I admire and wholeheartedly thank Cuan of African Ubuntu Safaris for putting my vision of a safari into reality. Given my "basic" wishes, he devised a safari that suited both our animal sightseeing wishes and took our required levels of comfort and privacy into account.
African Ubuntu Safaris were fantastic. Cuan organised a safari holiday for us in Namibia and Botswana, with a couple of days in Zimbabwe. We explained to Cuan the type of accommodation and style of safari we wanted (including our budget and the number of other holidaymakers who would be joining us), and that our primary interest was wildlife viewing. Cuan could not have put together a better it ... Read moreinerary. We saw all the wildlife we could have hoped for, including the elusive African wild dogs in Chobe. The accommodation was awesome (the African people know how to look after international visitors extremely well), and the small group safaris were perfect.
I can't recommend African Ubuntu Safaris enough. Cuan actually listens to what you want to get our of your trip and makes suggestions which he considers will make your trip even better. His advice was invaluable. We loved our last trip so much that Cuan is already organising another trip for my parents to Tanzania and South Africa for early 2016. I'll also be asking Cuan to organise a trip for me to Uganda in 2017.
We were absolutely delighted with the arrangements made for us by Cuan McLaren at Ubuntu Safaris when our family visited Tanzania in 2013. His detailed insider knowledge of the lodges, the best routes to take and the best places for animal viewing was enormously valuable. He accommodated our every request, including linking us up with friends traveling from Switzerland, and created just the right ... Read morebalance of accommodation and cultural experiences for us, all within our budget. We've since recommended Ubuntu Safaris to friends, who have been similarly impressed. Thanks to Ubuntu, our holiday to Tanzania will remain a highlight for the whole family.
I set no expectations for the tour and in turn had a blast and would do it again. The tour guides made the safari a positive experience.
Cuan and his team are fantastic.
He was very intuitive when designing our holiday in Botswana and Zambia and is a good listener. Critical for a great holiday.
We stayed at some fantastic lodges which allowed us to see a wide cross section of southern African wildlife in a limited period of time.
Cuan's Dad is a gem and makes life very easy coming into and leaving Johannesburg.
We will be using ... Read more African Ubuntu Safaris for our next trip to this huge continent.
We were 4 mature adults with no previous Africa experience so cannot make comparisons. However if we were to go again to Africa we would immediately contact Ubuntu and Cuan. The assistance in planning before departure, the logistics, the camps chosen (Kwando Lebala and Pom Pom) and the experience were faultless, they reflected Cuans' knowledge of the countries, the camps and the people. Cannot rec ... Read moreommend Ubuntu highly enough.
Cuan and his team are total professionals. They understand and respect the diversity of the continent, its people and culture, and have a passion for excellence. In our 66 days in four different countries, (South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and Zambia) absolutely nothing went wrong, and not a detail was overlooked. He listened to our 'brief', made suggestions, and exceeded all we had hoped for. ... Read moreCuan is planning our trip to Tanzania and Kenya in 2016 and we know he will deliver another outstanding package of animals, skilled staff, beautiful accommodation and adventure for us to experience. We are African born (now live in Australia) and have been on many safaris - but this trip was The Trip of a Lifetime. We absolutely recommend Ubuntu Safaris - definitely a leader and specialist in this field. Well done Ubuntu Safaris!
We (being myself, wife 2 daughters, son-in-law and brother) had a simply stunning 3½ week trip through Zimbabwe, Botswana, Kenya and Tanzania covering Vic Falls (including a chopper ride over the Falls), Chobe, Okavango, Amboseli, Tarangire, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara, Serengeti and Zanzibar. Time was Jan 2014. The younger ones went on to climb Kilimanjaro after.
We booked through Cuan at A ... Read morefrican Ubuntu Safaris and from the start of planning 2 years before we went, he was just fantastic. We had a rough idea of what we wanted and left it to him to fill in the time and arrange it all. Over that time he tweaked and adjusted the itinerary and the end result was the most memorable trip. Nothing was too much trouble or too trivial.
Cuan recognised that there were some dollar constraints as we were a sizeable party and he took that in his stride. The quoted price included all our excursions, flights and pickups. Apart from additional expenses which Cuan outlined were excluded, his price was fixed and firm. Very comforting to know.
Accommodation was just great-some tented camps and some lodges but all were excellent, tho as requested not 5 star but certainly very comfortable and the staff were happy and sincere in their wish to give us a great experience. (Let me say 5 star is not necessary-they still see the same wildlife!) Not a complaint from anyone on the accommodation score and the meals were all brilliant, notwithstanding they were in some remote places. The organisation was first class-not a hiccup anywhere. The chosen parks all offered different slants on the African game parks and we saw the Big Five in droves plus the migration in the Serengeti was mind bogglingly impressive. Then of course we saw the myriad of other animals and birdlife. If January is the “off season” then go for it. Weather was great (lucky maybe?) and the number of people minimal, even in the Crater.
Cuan’s father Gerald met us in Joburg to store some additional climbing gear for our adult children which was wonderful. But even more wonderful was Cuan’s and his father’s concern and swift action when one of our party developed multiple blood clots in the lung after the Okavango. Gerald organised a doctor’s appointment on the evening of our return and then a specialist appointment the next day. Unfortunately that person was laid up in hospital for 5 days before they could join the rest of us 5 days after that. In that time Cuan's father and his wife visited out sick traveller and made sure all was well and he was comfortable. Cuan meanwhile arranged alternative flights so we could all be together in Zanzibar.
The whole trip went like clockwork and we all had the most wonderful experience with so many memories. Thanks to you Cuan and your parents and the team. Simply the best.
The tour we went on was an experience of a lifetime. It was exactly what we were after and had an incredible time.
We will certainly be coming back to African Ubuntu Safaries to organise our next African trip!
communication was very good, all questions were answered promptly. changes to agenda were offered and planned to suit exactly what we wanted when we wanted it.
the safari itself was a breathtaking experience, the staff at each camp were faultless and eager to please. our drivers were amazing with much knowledge and an almost freakish ability to find the animals. well done all.