ES
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Discovering Soweto in the best hands
We were a group of five people from Spain and we did the afternoon tour to discovering Soweto. We shared our trip with wonderful people and our tour guide , Sello, was wonderful: communicative, attentive, funny…we enjoyed the time so much.
The tour through Soweto have been a complete experience in which we discovered more about Southafrican History and how it affected the present.
Thank you Sello for sharing everything with us.
CA
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Responsive, efficient, friendly and very knowledgeable
We were looking specifically for an operator who was Tanzanian, and knowledgeable. We have spent a lot of time in the bush in Southern Africa, so knew what we were looking for.
From the very first email, Erasto, Hellen and the team were amazingly responsive, and took a lot of time to tailor their responses to our specific requests.
We told them we were interested in birds and photography. They allocated Adam to us as our guide/driver. Adam is probably the most knowledgeable bird guide we have come across in our travels, and has a keen interest in photography (and a camera to match!). A perfect fit for what we were looking for.
We can only give Lomo the highest praise - they know the business, they are extremely responsive and will tailor your safari to what you specify your interests are.
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The perfect trip through Uganda
The trip itself was a perfect mix of Ugandas more than beautiful nature & wildlife, but also daily life and the nice Ugandan people. The organization was absolutely good. Accommodation throughout the whole trip was very good. Our guide and driver did everything to make this trip unforgettable. It was a pleasure to travel with them.
If someone is really interested in the country and not only the touristic highlights, here is the correct address!
AE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Pathetic customer service by someone named Morris who contacted me on my WhatsApp
My friend liked the safari combo and I sent $725 as Mr Morris who was in communication with my friend demanded 50% money in advance. After 2 days Morris confirmed he received the money and to my disgust sent me an invoice that he received only $695 where as I transferred $725 on his insistence, moreover this man is also very impolite and talks too much. He had the audacity to suggest I should not ask him and refer to my bank for further details. I am very disappointed as I have already paid and this man did not confirm anything as yet, also threatened my friend that he will cancel the safari which we have asked him to book for us and had already paid 50% money in advance. Totally non cooperative person who has no sense of customer service. I would like to request safaribookings.com to take action against Balu Travels and I will share all the relevant evidence to support my claim.
HU
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A land of beauty and warmth
My husband and I have been wanting to experience a Safari so for my 60th birthday we chose to go to South Africa. In all honesty, we chose SA because it was an easier destination to get to from Hungary, where we currently live. The country and our experience being there did not disappoint. We are so glad we chose this destination. South Africa is blessed with a diverse landscape. In the north is the Savannah/bush that during March was still green and lush. The south, around Cape Town has beautiful mountains, white sandy beaches, and of course the ocean. Tourism is an important contributor to the SA economy and our experience was that the country and its people are second to none in welcoming tourists. Staff at the game reserves, hotels, restaurants, attractions work tirelessly to make sure your experience is the best it can be. We went to 2 game reserves (Sabi Sands & Kruger) and then spent a few days in Cape Town and its surroundings. We saw many animals in the game reserves and the lodges were beautiful. Cape Town has great food, many shops, a beautiful old town, gorgeous vineyards and the Cape of Good Hope. All worth a visit. We had a great experience and recommend SA to anyone considering it.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a lifetime
Jambo Bwana!
The opportunity to travel to Tanzania came out of the blue for me, but as I dove into the Lonely Planet Guide, I was captivated and excited for my upcoming trip. I researched a lot about the types of safaris and tried to find one that would fit my itinerary which was already packed with various business meetings. I used this site to narrow down my decision and received a WhatsApp message from each of them. I was able to easily communicate and compare/contrast my proposal and finally chose one that was in the middle of the road for me. Meru Slopes. I got really lucky and had a private tour (myself and my colleague) because others on the group had decided to go to a different park. What an experience!
The people of Tanzania are extremely warm and welcoming. I visited a school, a Maasai village, a medical clinic and a mosque! I was warmly welcomed everywhere I went. I am south Asian, so I felt very similar vibes to visiting my own extended family. My group stayed at a new lodge called The Safari House, which was on the Kilimanjaro Golf & Wildlife Estate. There were zebras roaming around the property! The food at the hotel/lodge was incredible. Coffee was just addictive! I ran the Kili half marathon which was a really fun experience, to run a challenging race with thousands of locals. It was a party on the pavement! I also stayed a couple nights at the Gran Melia - WOW what a gem. Just gorgeous.
I will definitely be back to Tanzania. Something about this country, be it that it was never colonized, it's President is a Muslim woman, or that it is a true collectivist society is very captivating. Jambo Bwana!
SK
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wild but safe
Tanzania, nestled in East Africa, beckons travelers with its diverse landscapes, rich culture, and extraordinary wildlife. Home to the iconic Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa, and the mesmerizing Serengeti National Park, where the Great Migration unfolds, Tanzania offers unparalleled experiences for adventurers and nature enthusiasts alike.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Incredible see ‘the big six!’ (See review) once in a lifetime gorilla and chimpanzee trekking
8 Day Safari with LuLu safaris, guided by Audence and Simon.
Firstly our guides were incredible. I would definitely recommend requesting them in advance if you book with LuLu safaris. They were amazing at spotting wildlife, really easy to get along with (we still message now weeks after we came home), very knowledgeable about the wildlife and local customs, full of facts, happy positive people and extremely flexible changing the plan where a better option was available or if requests or needed for any reason at all.
We started out tour with the Ziwa rhino sanctuary and walked on foot to get a close encounter with 3 sets and a total of 12 rhinos. We were blown away that we did this on foot and got so close. On the same day we went up to Murchison falls national park and saw the waterfalls and river at sunset. We got time the next day to take a river safari to see hippos and crocodiles.
We then spent time at the national park and saw 4 of the big 5 and even had an evening encounter with hyenas. We didn’t think we could get and more lucky.
After this we had time in queen elizabeth national park and saw all the big 5. Our guides going the extra mile with hours of driving to track one down. We also got up close and personal with two male lions and had our own private spot with them for about 10 minutes until another car turned up.
After this we went chimpanzee trekking. After two attmepts and 10km of trekking we had only seen one or two chimps in the far distance and that was our time up. However the ranger wasn’t happy and arranged with the national park office and our guides to come back after lunch and try again. This was no problem for our amazing guides who changed the plan without a moments hesitation. And the next 4km trek we had the most amazing encounter with a group of chimpanzees that have been filmed on the BBC planet earth program. Again we felt so incredibly lucky.
Off down south we went to the Bwindi impenetrable forest for our gorilla trekking. On the way we had another lake/river safari and had the most amazing time seeing beautiful birds, hippos and over 100 elephants coming and going. We just didn’t expect to see so many. We got to stop and relax watching them all drink, play and trumpet.
On the day of the gorilla trek were allocated a group that started with an incredibly challenging hike. They look at the abilities and any requests people have made and assign the groups accordingly. Some had a long drive but short trek. We had no drive but a long trek with a big elevation change. However it was really worth it. We had just over an hour with a group that included a tree felling silver back, two tiny babies and a female that strolled past and brushed against the leg of my partner. We just couldn’t believe what we had experienced.
Due to our flight times our guides changed some of itinerary to accommodate more safari experiences and actually get us to the airport on time. Changing accommodation to suit the day before, wanting to give us the best experience possible. They would answer all our questions, stop whenever we wanted to. Help us buy stuff from the locals and stop for all the amazing photos. Honestly they were incredible. On the drive to the airport their binocular vision spotted something in the distance. So they stopped, reversed and got the actual binoculars out to show us a distant bird. A very rare shoebill. It looked like something from the Jurassic period. Our guides told us we can now go home and tell everyone “we saw the big 6 in Uganda”.
We did the entire time in a tourist 4WD van. If possible I would request to do it in the Land Cruiser as the roads are very bumpy. I’m not sure how Audence managed to drive along some of the roads it was a sight to be seen and felt…the African massage. Lucky to not have many biting flies at the time of year we were there but still take lots of bug spray as they are around. We are both vegetarian and have the rare bit of fish. We were amazed at how well catered they were for vegetarians. The food was honestly really good everywhere we went. One more recommendation would be to probably have a bit more time there. It was absolutely jam packed with amazing experiences and got better and better a day to relax and enjoy the scenery would have been nice.
Visit Uganda and book LuLu with Audence and Simon as guides. You won’t be disappointed.
SE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Ngorongoro Crater by Joshua Forsman
A Very scenic place. Sometimes it feels like it’s a little bit like a Zoo
SE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Serengeti National Park by Joshua Forsman
Perfect and diverse