US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip Review - Tanzania
Alana Hayden and her staff were excellent to work with. They began by spending quite a bit of time just finding out what I was looking for in a safari. Once they understood that, they made some very excellent suggestions, which they allowed me to customize to exactly what I wanted. They helped me plan and execute a most perfect safari.
Thanks BORN FREE - it was a trip of a lifetime!!
SG
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Our first ever trip to African continent.
Our first ever trip to the African continent came with lots of pleasant surprises initiated with magnificent views of the wonderful landscape and a sea of wild animals viewed from propeller plane (from Nairobi to Masai Mara). The ever changing wildlife experience and landscape from lush green field to the golden savanna grassland to rugged terrains changed within a short driving distance. This wonderful memorable expedition is going to linger in our memories for a very long time. Thanks Mowgli for making this expedition happen. We are looking forward to our next mountain gorilla sighting trek!
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Lifetime Experience
We started the planning stages of our trip to Kenya in November of 2016 with "It Started in Africa". Over the next months we had about 60 emails back and forth. The communication was prompt and informative.
We had a wonderful Safari in August 2017 and our guide Martin was a big part of why we enjoyed it so much. Martin was very knowledgeable about the animals, birds and the culture of Kenya and he shared that knowledge with us.
He is a very capable driver and handled the several flat tires we had with ease. He never got upset just did what it took to get us moving again.
Martin was sensitive to our wishes and needs but he also laughed with us and we all had such fun. Martin made the trip for us.
We highly recommend this company.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Wonderful, very professional and helpful.
Tanzania Choice Safaris was more than expected. We enjoyed every minute. The communications was exceptional and very professional. We arrived a day early and was greeted with a wonderful restaurant and help finding a place to stay for the night. You went above and beyond and we appreciate it very much. The Safari was perfect, we saw many animals and the accommodations were excellent. Thank you.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Friendly, Knowledgeable, Relational
I had a fantastic experience with Pamoja! Guides were friendly, knowledgeable, relational and FUN! We always felt safe and well taken care of (even when our van got stuck in the mud!). We truly had the time of our lives and were so pleased with Pamoja.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Extremely Positive Review Though We Had to Cancel the Tour
This review of Pembury Tours is a bit different in that we had to cancel the tour due to a medical situation.
Planning and booking the tour with Heidi was very professional and went very smoothly. We are in the US and Heidi often answered her phone and e-mail after hours in SA. We were able to book the exact itinerary we wanted including both of the safari camps we had previously chosen as our top choices. The prices were very good.
The most exceptional component of our relationship with Heidi and Pembury Tours was after we canceled the tour. I expected to lose all of our deposit, however, upon cancellation, Heidi said that she would do what she could to get us a refund. She did a heck of a job because she was able to get us more than half of our deposit refunded to our credit card.
The Pembury Tours offerings are excellent and Heidi went above and beyond the call of duty in taking care of us. I highly recommend Pembury Tours and cannot recommend Heidi highly enough.
Everything we were hoping for!
Thanks to the organisation by Grassroots and our excellent guide and driver, Fikirin, the logistics and travel were all completely trouble free. This allowed us to relax and enjoy a very individual and personal safari experience. We had close encounters with an amazing range of wildlife: elephants (right outside our hut), lions, hunting dogs, hippos, giraffes, zebras, hyenas, many different types of antelope, bush babies in the bar, and we were lucky enough to see a leopard and a huge python. The walking safaris with local guides were fascinating and gave quite a different perspective on the environment. We loved the accommodation in bandas and guest houses and the food was very good. What a great way to experience the landscape and wildlife of Tanzania!
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Informative Lifetime Experience
My wife and I were planning our honeymoon to East Africa and of course, had to see gorillas during our travels. We came across Encounter Africa online and couldn't have been happier with our choice. From the very beginning communication with the agent was clean, cut and clear and provided us with an enjoyable trip from the time we were picked up at our lodging in Entebbe to Bwindi and until the time we were dropped off at the airport in Entebbe.
Going into detail a little further, we were picked up by a driver named Paul. Words cannot express how grateful my wife and I were to have Paul as our driver, guide and in the very end, a friend forever. After all, you spend 8 hours in a comfortable van each way from Entebbe and Bwindi National Forest, so there is a lot of questions and discussion to be had. Speaking of which, Paul answered so many questions that we had for him. He explained in detail everything we saw from plants, trees, villages, farming, economy, food, animals and of course, gorillas. I could type more about everything we discussed, but trust me, every questions was answered in length and we both felt fully informed on everything Uganda has to offer.
Upon arriving to Bwindi, we were greeted by kind hosts who showed us our lodging which was accompanied with a bottle of wine and flowers for our honeymoon (we were not expecting that). Our lodge was overlooking a valley of the rain forest where we sat for some time watching the wildlife up close. We had two double beds in our tent that were extremely comfortable and dressed with heavy blankets for the chilly nights. The bathroom was extended off the back of the tent to a solid foundation that was very clean and open.
Food: Amazing. Really it was. My wife and I planned our safari and gorilla trekking for our first leg of the honeymoon thinking we would lose some weight roughing it for a week before hitting the beaches of Kenya for our final week. Well, we were wrong. The food was unbelievably great. Superb job by the chef. I still talk about the fish we had one night.
Gorillas: Words can not describe the rush during this experience. The pictures, video and even the extremely close encounters we had with the gorillas was breathtaking. The guides were friendly and very helpful making this experience the way it was. Again, I can go into length about this experience but I'll just sum it up as you cannot miss out on this opportunity during your lifetime. If you are contemplating going gorilla trekking, just go. You will not regret it.
One last shout out goes to our driver Paul. He went above and beyond his service provided. Thanks for stopping roadside so we could buy raw honey. Thank you for stopping at the bank so we could pick up cash. Thank you for dropping us off at a restaurant for dinner on our last day since our flight wasn't for several hours later and then you came back to drive us to the airport. You're a great asset to your company.
Thank you again for everything!
BY
It was professional and joyful
Everything was good. Team was professional and welcoming.
IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
everything was perfect and excellent!
We had a wonderful experience with "Hello Tanzania" tour "3 Days/ 2 nights at mikumi and uduzungwa".
First of all Mwajabu is a lovely person, always so kind and helpful in all the way, she came personally to pick up us with the driver and she help us in many other things. All the "Hello Tanzania" staff that stay with us in our trip was so kind and qualified too.
The organization was excellent and the timetable was exactly as it was written in the brochure.
Nothing has been missed.
At least, Camp Bastian, the location where we slept, was a wonderful place with a magic atmosphere, a so gently staff and a very very good food.
We are very happy to have chosen "Hello Tanzania" and we sincerely recommend this tour operator to everybody.