Africa VIP Travel
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- www.africaviptravel.com
Reviews
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Email Marv & Robin | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
The best choice of who to trust to guide your safari! Africa VIP Travel
My wife and I decided to take the trip that we would would take over any other. This would be the trip of our lifetime. The choice of where to go was actually very easy - an African Safari. We love the outdoors, live our lives as conservationists and love animals. That choice was the easy part. The harder choice was how to choose our guide and trip organizer. As we searched the internet the choices became overwhelming. The price ranges were all over the place. There were trips all over Africa. There were large companies, small companies, trip brokers and so much information that we became overwhelmed.
In talking about our desired trip with others, we found someone who solved that problem for us. He and his family had taken a safari last year with Africa VIP Travel based on a recommendation of someone who had also been very happy with them. He said we could trust them, they were wonderful people, paid attention to all of their needs and were experts at what they do.
They were right in all of what they said! We started email conversation with the company owner, Kambona six months before we would take the trip. He guided us through an understanding of what was involved and what arrangements would best meet our needs. Over six months he answered all of our questions and concerns, made us feel like he really cared about us and seemed as excited to be our guide as we were about going to Africa.
Here is a list of why our dream came true and how Kambona and his brother James made that possible.
1. Kambona and James are Maasai and are able to express what the culture is like through their life experiences. This was more than a trip to see animals, this became a trip to experience Tanzanian culture and learn its history.
2. They know where to go to see all the animals, the animal behaviors, and freely shared their knowledge with us in comfortable conversation. They are easy to understand, have a great sense of humor and made us feel very comfortable.
3. They never seem to get tired! They worked hard at meeting our needs and went as long as we could every day. They paid attention to safety and respected the animals and their environment.
4. The lodges and tent camps were excellent and met our needs after exhausting wonderful days.
5. We are amateur photographers, and they positioned the vehicle and moved it based on our needs for the best view and lighting conditions.
6. The price was right - saving us a significant amount compared to larger companies with more overhead. I truly believe that we received more value than we would have with larger more well known companies.
7. More than anything else - they can be trusted and are wonderful people!
Marv & Robin (contact us be email if you have any questions)
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20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Experience of a lifetime
We cannot say enough great things about the tour and experience that Kambona put together for us. Kambona was highly recommended by a close family friend who has hiked Kili and gone on safari many times with Kambona. What you need to know about Kambona is that he has been hiking/guiding for over 15 years, is highly respected in his field, highly educated in outdoor recreation/safety, and just knows his stuff. And you don't want to mess around with amateurs when you are hiking a dangerous mountain/camping in the bush with wild animals. We weren't interested in hiking and turned to Kambona to plan the trip of a lifetime to Arusha, Safari, Dar and Zanzibar. We highly recommend asking Kambona to set up a private camp site for you in the Serengheti where you sleep under the stars and listen to animals. It was amazing and the food was incredible. Kambona plans every detail, is extremely responsive from thousands of miles away, and is trustworthy. We cannot say enough about Kambona's skills, knowledge and character. We are happy to now call him a friend.
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35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best experience of my life: Climbing Kili with Kambona and team!
Kambona was professional and incredibly helpful since the very first email exchange. The trip planning was seamless from day 1 until the day we came off the mountain. We had a team of six (some incredibly experienced, some none) and he and his team went above and beyond to accomodate the team. To summit was an amazing experience; however, simply the laughs, camaraderie, culture and teamwork I will take with me forever. If you are even contemplating going, GO, GO, GO - Africa VIP Travel is amazing and it will be an experience of a lifetime.
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20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best & friendliest service
Kambona & company have the most professional & traveler friendly organization. They bend over backwards to make sure everyone is comfortable, and also do everything in their power to accommodate last minute changes. I would recommend everyone to go through Africa VIP for Kilimanjaro or Serengeti excursions as they are the best!
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Email Shawnemac | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Africa VIP made us feel like VIP's!
Let me start by saying my wife and I do not considers ourselves outdoor people. We don't camp. However, Kilimanjaro has been on my bucket list for years. When the opportunity presented itself, we had to go. Since we were going halfway around the world, we added a safari as well. From the moment we contacted Kambona and Africa VIP we knew we had picked the right company. He provided easy to use guides for gear and what to expect on the mountain and the Serengeti.
The guides on the mountain, Adamson, Siaidi, Alan and Kambona and all the porters made sure we were comfortable, well fed and safe as the guided us on our attempt to the summit. They seemed to know how to get and keep us motivated. They have great stories, shared their experiences and wanted us to succeed. They did a great job of controlling what they could and because of them, our group of 9, all successfully reached the peak. An incredible experience.
The safari was breathtaking. Our drivers, James, Amarula and Issac were so knowledgable about the animals and plants it was scary. With 12 people and 3 vehicles we all took turns with all 3 drivers. We were able to cover a lot of territory and see a lot of animals and birds. Lions, including 13 cubs at one stop, 2 males after a kill and a mother with 3 cubs. Elephants with calves. Hippos, hippos, hippos. Lots of giraffe, some 6 feet from the jeep. As the animals were getting ready for the great migration, we saw thousand upon thousand wildebeest, zebra and gazelles. Pictures or words cannot describe the sight of all these animals in every direction. We saw cheetahs and leopards. Buffalo, hyenas and and many different deer. I can't even begin to name all the birds. Kambona's camp crew was as awesome as the rest of his staff. We had huge tents right in the Serengeti. We could hear animals at night. Hot showers daily. The meals were great. A nightly fire and cold beer. On top of that it was educational, too. While this whole group was adults, I would not hesitate to bring my family.
I have not mentioned the lodges Kambona selected for us. They were all wonderful. The Dik Dik, Safari Lodge and Bougainvillea. The staff was friendly. Rooms were clean. Food was good. We had wifi. However, it was great going 2 weeks with very little cell phone and internet service. We could just focus on the adventure. Africa VIP, Kambona (including his wife and son), and ALL his staff (for us, we spent a lot of time with James and think highly of him) were involved in us having a successful and rewarding experience. You don't always find that, but we did. I highly recommend them and hope for their continued success!