Africa guide ‘wonderful’

My wife, Jane, and I took a trip to Botswana, Zambia and South Africa from Classic Escapes (Woodside, NY; 800/627-1244), May 11-21, 2012. Including internal flights, the cost was $6,995 per person. We were part of a group from the Riverbank Zoo in Columbia, South Carolina.

In Botswana and Zambia we had a wonderful and very capable safari guide, Graham Johansson, a photographer and birder who lives in Cape Town. He was great at spotting and identifying birds. He and one of the zoo representatives identified 200 species of birds over the course of our trip! Graham’s persistence led to our seeing and following several troops of wild dogs, a rare sight. 

Graham was also very good with the administrative aspects of our tour. We were scheduled to see Victoria Falls from the Zambia side, but he arranged a side trip for us to the Zimbabwe side for an even more spectacular view. 

As a photographer, his wildlife photos have appeared in many publications. At the end of our trip, he gave us each a CD with photos for us to keep!

Although Graham was our guide as part of a tour, he also works independently, and we would definitely recommend him for that. Contact Graham Johansson (phone +27 82 330 5223, e-mail wildguides@iafrica.com, Skype Graham.Johansson or visit www.wildguides.co.za).

ROBERT DAVIDSON

Columbia, SC

ITN asked Graham Johansson for his rates, and he wrote, “Differing according to destination and number of clients, into Africa’s remote safari destinations my standard rate is $595 per day, exclusive of my accommodation, meals and travel arrangements. Around Cape Town, South Africa, I offer private day trips to specific areas of interest, such as a Cape Winelands tour. For up to seven travelers, my rate of $375 includes my guide services and a Mercedes Vito touring vehicle. On average, collection is at 09h00 and the return is at 17h00.”