Nick van de Wiel of Tailor Made Safaris
Tailor Made Safaris
- Located In:
-
Netherlands
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2009)
- Member Of:
- FGASA, TKZN, MHCTO & EDTEA
- Tour Types:
- Self-drive mid-range & luxury tours
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $1,593 to $6,968 per person per day (MXN, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
NL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
For the fourth time in South Africa with Tailor Made Safaris and, as always, great!
The Big-3 from Rooi - for the fourth time in South Africa with Tailor Made Safaris and, as always, great!
This year we came back for the fourth time to Tailor Made Safaris and we chose KwaZulu-Natal, Swaziland, finishing off in Kruger.
We started in Pongola in a lodge with a very nice view. Here we enjoyed rhino tracking on foot, which was very impressive!
Then Hluhluwe - iMfolozi in an unfenced camp. During the braai on our first evening we were visited by a hyaena and on the second night, a bushpig. Exciting! We saw our first wild dogs, as well as buffalo, lions, many birds, rhinos, elephants and more.
We couldn’t leave out a few days in St Lucia. There we enjoyed a boat ride, horse riding, good food and a drink once in a while. Of course we were very curious about the famous Sushi Safari. Well..... it did not disappoint. Highly recommended! We went on our first night drive and what an experience in itself with a great driver who saw everything in the dark.
Then on to Mkhuze and beautiful accommodation. At the waterhole we enjoyed the coming and going of many different animals. This is never boring.
And then Tembe.... nice and luxurious. We stayed in tents in the park and had been warned of the elephant iSilo who occasionally broke through the fence to visit the camp and yes, on the last night we heard a lot of noise and there he was! He then walked through the gate back into the reserve. This was a beautiful gift.
Furthermore, we had Ndumo Game Reserve and Mlilwane, Swaziland still on the programme. Ndumo with its many birds and Mlilwane with its great markets.
Finally, Kruger National Park. We had seen most of the Big 5, with only the leopard remaining missing in action. That had to happen in Kruger. On both of the last two days we managed to see leopard, both times lying on a tree branch. The second time it even had prey!
We were happy to have seen the Big 5 again.
This holiday was great. We saw a lot and also enjoyed good food and a drink once in a while!
Email M Weaver | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Family Weaver - Tailor Made Safaris absolutely delivered!
This was our first trip to Africa and importantly it was an opportunity to see our son Ollie for the first time in 8 months. He is studying in KwaZulu-Natal to be a field guide so we were keen to have a well organised, exciting and interesting vacation where we could learn new things, see and experience the sights and culture of the country that Ollie has fallen in love with and that would stretched and add to his knowledge through our guide.
Tailor Made Safaris absolutely delivered!
Despite having a hiccup at the start of the holiday when we missed our connecting flight to Richards Bay (through no fault of ours or Tailor Made Safaris!), Nick and Freya kept in touch, dealt with our frustrations, offered solutions and worked round the problem while assisting us with communication our son who was patiently waiting to be collected.
When we did eventually arrive, Freya our guide slipped into our family unit with ease while retaining the necessary professionalism and excellent hosting skills. Being British, I confess that the prospect of sharing much of every waking hour with a stranger in a strange country was daunting…I should not have worried. Freya put our mind at rest saying that if we wanted time to ourselves to just say and arrangements would be made.
The attention to detail regarding our interest, our needs, our food preferences was first rate and it did not go un-noticed that Freya altered plans without even a blink when we changed our minds, no fuss, no drama, it just got done.
It is very hard to come up with a favourite part of the holiday, there were so many but here are some…
Tembe allowed me to cross of my bucket list “To see a leopard in the wild” which I was absolutely thrilled about.
Seeing Ollie’s face when he came back from a diving trip while we were at Thonga Beach Lodge where he saw turtle, white shark, whale, dolphins and heard whale song. He was totally buzzing!
Seeing Isilo, the elephant with 2.7 m long tusks, at night in the camp at Tembe.
Stepping out of our chalets at Mkhuze and iMfolozi and having game just 10 feet away.
Seeing a bull Elephant walking down the road at Mkhuze without a care in the world and being given insights into these magnificent creatures by Freya while she drove backwards down the road to allow our tusked friend to go where ever he wished…which was to follow us for ¼ mile down the road!
Seeing how much Ollie has learnt about the wildlife in Africa in such a short space of time and to have an expert on hand to further test his skills and fill in any gaps.
The first sight of the Indian Ocean and the beach at Thonga as we crowned the last dune before our decent to the resort was breath taking.
All were fantastic but these are just some of the experiences!
Tailor Made Safaris created a diverse, interesting trip with plenty to see and do, good quality accommodation and importantly fantastic game viewing.
The mix of basic “in park”, luxury safari tent, lodge and hotel accommodation was a great introduction to vacationing in South Africa.
With any holiday of this type there are two important questions
1) Would we pay good money to go again?
2) Would we recommend the guide company to friends and family?
Our answer in both cases is a resounding yes!
Thanks Freya for being a fantastic guide and for putting up with us and thanks to Nick for drawing up and proposing such a great vacation (and for entrusting your wife to us Brits for two weeks).
To further emphasise our commitment to this level of adulation, we have recently booked to return to South Africa and to again use Tailor Made Safaris. I should also add that this time we return with my mother and father, my daughter and her partner!
The Weaver family
Worcestershire, United Kingdom
NL
Email Marian | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable
What an amazing trip I made with my daughter through Tailor Made Safaris.
At the Vakantiebeurs in Utrecht I was investigating if and how my daughter and I — two blonde women (59 and 32) — could safely travel on our own in South Africa, and that’s where I met Geert. His story, and especially the feeling I got from him as a Dutch person living there himself, immediately gave me a sense of trust. And that feeling only grew during the preparation and throughout the trip thanks to Angela, who also lives there with her family. She really knows what she’s talking about and reassured us when people back home questioned whether our trip was responsible.
Our trip of just over 2.5 weeks — a mix of hiking, wildlife, nature, culture, and moments of doing absolutely nothing — was summarised in a beautiful, handy little book that felt like unwrapping daily gifts over and over again. It guided us through each day, knowing that Angela was in the background if needed.
How wonderful it was to receive a South African phone at the airport, to have all the taxis arranged for us in Johannesburg, the transfers to and from the Apartheid Museum, the guided cycling tour in Soweto, and the transfer to our rental car. It felt good not having to explore those areas on our own. Everywhere we went they knew about our arrival and our arrangements — everything was organised incredibly well.
With our comfortable rental car we continued our journey to the beautiful Drakensberg, Ithala, Kosi Bay, Tembe, St Lucia, and as the grand finale, a stunning lodge in a truly spectacular spot in the Makongo Hills. Wow, what an experience — the animals, the beautiful accommodations (each one more beautiful than the next, and we knew that beforehand), the views, the game drives, the food, and not to forget the warm hospitality of the people. And if you get a flat tyre, you simply call Angela in your own language and she talks you through everything. And how special it was when she visited us during the trip with a cake for my birthday, sharing stories from her daily life in South Africa.
We didn’t always manage to reach our daily travel-times because of potholes, speed bumps, animals, and traffic, which unfortunately cut into our “relax-and-do-nothing” time here and there. So adding an extra day at beautiful spots is something we would definitely recommend. There’s still room for improvement when it comes to route marking for self-drive game drives or walks in the reserves compared to the Netherlands, and we experienced the helpfulness of the locals and lodge staff when we got stuck on a sandy road or didn’t dare to cross a flowing river. They truly help you solve it. Such kindness — and most importantly, we never once felt unsafe during the entire trip.
In short: we had an unforgettable journey with an exceptionally wonderful travel organisation.
A perfect way to feel free while everything important is well-arranged and prepared. If we go again, we will definitely book through them. Highly recommended!
NL
Email Larry and Hanneke Rackwitz | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
An excellent holiday with Tailor Made Safaris
If you decide to book a safari in KwaZulu-Natal, Tailor Made Safaris is the perfect partner to turn all your wishes into an adventurous and beautiful experience. You immediately feel at ease while travelling through South Africa, thanks to a complete package of information and documentation, a TomTom navigation system, and a mobile phone (provided free of charge) by Tailor Made Safaris.
Once again, we enjoyed a wonderful, adventurous, and intense journey through beautiful South Africa, in KwaZulu-Natal. Everything was impeccably organised by Geert and his team at Tailor Made Safaris. Our trip took us, among other places, to Kosi Bay Forest Lodge, located in the stunning iSimangaliso Wetland Park, close to the Mozambican border. From there we spent a few nights in Tembe Elephant Park, followed by St Lucia, where—after five years—we finally experienced a very special evening scene: several hippos, including baby hippos, emerging from the river that runs alongside St Lucia and walking straight through the main street!
To conclude this exceptional journey—made even more meaningful by the three books we had read about the remarkable origins of this reserve—we spent three nights at Thula Thula: peace and tranquillity in the heart of Zululand.
NL
Email Nathalie | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic
This year, we got in touch with Tailor Made Safaris at the Vakantiebeurs. We first had a very pleasant conversation with a previous traveller who had booked through Tailor Made Safaris, followed by an inspiring presentation by Geert. After that, Robin took over the conversation with us.
The discussion went very well, and we truly felt heard in terms of our wishes. At that stage, we were still quite open and unsure about what we really wanted to do or where exactly we wanted to go.
We shared all our wishes and our budget, and Robin came up with great ideas and options for our trip. In the end, we were able to put together a beautiful tailor-made journey, made possible by the excellent and ongoing communication.
During our 3.5-week trip through South Africa, the contact with Robin and the other team members remained excellent. All accommodations and activities were perfectly arranged. It was truly a worry-free journey and 100% enjoyment.
Tailor Made Safaris is highly recommended!
NL
Email Sandra | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very good en friendly tour operator!
We made a beautiful journey through South Africa and enjoyed it immensely. We saw and experienced so much, with Tailor Made Safaris supporting us every step of the way with advice and practical help.
The travel book you receive in advance is an excellent guide during the trip. Tailor Made Safaris truly lives up to its name: it is genuinely tailor-made.
NL
Email Annemiek | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Well cared for on an adventure.
We received a detailed itinerary that covered absolutely everything. We chose Tailor-Made Safaris because of the personalized guidance, and we weren't disappointed. It made us feel safe, and everything was perfectly organized. The trip was varied, encompassing mountains, the coast, and, of course, the safaris. We loved Tembe Elephant and the Wetland Park Drive with guide Johan at iSimangaliso's Eastern Shores. We wouldn't recommend the cultural tour to a Zulu village. The rainy weather made Kosi Bay less enjoyable, so we missed out on snorkeling and relaxing by the pool. Our stay at Makongo Hills was fantastic. We enjoyed the friendly people and beautiful South Africa.
(automatic translation from Dutch)
NL
Email Shelagh | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Super
We had a beautiful trip. Completely taken care of and even more wonderful than I had dared to dream. Truly top locations throughout. Even while I was there, when I wanted to add or change a few things on the spot, everything was immediately arranged and fully tailored to my wishes. A journey I never thought I would make. I can recommend it to everyone.
NL
Email Evert Feenstra | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Super relaxing and exceptionally journey
It was an exciting, relaxing, and exceptionally appealing holiday, carefully planned together with Tailor Made Safaris. Our preferences and wishes were perfectly understood and transformed into a fantastic journey. It was nothing but highlights. The trip was structured from culture to nature, in an environment that became increasingly beautiful along the way. Especially for those focused on creating memories and taking photographs, this itinerary was exceptionally well designed. Everything was superbly organised and deserves high praise. I don’t often say “this comes highly recommended,” but for Tailor Made Safaris, that exception most certainly applies.
NL
Email Ariënne | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic
We had a beautiful, excellently organised trip. Everything was perfectly arranged. Whenever we had questions, there was good contact in between, with quick responses. The variety in the programme was very good. We enjoyed it from start to finish.