Why Cedarberg Africa

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Our objective is very clear

 

to offer tailor-made holidays and safaris, backed up by our expertise and insight, at a fair and competitive price. You get the full financial protection and 24/7 support which you forfeit when you book piecemeal.

The Cedarberg Way – why we love what we do

 

No, it’s not a long distance footpath, but a way of working which is uniquely ours. At its core is our mission to unearth what you really want from your holiday, not to tell you. Yes, we bring our expertise into the conversation, but not in an overpowering way.

We love to talk about Africa, but we never forget that it’s all about you and what you want from your holiday. That’s why we ask more questions of our clients than most companies. Our approach is not about displaying our knowledge – that’s a given – but instead we focus on getting to know what makes you tick and what you want from your safari.

Dedicated, impartial & informed personal safari planners

You bring your ideas, thoughts and dreams. We add our expertise, a healthy dash of enthusiasm, some insightful questioning and a twist of inspiration. Together we tailor the perfect safari for you.

Our consultants are not paid on commission and so offer you their impartial opinions. We have no interest in pushing you to use a particular lodge or hotel. Check out our Meet the Team page.

“Really communicative and just very on the ball. From the planning and payment, all the way through to arriving back home. The transfers, hotels, everything was spot on. Couldn’t have been happier with how our honeymoon went.”

Clark Hoy

 

Inspiring, interactive tailormade itineraries

The process starts with our tailormade itineraries and interactive digital itineraries. Click here for an example. These allow you to see the route, check out the hotels in detail and decide on unique excursions.

Once you’ve booked, we provide comprehensive pre-departure documents with directions and routes, suggested things to do, and tour descriptions.

Amazing holiday in SA

“Thank you for the most amazing holiday in South Africa. The three lodges were all selected with great care and each had a different atmosphere. All transfers worked entirely smoothly and we were even met on arrival at Johannesburg airport to be escorted the few yards to the airport hotel! Cedarberg really came into their own when BA messed up the outgoing flight (twice) and Ginny spent her entire Bank Holiday weekend sorting it out for us. “ Mr Mike Ricks, UK

Exceeded all expectations

“Cedarberg was professional, responsive, and personable. All flights, all transfers, all accommodation, all activities, and the safari itself went exactly to plan. The experience, end-to-end, exceeded all expectations. “ Mr Michael Barnard

Hope to return for a third visit

“Helpful, patient, understanding. Did not meet anyone face to face but seemed friendly over the email. Although the trip was basically our design, it was good to work with Peter in deciding the actual locations and final route. He took all the “admin” hassle away – car hire, arranging accommodation etc. which meant we could just arrive and enjoy the trip. The final printed trip programme was excellent. “ Mr & Mrs Harrison, UK

Peter did a brilliant job

“Everything went as planned Peter did a brilliant job helping us to plan the holiday “ Mrs Sandra Cutmore

Exceeded our expectations

“From our first phone call, our requirements for the holiday were quickly and efficiently met and the overall standard of accommodation booked for us met and, in some cases, exceeded our expectations. All the transfers worked well and directions to our hotels were accurate and simple to follow. The information booklet supplied was very helpful. “ Mr B Smith

Excellent Pricing

You bring your ideas, thoughts and dreams. We add our expertise, a healthy dash of enthusiasm, some insightful

We also have to deliver this expertise at the right price point. Luckily, though we are an independent African specialist, we are also part of the largest buying group in Southern Africa, TravelSmart Crew.

What does this mean for you? Well it’s simple really – good prices! We have negotiated the best buying rates with all the safari lodges, hotel groups and independent hotels.

This means that we can compete on price with the online booking portals. See our interesting article comparing our prices with a well-known online booking site.

“Cedarberg were helpful, easy to deal with, and competitively priced. It’s extremely likely that I will recommend you to others.”

 

Team of 12 – large enough to count, small enough to care

Founders Ginny Russell and Kate Bergh are fortunate to draw on the expertise of two teams of talented and enthusiastic safari planners in South Africa and the UK. Between us we have hundreds of years in safari travel bringing a deep knowledge of the destinations we offer.

In our open plan offices, it’s easy to share our knowledge from recent research trips. But you will always have a single person who looks after your booking from start to finish (except where leave or research trips preclude this).

Check out the unusual Story behind Cedarberg Africa

“Cedarberg was professional, responsive, and personable. All flights, all transfers, all accommodation, all activities, and the safari itself went exactly to plan. The experience, end-to-end, exceeded all expectations.”

Hassle-free, transparent & flexible

Our approach takes the stress out of safari planning. You can be as involved as you want to be. We are here to be a sounding board for your ideas, but we are not afraid to tell you when your plans are too ambitious (4 countries in 10 days anyone?), or when the hotel which looked so nice on the website is not so smart in real life…

As tailormade specialists, we offer flexibility so that you can refine your trip until it suits you perfectly.

“The service that Cedarberg provided for us was outstanding. The itinerary that they put together worked seamlessly, all the pick ups were as they had stated and whenever we had a query about any aspect of the trip they came back to us quickly and provided all the information that we needed. I cannot recommend them highly enough.”

Kevin Wilson

 

Characterful hand-picked accommodation

In a world of anonymous hotel rooms which could be anywhere, we have identified those smaller hotels and game lodges which exhibit friendly exuberant service and local style. Many are owner-managed. You don’t give up any creature comforts but you do forgo the uniform impersonality of the ever-present resort hotel.

“Very helpful discussions beforehand to give us lots of options. The personalised website was really good. The pre-holiday booklet was really useful as well.”

Rachel O’Connell
Why use Cedarberg

On the  Ground Support

We have our own offices in South Africa so we know what’s happening on the ground – the latest news, the best new eateries, lodges or unique adventures.

Naturally, we have emergency back-up either from our own staff in South Africa or from our local ground handling agents in East Africa.

Generally all our trips run very smoothly but sometimes even the best laid plans go awry – whether because of Icelandic ash clouds, unexpected illness or other unforeseen events. It’s how we deal with those situations which sets us apart.

We are here to support you 24/7 with an emergency contact number and Duty Manager on hand at all times. With our on-the-ground knowledge, we can get your safari back on track with the least inconvenience and stress.

“Cedarberg were helpful, easy to deal with, and competitively priced. It’s extremely likely that I will recommend you to others.”

Mrs J

 

Financial security guaranteed

Your financial security is guaranteed through financial bonding with the CAA ATOL Scheme and with ABTA

Next Up : Meet the Team

See our Financial Protection page for more info. We are also to be found on SafariBookings.com