PH
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing trip indeed!
After careful considerations between different operators, my friend and I decided to go with Maturaf as he provided the best rates with the most amazing choices in accommodations. Although there were small lapses during communications while working on the itinerary, Maturaf had been very cooperative working on our requests. The guide that he sent us named Peter was also amazing. He was as well cooperative and made things work all throughout the Safari trip. Except for the rhino, we saw the rest of the Big Five and made close encounters with a bunch of lions.
The safari accommodations were great. We stayed in Zawadi House in Arusha upon arrival, Lake Burunge and Serengeti Kati Kati tented camps, Serena Hotels in Lake Manyara and Ngorongoro, and Tloma Lodge. We visited Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro and Serengeti National Parks.
The Zanzibar accommodations we stayed in were also amazing although personally, we prefer La Gemma dell'Est over Hideaway of Nungwi as it provided guests activities that they can join in such as beach soccer, water polo and beach volleyball. La Gemma dell'Est for me is more family-oriented but the facilities in Hideaway of Nungwi are more luxurious, as well as the food spread in their buffets are better. We stayed 2 nights each in both hotels.
The only downside, as my friend has been pointing out the whole trip, was that most of these accommodations failed to "sell/market" local cuisine but rather serve the usual intercontinental dishes.
Overall, the experience was amazing and proud to say this trip checked two places/activities in my bucketlist.
I highly recommend this team. KUDOS to Matural, Peter and the rest of Regional Tours!
AT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing 6-day safari to Ruaha NP, Mikumi NP and Udzungwa Mountains
Our safari to Ruaha NP, Mikumi NP and Udzungwa Mountains exceeded our expectations by far, it was an amazing experience. We're really greatful to the team for having made our safari so unforgettable and can only highly recommend Grassroots Safaris to anyone planning a safari in Tanzania.
Here are more details:
Wildlife
July seems to be a great time for visiting the above mentioned national parks: We got to see way more animals than we had ever possibly hoped for! There's lots of elephants, giraffes, zebras, baboons, water bucks, impalas, hippos, crocodiles, wart hogs, wilderbeests etc. We got lucky and even spotted lions with a cup, a hyena, a cheetah, a leopard, ostriches, a pelican, a buffalo, a pelican, jackals and many more.
Food & accomodation
We had our own chef with us, Asha, who prepared excellent meals for us. She even made sure to prepare vegetarian food for us when she realized we didn't like meat so much. Even though Asha cooked really well, there was always more then enough food. We also got the chance twice to help her with the shopping at the local markets in Morogoro and Iringa.
Our accomodation was always very nice. We particularly enjoyed staying at Ruaha Bandas for two nights where elephants and hippos sometimes walk through the camp (the guides always make sure that you're safe). As the camp is situated next to a river, you could just sit in little pavillions and watch animals such as hippos, zebras, elephants and giraffes when you're not on a game drive.
The first night we camped at a campsite, which we enjoyed a lot as there were local people making music and dancing. The atmosphere was amazing and many people joined in. Our tent was huge and we didn't sleep in a sleeping bag. Instead, they provided us with mattresses, pillows and blankets, so it was very comfortable.
One night we spent at a hotel in Iringa where we even had wifi in the main area.
Our last night we spent at our own little bungalow with a nice veranda in Camp Bastian in Mikumi". The camp looks like a big, beautiful garden and you have your meals at tables outside under the sky. So relaxing!
Driving and safety
Fikiri (our driver and guide) is a great guy who you can have a lot of fun with. He picked us up from the airport in Dar es Salaam and we started the safari right away. He explained lots of things en route - I think there was no single question he couldn't answer. He knows a lot about all the animals and plants, but he never bored us. ;) He's also an excellent driver and we felt very safe at all times.
Our jeep (a 4x4) was perfect for the safari. You could fold up the roof, so it was possible to take great pictures in the national parks while being in the shade.
Team and Communication
Grassroot safaris has an amazing team - Fikiri is an amazing driver and guide, Asha is a great cook and Micky made sure we had the perfect itinerary for our time frame and budget.
Micky planned our itinerary for us and answered all our questions promptly. He provided us with lots of information and we felt very well-prepared. He even talked to us on the phone during the safari to make sure we were having a great time.
Value
We payed about 1.100$ per person in a group of two, which is a great price for a six-day safari. It includes all entrance fees, accomodation and food, so only tips are extra. We are more than satisfied with what we got to see and do for that price, the value is great!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A truly fantastic safari experience with a variety of wildlife in a natural setting
I was incredibly impressed with the wildlife that we came across during our game drives in Etosha National Park, which included many lions, zebras, giraffes, elephants, rhinos, hyenas, wildebeest, birds of prey and so much more. I arrived hoping to see at least one lion, but managed to see over 20 in the three days that we were there, including lions with a kill and lionesses with their cubs which was a real highlight.
The Okaukuejo waterhole was an absolute delight and only a short walking distance of the Okaukuejo rest camp where we stayed. The setting was surreal, it was like watching a live theatre show with a steady stream of animals and birds constantly arriving to bathe and drink just a few metres away. I could happily sit and watch the wildlife come and go all day long just in this one spot. At night the waterhole is floodlight, so we could continue viewing in the dark and was surprised by the number of animals that came to visit throughout the evening, including a number of rhinos with their young. This was ideal, as we were able to extend our safari experience after our games drives in a relaxed environment.
The campsite facilities were great. We had access to a small outdoor kitchen, which made food preparation a lot easier. Shower facilities were also of a high standard.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic trip!
We booked an 11 day Safari to Kenya and Tanzania, visiting Lake Nakuru, Masai Mara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Natron. These places were spectacular and we saw lots of wildlife, including the migrating Wildebeast crossing the Mara river and a vast amount of animals in Ngorongoro. We had a fabulous time on safari and everything was taken care of - our guides Tom and Nova were brilliant, very knowledgeable and friendly. I would definitely recommend Kili Slope in Tanzania and Right Choice in Kenya.
DK
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Personal & Perfect
I wanted the ultimate safari for our Family of 4 - not especially the most expensive but certainly the authentic experience, where wildlife is living for real. Namibia and Botswana chosen - Etosha & Okavangu as highlights.
I found Nature Travel on the internet and contacted Nick. From Day 1 a very fast and competent service with many proposals. We ended up on a tour going directly to Etosha then into the Caprivi, flying into the Delta via Kasane and ending up at Vic Falls. 2 weeks in total.
So finally we arrived in Windhoek and got picked up by Jakes - our driver and guide for the next 8 days. Jakes turned out to be a terrific guide and a nice guy as well. We had lots of fun and saw all animals possible. We chose to stay 2-4 days on each site, going out in the 4-5 hours in morning and relaxing after lunch - this worked fine. Apart from the wildlife - our long but concented drives gave us a fine impression of Namibia and Botswana. Driving felt good.
Do not miss Etosha where we spent 3 full days (Mokuti lodge recommended) and do not miss Okavangu. Lodges and flights into the Delta are expensive and we chose a relatively modest tented camp - Oddballs Camp. Worth every penny - we did Mokuro trips and walking safari´s with guides from the local village. We truely enjoyed 3 nights in the middle of nowhere with grazing hippos at night and huge elephants eating from trees 5 meter from our tents in the morning. May the Delta stay like it is forever..
Back to Nature Travel - everything worked incl all transfers and logistics. I am especially impressed about our transfer from Oddballs to Livingstone. The plane should arrive at 1115. It arrived 2 mins early. After the flight a transfer was waiting taking us to the Zambezi river, then a private boat and finally a new transfer waiting to take us to Livingstone. Not one minute of waiting and superb guiding all the way.
If going to Namibia and Botwsana - go only with Nature Travel Namibia...
MY
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fast, straightforward and competitively priced
We found the company through other recommendations and it lived up to its review. The company was prompt in replies, helpful in some descriptions and efficient in assistance. The guide assigned to us was excellent, very experienced and trustworthy. Ask for Peter Pendaeli if you need a great guide!
DE
A perfect stay in the bush - only a three hours drive away from Johannesburg
Pilanesberg National Park and the adjacent Black Rhino Private Game Reserve are located around the extinct Pilanesberg vulcano ca. 150 km NW of Johannesburg. The area is Malaria free. Due to an elevation of +/- 1000m the nights in winter can be quite chilly while the days in summer can be as hot as 35°C or even more.
Unlike many other South African parks Pilanesberg is a piece of "man made" nature: It was founded in 1979 on former farmland, so more than 7000 animals from other parks like Kruger NP had to be relocated to (re-)populate the area. Since then, these animal population has been left on it's own.
The main park can be explored either by self-drive or on guided tours. In Black Rhino Private Game Reserve private cars are only allowed to access the lodges - all game drives are guided tours organized by the respective lodge. While the game drives from Black Rhino are allowed to enter the national park, no visitors "from outside" are allowed to enter Black Rhino.
Since 2011 my spouse and I have visited Black Rhino Private Game Reserve 5 times. We stayed at two different lodges that are quite similar compared in service: Both offer good quality meals, spacious bungalows and a small pool. Two game drives per day are already included in the room price.
The game drives are done with small cars (max. 10 people per car). All 4 different guides on our meanwhile 29 game drives did an excellent job: They tried to find as many different animals as possible, with the focus not only on the "Big Five". They stayed as long near the animals as the guests wanted (very good for photography!). There was no "rush from one animal to the next" like we already experienced at some of the smaller game lodges in the Western Cape, which (in comparison to a national park) are more like small zoos where the predators live in separate fenced areas.
...o.k. if the animals don't cooperate, even the best ranger can't do anything! After all one should not forget that the animals of a national park (although they might be used to the cars) are still wild: The grazers keep in the bush to hide from their predators and the predators hide themself to better approach their prey. Large animals like elephants, zebra, wildebeest, giraffe or even white rhinos are quite easy to find in the grassy areas - but don't expect to be so lucky that you'll see a lion, a hyaena, a black rhino or even a leopard on your first visit! On most of your game drives you'll most likely see only the "usual suspects".
IN
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
excellent experience
This was our first safari and without doubt Wildebeest Safaris is instrumental in making this trip a big success. The accommodation was good and Dennis our tour guide took all the efforts to show us maximum wildlife. We found the rates of Wildebeest Safaris reasonable and our interaction with Noah very positive. we definitely recommend this safari operator to all. I am sure Noah will go an extra mile to accommodate customers requirement. Overall an excellent experience and excellent safari operator. Bon Voyage!!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Adventure Vacation Safaris' services is the best value for money package I have ever got!
Extremely happy with service provided by Farouk Busuulwa and his team - was hesitant in the beginning not knowing what to expect. Farouk came to our hotel to meet and deliver our trip papers, was available and fast to respond on all additional questions - great service!
Gorilla tracking - unreal and wonderful, Bird watching a MUST!
PT
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Fantastic
Fantastic is the word
I am not good writing in English
But if we ( all 5 from my family,from 15 to 70 years old)say we need to return,
we tell you all.
The guide , the people we speak, the facilities, the views ,the resorts and off course
the animals.
IT WAS THE TRYP.
Thank you Farouk and all in resorts than care us