CA
under20 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Arusha National Park has beautiful landscapes and unique animals
My father and I spent one day in Arusha National Park prior to climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. Upon arrival, we weren't expecting to see much as the park is close to the city of Arusha, but there are many different species of wildlife visible in the park. Our tour guide knew all of the park areas and took us to his favourite spots. We saw giraffes, zebras, monkeys, baboons, hippos, flamingos, plenty of birds, and even a few elephants!
The location of the park is great because we were able to see many animals within close proximity to the city. As a photographer, there were many opportunities for closeup photographs with elephants, giraffes, and zebras. I would recommend the park to anyone because of its size and ability to see a large variety of animals.
While staying in Tanzania, I stayed in Moshi. The national park was less than a 45 minute drive. The transportation was great and our guide was very knowledgeable. Visiting in July was great. The weather was good. We were only able to see Kilimanjaro during dusk because of the quick weather changes in the mountain areas, but it never rained and was fairly sunny throughout the day.
I would recommend a visit to Tanzania and Arusha National Park. It was an incredible experience and I wish to go back!
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about South Africa by piazzi1969
Very good views of a number of mammals, especially leopards, elephants and white rhino but fewer bird species than expected. This could have been due to the very dry months prior to our visit with rains only beginning a day or two before our arrival. During the course of our stay the bush started to turn green so I can imagine that the scenic beauty will be much better in the weeks and months to come.
CA
under20 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Tanzania by Eric Dewar
Tanzania was an incredible country. It was my first trip to Africa. All of the locals were very knowledgable. The areas are safe and the scenery is incredible. I would recommend this destination.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Second Safari with Maasai Magic Safaris
This was my second trip with Maasai Magic Safaris and everyday was like it was preplanned for us by Disney. Being a photographer I was real happy with their newly purchased Landcruisers that are configured with photographers in mind. Setting for four, the vehicle allowed us to move around without getting in each others way. Many times on safari you seem 6-7 people jammed into a vehicle and I couldn't imagine traveling this way. Gabriel was our guide again and he is so full of information on animals and knows their behavior, almost predicting what they will do next. His customer service and attention to detail is top notch and he understands the needs of customers.
The tour itinerary was perfect in every way as well as the accommodations, especially the Kitela African Spa Lodge, which was a favorite.
Thank you Maasai Magic Safaris for another wonderful lifetime experience.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A great first safari experience and introduction to the incredible animals of South Africa!
We had an amazing time on our Moriti Safari!
Our guide William met us at the airport and then drove us out to our first stop at Tshukudu Lodge. Even though we arrived late in the day, William and our game driver made the extra effort to take us out on a game drive on our first night. Our trip coincided with an ongoing drought, but we still saw tons of animals on every game drive. It was also really great to see how much the rangers at Tshukudu cared for all of the animals on their reserve. There had been insufficient rainfall to support vegetation for grazers, so the rangers had supplied extra food and piped in water to the watering holes as necessary.
The highlight of our visit at Tshukudu was almost certainly walking with the cheetahs on the reserve on the morning of our second day. There are three cheetahs that were orphaned as cubs and grew up around humans, so cannot be released. It was truly awesome to be able to interact with a wild animal up close and to experience just how fast and how silently a cheetah can move when it is running.
One of our favorite parts of the trip was our trip to the Moholoholo Rehabilitation Center, which cares for animals that cannot be released back into the wild (injured, too comfortable around humans) and works to educate visitors about the threats to wild animal populations. Definitely a worthwhile stop!
The last part of our Safari trip was at the Klaserie lodge and wow was this place luxurious! Being so far from towns and other people was really a great experience and it made us feel like we were truly in the wild on our drives. Our camp was right next to a watering hole and we could sit out and watch elephants and warthogs come to drink during the day. We even spotted a leopard, hyena, and honeybadger on night drives (all of the guides had incredible vision!).
We were very well taken care of on this trip, and probably gained a few pounds from some delicious food at Klaserie. Our safari with Moriti was a great introduction (and re-introduction) to South Africa for us. I hope we are able to visit this beautiful place again someday!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
3 days, 3 parks: an amazing adventure!
I chose It Started In Africa to organise my 3-day Tanzanian safari because of the excellent reviews I had read on Tripadvisor. We were not disappointed! Pre-visit communication was excellent and we were met on arrival at Kilimanjaro Airport where our adventure began. Zaire (our driver) was cautious and made us feel very safe on what is a very dangerous road - The Arusha Highway. Alfred was a font of knowledge and over the 3 days proved there was not an animal, bird, reptile, tree or plant he couldn't identify both in English and Swahili. They worked well as a team and never gave up trying to get my wife and I to engage them in the local language. The three parks we visited; Tarangire, Lake Manyara and the Ngorongoro Crater I can only describe as breathtaking, each with its own special memory. The herd of 100+ elephants (including so many babies) in Tarangire was incredible - it's hard to imagine how anybody can slaughter these majestic animals either for 'sport' or for their tusks. In Lake Manyara there are monkeys and baboons everywhere and an abundance of birdlife around the edges of the lake. It was also our first sight of hippos in the wild. But, we saved the best till last and nothing can prepare you for the view of the Ngorongoro Crater from the viewpoint just after entering the park. The vast area is simply teeming with wildlife all hemmed in by the steep walls rising to nearly 2,000'. The only one of the 'big 5' we didn't see was a leopard but that was more than made up for by the herds of wildebeest, 3 rhinos and a real up close and personal encounter with the hippos.
So thank you Alfred and Zaire and everybody at It Started in Africa for a magnificant 3 day trip!
FR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Once in a lifetime experience
I had an amazing time in Uganda thanks to Encounter Africa Safaris! Chris was extremely helpful in the booking process of the trip and even found me some other single travellers to join my itinerary. Joseph was a great guide with a big sense of humour and great knowledge about this beautiful country and its amazing animals! If you're looking for a company to trust, to adapt to your tailor made itinerary and individual wishes, you are in very good hands with the team of Encounter Africa Safaris!
IL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
once in a lifetime experience, well organized, lovely and caring staff
since the first time i contacted Leina from Msafiri Travels, i received the best treatment i could ask for.
quick response to emails, kind answers, always trying to help, satisfy my desires, and helping us to make our honeymoon as perfect as possible.
from the moment of our arrival until our departure we have met a great team that did all of their best to make our experience perfect.
even when we had problems with our luggage that did nor arrive with the flight,
we received from Leina all the help in front of the local airport representatives until we got our luggage back.
we had the most lovely and experienced safari guide, Peter.
he was kind, had endless knowledge, and made our trip everything we wished for.
also the hotels that were organized by Msafiri Travels were great, and were exactly as promised.
i highly recommend Msafiri Travels!!!!!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Thank you
Tolbert was a very pleasant, humble and friendly driver. Well organised, always on time, and super patient with all our requests and needs.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Bujumbura to Entebbe - close encounters with Gorillas, Chimps and Primates
I recently travelled to Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Uganda with Africa Adventure Safaris.
At the planning stage Nelson in the office was able to tailor an itinerary to my exact requirements. We discussed options for accommodation which could either take the cost up or down depending on my requirements. I opted for staying two nights in most places to minimise time spent travelling, and to maximise the time I spent in the various national parks. The main purpose of my visit was to visit lowland and mountain gorillas, chimps and other primates, but Nelson was able to suggest other cultural sites and activities to break up the journeys between parks.
Payment can be made by credit card, although there is a surcharge for this. Credit card payments do, however, add an extra layer of protection for anyone nervous about transferring money to a company based in another country with which they have not previously done business. Next time I use Africa Adventure Safaris I may well go for the cheaper bank transfer method.
Sam Elliot my guide was very professional, knowledgeable and kind – a real pleasure to be with over a two and a half week period. On the road he was able to fine tune the itinerary and make suggestions to ensure I got the most out of my trip. He was also able to respond positively to any suggestions I made. The vehicle was a sturdy Nissan Patrol, well able to deal with the local roads.
Travelling in November (the rainy season) turned out to be very successful. It may be slightly more risky in terms of delays due to road conditions, but this was balanced by being the only visitor in many places (chimps at Kibale, lowland gorillas at Kahuzi-Biega, primates at Nyungwe and Mgahinga). I only got seriously wet twice in two and a half weeks – less than I would have if I had stayed at home in Scotland!
A word about DRC – I had a separate guide, Julius, in Bukavu. As well as the agreed wildlife activities, he took me for a walk through Bukavu, visiting the neighbourhood where he was brought up, some family members' homes and his old school – places a normal tourist/traveller would never get the opportunity to visit. This was a real worthwhile experience if you want to try to increase your understanding of life in other countries. And if you want to see the Eastern Lowland Gorillas, this is the only place in the world where they live. They, and the dedicated rangers protecting them, need the support of our visit and cash!
Overall I can't fault the value for money. In many part of the world I travel myself using public transport and booking activities as I go. In this part of the world this would not have been a sensible option. I met an American couple trying to do their own thing, but in conversation everything was taking them longer and costing almost as much as my trip, as well as causing constant uncertainty for them as they tried to find the next driver to take them where they wanted to go.
Although I asked for accommodation at the cheaper end of the scale, the quality was on the whole excellent. In particular Bakiga Lodge in Bwindi and Enganzi Lodge at Queen Elizabeth NP were excellent, as were the Club Du Lac hotel in Bujumbura and the Panorama hotel in Bukavu.
The main purpose of my trip was wildlife. In two and a half weeks I saw 13 species of primate, including the Owl Faced Monkey in DRC, which I never expected to see in my life, so I consider this a major success.
I have visited Africa on many occasions, but I consider this trip, organised by Africa Adventure Safaris to be amongst the best, and I would say that for a first time visitor to Africa this company would work hard to ensure you had the best possible experience.
Part of the great joy in visiting Africa is the people you come in contact with. Come with an open heart and mind and Africa will reward you many times over.