Testimonials – read what our happy clients have to say:

‘Rene and Team – thank you so much for helping put together a trip of a lifetime! We had the best couple weeks exploring South Africa and it certainly wouldn’t have been possible without you all. Loved every step along the way so thank you so much for all the help!!’

Patrick – USA – January 2024

Hello Simone & René

Just a brief update from the plane shortly before leaving balmy Cape Town for snowy Munich. Our final stop in Franchhoek was nothing less than a stunner. We absolutely loved La Cotte, and only wish we could have stayed there longer to enjoy the lovely landscape, wineries and eateries. Loved Babylonenstoren and our dinner at Babel. Probably our best and most memorable meal, although closely followed by all the other places we have been to.

What an awesome trip this has been! We saw so much, learned so much, and enjoyed every moment. Thank you again for your expert advice throughout. This trip has been nothing but perfect! We can’t wait to be back!

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FANTASTIC!!!

We have had a phenomenal time all the way. Everything has worked out beautifully. The safari based out of Sabi Sabi Selati Camp was a mind-blowing experience. Transfers to and from the camp flawless. The Clarendon Hotel in Cape Town has been great – such nice people everywhere. Thank you for the lovely bottle of champagne that waited for us here. We enjoyed it very much during a little break by the pool.

Thank you very much for guiding us with the itinerary and the recommendations for things to do and where to eat along the way. We will be back in touch at the end of our trip!

Hart & Marilyn – Canada
December 2023

Hi Sue-Anne, Mary, Simone, Renee,

We can’t thank you enough for organizing the trip of a lifetime. The entire experience was unforgettable and Mallory and I really felt like we were dreaming the entire time. It’s such an amazing country and we had so much fun on our adventure.

We really appreciate the thoughtful gifts! We weren’t expecting that and it was really a nice surprise when we arrived for our stay in Cape Town. Every place we stayed was beyond our expectations and we would recommend all four locations to our friends or future customers.

If we have friends who are planning a trip to Africa in the future, we will be sure to send them your way!

Sincerely,
Alex and Mallory
USA – November 2023

Cyrus and I cannot believe that it’s been nearly 4 months since our wedding and subsequent honeymoon. We intended to send you our feedback months ago, but we’ve been busy with work, the holidays and we got a puppy! Below is our official recommendation for Cycle of Life. Feel free to post it on your website, but please do not use our full names. Funny story, all but 13 bottles of our wine were confiscated in Dubai.
We’re not sure why as we never officially entered the country or clear customs and Air Emirates refused to reimburse us for the cost. Might be good information for you with future clients who plan to return home with wine.
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The Cycle of Life team was absolutely fantastic to work with. They helped us organize our dream honeymoon that included fine dining, wine tasting, hiking the dunes of Sossusvlei and safari. Not only were they incredibly responsive, but all recommendations were spot on. They organized all of our lodging as well as restaurant and winery reservations. Not only did we always have a table, but we had the best table in the house! They even went above and beyond storing our wine for us during our time in Namibia. We would love to return to Africa and when we do, we plan to work with the Cycle of Life team again. It was such a comfort to have someone to rely on when planning this important trip.
Some of the highlights of our trip include the scenic flight over Namibia and an elephant herd sighting (videos below).
Reaching the cost from the dunes – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIbHcxoEsbQ
Flying over the water, next to the dunes – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zyry0jte25c
Elephant herd – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fq79SYmnf0&t=5s
Thank you again for everything! We had a truly amazing trip.
Kirsten + Cyrus

Overall my clients were blown away and they had their expectations exceeded. I think that combining the two(Ngala and Kirkmans) is a good call though the sightings up north were not as prolific as down south, which I expected, however the white lions more than made up for that. 

I’d certainly advise visiting Ngala during the dry season more so than all year round. Being that they are surrounded by rivers, there could be logistical challenges if the region had big rains and the rangers actually told us about some challenging stories when the region flooded. The thick mopani scrub would also make game viewing very difficult for an untrained eye during the wet season.

 In terms of lodging, I loved Ngala’s set up more that Kirkmans but there is something truly authentic about the old farmstyle setup at Kirkmans. The food was also spectacular and I think it was a touch better than Ngala. 

Kyle – USA – October 2023

Kerry says she will be back and has had the best holiday ‘ever ‘

Debbie and Kerry – Australia – June 2023

Firstly, and most importantly, we would like to thank you, James, Rene and your team for making this special and going over and above in making this an absolutely memorable and life changing experience.

This was the vacation experience of a lifetime for our family. Words cannot adequately describe what it meant to us and the experiences we were able to enjoy. Wally was absolutely superb with regards his knowledge, passion, patience, energy, enthusiasm, etc, etc and I cannot speak highly enough of him or the impact he made on our experience. Read More

He was fantastic with the children, encouraging them to ask questions and taking the time to explain everything from various questions fielded by my son, as to how, why and every other detail as to lion’s mating to the various spoor, tracking, animal poop, and animal behaviors. Most importantly we trusted him absolute ly in every situation, which this being my wife first Africa or bush experience, is quite something! Special word also goes out to Lihle, Praisewll and Mathuli who went over and above and are great ambassadors for the property.

Some of our highlights were; the rhino experience (dehorning and orphanage), bush dinner, traditional Zulu dance, the game drives, the hospitality and friendliness of all staff, the breakfasts, kid’s play area, every animal interaction, tracking and so much more.

The rhino dehorning was/is an experience that we are truly privileged to have experienced. This was emotional on various levels and something that will forever be with us. I have photos and video clips that you are welcome to use for awareness and/or promotion.

This was a fantastic experience overall and one that I would highly recommend with confidence to all.

Michael with family, USA

Dearest Simone and René – from the first point of contact until the departure from the lodge, your service was impeccable. We so loved the surprise “Welcome Room Drop”. Your attention to the details of our trip was remarkable. We are so glad we used The Cycle of Life and we are so happy that by doing so we contributed something to your conersvation causes.

Helen, Bruce and 3 children

Wow – this place is SO beautiful and 15/10 so far. We joined an elephant rescue op, saw a rifle being fired to ward away the mommy elephant and then the chopper needed to be used to keep the mommy elephant away. Kerry says she will be back and has had the best holiday ‘ever’. Not sure what the next lodge is like but this one is hard to beat. Thanks
(Tintswalo Safari Lodge)

Debbie and family

Thank you to Simone and René for organising an unforgettable holiday to Kenya. From the moment we started planning until the last day of our trip, your expertise and attention to detail shone through.

They meticulously curated our itinerary that perfectly aligned with our preferences and interests.

Throughout the journey, Simone ensured our comfort and safety, going above and beyond to accommodate any requests or unforeseen circumstances. Their professionalism and prompt communication were outstanding, leaving us with complete peace of mind.

We highly recommend Simone and René to anyone seeking a truly memorable and hassle-free holiday!

Alistair and Josie – USA

Dear Simone and René

Such a treat to have received the delicious birthday surprise in our room!! A very big thank you for making our stay at the Franschhoek Boutique Hotel even more special!!! 

Doug & Jeanne

Hi René and Simone,

Thank you, we are truly grateful for all your help along the way. This was the trip of a lifetime!

It’s our pleasure, we hope that we can return fairly soon and continue to contribute to the safekeeping of Africa’s wildlife.

Have an amazing 2022

Hi Simone,

Just to confirm, we had a wonderful vacation with many highlights. Thanks again for all your passion, support and dedication to make our trip unforgettable!

Cheers

Dearest René and Simone
I would like to try and express my gratitude for the incredibly special time that Sydney, Rachel and I had at &Beyond Benguerra. It was glorious!
No expectation, could have prepared us for the wonderous adventure that we experienced. The pure joy that I saw on my daughters’ faces as we lifted off in the helicopter and landed in the most perfect weather on that magnificent Island is
something I cannot adequately articulate how happy that made me feel.
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Wide smiles and giggles as we were greeted by ladies singing and walking into that enchanted garden felt beyond blissful.Syd and Rach felt like queens as we were shown to our villas, their excitement alone filled my soul. The rooms are beautiful, sensitively designed to fit the environment and I felt instantly transported from banal reality to an ethereal wonderland.
Paulo Huyo was our butler and from the moment he greeted us we all felt a most amazing connection with him. He took care of us in the most nurturing and attentive way yet with such professionalism. He has most definitely left a lasting impression on us.
Isaack led an amazing team : Josef took the reigns in organising all our activities seamlessly, we expressed our interest in a variety of activities and he facilitated all of them, without us having to check or confirm – things were simply just done.
We were blessed with the most incredible weather. Our deep sea fishing experience was so much fun and Sydney caught a massive Wahoo, later dolphins swam right next to our boat! Our Horseriding was wonderful and Both Sydney and Rachel absolutely loved the scuba diving, seeing shark, eels and a turtle . The star gazing was next level. Abundant birdlife and seeing the little Sumi and a monitor lizard was too amazing, just natural, soulful and nurtured by the calming effect of that island.
I did have to do back to back boxing when I got home as the food was so fantastic, I came back fat and happy!!!
It was exactly what we needed for our family getaway and the memories and happy times we shared are priceless. I cannot stop telling people how exceptional it was.
Looking forward to booking our next trip with you.
Sam W

Hello all at Cycle of Life

So wonderful to hear from you and as you can imagine, still reeling from the amazing trip we had. Thank you also, very much, for the caps! We will wear with them with pride!

Honestly the best holiday ever!

With warm hugs and regards,

Jason and Vance

First of all Leah and I would both like to extend our best wishes for 2022.

We’d also like to thank you for arranging everything for us with Phinda, the rhino dehorning and of course helping to coordinate the most covert operation that I have ever been involved in; getting the ring to me at the lodge

Our trip could not have gone any better than it did!

Kyle and Leah, USA

Our stay at Bayala is coming to an end and we are checking out in a few hours. I just wanted to thank you for arranging this great stay and also to the entire staff for the warm welcome, the clean rooms, the great food and the amazing hospitality. We had a great driver (Beki) who was super knowledgeable and showed us the beauty of Bayala and its surroundings. We enjoyed it very much, and so did the kids.
We hope that one day we are able to come back here
Marc, Myrthe, Olivia and Sarah

Hi Simone
Firstly thank you very much for the Veuve – greatly enjoyed at the dinner cruise which, as I’m sure you’ll hear from Toni, was a great success. We kept looking at the other boats and thinking how much better off we were – only six other people at two tables and the rest of the boat was ours. Great crew, tons of space – all good.
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Hotel the grand old lady we remembered – with some new bits – and the Ndebele staff still trained at the same charm school.
All went as planned – I spoke to Tich – the assistant manager and obviously a massive brute of a guy – about a room for Hannah the day before she arrived and, after much negotiation, we ended up with an extra room at minimal cost.
We all decided to go on the 9 zip line canopy tour on Saturday afternoon which was great, except for Jude and I when it turned out we had to scale the gorge to get back to the top. How we made it up I’ll never know. The rest of course had no problem.
Sat eve at the junction and Barbara, Jude and I waved off the rest on Sunday and went for a chopper ride over the falls, gorge and national park, followed by dinner at the Palm restaurant over the road at the Ilala lodge.
A truly memorable long weekend thoroughly enjoyed by all. My sister called it “the time of her life” and we could only agree.

Thank you very much for all your hard work, advice and assistance

Hi Simone and Rene,the most incredible and unforgettable day, truly still absorbing it all quietly! The talks by Mike the vet and Dale amazing and so informative. I am definitely newly knowledged and very grateful, thank you to you both for going to so much trouble to organise this for us.
Lots of love Anna, Chloe, Sandy and Julie xxx

Anna, Chloe, Sandy and Julie