Africa VIP Travel
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- www.africaviptravel.com
Reviews
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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!
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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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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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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)
Great trip!
Dear Kambona,
I am writing this email to thank you for the wonderful time we had with your company while we were in Tanzania from February 24, 2014 to March 11, 2014. I also tried to post a review on your website, but I must have done something wrong.
You and James did a WONDERFUL job in making this trip the trip of a lifetime! Your knowledge of the Tanzanian and Masai culture, as well as your knowledge of all the different animals we saw, really helped us appreciate all that we experienced on our trip. The hotels and campsites that we stayed in were very comfortable, and our food was first rate. If anyone asks, we will recommend your company, and we already have to our dentist (you may be hearing from him soon). Thank you again for all that you did.
Sincerely,
Kay & Brad Ames
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35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The best challenge of one's life
As the coordinator of a trip for 5 to climb Kilimanjaro followed by a safari, I can say the communications with the Africa VIP Travel were nothing less than timely, informative, clear and professional. When we arrived to Kilimanjaro airport and all through our 2 weeks with Africa VIP, the communications and service from everyone was terrific. Kambona runs a wonderfully organized operation and it is clear his number one priority are his customers, followed closely by his employees. He and his guides were clearly concerned when anyone on the climb didn't make it to the dining tent in a timely fashion. Someone always checked in to see if everything was ok. We knew they were all looking out for us. On the safari we had great accomodations and wonderful, knowledgeable and friendly guides and staff. At one point we learned that the hotel we were scheduled to return had a water line break. Kambona very seemlessly transferred us to a differ hotel just 10 minutes down the road that was of equal quality. He was very transparent with us every step of the way, from the day we booked our trip all the way through to the day we left. The whole trip exceeded my expectations. I would not hesitate to recommend Africa VIP Travel to anyone looking for a Kilimanjaro climb expedition and safari.
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Email Nicole D | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Kili: Trip of a Lifetime
Kambona Mollel and his team at VIP Travel are the absolute BEST. They facilitated an amazing climb to the top of Kilimanjaro. The overall experience was enjoyable from the moment we met the team at the hotel to the moment we got back to the hotel one week later. They are professional, organized, fun, safe, caring, knowledgeable about the surroundings, dedicated and determined to get you to the top. The food was delicious. Kambona is a Jedi mind master. I'd go to the ends of the Earth with him. Each day was a challenge and very rewarding. If I ever climb Kili again, VIP Travel is the only company I'd hire.
Attentive, 5-star service with Africa VIP!
My father had previously been on a trek to Kilimanjaro with Kambona and his group 4 years ago. I had planned to take a trip to East Africa on my own, and decided to contact Kambona to see if I could add on to a group that he already was booked. He not only made accommodations for me, but my brother, our friend, and my father (who decided to come again). Kambona personally picked us up from the airport and waited for an extra hour (due a luggage issue). He made sure to take us to the airport the next day to pick up bags which were essential for our hike. The hike itself was intense but made all the more achievable by Kambona, his main guides, and the porter team (which he picks and tries to work with on every trek). Our camping experience in the Serengeti was also excellent, with another familiar team of helpers and cook, that have worked with Africa VIP for years. This is a group that really knows what they are doing, and really knows how to give visitors an authentic, but attended trekking and camping experience. Kambona has many friends scattered throughout the world, and we share his fantastic reputation with our closest friends, so they too can have the best experience in East Africa.
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Email Vonda, from Virginia | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The Tanzania safari was a lifetime dream come true! What a FANTASTIC adventure!
Kambona cares that you get the most from your journey to experience the best of Northern Tanzania! My guide, James, was very reliable, punctual, spoke excellent English, super at spotting wildlife, and kept the safari cruiser in top form. The guides at the various sites told me I had an extraordinary driver/guide taking care of my interests, as many safari companies just dropped off their clients at each site, then took a break, not seeming to care about their customers' experience at that particular location. I am most thankful that I was with such a caring guide and travel company!
CA
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Our African Safari with Africa VIP Travel and Kambona Mollel exceeded our expectations
My spouse, brother-in-law and I traveled with Kambona on a photo safari and it was magnificent. I wanted to book directly with an African-based company and wanted to bypass the large travel companies that obviously take a percentage of the cost of a trip. It was a great feeling knowing that the entire cost of the trip went to an African entrepreneur. I have nothing against the large international travel companies but wanted to support a smaller company in Africa. Wow, the communications were amazing!!! I would send an email from my home in Canada with a question and in one case the answer came back 11 minutes later. If Kambona would be unavailable for a few days he let me know in advance in case I had any pressing questions. I thought that going on a safari with just 3 people, rather than a group, would be too expensive but the cost was well worth the trip. Whatever we wanted to do, e.g., spend more time watching lions, we did. This was excellent rather than having to be subjected to the vote of a larger group that wanted to take a photo and move on somewhere else. Kambona was very knowledgeable, carried lots of reference books and often joined us for supper at the end of day. Our days were well planned and we saw everything we hoped to see. It was always our decision to move on to our next stop. The itinerary, service and accommodations were excellent. Although we had a minor vehicle problem (as did some other very large tour companies), which is not unexpected on the rough roads, our problem was fixed very quickly. What stands out in my mind is that when our trip started we were customer and client. When we left Kambona we felt we were leaving a very close friend.