I'm writing to share some very positive feedback about one of your tour guides, Avi, who led my recent Discovery tour in Kenya from March 27th - April 5th. Quite simply, he was phenomenal-truly one of the best tour guides I have ever had in all my travels throughout the world. His knowledge was exceptional, and he brought each location to life with engaging facts, thoughtful context, and a genuine enthusiasm that made the entire experience memorable. What stood out even more was his outstanding attention to detail and clear focus on the full guest experience. Every aspect of the tour felt thoughtfully considered and seamlessly executed. He demonstrated strong problem-solving skills and excellent risk management, handling any unexpected situations with calm confidence and professionalism. In addition, his adaptability was impressive-he was able to adjust plans as needed while still maintaining a high-quality experience for everyone. His banter with the group also added a fun, engaging dynamic that made the tour with him feel personal and enjoyable from start to finish. He was patient, approachable, attentive, and struck the perfect balance between informative and entertaining. It's clear he genuinely cares about his career, and that made a meaningful difference in the overall experience. Travel experiences are often shaped by the people leading them, and Avi elevated this tour far beyond my (and the group's) expectations. He is an incredible asset to your team, and I hope you recognize the positive impact he has on your guests and their experience. I will be forever grateful to have crossed paths with this absolutely special tour guide. Thank you for providing such a high-quality tour guide. I will absolutely recommend your company to others based on this alone.

This was our first trip with Gate 1. Everything was absolutely amazing. Our guide Elvis was perfect. He managed everything so well. He was very knowledgeable and made sure we all got the most out of our time. Our excursion for the shark dive was sadly cancelled due to no fault if anyone but mother nature and Elvis still took time to apologize and help us find activities for our new found free day. Elvis made us all as a group feel like family. During the safari Elvis was so engaged with our safari guide Apollo in helping us see so many animals. It was truly and experience of a life time and that was made possible by Elvis. All accommodations we very clean and updated. The coaches and drivers we all friendly and clean. Overall would rate this trip a 10/10. We can't wait for our next adventure.

Thank you for reaching out. Our trip to South Africa was wonderful. The properties we stayed in were very nice, and the Guides were excellent. Our Tour Director (Anni) was outstanding in every respect....and was a wealth of knowledge.

Our Gate 1 16 day South Africa with Victoria Falls and Botswana trip was a once in a lifetime experience. I can speak for my other touring friends who all said " This trip could not have been so spectacular without our tour manager, John". John is from South Africa and seemed to never mind our thousands of questions. What was so surprising is he knew an answer for everything. Such knowledge on the history, flora and fauna, food, restaurants, commerce, animals and the cities we'd drive through on the bus. We all were amazed at his knowledge. The 4 countries we visited on this trip had such cleanliness. The people of Africa were so kind to us. The bus drivers, game drivers. river boat captains were so kind and also willing to impart information. As we left Botswana, an employee in housekeeping smiled and said " Goodbye, Safe Journey" That was said to us at all our destinations. The African people were the kindest and all spoke English. Thank you Gate 1.

Our tour manager was Don. He was most excellent! He is friendly and efficient, experienced, and so knowledgeable about history, sites, hints, etc. and has a great sense of humor. He clearly enjoys his job and his country. He is so respectful and appreciative of all the drivers, porters, waiters, staff we met, treating them as colleagues and encouraging their cooperation for our group and the next. When fog and wind closed Table Mountain, he worked to find a way to get us up there- and did it on 3rd try, to our cheers. He made the trip great!

My trip in Uganda was truly amazing. Every day we enjoyed meticulous planning by the tour leader. Nothing was too much trouble for him. We saw so much of Uganda, its lovely people, amazing wildlife and beautiful countryside. Thank you Gate 1!!

Our trip was wonderful! Belinda was a fabulous tour guide too! We loved Gate 1 accommodations and that everything was taken care of for us! Thank you!

Thabie, our tour manager, was a great guide! We appreciated her touring skills and management! We loved her promptness, knowledge of the areas travelled, friendliness, insights and recommendations. We appreciate and recommend her highly!

Being in close quarters with our Tour Director/Driver, we got to know our two leaders, Daniel (Kenya) and Adam (Tanzania). I am absolutely extremely impressed with their knowledge, not only of the animals and parks, which was to be expected, but about a wealth of understanding beyond. We could talk about education, science, culture, economics, a vast array of subjects too numerous to mention. And their ability to problem solve was incredible. I have a much different impression of Africa because of all 7 leaders/drivers. They can communicate all this, keep to schedule and drive us safely around!

I am writing to praise Daniel and Adam, excellent tour managers, drivers and animal trackers. We spent 4 days in a range rover with Daniel and 4 days with Adam, who were always pleasant and professional. That being said, they took us on the ride of our lives. Daniel is an educated man. He spent a lot of time conveying to us the traditions of his people and was eager to learn about us Americans. We were impressed with Adam's story, how he was born into a large Massai family and was given the opportunity to be educated and leave the Massai way of life to become what he is today. They both took excellent care of us and went the extra mile. I hope that both of them are rewarded appropriately, because we will never forget them.

I just want to sing the praises of our tour manager Belinda, our drivers and our local tour guides. They all went above and beyond what we expected, especially Belinda. They were knowledgeable and they certainly had our best interests in mind. I heard Gate 1 was good but you really outdid yourselves. I look forward to travelling with you in the future.

This trip was MORE amazing than I could have ever imagined. Our tour guide, John was so informative & FUNNY! He made the trip so enjoyable!

The trip to South Africa was amazing. Ryan, our tour guide, did an exceptional job of explaining and showing us everything Cape Town and Johannesburg has to offer. I hope to be using him again on the next South African trip

Just wanted to congratulate the tour manager Panda and driver James. I take about 6 trips a year and these 2 individuals were absolutely the best of the best. I am 81 and this trip was very tiring, but I just loved every minute. Even the long drives were acceptable due to the attention these guys gave us. What was also nice is that James ate his meals with us and we got to know him so much better that way. This felt like a group of very good friends traveling together. Our group was fantastic and everyone so kind and considerate,

Gordon and Wambua were incredible tour managers and drivers. We had never been on a Gate 1 trip where our guide was also the driver, and they excelled at both which is no small feat! Driving on some roads in Kenya can be challenging while simultaneously looking for animals, and being a guide, explaining and answering questions at the same time, it's a lot. Both Gordon and Wambua set the bar very high and were excellent at time management, at planned stops and getting us to all the parks and game drives with time to spare. On the last day, they surprised us with a "sundowner", a cocktail happy hour on our final sunset game drive together. Our small group of eight bonded so well and we all felt like family. At our farewell dinner, we all sat around the table with tears in our eyes, reflecting on the amazing experiences we had shared together. A huge thank you to Gordon and Wambua for a beautiful, fun, safe and wonderful adventure in Kenya!

The trip was great and exceeded my expectations. Thanks to the tour manager Ahmet for the wonderful trip to South Africa and for sharing so many beautiful things. Everything was so well organized, and I truly appreciated the care, knowledge, and support he gave throughout the journey. Ahmet is very knowledgeable with the history, culture, animals, landmarks, visa process and procedures etc. that were included in the trip. Being a solo traveler safely is very important to me and I always felt safe. When I asked for a room change in Mabula he immediately took care of it. Veg options are always provided and Ahmet made sure everything was in place. Daily plan was given ahead, visa process was also easy to follow and thanks to Gate1 for doing these trips. All in all, it was a wonderful trip, and Ahmet has made it memorable.

My Africa trip was amazing. My tour guide was the best! He did everything possible to make sure our experience was perfect. His drive to make sure we got to see the big 5 was relentless. Kudos to David!!

I just wanted to say that our Tour Leader, Daniel, went above and beyond. It was due to his extensive knowledge and experience that gave me the experience of a lifetime. He was attentive to our needs as well as sharing his experiences with a wonderful sense of humor. He was organized, efficient and I felt completely safe in his hands. Thank you again!

My husband and I just returned from the most adventurous vacation ever as we participated in multiple daily safaris in Kenya and Tanzania. The Tour 1 guides were amazing as they ventured into the wild so that we could see the "big 5" as well as many other animals, birds, and plants. And the food was spectacular at each accommodation as we had access to three buffet meals a day on many of the days of our trip. Kudos to the tour staff and all the staff at our various accommodations! We travel a lot internationally and this is our first Gate 1 tour. We plan to use Tour 1 again and share our experiences with our friends and family! This was the best vacation ever

Great! Tour guide, Anni, was wonderful. Fascinating tour with amazing animal sightings and beautiful views of Victoria Falls.

Thank you! It was truly amazing!! Everything was impeccable!! From the pricing, flight options, transfers, locations, staff and itinerary everything was perfect!! Our guides, Jeff, Sam and Joel, were outstanding! This was my first trip through Gate 1, but not my last!! Thank you so much for an outstanding vacation! It was truly a life-changing experience for me.

Our trip to Uganda for wildlife, but gorilla trekking, was incredible! Our small group was led by Balaam, and he was great. Very knowledgeable and provided so much great information as we drove throughout the tour. He had books to show pictures of wildlife so that we could see differences and read about the animals. We only spent one night in the hotel in Entebbe, which was modern. I must comment that the accommodations outside Entebbe were spectacular experiences, great food and wonderful staff and service. Those interesting hotels added to the whole experience of the tour! This is the top tour among all our traveling! We have previously done safaris to Kenya/Tanzania and South Africa.

David organized the trip for Kenya and was also our driver. He was one of the best tour managers that we have ever had! David was incredibly organized, patient, knowledgeable, and safety minded. We learned so much about the animals that we saw, as well as the culture and customs of Kenya. David was a great ambassador for Gate 1, in both words and actions. He helped make our trip a memory for a lifetime, and for that we are grateful.

Laurence was beyond an exceptional tour guide. Everyone in the group absolutely loved everything about Laurence. He made an awesome trip even better. We were all amazed at his exceptional knowledge, his poise, and his humor. Because of Laurence I am rethinking booking future international travel myself and using Gate1 instead in hopes that future tour guides are even 80% as good as Laurence. Laurence set such a high standard, I cannot imagine other guides being as good.

James, our Gate 1 tour guide and driver, was exceptional. He drove our jeep throughout the tour, while two of his colleagues-also Gate 1 guides-drove other vehicles for different parts of the group. He took us to all locations exactly as outlined in the itinerary and was excellent at keeping us informed each day about schedules, logistics, and what to expect. He also shared a great deal of insight about Uganda, the regions we visited, and daily life, which added real depth to the experience. What truly distinguished him was his demeanor. He was warm, calm, and highly professional, and he helped create a strong sense of harmony within our group. He interacted easily both with the group as a whole and with individuals, always attentive and engaged. It was clear that he had deep knowledge of his home country, and we benefited greatly from that throughout the journey. His guidance, care, and steady presence made a meaningful difference in our overall experience with Gate 1. If you have a recognition program, I nominate James as a recipient.

Just want Gate 1 to know how professional both Wolfgang and Godliving were on our recent safari. Their knowledge of wildlife and ability to recognize the desires of everyone for the trip and to then fill them was amazing. My wife and I could not be more pleased with our first trip with Gate 1. Both these men are a great asset for Gate 1 and wonderful ambassadors for the people of Tanzania. William in Dar es Salaam was also an excellent tour manager for the day. He gave us a good mix of options to see that day and ended up at a wonderful seaside restaurant for a late lunch.

We enjoyed and appreciated our guide Sam very much. He is extremely knowledgeable, kind and a great asset to the Gate 1 team. We felt very lucky to have him for a guide. He is also a great driver. Joel, our tour manager was also top notch.

This was my first Gate 1 Trip as well as the first tour I have taken in many years. While I don't have many comparisons to make I believe I am now completely spoiled. The attention to detail, the accommodations, the food, the tour managers, were excellent. The ability of the tour managers to communicate, what will be happening, when it will happen, how long it will take, was spot on. This was as small group. 11 members broken into two groups. Christopher as tour manager as well as tour guide for one of the groups naturally spent most of his time with the other group. He took the time however at meals to interact with our group. He was most enjoyable, pleasant and informative. I was with the group with Hesborn as tour guide. I cannot express how much he made the whole experience of the trip. He shared his knowledge of the area, the people, the animals. He let us find the animals ourselves, so it was a wonderful surprise when we came upon a group of giraffes, lions, zebra's even though he had already spotted them. It enhanced the excitement of the game rides. He would also point out some of the animals and teach us the Swahili names. It was a pleasure to spend the time with him. The trip was to much more than I expected. Thank you.

Our 46th trip to South Africa was a dream come true for both of us! We have experienced the best Safaris on this tour to South Africa and have to thank our excellent Tour Manager, Hercules for his patience and organizational skills in keeping our group informed and on time. We love the entertaining African dinner and enjoyed the interactive drumming session! Please note that we have booked 6 more tours with Gate 1 for 2026 since we love traveling with your company.

My December 2025 trip to South Africa with Gate 1 exceeded all my expectations! Hotels were clean and well-appointed. All tours and flights were well planned and executed! There were no departure delays or lost luggage incidents. Special thanks to our Tour Manager, Elvis, who was extremely knowledgeable, communicated our daily schedules effectively, so that there were no mishaps. He was also very helpful and patient in answering our endless questions! He is an asset to your organization, so much so that I have recommended this trip to several friends and associates. Special thanks also to our driver Piet, who drove us safely over several days to many of our tour destinations. Thanks again for this trip of a lifetime! I look forward to another Gate 1 adventure soon!

Our trip to Uganda was over the top, amazing. Every detail was taken care of. I cannot say enough good things about Chris, Jonah and Hamza, our Gate 1 guides. They became more than guides. They became friends. We are telling everyone about our trip and about the excellent service of Gate 1!

What a Wonderful trip! The hotels in Kenya were beautiful, and the staff were superb with nothing being too much trouble. Our Kenyan tour guide, Gordan, was phenomenal! He was very knowledgeable and able to spot animals from quite a distance. We never missed an animal or a picture. We were lucky to have Gordan as our guide. Our Tanzanian tour guide, George, was great! He shared a lot of information and could also spot the animals from a distance. The hotels in Tanzania were lovely, and I can't say enough about the staff. I think I could have lived comfortably at the Acacia Farm Lodge, and I hated to leave and go home. Thanks to all the people who make wonderful dreams like this safari a reality!

We were so blessed to have Canaan as our tour manager for this trip. Canaan was very organized and thorough. We knew everything about what to expect, what to wear, what to take, etc. He updated us daily as well. He repeated tirelessly when we asked him the same question again. He was very helpful when we wanted to stop and get cash safely, or needed help with shopping suggestions, fun places to visit during leisure time, etc. He was very attentive to my dietary restrictions. He was very knowledgeable about the countries we visited, their history, and overall general knowledge about the world and the living things in it. He was an excellent and passionate conversationalist. His disposition was very friendly. He was always well-groomed and gave service with a smile even though our day started at 6:00 am sometimes. We wish him the very best in 2026 and the years ahead. We hope our paths will cross again. Bravo, Canaan. I hope you are reading this accolade about you!!!

IT WAS AMAZING!! We felt safe the entire trip. Our guides were true professionals. The hotels were first class. The food - let's say both my husband and I will be dieting now that we are home...The ANIMALS ---------We saw so many animals (in herds, in small groups, individually), we are just blown away. On our entry in our bus (with only 15 in our group) to Kruger, we were stopped twice by HERDS of elephants AND water buffalo crossing the road and it only got better from there. We bypassed lots of animals on our safari rides because we saw so many of them. We even watched 2 lions MATE from our safari vehicles at 10 to 15 yards!!!!!!!!! The only major animal we didn't see was a leopard, but the umpteen of others besides the many of the Big Five we saw (so many times), was PLENTY! We came 2 days early to Cape Town and stayed at the same hotel as the tour. I highly recommend that as it is such a beautiful city and the free shuttle bus to the waterfront, Table Mountain, Robbin Island were nice additions to what was included on the tour. We expect our trips with Gate One to be terrific, but this one was simply beyond our expectations. Kudos to your company for doing what you do so well with such great organization and people.

We just got back from the South Africa tour. I would like to make a special mention regarding our tour guide Lindy. Lindy did an exceptional job as a tour guide. She is very knowledgeable about South Africa, Zimbabwe - geography, culture, people...In our other travels, we have needed a local guide in every city. But Lindy did an exception to cover all cities very well. We have seen Lindy do an exceptional job of taking care of all our needs. She has a very positive attitude and energy. For a long tour with early wake up many days Lindy made sure that everyone was in good spirits while not missing anything. The tour was memorable due to Belinda's positive and caring attitude.

The trip was another great Gate 1 experience. The tour manager, Herunga, and driver, Joseph, were friendly to all and expert at their jobs. Each day was filled with great stops and sights in the very large country of Namibia. Resorts and meals were top notch. The game drives in Etosha NP were expertly done with many animal sightings on each outing

It was amazing. Our guide, Ahmet, was superb all the way through and made our vacation flawless. From the hotels to the meals and each tour was breathtaking and memorable. We are so thankful for this unexpected wonder of a country. The beauty and people are unmatched. We would highly recommend this tour to anyone even thinking of going to South Africa. Don't hesitate to book as you'll thank yourself when you get there.

My wife and I have been on 5 previous escorted tours prior to the 16 Day African Safari. This was our first time using Gate1. Gate 1 did not disappoint. This was an excellent tour in every respect and was due in large part to our tour guide Gregg. The itinerary was followed to the letter and always on time. He created a relationship between the group that had everyone on time and ready for each day of the tour. He was a great guide and made each day memorable. Probably the best guide we have had on any of our escorted tours.

I just wanted to add some info about our tour guide, Belinda, she was top notch! She was knowledgeable about the areas we traveled to, she had good relationships with the lodges and the other guides she worked with, she made sure we had the best experiences we could have, She squeezed every drop of fun out of each experience!

Our time together with all 21 Gate 1 travelers has been life changing. Africa has been an extraordinary experience thanks to our tour Director, Renier! He is amazing and one of the very best guides we have had. To use his own words our 16-day journey was beyond "special", it was spectacular in every way, from the safaris (6 all together), the accommodations and the extraordinary natural beauty of the countries and people we visited. This has been an unforgettable adventure and hopefully a place we will visit again.

The trip was amazing. It was well planned and Silver and Joseph took such good care of us. Loved the culture, scenery and seeing the animals. Namibia is the perfect African country to visit.

Our tour guide Chris was wonderful. Not only was he extremely knowledgeable but he was so kind and really made us feel like he cared about each one of us. He always went the extra mile to be sure we were enjoying ourselves. We had a wonderful experience on the trip and Chris was a big part of why we enjoyed it so much. Would definitely recommend him to any future travelers to Kenya.

I had the trip of a lifetime! There was so much variety for our activities in each country. I particularly loved all the animals and nature, especially in the Okavango Delta. And I loved all of the boat trips. Our small group size of 6 enabled us to have great flexibility, including a cooking lesson in the home of a local in Cape Town. Our tour manager Renier was exceptional. His attention to details and to each of us as individuals was unparalleled. Coming from a busy city like New York, I admired his savvy and efficiency. He endeavored for us to avoid long lines and maximize our time. Words cannot express how much I enjoyed this adventure!

Our guide, Anni, is a force of nature. It was such a pleasure to travel with her and made an outstanding itinerary truly unforgettable. She is a masterful organizer and herder of travelers, and it was always obvious that her only objective was to provide the most thorough travel experience possible for everyone. Her knowledge of Southern African flora, fauna, history, and politics comes from a life well lived in South Africa and her family background that she shared with us along the way. Anni's personal relations with airline personnel on every flight (3 within southern Africa), and staff on excursions and at each hotel and private restaurant served us very well. It was obvious she and Gate 1 are very influential in the southern African travel business.

We were on the 11 day Kenya and Tanzania safaris. It was an adventure that changed our world view positively for the better. The experience we received, largely thanks to the efforts and caring of your drivers and guides, was exceptional and much appreciated. Special mention to Emmanual in Tanzania who was incredibly knowledgeable and patient. His friendly demeanor and sincerity really made the trip for us! Similarly, our driver Benson in Kenya was knowledgeable, good humored and very personable. When we met him again when we returned to Kenya from the Tanzania portion, it was like finding an old friend. All the Gate One staff we met were very professional, personable, caring and genuine; a combination that is very hard to find these days. Thank you for providing this opportunity to us to experience East Africa in all its variety.