Shooting Star Lodge

Really brilliant being met in the airport off the plane. It got the holiday off to the right start and driver really chatty and knowledgeable. Great transfers to and from the camps with drivers that were like guides - pointing out animals and full of interesting facts. All really friendly.

4 Rosmead in Cape Town; We loved it here. Just the right side of plush and a lovely warm, friendly welcome. Breakfast were delicious. It was a real haven to come back to and even though it was small it didn’t feel intrusive. They were also really helpful with great places to eat.

Tours in Cape Town; Our guide, Bevan, gave us an incredible insight into the history of South Africa whilst also being really knowledgeable on wild life and nature. No question was too hard and his answers honest. He had an intern with him from a township and this allowed us a different perspective. Bevan was brilliant with my daughter. The Cape Point trip was a full on day with lots packed in. Our highlight was the penguins but we also really enjoyed seeing Cape Point and getting our first taste of the wild life to come! Our stand out experience in Cape Town had to be the tour of Masiphumelele. We’re so pleased that we did this as it gave us an insight of the lives of so many people in SA. The visibility of such poverty was tough going at times and we learned much about the harsh realities of living in a township such as how dwellings regularly burn down, TB & HIV incidence but equally we saw the resilience, warmth and resourcefulness of the residents. We loved being shown around the nursery and the library and the chance to have a very different experience. Being in someone’s home for lunch was a real privilege. We got such a lovely welcome there and the food was really delicious. The tribal dance routine felt a little forced and I wasn’t convinced there was much pride in the display. I think being shown a little more of the craft workshop or the older people’s group might have worked better. Although I can see how this allowed us have a purpose to go into the unofficial part of the township. All in all a moving experience that will stay with us both for years to come.

Getting around Cape Town; We quickly learnt from local people it’s not actually that safe walking around Cape Town except for in the Waterfront. Uber is the best way to travel - much safer and cheaper than the local cabs. The fares are ridiculously cheap.

Food/Going Out; There are so many great places to eat in Cape Town. The indoor food market at the Waterfront is an absolute must. A huge variety of food that is great quality. Also a great place to hang out for a while as there is always bands playing. The Waterfront overall was a pleasant way to do a bit of shopping. We got some great township art there. We ate at the Cod Father in Camp Bay. It was night so we couldn’t benefit from the incredible views. The food was incredible and really fresh. Really warm service too. The Nelson Eye? was also gorgeous for meat eaters. A slightly retro steak house but with the best meat (nor for vegetarians!). We had great steak, ribs and a divine mint crisp local dessert. We also found a lovely place on Kloof Street called the Dark Horse (its sister restaurant the Black Sheep was closed). Really excellent small plates and great selection of wines.

Moswari Game Reserve; This part of the holiday blew us away. The safari was spectacular. From our first game drive we saw and learnt so much about the incredible bush. We saw the Big Five within 24 hours (although we appreciate that must be unusual) but it wasn’t just that we saw them we saw them in amazingly dynamic situations - lion cubs suckling the lioness, rhino doing a strange greeting, a herd of 40 elephants at almost touching distance, a leopard eating its kill in a bush and then majestically descending. I could just go on. It wasn’t just these but also the wonderful giraffe sightings, all types of buck and antelope, a rainbow of different coloured birds. This was an unforgettable experience.

Our guide and tracker, Weinond and Bricks, were perfect. Weinond was a lovely gentle and sensitive man with an encyclopaedic knowledge for wildlife and nature. Bricks was a skilled tracker and I am certain that without him we would not have seen half of what we did. You could feel their passion for the animals and they seemed to take as much joy from a spot as we did. Whilst driving Weinond filled us with information about life in the bush. This meant we learnt so much about the habits and habitats of the magnificent animals and birds we were seeing.

The camp and rooms were top class. It was a small intimate camp with nicely spaced lodges for privacy. The view from our lodge was stunning. The room was large, beautifully furnished and with the best bathroom ever. If there was one thing that could be added it would be would be access to drinks in your room. Sometimes you want a beer or a nightcap without having to go all the way to the main camp.

The food was luscious. There was something for everyone and it was all of a really high standard and cooked to perfection. It was definitely restaurant standard. My only complaint is how much weight I’ve put in because I couldn’t resist!

The service throughout was warm, friendly and appropriate. Very professional.

We stayed for a night in the Giraffes Nest. This was a special, magical experience. The setting was fabulous and ‘nest’ itself beautifully decorated. It was winter so it was a cold night but they gave you lots of blankets and a cosy robe to help with that. Once in the best you we’re in your own but with radio connection back to the camp. Whilst we only spotted 2 animals during the night it was a special experience sleeping under a blanket of stars. It was a bit overpriced I think for what it is and I think in the winter it should be possible might to stay a bit longer in the morning ( we were collected 6 am to join our drive group) as this might mean you would see animals in the light.

Finally, I cannot recommend this camp enough to people. A truly spectacular holiday that we will never forget. I’ve definitely been bitten by the Africa bug!

Dara d reviewing Cape Town & Kruger Safari on 02 July 2019

We had a wonderful time! Our transfers (besides a bit of a wait when we arrived) were smooth. The gentleman that drove us to and from the airport also drove us to our hike and he was very nice and helpful, clean car and very accommodating.
Our tour guide on the first day, Mandy, was charming and insightful. It was a slow day in the markets but we appreciated the space and gave us a chance to hear all about the Souks. The gentlemen who was with her was a wealth of knowledge and both did a very nice job!
Our hike was awesome and our guide was great- he even took us to a cool waterfall and took great care of us; lunch in the mountains was delicious!
The hotel was so lovely and the staff was very accommodating and helpful. The food was great and the rooms very comfortable!
I did a good amount of damage in the market (often accused of being Berber;) and truly hope to be back next Spring... maybe a girls trip or perhaps I’ll bring my kiddos!
Thank you for organizing such a nice getaway for my husband and I; we will confidently recommend Tourdust to our friends!!

Jennifer H reviewing Boutique Marrakech & Atlas Mountains on 12 June 2019

We had an amazing trip. Everything was well thought out and so much fun. What a great way to truly see the country and learn the culture.

Joseph was the perfect guide. Very kind, professional, knowledgeable and patient. The kids loved Joseph and keep asking when will they meet him again. He found the Big 5 for us which was unforgettable! Please pass along our appreciation to Joseph.

Maji Moto was also another incredible experience. They had great customer service and we loved experiencing their culture.

Sunbird was absolutely beautiful and I wish we had more time there. We loved the view of the lake!

One suggestion to make the trip even better for other guests in the future would be to have a cooler with drinks and snacks in the Jeep at all times because a ton of driving is involved and it would be helpful to have a cold drink and snacks during the long trip.

Thanks again for organizing this experience of a lifetime for us!

Brandon H reviewing Maasai Family Adventure on 12 June 2019

Thanks for all your help in making the arrangements, everything went so smoothly from landing in Jo’burg to departing a week later.

We all had a fantastic time, Kirsty (our youngest) was able to go on all the game drives and we were very well looked after both on the drives and back at the lodge. The food was great, staff were all very friendly & nothing was too much trouble for them (e.g. providing hot milk for Kirsty at bedtime). The kids all enjoyed the rock pool during the day and we all loved the game drives.

We were lucky enough to see all the big 5, with the additions of Cheetah & Wild Dogs. I think it was the second to last day before we managed to see some Hippo (and finally I’ve been able to take some photos of them - I have only ever seen them at night before). We had the adventure of being caught up with some Lionesses stalking a herd of Zebra (one of the younger Lionesses went a bit early & scattered the herd).

We’re certainly aiming to go on safari again although it will be a while before we save enough to go again (maybe the kids will be taking us next time!)

Jeff W reviewing South Africa Safari and Mauritius on 13 May 2019

I had just the most incredible time on the climb.

The team were incredible and just so accommodating. I really only have good things to say as it was such a great experience.

George was as good as a guide as it gets, very articulate and made sure I was comfortable the whole way up with frequent briefings.

Finn R reviewing Mount Kenya Sirimon Naro Moru Trek on 10 May 2019

We had an amazing time thank you. The itinerary was great as we felt like we saw lots of different things and it kept it interesting for our daughter. She especially loved the gorge at Hells Gate.

Unfortunately the Menengai Crater walk was a bit hard for her although that probably had something to do with how hot it was!

We especially loved the Sunbird Lodge - it is such a beautiful place and all the staff were so incredibly welcoming and friendly.

Our guide, Joseph, was exceptional too and we can’t speak highly enough of him.

Suzanne S reviewing Maasai Family Adventure on 30 April 2019

Lawhill Luxury Apartments (Cape Town): We loved the apartments (especially having a ground floor room that we could access the waterside directly from). Only comment would be that it was a bit of a dark path towards them if heading back from the apartments from the v&a after dark.

Wine Tour (Cape Wineland): The wine tour was great - the guide was really knowledgeable and we went to the bird park at Spier and played with Cape foxes and held owls, which was great! The ‘winetasting’ for the kids was great too. At the last vineyard we actually chose to do craft beer tasting rather than wine (to please the husband!!) which was a good option.

Township Tour by Bike (Cape Town): Again, this was great. The guide was very knowledgeable and made us feel very comfortable. We also loved finishing at Mzoli’s barbecue.

Mosaic Sanctuary (nr Hermanus): This was fabulous. We got the room with the best view (no. 2) and it was just lovely. The staff were all fantastic and thoroughly looked after us - we had a welcome drink back from every activity! The kids loved the quad biking and the guide even let them ride their own bike (with him sitting close behind them!). The nature walk and beach trip were both great too. The kids went sand surfing! Food and drink were all lovely.

De Denne Guesthouse (Oudtshoorn): The guesthouse here was probably a bit dated given we had just left Mosaic but the staff here were also lovely, as was the evening meal and the lovely setting (the stars were amazing!). We visited an Ostrich farm and had a guided tour to ourselves, which was great. The kids got to hold a baby ostrich so much excitement!

Fynbos Ridge (Plettenberg Bay): The house at Fynbos Ridge was great and there was so much to do in the area. The owners were lovely and breakfast was great too. We weren’t offered any of the extras noted in the itinerary (evening meal, spa treatment etc) but we weren’t bothered - perhaps it would have been available if we’d asked. The setting was therefore quieter than we had expected but that wasn’t an issue at all - again perhaps just something to note in the itinerary? We do say private nature reserve but we may try to make this clearer as it is quite isolated and long road to get there... I suppose.

Kariega Main Lodge (Eastern Cape Safari) - this was amazing. Apart from the first drive, we had our ranger to ourselves and he was great, really knowledgeable and keen to share. We asked lots of questions too! He made the kids feel very welcome and included. He even included a night drive after dinner to see the nocturnal animals. We weren’t sure if it would be too late for the kids but they fell asleep so we enjoyed it and saw lots! Delighted to hear this about Kariega

Thanks again for organising it for us. We had an amazing trip and are still talking about it to everyone we see!

Lorna T reviewing Classic Garden Route For Families on 29 April 2019

All the accommodation was great especially having the family rooms, I think our favourite place was the maramboi tented camp - everything about it was spot on, the location and service was excellent!
The only negative feedback I could give was the amount of time spent in the jeep, I hadn’t quite realised how much travel there was! But it’s a minor point, Haji our guide was excellent and constantly pointed out things of interest along the way.

Sam S reviewing Tanzania Extended Northern Circuit on 24 September 2018

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 D 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 I reviewing Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route on 04 August 2012