Reviews of Cultural Vibes Travel & tours

Promptly responsive, reliable, and enjoyable to deal with.

My husband and I just returned from a seven-week trip to southern and east Africa, which included a 9-day tour with Cultural Vibes. We dealt with Tongesai Mutematsaka in planning the trip, and he was our driver and main guide. (He was a safe driver which added to our enjoyment of the trip.) He was completely and promptly responsive to queries and requests beforehand, and arranged lodging and meals that were excellent. Our tour included Victoria Falls and Chobe National Park with boat rides on both the Zambezi and Chobe Rivers, Elephant Sands, Planet Baobab, a special side trip to see meerkats near the Nwetwe Pan, Maun, Moremi National Park, and a canoe ride in, and a helicopter ride over, the Okavango Delta. The trip included numerous game drives and two nature walks. It would be impossible to overstate what a great value this trip was, and how nice Tongesai was to deal with. There were no hitches or glitches, and we learned and saw more than we had even hoped. We also liked that Cultural Vibes helps meet the needs of local grade school students, as primary education is not paid for by the government. We recommend Cultural Vibes to anyone interested in visiting Southern Africa -- an excellent company and beautiful area of the world.

Margaret A.

Impressive - trip of a lifetime - highly recommended

We (my wife and I) have just completed a 10-day tour of Zimbabwe & Botswana, plus a day-trip to Zambia - Tongesai tailored the tour to meet our interests. It was amazing, the trip of a lifetime. Highlights included touring Victoria Falls, staying at Elephant Sands, game drives in Hwange, Chobe and Moremi reserves, boat cruises on the Zambezi and Chobe rivers, and helicopter flights over Victoria Falls and the Okavango Delta. Very reasonably priced, good value for money. All accommodation and food was included in the price and was all high quality. Communication with Tongesai (booking / pre-arrival) was good, and very prompt. Gari, our main guide/driver for the whole tour, was excellent - highly knowledgeable, informative, experienced, professional, reliable, flexible, and friendly.

Paul McHugh

The tour operator can make or break your trip. We had a 5 star operator. First class tour.

Our tour guide was always early to pick us up and a first class guy. The vehicles were clean and the operator was well connected in the community, which allowed us to make on the fly schedule changes. Victoria Falls is incredible on foot at the park as well as touring via helicopter. The tour operator arranged it all. You can’t do it by yourself. They arranged 5 star hotel for us to stay and have some meals. Everything was perfect. I would highly recommend this tour company and our tour.

Otto Voettiner

Completely trustworthy, professional and dedicated to making your holiday the best it can be

I am totally impressed with this company. My emails were answered within the hour, and when I accidentally paid too much money for the tour I booked, the company immediately notified me and organized the refund. I had booked a 2-night Hwange Game Park game drive tour for my friend and me. Everything that this company organized for us, was fantastic. We knew nothing about Hwange Game Park or about any of the accommodation options available but what Cultural Tours and Travel organized for us was way above what we had expected to get, given what we paid. We were booked into Iganyana Luxury Tented Camp, which was a wonderful experience - a mix of very comfortable living in a bush environment, with great food, beautifully furnished and very comfortable tents, very attentive staff, a wonderful setting and game drives with very few other jeeps around. Elephants came to drink from the swimming pool at night and we could watch animals grazing while sitting outside enjoying the bush atmosphere. A Cultural Tours and Travel representative picked us up from the Hotel in Victoria Falls in a very comfortable and new-looking minivan and drove us to the Camp then back to the Hotel at the end of our stay, providing very interesting information about Zimbabwe and the wildlife along the way. The next time we travel to Zimbabwe, we will definitely book with Cultural Tours and Travel and if we do another game drive tour, we'll request to be accomodated at the Iganyana Luxury Tented Camp again.

Karen

He was awesome, kind and helpful !

We had a great time with Tongesai, he was kind and super helpful. Gave us great suggestions and made our day that much more enjoyable.

Erika

The most incredible Safari ever!

Gary and Tongesai provided us with the most incredible honeymoon we could ever have imagined. We spent 9 days travelling from Victoria Falls to the Okavango Delta, experiencing so much wildlife, laughter, food & culture. The trip was extremely well organised, it was completely stress free. Gary was able to accommodate all of our needs and last-minute requests whilst we were on our trip. Every lodge we stayed in provided some fantastic food and service, we were treated like royalty. After each of our game drives or experiences, Gary was able to debrief us at the end of each day. He answered our questions and taught us so much about what we had seen that day. We've come away with so much knowledge and so many memories as well as some incredible photos! Zimbabwe and Botswana are stunning countries, we will definitely be back in the future! There is an abundance of wildlife, we saw something new every single day.

Alec Byhurst

Excellent and reliable tour operator

We booked a day trip to Chobe NP in Botswana from Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe with Cultural Vibes Travel & Tours. Communication with Tongesai from Cultural Vibes Travel & Tours was excellent and he came to pick us up on time. He drove us to the border and handed us to a Botswana tour operator and we had a great day in Chobe - a 3-hour game drive, a good lunch and 3-hour boat ride. After the tour, we met Tongesai at the border and he drove us back to our lodge. All in all, everything went as planned and Tongesai provided friendly service.

Eemi

Absolutely amazing, so patient and well experienced. Personalised experience for all

We met Tongesai through Tripadvisor and as foreigners coming into a different country, we doubted the legitimacy of the services provided. Tongesai understood and tailored our experience to make us comfortable. Upon arrival, we met him and he was so lovely. He made sure we got the best experience, and we felt at home. We will be using their services every time we go to Zimbabwe.

Natalie Chirairo

Knowledgeable, kind, proffesional, and punctual

Tongesai was the best tour guide we could’ve had. He was kind, punctual, and very knowledgeable about the history of Victoria falls. We initially planned on having Tongesai for only one day during our trip, but we ended up using his services for the duration of our trip because of how great his services were .

Hazel Musimbe

Trustworthy

Cultural vibes travel & tours delivered it's services accordingly to plan. I had a great and enjoyable holiday organised by Cultural vibes travel & tours. Tongesai is a trustworthy guide .

Li Li

Professional.

I did the village experience and it was okay. We visited one family and it felt a little intrusive instead of immersive. We were only there for 30 minutes. I heard of other travelers getting to try local food and have a more immersive experience. While it was nice seeing their way of life, I think it was a bit pricey for what we received.

Esmeralda

Exceptional

Our family had a great time. Mr Tongesayi is an exceptional host and tour guide.

Fai

Friendly, organised and knowledgeable

Our time with Cultural Vibes Travel & Tours was excellent! Tongesai was very professional and friendly, making our time in Victoria Falls very relaxing and easy. Tongesai was always on time and highly organised. All transfers and travel between borders and the national parks were seamless and we felt very safe and looked after by Tongesai. Tongesai shared information about Victoria Falls and the town with us and his enthusiasm about showing people around was infectious. We’d highly recommend Cultural Vibes Travel & Tours to anyone visiting Victoria Falls!

Bronwyn

Friendly and reliable tour operator!

Our experience with Cultural Vibes Travel & Tours was great! Tongesai was very friendly and ensured that we were comfortable throughout. He shared interesting information about the falls and region. Tongesai was prompt with his communication before and during the tour. He was always timely when collecting us from our accommodation. We would recommend Cultural Vibes to our friends.

Sam

Our guide was very kind and professional, extremely flexible, and he had great connections.

Our tour was fantastic! Our guide was always on time, showed up with a smile, and was very knowledgeable. Our family of four thuroughly enjoyed our experience. We would highly recommend this 5 star experience!

Otto

Extremely organized, flexible and delivered a complete amazing tour.

I used Cultural Vibes to organize a tour for myself of Victoria Falls. Half of the activities were conducted by Cultural Vibes itself and the other were by operators hired by them. The best thing about the tour was their flexibility to meet my constantly changing requests. Tongesai had to build my tour not once, but twice due since I had to postpone my initial dates due to an injury. He always got back to me promptly and in the end everything worked out as expected, sometimes better. Tongesai met me at the airport and took me to my lodgings at the Victoria Falls which lives up to its reputation for facilities and service. The breakfast and dinner buffets are exceptional in quality and selection. The first evening was a Zambezi river cruise which was beautiful. On the first day contained an extremely interesting Elephant Interaction where I got to feed and touch an elephant. Later Tongesai took me around Victoria Falls which was as beautiful as advertised. I was there in September which meant the flow over the falls was at its minimum but Tongesai pointed out I could actually see them because there was no mist. That afternoon I walked around the town of Victoria Falls which has interesting shops, but a little less interesting. On my second full day I started off with a game drive in Zambezi National Park which was a little less interesting than Kruger National Park, but the driver was excellent and fun to talk to. Later I took a helicopter ride over the falls which is worth every penny (especially when you get the front seat with the best view). That evening I went to the Boma dinner and cultural show which was outstanding both in food and entertainment. The next day Tongesai took me over the border into Zambia where we were taken around by a Zambian guide. The Livingstone Museum is excellent for its history and nature collections, the rest of the town was less interesting and we didn't go to the Zambia side of the falls as I expected. On our return to Zimbabwe, Tongesai went out of his way to take me to the curio shops and helped me find a picture book of the falls I wanted. The local village with its singing and dancing was more interesting. On my last full day Tongesai escorted me to the Botswana border where I was taken with another group on a tour of Chobe National Park which was simply the best day of animal spotting I had in two weeks. The numbers of elephant, hippos, tigers, giraffes and buffalo all gathering at the river is beyond description. On my last day Tongesai took me to the airport where I easily made my flight on time. In short, I was hoping for a trip of a lifetime and I got it. Everything that was promised was delivered and there were no disputes about money. I definitely recommend Cultural Vibes.

Richard

An excellent tour operator with a very high level of professionalism and knowledge.

We opted for the offer of Cultural Vibes Travel & Tours for our safari thanks to, among other things, the very good reviews that we read online. And they were correct. Cultural Vibes, and especially Tongesai Mutematsaka, organised the tour perfectly. Since the moment we made the booking, communication with them was easy and seamless, providing us with all the necessary information. During our tour, Tongesai was an excellent guide and a pleasant companion. He knew the areas very well, was well prepared and gave us useful instructions and information about the places, the people and the wildlife. The activities were exciting and the whole programme was well thought out. Accommodation was perfect and we were provided with all necessary amenities. All in all, this tour allowed us to get the most out of the places we visited. A big thank you to Tongesai, and to Cultural Vibes, for this beautiful experience.

Dimitrios Galanakis

Extremely professional, very organized with attention to detail and high quality of service provided

The experience with Tongesai from Cultural Vibes was excellent from the start. The information before the actual booking was provided quickly and in a very professional and illustrative fashion. Very detailed program was provided in advance, with plenty of pictures, so we knew exactly what we were going in for! On the day of our arrival we were met by Tongesai at the airport and transferred to our lodge. All of our lodges were of very high standard, just as they looked in the pictures. The food was excellent too. Also, and very importantly, Tongesai was a very pleasant and knowledgeable guide. He drove us everywhere in his van, which was very comfortable, clean and air-conditioned. He was also very flexible when we proposed slight changes to the plan, for example some later departures from the lodges in the morning or a drive to a nearby city on a free morning, which he took upon himself to organize and he accompanied us, for no extra cost. The game drives were excellent too, conducted by professionals who were organized and committed to delivering the best possible service. The tour was admittedly not cheap, but not more expensive than other analogous options available, and it was definitely great value for money. All in all, our experience with Cultural Vibes was excellent and I would warmly recommend them, and particularly Tongesai, for an amazing experience in Africa!

George

Our experience with Cultural Vibes Travel & Tours was exciting, amazing, delightful and memorable!

Booking the safari at Miombo Safari Camp with Cultural Vibes Travel & Tours was easy and they answer all our questions thoroughly and in a timely fashion. We communicated through email, payment was easy too through email. There was no availability for the Hwange safari camp on the dates we requested but Mr. Tongesai managed to find us another safari camp, Miombo, which was a delightful place whilst honoring the rates offered at their website. Mr. Tongesai made sure we were picked up and driven to the camp, accompanying us on the 2-hour trip and later receiving us back at our hotel. Miombo's accommodations, the tent, was like camping with glamour. It was spacious with 2 comfortable single beds and charming decoration. The ensuite bathroom felt like we were in the woods but protected and with the comforts of a good hotel. The hot water in the shower was not working but Mr. Bernard, Miombo's host, made sure it was fixed by the time we came back from the afternoon game drive. The tent was right in front of a water hole, which depending on the season, would have received the visit of elephants. We didn't see any animals there but one night a leopard came to our camp. Unfortunately, we didn't see it as we slept safely under the watch of night guards. They also made sure we were escorted back and forth during the night between our tent and the common area. Mr. Bernard served delicious meals in the beautiful open common area viewing the forest and sometimes with a visit of monkeys. The dessert was always delicious! At night we had a bonfire to huddle to, and one of the nights we were treated with local barbecue and a dance. Everything was a delight. The game drivers are also a delight with their stories, knowledge and funny jokes, Nigel and Mr. B are amazing hosts, making sure everyone is comfortable and going out there to find the great animals and birds for us. The game drives in Hwange were amazing! We saw elephants, giraffes, zebras, wildebeasts, buffalos, impalas, koudos, warthogs, crocodiles, hippos, amazing birds! We missed the lions and leopards by minutes but it was okay. Makes us want to come back again. The sunset drive was also a delight with Nigel, including a stop for a snack. Our driver back to the hotel was also a great delight with his incredible stories and knowledge. I learned so much about the animals in these 3 days. The tour has lived up to our expectations and more! Mr. Tongesai also took care of our requests for a Sunset Cruise and an Elephant Ride as soon as we reached the hotel. Less than half an hour, Mr. Tongesai arranged us to be picked up to go to a Sunset Cruise on the evening we arrived from the safari. The cruise was a delight, the sunset on the Zambezi river was amazing and the service on board was great, great food and beverages, Zambezi beer of course! The Elephant Ride arranged by Mr. Tongesai was also an amazing adventure I will never ever forget. Riding my elephant Detema with the driver Tunzi was amazing, against the sunrise backdrop, amazing colours in the sky. The lady that accompanied us taking pictures, she did such a great jobs, I love my pictures on the elephant! The feeding and petting the elephants after the ride was another amazing experience! These elephants are such a delight, sucking fiercely the food in our hands! I simply loved it! Then they served us a delicious breakfast while watching our beautiful pictures on the elephant. I learned so much about elephants with my driver. Everything in this place, this tour, the people and the animals, is amazing, unbelievable, unforgettable! I love Vic Falls, Hwange, Zimbabwe! I hope to come back and I will definitely tell all my friends that they have to have this experience in their bucket list. And it is easy, just reach out to Mr. Tongesai and Cultural Vibes, they will take great good care of you! You will love them! We thank Mr. Tongesai and everyone at Cultural Vibes, Miombo Safari Camp, Sunset Cruise, Elephant Ride, who made us have the time of our life!

Joann Fuentes