50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Absolutely magical 21 day safari
The two of us spent 21 days camping (some public campsites, some tented camps) through Lake Manyara, Serengeti Central, Serengeti North, Ngorongoro Crater, and Tarangire. This is our second trip through Africa and Tanzania; we had certain expectations and Lion King Adventures consistently exceeded them. This was our first with Lion King.
Our first contact with Lion King was via email with Wilbard. He answered all our questions clearly and fully, was flexible and tailored the trip to exactly our needs, and provided comprehensive (and as we found out on the trip) very good advice to us. His service and attitude was one of the main reasons we went with Lion King. Once the itinerary was nailed down we were in contact with Anna to sort out payment and the finer details; she was as attentive and detailed as Wilbard, and responded quickly to questions and acknowledging payment. The whole process before we arrived in Tanzania was smooth and worry free. We met James (the owner) and Wilbard at the end of the trip; Wilbard was keen to get our feedback and thoughts to improve the service he and Lion King offer.
We travelled with a guide / driver, Salehe, and a cook, Kurimu. They were both fantastic fun, professional and considerate for the entire trip. They were extremely flexible, tailoring and fettling the trip for us as we progressed, such as tweaking the food and seeking out quieter, less ‘touristy’ places. Each and every day they worked unfailingly hard to ensure we had the trip of a lifetime.
The food prepared by Kurimu was exceptionally good, even better than that at the tented camps, and was made to our preferences and tastes as we had outlined to Anna. There was lots of variety, fresh fruits and vegetables, and the meals were so big that there were always leftovers (though not for our lack of trying). Given the conditions, facilities (or lack thereof) and the distances involved it was a fantastic effort on Kurimu’s part.
Our driver / guide Salehe was with us all day while Kurimu generally stayed back at camp. We enjoyed Salehe's company very much. He was friendly, informative and very flexible. He had eyes like an eagle, seeing things we would definitely have missed without him. He was adept at placing the car in the best possible position for us (a miracle as one of us was operating a long lensed camera, the other a video) and always ensured we had enough time. He was patient, especially with the migration crossings over the Mara river. We saw more than we could have ever expected – including over 150 lions and cubs, 8 migration crossings, a serval, multiple cheetahs and cubs, leopards and cubs, baby giraffe, incredibly coloured lizard and birds – and with many of the animals we saw them at very close range. Truly magical.
Salehe was flexible with the timing and duration of the daily drives. We stayed out all day as long as possible to maximise our chances of seeing animals. There was more than enough water on board and, with Kurimu’s packed lunches, it was more efficient than returning to camp for lunch.
The car, a Toyota Land Cruiser, was great. There were only the two of us in the back, giving us more than adequate room and great visibility with the pop top roof and four seats. The windows were different from other vehicles out there; they could be wound right down (rather than sliding half way across like others) allowing lots of room to 'hang out' and take photos and video. The car had a power-board with multiple points which allowed us to always keep our batteries fully charged and avoid the camp site scrum for power. The video battery, which usually takes overnight to charge, charged fully during the day as we drove. Mechanically the car was well maintained and had no issues on the trip. It was always kept very clean and well organised, Salehe spending hours at the end of each day cleaning and prepping the car for the next day.
From start to end (right from first contact to being dropped off at the airport), there is nothing we can think of that would have made the trip any better. Lion King more than delivered what they said they would.
In the end we simply did not want to come home.
A few tips for the Serengeti:
Show your driver/guide your camera gear early, tell them what it can do and what you want. That way they will work for you in getting the best position for the gear you have.
Disposable underwear. Washing takes your time and in most of the places they will not wash your underwear for you. Buy cheap undies, shed them as you go, it’s easier and simpler. Shirts, jeans and the rest usually costs around USD 2 to 3 per piece for next day laundry.
Your mobile phone isn’t good enough for photos. You’ll get some half-reasonable happy snaps but honestly, it’s not good enough. If you’ve paid to get to the Serengeti fork out the extra $200 to $500 for a zoom digital camera – you’ll not regret it.
You don’t have enough memory. Bring extra memory cards. You’ll need them.
AE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great and excellent service
I did a safari with my family in march this year in Tanzania and Kenya. Communication was great, booking and payments was easy. I will always recommend this team.
FR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
OUT OF THIS WORLD !
Africa Flash MCtours lived way beyond our expectations and was worth every penny. Peter was always availble to answer any queries and help us through the whole process of deciding which package to go for and reassure us. Our guide John in Kenya was outstanding and went out of his way to make the experience breath taking. Preygod in Tanzania was wonderful too. We got to see the big 5 apart from the rhino and our accommodations were breathtaking. Sleeping with elephants just a foot away from us drinking in your water tank is a childhood dream come true how wonderful ! We could not recommend more Africa Flash MCTours. Thank you
MY
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful Experience In Kenya!
This was the perfect tour for us. We had a good driver who very kind & take care of us, the scheduled was great & everything went as planned. We excited to see the animals migration in this season especially when the animals running on the grassland & we saw them from Hot Air Ballon early in the morning! Feel so GREAT!!
I'm highly recommend "Discover Aftica" if you're looking for small & private tour in Africa.
MX
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great guides but little support from management during Safari
I have mixed feelings regarding Wildebeest Safaris. The first part of the trip was absolutely perfect, communication with Noah and Samuel at the beginning was very good but sadly everything changed towards the end.
Our trip started in Kenya where we met Jeff, our first safari guide. Jeff is the absolute BEST! He ensured we could see all the animals we wanted, he was very caring, funny and made sure we were having a good time at all times. He took us from Nairobi to Lake Nakuru and then to Masai Mara, accommodations in both places were amazing, they felt very luxurious and staff was very helpful and friendly.
From Masai Mara we went to Serengeti where we met Hamza, our 2nd driver and guide. Hamza was great, he is very experienced and knows A LOT about animals, plus, he knows great spots for photos ;) Both Jeff and Hamza drove 4x4 Land Cruisers, perfect vehicles for safari.
The issues started in Tanzania. One day before reaching Serengeti, the agency contacted us to inform that they had made the booking on the wrong dates so we didn't have valid accommodations anymore. Luckily we are not the kind of people who freak out and only asked for reservations at similar lodges, however, I do have to say that this was an unexpected situation and it was a bit stressful since they noticed only a day before! In the end they fixed it and booked alternative camps for us but one of them didn't have basic facilities like hot water.
From Serengeti we drove to Ngorongoro Crater and then back to Kenya's border to go to Amboseli. When we crossed the border, our 4X4 Land Cruiser was changed to a Mini Van, this was more than a huge disappointment because this type of vehicle is not made for safari, nor the roads in Kenya/Tanzania (way too bumpy + fishtailing when going at more than 20km/h, hence you have to go really slow and takes double the time to cover the same distance), most importantly is that is not the car Noah promised on the very first email he sent me. Our 3rd driver (Peter) tried to contact Noah to find a solution to this problem but we had no luck, he never answered. I also tried contacting Noah and Samuel by email... and we also didn't get any response, we were just ignored (up to date we haven't received any sort of explanation). We had to stick to the Mini Van the last two days of the safari and it became so uncomfortable that we decided no to go on a safari drive the last day.
It's a pity that a trip that started so well and that could have been rated a full 5-star was just thrown away because of poor management at the end.
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
60th birthday tour
We just returned from a 13 day safari in Kenya and Tanzania. It was the trip of a lifetime and I can't thank The Safari Partners enough for helping us to organize such an incredible birthday trip. The guides, accommodations, food, everything was outstanding. It was incredible viewing the multitude of animals in their natural environment and the hot air balloon ride was amazing.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Terrible !!!
We booked a 7 day safari of Tanzania and the travel agent outsourced it to BMS. What a disaster. The vehicle provided was in horrible shape ( it had over 473,000 kilometers) and shook like crazy. You could not speak or hear for the noise created by the land cruiser while traveling off road. We were passed by every other vehicle ( the other safari vehicles’s suspension could handle the washboard roads just fine ) so it took many extra hours to get anywhere. Our driver/ guide was switched at the last minute and Baraka ( the driver ) spoke very little English so he could not or would not explain anything. The driver did not know where our permanent camp in the Serengeti was and he had no map or directions. We got lost and the radio did not work properly and he had no cell service. Then the land cruiser broke down after 8 hours traveling (transmission). He did not have a proper tool kit. Some other vehicles helped us and took us to camp 2 hours late. He fixed the vehicle that night but 2 days later it broke down 4 times( fuel leak) and we run out of gas! Another safari operator took us to our lodge an hour away.
Two days out of six on safari were lost to extra long driving days ( car could not go as fast as the others )coupled with getting lost and the multiple breakdowns
I was able to communicate with the office through Whatsapp but Buhambo, the owner/manager (?) just kept saying he was sorry or he was working on the problems. Since our diver did not speak english( though they assured us he did) we had to ask others to help us but he could not explain the animals or birds or the vehicle breakdowns and timing of travel. We had been on safari in other countries for weeks so we knew quite a bit but what a disappointment.
We kept asking for a new vehicle but apparently they were all out on safari and this was rented but how would we have been able to prevent this? I booked this safari 8 months in advance and the original company I booked through was appalled but what can you do when you are in country?
The camps and lodges were very good and Tanzania is a beautiful country. Just do not travel with BMS Safaris! We have traveled to over 145 countries and this was our worst experience by far.
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Rwanda at its best
We from Isimila Tanzania Adventures had sent our clients after a safari in Tanzania with Bernard to explore the wilderness and beauty of Rwanda. The hightlight was no doubt a Gorilla Trek. Our clients were delighted by the quality and outstanding services of Bernard. He did anything to make our clients happy and exceeded their expectations. They had a great time and experience with those fascinating animals. We are very happy to do business with Bernard on a regular basis and highly recommend him. Bernard, you are the best...
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
We had a wonderful experience with a great guide
The tour seemed very well organized. Santos our guide was very informative and saw to our safety and well being. Santos suggested a bike tour on our cultural day which was a wonderful experience. The communication and details of our safari was good. We had hoped to see many animals on the safari, which we did. We were given time to observe the animals and never felt rushed. Thanks for a wonderful time.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Beautiful Botswana Safari
My husband and I went to Botswana and Victoria Falls for our honeymoon and I couldn't be happier I entrusted Safari Online to do the booking for us. Walter was our agent and he is top notch. From beginning to end he was extremely detailed, a great communicator, and just downright pleasant to work with. He consistently checked in with us as our trip time approached to make sure all details were in place and to make sure that all our questions were answered. When we took our trip, we couldn't believe how smoothly everything went. We just had to show up and there was someone waiting there to take us to our next lodge, plan, or car ride. We saw so many amazing animals on our safari and met some incredible people in Botswana and we will cherish those memories for life. Thank you again Walter for helping us create this amazing experience.