Reviews

From the moment in 2019 that we started to think about what we wanted our trip to include to the time we eventually flew, in July 2021, we had incredible support from Jonty at Timbuktu. The plan we put together matched what we wanted to do, and then, during the difficult year that followed Jonty was always on hand, first to move the booking from summer 2020 to a year later due to covid, then he handled several date moves of due to issues with flights that were moved or no longer available. The last change was ony 1 1/2 weeks before we set off! Every change was handled professionally and quickly. We were kept up to date with the changing situation in Namibia and the end result was the holiday of a lifetime.

The entire process of exploring options and booking my trip was effortless and fun. Working with Joanna to find the perfect combination of activities and lodges was a pleasure.

Fabulous recommendations, excellent follow-up and personable service, you just can't beat Timbuktu!

To begin, I usually orchestrate my own trips, but was a bit unsure about how to plan gorilla trekking in Africa. I was planning two years out, and some travel companies refused to work with me so far in advance. Timbuktu's concept was alluring, and they were happy to walk me through the process. When I priced out doing the trip without Timbuktu, their cost came under what I would pay doing everything myself. Joanna was my travel consultant, and she was a dream to work with. She answered all my questions and replied quickly to all emails. Always amazingly professional and with me every step of the way. Well, Covid hit, and now the trip had many more hoops to jump through. And then one of the volcanoes in Volcanoes National Park erupted a month before our departure. And Rwanda went on partial lockdown. Amazingly, everything went smoothly. Everything. We began at the Giraffe Manor, safaried at Masai Mara, and gorilla and Golden Monkey trekked in Rwanda. We had multiple flights and transfers, had to be Covid tested four times during our two weeks of travel, and all of this happened with expert coordination. We had great service from all the drivers, guides, hotels, safari camp, lodges and restaurants. Wonderful food, friendly people, and our experiences were above and beyond expectations. I would recommend Timbuktu to anyone traveling to Africa. Thank you, Timbuktu.

This was our second trip with Timbuktu and we came back with very high expectations after our first experience! Once again, everything was handled expertly from the smallest details to the most critical ones. Katie Fahrland was especially great (again) throughout planning our trip and her responsiveness to our questions/requests was exceptional.

We loved how easy the website was and being able to hand-pick every aspect about our trip to fit our budget and time table. Our personal trip advisor, Katie Fahrland, was the best at helping us get the most time on safari and not caught up in traveling too far. She responded quickly to my questions and called when we needed further discussion.

Katie arranged an excellent safari/beach tour of Tanzania for us. Probably my highest praise is that everything was exactly how she said it would be - no surprises, no unexpected disappointments, no logistical snafus. From the driver (Samuel, excellent) to the lodges to the in-country flights and ground transport, everything was exactly as promised and happened when and how it was supposed to. We have already recommended Katie to friends who are considering a safari once Covid has subsided a bit more. And we would definitely use her again.

Went to South Luangwa in Zambia for 4 nights. Tessa organized my whole itinerary up to the smallest details. Not only I strongly recommend Timbuktu but also planning to organize more itineraries this year with them.

Katie did an amazing job of planning my trip, communication effectively, answering all of my many questions, and being flexible with all of my change of plans!

As an independent traveller I am always a bit scared when I have to rely on other people organising a trip for me, because I always fear they will not understand my needs and just sell me a pre-existing trip, not different from other thousands trips. With Timbuktu I was sure this was not going to happen, as I felt in really good hands since the beginning. The first time I spoke with our travel assistant, Catherine, she spent almost one hour on the phone with us just listening carefully to our dreamy idea of a perfect honeymoon. And after that, she never stopped answering any kind of question and listening to our suggestions and needs. She really understood what kind of trip we wanted and she managed to create an itinerary that seems just perfect! I really feel she cares about our honeymoon as it was her own and I was impressed by her efficiency, expertise, sensitivity and spirit of service. Apart from the incredible people working here, the whole system works really good. The website is full of useful information on countries, facilities and accommodations and the booking process easy and fast. After having booked my honeymoon with them I can assess that the service is just incredible, done by people who are really in love with their job that make you feel special and not just a customer among many. I would book again with Timbuktu without any doubt.