Collezione Privata Viaggio d'Africa

At first sniff I tell in love with this fragrance and, now after have spent a few years together, I love it even more. Viaggio d'Africa is simply and excellent vetiver fragrance that, as others have mentioned, is impossible to beat for the price. Fortunately, I picked-up several bottles during 2014/15 but, sadly, it is now hard to find. Viaggio d'Africa is a lightly dirty/smoky fragrance that, at first, was a bit outside of my comfort zone when I first tried it, since I was more into the cleaner/fresher vetiver scents. This fragrances has been compared to the infamous Vetiver Tonka and I can verify the similarities after having later spend considerate time with that fine fragrance. Both are quality scents, but just a bit different. Personally, I find them different enough to warrant having both in my Scent Armory since I am a big fan of this scent genre. But it's your choice and your mileage may vary. Initially, the citrus blast strikes me as being a bit synthetic, although extremely pleasant, and the smokiness (I will assume this to be the Guaiac Wood) masks the vetiver and tonka bean. It wasn't until an hour or more into the dry-down that I can fully separate the vetiver and tonka from the smokiness of the composition. As oten mentioned, Viaggio d'Africa is an outstanding blend but some may feel it could be better (i.e., more like Vetiver Tonka) if they didn't 'bake' it so quite so long in the oven, for lack of better term. While most reviewers made no mention of it, I picked-up a slight hint of cedar wood (which I love) but only when applied directly to my chest for some strange reason. 4-hours into dry-down and I experience the smokiness to be much more subtle; like a warm & friendly hug. Also, I don't detect the slightest hint of chocolate as some have suggested. VdA is also an interesting scent and, to be honest, this is exactly what was looking for since I have enough of the "smells like everyone else" colognes in my Scent Armory. I get excellent longevity and average projection with this one. VdA is really nice juice for it being mid-range fragrance; and a tremendous value at the time. Vetiver Tonka may be the King in this category but, for me, VdA is an excellent alternative and it is a fragrance that I love even more because of it's darker cutting edges.

Not a bad one AT ALL, I am really HAPPY to have this one..nothing cheap or boring about the smell, indeed it is quite unique without being that offensive like encre noire might be....interesting combination of notes, I swear I even feel mango or sth similar in the top notes....but ok....maybe cause I am all new to this...I am sure most people may like it and just a few may feel it irrelevant...there are no reasons to say it smells bad....NOT AT ALL....most of the people I asked seemed to like it and found it appealing and interesting... after 2, 5 hours the dry down is great....it is similar in a way... to rocky mountain wood... After 5 hours it is still there, quite dark, woody, unique...still keeps being somehow similar to rocky mountain wood....am I the only one noticing this similarity?...at times I feel like a MILKY/creamy rocky mountain wood version, quite nice indeed....I have to do a side by side to be sure about this... 7.5 hours and still going...closer to the skin but still there Edit...I am wearing it for the second time and still amazing...I am doing a side by side with another from the private collection and even when different...viaggio seems to be the best smelling one...indeed worth of a blind buy...it smells good, interesting, high class and again..quite unique! scent: 9 if not a 10....maybe of the best and most interesting smells in my collection projection:7 longevity: 9 versatility:7 nice job on this fragrance given the price.... Edit: After testing all of the 4 fragrances of the private collection...this is by FAR the most unique and better smelling one...it is easy to love as well...well done Pal Zileri...viaggio is a winner The best: Viaggio the interesting good smelling but too classy one: Colonia Purissina the least relevant ones: Cashemere a Ambre a Blu di provenza...(this last one has terrible longevity and projection...and now that I smell it once again it has vibes of prada infusion d' homme...but lighter)

First of all, I wanna say thank you to Caverat for helping me buy this on a german online shop :) This was a blind buy, following rave reviews here in Fragrantica, this scent has its fans like Daynierds. ANd I DO NOT REGRET IT !!! I'm not the biggest fan of vetiver, It always give an 'old man' vibes. Encre Noire by Lalique it's the exception because, intead of being straight up vetyver, it's actually the BURNT vetiver smell that I like. Well this one is a different take on vetiver as well: Think slightly burnt candied (read, sweet) vetyver. The opening is OK. a blast of alcohol and a very light citrus smell. Then , after 15 min or so, that caramelized vetiver rises. It's not syrupy sweet, but sweet noetheless. Is this the tonka? Probably. The dry down, though likable, is a little disappointment.. it turns ito an old-school soap smell, BUT a classy one. This never smells cheap, actually, it's very classy, a perfect suit-and-tie frag for fall (and depending on how much you apply, it could actually be 4-season fragrance). Never sampled Bal d'Afrique nor vetiver Tonka, so I cant speak. Projection and sillage are moderate, and so far, 10 hours after applying, though a skin scent, I still can smell it. sillage : 6,5/10 projection : 6,5/10 Longevity : 8/10 scent : 9/10 (-1 for the quite bland drydown - but very nice niche quality) NOTE : 7,5 /10 You can blind buy it, please do it asap because it's very difficult to find, I'm afraid it will be harder and harder to get in the future :(

Best of the 4 a pure mix of byredos ball d'afrique and tonka vetiver and I think its been inspired ( or stolen) by these 2 but hell its a nice try. I also get some ebony note in it, its very compelling right from start. Its captivating and im sad i did not kept this tester bottle for my self( 3.4 oz) Only downside was the drydown i think the fragrance breaks apart in the final drydown the last hour this scent get "burned" as you discover when a sad gets "bad" gotthis especially on your arms n armpits. Its mystique is from early start there! i cannot describe what im feeling but i see some sunset evening on the dry lands of and african village where all day in the hot sun a local food and spices market was kept with spices and fruit all together with sweets and coffee and tea presented on guaic wood plates and balmy candles in other market stands... Mixup of many blends with hot weather so to say... Its very easy on the nose so dont expect an niche arty nifty style but a more pleasant take on this, for some reason they managed to captivate the mid of a niche quality perfume in the top. Big thumbs for the try!

Journey of Mind and Body (2010) Scentrack: Ryuichi Sakamoto - Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence VdA by Pal Zileri is a scent of incredible beauty. It really represents a voyage of body and mind, like every journey always is. It opens with just shy citruses and immediately jumps to the note of pale and powdery iris. Sweet tonka is perfectly paired with green vetiver resulting in new olfactive entity. After ebony coming into play the whole perfume changes seems to become a practical course on Maillard reactions. Some ghost of freshly roasted coffee rules the whole composition. The only concerns about VdA is the synthetic nature of the composition, and possible discontinuation of the whole line. The phantom coffee really takes me to viaggio, a voyage to East Africa and its coffee plantations in the mountains. A meditative yet cheerful place. And this perfume is the same... meditative, serene yet happy and delightful. A wonderful journey of mind and body. Rating: 7/10

First impressions – beautiful and very well blended fragrance! It’s a totally unisex, so ladies don’t be afraid to test it. I'm sure many of you will love it! It’s an absolute love for me, because it’s a clean, fresh, woody and almost gourmand scent, without being too sweet or sugary...Really unique. I don’t know how smells Hermes Vetiver Tonka and maybe that’s a plus, because now for me Viaggio d`Africa is a true winner! I’m so impressed with Viaggio d`Africa that I bought on blind Pal Zileri Collezione Privata Cuoio and Pal Zileri Collezione Privata Essenza di Aoud... I hope soon I will write full review for Viaggio d`Africa. At the end I want to give special thanks to: -------- MyMickers Fragrance Bros. Max Forti --------- Great job guys. Thank you for you great youtube reviews about Viaggio d`Africa. Thank you all here now for your reviews, you are appreciated.

This is an absolute perfection!!! It's definitely unisex and it's pure style! It's smells pretty much the same as Vetiver Tonka, except it's a bit sharper in the beginning but not very much. But as it dries down, it becomes even better than vetiver tonka, which by the way not even worth the money. Love the packaging as well, but when you take out the bottle it does look just a bit on the cheaper side because of the paper sticker wrapped around it, but with the smell like that who cares!!! Incredible fragrance! Edit: I actually sprayed Vetiver Tonka on one arm and Viaggio d'Africa on the other, vetiver tonka was gone within an hour, Viaggio stayed for 3 hours and the dry down is waaay better than Vetiver Tonka. Love this stuff!

Chalk me up for another who finds Viaggio d'Africa like a close cousin of Hermes Vetiver Tonka. It doesn't start out exactly the same, as there is a woody "coffee" like impression from the guaiac wood. But as the dry down gets underway, it does move closer to Vetiver Tonka. That woody/coffee note does linger, and nicely so. I actually find this a bit more interesting than Vetiver Tonka! Longevity is mediocre, but hey... for the price, you can't complain! As for Bal d'Afrique, I have a sample of it and... well, I find Viaggio to be a more interesting composition and clearly a far better value. Fragrance: 8.8, Longevity: 7, Value: 9.5

I find the smokiness in the beginning very addictive and I'm wowed every time...just wow! More than one hour into it and the tonka makes it sweeter, just the right amount of sweet and I pick up hints of vetiver here and there as it plays a secondary role. I don't smell the iris or jasmine, but probably they give me the creamy sensation. It is very interesting and unique (for me because I haven't smelled the similar Vetiver Tonka as many stated) and it's among my favorite scents. Scent: 8.5/10 Longevity: 7/10 Projection: 6/10

I saw somebody mentioned here this reminds him/her of PR 1 million....my friend...you need to take some boiling water and wash your nostrils...it is one of the craziest comparisons ever...viaggio is 5 classes above BTW. It is the best value for the money ever, it is something that smells so smooth and nice it pulls a smile on my face each single time...happy to own a bottle of this...if I had known it would be so difficult to find now...I would have bought at least another bottle....awesome juice!

Never experienced anything quite like this before. Exceptional blend of notes. I would certainly rank as one of the top tier designer fragrances available. Excellent fragrance for autumn or winter. Superb fragrance for a formal event or an upscale night on the town. Yes, there is a fairly strong similarity to Vetiver Tonka and Bal D'Afrique; however, I prefer Viaggio d'Africa with the wonderful coffee essence described by several below and above.

being a fan of Byredo's Bal d' Afrique and Hermes's Vetiver Tonka. Viaggio d' Africa was a wonderful surprise, saved me a lot of dough. Those two had been on my want list. I am so glad I read about the comparisons. All I can say is thank you Fragrantica members. If you enjoy either of those two. A blind buy for me that paid off big. definitely worthy of interest especially when you consider the cost differences. wow.. two enthusiastic thumbs up.

Wow, this is spectacular! The resinous vetiver/woody notes contrasted with the smoothness of tonka make for a rich, luxurious aroma. Excellent performance all the way around. And yes, it does smell very much like Hermes Vetiver Tonka. I am delighted to have this in my collection. Some folks think the bottle is chintzy, but I think it's simply elegant, just like the juice inside!

You know the saying, "good things come to those who wait." Well I waited and Viaggio d'Africa arrived. I absolutely love this fragrance, from the moment I sprayed it on I knew it was special. The Tonka bean, vetiver and cedar come together to make this fragrance magical. I also smell chocolate in the dry down. I will be wearing it often from now on.

Just got my bottle. Very similar to Hermes Vetiver Tonka, i would say a fresher version, with less vetiver. For me it is very versatile, classy. A all seasons fragrance (still need to test on hot summer days) that can become a signature scent.

Best scent I have ever come across during my collection period. Best value for the money you can find. Will enjoy this fall and winter. Very happy!! If you ever come across this, don't hesitate but buy!!! You won't regret the purchase.

Excellent fragrance, a favourite of mine from all my collection. Candied sugar and smoky vetiver, with very good performances as well. It does indeed remind me of a sun-burned savana in Africa.

A blind buy and a damn bloody good one. Went straight to my top ten. Has a wonderful coffee aroma like nothing I've ever experienced. This ain't your brother's aftershave lotion.

Scent 10/10 Versatility 9/10 special for fall/winter/spring Longevity 9/10 Silage 8.5/10 Projection 8/10 Overall 9/10

Perfect very reach scent. First shoot have a blast of Tonka bean and for me coffee smell. Very comfy and warm aroma!

12 hours on my sweater and still going. Fabulous, love it!

The opening is not the best of this fragrance. To begin with, the first few seconds feels much alcohol and burns a little nose, which is typical in cheap fragrances. I think alcohol is the culprit that can not detect the onset citrus notes. Then the fragrance goes up in smoke, and the first thing that comes to mind is an ashtray with several cigarette butts and a lot of ash. Despite the image, the smell is pleasant and only lasts a few minutes, when the second image comes to mind: Coffee beans (I'm sure has coffee, but do not declare your notes here). The third image: sugar toast. It keeps smoked, but accompanied by a slight sweet taste, which grows as the tonka emerges. From this moment the fragrance is dominated by the tonka, vetiver accompanied on the surface, and the base note of smoked - caramel in the background, still there all the rest of the road. The sillage is moderate and longevity is approximately 7/8 hours. The bottle is quite nice, except that the name tag is paper. Box presentation is beautiful, and is accompanied with a tie of the brand. Unfortunately I could not test yet Vetiver Tonka therefore can not make a comparison, but in several youtube videos say that this fragrance is a very good alternative to the more expensive version of Hermes. Note: 6.5 / 10 ---------------------------------------- To update In colder climates, this fragrance stand out and shine much more than in warmer climates. Now I can try on these cold days, the fragrance is highlighting best and the truth is that I like more. It's very smoky and warm, I recommend it! Current rating: 7/10

I have had Vetiver Tonka and still have Bal D'Afrique. One I think is missing from this list of similar fragrances is Vetiver Fatal by Atelier Colognes. All of these smell extremely similar. Bal D'Afrique being the brightest and juciest of them all imo. Viaggio d'Africa opens with a more earthy honey. To me, this one smells more like Vetiver Tonka in the opening and more like Bal D'Afrique in the dry down. All of these are beautiful vetiver fragrances to me. Sadly, I don't think any of these give great projection, but I get whiffs of these fragrances throughout the day which is good enough for me.

Strong dirty vetiver opening. I actually don't get tons of tonka from this, surprising based on the reviews and note breakdown. I don't get the sweetness most discuss here so I'm left with a dirty, woody, vetiver scent that turns slightly powdery in the dry down. Longevity is average (4-6 hrs) on my skin with moderate projection. A 6.75/10 for me. Some sweetness might've balanced this out for me. Not a bad scent, at all, but also nothing spectacular.

Smell like cappuccino. Very good scent. It's gourmand. If you like rochas man you probably like viaggio d'africa. I'm very disapointed about projection and longevity on my skin. Good scent but weak longevity and weak projection Longevity: 5 hours projection: 3/10 Price: 9/10 100 ml for less of 25€ Scent: 8/10

It bear it's name rightfully: warm but yet fresh, mysterious yet somehow familiar, exotic but not too much. And an excellent longevity: not only it last long, you can still recognize it after a long days wearing. In my opinion the best out of the four in the collection.

This is a safe and light manly scent with dominant notes of smooth tonka, vetiver and guaiac. Good longevity, moderate projection/sillage. Quality stuff.

Oh gee, received a decant of this from a fellow fragrantican together with a decant of Zileri Cuoio which I LOVED instantly. Had very high hopes for this one as well, spices and vetiver - what's not to like ? Well, reality can be a bitch... turns out this scent on me opens with a chemical smoky attack of spices, followed by a burnt cedary guaiac wood and a smell-o-rama of some dusty sour flowers mixed with a stingy soapiness. I have a suspicion that the culprit may be the iris which I can see in the note pyramid that also ruins Dior Homme for me, but can't be 100% sure. I can also tell from the reviews that I'm among the minority who doesn't adore this scent, but it's a pass for me.

I have receieved this in a swap. I checked the prices on ebay range from 30€ up to 90€. The scent itself is a vetyver-centered fragrance, the resemblance with Bal D'arfrique, Vetyver tonka and Atelier Cologne is unquestionable. They are all basically the same and you only need one of them in your Collection (I have two, and it is unnessessary). However, Viaggio d'Arfrica feels more as unfinished, rough and lacking the dot over the "i". Even Zara Home had a better scent story... Save your Money.

Prada Infusion. Soapy. Nice but unwearable. Sorry but that's all i get. That's not a bad thing, though. It still smells a lil spicy/woody, the iris and jasmine do it some softening justice, the citrus top note is under subtle and not really citrus at all, which is good IMO. But when I sniff my wrist, it's vintage soap, which smells good, but I couldn't wear it.

Just received this one today. First half hour: The same scent as Cristiano Ronaldo Legacy Private Edition. Only that one is far stronger. Is an EDP. According to the note breakdown here this one should have the same bases notes has CL Private Edition middle notes. Not the top notes! that is strange, because both have a very dominant note of maple syrup I guess (?) Nor do I like it very much. An hour passed and I would swear I am wearing CR L private Edition on my both arms. Although it is a very hot day here (26-28 C) Too hot for these 2, I am comparing both on skin and on paper. First half hour: The same scent as Cristiano Ronaldo Legacy Private Edition. Only that one is far stronger. Is an EDP. After a little more than 2 hours Viaggio a L'Africa is taking a nap. It's still there, I hear it snoring, but CR private edition is still kicking and jumping as when it left from it's spray. Now this is where part of the testing ends, because I am going to take a shower. Curious to see what is left of both afterwards. will try to treat them fairly. Private Edition is still there. So is Viaggio a l'Africa though very faint now. On paper this one is now getting sweeter. Subtle, very much like Colonia Purissima is. I get the Vetiver now. And Ink. Private Edition on paper, still maintains the odd top note of maple syrup. Maybe it's linear, maybe the drydown is yet to start. Great projection. performs far better than pal Zileri. That is for sure. I noticed that CR Legacy is getting more and more positive reviews on Youtube by the Inner Circle of experts. I guess that one is rated by CR7 haters more than real fragrance lovers. Would like to hear the opinion of fragrance connaisseurs on the Private Edition/Viagio a L'África comparison. Those people with a far better nose than me.

I haven't tried Bal d'Afrique, but I have tried Vetiver Tonka. To me this one and VT are just in the same general category. VT is crisper, whereas this one has more of a coffee-like quality. It's a nice blend, especially if you like coffee scents but don't want noticeable lavender notes involved. The vetiver note seems quite mild, so if you dislike Encre Noire type scents for that quality, this should be fine, I'd guess. It seems to come in wafts, rather than having constant "sillage," at least after it dries down, and that smell is very nice. I can see how some would prefer this one to VT, actually, and at current prices, around $45 for 100 ml, it seems like an excellent deal, especially considering how supply might dry up while demand rises - I wouldn't be surprised if that occurred within the year, the way things seem to be going! UPDATE: After a couple of hours or so it does smell considerably more like VT, and with less of that coffee-like quality. And I definitely disagree with the reviewer who said this "falls apart"' in the drydown. However, I do think that at least after a couple hours this one is weaker, and I suggest two sprays of this for every one you would use with VT.

Tried a sample of Viaggio d'Africa (I had gotten the Pal Zileri Welcome Kit, containing the 4 first fragrances of the Collezione Privata). And because of other comments here, I had to try it side by side with Vetiver Tonka. Vetiver Tonka is a beautiful scent - bright vetiver softened with tonka (that leans more toward hay than vanilla) and praline - I really like it. I agree that Viaggio d'Africa is similar, but the vetiver I adore has taken second fiddle to the tonka and iris. Still not a bad perfume, and still kinda like it. But somehow the notes here have combined to make me think "toast." Every time I've tried it on myself, that's all I seem to be able to smell - toast.

Just received this from a good Friend and I must say I am impressed. It has something that is projecting a caramel/toffee/coffee/tobacco like aroma which is slightly dusty, bit sweet and also faintly bitter. The tonka here is not as sweet as usually while the whole composition has a comforting, warm and confident aroma which gives it a nice character. The fragrance is close to skin, rather whispering so its difficult to judge longevity on skin. On paper it does last 10-12 hours. Its definitely an interesting fragrance and makes you wanna wear it. Somehow it feels like being in a movie. I like scents that penetrate my fantasy and this is one like that.

Just got this delivered today and I have to say it exceeds my expectations. I had a sample of Vetiver Tonka which I thought was really amazing, but, being a relative newcomer to the fragrance communiity, I'm not quite ready to pay $200+ for one bottle of perfume. Baased on some of the reviews here, I bought this blind and am blown away by this fragrance. It's every bit the equal of the Hermes, execpt for one thing, it's longevity is way better! Some reviewers have indicated that it doesn't posess the "quality ingredients" of the Hermes, but that's gotta be based strictly on snob appeal. An unbelievable value!

I don't remember what Vetiver Tonka smells like anymore, but this Viaggio d'Africa is quite woody and resinous on me. It has this heavy syrupy quality but not sweet syrup kind. Guaiac wood is quite prominent and some pungent lemon/orange peels. Some floral accord is hardly noticeable. The overall composition is quite nice. Again, it seems very nichey. It may try to be like Vetiver Tonka as many has said but it is still a good wannabe. I totally would love to have the whole collection if it werent so hard to find and so expensive.

Considering the price of this compared to the niche fragrances that it's compared to, it's a no brainer. I must say that I prefer the Hermes but would not purchase it. There are so many good/great lower priced designer scents that get the job done and this is one of them. It lasts 10 hours with average sillage. No it's not a beast but more of a moderate level scent. The sweetnesss adds a dimension that most other designer vetivers don't have. If I did not have other vetiver scents this would surely be in my wardrobe.

This fragrance is beauty in a bottle all these people seem to constantly compare this to Hermes vetiver tonka but in my opinion no reputable fragrance company purposely makes a scent to mimic another otherwise it would fall flat on its face and viaggio is far harder to get hold of than the Hermes offering for me it stands on its own and IMHO vetiver tonka is more a slap to the face than the gentle caress that viaggio offers so please people let it stand on its own two strong beautifully smelling legs lol rant over.

This is a decent cologne on its own...However, If you are looking for it to replace Hermes Vetiver Tonka, it just does not do the trick. Yes they have very similar smells...but to give an analogy of the difference between the two...Imagine the unique and unmistakable taste of Dr. Pepper, then imagine the taste of Sam's Choice Dr. Thunder. They do taste similar, but you damn well know the real one from the imitator. The difference in quality and smoothness between Viaggio and Vetiver Tonka, is undeniable.

This is a cheaper knock-off version to vetiver tonka, its not as high quality of course, you can almost sense the cheap ingredients used which smell very synthetic, its fresher;yes but its also much staler in comparison, i was thinking i'd buy this, NO you see my friends theres a difference between a horse and a donkey, and pal zileri's viaggio d'africa is very much the donkey here, Byredo's Bal D'Afrique is much a better alternative but still not a stallion, nothing beats the hermes blend!

This is pure class. It is very well blended. The overall feel is of a warm humming, expensive smelling fruity amber that seems almost alive on your skin. It does not have much in the way of development but that is probably down to the blending. This is the kind of fragrance important people close deals wearing. UPDATE: I was sampling the Byredo range and was amazed to find how similar the Bal d'Afrique parfum is to this.

For the price you cannot get a deal like this. I get vetiver in abundance and the fragance is slightly syrupy so do not advice for too hot weather. It does smell similar to Vetiver Tonka no doubt about it. Fragrances like this are underrated gems which no one speaks about. It is also hard to find limited to certain locations. I wish pal zileri made their suits at affordable prices haha :)

This one is an intimate fragrance. It doesn't fill the room, but is noted when others come to talk to you. It's an inviting scent. It really share many similarities (97%) with Hermès Vetiver Tonka, but I prefer this one. Here I smell some synthetic notes in comparison to VT (that smells more natural), but the whole composition is bolder and leaves a better impression.

Georgeous scent , too good to be true for the price. I cannot stand vetiver but the vetiver in this is mouth watering. The only issue I have is how difficult it is to find . I hada 50ml bottle thats now empty and i can't bring myself to throw the bottle away because i keep sniffing it. i check ebay every week to see if any bottles are around

i have recieved my 2 bottles of this . and the smell is straight up a a boozy leathery sweet coffee , i also get hints of rum and cedar and some soft woods and some cuppucino chocolate . not sure on the projection yet but yet again another safe blind buy .

With the lovely iris and smooth vetiver, this smells like a new Prada flanker...Infusion d'Tonka. I wasn't sure about it at first, but after a few wearings at home, I have warmed up to this fragrance and am looking forward to wearing it more this fall.

In the begining it smells a bit weird, but the drydown is amazing. After half an hour it's impossible to tell the difference between viaggio and vetiver tonka, they smell identical. For that price you couldn't ask for more. 5/5

Just bought two of these. Love the opening! On me, it even smells better after a couple hours. Have Vetiver Tonka as well. Smells almost identical. LOVE!

i sampled it and it wasn't fresh at all and frankly speaking was pretty much womanish rather than manly((( unisex - maximum