Tailor-Made Tours of Europe: Our Concept

The secret to Umfulana’s success as a tour operator is our unique collection of family-run inns and B&Bs. True French hospitality,  reduced costs, high quality and the host’s willingness and ability to provide tips on hidden places of interest are key factors in our choice of lodgings for our clients.

Your France vacation is special to you and to us. Staying at a different location each night is not the best way to enjoy your holiday and get to know the country. We like to plan your itinerary so that you stay at least a couple of nights at each auberge. This will allow you to travel at a leisurely pace and explore each destination more thoroughly. You will be able to learn much more about the wines of Burgundy or enjoy the romance of Paris by not rushing through the country. It is your vacation, let us tailor it to your needs.

We recommend allowing at least two weeks for tours of France that include more than one region. If less time is available we suggest that you focus on a particular province such Brittany, Normandy, or Burgundy or a particular area like the Côte d’Azur. This will help to ensure that you do not spend most of your tour of France inside your vehicle. Less time on the road is more enjoyable in our experience.

During high season many of the small, family-run inns in France are fully booked weeks in advance. By arranging a personal itinerary with us before departure you will have the peace of mind of knowing your destination each day and where you will be spending the night. This will save you trouble during your tour of France and enable you to focus on planning each day’s activities and enjoying your holiday.

We arrange your France vacation according to your specifications. All Umfulana itineraries are customized to suit your needs. We can change the routes, the number of people travelling, the time schedule, the level of accommodation or the type of vehicle. The tour can begin on any date from any location such as Paris, Nice or Le Havre.

What we do not offer: “We did it all in two weeks”

We are a private limited company (Ltd.) located near Cologne, Germany, with branch offices in South Africa and New Zealand. We began as a tour operator for South Africa in 1998 but soon expanded to France and other countries, encouraged by the positive feedback from our clients. "Umfulana" means "stream" or "little river" in Zulu and is the literal translation of the German surname of one of the company's directors, Martin Bach, who began designing and selling personalized, self-drive itineraries while living in South Africa.