Pongwe Beach Hotel

We travel to enjoy the sites and sounds, the food and the culture so we like to leave all the planning and organizing to a good tour company and from our first interaction I knew we had found a really great one. Jayne promptly answered all our questions and easily adjusted the standard offering to accommodate our specific schedule. From there on everything worked like clockwork and exactly as promised exceeding our every expectation. Payment was simple, and the thoughtful, well-documented pre-travel package of information, guidance, tips and suggestions that accompanied the booking confirmation was excellent.

On arrival in Marrakech we were met at the airport right on time where Ibrahim kindly provided water, local treats and a comfortable drive to our first night's accommodations which was comfortable and warm and the food excellent. Along the way all accommodation were exactly as described and equally comfortable and accommodating. We were met as promised on the first morning by our guide, Rashid who was the perfect host for our 4 day trek: helpful, friendly and accommodating without being in any way pushy or crowding and happy to answer any and all questions in perfect English. The stunning scenery and fascinating villages made for perfect trekking and each day was well-timed and challenging without being too strenuous, not too short and not too long.

And then there was the food along the way! Ahmed ingeniously produced delicious, nutritious, hearty meals every morning and every evening in the kitchen of the gites where we stayed and somehow, amazingly, out in the open in the beautiful spots where every day we had lunch - seriously good food, well beyond our expectations for a mountain trek.

Transport to Marrakech was smooth and simple and our stay there excellent. Riad Tzarra is exactly as promised: beautiful and comfortable and charming with the most welcoming and accommodating staff one could possibly imagine. Ibrahim, Naeema and {oh, I forget her name!} catered to our every need with a smile and I wish we'd had more time there. I highly recommend taking a breakfast or lunch at the Riad - both were excellent.

Tourdust is now #1 on our list for any future trekking vacations we have planned for any of the places served

Barry Danilowitz reviewing Classic Atlas Valleys & Villages Trek on 04 December 2017

Everything worked perfectly! We all found our trekking experience to be the best part of our adventures in Morocco. We were particularly pleased with our guide, Hussain; he did a brilliant job. He is thoughtful, knowledgable, and sweet. He represents you well.

Jacob Moffat reviewing Atlas Valleys & Villages Comfort Trek on 09 March 2017

Thanks for organising an excellent holiday for us. It's my first time using Tourdust and I've been really impressed and will certainly be recommending you to friends and family. You provided an excellent level of service all the way through, and the bespoke nature of the trip was fantastic whilst being really good value for money.
Key highlights:
- Le Kasbah de Toubkal blew us away - one not to miss!
- The trek was amazing and my kids loved it. The camping was really fun, the food was excellent, and I'd particularly call out our guide Rashid who was fantastic show especially with my kids.
- Riad Adore was outstanding - far exceeding my expectations - it was beautiful and we were very well looked after
- Le Doux Tour was luxurious and a nice relaxing way to end the holiday.
- Logistics were great and our main driver Mustapha was brilliant

If there was one build / thing I would change, it's a very small one but some candles / lanterns to use in the evening whilst camping would have made it easier to stay outside for a bit longer.

Mark Dilley reviewing Boutique Marrakech & Atlas Mountains on 07 June 2016

Truly another world. The sky was enormous and the summits snow covered. Blue irises, wild herbs and fruit trees flowered on the slopes. Even as I toiled up the dry river bed I gazed in admiration.

Without exception, everyone was courteous and welcoming. Food was good ( and far too plentiful); accommodation clean. Above all-everything worked! A pick-up was promised for 9.00am. At 8.55 the doorbell rang. Impeccable.

No praise is too high for the organisation and staff. I am definitely going back.

Terence Humphreys reviewing Classic Atlas Valleys & Villages Trek on 16 May 2016

Our trip was excellent. Thank you! We were particularly impressed with the way it all worked seamlessly: someone was at each arrival point to meet us (or Alex was on the end of the phone to tell us what to do) or there was a phone message at Reception for when to expect someone.

The Jerusalem Hotel in Lalibela is not the same standard as Tukul Villages but it was OK for one night & we had plenty of warning. Lalibela at Christmas is pretty manic: full to bursting!

I must say that Alex looked after us well. He came to see us in Gondar to make sure everything was in place for the Simiens Trek & that we knew what to expect. When we got back after it, there he was again! Small but highly-valued pieces of customer care, evident again when he spoke to drivers while we were travelling.

All the staff who worked with us were of high quality, especially drivers and guides. Two who stood out were Younus, our driver both times we were in Addis Ababa, who we felt went beyond the call of duty & made our time there enjoyable - our last evening when waiting for a 2 a.m. flight could have been a drag, was in fact absolutely fine because of his suggestions (the Via Via cafe for dinner & then Mama's Kitchen for some music) and company.

The Simiens Trek was outstanding. Spectacular scenery, challenging at times, full of interest. Key to making it so was Dereje Gedamu who is a wonderful guide: we felt privileged to have him. he was ably assisted by the other staff & when our first, excellent chef had to leave at short notice to visit his mother in hospital, a replacement was found immediately (at Chenek!) who fed us to the same high standard. It was all a great experience that we will be talking about for a long time.

We were all pleased to have selected the 8 day option (& were not at all jealous of the peak-baggers heading for Ras Dashen). The second half of the trek was a good contrast to the high altitude section in the National Park's heartland as we descended through more intensively cultivated and populated areas, down steeply to the river and then back up past wonderful rock formations towards Mulit and out to the road at Adi Arkaye. It was full of interest and we were pleased to be pretty much on our own, rather than with the crowds at Geech & Chenek.

By comparison, the TESFA trek was rather tame, although an interesting comparison to see a more pastoral landscape and less remote villages. We had another good guide & enjoyed the lunch & evening stops, and the "loos with a view".

Pleased as we were that we had opted to drive from Bahir Dar to Lalibela, we had mixed feelings about driving the rough Gashena-Lalibela road three times - the starting and finishing points for the TESFA trek were just beyond Gashena. In 3 years when the road is complete this point may become academic, but meanwhile - if anyone else wants to do the same thing - it would be better for them to drive from Bahir Dar to Gashena, meet the TESFA crew there, do the trek & then continue to Lalibela. I am sure that TESFA could look after any extra baggage that people did not want on the trek.

One other point about the TESFA trek: we were not aware that there are several grades offered. I think we did the easiest and might well have preferred something more challenging so perhaps you could clarify the options available.

Only one other critical comment: we were underwhelmed by the Mayleko Lodge near Gondar airport. It was indeed welcome to have somewhere peaceful to return to after the trek, the rooms are nice & a couple of us enjoyed a "refreshing" swim, but on the other hand the restaurant was pretty mediocre and slow: we might have preferred to be out in the town.

Apart from that it was all good! A glimpse of Addis and another of Gondar; trekking with some R&R in Bahir Dar with its different scenery and history, ending with the religious fervour at Lalibela. A great holiday.

Gordon Parker reviewing Simien Mountains Trek & Northern Highlights on 09 February 2016

We had an absolutely fantastic time on our Garden Route trip and I would be more than happy to provide feedback for you and Tourdust. I also thought you might like to know directly some of our experiences.

All the logistics worked smoothly from our meet and greet through to car pick up. Glad we picked the larger van as it meant we and our suitcases had lots of space. The vehicle was perfect for the longer drives.

Pumba was a perfect introduction to safari for our kids. The dedicated ranger was ideal as it allowed us to modify our plans to suit the children and we managed to see elephants, giraffe and lots of other game up close. They even tailored one afternoon so the kids could try archery and fishing whilst we relaxed. The food and accommodation was lovely and well suited for a family of our size. Food was delicious and ample to keep us full of energy.

We have been privileged to stay in many great hotels but we agreed Hunters country house is probably our favourite. The service was outstanding, food was great and they even proactively booked us into their restaurant Zinzi and. Leaned the car! Accommodation was again perfect for us with to adjoining rooms and the grouds are beautiful. We have already highly recommended to other friends. Being between knysna and plattenberg is a great location and we had lots of exciting adventures.

Zeekoe at Oudtshoorn as you know was our next stop. It gave us a great chance to visit the caves and that was pretty much all there was so two nights was the ideal length. We ate both nights at the hotel as nothing was open as it was a Sunday in the town. The food was ok but the fact there was lots of space for the kids to run around and we met several other families made it another good location. We actually enjoyed driving over the mountains and heading in land for a while. The kids loved a small adventure park near the caves that had some water slides.

The whale coast hotel at Hermanus was a different location being in the town. The accommodation was ideal again as we enjoyed being close to all the restaurants and shops whilst also having two floors and three bedrooms. The breakfast provided by the hotel was basic but with so many other nearby great restaurants it wasn't an issue. It was also close to shops and as it had a kitchen we got some extra items for those early mornings.

Finally we made it the vineyard for Christmas. I can't thank you enough for the effort you undertook to find us suitable rooms as again this little appartment with three rooms, a living space and kitchen suited us really well. Especially as it gave Santa a place to put stockings. I was a little skeptical about the hotel in advance having stayed in many other great Cape Town locations but it was a lovely hotel. Great food, kids menus, and we managed to have Christmas lunch at Myoga which was outstanding. The kids loved searching out the giant tortoises that lived there and it provided a nice location for some running. The staff were very friendly, always willing to help and I would highly recommend it as it gives you a break from the hustle and bustle of the V&A whilst also being easy to drive to.

I can't really explain well just how much fun we had and we all agreed that it was probably our best holiday yet and far exceeded our expectations.

Michael F reviewing Classic Garden Route For Families on 09 February 2016

We had the most fabulous trip, thank you. Everything you arranged went to plan perfectly and all your Moroccan contacts were efficient and pleasant to deal with. Our guide, Rashid, was super - we got along well with him and found it so interesting talking to him about his family, life at home and his hopes and expectations - and he had a great sense of humour which is always a bonus. How Hamed, our cook/muleteer managed to produce the meals he did, I have no idea - tasty, healthy, beautifully presented and more than plentiful. The last couple of days in Marrakech were, of course, a complete contrast to the trek but great fun too. So all in all, a great break and we've had no hesitation in recommending Tourdust already to our friends.

STEPHEN PEARCE reviewing Classic Berber Villages & Toubkal Ascent on 29 October 2015

Both our guides were fine, did a good job, walked at a good pace for our group. Kept a close eye on us on the last night and helped me keep going even when not feeling well. Only thing i would say is that they weren't overly friendly. Felt a bit like they spoke to us enough to sort of do their job and make conversation but sort of expected that they might be a bit more friendly and enthusiastic. Might have been due to the fact we were two girls though? Didn't really stop us enjoying it, just would have been nice! 4/5

Considering your on a mountain the food was good and there was a lot of it. Though this became a bit of a problem as we felt so much pressure to eat it, not once did we finish all the food that was provided, and felt bad about the waste. Perhaps the cook needs to be more open to changing the portions of food he cooks depending on how much people eat! 4/5

All the information from tourdust through booking was excellent. We had plenty of information to help decide the route and to prepare for the climb. Though we were advised to take water purifying tablets, but actually they already purified the water. And walking poles were an optional extra however we were advised they were essential on arrival and had to rent some. 5/5

Emily Davies reviewing Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route on 11 December 2012

Our guide, Frederick was excellent and very knowledgeable, definitely a 5. The meals were great and the quantity of food slightly overwhelming on occasion! The service and effort put into presentation far exceeded out expectations

James Innes reviewing Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route on 04 August 2012