50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Extraordinary 13 Day Luxury Safari
We have just returned home from our 13-day luxury Safari adventure that included Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti, and Selous. We are both having a little trouble adjusting to all the loud noises, crowds of people, and that lost connection to the presence of wildlife about us. In short, we had a life changing experience that neither photos nor mere words can convey. However, we can tell you what made the experience and adventure possible was all the careful planning and attention to detail that Galloping Safaris provided. We cannot praise Walter Tenga enough for all that he did for us. As promised, Walter was waiting to personally pick us up when our 5am flight arrived and took us to enjoy a wonderful breakfast. Afterwards he reviewed our itinerary with us making sure that all our needs were met.
We booked this trip eight months in advance for my 50th birthday and our anniversary. As I was somewhat nervous, I sent many emails to Walter, with questions, to which he always promptly and patiently replied with explanations and assurances. Four weeks after booking our air travel with Turkish Air and placing a down payment with Galloping Safaris, we were notified that our outbound flight had been cancelled and that we would have to book a different flight. Through emails exchanged with Walter he offered us alternate solutions so that the rebooking could still be managed within the budget of our Safari. Then in March, after paying for the balance of our trip, we read that Azure Selous, one of the camps on our itinerary had closed because of forest clearing in preparation of construction of a dam. After I frantically sent off an email to Walter, we learned that he had already been finalizing a rebooking at another equally amazing camp. I think in the process of trading emails, Walter came to understand my preferences, and made one last upgrade substituting the &Beyond Ngorongoro Crater lodge for the previous Highlands Camp. That change thrilled me beyond words and our stay there was amazing but more so, Walter had apparently arranged a surprise celebration for our anniversary and my birthday as the staff from &Beyond not only set us a special dinner table but also performed a traditional dance and song for us complete with rose petals thrown over us.
And then, there was our amazing guide - Lawrence. We liked him from the moment we met him. His laugh is infectious, his knowledge of the flora and fauna in-depth, and only surpassed by his keen eyesight at spotting animals. We spent many a happy day on game drives with Lawrence and he somehow always managed to locate various animals and position us for not only wonderful photo shoots but also to enjoy intimate moments with the animals where we could observe their special behavior. Like Walter, we cannot praise Lawrence enough. He was the most gracious guide, and wonderful person, always making us feel very special, and sharing insights into the Tanzanian people. It was tough saying goodbye to him when we flew off to Selous.
We had told Walter that we were looking for memorable experience. With Walter’s planning, Lawrence as a guide, and all the wonderful, friendly, and accommodating staff at all the camps and lodges we stayed, we felt very special and genuinely welcome, and had a trip that was every bit as we had hoped for and even beyond.
There are literally hundreds of tour operators offering all types of packages, consider yourself fortunate if you have discovered Galloping Safaris; book with them if you are looking for your trip of a lifetime.
Please feel free to reach out to us with any questions.
IN
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Terrific Tanzania with Epic Africa Adventure
Serengeti has been in our wish list for long. The main deterrent was cost consideration. But, finally it has happened during this summer thanks to very competitive pricing offered by Daniel of Epic Africa Adventure.
From the time we finalised Epic and till we started for Tanzania we disturbed Daniel on regular intervals with our every queries; he satisfied us every time. As Whatsapp messages would take little time to type, Daniel used to call directly us immediately. Now, post safari, since we are more than satisfied with Daniel’s services it is my duty to write for him.
We were received on time at the JRO by team Epic.
The vehicle provided was good- clean, comfortable to sit, never troubled during our trip.
The guide-cum-driver, Noel was very knowledgeable about the game, all animals/birds. He has been in this job since more than 10 years. Most interestingly, he is gifted with magical eye sight! He could spot the animals from very far which we would have problems even with binoculars.
Raymond, our cook was equally talented. We became fan of his soups; so much so that he has to explain his trade secrets to my wife and sister!
Daniel again came to see us off at Arusha along with his two lovely children and presented with goodies. His son is shy but really sweet!
I strongly recommend Epic Africa Adventure and looking forward for a future trip with this team.
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
12 day eastern safari
We had the most amazing experience I could ever imagine!! The guides, food and accommodations where better then I could ever ask for and I couldn't believe the number of animals there where and how close they came to the vehicle. It was off season and that meant there weren't as many people around which worked out great for us. We where able to spend as much time as we wanted watching and learning about the animals.
DK
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A perfect safari
My experience with Otto Safari was really good already from the beginning.
It was easy to plan the trip on the phone and everything was taken care of.
We were picked up in the morning and drove to Mikumi Nationalpark were we had an amazing trip. Our guide was really good to find the animals + his English was really good so he told us a lot about the animals.
In the evening we spent the night at a very cozy lodge with very nice food and such a cozy atmosphere.
In overall I will definitely recommend Otto Safari. The service is very good and the price is not too high!!
I’m choosing Otto Safari next time I’m going on safari
BR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing!
I went to a 4 days safari with Widlife Oasis Tour in Tarangire Park, Seregeti Park and Ngorogoro Crater. All the places we have been were amazing, we saw a lot of animals and the big five! The landscape was so beautiful! The game drivers, tents, campings, food and guide were great! The hotel for the overnite was also great with good breakfast. Transfer on time from/to airport, five star safari tour! Humphrey was very helpful in all e-mails answering all my questions and Ally was a great host when I arrived in Arusha. I highly recommend the Wildlife Oasis Tour!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Congratulations! You have found the BEST tour company in Uganda!
I came to Uganda to film endangered African Grey parrots living in the wild. I am not a traveller and was nervous about leaving home, but after touring Uganda with Team Johnnie and Agnes I cannot wait to come back! Johnnie Uganda Safaris is a family-friendly, conservation-focused, reliable, and trustworthy tour company. From parrots to chimps to elephants and even gorillas- Johnnie and Agnes will safely pull you out of your comfort zone to experience the world of animals as God intended them to live- FREE. Please support knowledgeble, eco-friendly companies like this one and let’s ALL do our part to educate ourselves and show our children gratitude and reverence for the natural world.
CO
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Life changing experience.
For me everything worked nice and smooth, since the first day that I arrived in Nairobi, Allan was attentive and answered all my questions and doubts. The Safari itself was amazing, we managed to see a lot of animals including 4 of "the big five" and the incredible wildebeest and cebra migration. The drivers (I had two) were very friendly and gave explanations about animal behavior and other data. The camp also very good, the staff there also an amazing group of people. It definitely met my expectations.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Awesome safari
Communication was perfect.They were updating us all the time.The lodge was perfect food was delicious special thanks to our driver guide George very knowledgeable we got to see the big five,it was my first safari and I would love to do more with Afriqueen.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Easy to use. Our tour guide Emanuel was amazing!
Easy to communicate. Spoke with them through email and whatsapp. They responded quickly and worked with our schedule.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Booked a group camping 5 day safari, and all expectations were exceeded!
Pre-booking experience: They responded to all emails in a day and would answer all personal questions with specific information - not just copy & paste answers that they send to all people.
Airport pickup/drop off: They picked us up from the Arusha airport and dropped us off at the Kilimanjaro airport - all included in the price! The cars were clean and the drivers were friendly.
Hotel before/after the safari: They booked us a room in the Ambassador Hotel for the night before the safari and a night after the safari - all included in the price. The Ambassador Hotel was clean and comfortable enough.
Safari Car: The pop-up roof car was the perfect safari experience! You could tell that our car was a bit used (some broken arm rests and one window that was jammed and couldn't open), but after being in it for 5 days and seeing the road conditions in the parks, I'm not surprised that it had a few little problems.
Staff: Our tour guide+driver (Hozza) and cook (Kelvin) were phenomenal and truly made the safari top-notch! The guide could talk for hours and hours about any and every animal and plant. He was really experienced, professional, funny, and kind. He would explain facts and habits of different animals when we would see them on the safari and then he would go really in-depth on one specific animal every night at dinner. He was also an aggressive driver when he needed to be - making sure other cars didn't block our view for certain popular animals.
Food: For a budget camping safari, the food (quality and quantity) far exceeded expectations! We had a cook who traveled with us every day and would make 3 meals. You will NOT go hungry!! Breakfast always included fresh fruit, omelettes, pancakes, toast, juice, and coffee/tea. Lunch was boxed (you would eat it at the national parks) and included a sandwich, chicken, banana, crackers, chocolate, and juice. Dinner was also a huge spread, and varied every night - homemade soup, fresh salad, pasta/rice, meat...
Drinks: We had unlimited water bottles in a cooler in the car (cool water!) and juice at every meal. We also were served wine and gin and tonics every evening at dinner. The alcohol was included!
Lodges/Campsites: We booked a camping safari, but we ended up staying in a basic lodge for two nights and camping in tents two nights. The basic lodge was a pleasant surprise - hot water private showers, a real bed, and wifi. The tour company provided all of the camping supplies - large tents (each couple/individual got their own tent), sleeping bags, and pillows. We set up our own tents with the help of the guide and cook. We never slept very well while camping because you would hear animals outside of the tents, but totally worth it for the experience! We saw a hyena, warthog, and buffalo at one campsite and an elephant from the other! The campsites have flush toilets and cold water showers.
Safari Itself: The itinerary was different every day, but generally we woke up early and would stay in the park for 6-8 hours a day. Driving between parks takes a long time, but the car is comfortable. The guide is always radioing the guides from the other cars to find out the locations of different animals, but you can expect to see EVERYTHING! We saw so many lions (and lion cubs), cheetahs (and cheetah cubs), leopards (and leopard cubs), as well as elephants, giraffes, zebras, antelope, warthogs, hyenas... PHENOMENAL EXPERIENCE!!
Thoughts on a 5 day safari: By the end of the five days, we were definitely safari'd out. I would recommend to my friends to only do 4 days (Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Manyara/Tarangire) - no need to do both Manyara and Tarangire. The scenery is different in each park, but you get to the point of being tired of sitting in the car for the full day.