Testimonials

We just got back from our second trip. With Hills of Africa, this time we explored Tanzania, starting in Arusha and doing various camps in the Serengeti and then ended with 3 nights in Zanzibar… the Hills of Africa team are honestly the best for all travel, from the planning process to all the details you couldn’t even dream of – from our requested needs to those we never even thought of! We were a large group of 8, we all arrived at different times and days and Hills of Africa made sure our drivers were waiting for us at the airport, our guides remained with us the entire trip and were absolutely INCREDIBLE!!! All our accommodations were amazing but our favorites were the tented camps( glamping at its finest 😉 the food was also beyond delicious and they catered for all our dietary needs… because we were a large group, Hills of Africa recommended a home at the white sands villas Zanzibar, and wow what a superb place- although we were all together we still had plenty of space to be on our own if wanted… after our first trip I thought nothing could compare, however Sandy and her team proved to have knocked this trip out of the park! So with 2 trips under our belt with Hills of Africa, it’s safe to say we have developed a love of African travel and have already contacted them for trip number 3 in April 2025!!!

We cannot recommend Hills of Africa more! We had the most incredible time on our honeymoon in South Africa, and Sam and the team made everything so seamless from start to finish. Every tour and airport transfer made us feel like VIPs and we felt so supported during the entire trip. They even had a few surprise personal touches along the way, including a framed picture in our hotel room from our wedding! All of their recommendations were excellent, from hotels to restaurants, and the whole itinerary was a perfect fit for us. We had the trip of a lifetime thanks to Hills of Africa!

Hills of Africa did an amazing job of setting up a trip that we will never forget. The Karen Blixen Cottages, the Elewana Camps (Tortilis, Lewa & Sand River Mara) were all 5-star accommodations, food, drinks and service. We will go back!!!

We were absolutely thrilled with the trip Hills of Africa planned for us. Everyone at HoA was so responsive and so helpful, and they really heard our priorities and set us up for a literal trip of a lifetime!! All the camps and lodges were perfect – we felt so well taken care of at each and everyone one of them. We LOVED our guides! Highly recommend!!

20 years ago, we decided to take the advice of a friend and try Hills of Africa Travel to plan a vacation to Africa. The trip was so unforgettable that of course I would trust no one else to plan a recent trip with my entire family. For a party of seven including children and adults, Sandy, Lori, Amy, and the entire team planned the adventure of a lifetime. They handled every single detail of our two week trip and everything was laid out so our only task was to enjoy the majestic beauty that Africa has to offer. We experienced everything from elephant encounters to breakfast in the bush, the expansive Victoria Falls to safari in Manyeleti, all the while, soaking in every bit of culture that we could afford. You will not find partners in any other organization that this company has forged over the years. I cannot stress enough, the institutional knowledge that this company has and will promise to provide you the most memorable experience of your life.

The Hills of Africa team went above and beyond to help us plan our SA trip. Sandi, Lori & Amy were fantastic in every way. Our 15 day trip was flawless, from our drivers, the itineraries and restaurant recommendations. Communication before during and after was great. You should partner with H O A for your next trip !

If I could give Hills of Africa more than 5 stars, I would. My best friend and I had dreams of visiting Cape Town for years and HoA made it happen and then some. They convinced us to include a safari and we also visited Zimbabwe where we stayed a lodge right on the Zambezi River. It was unreal. Every detail big and small was thought of and we were taken care of from the moment we landed in South Africa. I would (and plan to!) travel with Hills of Africa again in a heartbeat.

We traveled to South Africa and Zimbabwe with HOA in May/June of this year. I cannot say enough good things about this trip of a lifetime! Our tour guide, Amy, was very helpful and so pleasant to work with! She had unbelievable patience with the dozens of questions we asked and gave us great advice when needed. The places we went, the people we met and the things we did gave us such a wonderful overview of the country! We loved it so much we met with her recently to talk about going back in a couple years. The memories we made there will be with us forever and I am thankful of the wonderful experience they helped us to have!

My husband and I had the trip of a lifetime to South Africa and Zimbabwe in April of this year. We cannot say enough good things about Hills of Africa. No detail was overlooked. From traveling and transfers to food, accommodations, excursions…. It was an amazing trip. Our guide, Amy was wonderful. She was patient, knowledgeable and FUN!. We will highly recommend!

I am a travel advisor and use Hills of Africa for ALL my Africa travel bookings, so there was no other choice when I used them for my own travel. They were on top of everything, educating me along the way so I understood what was required for a complicated trip with multiple flights, hotels, safari lodges, etc. They also had some surprises for me – and that’s a big deal because I never get surprises being the planner!

All the hotels and lodges were spectacular, the game viewing absolutely amazing and all the guides, including those in Cape Town, Victoria Falls and in the South African wine country were superior.

Best of all was the communications before, during and after the trip. The whole team at HOA is fantastic!

I won’t hesitate to use them for my next trip or for my clients.

They are THE BEST!!!

Hills of Africa worked with our travel agent to create the trip of a lifetime to Kenya, Tanzania, and South Africa for us. They were incredible at every step – helpful, supportive, and crafted the most special trip at every stop. They take care of their vendors and treat everyone so well. We highly recommend them and their service. You won’t regret it!

We are still dreaming about our trip to Africa! It was the trip of a lifetime and we are so thankful that the Hills of Africa team planned every detail for us. We had the perfect variety of experiences which started in Capetown at the Silo hotel. We were so surprised at how much there is to do in Capetown from fabulous restaurants, hiking table mountain, cooking class, bike riding and the most wonderful guide. The second part of our trip took us to Tintswalo and Old Drift Lodge where we had the most incredible safari experiences. We saw the big five and more! The accommodations were true glamping and the food, staff and safari guides were amazing. I highly recommend Hills of Africa for your next trip to Africa. They take care of every detail and there was not one part of the trip that I would have changed. Our family will treasure these memories for a lifetime!

This was a bucket list trip for my sister and me, and HOA did not disappoint!! It was above and beyond our expectations. Sandy and her team are incredible. Answering all our questions in a timely manner and helping us prepare for our first trip to Africa. Taking our budget into account when planning our itinerary. Giving us specific information to help us navigate the trip. (The tipping guide was most helpful.) The accommodations and food were incredible. All the places we stayed were top notch and the staff was always happy and wanting to accommodate any request. All we had to do was show up when told and everything was take care of. At last, but definitely not least, the game drives were amazing! We saw so much and our guides were so knowledgeable! There are not enough words to describe how much we loved this trip!

This trip was a combination graduation, and birthday present for my daughter and my birthdays. I tried to plan this myself and I found I was so overwhelmed with all the information and nuances of going to a destination like Africa that I almost gave up. I was overwhelmed to say the least. A friend recommended Hills of Africa to me and they made life soooo easy! It was such a relief someone on their team had stayed at all of the locations we went too so we knew it was gonna be great. It was such an amazing trip, the places they chose for us to stay were above our expectations. Every single detail was perfect.

We didn’t have as much time as some going that kind of distance but they made great recommendations and made it so we had a good mix of locations. We saw all the items on our list and then some. We fell in love with all the people we came across. We were so happy and had so much fun we were in tears leaving our last destination we literally felt so humbled and blessed to experience such amazing people in such a wonderful setting.

Now I tell everyone I know about this trip and how I could not have done it without the ladies at Hills of Africa!

Africa is in our souls, and we hope to return again soon when we do we will most definitely use Hills of Africa again.

Gorillas and everything else in the mist. From game drives to Nile river rides. Waterfalls that make the earth move. Unbelievably knowledgeable guides, who can spot Leopards in a tree from the main road whilst driving oblivious tourists who have the fancy binoculars. I would suggest wearing expandable pants for all the fabulous food presented to you. It’s a real treat having an agency hand hold you through a bucket list adventure. Thanks Sandy and team for a trip of a lifetime.

My South African trip was inspired by the history, environment and culture of Africa as well as to photograph my journey — I fell in love with the people. My time at Toro Yaka Safari Lodge provided me with the best room and my best evening meals. During one game drive, I was able to see 7 lionesses and 10 cubs feasting on a recent kill – what a family meal!

The coolest part of my trip was the numerous opportunities for wonderful photography. My funniest moment was the 2 tiny bush babies that showed up every day at 6am, had a look at me then they would start jumping around like pinballs!

I would have loved to stay longer and spent more time in the bushveld and in Cape Town — where I loved not only the wine but the scenery in the Cape Winelands, as well as a great antique car museum.

Overall, good weather, excellent services, friendly people and the best photography!

Everyone we encountered, from the porters to the transfer agents, were kind, professional and helpful. Thank you again, I am already trying to figure out how I can get back to Africa in the near future!!

We just returned from two weeks in South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Let me start out by saying, that the Covid precautions were top-notch. Everyone was wearing a mask (required by law) and our guides were all vaccinated. We had two Covid tests for travel during our trip with no issues.

Now onto the fun stuff, it was an amazing trip from beginning to end. Hills of Africa covered every detail! We spent 5 days in Cape Town followed by 2 different safaris.

In Capetown, we explored the Cape of Good Hope, saw the penguins at Boulders Beach, went wine tasting, did a city food tour and went up Table Mountain. We also took a day to do the marine 5 boat ride out of Gansbaai and saw the famous shark alley.

Our safaris were absolutely amazing. They are so excited to have tourists returning, that they really went above and beyond in every way.

Tintswalo was truly a 5 star experience. Our ranger (Alistar) and tracker (Foster) were so knowledgeable. We were able to see animals up close and truly observe their behavior in nature. It was so relaxed and truly a once in a lifetime experience. We finished the trip in Zimbabwe where we did a dinner cruise on the Zambezi River and visited Victoria Falls.

We cannot thank you enough for planning the most perfect trip to Tanzania. It exceeded our expectations, we all fell in love with the people and nature of Tanzania!

Hills of Africa made details of traveling during Covid so clear and manageable, we couldn’t have done it without you.

Traveling during times of COVID (with the confusing, testing requirements), Hills of Africa made all the arrangements for us to be tested in Zimbabwe prior to returning back to the US and the process could not have been easier.

We cannot thank you enough for planning the most perfect trip to Tanzania.  It exceeded our expectations, we all fell in love with the people and nature of TZ!
You made details of traveling during Covid so clear and manageable, we couldn’t have done it without you.
I will happily recommend your services to anyone who asks.
Thanks for everything and hope to book another marvelous trip with you soon!

We can not begin to THANK YOU ALL enough for the absolutely FANTASTIC, beyond our wildest dreams trip.

We truly ONLY have rave reviews for the time and trip, like I keep saying it surpassed our wildest dreams and expectations.

Sandy, Amy & Dana,

We are back! Thank you for putting together an amazing trip!! Everyone we had the pleasure of meeting in Africa was fantastic!!

We loved the Simbavati lodge and the game drives were great! The food at Simbavati was excellent and absolutely top notch service. Meridith and Paul at 528 Guest house were the best. The property is stunning and they were so helpful. Thanks to you and the team for our champagne. We had fun drinking it on the rooftop looking out at Zambia across the Zambezi River.

Everyone we encountered from the porters to the transfer agents were kind, professional and helpful. Thank you again, I am already trying to figure out how I can get back to Africa in the near future!!

We were inspired to visit Africa to experience animals in the wild and the culture.  The biggest impact on us was the respect that locals and everyone has for the animals.  Loved the outdoor shower at Sand River Masai Mara (no fence!), it was cool!  We had an intimate dinner under the stars at Lewa Safari Lodge – that was really great!

We loved the guides at both camps that were so informative and made the experience incredible.  My favorite moment was having a Sundowner in the middle of a wildebeest herd.  For my wife, it was the 45 minutes of watching a lion pride.

Our biggest surprise was the group Sundowner at Sand River with a fire – it was fantastic.   Sampson, our guide, joined us and was wonderful and we felt so special to be able to spend time with this special young man.

Sand River also had animals right outside, since there was no fence. After discussing, we had private safaris at both camps and that really gave us autonomy and never felt at anyone else schedule. AND we still met a lot of people at the campsite each night at Sand River. That really allowed everyone to meet each night over drinks and make friends and made that group Sundowner a better experience.

Sacha, Tamlyn and Tobin at Sand River were really fun. They spent time with us and we bonded with them, every night. Sacha was really so COOL and he spent time showing my wife how to do special effects with her camera. He went to great lengths to make it memorable (and we noticed he did this with all of the people there). Maybe he was just himself!

October 2019 Trip to Kenya
VIP Clients of Ursula Pearson, Travelex International