Ilios Travel Review

Walk to freedom tour in cape town and robben island your. Our driver, Naseem and guide Ishmael were very friendly and knowledgeable. Thoroughly enjoyable day.

On 3 May we undertook the Peninsula tour with Gary from Ilios Travel. On 4 May we participated in the City Tour with Tsabo. Both tour were very professionally and efficiently executed. These two guys were informative, friendly and most helpful. The two tours are amongst the best we have participated in and I would have no difficulty highly recommending both tours and guides. Well done fellas and please accept our gratitude for your assistance.

My wife and I recently visited Cape Town for our honeymoon. Prior to our visit, we booked a private shuttle to and from the airport, a private cape point tour and a private wine lands tour through Ilios Travel. Also during our visit, we booked a whale watching tour through Ilios Travel.

On our first day during the Cape Point tour, we toured the typical sites, but at the end of the tour, the tour guide took us to a Jewelry store in Cape Town. This was obviously a scam where if we would have purchased jewelry, either the tour guide or Ilios Travel would have made a commission on the sale. If I wanted to buy jewelry while in South Africa, I could have went to the jewelry store myself vs. paying a private tour guide. This leads me to believe there are other scams of this type in all of their tours! Beware!

The next day, we went on the Whale Watching tour which was amazing, but my wife started getting sick by the end of the trip so we decided to cancel our private wine tour which was scheduled the following day. Since we did not cancel the tour with 24 hours notice, Ilios Travel only refunded $25 of approximately $1,000. They claim they could only refund $25 associated with the "entrance fees portion of the trip" because the remainder of the cost was spent on "sales team processing enquiries, time and effort spent" and "operations planning". What about the money that would have been spent on gas to drive to a from the winelands? That money was never spent!

I've been in sales for the past 11 years and continually work with my customers when issues like these arise. I completely understand there are certain costs which are already spent, but to only refund $25 of approximately $1,000 is unacceptable, especially when a customer booked all their Cape Town activities through your company.

In my opinion, this is extremely poor customer service so I highly recommend staying away from Ilios Travel, unless you're in the market for some jewelry!

Was in Cape Town for four days and had three days of tours booked. We had the same guide for two of them days (Rachid). This guy was amazing, everything a tour guide should be and a hell of a lot more. Full of knowledge, courteous, funny, the list goes on. Spending two days with this guide was one of the major highlights of the trip as he made the days so interesting and fun.

We had 2 great tours with a half day Cape Town tour with Jorge and next day a whole day Cape peninsula and winelands one with Jean. Both were excellent. The two guides were informative, friendly and so helpful. Both my wife and I would highly recommend these guides and their company. Thank you very much.

Adele was our guide for all three tours! We cannot say enough good things about our experience. He knew how to navigate busy lines and he was very knowledgeable about every place we visited! He knew all the inside secrets from the best chocolate in the Winelands to the best places to have lunch. I suspect he coordinated our events and updated venues as we were progressing without our knowing because wherever we arrived we were instantly greeted with somebody expecting us and a table with the best views already set and ready. He was always punctual for pickups and was always professional. He was a great conversationalist and the hours flew by too quickly. I would highly recommend Ilios Travel and would especially recommend Adele as your guide.

Fantastic and wonderful. We had Abdullah as our guide on the garden route and he was great, we couldn't praise him enough. As well as being a great guide he helped us out with another issue. He didn't need to but it shows what an amazing person he is. We had a wonderful 4 days in his company. All the other guides were brilliant also. Adile in Capetown was excellent also. The Ilios drivers took us to and from airports and towns during our 2 weeks in South Africa and were, without exception, excellent. They weren't just knowledgable they were so nice and helpful. Couldn't recommend Ilios travel enough

Ilios Travel is one of the leading Tourist Guide and chauffeur drivers in South Africa. I highly recommend this Company. They have a very good fleet and responsible drivers and Tourist Guide

My husband and I did The Grand Tour of South Africa with Ilios between November 20th and December 5th.. It was a wonderful experience with a great variety of activities and visits. I would have given 5 stars except for us not being booked in to Perry's Bridge Hollow on the 21st after a very long day travelling. Our guide had not been informed about this so he was not at fault. It resulted in us having to continue our journey for another 40 minutes to get to Caster Bridge Hollow and we were very tired as were the guide and driver.

Lutendo and Jabu were an excellent guide and driver with a fund of knowledge which enhanced our experience of everywhere we went. They were both very friendly and entertaining and we knew we could rely totally on them.

For the second half of our tour our guide was Tracey (and Henry on the one day Tracey couldn't be there) and both were excellent with a wide knowledge of the area physically and politically. Tracey was very efficient and good humoured. Ashley, our driver, was also excellent and was kind and considerate.

With the exception of both Radisson hotels - Port Elizabeth and particularly Le Vendome in Cape Town - the accommodation was excellent with very friendly, efficient and attentive staff. It was great to have such a variety of places to stay which added also to our enjoyment. Breakfast was excellent in all of those places (again with the exception of the Radissons) and dinner in those where we had dinner. I think an excellent selection of accommodation has been chosen. I do suggest, however, that Ilios rethink its choice of the 2 Radissons, in particular Le Vendome where we had a number of unpleasant experiences which were not well dealt with by staff. The worst experience for me was a burn on the final morning sustained when I opened one of the heated containers to get bacon. This was dealt with very badly and unprofessionally by the staff.

In general I cannot praise Ilios highly enough for the excellence of their guides and drivers and for the breadth and variety of experiences offered to us. I would recommend this tour.

I had a life changing experience in Cape town and my tour guide Shadley had a lot to do with it. I recommend you request him for an experience that will speak to your soul. Thank you Shadley!!!

We had the best tour guide ever, Tariek H., for our stay in Cape Town. Tariek was very knowledgeable but more importantly he was kind and caring. I can not recommend Tariek highly enough. I would love to come back to Cape Town again just to have him be our guide. Ilios Travel are by far the most professional I have encountered!

Dangerous, dangerous, dangerous.
Driver of car registration Ilios23 drove through a red light on Berkley Road, Maitland, at speed.
This car was in the right turn only lane, skipped the red light and swerved into the left lane.
Narrowly missed two young school children who had waited patiently for a "safe" opportunity to cross and put drivers of oncoming vehicles in danger.
Disgusting behaviour from a company that so often has it's passengers lives in their hands.

Extremely helpful, great guides, very friendly and easy to deal with. Worth while using. Will use them again.

We were on the cape point and peninsula tour as well as tabletop mountain and the wineland tour. Amazing sites ,walks, climbs ,tastes and scenery. Our guide for all three was Khanyiso Kenga , he was careful, funny and informative the whole time. Thoroughly enjoyed the time and the banter.

Pleasurable work space. Professional work ethic. On the ball. I like that.

Shafiq was a first class guide. He treats you like you are part of the family. He goes way above and beyond expected. Very courteous and attentive. Always safe. Strongly recommend Shafiq as your guide in Capetown.

My husband and I, our son and his girlfriend and her parents recently traveled to CapeTown, South Africa, June 15-24, 2019. This was our first time to South Africa. We used Ilios Travel for our pickups and day tours while in CapeTown and Kruger National Park, and we stayed at Walden House. Our tour guide was Tracey, who was excellent! We had the most fun with her! Tracey was so knowledgeable of CapeTown and South African history, she was funny, entertaining and arranged for 2 amazing wine tours. She took us to Stellenbosch, Table Mountain, Cape of Good Hope, Cape Point, and the botanical gardens. We went to the harbor and to see the penguins as well. She s well traveled herself and shared some of her experiences in other countries that she has lived. We couldn t have asked for a more wonderful 3 and 1/2 days in CapeTown!
Ilios was amazing from the time we were picked up at the airport until we were delivered back to the airport to travel on to Kruger National Park. Our pickups were on time, the vehicles were well kept and clean, and our contacts very friendly and knowledgeable about the area and the local wildlife.
We will definitely travel to South Africa again, and we will definitely use Ilios Travel again. I highly recommend asking for Tracey for tours in Cape Town.

The lady at the counter was very cute and very polite. The food is great. I recommend Greek Greek burritos. Unfortunately this place is small, but because of their correct attitude and food. I recommend this place.

A friend and I recently spent 7 days travelling with Ishmael Davids. This is my first time traveling with Ilios and if I could again travel with Ishamael, I would definitely use Ilios again. He was loads of fun. He was also knowledgeable, flexible, punctual, organised and an all-round excellent driver/guide.

We spent 1 1/2 days traveling around the greater Cape Town area with Zelda. She was an amazing and wonderful tour guide. Our tours included a half day tour of the city which had to be modified due to winds and the inaiblity to take the cable car up to the top of Table Mountain. But no worries, Zelda had immediately modified the trip to give us spectular views. We then spent the rest of the day exploring the Castle of Good Hope, the Waterfront, and Bo-Kaap district. Some of our time was guided and other times Zelda wanted us to wander around on our own and just meet her at a certain location.

Our second day was jam packed in efforts to fit in a visit to Table Mountain that was finally open - but she made the decision to go later when lines were shorter. Our day was filled with a stroll through the lovely Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden on our own. Rather than going to Stellenbosch for wine tasting which would prevent us from seeing Table Mountain, Zelda took us to Constancia which is much closer to the city and provides lovely views. We then saw the Penguins around Simon's Town, made it to the Cape of Good Hope where we had us take a hike down the mountain to the bottom. We then high tailed it back to Table Mountain and got up in a relatively short time - no standing in line for 2 hours. She then let us walk around the top on our own where we met her in line to go back down the cable car. This finaly leg actually had her spend an extra hour with us which was much appreciated.

Zelda was delightful and full of bright energy. We learned so much about South Africa and daily life of locals.

I myself, have been to Cape Town and done tours. I've also had the experience of being on other tour groups in other countries and I must say, Zelda is one of the best I have ever met. She's easy to talk to and ask questions. It's clear she loves her home country very much. I was impressed with her ability to adapt our tour to our needs in real time. Also, having been to this lovely city already - the fact that she could show me new experiences in the same places was great.

Her driving skills are spot on. I think we were both still a bit jetlagged and fell asleep at different times in the car - never worrying about safety.

We cannot wait to come back to SA and hope we can grab Zelda once more. Thank you!

Oh she also gave us some lovely tips for Mauritius, our stop later in travels. Do pick her brain, she has a wealth of knowledge!

Great service. Knowledgeable and passionate guides. Offer a good selection of tours and travel services.

I have to say that I was super impressed with Ilios South Africa. I worked with Chantell Rulse for assistance with a wine country tour in Stellenbosch. I purchased a group ticket and ended up being the only person. A private tour is considerably more expensive but they honored the group price.

My driver provided a bit of a tour for me, taking me to local towns on the way to the winery. He was fun and went out of his way to ensure that I had a stellar experience.

I purchased a few items, one of which had to be shipped back. When the item didn't arrive as specified, I enlisted Chantell's assistance. She was efficient and helpful. The cost of my one little wine tour didn't begin to cover the level of service she provided, attempting to resolve issues of delivery as well as damage to the item delivered. Wherever I go, I will check to see if Ilios provides tours.

If you are traveling to South Africa, this is the tour company to use.

Mostly excellent, we used Ilios for transfers, and no problem, driver always punctual friendly and professional. As for the tours, they differed, most guides excellent such as the "small Phillip" aka Danny DeVito, he was adorable. Tariek, who was extremely knowledgeable and passionate about his city, and then the other Phillip (Russian origin I believe) he was surly, rude and obnoxious, albeit extremely knowledgeable. I'd use Ilios again but would stipulate NOT having him again.

Hi this company was brilliant due to our guide called Rory. South Africa went into lockdown whist we were on our tour. Rory looked after us went out of his way to help us. I can not thank him enough. The tour had finished but he turned up to take us to the British Consulate were no one was there. He then took us to a travel agent to see if we could get flight back to England. He then found us another hotel as the one we were in was closing. He gave us so much information on Cape town and drove us around really safely. Brilliant driver a credit to your company. He even helped us out on his days of to make sure we were ok in the Lockdown . Thank you Rory

We recently spent a week in Cape Town with another couple and had the very good fortune to enjoy the professional, knowledgeable, friendly and patient services of your driver Shareef. We so much appreciated his company that we requested him for the entire week which, fortunately, Ilios was able to arrange. In every sense, he was excellent company for us during our stay, making it possible to see Cape Town and surrounds through his expert eye.

Thank you,
Carl Zettelmeyer and Peggy Moreno

From the minute of his arrival to pick us up, until the after dark drop off, the care and attention to detail of our tour guide Phaldie Daniels was exceptional.
Phaldie went way above and beyond to give us the best tour we could possibly have imagined.
Knowledeable, outgoing and friendly, excellent driving skills make for the perfect guide for a perfect day.
Phaldie made a huge effort to tailor the day to us, rather than " this is the itinerary".
If Ilios ever do photographic tours, Phaldie is your man, making sure we were always in the right spot at the right time for the prefect shot!
We are very experienced travellers and certainly have never had a better tour guide!
Gayle D

Had two experiences with Ilios, one with a transfer from the airport to our hotel and the second on a day trip to the Peninsula, Boulders Bay and Kirstenbosch Gardens. Prompt pick ups, smart, professional, friendly and chatty drivers and guides. Shark and 'Hope' (can't remember your name in Africaan!!) you made the day tour more interesting and fun!! 'Hope', you even made my teenage sons enjoy the gardens.
Thank you! Would definitely use the company again.

Shadley took us to the Cape of Good Hope today, he's the best tour guide we've come across in 30 years of travelling the globe. Informative, helpful and entertaining - keep up the good work.

We have just spent an amazing half day with Tracy. Thank you Trace for going over the top for us. Go the Aussies. Robbie Hall, Tina and June

Great drivers, very knowledgeable and we highly recommend the Cape Peninsula tour. Our driver Abe was great.

My wife an I spend a couple of weeks in South Africa and just returned home to California. Our tour guide Mr. Shamiel (I hope I am not misspelling his name) went above and beyond to make sure we get to see all the interesting places on the agenda. He made this one of our most memorable trips and we shall definitely recommend your company to our friends visiting ZA.

Did the full day wine tour and tasted since great wines at some lovely vineyards in lovely settings. Out guide for the day was Shadley, who made the day even better. An extremely knowledgeable, intelligent and funny man. His Donald Trump impressions are hilarious. I would want Shadley doing all my tours.

We traveled 3 times with Ilios and particuliary with Mr John Remy !
He was verry kind and knows a lot of things about cap town. He realy likes sharing his knowledge, we really appreciate that and we recomande him for the next customers ! Specially for the tourist tour, we went to cap of good hope and it was amazing ;)
And he speaks french verry well !
Thanks for every things.
Alex and Valerian

You have one incredibly rude employee named Bongani Booysens. I will not use your company purely because of him.

This is the best travel agency in the whole South Africa if I should say so myself there drivers, guides and chauffeurs are always punctual and very helpful they...I would say other companies give 100% but ilios tours and travels exceeds above them all by giving a 110% service to all there clients

Excellent service! Used them several times during our trip to South Africa. Prompt and very professional. They always had bottled water available. The drivers have interesting local knowledge even when just getting dropped off at the airport! The winelands tour was brilliant. Safe drivers and great tour guides. Would highly recommend.