US
Great (lovely but cost-conscious) accomodations selected by safari operator, and OUTSTANDING service
My daughter, grandson and I arrived to unanticipated heavy rains that required NRS to make daily changes in our itinerary, which they did so effectively that we saw everything that we had planned to see, safely and in clear weather. I also left my passport and credit card at one of the hotels and they were able to schedule things to that I had it back in my hands within a few days. Our driver/guide was quite pleasant, very knowledgable, and made extraordinary efforts to make our safari all that we had hoped for. I recommend this company without any reservations whatsoever. Call me for verification of this review.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Personal attention with surprising added extras and an eye for detail!
From our initial e-mail correspondence, follow up phone calls, up to our arrival with my 7 American Guest, that had a Huge expectancy from their Very first SA Bush experience, to me, an experienced guide and been exposed to the industry to many, it all was all very detailed and professional, and although we knew exactly what the detailed and informative program held for the upcoming few days, yet, as from our arrival, we were spoiled with little extras of detail, from the detailed bush knowledge from our personal guide and host, (The Game drives, sundowners, walks, bush interaction, snacks on board, etc!!) to our amazing spread of interesting meals (Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner), prepared by our own amazing talented chef! In one sentence, an truly one of a kind unique Bush experience that brought us right to the touching distance to nature as it should have been, but with the luxuries and oversight of an expert owner/host/guide, that has been in this industry for years! It is Owner run, and it shows, in a Very Positive way!! Well done Moriti Private Safaris! Keep it up!
CZ
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
7 day Namibian highlights - Exceeding all expectations
Hello,
I generally don't write reviews or very short ones but this tour was clearly worth an exception...
We did Chameleon's 7 days Namibian highlight in April 2014. We selected this tour for 2 main reasons - firstly, you get to see some of the North and the South without having to go back through Windhoek or staying too long in Swakpomund... Nice to see it but not that an interesting place - for us- so 1 night was just great.
Secondly, we weren't sure if we were up for a camping tour and this accommodated tour, being priced extremely competitively compared to most of the campings one, comforted us in our decision.
In all honesty due to the pricing we expected pretty basic facilities but we were wrong, very wrong.
First of all our guide, Morne, was extremely good - local, very knowledgeable, curious about his country and sharing his findings, also curious about his customers, friendly, smiling, helpful, funny and a great cook - quite important as about half the meals are prepared by the guide possibly with some of your help (optional).
The truck (up to 12 people, we were between 7 and 10 depending on the legs of the trip) offered good visibility to all - notably a great forward one (not common) and a lifting roof - great for game drive. Truck was clean, well maintained and handled well the gravels roads (most roads are gravel). On some days, the driving time is quite high but the comfort of the truck, the explanations from the guide and the unbelievable, dramatic and often changing sceneries make this longer drives ok.
As they say - a hungry tourist is an unhappy tourist. Chameleon and Morne made sure we were well fed. Food was good, well cooked and in quantity. When not cooking, provided meals (by accommodations) were also very good.
Finally, last but not least, the accommodation was great - this is were we had expected pretty basic facilities but not a all. All accommodations were clean and comfortable. The great surprise were the 2 permanent tents (part hard build, part canvas... Closer to a house than a tent)... The one near Etosha can be opened up onto the nature... And best of all the desert camp in the south. First class with breathtaking views of the surroundings mountains and desert. Just great.
We had some great game runs in Etosha - saw quite a lot of animals including Rhino, Hyena, Lions, Giraffes, Jackals, Baboons, and a whole bunch of grazers. We also got to see more predators but in captivity (not releasable) such as lions, leopards, cheetah, wild dogs, ...
Our guide was very knowledgeable on encountered animals, and detailed material was available.
The drive through Damaraland and the coastal desert from Etosha to the skeleton coast (Swakpomund) was quite long but you get to meet some local tribes and the scenery is impressive notably if you have never driven in a desert.
Swakopmund is a nice one night break to have some seafood and a good night sleep with a lie in (All other mornings are pretty/very early starts).
The drive from Swapokmund to the desert camp is great with astonishing and ever changing sceneries - this was a beautiful drive day.
The last step of the trip is the national park of Namib-Naukluft with Sossuvlei, Sesrien canyon and mostly Deadvlei. The famous "orange" Namib desert. We got to walk up the highest (big daddy) dune with was finally quite easy to climb as our guide ensured we were there early enough to handle the heat.
Much more info on the content of the trip is available on Chameleon website but what we really wanted to point out is the quality of the equipment, facilities and guide as well as the great value for money.
We were fully satisfied with our choice and it exceeded all expectations and would recommend this without hesitation. Some younger and older travelers were also on our tour and all seemed satisfied by provided facilities and rhythm of the tour.
Thank you Morne and Chamaleon,
Michael and Lenka (35-40 year old back/flash-packers)
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A Once-In-A-Lifetime Experience that I Want to Repeat!
My husband and I, along with our 25 year-old son did a 8-night safari with Safari Infinity. Lucia was very quick to respond to all our questions and desired changes when planning our itinerary. That brought a lot of comfort. When we arrived, our guide Thadei became part of the family very quickly. Our jeep was in very good shape, excellent binoculars were available to us, and all-in-all I couldn't imagine a better experience. We went to Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater, the Serengeti and Tarangire. All our accommodations were delightful. We saw the Big 5 and more. I would go with Safari Infinity again in a heartbeat. For full details of our trip, please see my Trip Reports on Trip Advisor.
BE
Fantastic trekking in pure nature
Our trip was not an as usual safari tour, but a fantastic 14-days trekking through different landscapes in South-African mountains and Lesotho. Everything was perfectly organised : transport, food, various accomodations, walk-itinerary and meetings with local population. With sympathy and sense of humour as a bonus!
Thank you Thierry & Biwakwango !
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Experience of a lifetime
The communication with Speke Uganda Holidays was excellent. All our Emails were answered quickly and to our full satisfaction. We were met at the airport in Entebbe by our friendly guide and driver. The vehicle was okay and there was always fresh water. I enjoyed the various type of accommodation: from simple to luxury. The food was outstanding and tasty (with a very few exceptions). How I miss those small sweet bananas! The people of Uganda are beautiful and friendly. I would have liked to interact a little more. It was also interesting to chat to some of our hosts, e.g. at Kluges Guest Farm. I loved the colourful markets. The landscape is breathtakingly beautiful and varies a lot. I have never seen elsewhere so many impressive lakes. One of my highlights were Murchison Falls NP with the cruise on the Victoria Nile and, of course, the mountain gorillas at Bwindi Impenetrable NP. There was a baby in the group which entertained us humans and it was sooo cute to watch!!! The chimps at Kibale Forest NP were amazing to see too and I did not know about their sleeping habits before I got there (nests in the trees!). I had underestimated the state of the roads (I have travelled quite a bit in Southern Africa) and we often arrived late with just an hour before dinner. We spent hours / days driving on bumpy roads. At Murchison River Lodge (beautiful), we arrived twice at dusk and left twice at dawn. No chance for their pool. In retrospect, I would have skipped the 4 days in Rwanda and rather extended my time in Uganda to stay longer at some of the places we visited or experience another NP. The birdlife is abundant and our guide knew them all! At Queen Victoria NP we were hoping to see more wildlife. There are often no boundaries between the park and human settlement. There are farm animals within the park. Overpopulation in both countries is certainly an issue. I was also hoping to learn something about the current political situation when it comes to gay people in Uganda, but this was a no-go-area for our guide. All in all, it was a fantastic holiday for my husband and myself of which we had dreamed for years. We are so glad that we made our dream come true. Thank you Tony Mulinde & team!
CH
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
One of the highlights of our trip!
My daughter and I were on a 1 day tour to Matopos in search of rhino and to see the cave paintings. We saw both and so much more! Courtney is an excellent guide...knowledgeable, passionate, and funny. He took us to a beautiful dam for lunch and enhanced our knowledge of the country, people, and conservation efforts through the day. Also, Norman and his wife came personally to our lodge the evening before to tell us about the tour and what to expect. It was a great experience!
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A perfectly wonderful journey through Namibia
Journey from Windhoek, Red Dunes Lodge, Kulala, Swakopmund, Damaraland, Etosha and Okonjima was carefully arranged, dense program, diversified. One Highlight ballon flight, another one the Katamaran-Tour and last but not least many, many animals: lions, elephants, cheetahs and many more.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
World Tours And Safaris Tanzania
My husband and I went on a tour with World Tours And Safaris Tanzania in August 2009. We started in Tarangire, headed to Ngorongoro, Serengeti, Lake Manyara and ended in Arusha. We had a BLAST.
Richard, the tour operator, is wonderful, and by going with his company, we felt like we were supporting the local economy more than operators in the US who then contract with local companies. In fact, going "local" probably knocked a couple thousand dollars off the price of our trip. It was much more affordable and we didn't have an unlimited budget.
We did the step 2 type accommodations -- so we stayed in the wildlife lodges and not the Serenas. They were perfect for us -- not luxury but more than sufficient, and the views were beautiful.
I would go with Richard's tour company again -- in fact, we may be revisiting and we will book with him again. The only negative of the whole trip was that occasionally our jeep had some issues restarting, but our driver was able to get it going. It just meant a couple of pauses in some areas but still -- it didn't detract from the trip.
Oh and as far as wildlife viewing, we saw what the folks who book through more luxury type operators saw. Plenty of Abercrombie tour buses passing us by. We also saw a kill, and got so "tired" of seeing lions and cheetahs that we got to a point where we weren't stopping for them anymore. You know you are having a great trip when you've gotten to a point where you're only interested in the really rare stuff.
Anyways long story short our trip was wonderful and we'll certainly never forget it. I wholeheartedly endorse Richard's company, and if you are looking to "go local," you won't go wrong here. Good luck and happy safari planning!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very Professional..
We did an 8 day safari with Robert. The whole experience was excellent - itinerary, accommodation, guides and food.
I recommend Robert and his team highly.