20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Spectacular experience
In a few words i would love to say the trip was awesome. the staff was so nice the people i met were amazing. and the sites were so beautiful. i had a lot of fun and fell i really got my money's worth. i was a bit anxious before the safari but the moment it started i became very comfortable and had a very good experience and i am already hyped for my next safari
CA
Trip of a lifetime!
I booked and planned our 10 day safari with Stacy. We stayed at three of Duma's camps - Kichuguu, Kiota and Chaka. They were all exceptional! Do bring ear plugs if you are a light sleeper, or if you have a wild imagination. The animals make a lot of noise at night, but rest assured, the camps are very safe. Each and every staff member at all three camps were outstanding - we have never met such warm, welcoming and sincere individuals! Everyone was incredibly attentive, engaging and a delight to be around. The accommodations were beautiful ("glamping" is an understatement) and the food was delicious, but it was the staff that really made it special. I will also write individual reviews of each camp - but a big warm thank you to Charles and Jubilate at Kichuguu, Eric at Kiota and Godlisten and Amani at Chaka Extra!
The game viewing was incredible! Watching different animals of all ages interacting in their natural environment left us speechless. We saw jackal pups pop their heads out of their den, a 2 day old elephant learn to walk, a female lion try to entice a male lion to mate, hyenas hiding in the brush, wildebeest crossing the river, lion cubs playing, a baby hippo who's colouring had yet to change and was still bright pink, and so much more.... We strongly recommend tailoring your choice of parks based animals you are most interested in seeing. I love big cats and therefore chose to spend 5 nights in the Serengeti. A special thank you to our guide Isack who was incredibly knowledgeable and engaging and could spot a lion in the distance while driving 60km/hr down a dusty road! We shared some great stories and a lot of laughs during our time together.
I also want to point out that throughout my interactions with Stacy and our observations during our safari, Duma Explorer is truly dedicated to nature conservancy. Their guides are extremely respectful of the animals and their habitat. Unfortunately we observed other companies going off the road, chasing animals and driving far to close to them. Isack always stayed on the road and approached the animals quietly and slowly, making sure that both we and the animals were safe at all times.
After our safari, we flew from the Serengeti to Zanzibar and stayed at the Sunshine Marine Lodge. The on-site dive shop, DivePoint was excellent. Again, Stacy co-ordinated all of this for us and everything ran smoothly.
If you are looking to book a safari, look no further - Stacy and her team at Duma Explorer will ensure you have a trip of a lifetime! Stacy is incredibly responsive and made all the difference when we contacted her mid-safari with an issue. She resolved the situation quickly and effectively and even contacted us at that time to follow-up and again after our trip. Stacy truly cares about her clients and their experience.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The dust on my boots and the rhythm of my feet and my heartbeat say Africa
Words cannot express the joy, excitement and awe we felt. This was a life changing trip for my family and I . Thank you for all of the breath taking safaris, coordination, fun , delicious food, expertise of the Kanyezi teams and leadership such as Chris, Manie and Chip, life changing experiences petting a cheetah, feeding owls, holding a black eagle, friendship and fellowship with new friends. We would definitely go with this tour group again and again.
The dust on my boots and the rhythm of my feet and my heartbeat say Africa .
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Hey Silas, the Kenya trip remains in my heart for ever and ever.
Silas, our guide, guided us perfectly. If you want to escape the stress of everyday life during your holiday, you must visit Kenya. I am still fascinated by the country and its natural beauty. I would recommend anyone to book through "free Africa Tours and Safaris". With Silas and his team almost every wish can be fulfilled.
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
We wanted to see animals and Beck Off2Africa made it all happen in the best trip of our lives!
Going on a safari was something my husband and I had always talked about doing. We finally made it! It was a truly life changing experience! Our trip was perfectly planned and everything went smoothly. Beck had first hand knowledge the National Parks and accommodations where he sent us. We visited Zambezi NP/Victoria Falls, Hwange NP, and Matabo NP. Each experience was unique and the variety added to our overall experience. All our accommodations were first class and the staff were knowledgeable and lovely. All our transfers were arranged; we just showed up and we were looked after. We asked Beck to show us animals and that’s exactly what we got!
Beck even checked in on us along our travels on a regular basis.
For the second half of our trip we toured the Garden Route in S.Africa where we self drove and stayed at first class B and B’s. We experienced the same exemplary service arranged for us by Beck. This part of our trip we enjoyed hiking in the hills and the beaches.
We absolutely recommend Off2Africa.
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
21day tour 15 days very good last 7days not so much??
We started off so well in Kenya with SED Adventures contracting Gofan safaris for this portion of our tour. We were promptly met at the airport and transferred to Boma Inn Hotel. The grounds of the hotel are very nice and the adjoining hotel has a pool and several restaurants. Hotel staff advised not to leave the gated property without first removing all our jewlery. Our driver/guide Evans picked us up early for the 8 hr drive to Masai Mara. The roads are very rough- a dirt/muddy track for a good part of the way. We enjoyed our tented stay at Losokwan Camp and several game drives through their private reserve. We spent 2 days here and saw most of the big 5. Evans made sure we saw wildabeest crossing the Mara river- lost one to a crocodile, 2 cheetah chasing a zebra and a lion with a kill. Our next stop was Lake Nakuru to see the flamingos. While the itinerary says full day to view wildlife it takes half day to get there.
Lake Nakuru lodge was ok, not too memorable. Lake Naivasha had more flamingos. Hotel was Sweet Resort- not very nice. While I am sure we were safe the hotel offers temporary housing for those working the area. Our room was equipped with a kitchenette. Restaurant had very little to offer.
Next day was another 8 hour drive to Amboseli National Park- for 2 days of more game drives with Evans. Kibo Safari camp was very nice. Not sure why but we moved to the Amboseli Serena lodge for our second night.
Tsavo west national park- Here we finally saw the elusive leopard. That was the only highlight of this area.
Evans was with us for 7 days, just him, us and the amazing wildlife he spotted for us.
We now had Afran as our driver guide in Mombasa. Here is where things started to go downhill. We did not follow the program as described- there was no cruise on a dhow, no seafood tasting. Alfran dropped us off at the old Mombasa fort with a guide for a tour of the spice market area.
We had 2 nice stay at the Indian Ocean Beach club. Again not following the program nothing was arranged for us for another dhow sail, snorking and Swahili lunch. After a few phone calls by the hotel consierge to Walter, our contact at SED, a driver picked us up and we were taken to a pier and just told to get in line. We no tickets no idea which boat to take. After some hesitation we boarded a large boat and were take snorkling and to a restaurant for a Swahili smoked fish lunch.
Alfran got us to Tanzania border crossing where we were turned over to another driver guide. Calling Pepon Beach Resort a resort is a bit of a stretch. We were stranded here for 3 days!! Continuous rain made the roads impassable. The "resort" does have a pool and a beach. Dirt and in our case mud paths get you there and to the "dining room" . This was the only place for WIFI and you had to ask to have it turned on. Leaking roof made a large portion of the area unusable. We had no hot water for showers the entire 3 days, even after asking the staff. We were told it was available from 5pm to 8pm daily. Due to the rain and road conditions we never made it to Saadani National Park.
John was our next driver/ guide and he was a God send. Our stay in Bagamoyo was noneventful. We did not feel safe to leave the hotel premise. The Millennium Sea Breeze is very run down, food was minimal, liquor watered down, loud music till 3am. The reception staff spoke very little English. A late check out was a $25us charge. We were glad to see John the next morning.
After a fairly long drive we arrived in Dar es Salaam. Our hotel looked ok on the website- location was very undesirable. After a horrible previous 4 days experience with hotels and locations we refused to stay 2 nights at the Tanzanite Hotel. Walter refused to try to get a refund or book us else ware and basically we were on our own to find suitable lodging- thankfully John stayed with us and helped get us to the Four Points by Sheraton where we spent (at our own expense) 2 relaxing days and had great food and drinks. The front desk staff arranged a day outing for us.
Sooo.. 15 days very good last 7 days not so much. We were disappointed that Walter with SED was not able or willing to help us at the end of very long trip (at this point we had been on the African continent for 32 days). Be advised to check out hotels and resorts online, trip advisor, websites and etc. I did and still was disappointed and surprised at the condition of some place, others were a pleasant surprise.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience, would use this company again
Our tour operator, Novatus, was great. He asked what we wanted to get out of the experience and made his best effort to make sure we saw the animals we were most excited about, and that we were enjoying our days in the Jeep. He was very good at spotting hard-to-find animals and clearly very experienced. He was flexible about our pick-up time and changed the itinerary a bit to make sure we'd be able to make our flight to Zanzibar at the end of the safari. He was great to talk to and I hope he enjoyed our company as much as we did his! Highly recommend Novatus.
IT
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Family experience
Mingo tours made me feel wellcome and show to me and my family the very best of their land and culture.
Fantastic experience.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The best and perfect company with the best and perfect guide
Amazing guide, knows so much, so nice and friendly, knows exactly where to go to find the rare animals. they are the best company and i am privileged to have the most enjoyable and successful tour with Brendon.
Next time i'm coming i am definitely going with them again.
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Best 3 day trip- Gorillas and more
We chose the 3 day Rwanda-Uganda tour. Our driver guide Jovia was well informed and very cautious driver over some less than optimum road conditions on our drive from Rwanda to Ugnada. We had unusually cold weather and both lodges- Bakiga and Da Vinci Gorilla provide hot water bottles and extra blankets. The Bakiga lodge is very remote and isolated- near the Bwinda entrance. It is worth it not to have to drive far early in the morning to meet your guide and porters. Yes, even if you don't think you will need one- get a porter. A visit to the village (walking distance) will allow you to meet the local and Happy at the Little Angels orphanage. The children are delighful and entertaining with their song and dances. Any items you wish to leave for them- school supplies etc is well appreciated by Happy and her crew.
We were apprehensive about the gorilla tracking- it had rained for serveral days prior to our arrival. Jovia requested that we be in a group tracking a close family. We met up with them after 1/2 hr of tracking through the jungle. The porter carried our backpack and pulled and pushed us over the steep slippery slopes. We had great views and encounter with the troop.
After a long drive back to Rwanda we arrived at the De Vinci Gorilla lodge. Locals entertained us with song and dance around a campfire. Again we were a short drive to the Volcanes national park for early morning golden monkey tracking. We did not get porter and should have. The tracking took us up and down muddy steep paths. Monkeys were very active and entertaining. Jovia got us back to Kigali in plenty of time for our evening flight out. It is a lot of area covered in 3 days and well worth it. After all you can sleep on the plane.
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