NL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A holiday to be cherised
In the summer of 2016 we made in a trip to Northern Tanzania and Zanzibar. In the months before the trip we were able to organize the trip together with their staff exactly to our, rather specific, wishes. That was allready part of the fun. They did an excellent job and managed to find the location of a farm my wife's father started around 1955. They visited the place (at a really remote location!) to check it out before we arrived and made it possible for us to visit that place and meet the new owners who showed us around. This was very special for us but the rest of the trip was equally well-organised. We camped in Arusha NP (the best start possible, walking safari's, wonderfull scenery at the campsite and very relaxed), near Monduli, Tarangire NP, tribes near Lake Eyasi, Lake Manyara, Serengeti and Ngorongoro crater. Our driver drove very safely and had a tremendous knowledge of wildlife. We as biologists must have challenged him really though but we were completely satisfied. And he was a really nice person as a company which is also very important if you are so close together in a car for weeks. He became a lifetime friend. The cook also was very important for the trip. We were always very hungry before the meals and satisfied smiling afterwards. He certainly deserves a Michelin star for his avocado salad if we may only mention one dish. Real Tanzanian delicious food. And superfresh, we had no problems with our stomachs or other inconveniences. We saw far too much wildlife to mention it here, but a group of elephants chasing away more than a dozen lions, the crossing of the river Mara by wildebeasts and zebras and the animals walking around the campsites during breakfast were certainly experiences we'll remember the rest of our lives.
After the safari we stayed on Zanzibar. Relaxing at the beach and visiting Stonetown and Chumbe island.
We highly recommend African Wildcats to organise your safari. We think you won't be disappointed.
PL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing experience
It was a real pleasure to visit the Hluhluwe Umfolozi Game Reserve with Tim Brown Tour. Professional and cheerful guide and driver talked about the history of Zululand , Reserve and animals living there. He looked for the animals hidden in the bush. We saw the big 5 wild dogs and wild boar. Hluhluwe Umfolozi Game Reserve is one of the most beautiful places I've seen. I' ll certainly return to Reserve. Highly recommend the tour with Tim Brown Tour. If we go back to South Africa we will definitely take advantage of his offer.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
"Every Day is the Best Day" - Outstanding Planning, Service and Personnel
When looking for a safari it is hard to know which company to choose. We were in communication with many potential companies, but what set RAS apart was their timeliness in response and English communication skills. Other companies took 2 weeks to respond to us where RAS (Amelia) was responding same day and often times the same hour. Furthermore, they didn't just stop booking with the safari, but they helped plan the other part of our trip as well. We had other questions (riding elephants, diving with sharks, hotels in Cape Town & Johannesburg) they either referred or set up for us helping take much of the planning/booking and stress off our plate. Even if there was something we wanted to do that we hadn't thought of (shark diving), our guide Jaco called Amelia and the next thing we knew, it was part of our itinerary. The service was second to none.
As for the safari, we did a 5 day tour on the panorama route. Our guide Jaco was highly knowledgeable with regards to all animals, nature and landmarks/stop offs along the way as well as highly interactive with us. We did the group rides at camps, but the best part of the trip was our time spent riding in the safari van with Jaco as he knew and explained more than we were hearing when going out on group trips from base camps (day, night and bush walk guided tours). That is not to say that the camp trips were not great, but sometimes they lacked or failed to share deeper knowledge about the animals and the territory. Furthermore, Jaco cooked for us each night with many options. While riding in the park I found myself wondering what a kudu or impala might taste like… not to worry, most likely you were going to get to try one of the game meats at night which only added to the experience. During our trip it rained 3 of the days we were in Kruger National Park, but we still managed to see the Big 5! Much of that is due to the fact that Jaco was readily available and willing to take us out to continue to look for animals even after we did the guided group tours. Jaco did not want us to leave without getting the entire experience and bang for our buck. I remember seeing 3 leopards in one day and we were all excited and I asked Jaco what was the best day he ever had in Kruger and he said "As a guide in this park, every day is the best day" and even after 3 days in the pouring rain I can honestly see why he thinks that! Needless to say at this point if you read this far, RAS can do it all and you will most likely leave making an additional friend in your tour guide along the way!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Safari was "out of this world" everything was top notch better than expected.
Bahati International Tours and safaris did an excellent job on our trip from planning to executing every detail was covered throughout the trip.
Drivers, Guides were excellent they were very knowledgeable and went out of their way to make sure our experience was memorable.
AE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The absolute perfect way to explore the great parks/reserves of Tanzania!
Our experience with Benson was impeccable. He was direct and prompt in answering all of our questions via email, booking and payment was effortless, and the organization and follow-through was outstanding. You will not be disappointed in a trip organized by them.
Our guide for the 5 days, Jeff, was fantastic. His English was clear and great, he accurately sensed our moods of when we wanted to hear a lot of information versus when we would just appreciate the quiet time to observe. We really appreciated his excellent driving skills and regards for safety and security. You could also tell that he advocated on our behalf with any of the interactions that were in Swahili.
The accommodations that we stayed in were incredible, especially Kubu Kubu Tented Camp (best shower, EVER). Everything was clean, cared for, and well-maintained. The food local and delicious.
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
A wonderful safari experience in Tanzania. Followed by a beautiful stay on Zanzibar
We were very impressed with our experience of Eyes on Africa safaris. From Isaac picking us up at the airport in Kilimanjaro to dropping us at Arusha for our onward flight to Zanzibar we had a superb safari. He was also extremely helpful when one of our suitcases didn't arrive with us and went out of his way to locate it and made sure we had it before setting off on safari.A lovely peaceful hotel in Arusha) The accommodation was excellent althought our first stop at lake Manyara could have been better. (The food wasn't good at all ) After that we had no complaints about the camps(another3) and the 1 hotel we stayed at. The itinerary was great. We saw every animal possible and Isaac was so clever at spotting things we would never have seen ourselves. The two leopards in a tree only a few yards from is will stay with us forever. The champagne while watching giraffes at sunset in the Serengeti was another lovely touch. Can't praise the holiday too much. We then went to Zanzibar where the accommodation in both Stone Town and the beach(Pongwe Beach Resort) were brilliant. I would highly recommend this company. E mails were always answered promptly and changed made when I asked for them.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best Kruger National Park Safari operator you can imagine!
Don't really know where to start...The whole experience was amazing. Smooth communication over emails before arrival. Save payment service through PayPal. The transfer from Jo'burg. Our accommodation. Safari. All was really well arranged and organized. Very friendly atmosphere all day long with nice breakfast boxes and lovely and delicious diners prepared by Danielle. On the other hand Brandon - the best safari guide you could possible imagine. The whole service provided during our 4 day stay was very professional and deserve 5*. Brandon and Danielle You were great!!! Thank You very much for wonderful and unforgettable Safari experience. Hope to see You again one day!:)
AE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Antony our guide also known as Gito, was the one who made our safari memorable. Knew the place well
Excellent service, Antony spoke good English, was very patient and knew the place well, we were happy with the safari, will surely go again, next time to both Kenya and Tanzania
SG
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Professional scam artist, avoid Yoeni Japeth Mbonea at all costs. No stars!
My wife and I engaged Drive Tanzania for a 21 day safari covering Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania to celebrate our 10 year anniversary. With the benefit of hindsight, we should have not gone ahead with this when Yoeni, the director of Drive Tanzania was either very hard to connect with or he would hang the phone up on you mid conversation, as what occurred in the lead up to us engaging Drive Tanzania. There was a lot of miscommunication due to poor communication by Drive Tanzania around flights and commitments. I thought it is just a bad phone connection but really, that has nothing to do with it. All of these tour operators have multiple phone numbers and whatsapp. Tourists do not get the number they use most for all their communications with locals and to do their business.
Regardless, we commenced our tour. Things continued to go badly. In Uganda, when we arrived, our tour guide was more than an hour late, which is quite scary late at night in a foreign country with taxi drivers yelling at you at airports. There is a minimal standard of care and for a safari of this price, it was not being met. Eventually our driver came. We found out he didn't know who Yoeni was as all of the Uganda tour was outsourced and not provided by Drive Tanzania.
That said, Uganda is amazing. Seeing mountain gorillas in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and getting so close to them is a life long memory. Further, the Maasai Mara in Kenya (our second country, guided by another outsourced tour guide) was also excellent. Seeing lions, cheetahs, leopards, elephants, hippos etc in the dry season was actually very worth while as we could get close to the animals as there are less tourists around.
Here is where the disaster with the fraudster Yoeni and Drive Tanzania really began. As we crossed into the border from Kenya to Tanzania our Kenyan tour guide told us he was unable to reach Yoeni and left us there, to drive back to Nairobi. I was able to contact Yoeni and he said the car had broken down and they were several hours away. We waited for them in a roadside hotel at the border as we had next to no money, afterall on safari all expenses are paid and in advance. Also, this is Africa… do you think they accept credit cards or know what an ATM is? The hours passed. We got worried and tried calling Yoeni...repeatedly… 110 times! He had turned his phone off. We got worried and started scrambling. Eventually we found out the name of our hotel in Tanzania in the Serengeti and when we called, we discovered there was no booking for us and we could not get into the Park.
Yoeni Japeth Mbonea and Drive Tanzania left us stranded and took $10,000s from us. We are still chasing him for an equitable refund for more than half of an unfulfilled trip. Be careful, he has done this before. He has many different tourism companies that have come and gone. He also has interests in mining companies and gem traders. His fees are also very expensive, particularly as he outsources everything, but really he makes money by scamming foreign tourists and making a couple of phone calls to other tourist providers. His company is actually really small and he uses the money he steals from others to support an affluent lifestyle in Norway. Avoid this person [remember his address in case he starts a new company!] for your own piece of mind. Use safaribookings.com to find another tour guide as there are 2000 more out there and you will save yourself from this horrible, potentially life threatening experience.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a lifetime!
We had a wonderful time. I have to mention that the services in South Africa (all places we went from Johannesburg to Kruger to Cape Town and beyond) are great. All staff, all people, everyone we came into contact with was so great, nice and helpful. Beyond that, South Africa is absolutely beautiful! This was a vacation of our lifetime and we are already thinking about our next visit. We will be back for sure.
We had a great stay and loved the food. The staff at Winchester Mansions and Kruger park was very helpful with all our questions and made our stay very enjoyable.
Also, the shark dive trip was very nicely organized, we really liked it. Everyone was so knowledgeable and we can tell that they love what they do. Thank you for booking us with Marine Dynamics!
We are going to be back very soon!