The Chalo Africa Inc Team
Chalo Africa
- Located In:
-
United States
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2012)
- Member Of:
- ATTA & APTA
- Tour Types:
- Custom luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $500 to $1,600 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
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Email Girija | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent attempt to details
Hi Chalo Africa team, we all returned from our memorable trip to South Africa. I am very impressed with all your local team members. I was a little nervous traveling with all the kids but all the places we stayed were kid friendly. The trip was organized well with attention to details. The location at Camps Bay village was unbeatable. So was the hospitality at Tau game lodge. Our guide Damion was kind enough to take all the kids on a kids safari drive. All in all a memorable time for our family. Thank you for your help organizing this trip.
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Email Sushila | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent attention to detail - every request handled with infinite care!
This was our very first safari - 5 of us - and we decided to combine it with a Kili-climbing effort. Our research started 6 months before our intended trip and Chalo Africa handled our zillion questions with patience and detail. How many routes are there to Kili - which route is the best option for novices - day-time summit or night-time - temperature ranges on top of Kili - gear checklist - menu options for vegetarians - sampler safari for first timers etc. Each question/concern/apprehension was dealt with promptly and with unfailing politeness.
Our kili team was with Shah tours - and we have not come across a harder-working and more professional set of porters and guides - not to mention the one cook who catered to our every whim with a cheerful smile on his face - salad, french fries, rice, vegetable stews, omelettes, pasta and marinara - you name it - we had it on Kili. Eventually, 2 out of our group succumbed to altitude sickness and had to return before summit day. Chalo team made sure that they made it back to ground zero safely and followed up on their health status the next 3 days. I, on the other hand, will maintain until the end of my Life - that had it not been for the strong and supporting hand of Augustine - our tireless Kili guide & our two summit porters - would've never made it to Gilman's Point - the very first peak. We ran out of time to get to Uhuru - guess that'll have to wait another year.
Our safari experience was incredible. We covered the major parks in Tanzania in 5 days - Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Serengeti, Ngorogoro. Our guide Fadhili Miya - incredibly knowledgeable about every subject under the sun. He was our very own Google/Wikipedia combination and tirelessly educated us on everything from the big 5 to local politics, the Masai people, economic stability, cuisine - there is nothing that the man does not know.
Our very first day - we saw a black Mamba cross our path - Fadhili said in all his years he has seen just one other time. The third day, Fadhili spotted a mamma cheetah with 2 cubs and decided at one glance that they were hungry and on the move for food. That if we followed them for a little while, we would be able to witness them hunting. Sure enough - we carefully stalked the mom and her babies for a little over an hour just as they themselves stalked a herd of unsuspecting gazelles - until at the very end - even though I was closely following every move of mamma Cheetah, she was so darn fast - that it was over in a flash. Just as well - because I was saddened for the gazelle herd even though I understood that the Cheetahs had to eat. We were literally parked 15 feet away from the Cheetahs while they scrunched and slurped their way through lunch - but they were very refined and couth. There were no gory blood and guts sight - and we went home that evening awed at Fadhili's instincts and grateful for that very rare opportunity to witness something so uniquely untamed and wildly beautiful.
Our "tents" and lodges were beautiful and given the surroundings - lakes, forests etc. - surprisingly mosquito-free. And the food - SPECTACULAR!!! There was a buffet in all but one place - sumptuous salads, bread rolls, fresh fruits, vegetables grilled to perfection, chicken & beef for the carnivores, dessert table with cheesecake, chocolate cake, custards et al. The pineapples here are the sweetest I have had anywhere in the world. And a bar with an assortment of great wines and other alcohols/cocktails.
Today is my last day in Africa - we moved on from Tanzania to Nairobi - Kenya. I am already feeling sad at the thought of leaving - but hope to be back again someday. Thank you Chalo - for an amazing journey and for opening up a whole new world for us. Asante sana!!! :-)
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Email Karthik K | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent & Reliable
Our group of 16 people was scheduled to go to Kenya in March, 2020 which got cancelled due to the travel restrictions in place due to the Covid 19 pandemic. Our booking was a very complex one with people coming from multiple destinations on separate dates to meet up in Nairobi before heading to Olare Mara. The team at Chalo Africa never said no to any of our requests and many changes we requested during the course of the booking. They made sure everything was covered. And i knew they were good because i had gone on a trip to Tanzania which was planned by them in 2016.
I am sure there are a few other operators who can provide such service. But the way they kept in touch after the cancellation and worked out various options for us to either get a refund or credit is a statement of their character in such tough times and is truly commendable. My family and friends will definitely make this trip and Chalo Africa will be our agency of choice to plan the trip.
I would like to thank the all star team of Sangeeta, Smita and Malavika for everything and would like to wish them all the best.
Best Wishes
KK
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Email Kim Wallihan | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
FANTASTIC customer service and communication! Flexible and Knowledgeable! Highest recommendation!
Let me preface this review by saying that I rarely use travel agents as I enjoy researching and planning vacations. However, for a bucket list Africa trip, I wanted to make sure it was done right and was at a bit of a loss. Chalo was recommended by a friend who sang Sangeeta’s praises and am happy to report the accolades are well earned. My expectations were exceeded!
The biggest advantage Chalo provides is their knowledge about Africa (in our case, S Africa, Krueger, Namibia) and their incredible on the ground service. Our trip was shortened by one day because United Airlines cancelled our connecting flight (that’s a very different review, lol) and we missed the flight into Johannesburg. Whilst we were hurriedly getting retested for COVID due to expiring test results for S African entry, Sangeeta and team did the Lord’s work notifying various hotels/lodges, reconfiguring tours and itineraries and reticketing intra and intercountry flights (intracountry flight to Krueger, intercountry to Namibia). Her team did this quickly and with no effort on my part and I appreciated not having to worry about these changes.
Even more critically, Chalo has an extremely reliable agent on the ground in S Africa. Stanley met us at the airport to introduce himself. That alone assured me I was in good hands. However, Stanley’s benefit really came into sharp focus when the COVID testing lab produced “inconclusive” results for my son at 10pm when we were supposed to fly to Namibia at 10am! Even prior to that, Stanley was on the phone really pushing the lab for 3 hours, just to locate the status of our results as they had mistyped our email and the results were lost to the ether. I cannot imagine having to deal with this lab and communicate the quandary. Stanley ended up taking a cab to our hotel at 5:30am in order to personally walk us into the lab at the airport at 6am
To make sure we got retested in time for our 10am flight. EXTRAORDINARY SERVICE!
Finally, I know I haven’t referenced the actual itinerary. It was amazing! We loved our safari lodge (Simbavati Amani) and the hotels in Namibia (Sossusvlei Lodge and Olive Tree guesthouse in Windhoek). We had great guides in the safari and the food was spectacular. Sossusvlei was ethereal and magical and I would never have thought about visiting unless Sangeeta had suggested it. However, lots of different travel planners would be able to provide wonderful itineraries - where Chalo stands out is the attention to detail, amazing communication (seriously, they are so quick to respond and happy to entertain any number of questions and changes), and fantastic service in the event of hiccups.
What I thought of us as a bucket list vacation was such an amazing experience, thanks to Chalo, that we are already taking about our next trip to Africa. Not bucket list anymore, it is now my favorite place to visit, and I can’t wait to go back!
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Email Joe | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent Advice and Operations
When we started this we had no idea where to go or how much to spend we only knew we wanted to travel on safari. The team at Chalo understood our budget and helped plan everything from the Covid tests and flights to the camps and balloon adventures. This was the most memorable trip we have had and Chalo was right there to give us real time advice when we had questions or didn’t fully understand once we were in Africa. I would highly recommend them to anyone trying to book a safari.
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Email Krishna | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A true Lifetime Experience with a Great Operator
We rarely use travel agents during our travels, and was put across to you'll from asilia for the bookings, and I am glad that this happened. The knowledge and suggestions from Smita and the team at Challo Africa made the trip what it was.
Visiting a luxury game camp in Africa is all about the correct itinerary and people of the camps and this is the most important part where Challo Africa was amazing at.
Suggestions about which property to visit in which order to see what kind of game, to help book us the best guides, and a ton of surprises at each of the properties made this a once in a lifetime trip.
Could not recommend or suggest Challo Africa as well as Asilia enough to everyone on a trip to Africa.
Asilia is an outstanding brand, which makes you feel like you are a part of the family, and definitely one that will be a leader in this experience based travel in Africa. This is one of many in the future.
One small feedback for Asilia for back end reservations - during covid when there is a certain amount of uncertainty, especially for high end travel such as this, would appreciate some more flexibility/support regarding bookings and management in case of any unfortunate issues due to covid.
Communications- Were great and they were always there for us regardless of the time. We had a small incident at one of our properties and got it resolved within 10 mins thanks to Challo Africa!
Value for Money- This was definitely an expensive trip, but we found the value in this.
Reliability - 100%
The Tour was incredible and unmatched. Definitely speak to Challo Africa to book an African Adventure, and if the budget allows, Asilia is the best option in Africa!
Email Elisha | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great advice, prompt responses! Booked Sayari Camp
I was speaking with Smita mostly. I was very happy with the way she thought about situations to give me the best options and outcomes. She always had my best interest in mind!
Sayari itself was amazing! A luxury (permanent) camp with all the bells and whistles. Breakfast and lunch with set for everyone. As we didn't have many dietary requirements, we ate what they gave us and it was always very decent. For dinner you get a choice between two starters, a choice between two mains and a choice between two desserts.
In terms of game drives, amazing time of the year to be in norther serengeti /mara river!! We saw so many amazing things, like a fight between leopards and lions. Huge prides of lions, huge herds of elephants and of course the river crossing of the Great migration.
The Chalo Africa team starts a WhatsApp group with you and the team members, in case of any issues or questions during your trip.
The team also works together, for example is smita couldn't reply, Sangeeta or Malvika would reply instead.
Definitely recommend the team and Sayari!
KW
Email Pia | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Super professional
Smita was the one who helped us organize this amazing adventure, and honestly it was like working with a friend.
From the start, she was extremely patient, very professional, attentive to our needs and to all details, ensuring our experience would be smooth and flawless (and it was). So thank you Chalo Africa for your follow-up and efforts in making this an unforgettable trip!
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Email Amish | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic, organized, reliable and comforting!
Our family of 4 travelled to Tanzania in May 2022. Sangeeta and Malvika handled our arrangements. When there were multiple last minute changes to our flight itineraries they handled the various permutations with patience, grace and our best interests in mind.
I can't say enough good things about the places they recommended we stay and visit. The entire experience, from how and what to pack, to making sure we were greeted personally at each airport was smooth, seamless and high class. I highly recommend Chalo Africa-they will arrange a trip of a lifetime for you! We wish we could have stayed longer!
Email Dripto | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Flawless
Chalo Africa provided us with an excellent service and went out of their way to negotiate with Governors camp to postpone our Covid affected trip by 2 years! An extremely professional unit of Safari enthusiasts, Chalo Africa has the required expertise to make valuable recommendations about all aspects of the Safari experience to suit all budgets. Communication, payments, bookings, follow ups before and during trip - was flawless. Highly recommended using Chalo Africa for your dream Safari experience.
