US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Experience on our first Africa trip
My wife and I booked a three week tour with Craig and had a great time. The itinerary was excellent as we enjoyed Joberg, Blyde River Canyon, Kruger National Park, St. Lucia Wetlands, Swaziland, Drakenberg area, Capetown and its surrounds as well as an add-on to Vic Falls and Chobe Game Reserve to the North. Craig designed the itinerary to meet our desires (lots of wildlife and outdoor activities mixed in with a sampling of the Capetown area without spending too much time shopping or in city centers). Because of the personal nature of the tour with Craig driving us almost everywhere, we saw the country through the eyes of a native South African and without the cumbersome nature of a larger group tour.
We were allowed to choose the general quality of the lodging (midrange) and we're pleased with the accommodations at every stop. Craig was always willing to do more. We were the ones who had to say that we were ready to rest up and relax a while.
We saw almost every type of animal you can think of, including all the big cats. Tasted wine in the Stellenbosch area, climbed Table Mountain, viewed more beautiful scenery than we could imagine and met lots of truly nice South African people.
Craig's company is relatively new but he is bonded and enthusiastic about his subject matter. As he is the owner, I imagine at some point very soon he will have to use other guides to cover the areas outside of Capetown but he seems like the kind of guy who will monitor the quality carefully and see to it that you get the experience you want. I actually think it might be better to have more than one guide so you can get diverse outlooks and information.
We were amazed by our first trip to Africa and appreciate Southern African Tours' role in putting everything together.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great safari experience
We travelled with African Comfort Zone safaris in April - the guide picked us up from our hotel in Nairobi and we drove to Masai Mara on the first day with a stop along the way for a tasty lunch. The accommodation was all we needed, delicious hot food every meal, hot and cold showers in our tent and very friendly staff. The safari was great fun and I highly recommend it! We got to see a variety of animals including most of the big 5, including a picnic lunch with the giraffes!
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent Value and meets N. American expectations
The short of it is: They recognized North American standards, and were able to provide great insight and value for our tour without the mark-up of the big brands operators. I also found they provided some excellent input about timing to hit the less busy times and areas.
When I booked my honeymoon, I wanted to make sure the money I was spending went to the local economy instead of foreign agents. Given I was spending thousands of dollars to do this, anybody would be hesitant of the quality of service they're going to get from locals in the developing world. I spent dozens of hours doing the back and forth with several agencies and outfits from N. America, Europe and East Africa in search of that elusive combination of Exclusivity with the perfect variety of activities and great value for my money.
Wild Destinations was recommended to me a co-worker who grew up in Kenya but had lived in Canada his entire adult life. I chatted back and forth with Shaheen, the Principal of Wild Destinations on Skype and email, and found her communication to be detailed and thorough (and patient because I know I'm a difficult customer).
Over several Skype calls we started from a broad description and worked our way down to what ended up being an ideal itinerary specific for our needs. Choosing parks and camps is only the beginning of the equation. I'm an experienced traveller, even in Africa, so I had strong ideas of what I thought I could get for my money if I booked things on my own. Shaheen delivered great points on what I should consider and introduced options that were easily overlooked when you are dependent on online reviews.
This back and forth was super helpful when you are trying to avoid the crowds because the local agents have a better idea of locations that aren't as busy, and since they don't operate to the same scale as major operators, they craft a much more personal connection to the lodge owners and managers.
In the end our itinerary was Samburu, the Mara, and Tarangire at the end of September.
I already felt good about what we decided on. It was about the same as what others offered and included accommodations with great reviews. The extra bonus was the execution. Wild destinations may be a small operator, but they delivered like they were a bigger one. Being met at the airports and lodges, etc are expected, but they added several personal touches to our honeymoon, that including meeting us herself at our hotel both at the beginning and end of our trip, giving us her cell number to call at any time if there was an issue (never had to use it), we were comfortable working through our guides, and they followed up with any nuance even after we returned home.
The best part was that anywhere we went, they booked us into areas where we were treated well, and weren't with the masses if we didn't want to be. Overall, the end to end service left us knowing we'd go with them next time we go on Safari.
You often worry about what your trip will be like on African vacations, but with Wild Destinations, it was hassle free. I do wish I booked with them on the beach part of our vacations as well.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Kruger National Park by Graham
Kruger is the crown jewel of the South African National Park system. It's huge and it has everything. It would be hard to name a better national park in Africa, or even in the world.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Augrabies Falls National Park by Graham
A beautiful park with much more than just the falls and the canyons. We saw many mammals and bird species on our long drives.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
From birds to mammals to scenery, Kgalagadi has it all.
The wildlife at Kgalagadi is the main reason to go, in my opinion. You'll have a great chance of seeing lions, meerkats, eland, gemsbok, ostrich, warthogs and more. As a birder, I enjoyed seeing things like Verreaux's Eagle Owl, Secretarybird, Black-chested Snake-eagle, swallow-tailed bee-eaters and many, many more. The facilities/accommodations are excellent as well, and the park is easily accessible and well-maintained. The massive Kgalagadi Transfrontier Pakr is one of the gems in the excellent South African National Park system, and one of the few that is comparable to Kruger.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about South Africa by Graham
I think you can't really do better than South Africa for a safari/wildlife viewing. It has all the wildlife and scenery you'll want to see, and generally better infrastructure (transportation, accomodation, etc) than most other African countries.
US
Amazing
It was an amazing trip , only if i could stay more :D Totally perfect from the first day to the last !
NO
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Group trip for 38 people
I can absolutely recommend Tembo Adventures for safaris, even with big groups like ours. We have used them for many years, every year with more people going so far. Justin and his colleagues treat you as a customer in a really good way. Justin is reachable on email or phone anytime and eventual challenges are sorted out in the best way. Tembo is positive, knows a lot and are professional. I highly recommend this safari company!
CA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing experience!
Masaii Wanderings was amazing right from the get-go. Donna was able to deal with all my bookings and silly questions (it was my first time to Africa so I had plenty). She was incredibly helpful, professional and courteous! Even with the changes I had, she was able to accommodate me first, and then 2 friends and their slightly different schedules as well!
The camp at Naona Moru (and Diana who runs it) is also amazing and I could go on about the camp but i've left a great review on trip advisor - https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g293751-d9830857-Reviews-Naona_Moru_Camp-Serengeti_National_Park.html
I'm told that this camp is use almost exclusively by Masaii Wanderings so I can assure you that it's an amazing camp!