Guest book
Hello Georgina... Sadly, we are back home to the dull grey damp we recognise as home. So missing the warmth and lovely blue skies and wonderful scenery. However, its a fleeting visit to Elgin as we leave today for Glasgow as our daughter is graduating tomorrow so that's something to look forward to. Our trip was fantastic and I will definitely put S Africa on my bucket list for a return visit. Thank you for your hospitality and kindness. We enjoyed our meal with you and the ostrich was delicious. After we left you we did stop off at Nature's Valley and really understood why you love it so. It was serene, beautiful and those waves...!From there we went to Stormsriver and were blessed with a wonderful sunset. Addo was fantastic and we were thrilled to spend an afternoon watching the elephants play, yes, play in the waterhole in front of our lovely guesthouse! they were even doing back flips in the water. It was incredible. The other treat there was seeing a spotted hyena up close and personal to the car. Wow! The wine tasting was terrific.. Drank and ate far too much. I loved Prince Albert and the guest house there was my favourite of all (apart from the Dwyka at Sanbona). the meal at the Olive Branch was truly sublime and special. Its hard to pick out favourites though as so much was wonderful. Many thanks for your guidance and assistance and hope you have a wonderful Christmas and we look forward to seeing you on your next trip to Scotland." Warmest wishes, Ann, 2012
"Georgina, Apologies for the delay in me penning a response - the mail got lost in the swathes of golf club correspondence I was catching up on! Having transferred my SA photos on to the PC last night it came to mind that I needed to reply to you. I took 850 photos - lots of elephants, lions, zebras and the like- what great memories they bring back. We had a fantastic time on our tour and Carolyn and I would like to thank you for the trip you put together for us and your hospitality when we were in Knysna. The accommodation was first class with welcoming owners and staff, and the highlight for us must be Sanbona where we had a taste of 5 star living in a wonderful setting and amongst those great animals! If only we had had more time! We were amazed at the standard of the dining wherever we were and the value for money was very well received by 4 Scots on tour! I'm now trying hard to lose the 7 pounds I gained over the 3 weeks.Please thank James once again for arranging our golf game. Unfortunately that's the last time I hit a ball - we have had snow and ice to contend with here since our return so I've been unable to play. I'm not looking forward to getting my thermals out but I suppose the consolation is we don't have to worry about mozzies! I've offered James a game at Baberton and i look forward to returning his generous hospitality at Knysna.When you are back in Scotland and if you are in / around Edinburgh please do get in touch." Best wishes. Scott & Carolyn. On 26 Nov 2012,
"Dear Georgina....I can’t believe it has taken me this long to finally write to you to express my thanks to you for finding us such a splendid place to bond! “Amakhala” was perfect and everyone loved it. It did not matter that it was the soggiest weekend since the 1950’s floods. The food was great, wine flowed, fires stoked, game rangers on the ready with blankets, hotties and a couple of lions to find hiding in the bossies! Amazing personal service from everyone! No words can really express how much the reunion meant to us nor could I totally thank you enough for helping me to pull it together!"Jacqui Chapman
"For Rob Kirk’s 80th Birthday celebration 2012 Georgina's planning, constant communication and travel tips made for a stress free arrival in East Africa for a first timer. Our personally designed Safari was an extraordinary experience.
Authentic, wonderful local guides, total comfort - yet back to nature. While we covered significant ground, it was all done without a hitch. A highlight for us was the Encounter Camp, Masai Mara.
Great accommodation, food and just lovely people.
Georgina made my trip of a lifetime an even better experience than I had hoped. I unreservedly recommend her if you want to book with someone who is just as excited about your trip as you are!Well what can I say but we had the trip of a lifetime. Encounter Camp was the standout but it was all just amazing. Beautiful country and people. Thank you so much for your care and attention to detail. I am just so happy. I have told 700 people already and will be going back just as soon as I am able. I am the worlds hardest marker and the trip was way beyond my expectations. Asante sana my friend. If you hit Oz lets have a drink. You will be hearing from me with another booking, you can count on it." Kind regards, Melissa Ellis, 2012
"Hi Georgina, Home again and what a fantastic holiday. We had such a great time in each of the locations and saw so much. We looked at all the photos yesterday and it was amazing to see what we had seen and done during our trip. We loved the accommodation you booked for us- the level of comfort and service was fantastic and so personal. Looking back in balance we would have preferred another night in Cape Town as we rushed about trying to see everything. Having just come off a long haul flight it would have been nice to have the luxury of bit more time there. We also really liked Cape Town. However what do you cut back on - maybe the game reserve. However so saying that the kids probably prefered the way you had it as they just loved the game reserve. We saw so much every time we went out but it never got boring as different things happened each time. Totally wonderful.It was also lovely to have dinner with you and James when we were over. Thank you so much for inviting us round.I hope you don't mind but I gave your details to our SA friends in Jo'burg as they liked the type of accommdation you booked for us, particularly the game reserve as they have always driven for hours on Kruger and not seen too much at times. Thanks once again for putting the itinery together for us. We had the most fantastic holiday.With kind regards and everyone wanting to return." Loreen
"Dear Georgina, Chloe and I are back in Sydney now after a superb trip to South Africa and Namibia. John is still in Sri Lanka and will return on Monday. Thank you so much for all the work you put in to making our trip such a wonderful first-time experience. The second camp at Etosha was certainly the highlight for us - the number and variety of animals was almost unbelievable! Our time spent in and around Cape Town was another of the many highlights -what a dramatic landscape that whole area around Cape Town is! The accommodation you organised for us was superb - I think I could have very easily spent a few more days relaxing around the pool in Franschhoek and just generally absorbing the culture and environment! So thank you again from all of us for all that you did for us to ensure our trip was a truly memorable experience. And thank you for the lovely beaded key ring which is a wonderful memento of our trip. We look forward to seeing you in Sydney when you visit. Kind regards, Robin, John and Chloe Vandervord."Sydney
"Hi Georgina
I've been meaning to drop you a line for ages to thank you and your team for making our South African holiday so memorable. Andrew and I had the most marvellous time. The itinerary you'd organised met our needs perfectly, the activities, tours and accommodation were spot on, and gave us a wonderful mixture of action and comfort.
The service provided was outstanding and nothing was ever too much trouble, always a bonus when travelling in a different country/culture.Andrew and I have travelled extensively, and I have to say that this was without doubt the most enjoyable, memorable and well organised trip that we've been on in years ... so thank you.
We'd be delighted to 'spread the word' about Hakuna Matata and are very happy to be contacted as a reference."With very best wishes
Karen Whittleworth/Gilbert
"Hakuna Matata Tours organised our Honeymoon for us.
This is the first time we have ever let anybody organise and book anything for us (so we know we are picky…) and it was all done via email!
From 1000’s of miles away, Georgina understood our needs and wants, and added a large dose of what is clearly years of professional experience we emerged in S.A with a holiday itinerary to suit out pocket and our wishes.
How do you describe the experience of watching game in its native bush? It is a truly amazing, awe-inspiring experience.
We watched wriggly, furry, feathery, small, big, huge, and enormous creatures. How many photos of Elephant, Rhino, Giraffe, Zebra, Nyala, Kudu, etc??? Birds of beautiful colours to huge and very ugly…
We gazed at long and huge waterfalls, watched traditional gold mining, saw stunning sunsets and sunrises, breakfasted everyday outside, slept to the sound of Cicadas, Frogs and Hippo, drank fine wine and ate great food, braaied steak under the stars, walked on beautiful beaches, stayed in great accommodation, visited Victoria Falls, rafted down the Zambezi, and we did all 21 rapids without falling out.
The icing on our cake was to stay at the finest safari lodge in Zimbabwe, which meant the trial of having dinner overlooking a floodlit waterhole with Elephant drinking!
Georgina’s organisation, and attention to detail meant our trip went without a hitch. We had all our pre booked documentation and instructions handed to us on arrival and should we have needed it she was always only a phone call away to help us.
We had a truly fantastic time, and yes we would come back!
With our biggest thanks,"
Deborah & Jon Boyle,
Gloucestershire, U.K.
"Dear Georgina,We are back from our safari and what a wonderful time we had.The two days spent in Knysna getting to know you better were really special. After we left you we had a most exciting time. The game viewing at Kariega was quite exceptional. We had no idea what to expect and then to get so close to so many species! Samara was equally impressive for completely different reasons. The lodge was stunning and very comfortable, the food and service was of the highest standard and the countryside was magnificent.The purpose of this letter is really to thank you for organising such a brilliant holiday for us. It couldn’t have been better in any respect. You obviously put a lot of effort into our itinerary and we reaped the benefit. To think it all started in Gordonstoun in April…….Yours ever" Hubert and Noelle Beaumont and family
Ireland