Our Best Trip Ever
We had a wonderful experience in Tanzania. Jacada Travel made all the arrangements. The lodges, camps and guides were all fabulous choices. Everything was arranged ahead of time, and all the transfers were efficient and without problems. All of the people that took care of us, from the drivers to the camp managers and safari guides were lovely, professional and excellent. Jacada made it all so easy. All we had to do was sit back and enjoy the trip of a lifetime!
Kari
19th October 2017
Jacada Travel
We planned our trip with Tessa van der Walt at Jacada Travel in NorthernTanzania. This was our second trip to Africa, so we had certain expectations that on this trip were met and exceeded! Attention to detail was impeccable. But further, the properties and activities that were recommended were very well thought out and planned to provide us with extraordinary experiences. We booked our safari with Legendary Expeditions, a bespoke safari company. The accommodations were outstanding but, more importantly, the people we stayed with were wonderful. We have found that a travel agency is only as good as the people they contract with to provide the services to the client. Jacada we found to surround itself with excellent resources for all aspects of our travel. We would not hesitate to use them again.
Jerry & Jay
30th October 2017
Jonny designed a safari in Tanzania for …
Jonny designed a safari in Tanzania for my group and it was everything we hoped for and more! It was a seamless, painless process from start to finish and they were able to easily accommodate some last minute changes in our plans. Angela was available to answer any questions I had about the trip and even gave me some recommendations about Cape Town, which was above and beyond the call of duty since Jacada had nothing to do with our trip to Cape Town. Everything was very professional, payment was quick and easy, they sent over a very helpful and very expensive looking information package a couple weeks before (and were very patient when multiple attempts had to be made to deliver because no one happened to be home during the day). Everything went smoothly and exceeded our expectations. Highly recommend and I would definitely come to them again!
Stephanie
04th November 2017
Byron from Jacada handled our honeymoon …
Colleen
30th June 2017
Still The Best
This review is for our latest trip booked through [email protected] to Namibia. Jacada Travel has been there behind us from the start of our very first honeymoon/safari in Tanzania, and has grown along the way as we developed an interest in wildlife photography. They have learnt our new preferences along the way, and has planned and delivered a travel experience that STILL manages to impress and amaze us. We have tried another safari company in between, but in our experience it has only made too clear the competency and thoughtfulness of Jacada Travel is far above the rest. For example, on long car transfers, they always make sure they have little snacks and drinks in the vehicle prepared for us - it's a very minor detail that we took for granted. They also book us the best rooms/tents possible - we were so grateful for the awesome waterhole view at one of the camps we stayed at that wasn't visible from all the tents - Jacada really took the time and effort to look into the details (including campsite layouts) to get us the best. Their planning is meticulous and full of little personalized surprises that really make you smile - thank you Joyce for the surprise baked cookie + ice cream!!! Above all, we feel SAFE planning with Jacada - safe that our experience will be smooth from beginning to end, safe that any problems will be looked into promptly, safe that we're getting the best rooms and service from the lodges, safe that we're getting the most compatible guides for our interests... it's why we come back again and again to Jacada Travel.
Jacqueline
23rd June 2017
Perfect trip
Our first experience with Jacada. It was flawless. Great attention to detail, perfect selection of areas to visit and camps where to stay and, most importantly, a great choice of service providers.
They (Jacada) will be the first ones we call to plan our next trip.
Jorge
05th July 2016
Everything was perfect !
Everything, including small details, was excellent. We especially remember the attention in the service and the dedication of teams to always make us satisfied.
Caroline
28th June 2016
Africa Trip, August 2016
Our group consisted of 4 adults and 4 teenaged daughters. We used Tessa at Jacada Travel to plan our Killi climb and safari, all in Tanzania. The entire trip went off without a hitch and was fabulous. Would use Tessa again if we travel to Africa.
Carol
14th September 2016
Our trip to Tanzania was truley a trip of a lifetime.
We have been to many places all over the globe and this trip is by far our most memorable. From the very beginning Samantha (Sam) Kelly made the whole process enjoyable. She mapped out a great itinerary that was incredible. The lodging, food, guides and field trips exceeded our expectations. We would recommend using Jacada Travel to anyone that wants to visit Africa. Make sure you ask for Sam.
John Lozier
28th January 2014
Amazing Africa!
We have just completed a two week adventure to Tanzania and Zambia with a day trip into Chobe National Park in Botswana. Planning for a trip to Africa is not like planning a trip to other North American destinations. It requires a lot of research and is very different from we are used to arranging. Accommodations vary from hostels to luxury. With what we wanted in mind we contacted several companies and the one we chose was Jacada Travel based in London, England. Jacada planned an amazing safari for just the two of us. Everything was totally planned and that is what we wanted. Questions were answered quickly and the trip was exactly what Jacada set out for us. We couldn't have been happier. Way to go Jacada!
Pete
14th March 2014
Could not have been better!
Before taking this very expensive and unique trip, I contacted many agencies including the well known A and K.
NO ONE paid attention to my concerns, requests and concerns like Byron Thomas from Jacada travel. It was really a collaboration that with his knowledge and my desires led to the most amazing trip ever!!
Cannot wait to do it again. Here's to you Byron. Cheers and thank you!
Elsa
10th March 2014
Life Changing
Where to begin…………The four Wheelers came away from this experience individually and collectively using words like “life changing”; “profound”; “unexpected”; “beyond expectations”; “different”; “more than expected”; “awe inspiring”. We all agreed that our 2015 vacation will most definitely be a return to Africa……..I have personally travelled to over 50 countries and the place that I want to go back to is Africa….certainly Tanzania, but perhaps more broadly to encompass South Africa; Botswana; Uganda; Rwanda and more.
The accommodations : outstanding but very different in each locale.
Legendary Lodge : made completely welcome by Russell and his staff…..superb quarters but next time we’ll start our trip with two nights there not one.
Crater Lodge was like living in The Shire (I’m sure I saw a Hobbit or two….although it might have been a baboon with big hairy feet)…………………quaint, but the ultimate in luxury with staff that excelled and seemed genuinely (as opposed to it being their job) wanting to please and make us welcome. The walks back from dinner accompanied by our Askari knowing that Cape Buffalo or Elephant lurked yards off our path was exhilarating and an adrenalin rush….food was outstanding and accommodations themselves were 6 star….including the rose petal bath each night for Candace
Chem-Chem : great food; charming hosts/hostesses/ loved the baby mongoose/ walk with the giraffes; discovering the “Little Five”; breakfast amongst the Baobab trees; and the spectacular Sundowner on the (dried up) lake…………truly luxury at its most decadent. Mwiba : the highlight of the trip…….stunning property; delightful hostess (Ann-Marie); incredible experiences -- 15 feet from a roaring lion at 10pm….in an open Land Cruiser, in the dark (adrenalin rush bigtime); watching an angry matriarch elephant trying to find us in our blind at dusk…..with her breeding herd of 12 standing right behind her!; leopard eating her kill, in a tree with hyenas lurking directly below……and on and on. Great food and a willingness to feed us at any hour whenever we came back after dark; service from the local staff who would put the best restaurants in the world to shame………………who’s “you’re welcome” always seemed to come from the heart with a smile. A day at a Maasie boma…………seemingly not as tourists but as guests who were glad to see us (except the tribe that was willing to shoot us with poison arrows if we took their photos (sorry, no pictures of them to share!). If we only return to Africa to visit one place, it will be Mwiba. How could you not want to go back?
Mobile camp : great experience and the only way to get amongst the migration. Saw every animal and bird in existence I think.
How else to describe it other than "life changing".....maybe "perfect"? Thank you Sam and Byron at Jacada. You were superb!
Noel Wheeler
01st August 2014
Helpful
You can trust Jacada and Byron, met them online and did not what to expect. Every expectation was exceded.
Remberto
18th July 2014
Amazing Safari Honeymoon by Jacada Travel
Jacada has been so easy to work with, we felt they arranged a very personalised 11 night trip. We are first time Safari tourists and are not accustomed to outdoor environments for long periods of time.
Pretrip:
[email protected] quickly assessed the type of accommodation we should be best paired with within our budget, and the order we should visit the camps, to give us the smoothest entry into the Safari life. I am now so grateful the bulk of the trip was not the bucket shower type of camp (I previously thought "no problem"!).
-She personally visited these camps so if I had a particular question about the camp she could answer me almost immediately based on her experience. She also had a lot of little traveller tips for us to ask for/try at the camps to make the most of our stay.
During the trip:
-Jacada arranged for someone to meet us inside the airport and take us through the customs.
-Joyce left us greeting notes at every camp, it was a very thoughtful touch. Also thank you Jacada for the little gift bag at the beginning of the trip, the fleece scarf was so handy, my husband used it every day on game drive as he underestimated how cold it would be and didn't pack one. Somehow you thought one step ahead and guessed we might need it but forgot it?!
-Joyce especially arranged alot of "extras", we felt like special guests at all the lodges. e.g. private game drives at private concessions/camps that run shared game drives, upgraded rooms, we were always allocated the rooms with the best views, honeymoon dinners - there was another couple on honeymoon at the Crater Lodge, but their dinner table was not fancily decorated and by the fireplace like ours.
- Zero logistic problems despite a hectic schedule
- Assigning the very best guides who were funny, charming, and very experienced. We caught some spectacular moments, and we shared some very funny stories that will remain in our hearts forever.
Post trip:
-A very welcome back email, and a followup lunch to ensure the trip was what we expected!! It WAS, and so much more.
Thank you to Joyce and the Jacada team for the professional and personalised adventure.
Jacqueline
24th July 2015
A beautiful experience!
Jonny at Jacada helped my friend and I create the trip of a lifetime! Every detail was meticulously planned. I would recommend them in a heartbeat and can't wait to use them again for my next adventure.
Amanda
02nd July 2015
Tanzania Safari and Zanzibar Experience Debs and Neil
This has to be the best holiday that we have ever taken. From the very beginning Jonny guided us through the booking of a spectacular itinerary to suit what we wanted to see and experience during our visit to Africa.
We stayed in five different places during a two week period. Each location and accommodation were excellent, our favourite being the Lamai Serengeti Camp. The guides and accommodation staff were superb, we were made to feel very welcome and looked after.
During the holiday we enjoyed day drives, night drives, a bush walk and a balloon ride then went to relax on the beach at the Breezes Beech Club in Zanzibar for four days before flying home.
we would highly recommend Jacada Travel, in particular our African expert Jonny who booked everything for us, communicated with us throughout and made everything run like clockwork-thank you!
Debs and Neil
Neil and Debbie
22nd October 2015
A Memorable Safari
It's one of the most relaxing vacations we had.
The itinerary and locations were timed perfect. The accommodations and their location were amazing, we could watch animals while sipping our morning coffee or while eating dinner.
The escort guide was very knowledgeable and friendly and we enjoyed interacting with him. The driver guides were great too. Together they made every effort irrespective of time to meet our expectations.
The food was wonderful and the chefs catered to our needs specially me being a vegetarian.
The flights between destinations were worth, they saved a lot on travel time.
This is our second vacation with Jacada and I think they are best in customizing a vacation.
Overall it was a dream come true Safari.
Mai
26th September 2015
You cannot do better than this
Never in a million years did my wife and I ever think we would visit Africa as it was not on our radar
We have travelled quite a bit and had some brilliant experiences,Africa to us was just a giant Zoo,too touristy,not what we wanted
,because of our previous experience with a Jacada South American trip we new that if ever we did go to Africa then it would only be with Jacada,so we decided to swallow our pride and go for it
During our pre trip chats with Byron it was obvious to us that this was going to be special.
Not for Jacada the bog standard accomadation and tour guide.this turned out to be the trip of a lifetime purely and simply because of the quality of the guides who in my opinion could not be bettered,we saw things including a lion kill that other groups missed out on because of our guides patience and knowledge even the small things such as identifying every bird that we saw
As far as accomodation goes,we do like our comfort and are discerning as far as hotels and lodges go the 4 lodges we stayed in were amazing once again down to the quality of the staff,we were overwhelmed by the friendliness and pure efficiency by everybody,maybe that is a natural trait of Tanzanians
Listening to all of my friends and family who have done safaris in the past no matter how hard they could not convince us
I do not think that any other company could top what Jacada did for us,they may not be cheap but you only get what you pay for is our experience in life
What I think is also important is that my wife and I are in our mid sixties yet we found the whole safari experience with Jacada incredibly comfortable and a pure joy
Derek Rawlins
25th September 2015
Kilimanjaro Climb and Safari - a first rate experience.
Some thoughts regarding the climb: The guides and staff were excellent. Jacada truly arranged a luxurious climb. My son and I had a support staff of 28 to accompany us on our climb. I have nothing but positive thoughts regarding the staff, meals and accommodations. It was as comfortable as possible, given the circumstances and challenges of climbing Kilimanjaro. As for the climb itself, there were two difficult aspects; a) breathing at the high altitude and b) the hike on the day you summit is very difficult and requires a positive attitude to make it to the top. Besides those, the hardest thing for me, was the temperature at night. We woke up one morning with ice covering our sleeping bags. But, we wore plenty of layers and managed to sleep. Overall it was a fantastic lifetime experience and being with my son, made it extra special.
What can I say about the safari? It was beyond expectations in terms of luxurious accommodations and seeing - up close - all of the wildlife of the Serengeti. If I had to pick a favorite lodge, which is a difficult choice, I would select the experience at Faru Faru at the Grumeti Game Reserve. The accommodations were spectacular, the intimacy of the lodge we particularly enjoyed, and the staff was outstanding. We loved the experience of being able to go off road to view the animals. We were able to get so close and see the wildlife without binoculars. Sometimes a little too close. HAHA. However, having said that, please don't take away any negative thoughts about Serengeti Lamai or Ngongorgoro Crater Lodge. All three were spectacular experiences. The Ngongorgoro Lodge was really something special. All three of our safari guides - we rate as excellent. They were polite, knowledgeable and took excellent care of us. We were extremely lucky in that we saw the big five, a cheetah kill, four river crossings (one that lasted over 30 minutes) and a crocodile kill. An outstanding safari and trip.
The Legendary Lodge in Arusha was a great place to base our trip. The lodge and staff were outstanding and took very good care of us.
Thank you for your help in arranging a fantastic trip.
Bart and Ranae
24th September 2015
An incredible experience - on all levels.
The team was great to work with - from start to finish. The attention to detail and coordination was unmatched, truly.
The lodging and accommodations were incredible. Byron, Jonny and the whole team made sure every provision was taken care of and they thought through every angle, even our side trip to Dodoma to visit some friends.
I wouldn't do another trip of this nature (Africa or elsewhere) with any other group. Period.
Josh
01st March 2016
Kilimanjaro climb
The Travel Designer, Joyce Choi, is really knowledgeable, helpful and patiently answered all my questions for my first ever climbing trip. The best Travel Designer that I ever dealt with.
On the ground, the arrangement was perfect. The local trekking company that Jacada chose is also one of the best. Their crews are professional, knowledgeable and friendly. We spent 8 days in the mountain and it went so fast because we had so much fun with the crews.
Definitely one of the best trip in my life.
Raty
20th February 2016
