corbett | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A trip of a lifetime; life altering!
This trip was worth every penny and then some. The country and its people were amazing. Johannesburg and Cape Town did not disappoint, those game drives at Songimvelo Game Reserve (loved) and Pilanesberg National Park were simply amazing. Adored our guide, Lindo (sp) at Humala River Lodge and the staff was phenomenal. For me the Elephant Sanctuary Hartbeespoort Dam was breathtaking and educational and not long enough for me. I wanted more time with Timbo. But the capper was staying at Belle Maroc just outside of Cape Town. Best decision we made was to stay outside the city limits. The views of the city at night and Table Mountain were stunning and you are right on the beach. The staff and food were wonderful. So, accommodating; we wanted for nothing. When in Cape Town skip the bus tours and aquarium (small). Ask your guide/driver to drop you off at the aquarium for about 4-5 hrs and go shop The Watershed (amazing local artists and wears), walk down to the African Trading Post and shop COOL tourist stuff, walk around the marina and then eat & drink at Mozambik V & A Waterfront and watch the party boats coming and going. This portion saved my sanity after going non-stop the day before. I could go on and on, but there isn't enough space here for that. The entire experience with GoTouchDown was amazing. We plan to be back in 2024.
US
Email Vic B. | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Go Touch Down far exceeded our expectations. An amazing experience!
Go Touch Down delivered everything they promised and more. Our planners listened well, responded to our needs, made specific recommendations for us, and remained patient through our seemingly endless barrage of questions.
Our South Africa tour guides were friendly, knowledgeable, and always there to help. Given that we were out in a true wilderness, the facilities, meals, and staff were top notch. We couldn't have been more pleased.
Then, Go Touch Down really went the extra mile. We had added a Victoria Falls extension to the end of our safari tour. Upon arriving at JNB for our flight to Vic Falls, we find out that British Airways shut down their regional carrier literally hours before our flight, leaving us stranded at the Johannesburg airport (no fault of Go Touch Down). Rather than leaving us to fend for ourselves, James, our tour guide, stayed until our situation was resolved. He connected us with Anisa, a Go Touch Down representative in South Africa, who went to work for us and, within an hour, we were on a plane to one of their properties near Kruger National Park. While disappointed that we missed Victoria Falls, the option they provided turned out to be a highlight of our entire vacation.
Based on our experience, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Go Touch Down. in fact, whenever we get an another opportunity to visit Victoria Falls, you can be sure we'll be calling Go Touch Down.
CA
Email Mark G. | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Friendly & knowledgeable staff, a diversity of activities to enjoy & an overall awesome experience.
My sister Kim and I thoroughly enjoyed our 10 day Signature Tour (Safari & Cape Town) of South Africa with Go Touch Down Tours in April & May, 2022. All of our tour guides - Bill on the Safari portion, Lindo at Humala River Lodge and J.P. in Cape Town were friendly, informative, knowledgeable and went above and beyond to help us enjoy each activity. All of the other staff at each of the resorts where we stayed were also awesome, as were the accommodations and all the meals we enjoyed, especially the bries! Also, the small size and cohesiveness of our tour group made the trip that much more enjoyable.
The Safari experiences at both Humala - Songimvelo Game Reserve & Pilanesberg National Park were amazing and Cape Town and surroundings were a beautiful area to explore, and we have some awesome photos and memories to last a lifetime. Great value for the money and I would highly recommend Go Touch Down to anyone, young or old, wanting to enjoy an awesome, complete Africa Tour experience.
US
Email Doris Gragg | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Go Touchdown Travel & Tours is Committed to Customer Satisfaction
From the moment our group touched down in Johannasburg, South AFrica, we were treated like we were the most important people on the planet. Respectful, friendly employees made us feel like we were part of a family. Every request was answered with 'yes, we can make that work', with no additional expenses. Our group added on a hot air balloon ride, (which we paid for, but transports were free), shopping trips into town, and an excursion boat ride down Blyde River Canyon. Go Touch Down took care of all the planning, and all we had to do was show up, and enjoy every second of our experience. Safaris were amazing, with knowledgeable and patient guides.
Our tour guide (James) was the most amazing person we met on our vacation. He was always willing to explain any questions we had. He fed us knowledge throughout our time with him. He was always happy, and willing to help us in any way. We still consider him a member of our family!
US
Email Grace Baylor | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Our tour operator was very knowledgeable, answered all questions and left nothing unturned.
This was a trip of a lifetime! We had such a remarkable time each day, each adventure, each meal, each safari, each sight seeing tour we took.
We were busy from the rising of day, until dusk most days. Oh, the shopping was an adventure all of its own:) It was breath taking.. We are planning to return.
US
Email Lisa Ashton Mattioli | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Exceeded expectations
Our South African adventure was way better than we expected it to be. Johannesburg is amazing and our tour guide James helped us navigate what we wanted to see and showed us how the locals enjoy their city as well. Our guide Bill took us everywhere and shared stories about each amazing destination. There were stops on the tour that were simply incredible and really showed us how diverse South Africa is. The Humala and Tshukudu game lodges were beautiful and very clean. The food is very good and they offer food for everyone's tastes. The game drives were more than we expected and we saw everything. Winter is a great time to visit because the animals are easier to see. Our guides and hotel team were like family and were equally excited for us for seeing so many species. Special thanks to Blessing at Humala Lodge and Shaddy at Tshukudu Lodge. Wonderful. We finished our trip in Cape Town where Jonathan, our guide, was simply amazing. He was knowledgeable, fun and made our tour of Cape Town so memorable. We cannot wait to return. Go Touch Down Tours did a great job helping us have the adventure of a lifetime worry free. We saw everything including the Big Five, we visited Kruger National Park and so, so much more. Excellent vacation for sure.
US
Email VW | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Super accommodating and makes sure everyone is having a great time
Our experience with GoTouchDown has been great! We're the type of travellers who don't typically work with multi-day tour operators just because we prefer to explore on our own with a flexible schedule, but when we decided on South Africa as our "big trip", GoTouchDown definitely helped made it a huge success. We didn't know much about South Africa, but from reading online travel guides about the country, we knew we needed local experts to ensure we had a safe and memorable trip. The ground staff in the US were professional and had helped us a lot in providing the necessary documentations when we had to apply for visas to enter South Africa. Our local tour guide, Tabo, was with our small group of six 24/7...from Day 1 of when we started our trip in Johannesburg to Day 7 for when we depart from Hoedspruit back to Johannesburg, he made sure everything was good in our group, and tried to do as much as possible if we had any issues. He was super knowledgeable, friendly and professional, and a great personality that made the long drives a very enjoyable one! The rangers that we had at Songimvelo Game Reserve - Tandi, and at Tshukudu Game Reserve - Tyler, were both super knowledgeable and entertaining, and they were going the extra mile to make sure our group's wishes of seeing certain animals was fulfilled. Hands down, I would say the lodging at Humala was one of the most comfortable and luxurious "glamping" experience, and would definitely love to stay there again to unplug and be with nature.
Possibly because of all the things that happened in the last 2 years with the pandemic, the changes that was made to our initial booking (which was back in 2020) could have been communicated better and could have given the travellers more choice on what we wanted to do with the upgrade vs original itinerary. Sometimes the ground staff in the US was a bit hard to get to when we had questions in regards to visas and getting some help on documentations. I would say the tour may be a little bit expensive for travellers who don't want to splurge. Otherwise, if you want to know that you'll be well taken care of, don't want to worry about planning for the next day's activity and just have a great time, we would definitely recommend GoTouchDown.
US
Email Marvene A. | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent! Detailed oriented.
Go Touch Down did an amazing job in coordinating our vacay to South Africa, from the excursions to the accommodations to the restaurants to the entertainment. To say we enjoyed the whole adventure is an understatement. Our tour guides were par excellent-Fabian, Thabo, Tony, and JP. They were so knowledgeable and always wore patience. We have gained a lifetime of memories from a once in a lifetime trip. Thanks
US
Email Bryan | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Dana was extremely busy. There were questions we had that we needed an appointment to have answered.
We were met at the airport by Joseph, who was very professional and friendly. Our accommodations at Seasons were nice and included a wonderful breakfast.
Humala lodge was a wonderful adventure with good food, excellent staff, and our game driver Tandy was excellent! The Boma Zulu dancers were really fun!
James transported us to Tshukudu via the Panorama route and was very helpful, answered questions and took care of transfers and accommodations questions for us for our Victoria Falls excursion.
Our Tshukudu cabin was nice, but there were ants everywhere. The food was excellent! Our game driver Tyler was excellent as well.
Our accommodations at Victoria Falls at the Ilala Lodge was magnificent! Beautiful room, excellent food and wonderful staff. Lucky picked us up at Victoria Falls airport and transported us to Victoria Falls and the Chobi river package. He was excellent and very helpful.
Our Victoria Falls accommodations only included breakfast. We were surprised that we had to pay for lunch and dinner!