Testimonials
I have already submitted my lengthy review about our trip to our trip coordinator Ciara who did a wonderful job! This is our second time using Jacada for travel in Latin America.
While we had a few hiccups it did not impact us too badly and our experience. These hiccups were not due to Jacada but the local agency in Chile. The local guides were fantastic and always wanted to go out of their way to make our visit to their country perfect.
Just returned from an incredible holiday in Myanmar thanks to Jacada Travel and Kate Edwards in particular. This was my second experience working with Jacada. After a wonderful holiday in Argentina in 2013, I reached back out Jacada to plan a holiday in SE Asia. I hadn't originally thought about Myanmar as a destination but after a few conversations with Kate and feedback from her own holiday there last spring, I was convinced to book travel there. I am so glad that I did.
Myanmar is in one word an amazing place. The scenery, the sights, the food, and most of all the people make Myanmar a special place that much of the world has yet to see. From my arrival in Mandalay to my departure nearly three weeks later from Yangon, every detail of my was planned and executed perfectly by Kate and Jacada.
Some of the most memorable aspects of my Myanmar holiday:
1. Trekking and home stay in the northern Shan state: Three days and two nights trekking with a local guide through the mountains and villages of the northern Shan state. Spent both nights in a local home. An amazing and unique opportunity to see the true Myanmar.
2. Candle light market in Hsipaw: Experienced an open air market lit only by candle light. Every day from 3:30am to sunrise, locals sell fruits, vegetables, meat, and fish.
3. The temples of Mandalay: Saw several of the most incredible Buddhist sites in all of Myanmar located in and around the city of Mandalay. Capped my stay by watching the sun set over the U Thein bridge.
4. Bagan: Everything about Bagan is magical. Over 2000 stupa and pagodas from the 11th to 13th century dot the countryside - all accessible by foot, horse carriage, and bicycle. Viewed another incredible sunset from the top of the Shwesandaw Pagoda.
4. Trekking from Kalaw to Inle Lake: Picturesque trek from the mountains of Kalaw down to beautiful Inle Lake. Spent a night in a Buddhist monastery.
5. Inle Lake: Wonderful Villa Inle Lake Resort, beautiful sunsets, magical fishing villages, and the amazing Shwe Indein pagoda complex make a stay on Inle Lake incredible.
6. Ngapali Beach: Relaxing, beautiful, quiet, and uncrowded are the best ways to describe Ngapali Beach. Enjoyed the white sand beach and the warm water of the Bay of Bengal.
7. Yangon: No trip to Myanmar is truly complete without a visit to Shwedagon Pagoda - the most important and famous Buddhist site in all of Myanmar.
Kate from Jacada travel did an amazing job for myself and my family planning our trip. I would absolutely use her and the company again.
A very enjoyable and educational trip and good value for money. The vessel Isabela II is well managed with good service and professional naturalists
Jacada is fantastic -- luxury, personalized service. Jacada exceeded our expectations every step of the way -- planning phase, during the trip, and post-mortem. I would recommend this company to anyone.
Our family spent 18 days in Vietnam (Con Dao, Hoi An, Saigon) for Christmas in 2014. We took our children (8 year old, 12 year old). Since we had never been there, I spent lots of time researching the country (history, culture, activities, adventure, etc). I found Jacada on the web after becoming frustrated with all of the planning and I spoke to Kate, the Southeast Asia expert.
Kate arranged everything and then some. Flights, hotels, daily adventures, restaurant recommendations, etc. She prepared a beautiful online multimedia itinerary (for us to share with other family and friends), had goodies (wine, kids' chonkies, etc) sent to our rooms, and made sure every detail was taken care of. She was also super responsive, knowledgeable and very helpful.
Jacada made us feel like VIPs during the trip. Our favorite venues/activities organized by location (for those who go included):
1. Con Dao. Six Senses. Off the chart relaxation at boutique hotel. Gorgeous beaches, prison tour, moped ride around island, Vietnamese cooking class. (Weather wasn't as favorable for scuba/snorkeling at that time because of storm in nearby Philippines.)
2. Hoi An. Alma Courtyard. Lantern making, full day biking tour and working with the local farmers on their rice paddies and vegetable gardens, street food tour, daily massages included in boutique hotel price.
3. Saigon. Park Hyatt (although I'd start to look for another newer hotel that's less run down...maybe Le Meridien when it opens in 2015). Side car tour, Cu Chi tunnels and Mekong River tour.
No doubt we will work with Jacada again in 2015...maybe Botswana/Namibia? :-)
Ciara, our travel consultant at Jacada, was outstanding. She helped create a fabulous itinerary, with great hotels, memorable experiences and excellent logistics and coordination. No detail was missed, and everyone in our family had a great time. It was very clear that much thought had been given to every aspect of the trip.
Byron at Jacada travel organized a super African vacation for our family, despite substantial challenges from us. Our group consisted of nine person, ranging in age from 10 to 74, traveling around the world from different locations on different days and ultimately meeting up in Cape Town. That is a lot of moving pieces, but despite all the logistical challenges, Byron and the Jacada team organized a magnificent holiday that was enjoyed by all.
In Cape Town, we enjoyed an "eating tour," a trip up Table Mountain, a tour of Robbin Island, a cultural walk through the City, a tour of Cape Point, and a magnificent Christmas dinner.
Byron then organized an unforgettable safari in the Okavango delta in Botswana.
Thereafter, we returned to South Africa for several relaxing days in wine country.
We could not have had a better time, and we all highly recommend Byron and the Jacada team.
We had an amazing trip in South Africa over the Christmas and New Year's Eve holidays! Tessa at Jacada Travel listened to our wants and needs and helped to plan a great personalized trip, giving us time in the Cape and on safari. Everything ran on time, and the lodging accommodations exceeded our expectations. There were a couple of snags with respect to a portion of our itinerary, but Jacada and their local South African partner New Frontiers worked together to resolve all issues. Thanks, Jacada, for an unforgettable experience!
I had an excellent experience working with Jacada from the time I first contacted them all the way through my amazing honeymoon trip! Great people, great recommendations and great travel accommodations; I would definitely work with Jacada again.
When my wife and I were searching around for a travel company to organize a trip for us to Patagonia, we found Jacada through a Google. We are very glad that we did. We live in Utah, and had some misgivings about dealing with a company in London. Our concerns proved to be completely unwarranted. From the very first phone call the customer service and professionalism were first rate. Our travel coordinator, Ciarra, put together a great itinerary that covered all the highlights that we wanted to include in this trip. She and the entire staff at Jacada worked to fine tune the itinerary to suit our preferences. No question or request was too small or inconsequential for them to address. They even made dinner reservations for us in the restaurants of our choice. Prior to leaving we received a personalized book that described in great detail everything we could expect to encounter in terms of the logistics of our journey. With some very minor exceptions, everything we were told happened just as described. We were met at every stop by a local guide and driver some of whom became our good friends. All the accommodations were first rate. At each location along the way we were presented with a personal note from our travel coordinator ( and often a bottle of wine) to welcome us and to update us on our itinerary. All the little touches enhanced our experience and made this Patagonian adventure the trip of a lifetime for us. I would not hesitate to use Jacada's services again or to recommend Jacada to anyone who desires to travel in this style.
Our South African honeymoon was a truly flawless experience from start to finish! Despite the 6-hour time difference, we were able to plan a personalized trip with Jacada Travel. We received a quick response to our initial inquiry from Tess. From that point on, all communications were very easy and timely. Tess was incredibly attentive and thorough. She took the time to piece together our desires with her EXCELLENT recommendations to give us an amazing custom tailored honeymoon. It was apparent from the start that she was very knowledgeable with South Africa and definitely an expert in the various attractions, dining, accommodations, etc. The trip itself was a once a in a lifetime experience that went flawlessly. Tess was able to coordinate each detail of our pre-booked outings/tours/dining reservations so that we had a completely stress-free experience! All of the accommodations she recommended were absolutely LOVELY and LUXURIOUS with impeccable service. Each accommodation made us feel like true honeymooners with special touches/surprises/upgrades. The dining experiences were all top-notch as were their colleagues on the ground at Ilios Travel who were very knowledgeable, welcoming, and friendly.
We cannot thank you enough for creating a honeymoon that exceeded our expectations, and we hope to use your services again in the near future!
Jobi listened to our preferences and put together an itinerary which was spot on! The Royal Livingstone was beautiful and sitting in the "Devils Pool" was an experience we'll never forget. We'd also recommend Ngala Tented Camp to anyone visiting that part of the world. The Winelands and Cape Town was also a great way to finish. Having a 3.5m Great White stick it's nose in the cage is another experience we won't be forgetting anytime soon either. We'll done Jacada, we had a great trip!
Planning a luxury trip to Africa from the States is not a simple task especially when trying to visit several places and a couple different countries. We started with one travel company (based in the States) and became frustrated with the process. After doing a little research, I sent an email to Jacada Travel and Byron Thomas responded to me very quickly and then called me to discuss the specifics of the trip. Within 2 days, Byron set up a truly epic trip that minimized travel time and flights between all the destinations. Basically, all I had to do was arrange the flights to/from the States and Johannesburg. The itinerary included Victoria Falls (Livingston), Cape Town, and safaris at Londolozi (HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend!) and Tswalu. From planning the trip, to personal notes left for us at each accommodation, to following up upon our return, Byron and Jacada did an amazing job. The next trip to Africa is already being considered and I am looking forward to working with Byron and Jacada Travel again!
Byron at Jacada Travel helped us customize a safari trip to South Africa that was perfect for us. They handled all the details, and made the planning effortless. The lodge suited us perfectly, and had a great experience. Byron remained available during our trip, and wound up having to help out with something - which allowed us to enjoy our holiday with no worries. I have already recommended Byron and Jacada to other friends who are planning on safari next year.
My husband and I worked with Jacada Travel to help book our Honeymoon for 2 weeks in South Africa (Cape Town > Franschhoek > Sabi Sands Safari) and our expectations were exceeded in every way. Neither of us had much experience working with travel agencies but we did have feedback from others to just "book the trip on your own, don't go through an agent." Luckily we didn't listen to them and found Jacada Travel who helped us with every step of the process. Our Jacada specialist was Jonny who spent a lot of time upfront with us understanding what we like and don't like and then pulling together a recommended itinerary based on our desires and budget. Not only did Jonny book all our tours, transfers, and hotels - he went above and beyond, even thinking through things we wouldn't have! Two notable things was he booked us dinner reservations every night for us in top restaurants with the best seat in the house and put notes in the system so the hotels & restaurants knew it was our honeymoon and did something special for us.
Our honeymoon was truly one of the best trips of our lives and we have to give a lot of credit to Jacada for making it so special!! We will use them again for our next "Big" trip!
We had an outstanding experience with Jacada Travel. Everything was carefully planned for us and executed without a flaw. We would highly recommend this agency to anyone who travels.
Thanks to George for helping us plan an amazing vacation. We loved every minute.
Excellent experience with Jacada. From initial query to holiday. Experts who know the region - South America in our case , and what to do and not to do.
Accomodation, guides, transfers all high quality
Would highly recommend them
We gave our specification to George who arranged an action packed holiday in four different locations, city, tropical rain forest, cloud forest and coast. The transfers between locations went very smoothly with wi-fi connectivity provided in the vehicles. Costa Rica is a fantastic Eco friendly country which we thoroughly enjoyed. The different locations provided micro climates that offered different birds, mamals, flora and fauna, adding another dimension to the holiday. The food and service in the more remote places was outstanding. Thanks a lot.
We had a wonderful Honeymoon experience working with George and his team. It was our first time working with a travel agent and it was well worth it! We decided to go to Argentina and every stop along the way was special... Chauffeur to and from airports, well informed Tour Guide in each city and restaurants and must see suggestions along the way. Our flight to Argentina was delayed so we lost one day in Buenos Aires but the travel team made changes to our itinerary overnight to accommodate us when we arrived. Thank you!
Everything was planed and executed perfectly by Jacada. Our accommodations, guides and drivers were first class! We were particularly impressed by the on-time arrival of all personnel at the airports so that we were never concerned about being stranded in a foreign country. We most certainly will use Jacada Travel again for future international travels.
We traveled to Peru with Jacada in September/October 2014. We chose Jacada because of their flexibility and responsiveness. Our trip encompassed three nights in Sacred Valley, one night in Machu Picchu, three nights in Cusco, three nights at Lake Titicaca outside of Puno, and two nights in Lima.
Each hotel (Rio Sagrado, Inkaterra, Monasterio, Titilaka, Miraflores Park) was beautiful, rooms were comfortable and well-appointed, and each room offered a beautiful view. Our guides were well-informed, courteous, and professional, and the drivers were excellent. We were met at each location and were escorted to airport or train station after our visit there. The sights we experienced in each location exceeded our expectations. Peru is a beautiful country with a rich archeological and cultural heritage which we were so pleased to experience. Everywhere, the people we met were friendly and helpful.
The restaurants in our hotels, those which were part of our package, and those which we chose on our own served tasty, high quality, local food uncontaminated by outside influence. Peru does not receive enough credit for its cuisine
What a wonderful trip! Our thanks to George Warren at Jacada, to our guides and drivers, and to all the people who made our journey so pleasant and memorable. We would certainly consider traveling with Jacada in the future.
My wife & I used Jacada to help us plan an incredible trip to South Africa as a celebration of our 10th wedding anniversary. We worked with Sam who diligently worked to meet all our needs and answer every single one of our questions. I couldn't believe how smooth everything went when we arrived and throughout our trip. Additionally, we were pleasantly surprised with several surprise little touches added to each venue. I'd highly recommend Jacada to anyone, and I will likely use their services for future travel.
We had never been to South America, so we entrusted Jacada to plan the most luxurious 12 days for us in Argentina for our honeymoon. From the moment we landed in Buenos Aires, we were greeted by our private guide and driven by our private driver to our hotel. Each hotel we stayed in was amazing. Every time we arrived at a new location, we were greeted with gifts and champagne/wine.The staff at each hotel were very attentive and professional. We were able to visit three areas of Argentina on our trip and the travel guides made it very enjoyable easy for us. We were completely spoiled on our honeymoon and George Warren could not have designed a better trip for us.
I highly recommend using Jacada for your individually tailored vacation. We can't wait to use them again.
Wonderful trip to Chile. Jacada made us feel well cared for and allowed us to fully enjoy the trip without stress. Pretty amazing.
We started our trip in Rio. It didn't live up to expectations. The hotel in St Therese was hard to get to especially as the tram tracks were dug up and roads closed. Our guide led us to the obvious places which is, in retrospect, a waste of resources. They are easy to get to and we should have spent time with Jacques seeing less obvious sights. Actually I was a bit under the weather and couldn't really celebrate my 60th as planned. To add a black mark on Rio my wife's debit card was cloned!
Leaving Rio behind we headed north to Iguazu. A wonderful 2 days spent at one of the best hotels we have found. Our tour guide (Horst) was not up to the Jacada standard but that was not too much of a worry as the venue speaks for itself. Strangely I couldn't find any information about the geology.
We flew via Salta to Mendoza and this was the highlight of our stay. Jacada chose a wonderful winery to stay on (Club tapiz0 and our guide (eduardo) could not have been bettered. Suitably wined and dined we headed off to the lake district - Barriloche. Our orientation tour was stupendous - what vistas!! Our guide took us on a "sample" walk - a shame really because we should have gone further while the sun shone. But as if to prove that you can't have everything the next day nature threw a late snow storm at us. We stayed in at a very well appointed lakeside hotel (El Casco art hotel) but the staff seamed to think they were Swiss/German.: abrupt and unhelpful. The choice of a venue to celebrate our 25th was excellent - a hideaway gormet restaurant up in the hills. As we left Barriloche the sun came back so we left the lake district with good memories. Next stop was the glacier national park. It may be useful if Jacada can make contact with the outfitters who hire out clothes for the glacier trip. we really did traipse around Argentuna with all the snow gear just for four essential hours. Las saucis was another inspired choice of hotel. Jacada didnm't pre-book the glacier tour which I find strange. Actually the guide provided (laura) was very pleasant but didn't have a lot to do as we joined the ice trek. Watching and appreciating glaciers and imagining how they shape our landscape was a really worthwhile thing to do. Having had so much fresh air we flew up to the sprawling city of Buenos Aries. French architecture and British engineering to quote our guide (Dario). Perhaps Jacada should have thought of an evening at the Opera/ Alos we hadn't yet played golf (a nine hole garden in Mendoza and 8 holes in the snow at barriloche dion't count) and decided that we should get a game in. The local travel company were absolutely hopeless in this regard.
One reson to play was to spend all the pesoes that we'd changed. Jacada ought to have advised us that not only to the local love USD but they give you almost twice (!!) the official exchange rate.
we ended the trip in fine style with a very intimate Tango show.
What agreat trip!
Jacada Travel did an outstanding job in helping us plan our trip to South Africa. Every aspect of the trip -- the in-country travel, the lodgings, the tours, and the restaurant choices -- were terrific. I will recommend (and I have recommended) Jacada Travel to anyone thinking of travelling to South Africa (or anywhere else Jacada Travel organizes trips). Samantha Kelly was particularly helpful and always very responsive. I wish all businesses were run as well as Jacada Travel.
Sam(Samantha Kelley), Sam, Sam is a name I announce with joy. I called Jacada Travel and Sam was my first contact. I told her what I was interested in traveling to South Africa for our 50th wedding anniversary. I told Sam that my wife wanted luxury and first class treatment; Sam delivered. We stayed at the Ellerman House, La Residence, Dulini Lodge, and Royal Chundu. All four places knew about our anniversary and suites and champagne were waiting for us. The food was to die for along with the service at each stay. Kathy was so pleased, she wrote a favorable review concerning the Dulini Lodge to the Trip Advisor site. Finally, Jacada was there when Air France cancelled our flight back to Boston. An airport agent made new arrangements and we flew back without a problem. Now, that is what I call a first class operation. Thank you Jacada.
In Hawaiian "no ka 'oi" simply means "the best". My wife and I have always done everything on our own when traveling so going through a travel agent was a first for us and "luxury travel" was also a first. The best I can say for Jacada in general and George Warren in particular is that --- every single thing they said they would do they did. It was also done when they said it would be done. There were a few surprises though, like the tango show where when we got there we were seated, literally, front row center.
Also the restaurant where we were seated right next to the kitchen (an honor) where we could watch what was going on and converse with the chefs. Every hotel they booked for us treated us as if we were the most important people they had on the property.
Jacada is truly "no ka 'oi".
everything about the planning and execution of our trip organized by Jacada
travel was truly superb! Six of us went and all are of the same opinion that it was wonderful. we highly recommend them for travel plans.
As long as price is not a restriction Jacada can be relied on to put together a superb tailor made holiday to fit your requirements. Like all travel companies they have their favourite destinations, hotels etc to persuade you to go to but at least in their case your are assured luxury, good service and well organised trips. Their level of detailed planning is top notch
Jonny at Jacardi Travel made my first trip to Africa easy. I traveled to Uganda, South Africa, Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe and every detail of the journey was handled with care by Jonny. I never had any question regarding air or ground transportation or lodging and all of the camps were first rate. I'd recommend this trip to anyone interested in experiencing Africa for the first time.
Putting us in the Belmond Rio Sagarado in the Sacred Valley of Urubamba for the first 3 nights instead of Cusco was an excellent move as it is at lower altitude then Cusco. The experience of the valley, hotel, people and the guides were very good indeed. Even though it thundered, lighting and hail stoned on our first day at Machu Picchu our guide did his job with a smile on his face and good humour. What a site to behold by the Inca. Lima was good too for 2 nights and we had a very good guide there too. Lake Titikaka and the hotel Titilaka was very good and going to the island Tikila and the reed islands and the local weavers was good. Our room had both dawn & dusk views and the sunsets were brilliant. Enjoyed Cusco too and the history of the Temple of the Sun and the Sacsayhuaman complex was very interesting. Going onto stay at Das Cataratas on the Brazilian side was a very good choice made by Ciara as it was excellent and we don't think we would have enjoyed the only other hotel in the park on the Argenginean side having seen it when we got there. The view of Iguassu Falls from the hotel room and the sound of the water and the grounds were great as was the Falls. We really enjoyed Buenos Aires where we had a trip to the Tango at the best hotel in BA, the city tour including La Boca with the cemetary and history by our guide Dario was most enjoyable and we enjoyed a trip to a Guacho farm where we had horse riding with them, lunch, music and how they train their horses. Exceptional and once in a lifetime trip that was great. THANKS CIARA
George at Jacada arranged the vacation of a lifetime through all of Peru - Lima, Cusco, the Sacred Valley, the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, the Nazca Lines, the Amazon basin!
Every hotel was impeccable. We ate the choicest meals. All arrangements were made for us, and the local guides were knowledgable and friendly. Even the cook on the Inca trail was able to cook a vegan menu for my wife, which was quite a surprising and welcome touch.
I'd recommend Jacada highly!
Jacada handled EVERYTHING for our 12 day Peruvian adventure. From the planning to the guides to the in country assistance, everything was top notch and no detail was left unmanaged. Jen Richt planned an exceptional trip for us and our itinerary was filled with the most interesting sites, and most luxurious accommodations. Our Peruvian guides were knowledgable, amiable, proud and fun! I would recommend Jacada to anyone who wants stress free travel where every single detail is handled and you are tended to from start to finish.
Our Jacada experience made this a trip of a lifetime! It was always going to be a great trip but the selections of accomodation, experiences, guides, tours etc from Jacada jetted it into the awesome category. Everything had been chosen from personal experience and you could tell - even some of the people looking after us complimented Jacada and commented on how lovely Sam was.
The Jacada experience smoothed the way through South Africa for us - never once were we waiting at an airport or lost on where to go as there was always someone there for us!
The personal touches left for us were appreciated and unexpected and the responsiveness of Sam when we had a minor hiccup (unrelated to Jacada!) was outstanding.
Highly recommend Jacada and can't wait until we talk to you again for 2016!
Great hotels and service all the way through the trip. Peruvian food and service was excellent. The Amazon boat was luxurious and alll the staff were very knowledgable. The only complaint was that the airline connections were painfully long.
My family has recently returned from a wonderful holiday in South Africa. Sam from Jacada was excellent in helping us to plan our itinerary taking into account our individual preferences, and giving recommendations which were based on personal experience. All our accommodation was of the highest standard and our tours and Safari experiences were amazing!
Everything went smoothly and all transfers were on time and very professional. We were given lots of helpful information before our holiday, our many questions were answered in full, and we felt confident that we would be making the most of our holiday in South Africa. I can highly recommend Jacada Travel to anyone looking for a special holiday!
Emily heard what we wanted, sent us choices, asked questions, gave advice and in four short days our plans were finalized. So nice to work with someone so professional. Everything on our trip was exactly as presented, no mistakes, mis communication, excuses. Really nice to have such a great experience. And they follow up all along the way, really a quality experience.
When our intention to visit the Galapagos Islands and Machu Picchu became more concrete, I started to search the internet for travel agencies and stumbled across Jacada. After I sent an e-mail on a Sunday afternoon, neither did I expect to receive a first call only hours later, nor a complete first draft itinerary few days later. What followed were very professional communications with the Jacada representative, great advise and suggestions upon hotels and sight seeing options to get everything we wanted on our schedule, but even more we could imagine. Being a critical customer, after that perfect start with planning, I was very curious how the promises would be turned into delivery, which in my opinion is the only thing that counts. Now after having returned from a 3.5 weeks trip I can confirm: All promises were kept and our high expectations on a luxury travel provider were fully met! Top hotels everywhere, a great cruise through the Galapagos Islands, experienced and knowledgeable guides in Ecuador and Peru, and the feeling of being taken care 100% every day of our tour made the difference for us. Having met other many other travellers with problems with the altitude in Peru, we really appreciated the sequence Jacada put together for us (Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, Cusco, Lake Titikaka), so we could enjoy every moment at these places. Personal letters and individualised additional suggestions for visits restaurants etc. at each of our stops just topped all the selections. Honestly, I was a little bit sceptical about travelling with a tour itinerary only and not the usual booklet with a number of tickets and vouchers (which in our case with all the different hotels, transfers and visits would have been rather thick), but everything was prepared optimal; we did not have to care about anything. Well, as a summery: When ever we will be travelling to places Jacada is represented, they will be our only service provider.
I came across Jacada while searching the web for luxury vacations in Peru. I honestly was not familiar with the company so I did a bit of research and found them to be a well rated and very reputable firm so I proceeded to work with them.
I've reached a point in my life (50's) where I am willing to spend a bit more to ensure I have more upscale accommodations, personalized / private tours, and a well thought out itinerary that reflects my interests and affords me the opportunity to make changes along the way (e.g. starting the tour an hour later, spending less / more time at a place depending on my level of interest, etc.).
Jacada is just the place to arrange such a trip. From the beginning, George, our "Director of Travel Design" worked with us inquiring about our likes, dislikes (e.g. city vs. countryside, types of foods we like, activity level and interests, etc.). From there he proceeded to develop a detailed itinerary that we further fine tuned. He also provided extremely helpful guidance on the timing of flights (to avoid issues with fog, etc.) that demonstrated a high level of detailed knowledge of where we were traveling. This expertise became even more evident as our trip progressed and all the well orchestrated pieces of our trip flowed smoothly together. George had a knack for knowing when we would need a break and built that into the trip, but also ensured we were situated in hotels that could easily and cheerfully facilitate relatively spontaneous requests like "we would like to go on a horse back ride today" or please get us a taxi to the ruins of Ollantaytambo (both of which we did!).
The planned private tours on the trip were provided by absolute top notch guides. They knew their profession, country and sites and really made you feel welcome and ensured the tour was meeting your expectations. In fact one day my wife was feeling a bit off and the guide immediately said lets go the pharmacy and get her an electrolyte drink (which was what she needed!). He proceeded to go in and buy it for us as it was clear his concern was for her well being. His quick thinking and generous nature allowed us to enjoy a tour that otherwise might have been quite miserable. When we wanted to start a tour an hour later (which we did a couple of times) we simply asked, they made a quick phone call and all was set (one of the beauties of a private tour!).
The accommodations were all at a minimum excellent and a couple were truly outstanding with one being the nicest hotel room I have had in my life - and I have traveled a bit for work and pleasure and stayed at some nice places in Europe, Asia, South America and the US.
The sites we saw were all terrific and indeed reflected what we had shared our interests were. Having the private guide allowed us to tune them as we went along, for example at the Maras salt ponds we decided to walk through them and take about a 1/2 hour hike down the mountain (with our guide) to meet our driver vs. simply jumping back into the van. Had we wanted to not take the hike that was OK too.
The entire trip was nearly flawless in terms of execution and meeting expectations, though we did have two relatively minor glitches, and in many ways how these were handled speaks volumes to the quality and reputation of Jacada. The first happened when one of our in country flights was a bit early. I could not find our guide. I called the local contact provided by Jacada, who immediately picked up the phone, assured me the driver was there and asked me (while staying with me on the phone) to look again. Sure enough I quickly found our guide. The issue seemed to be that our flight was (as mentioned) early so while he was likely there he just had not gone to the greeting area early. Had the flight been on time this would likely not have been an issue, but it does demonstrate that Jacada had planned for such things and ensured I had a contact.
The second minor issue was our tour at Machu Picchu was listed as a private tour but we ended up in a small group (5 people). While I didn't think much of it at the time, I casually mentioned this to George upon our return, he investigated, indicated it was a mistake and promptly provided us a refund for that tour, now that is integrity!
There is no doubt Jacada is a first class operation to be trusted. And while the tours they arrange are "luxury" they are not what I would call obnoxiously expensive. Sure they are a bit more than being carted around on a bus with 30 other people and staying at mass market OK hotels, but the benefit of doing it through Jacada is a tour that is yours, providing a personalized experience and the flexibility to make it meet your needs and wants as you go along.
Arrange your next holiday with Jacada - you will be glad you did!
5 stars service! (I'd give them more stars if your scale allows).
Professional, knowledgeable, friendly, helpful, sincere, responsible, highly organized and responsive (note: I do have huge time zone difference, but that doesn't seem to stop them from exceptionally swift response time), etc...there is really nothing more I can ask for.
They really care about what you want, and they sincerely want to make your trip fantastic, and they did!
I don't know how it works, but Jacada seems to have the best local contacts, so we felt really well taken care of the whole way thru. Would recommend Jacada in a heartbeat.
Tess, you are truly awesome!!!
Because of a relatively short timeframe, we were having a hard time finding the perfect safari lodge and the perfect dates. Byron kept looking until we found it. He made sure that everything on the trip was well timed and that we were always taken care of at each leg. The accommodations he selected were beyond expectation. There were little surprises throughout and quite honestly it felt like being royalty.
Jacada Travel were great from day 1, very professional, always willing to help and offer their opinion to help tailor the trip to our needs. I will definitely be using their services again in the future and would recommend them to anyone.
There is not one thing I would add, subtract or alter to our vacation in Africa. From the moment we stepped off the plane in Johannesburg to the time we were back in the airport to return home we were taken care of royally. Our trip involved four camps, three countries, border crossings, little 6 seater planes and all of it was handled efficiently and with attention to our needs.
I have dietary restrictions which Jacada informed the camps about and with one exception, which was not the fault of Jacada, my needs were met with delicious, carefully prepared meals. (The exception was sorted out by Jacada to our satisfaction within days of our arrival home.)
Each camp provided us with a different experience, as promised by our wonderful agent, Byron Thomas, but all of them went above and beyond to help us celebrate our anniversary. We had private dinners, lunches in the bush, on a private island. . .
I had ridiculously high expectations for this trip and anticipated it with such exuberance that my husband and I feared it couldn't live up to our hopes. I have to say that not only did it live up to those expectations, it exceeded them in every way.
I can't recommend Jacada Travel and Byron Thomas highly enough--I hope to travel with them again in the future!
Our trip to Peru was the second vacation we've arranged through Jacada Travel. It was every bit as good as the first one we did to Chile in 2011. George was extremely helpful, working with our schedule and our wish list. His suggestion that we end our trip at Lake Titicaca paid off handsomely. It ended up being one of the highlights of the trip. George's attention to detail is tremendous, and his good humor made working with him very enjoyable.
I'm happy to use Jacada Travel whenever we want a memorable trip. We know that all the experiences will be first class and the arrangements will come off without a hitch.
Thanks again for a great trip. We're already thinking of the next one - this time, maybe Africa.
Booked through Jacada Travel for the first time as their website was the best and they offered to tailor my trip to our requirements. Byron phoned me back within 2 minutes of my first email enquiry and immediately had some great suggestions on how to improve the itinerary to get more out of our trip. His passion for Africa showed in his personal knowledge. He put together a first class trip with all the elements and transport meshing together seamlessly. The ultimate was being met off the airbridge on arrival into South Africa and whisked through immigration - fantastic.
We were met on time in a clear and efficient manner at every turn during the three weeks of our travel. Our guides were both helpful and friendly, speaking English in a very understandable manner. They acceeded to our every desire and were available at all times.
Some of the food could have been better, but most was very tasty and appropriate to the country.
It's hard to imagine a more spectacle-packed trip than what we wanted for our honeymoon in South Africa. Being from the United States, I had reservations on travelling such a far distance to a place I had only read about in school. My fiance (now wife) had been saying for years that an African safari trip was on her bucket list. After 2 years of convincing me to take the dive, we decided to plan our honeymoon in Africa! 4 weeks and 3 travel agents later we landed on the webpage for Jacada Travel. Seeing that they were based out of London, again I had reservations. We emailed Jacada and received a rather quick response from Tess Van Der Walt. Seeing that there was a 6 hour time difference, I was quite impressed. We told Tess that we noticed a travel package on their website called "The Magnificent Seven Safari" that really seemed to encompass everything we wanted to do. After all, travelling that far I decided we were going to do it all! Tess asked us some preliminary questions to get an idea of just what we wanted. Not only did she offer us multiple options for places to say and things to do, she put it all down on paper so we could sit down and review together. We picked out exactly what we wanted with the help of Tess' wonderful recommendations and expertise and 4 months later set out on what would be the best journey we had ever taken.
We arrived in Cape Town only to be greeted by a nicely dressed man, wearing a name tag and hold a sign with our name on it. This made me feel totally at ease considering I was in a foreign country with no idea what to expect. He greeted us with a smile and escorted us to his Mercedes sedan parked in the garage. Needless to say, I was again impressed. Our private drive took us directly to our first destination with no problems along the way. We checked into the Cape View Clifton guesthouse only to find a bottle of champagne and a fantastic view in our room! Yes, Tess called ahead and informed the guesthouse that we had just been married so they took extra special care of us.
The next afternoon we were picked up by another private driver who's task was to take us on a private tour of the city and table mountain. Again, we were greeted by a well dressed man driving a nice car and wearing a name tag. He immediately offered us a bottle of water and explained exactly how the day was going to go. Throughout the day we saw amazing views, learned a lot about the history of South Africa and got some great pics! He dropped us off back at our guesthouse that afternoon safe and sound.
The next day was a full day tour of the peninsula, cape point, wine country and the waterfront. By this time I was at ease and ready to explore! We had the same driver as the day before which was very nice as we developed a rapport with him and made things very fun! We experienced so many things in that one day I could've gone home happy!
A few days later we had another private transfer about 1.5 hours away to the town of Hermanus. The Whale coast. What a breathtaking place! We were greeted upon arrival at the Ocean Eleven guesthouse with a bottle of champagne and a box of chocolates. Yes, Tess made them aware of our nuptials. The re was even a note in our room from Tess welcoming us to our next destination!
We spent the next 3 days walking along the cliffs, watching the wales, having romantic dinners along the water and doing a shark cage dive!! Yes, I was very nervous to do such a brazen task but hey, we're in Africa! The company that Tess recommended was awesome! They picked us up from our guesthouse and drove us to Gaansbai (shark alley) where we boarded a boat andd set out for shark infested water :) All I can say is bring your submersible camera. What an experience!! At no time did I ever feel unsafe or like the crew didnt know what was going on. Excellent recommendation Tess!
Our last stop on our journey was in the Kruger National Park at a safari lodge called Ngala. Due to our finances, we had to pick a "middle of the road" lodge instead of the "high roller" lodge. Boy was I surprised by what awaited us! We again were greeted by a hot towel, a drink and an escort to our room. The rooms were quaint, well maintained and perfect for our needs. We spent 4 days seeing things I never thought I'd see in my lifetime. We were served breakfast, lunch and dinner every day as well as snack and drinks while out on safari in the morning and evening. On our last night there, the staff set up a private candlelight dinner on our porch complete with my favorite drink (which they handily took note of sometime during our stay) a bottle of champagne, and even a live singing performance by their staff members...right on our porch!!!
We made friends with our safari ranger as well as 2 other couples from New Zealand while we were there. I never thought I'd have friends more than a continent away!
All in all, Jacada and the companies they work with are second to none. All of the detail and planning that goes into each trip makes you feel like you are their only client. Tess emailed us the day after we got back to see how our trip went and asked for photos as well. She was genuinely interested in what we wanted, how we felt, how our travels went and what worked for us. I would absolutely recommend Tess and the rest of the Jacada team for any and all of your travels!!
Thanks again and we will definitely be using your services again on our anniversary!!!
Jacada made sure that every aspect of our stay was taken are of to the highest level. Their planning enabled us to feel calm, safe, and welcome our entire trip. Their service start from our step out of the secured area of the airport and continued until trip concluded, again at the airport. The guides provided to us were able to answer and questions related to our trip and/or the country. The flexibility allowed while planning continued during the trip which allowed us to enjoy every moment. I highly recommend Jacada Travel to anyone going abroad.
