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 Charlie Tuck | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
What a Trip! Great Service!
We have just returned home from our safari in Botswana, and I wanted to let you know how pleased we were with the experience.
From our arrival in Victoria Falls, to our departure from Cape Town three weeks later, everything was exactly as planned. All the drivers were on time, transport was clean and modern, and the accommodations at the lodges were excellent. I have to mention that the laundry service at the three lodges in Botswana was an important perk that we were not expecting, but so useful.
Our driver in Cape Town, Farid, was a fountain of information, and made the trip more interesting than it would have been otherwise. The two B and B hotels in South Africa were charming and welcoming with excellent breakfasts.
I don't know if we have ever taken a trip before where everything went as smoothly.
So, thank you for putting together a trip of a lifetime for Judy and I. If anyone ever needs a personal reference, please feel free to have them contact us.
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Email Brenda | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Chris and Jen provide incredible service!
Friends recommended Safari Partners to us when we were thinking about booking an African trip. Chris listened to what we were hoping to see and do and what our budget was. He put together an amazing itinerary for us! As has been mentioned in all the other reviews the camps/lodges/resorts he chose were beyond our wildest dreams! The level of service and the beautiful souls delivering it were something I had never experienced before. I have a lot of food allergies, Chris and Jen made sure all the places we stayed were aware of them and I had some of the best food I have ever had! Although we had expressed reservations about going to the genocide memorial in Kigali Chris strongly suggested we should go. Thank you Chris! Hard as it was, it must be experienced. The Rwandan people are amazing! The gorilla trek should be on your bucket list if it isn't already. What an experience. The Bishop's House in Musane is the perfect place to stay when doing a gorilla trek.
Buffalo Springs Surana Camp and Entim Private Camp Maasai Mara were amazing experiences. We had incredible guides at both spots. The list of animals we saw is too long to mention. The wildebeest crossing was a highlight for us.
We finished off our trip with 3 days of lounging at Lux Marijani Zanzibar. The perfect way to relax and process all we had experienced.
To have a trip like this where you don't have to worry about how you are going to get from place to place makes all the difference in the world. Thank you Chris and Jen for making this so incredible!
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Email Vicci | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Thank you Safari Partners for the trip of a life time!
Six years ago, Chris Ronneseth and Safari Partners organized a breathtaking trip for us to Namibia and Botswana. We loved Africa so much that we were determined to return. Chris organized an extraordinary excursion to Kenya and Tanzania in August of 2024. He patiently helped us to plan a trip that we could afford. The camps and lodges were outstanding, and the people were gracious and attentive. All of the transportation and connections went like clockwork. We experienced the trip of a lifetime. To be so close to leopards, lions, and cheetahs and to witness the majesty of the Serengeti met all our expectations. I believe that Africa will call us again, and we will call on Chris to help us plan for the adventure.
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Email Chantal | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Incredible Trip with Safari Partners again!
This was our second trip booked with Safari Partners and it did not disappoint! Thank you to Chris and his team in nailing what we were looking for on this trip! I can not say enough about the ease and organization of our holiday. Chris recommended the LEWA Conservancy and it was nothing short of magical! The fly in and out holiday was unforgettable. If you are thinking about a trip to Africa this is the company to book with.
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Email Laurie | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
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Many kudos to Safari Partners who executed the perfect trip for us. We travelled from Rwanda to Uganda for a Gorilla trek, to two safaris in Kenya Samburu and Masai Mara then down to Cape Town and Franschoek. With so many parts to link together we were amazed that all transitions were seamless. Each person encountered was so fantastically helpful, friendly and welcoming. The accommodations were lovely and all but one (which was still ok and I loved the history of the place- Nairobi Fairmont) I would recommend.
It was reassuring Safari Partners were only a message away to help if needed (as we heard back promptly with an answer regarding over booking at the hotel in Kigali). We always felt we were with friends in a very beautiful but then unknown part of our incredible world. Thank you sincerely. I will continue to recommend Safari Partners as the agency to use.
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Email Heather Laing | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing tour of Kenya and Tanzania (Kiboko tour)
I am a 67-year-old woman who travelled solo on the two-week Kiboko tour offered by The Safari Partners. I'm very pleased to say the trip exceeded my expectations. Booking the trip was easy; the Nairobi airport pick-up was seamless; accommodation was always unique and in a few instances, unexpectedly luxurious; food was usually buffet style with a hot station for fresh omelets for breakfast/pasta for dinner'; all 'Safari' guides/employees were friendly and knowledgeable. The safaris themselves were incredible. Animals were everywhere and easily seen. In a few instances they were close enough to walk right beside our jeep - seven lions passed by so close I could have reached out and touched them. When I got back to Canada, several people asked me if I had felt safe. The question caught me off-guard as the issue of not being safe had never crossed my mind on the trip.
I never repeat a trip - been there, done that attitude - but for this trip I would make an exception and do it all over again.
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Email Andrew | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
An Outstanding trip of a lifetime for 3 generations.
Safari Partners provided my family with the trip of a lifetime that none of us will ever forget. From the moment we touched down in Johannesburg through our safari at Simbavati then onto CapeTown and finishing with a few days in the Winelands Safari Partners provided us with an outstanding experience in every respect. They arranged for great boutique accommodation that just kept getting better and better as the trip went along. It finished with perhaps the best resort hotel experience even the most experienced traveler has ever had with our stay in Babylonstonen.
This does not mean any of the other accommodations were less than outstanding and in fact they each were superlative in their own right. Of particular note was the time we spent on safari at Simbavati where we saw literally every animal it was possible to see over a three day period. This included lions (including cubs, lionesses as well as lions), elephants, rhinos, three different Leopards (normally you are lucky to see one), water buffalo, hippos, warthogs, wildebeast, springbok, impala, springbok and many others.
We had excellent guides in both Johannesburg and Capetown who went way beyond our expectations. Service at the hotels was outstanding, the meals uniformly both excellent and reasonably priced.
We cannot say enough positive things about our time in South Africa courtesy of Safari Partners and at the end we all want to come back to this beautiful land and its warm and wonderful people.
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Email Joy | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
No follow up
A few mistakes in our flight itinerary, one of the hotels dropped the ball regarding transfers, had to be stressed out and contacted Chris he got back to us and said he would look into it. He said he would get back to us but never heard from him again. Chris never followed up after the trip either as we expected he might do to get our feedback or explain what happened. One of the hotels we stayed at was under construction. Things happen on holidays that are out of peoples control I get it but we feel with how things happened there would have been some follow up. We are well travelled and have done many private tours with follow up afterwards.
Reply from The Safari Partners
Posted on Oct 26, 2023Hello Joy, thank you for your review. We are very sorry we did not full meet your expectations for your safari. We pride ourselves on the itineraries we design to run smoothly and to keep you focused on enjoying your trip, not the logistics. We want you to come back with fond memories, not feeling like things could have gone better.
In this case, our local operator in Victoria Falls dropped the ball on getting transfer times correct and communicated to you. Please accept our sincerest apologies as this should not happen. We have since worked to address this with the appropriate teams so that it does not happen in the future. When I became aware of this situation, I immediately responded to clarify and rectify the situation and was in contact with you continuously on this matter. I am always there for my clients (as you will see from other reviews) as I know they trust us to make their logistics effortless and holiday memorable.
It is not always apparent, but I am continuously checking on clients with the hotels, guides and teams on the ground in the background to ensure that things run well. This is even more important when a client has experienced a hiccup along the way. I had been constant contact with our partners for you, and received reports that you were enjoying your time throughout following on from your stay in Vic Falls. I actually emailed with your husband while you were in Botswana with a followup on the transfers in Vic Falls and to check on your stay so far. I wanted you to know that I had spoken to everyone and reconfirmed all arrangements were in place and correct from there onward. Your husband responded positively that you were enjoying your experience so far and thanked me for following up.
As you transitioned to the Cape region, I checked in with your guide Thomas on your time in Cape Town and Winelands and how things were going. He remarked on how fun you were as clients, and that you were really enjoying your experience there.
South Africa is experiencing a boom in tourism and post-pandemic there has been a fair amount of building taking place. There was some construction happening on the backside of One Marine Drive in Hermanus and I have confirmed that this only took place between 9 AM - 4 PM when you would have been on day tours. Your room was on the other side of the property facing the sea and should have not impacted your stay. Hermanus in particular is extremely busy in September and given you would be out during these times on tours, we did not want to rebook you in a property of a much lesser standard. Our sincerest apologies for any disruption to your enjoyment this caused.
Despite all this I do hope you enjoyed your trip as a whole. Thank you again for all your feedback and I hope that we can take you to Africa again one day. We would like to show you that this was the exception and not the rule. We take great pride in our attention to detail and planning.
Warm Regards,
Chris.
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Email Doug | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Safari partners was absolutely amazing, well organized and very accommodating
Trip of a lifetime
A safari was always on my bucket list. We finally decided to go and I searched for a safari tour operator. There were so many to choose from. Safari partners popped up on one of my searches. I read the reviews and decided to contact them. I talked to Chris and I felt at ease dealing with him. He always answered all my questions quickly. I never had to follow up with anything. Jennifer was great also. They designed an itinerary for me and the choice of camps were amazing. We went to Lewa Safari camp and Mara crossing camps. They were exceptional in different ways. The service was impeccable. Every thing was taken care of and there were no worries. When we stepped off the plane at Lewa there was a cool towel and a drink awaiting us. I thought wow what a welcome. The staff at both camps were five star plus. We made many friendships along the way. We went in knowing this was going to be a great trip and it exceeded all our expectations.Chris kept within the budget that I proposed to him. I would definitely recommend Safari partners to anyone looking to plan a safari. You will not be disappointed.
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Email Lisa and Don Campbell | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Our Expectations were Exceeded!
We have just completed our third trip in the past six years with Safari Partners. For a variety of reasons our expectations for this trip were extremely high. As usual, Africa and Chris and his Team at Safari Partners exceeded our expectations! We did not think it was possible.
We travelled to Kenya and spent time in Nairobi, Northern Kenya, and the Maasai Mara. All aspects of our trip were very well planned and organized. All of our accommodations were outstanding for service and food. Our game drives were amazing! We saw the "Big Five" many times over and experienced the Great Migration in motion. All of our transfers happened as scheduled and the people who helped us were always pleasant and professional.
Chris and Jen are always pleasant to deal with. Our e-mails were often answered within minutes. Their knowledge of Africa is unrivalled. They will know the answer to your questions. Their contacts in Africa are wonderful people and are also very able and willing to help you. In talking with fellow travellers, we also believe that Safari Partners is very good value for your money.
If you are considering a trip to Africa, we highly recommend that you contact Safari Partners. We are certain they are the best!
