Opulent AfricaReviews of opulentafrica.com

This is our second trip to Africa through Opulent Africa and, again, they did an amazing job. John and Faith were so responsive and helpful all along the way. I gave some general information as to what we wanted to do and see and they took care of the rest. This trip was to celebrate a milestone birthday and they including wonderful surprises in the trip too. I would definitely use them again on our next trip to Africa and can highly recommend them!

Opulent Africa was amazing from start to finish. All we did was give them a budget, time frame and a general idea of the activities we were interested in, and they took it from there! They asked our opinions throughout the process of what they were suggesting for our trip, leaving it completely up to us. I was SO impressed by the fully detailed itinerary, from the times of flights and pick ups to the actual driving directions and maps! They answered every silly question we had and were very quick to respond back to us. I would recommend Opulent Africa in a heart beat to anyone wishing to travel to Africa and not knowing AT ALL what to expect! I would absolutely use them again when we go back there someday! :)

Let me begin by saying, I love to travel, but I’ll also admit that I have never trusted anyone else to plan or manage our travel. I always wanted to be in total control of every facet of our trips. But after planning for & traveling to 60+ countries, I simply decided that I wanted someone else to do all that work for a change! Consequently, two years ago we entrusted our first agent-booked trip through Opulent Africa. Immediately, we were impressed – not only with the knowledge and expertise of Opulent Africa’s staff – but with the attention to every little detail. Our first trip to three countries in Africa was so flawless, that we almost immediately began working with them on a second ‘return’ trip. This time, we requested something different from our first trip, as we didn’t care to travel all that way, only to see the same animals. Wow! Did they ever deliver! Working with their sister company - The Gorilla Safari Company - they put together another memorable trip --- this time adding a “wet” safari, as well as gorilla trekking! It was simply amazing and yes, totally different from our first trip. Now, we are excited to challenge “Opulent & Gorilla” (both) to ‘wow’ us yet a third time …and we have absolutely no doubt that they will do just that! Can’t wait to hear their suggestions on this, our third adventure with these “wizards of all things Africa”!

After reviewing several companies we decided to book our vacation with Opulent Africa. Everything from the detailed personalized itinerary, the quality of the hotels, the arrangements of private tours, even having your favorite libation available upon arrival at each location, made this a memorable holiday. The staff was available at all times of the day/night during the planning and travel stage. One of the flights encountered a substantial delay due to weather, and the Opulent Africa crew made sure that all other arrangements for that day were either postponed or cancelled accordingly. Thank you John and Faith for all your expertise, I couldn't have planned a trip like this without you.

I contacted Opulent Africa and spoke to John about safari in Namibia. To be honest I didn't give him much to work with- it was a case of "here's my budget what can you do for us?" (and our budget was on the low side, by safari standards). However, within no time, John had put together what looked like a fabulous itinerary & then Faith worked her magic and made it all happen. It was as simple & as stress-free as that. We had a wonderful time on safari in Namibia-it was beyond words. In fact we are seriously considering heading back to the African continent next year & our first port of call shall be Opulent Africa. Thanks again. Sarah & Peter Ward.

My daughters and I had the most amazing safari in Kenya. Everyone was so friendly and nice to us, it was like joining a family at every place. I will never forget our private session with the baby elephants at the Nairobi orphanage and playing with them and the hose-pipe even if they did cover me in mud! Feeding the Giraffes at Giraffe manor or seeing Lions up close, every day we had a new experience and when I thought it couldn’t get better the next day topped the last! John worked with us for weeks to plan the tour fitting in all of our ‘must-see-list’ as well as things we hadn’t even thought about. He was patient with all of my many questions, made changes if we wanted to add something else and was always quick to respond - I didn’t know where to start, it was a bit overwhelming to begin with but we quickly narrowed it down to our bucket list animal encounters. The properties were beautiful and we even got upgraded at Loldia House and Giraffe Manor. I was worried about the food in Africa but it was good, I have never eaten so well and they top up your drink before you even have time to notice it was empty. ha ha. I highly recommend Loldia House and thank the manager Helen for being so kind to us. If you go to Nairobi you must visit the elephant place, the babies are so cute. Our game drivers must have thought we were funny getting so excited every time we saw a new animal but it felt like being children again with the excitement. Everyone should go on safari. The whole trip went without a hitch and from the moment we landed in the Airport we felt looked after and safe. It feels like a dream now we are back home, and we just want to go back again! Thank you so much.

Hell-o John, Donna, and Faith: We just completed our third trip to Africa with Opulent. It was of a month's duration and we could not have had a better time or received more value for our dollar spent. From the very start, the flight over on Delta to the rooms, management and service at the Peermont Suites, to all the pre-arranged flights, it was simply the best. Some of our visits were to Reserves we had visited before, so we knew what to expect, but the game viewing and service at Elephant Plains in Sabi Sands is never going to be off our list when we return. Never have we seen less than four leopards, but the lions feeding on their buffalo kills was spectacular. Next stop was fishing in Mozambique at Rio Azul, north of Vilanculos. I have sent you photos of the fish , but have not told you how wonderful the lodge and service were at Rio Azul. They are second to none. Then it was off to Zambia and the South Luangwa Reserve near Mfuwe. We stayed at Kafunta Lodge and could not have made a better pick. Our guide, Martin, was just super. His knowledge and the way explained things about the animals and the bush made the trip that much more enjoyable. Kafunta Lodge has a natural spring and have flooded the area in front of the lodge, so you get up close and personal with elephants, hippos, warthogs and numerous baboons. Huge herds of hippos in the river along with crocs and the very best, colonies of the carmine bee eaters, another bucket list bird ticked off. Just great. Forgot to mention the numerous giraffes and four more leopards we saw there. Then down south to Makakatna Lodge. This was a bit different in that it was very cool, but swampy. Lots of giraffes and elephants, but the amazing thing was the number of birds that I added to my list. One exceptional sighting of a pair of African Hoopoes right outside our chalet veranda. Amazing!! I was able to watch them for an hour. Had a lovely boat ride in a lake where there are actually hippos, crocs, and sharks in the same waters, Not a good place for a swim!! Last stop was Kwandwe Lodge outside of Port Elizabeth. This was our first visit here and I must say we will not return to Africa without returning here. Staggering amount of animals. Saw Cheetahs, Black and White Rhinos with their young calves, Lots of Lions and their young, an enormous herd(journey) of giraffes, and several new bird species, including the Blue Crane and Secretary Bird. Marvelous service and accommodations. Just exceptional. We cannot wait to return. All, and I mean ALL of the above is due to you guys and your staff. Your planning, feedback, and general help is what sets you above the rest. We will not make an international trip again without Opulent Africa doing the groundwork. Thank you all so very much. Ralph and Barbara Fisher, Missouri

Thanks for a great trip. Everything went well and we really enjoyed ourselves. Your handling of the logistics, which included six flights and four overnight locations, was excellent. Everyone was courteous and professional. We were particularly impressed with the crew at the Nairobi airport on our return. A team of three met us when we landed in the private plane and escorted us to the main terminal. When it was found that we could not check our bags for a couple of hours they came back, took care of the bags and escorted us to our gate and to the lounge. The KLM baggage counter does not open until after 6:00 and we got there about 4:00 as our incoming pilot picked us up an hour earlier then planned due to concerns about weather. The only other glitch was an unscheduled stop in Minneapolis on our way home. The staff at the three camps we stayed at took care of every need and the accommodations were fine. Temperatures ranged from moderate to cool and mosquitoes were never a problem. I took a sweater and jacket and wore both most of the time but never did wear the long sleeve shirt I brought. All of the guides were very knowledgeable but a little hard to understand due to their accent. By the way it is only women's underwear they will not wash.