Nokuthula Khumalo

I cannot recommend Nokathula and Kimkim highly enough. I tried to plan a 6 week trip to South Africa to pick my son up after the conclusion of a two year mission for our church, and tour the country. It was impossible. It was a complicated itinerary to start with, and it only got worse as my son weighed in with what he wanted to see and do. After much fine tuning, and confirmation I realized that I had misread the trip plan and I had an extra week that was unscheduled. This was 100% on me. Reservations had to be moved, tours and flights rebooked, the whole trip reworked, very close to my departure date. Somehow the itinerary I was very happy with, was significantly improved. The feedback and communication during the planning was exceptional. I gained a much better understanding of precisely how good it was when I was in country navigating the time difference at home.
Once my trip began, Nokuthula was in constant contact. The wonderful itinerary she planned , needed some adjustments because we fell in love with the Hyde Hotel in Johannesburg and wanted to finish our trip there. Seamlessly managed. When we missed a connecting flight to Durban, because I cannot navigate a 24 hour clock, vs a 12 hour clock, she had us rebooked on a later flight, our rental car switched and our guest house notified of our late arrival. Being able to have a wonderful hot meal after a terrible day was much appreciated.
Every place we were booked was special and interesting. Our two safaris were more than we had hoped for. Unembeza Lodge in Hoedspruit was such a surprise. Beautiful rooms in a community that has all sorts of animals roaming around. I prefer smaller, unique properties, and everywhere we stayed was charming, with exceptional service. Wilderness Manor Guest House was my sons favorite. Our room was beautiful, in a wonderful interesting house. Our hosts were so knowledgeable, and helpful. We would have missed out on an unforgettable hike without their encouragement. Breakfast was next level with extra homemade croissants for my son.
While in Hermanus, my son had a minor accident with the rental car. He misjudged the parking garage entrance and banged up the bumper. Nokuthula managed the whole thing, quickly and stress free. Something that could have been a considerable hassle, affecting the rest of our trip, was handled so we could continue on worry free.
Thanks to Nokuthula’s thoughtful planning, exceptional service while we were in country, my son and I had the trip of a lifetime. It was perfectly paced, with options and flexibility built in so we had the ability to move at our own pace within a structured itinerary. My goal when planning this trip was to show my son as much of South Africa’s wonderful and unique places as I could in the time we had. That goal was accomplished and a great deal more. We have been home a week, and with time to reflect on all we saw and experienced, this once in a lifetime trip continues to get better. Family and friends are amazed by all we saw and did. There is no way I could have planned a trip close to the one Nokuthula planned. Costs are an individual thing, but all I can say is, this trip was far and beyond what I expected. It was worth every penny. I would not hesitate to book another trip through Kimkim.

Nokuthula was responsive and attentive from the very start of the process. From the start to the actual travel, she pours her energy into the planning and works so hard to make sure it's a great experience.

Activity Reviews

Game drive in Chobe

Chobe

Amazing experience with Six as our guide! We saw so much more than expected. Lions, giraffes, kudu and much more. Would love to do again.

Quality of Experience

Our driver guide Six was fantastic!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Activities on the Zambezi Queen

Chobe

Highly recommend this unique experience with so much opportunity to view wildlife, animals, birds. Amazingly hospitable and knowledgea ble staff. Great food too!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Tour of the Falls

Victoria Falls

We had a phenomenal guide who taught us so much and in addition to brining the history of the falls to life identified birds we saw and heard and trees and plants we came upon. Fantastic!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We recently took a 9-day trip to South Africa, which was arranged by Kimkim Travel Agency and tailored to our specific needs. We visited multiple places (cities and safaris) by car and plane. The agent named Nokuthula meticulously planned each day, with every detail in mind, and ensured the accommodation met our standards and that each connection was seamless and timely, such as airport pick-up and drop-off. During the trip, Nokuthula would text us with updates each day, making us feel more secure and safe in a completely unfamiliar environment. Whenever we had a question, her response was always within a few minutes. We are very impressed with her work ethic and dedication.

We would highly recommend Kimkim and Nokuthula to our friends who are interested in visiting South Africa. No one will be disappointed if they choose Kimkim to be their travel agent.

The trip, our vacation and the celebration of my birthday, was planned together with Nokuthula and Lucy from KimKim. It started in Cape Town by the harbour. Very good accommodation and of course cake and bubbles from our SA specialist. We visited Robin Islands and Cape of Good Hope. We moved a lot and stayed at several hotels during our 15 days stay in SA. All the hotels were very good and several of them excellence. From Cape Town we drove south and stayed in Hermanus for two nights. Hermanus seemed very British and we liked it. Nice and quiet and a beautiful sunset. We went on whale safari, which was wonderful. We spent New Year’s Eve in Cape Town at a vineyard with long table setting. Nice people and beautiful surroundings. We connected with our local specialists via WhatsApp and received all relevant information prior to pick-ups, check-ins, etc. The second week we moved to the northern part of SA. During our stay in White River, we went sightseeing through beautiful landscape and scenic route. We had the joy of experiencing really bad weather during our first night with thunder and lightning like we have never experienced before. Then we went on safari for three days. We had heard that December was not the best time to go safari, but that is not true. The Savanah was green and beautiful. Birds were singing and all the animals had calf’s og young. It was beautiful. We saw all of them, from the small turtle, to Pumba and the lion. So many elephants, zebras and giraffes, they were all there, together on the Savanah. We ended our trip with sightseeing in Johannesburg, the New York of Africa. Beautiful and complicated. We visited Soweto and Mandela's house. And we met our local specialist, whom we now call our friend in SA, Nokuthula. She came to the airport when we arrived. Very nice gesture and it did something to our otherwise online communication. We will always remember you.
South Africa is a beautiful country. Very friendly people and very good food. We felt safe and secure all the time, even if we know SA has challenges. This is a country worth visiting and please use our local specialists in SA, Nokuthula and Lucy, they will give you a trip to remember.
Maria, Denmark

Thanks to excellent planning from Nokuthula and Lucy we were able to enjoy a very active and enjoyable trip to South Africa. We met countless animals- both in Cape Point, Hermanus and in Kruger national park, and learned a lot about the country. The Graskop Lift was one of the highlights.

Nokothula did a fantastic job of designing our adventure and then assisting in ensuring it went smoothly and was most enjoyable. I can certainly say the same thing for Lucy who was always available if we had questions or issues. I can definitely recommend Kimkim to my family and friends as a trusted travel coordinator.

Hotel Review

Mjejane River Lodge

Hectorspruit

Very attentive staff ensured a most enjoyable stay and our excellent game guide gave us an unforgettable wildlife experience. Highly recommend Mjejane River Lodge.

Authenticity & Character

Location

The natural scenery and wildlife right on the Lodge's grounds were outstanding.

Staff

Very attentive care to our needs. Cannot say too much about the staff and their service!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

A Day on Safari

South Africa

Amazing wildlife experience!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Staff and guide were excellent!

Transport

When we landed on the soils of “The Mother City” we were greeted by the KimKim team to welcome us to “The Motherland” and to make sure we had access to transportation that got us to our first destination in Cape Town. The small touches of wine and treats really made this a special time to celebrate our milestone birthdays. What a beautiful couple of days we would have exploring CT, Robben Island, and Table Mountain. Before heading off to Hoedspruit, where we would then stay at Unembeza and tour the panorama views of with Titus who was great. The lodge where we stayed was other worldly — we never expected waking up to a giraffe right outside of our bedroom window, we didn’t anticipate the views of the African Sky, and the delicious meals we had cooked and prepared for us daily. It was the true essence of being cared for. And our tour guide for the panorama views was exceptional we think he was an actual historian or professor shadowing moonlighting as a tour guide. Titus was so knowledgeable and impressive with his info sharing. It was intoxicating the amount of knowledge he shared about the views, the history of the land, and the people and villages we passed. It was like being on a private tour of some of the most hidden gems of South Africa. Again, the lodge and Nokuthula had delightful small touches to make us feel special.

Then we were off to the Bush for Safari which was STUNNING to say the least. We did have a small issue with our housing (please prepare for camp style living if you are going on safari) after we were upgraded to the suites housing got better thanks to Nokuthula. But other than that the public amenities of our safari lodge was warm, comfortable, and tasty food. Our safari guide Michaela and watcher were I think the best. We got to see ALL of the BIG 5 during our (4 nights 5 day safari). Low key we didn’t want to leave the once in a lifetime views and animal crossing but had to be on our way to Johannesburg which was part of the tour that we planned ourselves in terms of excursions. Yet the parts that KimKim planned was exactly what we needed.

If you’ve never been to the Mother Land I urge you to Go!! But most importantly if you’re looking for talented individuals who actually live on the continent to help your planning you must start with the talents of KimKim and Nokuthula. We will certainly return to now one of our favorite places on EARTH South Africa and it’s largely due to the time we had during this our first journey home.

Everyone who our local specialist Nokuthula put us in contact with was amazing. Our guide to hike up Table Mountain, Fatima was very knowledgeable and helpful as well. Everything about the trip was very planned out and outlined in the details. We were in constant communication with everyone if anything came up or if we had any questions during our stay. Couldn’t recommend them any higher.

Hi! Unfortunately It was so disappointing in many ways.
Lack of communication!
The overall experience did not justify the high price we paid for the higher package that we paid more compared to the regular level.
Every day seemed to bring new surprises—none of them pleasant.

-Mistakes on name of a hotel in our finalized itinerary, we went there and we didn’t have hotel reservation. Then we found out we were booked at a very simple and small hotel that our rooms were full of flies and small cockroaches. This wasnt even normal! Luxury???
My son scared and didn’t sleep at his room.

-For transportation
We were provided with an old Toyota for transportation, despite booking a higher-priced package that promised more premium services. The car did not match the level of comfort or quality we expected.

-One of the biggest disappointments was the “African food cooking class” we had requested. Instead of a proper class, we were taken to an introduction to Islam, which consisted of a prerecorded video and a presentation about the life of a Muslim from birth to death. While educational, this was not what we had asked for.After this, we were taken to a dirty, cramped room with around 27-28 people. The sink was filthy, and the hygiene standards were unacceptable. The instructor announced we would be learning to cook chicken masala—an Indian dish—not an African one. Having taken many cooking classes during my travels, I expected to learn a traditional local dish from a knowledgeable local cook, in a clean and organized setting. We couldn’t bring ourselves to stay due to the poor conditions, and other groups left as well. This was a highly disappointing and unhygienic experience.

I request a refund from Kim Kim for:

• The cooking class, which was not what we were promised.
• The difference in cost between the standard package and the 2nd level package we paid for, as the trip did not meet luxury standards in any way.

I cannot recommend Kim Kim to friends or family based on this experience. I hope the company takes steps to address these issues and improve their services.

Regards
Fargol Givehki
.