Amanda Marks (Tribes MD) on Safari in Botswana
Tribes Travel
- Located In:
-
United Kingdom
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 1998)
- Member Of:
- ATOL & AITO
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $151 to $1,007 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
Email Iain & Helen Balch | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Possibly the perfect operator
This is the second holiday we have booked with Tribes in under a year. Why Tribes? because of their total professionalism, attention to detail, understanding of our needs and in depth knowledge of the places we want to visit as well as their great enthusiasm - and patience.
Nothing is too much trouble, we even changed countries halfway through the booking process and they make all the time you need to discuss details and ideas by phone or email. They are sensitive to your desires but also to your pocket - safaris are not cheap..
They had visited all but one of the places we went to so could give us very good advice. They were well known and highly respected as a company wherever we went be it a camp or the landside agents.
Our latest holiday was in Botswana and Zimbabwe and involved 3 camps, a hotel, 3 small aircraft flights, a long drive and the international flights. My wife and I are not in the best of health and so were concerned that everything "worked" and we weren't stranded anywhere. We need not have worried everything including failsafe procedures worked perfectly and we were able to enjoy all of our holiday in a very relaxed fashion.
All the camps knew of our requirements (physical and dietary) and desire not just to see animals but also birds and other nature and did their very best to accommodate us.
The first holiday we had with Tribes was in Tanzania and was equally impressive in its organisation and delivery.
I have no hesitation in wholeheartedly recommending them as a company who will enhance your holiday and give you an experience of a lifetime.
Just thinking about the next holiday with them now...
(already provided)
(already provided) I think you asked if I would brief a brief description of my trip and can do no better that copy the note I wrote to Tribes at the time...
Dear Tribes team,
I have just got back from my Tanzanian trip which I must say certainly was more challenging than the last couple of trips you organised, as I battled to survive an attempt on my life (Uduzungwa), a series of bold robberies (Selous), and a potentially embarrassing international incident in Sadaani.
Impala camp in Selous was lovely in all respects. There was plenty of game in the immediate vicinity, and I had giraffe, bush babies and hippos around my tent most nights. The view in the evening from my wooden verandah as the sun set over the Rufiji river was absolutely wonderful. However, I suspect the camp at the absolute epicentre of game viewing is still Lake Manze and we had a longish drive to see most of the “serious” animals. Once we did so, we saw plenty of lions, a pack of 15 wild dogs and even a leopard which strolled right up to the vehicle which first spotted it (not mine, sadly- I only caught a few minutes as it disappeared into the deep bush). Hippo, monitor lizards and crocs on the river beneath my tent were commonplace and the birds were as I remembered them from my last two trips, spectacular. The robberies themselves were certainly very bold - vervet monkeys descended on my early morning tea and biscuits and left devastation in their wake; weaver birds ganged up to deprive me (successfully) of my breakfast cereal; and in the evening the bush babies distracted my attention and stole the delicious bread rolls from my plate.
Sable Mountain Lodge was an unusual place. It was very nice and comfortable, but there were relatively few birds or animals in the area, and it was surprisingly quiet in the jungle around the lodge. I had it pretty much to myself, which was a shame for the staff who were attentive and helpful. Abdullah, who has been at the Lodge since it was built, is absolutely charming.
The drive to Uduzungwa was very tough. It was fun to see the little villages and the women going about their routines (the men were sleeping, mainly), but it took about 9 hours and the roads for the most part, were ghastly. The last 30 k up to Hondo Hondo camp took over 2 hours and at times the road was indistinguishable from the bolder strewn streams which we crossed on the way. Fine for the more intrepid traveller, but I would say definitely not recommended for the casual tourist.
This is a shame because Uduzungwa and Hondo Hondo camp are certainly to be recommended for the sheer jaw dropping variety of unusual animals, birds, plants and insects. I saw five different primate species in the space of an hour around the camp within a few minutes of my arrival. It was also lovely to be welcomed by Belle and Ginger, two of the best turned out and well cared for donkeys in Africa, whose main duty (apart from welcoming guests) is to keep the grass down efficiently. Worth mentioning too, because I like to think I know a fair amount about European mycology, were the fungi, which were astonishing in variety and weird beauty, most of which I could not even begin to place in general families, much less identify as species.
The camp was the most basic I went to, and could possibly do with a quick Health and Hygiene visit, but was perfectly nice, and the staff absolutely lovely. I suspect that they obviously struggle with the heat and humidity (as did I), and mould stuck the pages of books together and pervaded the tents. I got severe diarrhoea and since another (non hiking) guest did too, I am not sure it was just the exertion of the hiking which was to blame. I also fell down a waterfall and ended up having to do a makeshift dressing with loo paper, which may have aided rather than stopped the bacterial infection which followed. Since the place is too remote to have a Duka La Dawa (chemist) anywhere close, it would have been advisable to have taken a much better First Aid kit with me.
Of course it was the trekking which nearly killed me. I had imagined that the distance and timings in the publicity were for the benefit of the “chubbier”guests (after all - who takes 4-5 hours to do a 6 km walk?), but they were not. I told my guides that they were trying to murder me on the longer Hidden Valleys walk, and they laughed, but my goodness I did find it hard. I had two guides and a ranger with a gun (I can perfectly understand why this was necessary, as we scared a leopard off its kill by one remote stream) and they were marvelous, solicitously carrying my haversack, then my camera then my hat, as I divested myself of everything remotely adding to my weight on the 8km relentless climb up. On the 8km climb down I was ready just to curl up in a ball and allow myself to be rolled down. Was it worth it? - goodness yes, but I am sure I would have enjoyed it more if I had not been hallucinating.
One quick word about prices, because I see a theme of complaints about the cost of the park fees and guides on Tripadvisor. I think the guides are $20 a day and I tipped each on top of that. They were great, although their knowledge of the flora and fauna could be better. They were out with me for a full day (9 hours) which works out at a little over $2 an hour before tip. That is not a high price for any Western tourist to pay, frankly. Likewise the Park fees are absolutely justified having regard to the sheer scale of the park management tasks which they cover. Of course locals should not have to pay those sort of fees and they do not, but visitors from Europe, America and Australia are incredibly privileged to be able to afford to travel the world to see such beautiful places, and should not feel resentful about the cost. London and Paris are no different – try visiting London Zoo with children, for a real wallet busting experience.
The drive from Uduzungwa to Sadaani took 9 hours and even the so called "good" non Tarmac road through to Sadaani was gruelling. Maybe it was just an age thing, and I am sure my bottom was much more resilient when I was younger.
Sadaani is quite a different experience, and although there was a lot of game to be seen, we had to work much harder to find the few individual zebra, giraffe and elephant and the birds. Lions are in the park, and the previous guests saw 10 of them. I saw none, but the driver told me that near Sadaani village they have become man-eaters, the last person served up as dinner, was only as far back as December last year. The warthogs are to be found in the middle of Sadaani village grazing happily with the goats and chickens. They are not stupid, and have worked out that it is perfectly safe to hang out in a non pork eating Muslim community, which will probably also keep an eye out for lions.
Tent-with-a-view is very nice and quirky, and the beach was by and large completely deserted. I did get to talk to the fishermen, who were friendly and laughed a lot. The food was good and baobab ice cream is really very nice. Hassam does a hilarious Del Boy Trotter impression - “lovely jubbley!” - how did that happen?
The drive back to Dar es Salaam was fine until we got within 10 km of the airport - that last bit took almost as much time as the rest of the 150?km journey. I would not willingly undergo that experience again on a full bladder.
Oh, and the international incident was when the male park guards tried to sell or even give away their very large female colleague to me. Olivie (for that was she) roared with laughter as my Swahili only just managed to keep pace with the most obvious innuendo and rudery. I am sure my wife and family would have been thrilled (not) if I had brought her home as my second wife. Mind you, there was plenty of her to go round.
All in all a super trip, but I now need a little lie down.
Tanzania is a very full on safari experience, but incredibly rewarding for anybody who is prepared to be a bit forgiving. The people are charming and have a great sense of humour, and thrilled if you tell them how lovely the country is . It needs more visitors - we in the West ask a lot from the Africans to care and manage the heritage of their wildlife, but we have to realize that it comes for them at a huge cost – in not many parts of the world do the major tourist attractions (think British Museum and Buckingham Palace) destroy your crops and eat you, so we have a duty to support them as much as we can.
General misinformation is also to blame for the current dearth of visitors – apparently the Ebola scare has decimated the numbers despite the fact that Tanzania is at less risk of an outbreak than Europe.
Now, about my next trip...
With very many thanks
Marcus
Email Jeff W. | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
The consultants know their destinations very well having travelled there themselves.
My wife and I have travelled with Tribes on a number of occasions and have always found them to be excellent. So much so that for the only time in nearly 30 years of wildlife safaris we returned to the same destination of Old Mondoro camp on the Zambezi which Tribes had recommended some years before. This latest trip lived up to all our fond memories and we had no regrets that we had repeated the trip.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Friendly, helpful, and very professional
Very well organised from start to finish no hitches whatsoever. The whole trip lived up to our expectations. Couldn't be more satisfied with their service
Email Carol and Laurie | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Why Tribes are good to travel with
We have traveled many times with Tribes ourselves, arranged our son and daughter-in-law's honeymoon with them, and recommended friends who have traveled with them. They may not be the cheapest option, but the attention to ethical and sustainability issues, the highly personal - and incredibly patient - service, the way trips can be personalised and made to fit what we have wanted, the range of contacts Tribes have developed in destination countries - all this has a value you cannot put a price on. They are lovely people and Amanda and Guy (and now Tracey) feel more like friends than our travel agents.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A professional company who put together a holiday that matched our requirements
All communications with Tribes was good from start to finish and they listened to what we wanted and put together a holiday in Malawi that matched our needs and more. We loved our safari on the Shire River and would recommend it to any one as a good starting point for a first safari.
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
A guaranteed "above and beyond" travel experience whichever part of the world you visit.
I have travelled with Tribes on five occasions since 2010 and on each occasion I can honestly say that all the trips were very special. The staff have all visited the areas which you visit and therefore have intimate and personal knowledge of the area, the best time to visit and the best camps that will meet your budget. Whilst for me the focus is on wildlife, Tribes will include places of cultural interest if that suits your taste. And that was how I came to visit the wonderful temples at Khajerahoo in India, before starting an amazing two weeks tiger trip.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
On safari withy a Tribes Travel
We have used Tribes Travel on several occasions now, booking two holidays in Botswana, two in Zambia and one in South Africa. On every occasion they were professional and unbelievably helpful and also very friendly. they have always answered queries no matter how silly or trivial. All the holidays ran smoothly with no hold ups or problems. We have always been extremely impressed with Tribes and would not hesitate to recommend them to others or use them again in the future. When going on Safari it can cost a fair amount of money and when booking with Tribes I know without doubt that the trip will run smoothly and the camps will be exactly as we would hope for. I always appreciated that Tribes took the time to speak to us, to get to know us and therefore find out what camps would suit us best. Without sounding too gushing, they really do seem to care about their clients .. even to phoning before the holiday to wish you Bon Voyage and again on your return to ensure all went well. I genuinely cannot speak too highly of them.
Email Marcus Rutherford | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
I am not your average safari traveller and the trips they organised for me (3 so far) were perfect
Planning, execution and follow up were marvellous, leaving me free to enjoy a hassle free safari experience. Each trip has been different and each in its own way really memorable. I would not consider using any other operator as the Tribes team plainly knows what it is doing.
HU
Email Janos | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A tour operator exactly how we expect
In fact I have been not only once with Tribes which means I am a return client - self explanatory. I went on private tours with them, this is what I like. I tell them what I want to see, how I want to travel, etc., then we begin a dialogue including maybe other attractions, changing the order of visiting some attractions, etc. In other words we finetune my expectations. Then I will find exactly what we agreed upon. So simple.