US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A wildlife paradise
First and foremost, the types of wildlife I saw in Etosha Park were greatly varied. To list, there were many zebras, giraffes, elephants, rhinos, kudu, springbok, steenbok, wildebeest, red hartebeest, oryx, and ostriches. As it was wintertime, there was a scarcity of water around the park, so it was easy to see lots of animals gathered at the watering holes. I was told that there are also many leopards and lions in the park, but as I only spent two days there, I did not have enough time to see them.
I stayed at Halali camp, which was at the center of the park. It was at a good location with a waterhole nearby, but the rooms, especially the bathroom facilities, were old. I heard from others that there are better accommodations near the entrances of the park.
The park offers "game drives" twice a day, for 3 hours, for 500 Namibian dollars. These are very convenient, and you can make reservations for them upon arrival.
The most outstanding safari destination in the world.
We travelled to South Luangwa National Park in August. We'd only been on safari once before - at a private reserve in South Africa. We'd asked our travel agency for the best safari experience and they said South Luangwa was it... and we can't disagree.
We stayed in two bush camps: Nsolo, a Norman Carr camp, and Lion Camp. Both were great! Staff couldn't do enough for us, the game drives were amazing and the guides' knowledge was encyclopaedic! Nsolo was smaller, more personal and more luxurious; Lion Camp was bigger but in a more rich area of the national park. However, if you're going for 5 star luxury - don't go to South Luangwa - this place is all abut the game, which is wonderful!
Let's face it, if you;re looking at South Luangwa, you're after great game sightings. It will not disappoint. A co-traveller has safaried across Africa for the last 20 years and said he'd never, ever experienced anything like South Luangwa; at a later stop, Sindebezi Island near Livingstone, we were speaking to a traveller who'd just been on a two week walking and river safari in Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia (south) who, on hearing what we'd seen, said "Well, that's it - you can't go on safari again as nothing will compare to that". That's how great South Luangwa is.
I can't tell you everything we saw - the list would be far too long - but here's heavily edited highlights:
On our first night (Nsolo), we were sitting around the campfire after a delicious dinner when a staff member noticed some lions. Immediately, the truck was started up and we piled in. Barely two minutes later, we were sat watching a lion and lioness enjoying the moonlight... literally 3 metres from our bed! Suddenly, the armed guard who escorts you to and from your accommodation during the dark didn't seem overly cautious.
During the night, we had the best worst-night's-sleep ever. The sounds of the bush woke us delightfully often, including the resident hippo pod which lives right next to the camp and come out at night to graze around the edge of the camp.
My wife is a sucker for animal babies, so seeing hyena cubs, only a few weeks old, was amazing.
At Lion Camp, we saw, obviously, many sightings of the two prides which live nearby, including finding them lazing on the road just waking up after a night's feed. We sat in the middle of the pride, feeling like we were a little part of it rather than just observers. My lion highlight was seeing the full pride in a stand off with some painted dogs. Another was seeing a lioness move her 5 day old cubs from one nest to another: they were so young, their eyes were not open yet, and the tenderness with which she moved them in those huge, powerful jaws was stunning.
If you love elephants, you'll love South Luangwa. It seems like they're around every corner - and they're not afraid to let you know when you;re too close. We were mock-charged three times... but we never felt unsafe.
One thing we'd hoped for was seeing a leopard. We were not to be disappointed! Over 5 days at Lion Camp, we had 7 - seven - sightings, from glimpses in the night to sitting watching two different leopards in trees during the day. At one point, we were so close I asked the guide if it was purring - it wasn't: it was growling at us! We moved of sharpish. Another night sighting was wonderful - we'd seen the leopard at a distance and our guide swung the car round, went through undergrowth trying to second guess where it would head, and we were rewarded with it coming out of the undergrowth just to our side and making its way across the front of the car so close that, when in front, you couldn't see it over the bonnet.
For birders, which we are not, South Luangwa is wonderful. Some fellow travellers were birders and we caught a bit of the bug from their enthusiasm. Bee eaters and violet breasted rollers were my favourites, but the various eagles and vultures are spectacular in their size. We were even treated to a long, uninterrupted sight of Pel's fishing owl - something we appreciated but not fully until it was explained to us that this rarity is similar to seeing to a leopard.
Overall, if you love wildlife, if you love safari and if you want the greatest experience you've ever had, book for South Luangwa today.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
can't believe the experience of the animals in the wild
Dont miss any game drives on your safari as you Will always see and experience New Animal sightings,Private tour over group tour everytime,weather in september was clear and cool after the sun went down,Lions very cooperative as they would lay down right next to the roads for great photos
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Speechless!
This was my first time in Uganda, and I arrived at Queen Elizabeth within days of entering the country. I felt like my brain stopped forming coherent thoughts except thinking "sensory overload" over and over. As my first ever safari experience, I found Queen Elizabeth expansive, especially from the view at Kingfisher Lodge where I stayed. My guide, Herbert, was booked through Moses Tours, and he was so hospitable about showing me all that we could see within a day (that's all the time I had). But, by the end of my one-day safari, I had over 2000 photos of all kinds of wildlife (incl. almost 70 bird species). The only times when I saw a lot of other tourists was when Herbert took me to view a young lion pride and when I boarded a ferry to tour the Kazinga Channel. I had a great time, and my boss told me that any future safaris are going disappoint me after this incredible first experience.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
It started in africa
Fantastic semi-luxury camping honeymoon safari. We had the perfect choice of itinerary (7 days with Tarangire, Serengeti Central and North, Ngorongoro and Lake Eyasi). Plenty of wildlfie and amazing guide, always available for our questions. We saw a lion attacking a gazelle.
We always were served great food in generous portion sizes :) We completely recommend It Started in Africa to all our friends.
IN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Brings you closer to the Almightys creations and leaves you mesmerised in the beauty of nature
serengetti is an unforgettable experience
we visited it with our kids and were mesmerised by parks beauty its abundance of wildlife and its diverse ecosystem..
some of the highlights of our trip
saw a pride of 15 lions.. lioness and cubs roaming in their natural habitat like kings .. they walked towards our vehicle, we were holding our breaths tight, and then crossee the road in front of us absolutely unfazed by our presence as if we hardly matter to them.
we saw a cheetah pounce on a dear and then as we went near him we saw him feast on his catch
we saw millions of wild beasts and zebras and gazelles .. the landscape dotted with them .. from the small hill (near the entrance gate) we can see the whole landscape dotted with these amazing animals.. we even saw herds of zebras roaming around a group of lions as lions were resting after they had devoured on a wildbeast.
saw leopards resting on tree branches and giraffes roaming aroung carefree .. we got so near to giraffes that we could literally touch them.
over all .. if someone wants to go on a safari and see animals from close by in their natural habitat living their normal lives serengetti should be their first choice
its absolutely magical and no one will ever forget the experience.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Selous and Tanzania
I spent my first 35 years in Tanzania and have visited just about every park in Tanzania, but one of my Favourites is the Selous Game Reserve.
The Selous is the Largest Game reserve in all of Africa, named after the great explorer Frederik Courtney Selous, who is incidentally, buried in the park at a grave site that can be visited by guests in the reserve.
The Photographic area of the Selous is in the northern part of the park, spanning about 3000sq km. The area is mostly flat and steady at about 50-60m above sea level. This means that the Rufiji River which runs through the park is slow and wide, producing a constant water source, which is great for wildlife! The park is located in the southern Safari circuit of Tanzania which is much less visited by tourists, which means no crowds and a much more authentic and pleasant experience.
Game is plentiful in the Selous. The climate and miombo style woodland isn't suited to some, but all the main players are here in abundance. Most noteworthy however is that the Selous is home to the largest population of wild dogs, by a long way, in the world. Sightings are recorded every single season of these beautiful animals, and the best times to see them are just after the rains in november/december. Dens get flooded with water which makes the animals move.
The Selous is also the best place to experience boat Safaris and see the wildlife that lives in and around the River. For keen birders this is an experience not to be missed.
I stayed at Selous Impala Camp, www.selousimpalacamp.com . The camp is rated the best in selous by trip advisor, and is said to have the best guiding of anywhere in the Selous. If you have a more conservative budget then you could stay at Lake Manze camp which is also excellent. In truth it doesn't really matter where you stay as long as you stay inside the reserve, but every time I go to the park I stay in one of these two properties. If I'm feeling adventurous then I will stay with Authentic Tanzania Safaris www.authentictanzaniasafaris.com where I can tailor make my own Safaris, staying in a mobile camp.
Be wary of any camps outside of the reserve. They may appear cheaper but a large portion of the cost will become apparent upon entering the park in the way of park fees, and they are no where near the same experience. They are located close to a village which scares away a lot of the animals, and destroys a bit of the ambiance of being in the bush. The game drives follow the same route every day for the first hour which is frustrating as you need to drive quite a long way before you get to the best areas.
Aside from all the animals and the incredible Natural beauty, the Selous is wonderful because it offers such a large variety of Safari activities. You can game drive for a full or half day, Walk, Boat or fly camp in the Selous. This means you are always doing something new and exciting and get the most out of your time in the Selous.
Tanzania is king of Safari destinations, and the Selous is a magnificent jewel in its crown, I cant recommend it enough to anyone who is interested in going on Safari. Here is a link to some of the pictures from my trip to Selous and Ruaha on flickr https://flic.kr/s/aHskHCg42o
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
I dodged hippos on water, tracked lions on land, ate and drank like roylaty, yet slept like a baby.
This was my twentieth trip to Africa and one of the most exciting. It is hard to describe the adrenalin rush when canoeing so close to hippos. The natural beauty of the Mana Pools shoreline is something I will never forget. The steadfastness, experience and knowledge of our canoe guides, Mark and Takeshore, was reassuring as we glided down the river. It also helped knowing that at the end of each day, our mobile safari camp would be waiting for us with a selection of fine beverages, delicious food, a warm fire and a comfortable bed. The bird life is amazing and we encountered lots of hippos, big crocs, elephants, buffalo, lion and a large cross section of antelope. I intend to return.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Our experience with Gain & Marshall was smooth, easy, personable, customizable, and professional.
We booked through Gain & Marshall and we're very glad we did. Every inch of our trip was customized and tailered for us. Our travel coordinator Clare recommended the Kwara sites in the Okavango Delta as well as a top-end micro-resort near Victoria Falls. We ran into several travelers who were experiencing difficulty with their travel coordinators. We didn't even have a hiccup!
If you want to see cheetah kittens playing at sunset, or have a bull elephant scratch his back on your thatch roof, the Okavango is the place... Thanks to Clare at Gain & Marshall, we'd go again in a heartbeat...
AE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
What a wonderful experience!
We had such an amazing trip! Our lovely driver Tolbat was so informative and friendly, we had such a lovely drive out to the Lake, followed by a life changing encounter with the incredible Gorillas. So glad we found this company to facilitate this beautiful experience! Thank you so much!