SI
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great adventure
Me and my friend had an amazing private 4-day camping safari with Shadows of Africa through Lake Manyara, Serengeti and Ngorongoro crater. The cook was excellent, the food was delightful, mix of fish, vegetables and meet. Driver/guide was very knowledgable on wildlife and where to spot animals, he showed great patience in stopping for us to enjoy watching animals and picture taking. I think best way to enjoy safari is private safari, where you can stop as much as you want. Everything went smoothly from first day, so we could really enjoy beautiful landscape and wildlife. For use was camping great adventure, despite cold on Ngorongoro crater, animals around the tent by night :)
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Ngorongoro Crater by Nathan
The large number of lions here saw here was second to none in East Africa. We also saw a few chowing down on a zebra!
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A great place to experience your first safari.
The national parks in Tanzania have a stunning amount of animals (significantly more so than Ugandan parks), and this makes game drives easier there. We visited 5 parks/reserves there, but by far our favorite resort was the Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge at the rim of the crater. The views from the hotel were stunning, and the dining room was very luxurious, so I highly recommend this lodge.
The Serengeti is a must for any safari to Tanzania. If you can be there during the Great Migration (Jan-Mar) you'll see some awe-inspiring wildlife. Unfortunately we went during the summer, so we missed that, but still had an amazing journey.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Everything we'd expected it to be.
We loved visiting Kenya, but having visited other countries in East Africa now I can say that I prefer other countries more. I like to get away from large crowds of tourists and the "popular" places where people go, and Kenya in my mind falls into that category. That being said, the wildlife and scenic beauty is stunning, and you see why so many people choose to go here on their safaris. We spent most of our time at the Masai Mara National Park and stayed at Governors Camp. What a stunning location, and hospitable accommodation. The staff was extremely helpful (especially at chasing off baboons that liked to congregate around my tent). The food was great, but I remember there being an infestation of beetles in the dining tent, which caused us to have to eat our soup with our hands over our bowls. All part of the experience I guess!
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Ol Pejeta Conservancy by Dawn
Reticulated giraffes were beautiful!
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An experience not to be missed
The Masai Mara is not just a feeding ground along the great migration, it's a scene taken from the pages of earth's majestic hot spots. Not only does the beautiful scenery go on forever making you see--maybe for the first time--just how big and wonderful our planet is, but you also get to be part of the animal kingdom in ways you've never imagined. As our driver turned a corner here and there another species of animal, bird, reptile, and plant came into view. A pride of lions nursing their cubs, giraffes eating from tall acacia trees, elephants on their way to the water, a cheetah getting up from a nap and walking so close to our jeep I could touch him, wildebeest as far as the eye can see--some battling for supremacy, hyenas snatching a leg from a carcass where vultures were having a last snack...so much and so wonderful. The hippos and crocs, and birds and lizards, and warthogs and monkeys were all so entertaining as well. If you don't know God yet, you'll get pretty close to Him on the Mara.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Kenya by Dawn
You'll see everything--animals, birds and more. The people are friendly and lovely and the scenery goes on forever.
Mala Mala was absolutely AMAZING!
Brett and Yuri were amazing guides. It was a great experience and we got to see the Big 5 in just 2 days.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Most unique park I've visited in all of East Africa.
The oil camps popping up were sad to see, so I hope they don't expand in the park anymore. This park was stunning, with the rolling hills, and acacia trees and palm trees. We booked through EcoExpeditions Uganda and our guide really knew what was going on. We stayed at Fort Murchison just outside of the park, but it was close enough that we were able to get to the park early. The food there (4 course meals) was great, but the mosquitoes were bad. Overall, my favorite park in Uganda.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing experience with the chimps, with an easier trek than Bwindi!
This area of Uganda was one of our favorites as it was much greener than other parks. The tea plantations were stunning. We stayed at the Kibale Forest Camp just outside the park and it was our favorite accommodation of the entire trip. The staff was super helpful and attentive, and we loved staying in the forest and hearing the sounds of the jungle in the morning. The trek to find the chimps was a very easy one on flat terrain and the actual experience with the chimps was fantastic. My one complaint was the large number of people who go see the chimps at the same time. They split you into several groups of about 7-8 and each group takes a separate path into the forest. We all ended up trekking the same large group however, and I was surrounded by more tourists than chimps. Other than that, I can't recommend this highly enough.