On Safari in the Mara
The Safari Partners
- Located In:
-
Canada
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 2010)
- Member Of:
- IATA, ACTA & TOPAC
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $300 to $1,000 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
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Email Ron Jacques | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Exceeded expectations
I wanted a special trip to celebrate turning 80 and looked at quite a few safari options. After speaking at length to Chris, I chose Safari Partners, and I could not be more satisfied with the results. Chris selected three camps, and the progression from first to third was perfect. The driver/guides at all three camps were excellent. Their knowledge of the animals and their ability to find them gave us great experiences every day. The arrangements Chris and Jen made were seamless, making for one of the most relaxed trips I have ever had. I recommend Safari Partners to anyone who's looking for the best safari planners.
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Email Joanne | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
What an Amazing Experience!
I was one of four in our party that traveled to Kenya and Tanzania in September and October on a private luxury tour. After a safari in each country, we ended our trip chilling on the beach in Zanzibar. Chris and Jen planned every detail which enabled us to travel to all of our destinations and accommodations with ease. What an experience! The tent camps and accommodations were first rate. (I particularly loved Mara Crossings in Kenya and the Luxury Escarpment in Tanzania!). The safari guides were personable and knowledgeable and provided the ultimate safari experience in both the Mara and the Serengeti. (I really wanted to slip a Dik Dik in my suitcase but managed to resist). This was truly a bucket list trip. Thank you Chris and Jen for your meticulous planning to make this an amazing experience!
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Email Alison | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
The company that thinks of everything!
Safari Partners were fabulous! Our trip was complicated for several reasons, and Chris and Jen rolled with all the changes and requests. The administration was great, the choices they made for us were excellent. They listened really well to our requirements, and counselled us on changes as needed. The partners they used in Kenya and Tanzania were really good, with all the logistics taken care of smoothly for us. You won't be sorry you used them to design and organise your safari!
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Email Dayle & Johanna | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Absolutely Amazing!
Thanks to you and your staff for putting together an amazing and seamless adventure!
It was what we were hoping for and our expectations were blown out of the world!
Our guides were exceptional, very knowledgeable, always looking for our best interests and helped to make this our lifetime dream trip.
We saw all of the big 5 and so much more, but seeing them was only a small part of this wonderful adventure. The people of Africa are very friendly and welcoming and the landscapes were beautiful.
The gorilla trek was amazing, this should be a must on everyone’s bucket list and the balloon safari was perfect! We saw 2 hyenas take down a wildebeest from the balloon. Our pilot was so excited, he said he has only seen 3 kills from the balloon in his 27 years of flying them.
The accommodations were over the top, we were welcomed enthusiastically and treated like royalty, each time we were on our way to the next stop we said that they couldn’t get any better and then we were surprised again and again. The Residence in Zanzibar was beyond phenomenal, complete with our own 12’ x 27’ private pool. What a great way to relax for the long journey home.
I adopted 2 baby elephants at the orphanage, (I have been in love with elephants since I was about 5), so that was a no brainer and probably expected by everyone in my family! Lol
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Email Janet | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fabulous well organized trip.
My review will echo all the other reviews. Highly organized. Very impressive. The staff at the camps and boutique hotels always expected our arrival. They called us by name and always new exactly what tours we were doing. I never once showed a voucher that Chris sent us. Everyone was always punctual,enthusiastic knowledgeable and FUN! Great communication with Chris and the staff. As this trip was originally planned for 2020, we had lots of communication with Chris. I always felt confident that the trip would eventually happen. Chris managed to get refunds for our international flights. We did the East Africa safari and the South Africa tour. All accommodations were lovely.
The only thing I would have liked to have change is another night at the Escarpment luxury lodge…our final stay of the safari. It was truly fantastic and lovely. Best for last! I would have also liked to have added 2 more nights in Knysna, South Africa. The boutique hotel was spa like and relaxing and there is lots to do and see in this stunningly beautiful area. We didn’t have time with 2 nights to do it all.
Highly recommend this tour and this company. The trip was beyond our expectations.
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Email Marci | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Meticulous planning and a wealth of knowledge.
This was my second trip to Africa, the first to Kenya and this one to Botswana and South Africa. Both trips were painstakingly organized a year in advance by Chris at the Safari Partners. Every detail, from flights to tour guides to pickups at airports, was meticulously planned and carried out without a single hitch. I felt safe and well looked after the entire trip. Like my first trip to Kenya this trip to Botswana and South Africa was memorable and awe inspiring. Highlights were the &Beyond Sandibe Okavango safari lodge in Botswana and the Babylonstoren farm and winery in South Africa. Two places I will dream and reminisce about the rest of my life, I never wanted to leave. The accommodations, staff and locations were perfection, words cannot describe how amazing they were. I have and will recommend the Safari Partners to anyone, their knowledge and professionalism is unparalleled. The extremely detailed and informative itinerary they provide is such a treat to study both before and after the trip. Chris has outdone himself on my two trips to Africa and I already want to go back. Maybe the gorillas in Uganda this time? Without a doubt I will use the Safari Partners to plan my next trip.
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Email Anne | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The Safari Partners provide unparalleled service and trip/event planning - just amazing
This is our second trip with the Safari Partners. Chris helped us plan the trip of a lifetime, taking our kids to Africa. We spent time at camps in Botswana and then a few days in Cape Town. Everything was literally perfect (yes, perfect). We were met at airports and guides showed up on time, without issue. Flights were seamless, including our ‘puddle jumpers’ to the camps. Chris helped us find really good rates for our first class tickets (important when you are flying six people!) and he was completely transparent about all costs on the trip.
We stayed at two camps in Botswana - food was amazing, the staff was fabulous and the accommodations first rate. Our game rides were out of this world…our kids saw and experienced things they never thought they would.
In Cape Town, we stayed a wonderful boutique hotel, really well located. We had guided tours of Cape Town and went the Cape Peninsula. The guide Chris arranged was knowledgeable and flexible when we wanted to do a few other things.
I have recommended Chris and the Safari Partners to several friends and they have all had great experiences. We will go back to Africa again, and I will only use Chris.
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Email Monica | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
AMAZING! SEAMLESS! PROFESSIONAL! RELIABLE!
We just returned from Zimbabwe and Botswana and had one of the best family trips we have ever ever had. We had booked this long awaited trip pre-COVID and with Safari Partner's patience and professionalism, we were finally able to make it happen. We have travelled extensively, and I have to say that this was one of the most seamless and 'value for money' trips that we have ever taken. Chris and his team were professional, patient, responsive, knowledgeable, caring and pragmatic. The accommodations and tour operators in Zimbabwe and Botswana were amazing and of very high quality and experience. The information received from Chris and his team pre-trip was comprehensive and accurate. I would not hesitate to book another trip with Safari Partners! I better start saving and planning for my next Africa adventure which I will be sure to book with Safari Partners!
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Email Leah | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The most seamless and incredible experience in turbulent times!
After starting this booking process pre-covid in 2019 we FINALLY got our dream honeymoon and it was totally worth the wait!! Chris and his team successfully assisted, guided and navigated us through the most uncertain and turbulent travel planning times right up until the day before we left! From the first conversation with Chris where he provided extensive knowledge, insight and advice we knew we would be in good hands and did not hesitate to start the booking process. Although our itinerary changed multiples times through the 2+ planning years the finally itinerary was still just as incredible as the first one we had to make sacrifices on. Our itinerary was narrowed down to just visiting Kenya and we spent 1 day in Nairobi, 4 days at the Elephant Bedroom Camp in Samburu and 5 days at andBeyond Kichwa Tembo.
We could use every word that positively describes an experience like wonderful, outstanding, amazing, incredible, ect. and it still wouldn't do our first trip to Africa justice. We aren't lying when we say that we had zero issues or negative experiences throughout the whole planning and travel process, everything was absolutely seamless. In fact, we felt guilty talking about how wonderful our experience was compared to the honeymooning couple from the UK we were paired with that also used a travel agent for the first time and had nothing short of a nightmare experience.
It was our first trip to Africa and it most certainly won’t be our last nor will this be our last trip we book with The Safari Partners. Huge shout out to Chris and his team for making our dreams come true!!!
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Everything went seamlessly, even the Covid tests
My husband and I just came back from a month in southern Africa that included four countries, South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Botswana Okavango Delta. Our consultant Chris Ronneseth of The Safari Partners was extremely helpful in planning this fairly complicated itinerary that included 9 internal flights and four Covid tests. Everything happened as planned with no major glitches. I am here to tell you that I felt safer in Africa with regard to Covid than I do in my own home state of New Jersey. Covid is taken seriously in all the countries we visited, with daily temperature checks of all personnel and travelers, mask mandates indoors and outdoors in a group, and sanitizers provided and required at the entrance of all stores. Many of the people who interacted with us had been vaccinated and some were eagerly awaiting their vaccines. Everyone took precautions as required by the laws of their countries. We felt very protected on this trip. The lodges and hotels were amazing as well!