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
IN
Email Tarun Basu | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
It was very niche
The entire trip was very professionally organised and exceeded our expectations. We returned happy and fulfilled about a trip that was on our bucket list for a long time.
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Email Steve B. | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Gabon -- Unique Country, Unforgettable Trip, Great Travel Company
I just returned from two of the most remarkable weeks I have ever had in Africa. Chalo Africa put together their first two Gabon Safaris in July and August (2019) and I was on the second trip. It wasn't a safari for the inexperienced traveler; internal transportation in Gabon is a mess so traveling between three amazing national parks (Lope, Ivindo, Loango) was very time consuming. But the experience in each park was unique and worth the effort. And Chalo did a fine job of arranging the best transport possible, given the challenges.
One of Chalo Africa's owners, Sangeeta Prasad, accompanied six of us on this journey in order to get some first-hand experience
in Gabon. The whole group, including Sangeeta, was a fun collection of unique individuals. We laughed a lot.
Among our outstanding experiences were:
-- seeing members of the world's largest mandrill troupe (Lope Park),
-- spending several days viewing forest elephants, red river hogs and gorillas at Langoué Baï in Ivindo Park,
-- and cruising the lagoons and waterways of Loango National Park.
Loango was the overall wildlife highlight. There, we trekked through rainforest following habituated lowland gorillas (less than 30 yards away), had an amazing guide, Dmitri, who wandered into the mangroves in pitch darkness and came back to the boat with a 4 foot Dwarf Crocodile (fairly rare), and we saw large numbers of elephants, extraordinary birds, red river hogs, hippos and much more. Note: we weren't at Loango in the correct season to see surfing hippos and elephants on the beach, but the stay at Loango Lodge was very comfortable and our two nights at their Akaka bush camp was a great experience.
Chalo Africa put together a unique trip to little-visited places. Their entire staff (including in-country operator Guillermo) could not have been nicer. This trip had logistic challenges (i.e. catching trains in the middle of the night); but it was full of good times. I recommend it to other experienced travelers .
US
Email Chhavi | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Madagascar, South Africa & Namibia - Unforgettable experience
My 5th grader and a small group middle school and high school students along with educators and a few parents went to Madagascar as a part of a school organized trip in Northern Virginia. We wanted to extend the trip for a total of 4 weeks (2 weeks - Madagascar/School trip and 2 weeks - Family trip with 2 boys 14 yrs and 11 yrs - South Africa/Namibia), and decided to work with Chalo Africa for the entire trip (as they were recommended by the school). From start to finish - and they were incredible. They by far exceeded all of our expectations and went above and beyond anything we could have ever imagined. We are last minute travelers, so booking safaris and other unique experiences in such short notice is incredibly difficult to do alone. But they have many connections & contacts and were able to provide us with top notch accommodations in less than a month before our trip. We are not typical touristy travelers, as we tend to enjoy non-obvious type vacations that create long lasting memories and experiences. Sangeeta listened to our needs and from talking to us - she suggested traveling to Namibia (which wasn't even on our radar), and created an itinerary that fit perfectly with our travel style. She recommended that we participate in Rhino conservation where a group of scientists sedate the endangered rhino and perform rhino notching. I didn't know what to expect, and had never heard of this before. I have to say that being a part of this experience of Rhino darting/notching is something our family will never forget. It was definitely one of the highlights of our trip. We received a leather bound journal and itinerary, information guides on animals - geared for the kids, a safari cross-body bag and binoculars. They provided us with detailed information about clothing, what to bring, what to expect, helped us figure out immunizations/shots etc. Madagascar was organized by teachers from the school and they worked with Sangeeta and her team to create the itinerary. My husband and my 11 year went to Madagascar and really enjoyed the trip. We were also able to communicate with the team and the ground team through Whatsapp during our entire stay. Any questions or concerns were handled immediately. It was such a pleasure to work with them. Our trip was complicated, with several stays, flights, and requests - and I'm so impressed that they were able to figure it out in such a short time. I have already recommended Chalo Africa to several of our friends who were amazed when they saw our pics of our accommodations and destinations. We will definitely be using them again.
IN
Email Saumil | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
A brilliantly planned holiday...
Thorough in their research and with an eye for minor details, we thank chalo africa for managing and micromanaging our trip. The places of our stay were uniquely exotic and their activity suggestions truly commendable. We will be booking with chalo africa in our future trips to africa too.
US
Email Elisabeth | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Can’t imagine using anyone else again!
I am a French teacher, and have been touring French-speaking Africa with my students for a decade and a half. With that said, this is the first time I used Chalo Africa, and the last time I’ll ever use another company other than them. From start to finish, the entire Chalo Africa team made me feel as though I was their only client. In addition, the tour itself (of Madagascar) was the best I’ve ever experienced! From the tour guides, the naturalists, bus drivers and all the eco-activities, everything was TOP NOTCH. As both an educator and former resident of Madagascar, I can honestly say that this tour exceeded all of my expectations. This team is fantastic!
US
Email Raghav | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very personal and outstanding
We worked with the Chalo Africa team Sangeeta, Malvika, Smita and Tanvi to plan our Tanzania visit. They had been recommended by our friends. Found the whole experience very personal to plan out the various details and very responsive. Their knowledge comes from personally leading expeditions and a true love for Africa. That showed in our itinerary. Our experience was very very good. Even during the safari, they had opened a Whatsapp group to keep in touch and made sure that we were taken care of.
Highly recommend them.
SG
Email Aniruddha | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful Experience
Extremely helpful, accommodating and very honest.
I was a little sceptical about the whole experience prior to my visit. But, I have to be honest, I was mind blown.
Highly Highly Recommended!
NZ
Email Marion | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trustworthy and efficient.
Hi Malvika
Just winding down our trip now and would like to thank you and your crew for the work you have done on our behalf.
We have had an amazing trip.
Jock’s was outstanding, the Blue Train was interesting and unique, and the accomodation and golf, first class!!
We have loved the South African experience and would definitely consider another trip.
Thanks once again
Marion
US
Email Kumar S. | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great choice of camps in the Mara!
We visited the Mara in August 2018 to catch the migration. After contacting several tour operators, we settled on Chalo Africa. We had a great experience with the team. They were happy to suggest camps according to our requirements. We saw some incredible river crossings. The team were always responsive to all our queries.
Wonderful Kenya trip thanks to 'Chalo Africa'
We just had a wonderful Safari trip in Kenya thanks to Chalo Africa team. We are extremely happy with all the help Chalo Africa provided in planning our itinerary, making sure that lodges/camps could meet our special food requirements, ensuring that we had a knowledgeable and helpful local guide/driver (Charles O..) to take us around from the time we landed in Kenya to the time we left. It was also nice that Chalo Africa set up a What’sapp group so we can communicate with Chalo Africa team and our family in the US while we were on the trip.
Sangeeta in the Chalo Africa USA office was very helpful from the planning stage to the time we were back from the actual trip. We changed the itinerary a few times and she patiently suggested different options and answered all our queries. Chalo Africa provided good details of what we will see/visit each day, information for Kenya VISA and vaccination requirements and suggestion on what to bring with us for the trip. While on the trip, the local Chalo Africa office person did call us to make sure everything was okay.