DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fun and exciting weekend!
Everything was absolutly great. Communication before the trip, the pick-up, service throughout the trip, there was nothing to complain about.
Really exciting expirience with a great guide, who took great care of us!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Good choice!
If you want a safari these are the men for the job.
This safari was from Mombasa and we'd already had a safari from Nairobi earlier in the holiday with a different company where things had not gone according to plan and we were worried that this would be a repeat performance. We needn't have worried; this was a totally different experience and we quickly felt at ease and started to enjoy ourselves.
We opted for airport transfers and Max, the boss-man himself, was there waiting for us, with a big sheet of paper with our names on held high. We have often had problems of one sort or another with this type of meeting, but this time it was perfect.
On the day the safari began he was again already waiting for us when we came down to reception and introduced us to our driver & guide, Bashir. Bashir is a star. We saw and learned more than we had expected thanks to his comprehensive knowledge and helpfulness. The safari bus was in good order and he kept it clean & tidy, unlike some others we saw. Throughout the safari Bashir made sure we were well watered, well informed and as comfortable as possible, given the condition of the 'roads', and always seemed to know where the animals were to be found. We were always delivered to and collected from our overnight accommodation on time and it was always of the quality we had chosen, although there were a couple of substitutions - this is normal, and was explained early on in our booking.
Once again, on our departure, Max was waiting for us and we were taken to the airport in good time in the comfort of his personal car.
A safari is not something we'll be lucky enough to do again for a few years at least but when we do we'll be knocking on Max's door for sure.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best trip we have done!
Ngala Safari Lodge is the best travel experience we have ever had. Thought this would be a one off but we are already planning to come back in the future. Staff were amazing especially Allyn at the lodge.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Excellent Botswana experience!
We spent two days with B-Man visiting Moremi and the Delta and could not have been happier with the whole experience! From the initial contact with Shuffle in setting up arrangements, through to B-Man's good humour and excellent knowledge of the environment, our first-time trip to Botswana was greatly enhanced! All arrangements went according to plan and it was made very clear that the whole programme was to be geared around our personal requirements. Our next trip to Botswana will definitely incorporate another Bush Travellers experience!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
driving through to hippo hill we didn't see much wildlife only a young bull elephant checking us out
We stayed at Hippo Hill campsite, it was very rustic could do with an upgrade on washing facilities. The views from camp were beautiful up close to hippo's in the evening , flamingos on the salt lake in the day. We also went on an amazing boat trip that was organised through one of the parks lodges, it was great for birds with elephants on the banks of the river.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a lifetime!
This was our first visit to South Africa as a couple. Our trip took us from rural untouched beaches in the eastern cape to an unforgettable camping experience within The famous Addo Elephant park. We also enjoyed the upmarket holiday spots of Plettenberg bay and then along the garden route down to Magical Cape Town. Benjamin shared an informative history of South Africa as we travelled, and we had incredible sightings of lion in Addo who had just finished eating a meal of Zebra. He was calm and collected traveling on epic roads and over mountain passes and even helped us catch our first fish. It felt personal and tailored to exactly what we wanted.. plus we laughed a lot!! Thanks to Siya Phambile, this was a trip we will remember forever!
IE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A wonderful trip to Uganda - East to West
An 8 day trip through Uganda
I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to visit Africa and specifically Uganda right in the heart of the continent .. my research driven by my desire to visit this part of the world set me looking for a guide that could show the me the best parts of the country in the time that I had – 8 days.
From the moment I started to communicate with Wild Jungle Trails and Twaha I knew that they had the knowledge and flexibility that I was looking for in a Travel Company. On this basis I decided that I would book with them for my first visit to Africa.
The dialogue that I had with the company before I was travelling was very regular and I had many questions , some trivial but all important to me. My contact was Twaha all the time and in each case he was delighted to assist and responded in a very timely and knowledgeable manner.
I travelled at the beginning of April and this was a good time as it was not high season , and the weather was great , we barely had any rain on the trip.
Twaha met me at the airport in Entebbe and because of the timings we had agreed that we would spend the first night in Kampala as it was quite late to travel on to somewhere else . Kampala is a bustling city of about 3.5m people and for me that was not the reason I was visiting Uganda ,I very much wanted to be outside the city , for that reason I would not recommend that you stay for very long in Kampala.
Day 1 :
We travelled to Jinja which is at the source of the Nile on Lake Victoria , its about a 2 hour drive from Kampala through Tea plantations and farms , it’s a busy road as it is the main connection the Kenya and the port of Mombasa , critical to Uganda as it is a landlocked country. This was a familiar area for Twaha close to where he was brought up and where his family lived.
I had really wanted to go Horseback riding and Twaha found a great centre called Nile Horseback Safaris where as an experienced rider I was able to have an amazing ride out through typical villages and Tea plantations on a great forward going horse.. for those not experienced there were slower paced rides available … the ride ended with a magnificent view over Lake Victoria. If you can or cannot ride I would recommend this , it costs about $60 for a 2 hour ride.
We ate that evening in Jinja – finding somewhere good to eat is quite a challenge in Uganda , so be prepared for that . I also took the opportunity to have a Nile beer which is made very close by.
Day 2 :
A visit by boat to the source of the Nile from a place called Kingfisher , was a great experience .. seeing the local fishermen and the abundant birdlife was fantastic. The boat launch is located through the grounds of a Safari Lodge.
Twaha is somewhat of an expert on birds and Uganda with 1000 different bird species, Uganda is a birders paradise , Twaha’s knowledge is comprehensive and he says that he can identify 300 of the bird types in Uganda.
As we were in the area, Twaha took the opportunity to visit his family, I was honoured to be invited to his home where his mother had kindly prepared some lunch, this wonderfully personal touch really portrays how Twaha wants to be the best ambassador and guide for his country providing truly authentic unique experiences.
Day 3
We travelled on though the countryside for a number of hours until we reached Mbale a town set under the backdrop of beautiful mountains.
While the roads in some cases are not good the experience of driving through the countryside and observing the Ugandan life in action is wonderful . Uganda has a huge young population and this is reflected in the amount of babies and children that you will see everywhere. In many cases the young children are excited to see a white person which they call ‘Muzunga’ and they give you a big wave .. if you meet them in the villages they may practise their English – “how are you “
At Mbale we overnighted here at a relatively nice Hotel ( Wash and Willis ) .. finding accommodation suitably priced and of a reasonable standard in Uganda is a challenge.
Twaha was able to recommend a nice restaurant in Mbale where we had lunch , once again the options are limited.
Day 4
Back on the road again to a place called Sipi where we went on a hike for about 2 hours led by a local guide called Sam who did a great job explaining the area, agriculture , villages etc on the way to see a series of magnificent waterfalls.
This was followed by a wonderful lunch in a Lodge Hotel at the base of the falls.
We then drove back to Mbale where we overnighted.
Day 5
This was a long day but Twaha never complained about the driving which in Uganda is mostly on a two lane busy highway.. though you will also come across some unpaved roads.
We drove a lot of this day .. in a westerly direction back through Jinja, on to Kampala to a place called Masaka which would be our overnight destination on our journey west to the Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Masaka is a busy town and there was one acceptable hotel .. which I found on line.
Day 6
On this day the journey West continued until we reached the Queen Elizabeth Park , the landscape changed very often from great plains to hilly tea plantations , the road was not easy so be prepared for this .
Arriving at QE park you really are aware that you have arrived somewhere special , as you descend from the mountain to the park with the amazing Vista of the flat plains and Acacia Trees on the unspoilt landscape with Lake Edward against the back drop of the mountains in the distance – it’s a beautiful sight and one that you can only see in Africa.
After driving though the park , Twaha had arranged for me to take the boat trip along the Kanzinga channel where you can see the Elephants, Hippo’s, water buffalo and many more . Its a 2 hour boat trip and well worth it … it helps to have a camera with a good lens to capture this amazing scene. You also get to see the fishermen launching their canoe boats in the early evening to fish on Lake Victoria.
As it was getting late when the boat trip returned and we were travelling further north to stay .. in a place called Kasese… we got back on the road stopping along the way to take some memorable photos.
Day 7
One of my favourite parts of the trip – we returned to the Park from Kasese and went on a 27km drive called the Crater Lake drive – the views , the landscape is magnificent .. a true sight to behold .. do not miss this drive.
As I had said to Twaha that I wished to see flamingos , he had arranged for us to go to a place where they would normally be.. it was in a salt lake near Lake Katwe within a community that lived in the park . Unfortunately due to the dry weather at that time the flamingos had flown off , so a reason to go back .
At the end of this magnificent drive we started on the journey back to Kampala , with an overnight in Masaka once again.
Day 8
Final day - a drive back to Entebbe to catch my flight ..with a stop for lunch on Lake Victoria sorry to leave Uganda but grateful for a wonderful experience and to have had the services of a wonderful guide throughout. Well done Twaha and Thank you ..
DK
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Outstanding service
We are a family with 3 children below 10 and we booked our safari trip through Fanaka Africa Tours. Unfortunately we had to cancel the trip in December 2016 due to illness. We completed the safari in February 2017. Fanaka Africa Tours provided us with an outstanding service level through assisting us with refunds from the safari lodges. At all times we felt safe with our booking through Fanaka Africa Tours from payment date through the safari. The evening before we met with the Company and the guide making our children feel comfortable and Fanaka Africa Tours were in contact with the guide daily on the tour to secure everything was going well. Wien we got back we met with the Company to evaluate the tour. We experienced a high level of professionalisme and service and was very pleased with a fantastic safari.
NO
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Worst safari agent ever!
This is the most unprofessional and worst agent we've dealt with ever!
We booked our safari through a company in Kenya but for the Tanzanian part we were outsourced to Sandland Tour, Arusha.
We and also an other girl in our group (who had booked with different agent in Kenya) had to all the time argue and pin point what was included in our intiniary. If we haven't had the out print to show them they would have over ruled us on everything and cut things off. Ex: in our intinary we were supposed to drive to Serengeti via Olduvai Gorge. We drove right passed it. We were even supposed to have our lunch there, whitch did not happen.
First day 2 individually travelling guys joined us, both of them with different intinary. Second day they were sent to a different group. They were supposed to leave 30 min before us but they were there still waiting when we left.
First night at camp my husband and I got a tent together as we were a couple but the girl and the two guys , who all traveleld indvidually and didn't know each other, were placed in the same tent. The girl of course argued and after hard discussion the girl got a tent for her self. But the guys still had to share.
As they also changed the order of the itiniary we were short cut on things.
Also they took us to Tarangire park, whitch we did not have in our itiniary. This led to that we had far less time in Serengeti than what our plan said and we payed for.
They also skipped breakfast one day. When they wanted to do so second day we told the guide and the chef that we won't have it. So they ahd to give us breakfast anyway. But of course resulting in less time game driving as they didn't start the day earlier like we requested to not to miss out on time of game drives. We saw other groups start earlier with breakfasts so they could get sunrise in the parks.
Our guide, George, was not competent and showed very little interest in making a good safari for us. He knew less about animals/trees/plants/birds than we did. Many questions he didn't even answer. We did not enjoy the atmosphere on the safari and didn't feel comfortable at all. In the end we were just happy to be finished with the safari in Tanzania and hoped we would arrive safetly back to Kenya as we felt we could not trust them at all.
When the safari was over and we were supposed to get transport back to Arusha as the other girl had one more day with safari. George, the guide just left both us and the girl with no words. Him and 2 others drove off, and we never saw them again. The girl was supposed to have an afternoon game drive but at 5pm she was still at the camp.
We sat there with a stranger who spoke barely english as our driver and with no information and we were waiting for almost 2 hours before we left for Arusha. 2 hours we could have spent more on game drive or been in Arusha for sight seeing.
The day we were supposed to get bak to Nairobi we were supposed to have breakfast at 7am as our transport was to leave at 7.30 from the hotel. We were in the restaurant at 6.55am, they didn't give us the food before 7.25 even the chef and 2 waitress's were there fromt he moment we came. We tried to tell them several times that we have to leave at 7.30 but to no help.
The day we arrived in Arusha from Nairobi the boss, Abraham wouldn't give us dinner as they said it was not included. After showing them the intiniary and discussing and making us wait 3 hours they said we could have dinner.
It was very unprofessional and very unfriendly customer service. If we knew what we knew to day we would have skipped Tanzania all together as it actually led to no pleasant part of our holiday than what it did good. Unfortunately waste of money. Make sure when you book safari that it's the same agent handling your safari all the journey.
HK
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Great experience
Its my 6th safari and the 2nd in Tanzania. The guide was probably the best I've had before and the experience was very smooth. Great customer care, both before and after safari. No complains at all, exceeded the expectations completely.