I know Abercrombie and Kent does an excellent job, by reputation. But, I wouldn't use ultimateafrica unless it's been recommended to you by someone you trust.

We used Phoebe Weinberg, who is considered (by Condé Nast Traveler) to be the leading travel specialist for Southern Africa. Every year she makes a handful of trips to Africa (Botswana, South Africa, Zimbabwe, plus also Kenya, Namibia, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Zambia) to personally visit each lodge and hotel that she sends her clients to. So, she can custom tailor the perfect trip to suit every clients needs without having to guess what a place may or may not be like. She won't recommend anything without having experienced it firsthand herself. Even the private guides were vetted by her in advance, and they were phenomenal!

She worked with us for over a year planning our trip and before we left, she made us a 50-page customized book that walked us through every single step of our trip and everything we needed to know on our trip. She didn't charge us any additional booking fees since she was able to take commission from the lodges we had pre-selected on our own. She even told us where to leave our luggage and where to walk the carts through the Johannesburg airport. We would have seriously been lost without her. So, I'd definitely recommend her and I'd definitely book with her again for our next trip. Here's her contact info:

Phoebe Weinberg - Greatways Travel
Tel: 313-886-4710 (US)

Enjoy your vacation, and be sure to bring an excellent camera along! And here's one of my best photos that I took while on Safari in South Africa...

I have always booked my excursions to Africa through A&K and have never had any complaints. In Dec. I am taking the Blue Train for 16 days and A&K was the booking agent for this journey as well. With A&K you are going to be guaranteed a great trip, they usually get you upgrades and the staff is amazing. If you are going to be in Botswana I would check out a place called Little Mombo. I go there each year for a few days and love it. If you haven't been to Botswana this is a great place to start.