We had a marvelous time in Cape town with the best guide ever – thank you Ray !! We saw everything we wanted to see and got so much interesting history st the same time – we would recommend Ray any time !!
Thank you again!
Ray knows his stuff and is a great communicator, telling us stories wherever we went…..and as a good friend i can also be a fierce critic!!!! On days we didn’t spend with Ray he gave us good tips on what to do and where to eat.
Our Cape Town holiday has been perfect in every way and it will be remembered by us for a long time. Thankfully we have the Rayfies to help us remember the fun times together.
I want all my friends to have the same experiences as us but I will be green with envy when they do. Thank you Ray and so glad you enjoyed our surprise visit. Keep doing what you do best.
Apart from the fact that Ray is an old friend of our family, he gave us just the best time here in the Cape. We hired his services under an alias, so he did not know it was us until we arrived, and his planning of our trips were diligent, personalised and efficient as well as friendly as he thought we were strangers. Even though he ended up guiding friends I could still see his professionalism as he guided us round the peninsula, into the winelands and out to Aquila game park.
Ray was able to keep a great balance entertaining the four children and the two retirees (ages 4, 5, 7, 8 and 60+). We had a total of 9 people in our group, but Ray had us all captivated with his knowledge and warm personality. He had a great sense of humor and was very patient with our photo requests (haha!).
Ray was attentive to our group’s needs and was very personable. We highly recommend him to anyone in need of a tour guide while visiting Cape Town.
Ray’s tour of the Cape rates as one of the best tours of my life. He found us beautiful and fascinating sights, excellent food, and all the logistics were handled so smoothly it was like magic.
He arranged a whale-watching trip where we saw a mother teaching her baby to breach, a walk up to the Cape Lighthouse, a tour of a penguin colony, all with humor and fascinating stories about the history and culture of South Africa.
I have a new understanding and appreciation for the people and the beauty of South Africa. I strongly recommend anyone looking for a great tour to reach out to him.
Ray is professional, personable and brought South Africa to life in ways that only someone who has lived in Africa all his life can. We were part of a 60-person group and Ray’s constant stories and jokes had the entire bus laughing and entertained for the full the week. Whether, walking the streets of Cape Town, avoiding baboons at Cape Point or drinking wine in wine country Ray managed to keep a bunch of Canadians fully entertained for the week. Thank you for bringing the country of South Africa to life for our group. The world could use more people like Ray!
Ray is a fantastic guide. We were a group of 58 Canadians on a custom tour of the Western Cape in South Africa and we had fun for 10 days with Ray.
Ray was always in a good mood, full of interesting and witty jokes and anecdotes, coupled with an extensive knowledge of South Africa, whether it be geographical, historical, political, cultural or else. He is a pleasant person to spend time with, is full of resources and is there to please.
As he was working with another guide and 2 drivers, he also demonstrated a capacity to work as a team and fully co-operate with others. We all have fond memories of Ray and I strongly recommend his services to anyone.
Ray Haakonsen was an exceptional tour guide. From our initial email connection he listened carefully, proposed a tour, flexed when I wanted to add in some extras and then fully delivered. From the airport pick up to his informative anecdotes he was exceptional. Ray could answer questions from history to geology and had interesting funny legends that he passed on.
He was early each day, kept us on track and had us back to head to the pool when he said he would. The tours were relaxed and yet we covered so much. He showed us the peninsula, the wine route and the city – our group would go with him again in a heartbeat, and are already recommending him to friends.
Ray Haakonsen was a fantastic guide. He always kept us informed and was flexible when we wanted to change the itinery. His expert local knowledge is a great asset to him and his clients.
Not only did he take us to some of the greatest golf courses, we also got in quite a bit of sightseeing. Interesting facts and stories came out in rapid fire. Nothing was too much trouble for him.
Our group became very fond of Ray and already we miss him.