I contacted Black Tomato requesting that they organise a unique 3-week trip in Mongolia for myself with only 48 hours notice! What they managed to create for me within that timeframe was only the trip of a lifetime.. Completely curated to suit my interests, I’ve just come off 3 weeks of helping nomadic families with their big winter migration, being taught the art of eagle hunting, riding camels across deserts, motorbiking and horse riding over mountains, visiting inspiring NGOs, speaking with monks and shamans, chasing wolves and wild horses.. and so much more. I cannot recommend Black Tomato enough for their wealth of knowledge, speed, and ability to curate something entirely special. Nothing was too difficult for them and everything ran smoothly – I couldn’t be happier.
The most incredible trip ever! Honeymoons are supposed to be incredible right? For our ‘trip of a lifetime’ we were seeking something a little adventurous teamed with animal spotting and some time out on a white sandy beach. My husband-to-be had done the ‘traditional’ safari x beach combination and I was keen to ensure we were going somewhere neither of us had been before. That’s when the Black Tomato team really showed their expertise. Suggesting Borneo – a place we’d never have thought of in a million years and reeling us in with an exceptional itinerary comprising jungle sunset boat safaris – spotting a lone orangutan in the wild along the way! – snorkelling off a private island, rickety jungle aeroplanes, orangutan sanctuaries and many many memories. As well as being an utter joy to work with, other little touches of Black Tomato magic I still wax lyrical about; a fictional book sent to us before we departed set deep in the Borneo jungle, a copy of The Week and a film to watch to “put off the holiday washing” greeted us on our return. It’s been a while since our trip and occasionally we’ll unearth a picture of us two metres away from a pygmy elephant or crying with laughter as we recalled that time the teeniest fish chased my new husband out of the Celebes Sea. Thank you Black Tomato for helping us in plotting the most exceptional of honeymoons – cannot recommend you enough!
I used Black Tomato to develop/design 2 amazing trips in 2018 and quite simply: THEY WERE EXCEPTIONAL!!! Spain: I worked with Alys in early 2018 for this trip. Like me, she is a foodie and loves to travel. Through emails and a couple of phone calls she was able to translate my thoughts/hopes/dreams into a very detailed itinerary. Food/Culture/Art/Experiences included meeting with world class chefs, touring art galleries/museums with expert guides, and travelling through multiple cities including Barcelona, Madrid, Bilbao, San Sebastian and Toledo. Travel was streamlined, easy and efficient, accommodations exceeded my expectations and everyone I met and worked with was so smart, so friendly and so focused on providing a world class experience for me. SO MUCH FUN!!! Africa – Happy Birthday in Rwanda and Tanzania! My Black Tomato expert was Tessa. Like Alys, she’s a travel pro and that was evident in her approach in working with me to capture my thoughts/hopes and turn them into an iconic adventure. For example, Bisate Lodge in Rwanda = Magical in every way…and I met a silver back gorilla up close and personal in Volcanoes National Park (Tessa didn’t set that up…at least I don’t think she did!?!?) Lodges and lodge managers across Rwanda and Tanzania were the most friendly, experienced people you’d ever want to meet, and again, they were focused on ensuring I had an amazing experience. Tanzania provided truly memorable experiences with every animal I’d hoped to see all why feeling safe and sleeping comfortably every night…including 2 special nights on a sand bar in a beautiful tent listening to hippos sing in the background!!! Tessa/Alys and the ENTIRE Black Tomato Team exceed expectations and do so in a friendly expert fashion that is second to none. Every detail is thought through meticulously and they put your mind at ease. They are adept at converting your thoughts/hopes/expectations/dreams into detailed itineraries that result in incredible travel experiences. They put themselves in your shoes and imagine what your trying to imagine…that’s tough to do and simply put: They are pros at it! Best – Eric
Black Tomato are exceptional at what they do. They are good listeners and deliver ideas you could not have dreamt about I have used them for more than 10 years, on the corporate front as well as extensive travelling throughout the world. From arranging a skiing holday to Whistler in Canada which coincided with the Winter Olypmpics, to get accommodation alone was a feat but also deliver on our wish to get tickets to the Opening Ceremony, some achievement. From South Africa game lodges offering excellent accommodation and cuisine but most importantly limited numbers in the vehicle you travel in to see the game knowing that this is best way for their clients to maximise their experience is how BT think. Add on white shark cage diving, paragliding in CapeTown and single seat performance car racing…… an amazing holiday experience. We’ve travelled with BT to see the gorillas in Rwanda, which is amongst the most amazing things we’ve done, a tour of Japan combined with Bali, an amazing trip around Sri Lanka including staying on a tea plantation high up in the mountains. A late thought, whilst in country, was a float plane trip back to Colombo… not a problem. We have enjoyed many other trips with BT, with future trips to Australia, Chile and Argentina as well as a holiday to Egypt, including a Nile cruise. From visiting sites and places at times when the general public have no access to avoid crowds, seeing sites that only a well connected agency can arrange are reflective of the detail BT go to. Of interest to potential clients of BT is that their local in-country agency partners are clearly subject to rigorous selection criteria, the standard of guides / drivers used being very high. On a BT tour you’ll never be subjected to a visit to a souk, bazar, cheap precious stone retailers etc… unless you request!! I cannot recommend Black Tomato more highly, they deliver consistently at a very high level, no mean achievement. Bill
My husband and I used Black Tomato to organise our honeymoon in Rwanda and Kenya. I cannot recommend them highly enough. We are both biologists and wanted to tack our honeymoon onto the end of my husband’s field work in Rwanda, as well as visit some friends in Kenya. We had an hour long conversation with Tom Harding after which he took everything we’d said we wanted and managed to come up with an itinerary even better than we could have hoped to ask for. Everywhere he booked us into was amazing, which he knew because he’s extensively researched all of these places and stayed there. He managed to capture our desire to be off the beaten path and balance it with fantastic creature comforts. Every transfer, hotel stay, etc. was planned and incredibly easy; we just had to show up. Black Tomato did an amazing job; I would not hesitate to use them again to book a luxury holiday.
Black Tomato and all the staff I encountered, in particular Jihane, were wonderful – well informed, passionate and friendly. This was meant to be the trip of a lifetime, the companion piece to a perfect wedding and it was! I have to give a special shoutout to our guide Daryl at Borneo Rainforest Lodge, he broadened our knowledge and experience both of the wildlife and the culture and history of the local tribes. The lodge in general was fantastic, we couldn’t have asked for a better location. We saw 15 elephants on our way in – couldn’t have had a better start to our honeymoon. So many varieties of wildlife, just on the doorstep, best place we visited by far. The hotels we stayed at in Kuala Lumpur and Ubud were breathtaking, true luxury, I love a beautiful bathroom and they both delivered this and more in spades. We will never forget our honeymoon. We wanted something different, adventure and excitement and Black Tomato delivered. Thank you.
