DETOUR AFRICA travel agency and WILDLIFE ADVENTURES tour company

A woman contacted me after reading my posting to ask about Detour Africa travel agency. I decided to write her back with information about them and the overland tour company I went with. I figured that others might like the info as well. Some of it is the same as my posting. Some of it is more detailed. Maybe it will help as you are planning your trips. Here's what I wrote...


Hi!

Detour Africa is a great company. I was apprehensive as well, but
took the leap of faith. Rob and Shawn were the guys who helped me
out. Both were totally on top of it. They will probably try to get
you on a Wildlife Adventure truck. I think they have a special
relationship with them. Wildlife Adventures isn't any better or
worse than the others, but I will admit that some of the
accommodations they go with are nicer and they include more of the
entrance fees to parks. It's hit or miss with the trucks and guides
however. I did two separate trips - Nairobi to Vic Falls and then Vic
Falls to Capetown.

For starters, they forgot to have someone meet me at the airport when
I arrived in Nairobi, an extra service that was pre-requested and
confirmed. Make sure it is confirmed and reconfirmed about ten times.
Believe me, you don't want to be stuck in Nairobi by yourself.

As for the trip itself... From Nairobi to Vic Falls, the truck was
basically falling apart. We actually had to push start it the last
three days (no joke). The windows wouldn't shut completely and there
were small holes around the edges, which leaked everytime it rained.
On the bright side... we had an amazing guide (Ian). He is truly one
of the best guide in all of the overland companies. We crossed paths
with a bunch of trucks at campsites (from multiple companies) and
after hearing stories about their guides, we knew Ian was far better
than most of the others. He's knowledgeable, has a great demeanor at
all times, and most importantly... you feel safe with him. He's done
it for years, knows everyone everywhere, and got us out of more than a
few tricky situations. If you can get on a tour with Ian, you will
have a great time no matter what the truck is like.

And then there was the second half... The truck was great, one of
their newer ones (although the bar was set pretty low). As a side
note... the websites and companies say there are ipod docks and
speakers in the trucks. None of Wildlife Adventure trucks had them.
And, the seats are not very comfortable. Here's where it got really
bad... the guide we had on the Vic Falls to Capetown trip was possibly
the worst guide in the world. He was young, inexperienced,
unknowledgeable, antagonistic, bossy, insulting, disinterested and
borderline rude. He treated us like we were children who annoyed him.
His name is Charleton. If he's your guide, run the other direction.

That might have been more information than you wanted to know about
Wildlife Adventures, but Rob and Shawn will most likely suggest them
first, so I wanted to give you a lo-down. I'm not saying they are a
bad company. I don't think any of the companies are perfect. It's
basically luck of the draw with trucks and guides. If you have a bit
more money to spend and you're in to photography, "Africa in Focus" is
an amazing company. The trucks are beautiful, comfortable, brand new,
with tons of amenities. It's for pretty hard core-photo people
though. They even have individual safes/lockers for everyone's camera
equipment. And if you aren't a huge photography buff, you'll probably
have serious lens-envy.

Okay, now to answer the question you actually asked... Detour is a
great company. Things to keep in mind - They are salesmen, so they
will always say "pay now because there is only one spot left". I
think 9 times out of 10, that is totally bogus. Although I wouldn't
risk it if you absolutely have to be on a specific tour. I'd hate for
you to think you're calling their bluff and miss out on the tour you
needed to be on. But honestly, there are tours starting and stopping
every week. The guys at Detour gave me that pressure as well and the
tour I booked had about 14 empty seats. It was clearly NOT about to
sell out. I can't promise they aren't telling the truth, but I can
promise you'll find another truck, company or tour that will have room
(even if you book a day in advance).

Also, you can contact the tour companies directly to ask questions.
But, I strongly recommend going through Detour. A couple from
Australia originally planned to go through them, but got nervous and
went directly through the company instead. They weren't happy when we
discussed the cost of the trip and they learned that they paid a lot
more than I did. Had they gone through Detour, they would have saved
big money between the two of them. Keep in mind you can always ask
for a discount. I did, and Rob dropped the price a few hundred
dollars. He said that if he gave me any more of a discount he'd be
paying for my trip himself. Doubt that, but it definitely paid off to
ask.

If you're going to start or land in Capetown, go in and meet them.
Rob was out of town, but Shawn was there and he is an incredible
wealth of knowledge. He chatted with us about African politics, art,
landmarks, food, people, activities, etc. etc. He also set me up on
all of my activities in and around Capetown.

Don't know what other info I can provide. Feel free to write back if
you have any specific questions. I had an amazing time on the trip
(aside from our one crappy guide). It was 45 days of adventure and I
would suggest overlanding to anyone who doesn't mind roughing it.
It's not luxurious by any means. You'll be sick of the truck,
probably sick of some of the people, hot, sweaty, cold at times and
sick of camping food. But you'll meet sensational people, see
brilliant things, and get to see Africa at a really reasonable price.
Bring a good camera, tons of baby wipes (you sweat a lot), and
hundreds of pens to pass out to the village kids.

Hope you have a great trip!

---

---