US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The experience of a lifetime!
My husband (see Frank's review below), I, and our teenage daughter had an unforgettable 10 day safari and 3 day visit to Zanzibar. We began our trip with a lovely hike through Chagga villages to the Materuni waterfalls. This was followed by visits to Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater, and Central and Northern Serengeti. Each park has something unique to offer and the landscapes are simply stunning.
Bramwel made all the arrangements (including internal flights) and the customer service provided was excellent. William was remarkably prompt and helpful and patiently responded to all our questions. We wanted to support a local Tanzanian company but were unsure who to trust. William provided us with several US references who emailed glowing reviews and this made all the difference to us. I can say without reservation that this is a company to be trusted. William stayed in touch with us throughout the trip to make sure that we were happy with all the arrangements. We chose a combination of lodges and tented camps which provided a good balance for us. Mara Under Canvas in Northern Serengeti in particular was gorgeous and provided an experience in the wilderness we will never forget.
The importance of a good guide cannot be over emphasized. Our guide Freddie was wonderful. I cannot say enough about his professionalism, friendliness, and knowledge of animal behavior and Tanzanian customs. His english was excellent, he kept his Land Cruiser spotless, and we felt very safe in his hands. He went out of his way to locate animals for us and impressed us over and over again with his skill at spotting animals. We saw all the Big 5 and so much more! At the end of our trip, he was not only our guide but also our friend.
Zanzibar was fascinating. The Z Hotel was very comfortable located right on the beach with a warm and friendly staff. The detour to Zanzibar is well worth it and I highly recommend visits to Stone Town, the spice plantations, the Jozani Forest and the remarkable Rock restaurant.
Our trip to Tanzania exceeded all our expectations. It truly was an experience of a lifetime. I recommend Bramwel without hesitation and will most definitely use William's and Freddie's services again. I cannot wait to return to Tanzania!
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Giltedge did a great job!
We organized a trip with Giltedge Africa (formerly Southern Africa Travel) in September 2016. We were coming from New York and had some very specific requests on dates, lodges, nights at each location which were in several countries, ground transfers, light air transfers, and others. They were able to put everything together in short order at a competitive price, were very organized, and were available for any questions. We worked with Monique Dean who did a great job and always responded promptly and thoroughly to all of our many questions and requests. All of the partners that they worked with on the ground, specifically for transfers across borders, were great as well. Thanks!
AE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
God's creation is beautiful
Seeing is believing. Nothing can be described in words.
NL
Fell in love with Uganda
Yes, we had a great time in Uganda. The whole experience from start to finish was really great. The guide, was great. Nothing was too much trouble and we didn’t have any problems along the way. When we wanted to change our rafting trip, get a refund and book extra accommodation, this was sorted out no worries. He gave us the refund without question and organized our other trip for us It was all very easy. I have never booked travel over the internet before and was a bit worried about what we were going to get. However, the trip exceeded our expectations. Your help in the process was very good as well, our questions were always answered promptly.
Scott and Jo Australia
AE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
AE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Experience of a lifetime !
i had arranged a 6 day tour for my parents through Acheche Tours covering Mount Kenya/Ol Pejeta/Samburu / Masai Mara and boy! it was an awesome trip my parents would never forget. Ann from Acheche tours is a gem of a person and she was available all the time if we had any queries through whatsapp .. the communication was par excellence ! Does she even sleep ? Love the dedication... I was literally tension free knowing that Ann had it all taken care of and her passion towards clients satisfaction was exemplary. I would highly recommend anyone planning for Safari to do try these guys out plus i have not seen anybody give a better value deal than Acheche and that too during the peak migration period . Keep up the good work !
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect safari, perfect team, perfect guide -> unforgetable impressions
We did a 7 days safari in Tansania with Kilidove Tours end of August 2016 at nothern circuit with Arusha NP, Lake Manyara, Tarangire, Ngorongoro and of course the Serengeti. George aranged everything perfect, all Lodges, all gamedrives and visit to Oldupai-gorge were well organized. No problems at all. Incredible Impressions and Joshua (best guide south of the sahara) made this trip unforgetable. We will come back and do our next safari with Kilidove.
CA
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent experience (with couple of exceptions)
I had booked on behalf of a party of 7 (3 couples and an adult child). Pre-trip communications were good. The safari was mostly as expected and our driver/guide, Antony, was excellent. He was especially good at finding out about places where things were happening and getting us there quickly, and into a good viewing spot - most of the things that make up a good safari tour. Sadly, but through no fault of his, we did not sight a leopard but did run into the other big 5, and plenty of zebras and wildebeest, including a river crossing by a herd of the latter - a spectacular sight.
I would note two exceptions, both of which relate to the central office and not to our driver/Guide, but which led me to rate less than "Excellent":
- When our itinerary had us setting out in the morning to arrive at our destination for lunch, we did not expect the ride to be almost 7 hours, i.e. a very late lunch. This was entirely the result of the fact that the road into and out of Masai Mara turned from paved to a dirt road (very bumpy) well before the reserve, which was the only thing in the itinerary that surprised us. It would be helpful to note the major transit times in the itinerary. If this had been our only gripe, I would have given the excellent rating.
- More serious was our baggage situation. Prior to arriving for the tour, the group had visited Cape Town and Victoria Falls. I had advised the tour office that we would be travelling with one checked bag and one carry-on each and could consider leaving some bags in Nairobi to be picked up on our way to departure from Nairobi airport, but was assured that the LandCruiser had ample room to accommodate that. And that is precisely what we arrived with. Unfortunately, there was not sufficient space for all the luggage nor sufficient time to rearrange our packing (we arrived Nairobi very late night preparatory to a 7 a.m. departure). The matter appeared to be resolved by the fact that a smaller group was undertaking a similar tour with what we were told were two minor differences - at Lake Nakuru they were staying in a different place but not far and they were leaving from Nairobi on a different flight, but in a similar timeframe. Seemed like a simple solution for them to transport some of our bags. In reality, further differences emerged - the other group had some other excursions also planned so our departure/arrival times were not perfectly coordinated. It also appeared that they were unhappy having to carry our bags and having to make some timing accommodations for that. Finally, we learnt that they were not in fact flying out of Nairobi the same day as us. As a result, we spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to arrange for the bags to arrive at the airport with us, without risk of any delay. This preyed on our minds and the time spent on this detracted from our enjoyment of the tour. On the last day, we agreed that we would take with us the bags of 5 of us who were leaving on an earlier flight and that the remaining 2 of us leaving on a later flight would pick up our bags from the other vehicle once it arrived to the other group's hotel in Nairobi. Well, even that plan got changed as we were advised, at the eleventh hour, that the other driver had some other engagement as a result of which we met on the roadside somewhere and transferred our other bags into our vehicle - making our last hour pretty uncomfortable. It seems that the other group's itinerary and the other driver's schedule should have been known by the tour company in advance and that we were misled as to what the true situation was. It also seemed to us that any solutions they proposed were to their convenience and not ours. Hence, the reduced rating.
Antony, thanks for your service. Despite the issues noted, we did enjoy.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very attentive to my needs and great follow-through!
Communication was excellent. Ute answered our questions/concerns quickly and concisely. The entire trip exceeded our expectations and with every place we visited or stayed, we felt welcomed and in good hands. Blyde Canyon is a must see destination and the lodge accommodations were superb. Vicky (owner) was wonderful and informative. Her staff was friendly and lovely. Our safari guides (Marten & Quintin) were knowledgeable and adventurous. Our accommodations at Laughing Waters Lodge were also wonderful. There were a few snafus, but the staff made-up for them with professionalism and friendliness. A must do experience and adventure!
AT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A Perfectly Orgainsed Safari
We have just returned from a 3 centre, 2 week, family safari organised by Michelle Astbury.
We had a really fantastic time and everything was perfectly organised by Michelle, who was extremely helpful in finding the best options for us as well as making sure that everything ran like clockwork.
She answered every one of our many questions and queries, helpfully and informatively, which was very much appreciated.
Her recommendations were perfect for us and we enjoyed the entire trip enormously, all the transfers and flights were easy and well orgainsed.
In all it was a fantastic experience, exceeding all our expectations and I would not hesitate to recommend Michelle of Sun Safaris.
This was our best family holiday so far!