JP
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great tour!!
I joined a 3-days safari tour as a solo traveler, and I had an absolute blast with the rest of the group! Our driver and guide was extremely kind and helpful. Visiting a Maasai village was also an unforgettable experience. Spotting wildlife always comes down to a bit of luck, but our guide really went above and beyond to show us as many animals as possible. I highly recommend giving it a try!
CA
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Safari Addicts deserves 6 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ !
Dear Alice,
Just before going to bed tonight, here is what we wrote to all our family and friends about our experience :
Safari Addicts 5 Days
Our Safari Addicts 5 day adventure into the wilderness of Botswana was a total success ! From first contact to starting and ending our safari in Maun, everthing was perfect. We would give them 6 stars if that were possible ( the sixth star is for you Alice ) ! my wife Kerry was the Delta Queen surrounded by 5 gorgeous Italian men and yours truly for the first two days. Then for the next three days, it was only the two of us with six dévoted and enthousiastic people taking care of us. Our camp set up was very comfortable with large sleeping and dining tents. The food throughout prepared by chef Tinti was delicious and plentiful. Our waiter « Onks « took care of our every need whîle keeping us in stitches as the jokes and clever retorts kept coming…
The mokoro rides and Jeep safaris were full of awe inspiring monents that shall remain forever etched on our mind’s eye.
We thoroughly enjoyed every minute in the expert company of our two guides Jeff and Phethu ( known locally as TT ).
Therefore, we highly recommend using Safari Addicts to guarantee you get the most out of your time in Botswana. Thank you Alice for all of your guidance.
❤️❤️
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Gombe wild chimp safari provide an unforgettable experience by being flexible and listening.
I had an amazing time on my 3 Day/ 2 Night safari to Gombe in mid-October. My private tour was led by Eliatosha, who was enthusiastic and informative, going above and beyond to ensure the best experience possible.
Along with Joshua organising the trip and providing regular communication, they showed themselves to be flexible, particularly with delays in my arrival due to an issue with my bus.
I had two amazing encounters with the chimps, visited the feeding station and waterfall and hiked to Jane’s Peak. All up, I take with me memories I will cherish.
ES
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent Organization and Reliable Service!
We had a great experience with this company! Everything was very well organized, from arranging our transfers to coordinating the collection and delivery of our luggage. Everything went smoothly, and their help made our trip much easier and more stress-free.
We really appreciated their good organization, reliability, and the support they provided throughout the process. Having everything arranged in advance gave us peace of mind and allowed us to enjoy our trip without worrying about the logistics.
We would definitely recommend this company to anyone looking for reliable and well-organized transport and travel arrangements in Tanzania. Thank you for making everything so easy!
ES
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great experience
We had a great experience with Kilipath!
Although we did the safari with another company due to availability, Kilipath organized everything for us and made the whole process very easy.
Priscah was very kind, friendly and helpful throughout the whole experience. They picked us up from the airport, took us back to our hotel after the safari and arranged our transfer to the airport.
Everything was well organized!
Thank you, Priscah, for everything!
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Made our once in a lifetime trip, one we will ever forget!
Our family of three recently returned from an unforgettable four-day, three-night private safari with Serengeti African Tours, visiting Tarangire National Park, the Serengeti, and the Ngorongoro Crater. From start to finish, the experience was exceptional. Antonia made the planning effortless: she answered every question, handled all the details, visited us the day before departure to make sure we were ready, and even arranged an airport transfer for the day after our safari. Our guide, Gift, was patient, experienced, knowledgeable, and genuinely passionate about the parks and wildlife. He was also a great driver, navigating the safari routes with confidence and skill. He made it his mission to help us see the Big Five—and we did, along with so much more! His humour and company made every day enjoyable. Gift truly went above and beyond when a member of our family misplaced a necklace at Land of Nature Camp. He contacted the camp, confirmed that it had been found, and coordinated with another guide and guest to have it returned to us the next day in the Ngorongoro Crater. We were incredibly grateful for his dedication. Having a private safari made the experience relaxed and personal, and the entire trip exceeded our expectations! If you are planning a safari, Gift is the guide to choose!
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The Tour Operator to go with for an unforgettable experience!
Our family of three recently returned from a wonderful four-day, three-night private safari with Splendid Vacations, exploring Lake Nakuru and the Maasai Mara National Reserve. Rachael made the arrangements feel easy from the outset, taking care of the planning details and ensuring we felt well supported, not only before the trip began, but also while we were on safari. Our guide, Julius (who we affectionally called, Dusty!), was an excellent driver with a great sense of humour. He readily answered our questions and was clearly committed to helping us have the best possible experience. His patience, and ours, paid off when we got to see the wildebeest crossing at the Mara River! His thoughtful service extended beyond the game drives: on our final night, he helped arrange a special birthday celebration for a member of our party, creating a memorable finish to the safari. We appreciated the care that went into every part of our journey and would gladly recommend Splendid Vacations, and especially Julius, to anyone planning a Kenyan safari!
Experience level: first safari
We feel scammed: If I could give them a 0 star I would
I recently went on safari with Wild Serenity and was ABSOLUTELY SCAMMED. I could spend hours telling you each and every horrible thing they did to us, but I have a job lol TLDR: they presented a lovely front, but upon arrival, scammed us out of our hotels, offering only cheap much lower quality hotels with minimal refund, and multiple hiccups throughout the trip as well. Not only did they mess up all along the way, they never took accountability and kept coming up with new lies that we would be able to prove real lie. Would absolutely never recommend.
Here are the highlights of what happened: things started off great, they made a beautiful document that seemed well organized, and they were very gracious over text and phone call. Along the way one mistake was that they “forgot” to add the cost of an excursion to the quoted total that I had already paid a deposit on. In the quote, it included the excursion. The adamantly refused to cover this cost as the oversight was on their end, and essentially manipulated us into having to pay an extra couple of thousand dollars at the last second or not get to do what we plan to do.
- upon arrival, they conveniently tell us that the hotel that we agreed upon and put a deposit down for two months in advance suddenly “gave the booking away”, and now our only option is a much lower quality hotel that would increase each daily commute time by three hours to even get to the main part of the Serengeti. And in return we get $1000 back on a $30,000 trip. lol what a joke
- we asked for a hotel of equal or greater value, which they refused. They spent two whole days arguing about this until we put our foot down and reached out to other agencies. Then they finally fixed it.
- essentially they were using our trip as it means to grow their relationship with the Serena hotels so when the initial booking didn’t work out, they were only willing to book us with another Serena hotel, which were all of much lower quality than what we initially agreed to, and we’re quoted for.
-- They used our trip to help them build relationships with the Serena hotels rather than giving us the trip we asked for. For instance, we explicitly said our #1 goal was to see the Great migration, so it would make sense to place out accommodations near there. Instead they make it a 5 hour drive so that they could build relationships with the Serena hotels. This allowed us less than 1.5 hours to actually wait for the river crossing and migration
- the itinerary was so poorly made. The point of getting a tour agency is the assumption that they would have more knowledge and be able to make the trip smooth, effective and enjoyable as possible. They made it so that we spent the maximum time driving from one place to another and minimal time actually doing Safari game drives.
- they had an excuse for every little thing, when we asked why our “luxury” trip didn’t include a car with AC in the Serengeti heat, they said we did not opt for the extra $500 to get AC, which was never even presented to us in the first place. I would assume a luxury trip would include air-conditioning, and if you’re paying $30K, another 500 would not be a big deal, but we were never told about it.
- Communication is terrible. They’re very quick to say we will take care of everything and everything is great, when it comes to actually answering questions, they take two business days and always are busy. And when it came to our flight to Zanzibar, they did not communicate anything regarding Baig size, weight or number, leading us to have to leave suitcases at our hotel in Arusha, come back and quickly re-distribute things in bags so that they could be the appropriate weight. Adding a lot of stress and hassle to our day. Again makes you wonder why you get an agency
- and last, but not least, is the total lack of accountability. Every excuse was built on a lie, and when we would be able to dispel their lies, they would come up with a new one. The only person who apologize is the owner of the company, and that was only after wasting 2 days arguing with us, keeping us up until 6 am.
The only redeeming factor was our lovely guide who actually does not even work with This agency, he was contracted for our specific safari bc their usual guy was out.
Overall, it was not a vacation at all. They are scammers and only care for their relationships with local hotels, etc, not with giving you the best trip possible. It’s funny, because after our trip, I had at least six friends who are legitimately planning Safari trips ask about our agency and I told them that I absolutely do not recommend. They were so worried about their relationship building, or losing out on customers this way. This is not a company that will last if they continue to practice like this. Hopefully they learn from this and do better, but I would not risk my trip on that slim chance if I were you.
And I am not the only one, unfortunately I saw a few FB posts (too late) detailing on how they scammed others
All of this is true and much of it can be corroborated by WhatsApp messages
IE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent
As a group of 3, we booked an 8 day safari with Salvation Safaris (4 days in Kenya and 4 in Tanzania). A very easy company to deal with and we had an amazing time on our trip!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Five stars because of our guide Thomas
Thomas Made Our Kenya Safari Unforgettable!
We recently returned from a wonderful safari in Kenya with Spirit of Kenya. Our visit was late September. Although we experienced a few disappointments with our accommodations, our guide, Thomas, made the trip truly exceptional!
Thomas was without question the highlight of our safari. His wildlife knowledge, understanding of animal behavior, and ability to find incredible sightings were outstanding. What impressed us just as much was his genuine connection to the park community and surrounding areas. His respect for the animals and commitment to responsible guiding were especially admirable.
Thomas consistently went above and beyond to accommodate our requests. He was thoughtful, flexible, and genuinely invested in making our experience special.
Filipa at Spirit of Kenya was helpful in planning our itinerary, but we were disappointed that two of our accommodations were undergoing construction without advance notice.
At Sarova Lion Hill Game Lodge, construction barriers obstructed much of the beautiful property, and temporary dining arrangements were kind of ridiculous. At Zebra River Camp, construction noise and dated rooms were disappointing considering the price we paid. However, the entire staff was excellent, and the food was very good. Kandili Camp was fantastic, with wonderful staff, lovely accommodations, and excellent value. It was the true tent camp style we were hoping for and we had an excellent night drive there.
I’d encourage anyone booking a safari to ask about the current condition of their lodges and whether any construction is planned during their stay.
Despite these accommodation disappointments, Thomas made our safari unforgettable. His kindness, knowledge, professionalism, and genuine respect for Kenya’s people and wildlife made all the difference. He even helped us sort out a flight issue that we had that had nothing to do with the Spirit of Kenya booking. He fixed what no one else could when he didn't have to.
If you’re booking with Spirit of Kenya, I highly recommend requesting Thomas as your guide! We would gladly travel with him again.
