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SATISFIED CLIENTS

Our clients have graciously written the kind words below after experiencing a holiday with Africa 2000 Tours.

Dear Gill and Graham

I could not be more pleased to give big raves about the time, care and outstanding personal attention that you gave to us on our trip to Africa. What John and I felt was most unique was that you really listened to our wishes and went out of your way to fulfill them. We do not usually use tour guides as we prefer to research and "do our own thing". Had we done so this time we would not have had nearly as rewarding or fulfilling an experience. Please feel free to give our names and home numbers or email as a reference.

John & Isobel Stander · Minnesota · USA

We have worked with other travel agents in the past and quickly learned that not all agencies are as customer friendly and service oriented as Africa 2000 Tours. Gill & Graham have arranged several wonderful getaways for us that were all geared to OUR interests to Zimbabwe, Botswana, and within South Africa to the Sabi Sands, Natal Drakensberg, and Zululand. They know of remote, quaint places that we didn't even read about in the local travel books. Everywhere we have done we have been extremely pleased. You can be assured that you're not just another faceless tourist. They will treat you special and will organise your getaway with every detail carefully organised. They are truly lovely people. We highly recommend Africa 2000 Tours as your travel broker of choice in Southern Africa.

Chrisandra and Raj Sarda · Lake Oswego, Oregon · USA

I have been traveling extensively in Southern and Eastern Africa for the past ten years and have over the years used a variety of tour operators and agents. Recently I have used the services of Africa 2000 Tours · Gill & Graham Maskell, exclusively, for the simple reason that I have yet to encounter the operator or agent who provides the same level of dedication, high quality and very personal service.

I am a demanding client, I know what I want and I know from experience what to expect. Nevertheless Gill has proved herself equal to the task of coping with my very specific wishes, while at the same time coming up with interesting suggestions of new places to visit and new things to do.

I can recommend the services of Gill & Graham Maskell of Africa 2000 Tours without the slightest hesitation!

Johan Rebel · Drottningskar · SWEDEN

Dear Gill & Graham

I don't know where to begin to thank you for all you did to make our two weeks in South Africa a perfect journey in every way. The variety of things we did and saw, the beautiful places we stayed, our game park adventures and that amazing Rovos Rail. You asked for suggestions and comments about our trip. It's hard to imagine how it could be improved! The 4 nights at Umfolozi private bush camp were just right and the variety of experiences there were amazing. We especially enjoyed the simplicity of the camp and the chance to get acquainted with you two. We certainly enjoyed Gill's cooking and managed to pack it away! Many thanks and I don't think you could have done better by us.

Linda & Bill Dietel · Virginia · USA

Chrisandra & Raj Sarda sent this charming
photograph to Gill & Graham. On the back is written:

"We thought you might enjoy adding this photo
to your collection of photos depicting the very fine &
gracious Maskell couple. A charming couple they are "
· CHRISANDRA & RAJ SARDA · OREGON USA

Dear Gill and Graham

Well, usually at the end of a trip, we are ready to come home. That

was not the case with this holiday. Both of us wished it was longer. This is a testiment to your organizational skills and Graham's operational skills. We enjoyed every minute and were impressed by the little things that were attended to that truly made our time in Africa a holiday. Both you and Graham are special people and we are happy to think of you as friends. Thank you for a wonderful time. We look forward to possibly see

both of you again in the future.

Sincerely,

Justin & Stephanie Hirsch - St Louis MO -USA

We have been home from our African adventure a month now but the entire thing still remains a beautiful and very fond memory. Almost a year ago we decided that if we were going to take a vacation to Africa, this might be a good time. Most other adventures we had done on our own. Thinking I might need a little help, I looked up a couple websites that I found in a travel magazine. Africa 2000 happened to be one of those. After a couple e-mail exchanges with Gill Maskell, I knew we could communicate well and decided to see how much help she could be. She knew the right questions to ask and the ideas flew back and forth till my little idea of a mini safari turned into 30 days of experiencing Africa beyond any dreams we could have had. The travel insurance company we went with asked me to check them out a little better with references since they were a very small company. I did that and was assured they would be able to provide what they had promised. They provided what they promised with a little surprise of more many times during the trip. Graham was with us as a guide during most of the trip and we enjoyed not only his company and knowledge but also the luxury of not having to worry about anything. It was all his responsibility. We had never experienced this before so of course it was great. We really had questioned having a guide with us for the entire time but with Graham it was all just super. After the first day, he seemed much more like a friend we had known forever. We couldn’t help but notice how the few American tourists we encountered wanted to pick his brain also. Most all of them had American tour companies make their arrangements. We strongly suggest that if you are considering Africa as your vacation destination, you let an African company make your arrangements. They know the best way to make them. Give Africa 2000 Tours a call and Gill and Graham Maskell will help you decide what you really want to do and see in the best possible way. We are certainly glad we did.

Sandy and Dean Soash - Iowa USA

We have recently completed a tour of South Africa and would like to pass on some of the things that made it such and enjoyable experience.

Upon hearing of our plans to travel to South Africa, a friend of ours suggested we contact Gill Maskell, at Africa 2000 Tours, which we fortunately did.

My wife communicated with Gill by email, with Gill sending us various proposals, of how we could accomplish our travels, without unnecessary doubling back, as we were limited on the length of time available to us. Gill made a wonderful job of tying together all of our wishes and coming up with a workable solution.

Gill’s husband Graham, was our guide for a portion of our visit. He met us at Johannesburg Airport and showed us some of the Johannesburg area on the day we arrived. He then took us towards the game park, stopping every here and there to experience the sights, sounds and smells of Africa. Graham is a hive of information, not only on the flora and fauna of South Africa, but also about wines.

Graham remained with us during our Safari in the Sabi Sands. There he supplied us with additional facts about the flora and fauna, which we were viewing. He is extremely knowledgeable, which made our stay that much more interesting.

When Graham presented us with our tour itineraries, he went over them with us, explaining the finer points we may have overlooked. The itinerary Gill put together for us is one of the most prized souvenirs we have of our trip. It is a delight to go back over and relive “the experience”. The itinerary itself is in the form of an A4 presentation folder. Within its covers you will find, pictures of the birds and animals we were likely to see in the Game Park as well as elsewhere, as well as covering every aspect of our trip, with all the necessary vouchers and tickets slid into the plastic pockets in the order that they would be required during our travels. Gill also included sights to see, things to be aware of and local attractions to enjoy in each of the areas we were passing through.

We feel that Gill and Graham Maskell and their company, Africa 2000 Tours, made our trip the huge success that it was and would recommend them to anyone considering a trip to South Africa.

Sincerely,

John and Maartje Houthuyzen – New Zealand

Dear Graham:

Just wanted you to know we all arrived home safe and sound, some earlier than others. We want to thank you so much for seeing to it we had a fabulous experience. I can't think what else you could have done to make the trip better. It has been very hard to describe to others exactly what feelings/adrenaline rushes, etc. we had. I just say that it is like the Discovery Channel, only in your face.

Please let us know if you and/or Gill will be out our way again. Would love to reminisce. Sorry we didn't meet Gill, but trust she wasn't too overworked in your absence.

Thanks again.

Bonnie and Bill Schoeneman - Port Ludlow USA

Dear Gill & Graham,

We got home just fine. The flights all went amazingly well and we had no complaints at all on that account. Both of us agree that we could have stayed in Africa for a lot longer. You realize how nice it is to be out in the countryside without a worry in the world except where the next mother elephant is. We both agree that kind of life you could get very use to.

What can I say about the trip. Well it was just about perfect. We were so lucky to see all of the animals we did and it really added to the drives to have Graham along explaining things. It made them so much better. We really can't think of anything that could have been improved. We liked all of the camps and thought the variety was good. I think we would have to say it was the best of all four trips to Africa and we think that having Graham along contributed a lot to that fact.

We will stay in touch and God willing we really want to plan a trip to Capetown and surrounding areas in 2006. I hope this note finds you both well and happy. It has been a pleasure getting to know you both. How lucky we are to have experienced the beauty of Africa.

Jo and Buck Buchanan - California - USA

Dear Gill and Graham,

Our bodies made it back to Del Mar at about noon on Monday, but I think my brain is still somewhere between here and Africa.

I want to first say that Bill and I (and the Buchanans also) had a wonderful trip and are very glad that we had you make the arrangements and that we had Graham accompany us. It could only have been better if you had been able to stay with us for the whole trip. I feel that not only have we found a company to plan our trips to Africa, but we've made some good friends. Absolutely, you can give our names, numbers and email address to anyone who would like to talk to us as references. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I called or wrote everyone on the list you sent to me before I felt comfortable signing on. I'd be happy to do anything I can to help to promote your business and reassure potential clients.

You had promised that once Graham picked us up at the airport that I wouldn't have to worry about anything for the whole trip and that is exactly what happened. This year especially, I needed a worry free vacation. Since Bill and I enjoy our privacy, I was especially pleased with the way that you and Graham made sure that we had the most out of the way tent in every camp. We couldn't have been happier with our accommodations. There were so many little things that Graham did to add to our enjoyment ‑ making sure our favorite drinks were available for sun downers, scheduling all the activities that we wanted to do at each camp, taking care of all of the paperwork, supplementing the information that we got from the local guides, etc., etc. We could have probably managed the trip on our own, but having Graham guide us was more than worth the additional cost. Not only that, but we quickly came to feel that we had another friend along for the trip.

Two other things that I particularly enjoyed were the sweaters that you gave us (I wore mine every day) and the packet that you gave us at the beginning of the trip with all the information about all of the camps we would stay at. Also, I'm so glad that you encouraged us to go to Tafika. Aside from the game sightings, we really enjoyed the trip to the village and the microlight flying (which we did twice).

I could go on and on, but the bottom line is that we had a wonderful time and we really appreciated everything that you and Graham did.

Take care,

Linda and Bill Kolb – California USA

REFERENCE OF OUR GUIDE

My wife and I were involved in the organization of a three week trip for a medium sized group of Americans with varied interests and travel backgrounds. We participated in travel in South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia. Graham was present with us throughout the trip. His multiple talents and substantial knowledge were available to us on many, many occasions and in many contexts. The diverse group of travelers were unanimous in their attitude that Graham was without equal in organizing the trip so that our travel was without stress or unanticipated problems. He spent significant time and energy making certain that the needs and wishes of each individual were met and satisfied and that each of his guests was the beneficiary of his individual attention and knowledge. His knowledge of local customs, practices and politics was both apparent and extremely useful on many different occasions (an example: border crossings) and each of us felt greatly benefitted by these capabilities. His ability to work with a great variety of individuals, from others involved in the tourist industry to the guides, drivers, government officials and shop keepers, was both impressive and obviously helpful to all of us. Finally, Graham's knowledge of the areas in which we were travelling was beyond expectation and unequalled in our experiences. His interactions with our guides and drivers in a variety of situations clearly established his knowledge of the variety of wildlife, both biological and botanical, which we wished to experience. This was of great benefit. We have recommended Graham and his firm to many of our friends and acquaintences, and some have travelled with Gaham subsequent to our travels. Without exception those individuals have echoed our views and perspective of Graham and Africa 2000 Tours, and I highly and without qualification recommend him for any certification which he seeks in the context of his activities.

Truly yours: John O. Burgess, Seattle,

Washington, U.S.A.

* Contact: Gill & Graham Maskell *
* Postal Address: P.O. Box 1204, Hilton, 3245, South Africa *
* Telephone: +27 33 3433911 * Fax: +27 33 3431786 *
* email: info@africa2000tours.co.za *

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