The trip to South Africa was truly perfect in every way! I don't even know where to start: we fell in love with the NePaketniki team all over again; we now dream of sending our parents on the same tour; on our very last day my husband and I both cried with joy at all the adventures we had and with sadness that the adventures were over; our incredible travel bosses were absolutely fantastic, as was the organisation of the tour :) And despite the fact this trip took place a while ago, we still feel thrilled and excited by our memories of it.
And our travel bosses... the girls exceeded all expectations! Natalie is a mother who always made sure that everyone was warmly dressed, well fed and well rested. When I got food poisoning (not part of the tour program, I did that all on my own), and I simply asked her for pancreatin, she handed over a whole huge first aid kit with medicine for all possible gastrointestinal problems, gave me detailed instructions for every pill, wanted to rush to our hotel and said to call at any time of day or night Nastya Chaechka is our BFF, it was always cool to hang out with her, take a walk, or just chat :) She supported us during and after the tour and gathered us for various activities, suggested a super cool idea of a picnic on the beach, where we ate, chatted and played games. She and Stephen are like a stand-up show in general. She is super cool, and we felt very close to her.
The girls were really great - they were pleasant, interesting, super caring, and very sociable, and they made sure everything was on track. They always kept everything under control and knew exactly how to resolve any and all issues quickly. I really didn't expect this; I thought that they would just be pleasant professionals ... But everything exceeded my expectations by 1000%.
Hotels, restaurants, activities - it couldn't have been done any other way because it was perfect. I was delighted with all the hotels, especially the winery - it's something extraordinary???? But it probably won me over with its location, and the mountains all around, because the rest of the hotels were just as great.
The fine-dining restaurant was out of this world, and my husband loved the meat place most of all.
As for the timing - there were several moments when Nikita and I discussed how everything was just perfectly planned out. I really don't remember what these situations were because they were minute, but as we all know, the details are what make up our overall impressions.
The program and all of our adventures - I'm telling you, we actually cried on the last day. It was just unreal.
But for me, of course, the most important thing is always a concern for other people. And this was illustrated perfectly after the tour when we all got stuck there. Buying tickets, transferring tickets, resolving the visa issues, worrying about whether they would put us in quarantine in Kyiv, returning the second tickets - you were not obliged to do all this, but you did. And this is such a high level not only of service but of human kindness and care, so thank you so very much for that.
We had already travelled with Dima and Masha to Cappadocia and South Africa. And this time, I can't resist. I want to leave a review so that they also get a taste of the love and support they so generously give their customers. What are their advantages and differences from all the others?
1. The tours themselves. A well-thought-out program. Every day is scheduled and filled with amazing things that would be extremely difficult to organize on your own. You are driven anywhere and everywhere possible, so you can switch off and enjoy the country and its flavour.
2. Always the best hotels, restaurants and guides. Everything is selected with sophistication and soul. So that with every hour spent on the tour, you enjoy it more and more. You get so much more in terms of emotions and memories than the cost of the tour itself.
3. Communication with the guys is so cool. Good-natured and supportive at every step. Always interesting conversations. Masha and Dima are such interesting and versatile personalities, and they're with you every step of the way - from the moment you decide to join them to the moment you get back home.
I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart and highlight that the trips with NePaketniki were some of the best in my life. Thanks, guys ❤️