Rough Guides

Tailor-made trips by Rough Guides local experts

Our tailor-made trips are all planned by local experts – who work for tour operators on the ground – so that all the pesky planning details are taken care of for you. Their know-how, and 24/7 support, makes travel truly stress-free. But don’t just take our word for it: these reviews are all written by real travellers who have booked a tailor-made trip with Rough Guides. Every traveller is asked to leave a review after their trip, but you can leave one before you go, too.

total reviews: 381

satisfaction: 4.91

Gorillas & Big 5

3/7/2020

Our trip to Rwanda and Tanzania this spring was everything we imagined it would be and still wildly exceeded every expectation. We booked our trip through Inge only a month prior to leaving and with her help were able to curate every part of the trip to our liking. She was communicative throughout, answering every question we had before we left and during our time there. Our trip started in Rwanda for several days with our amazing guide, Paul. The highlight of the trip was without a doubt the 6 hour hike through the brush in Volcanoes National Park to spend time observing a large family of gorillas. We returned to the capital city, Kigali to spend time learning more about the culture and history that makes Rwanda so unique. Paul made our time extremely special and personal, educating us on everything from Rwandan history, to the environmental and anti-poaching efforts put in place to protect the gorillas there. For the second leg of our trip we flew to Tanzania and were picked up by our guide Loma (short for Lomayani) who immediately had to break some bad news that a flooded river was making it impossible to drive to our first lodge but he and Inge, during the time we were in the sky, had worked out a perfect alternative. Right off the bat we were benefitting from the utmost care and thoughtfulness of Shadows in making sure the trip went perfectly no matter what was thrown our way. During our week-long safari we explored the western corridor, southern and central Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, and Tarangire. Loma made it his mission to make it an unforgettable safari experience for us. His long distance animal spotting was unmatched and because of him we saw countless wildlife including all 5 of the Big 5! We even had one on one time with an elusive leopard because of Loma’s tireless efforts. But his interest and knowledge didn’t stop at just animals. He is also a keen birdwatcher, and by the end of the trip had converted us to novice bird watchers too. We loved our conversations with Loma not only about the wildlife and the parks, but also about local Tanzanian culture. He was our guide, professor, and now lifelong friend. Asante sana Loma! Once again at the end of our trip, we benefited from the superior customer service and caring of Inge, Loma and Shadows as our final day of vacation was cut short due to the corona virus pandemic shutting down flights. Without the support and help of Inge and Loma we would not have kept our sanity while finding alternative flights home but more importantly squeezing every last amazing moment we could out of our trip. We’ll remember our experience with Shadows for a lifetime…and have been dreaming of a return trip ever since we arrived safely back home. We would highly recommend Shadows of Africa, Inge, Paul, and Loma to anyone planning a trip to Rwanda and Tanzania.

3/6/2020

This is the real deal. I'm so glad I found them! We had an absolutely amazing trip to Morocco thanks to you and the local expert who helped put together a great itinerary for an ideal and personalized experience exploring the country. This is a great option for group travel and for a customized experience. I honestly have no complaints. Everyone we worked with was very kind and helpful. I would definitely recommend them and I hope to plan another trip with you again!

2/18/2020

We have just completed a four week trip to India. We are used to travelling independently and this was the first time we have had a driver and guides. The local agent suggested an itinerary based on our initial thoughts, some of which were a little unusual. They worked hard to tweak things as we firmed our plan up. We could not fault the organisation on the ground from the moment we arrived in Delhi to leaving (and to be honest, I usually find something to complain about!). The local agent, Prem, made contact everyday to ensure everything was as expected and even accommodated a late change to our plans when in Varanasi. Price and service were impressive.

1/9/2020

Had a great six weeks. Everything went pretty smoothly, bar a couple of minor niggles to be expected on a trip like this, and which were responded to well.

1/29/2020

Enjoyed the trip and was very satisfied with the local guides that were used.

2/19/2020

I have been using the books for a long time for planning and preparing our trips, but I did not realize until now that they offer planning services online. I contacted them for my recent trip to Costa Rica and I found it extremely usefull to have someone locally to help me plan and book activities. Roberto did a great job at understanding our needs and interest. He was always available and responded quickly to our request or enquiries. He introduced us to local resources (Tour operators and private shuttle services) and booked everything for us. We made certain last minute changes once in the country. It was like having a personnal assistant available on demand. We enjoyed the activities and the tour operators were very friendly and professional. I will definitely call on their services next time I am planning a trip.

Tailor-made trips reviews

Tailor-made trips by Rough Guides local experts

total reviews: 381

satisfaction: 4.91