CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great company and employees!
I was very satisfied with my safari with this company. The manager, Richard, was very helpful answering questions before I arrived and made me feel quite welcome when I got there. Everything went very smoothly and the staff went out of their way to take me to bank machines and to the bus station, even the day after the safari when I was no longer technically their customer.
The driver and guide were super friendly. We felt very safe sleeping in the open campsites even when we heard the lions roar because we knew Stanley was watching over the campsite with his rifle.
The cook was great, the food was good and I never once got sick (better than I can say for other companies).
Also, Stanley's english is very good. He was able to answer any questions I had and joke around with us.
Throughout the trip I really wanted some seeds from one of the trees. I saw this tree a couple times and always asked Stanley to stop and let me gather some seeds but it wasn't safe in the parks. At the end of the tour we stopped for souvenirs and Stanley brought me back some seeds that he had gone to find for me! Just an added touch to the hospitality shown by World Tours & Safaris.
NL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing trip with TMS
We had a two week holiday and wanted to go to South Africa.
After that our friends booked with TMS for their trip to South Africa, we got also in contact with TMS to see if we could meet each other somewhere in the Elephant Coast. The email contact was very good and quick. TMS made a nice self-drive trip for us. And than just two weeks before we left, we got a beautiful self-drive pack! Amazing.
First week we stayed in the Drakensbergen and St. Lucia and the second week we met our friends in the Elephant Coast and spend 6 days with them at 3 different accommodations. All the accommodations were great! And we have stayed at places we would never have found alone if we didn't book with TMS.
Normally we travel around on our own and do not book any place to stay. But this was really wonderful! We will recommend anyone who want to go to South Africa to book with TMS. It's worth your money. Thanks TMS that you made us an unforgettable and wonderful holiday in South Africa. We will see you again in a few years to see another part of this great country.
QA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing safari, made extra special by wonderful people
We had an amazing time on this safari, made possible by a great group of people in It Started in Africa. We had emailed a few tour operators to help in planning for this trip, and this company stood out on so many levels. We found their email correspondence to be very prompt, professional and comprehensive which made it very easy to customise our trip. They were also very reasonably priced compared to some other operators.
We did a 6 day safari trip, alternating between camping and staying in lodges and covered Lake Manyara, Central Seregenti, South Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Lake Eyasi to visit the Hadzabe tribe. We got very lucky (plus thanks to our guides' eagle eyes!) and saw the big 5, lions mating, a wildebeest giving birth, elephants, thousands of zebras and wildebeest, plus also had the special experience of having lions surround our car to take shade from the sun. The trip to go hunting with the Hadzabe tribe was also another highlight, and we couldn't recommend it more.
What made our experience extra special though was Alfred, our guide, Zaire, our driver and Peter our chef. They were so friendly, so helpful, knowledgable, professional, and nothing was too much trouble for them. They went out of their way to make us feel comfortable, and even after 6 to 8 hours driving on the road in rough terrain, they still had a big smile on their faces for us. At the end of 6 days, it was very difficult to say goodbye and as Alfred said, we came as tourists but left as friends.
Asante-sana to It Started in Africa for making our trip so wonderful, we will always be grateful for the experience.
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
An experience of a lifetime !!
Our 2 week safari with Legendary Adventures was an unbelievable 'bush'experience which far exceeded our expectations.
Besides the amazing game viewing and beautiful, lush countryside we were particularly impressed by two aspects, namely the exceptionally professional and super helpful management and staff plus the wonderful attention to every detail such as the accommodation , furnishings ,cuisine and refreshments.
Every member of our party of 8 share our sentiments and have no hesitation in recommending Legendary Adventures !!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
wonderful trip to Serengeti and Ngorogoro crater
We had a four day trip to Tarangire, then the Serengeti and coming back to the Ngorogoro crater. This was a first such trip for the three of us (i.e. on safari) and we enjoyed it enormously. Highlights included seeing many lions, especially one in a tree and climbing down. We saw two black rhinos, crossing the road between two lines of jeeps. Magnificent animals. There were huge numbers of giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, gazelles, and many elephants, buffalo, ostrich, hippos etc etc. We "saw" a crocodile, but if i'm honest i would have to admit i was only really sure of it when i got the photos and enlarged them!! There was no mistake, the guides obviously saw it clearly!
Our guide Jimmy seemed to have eyes everywhere - only once we saw a lion before he did - and then he said "2 lions". He was an excellent guide, patient, thoughtful, and explaining many things as well as the major animals. He answered all our questions clearly.
There is a lot of driving, a lot of time in the landrover, but it was absolutely worth it. It was all well planned and organised, no problems we were aware of. During the trip one of us was not quite well (not at all serious) and there was appropriate concern and help at the pharmacy in the Serengeti.
PL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Car rental
Actually we did not book any trip from East African Jungle Safaris, however, we rented a car (Toyota Land Cruiser) with the driver from this company and travelled from around in Rwanda and Uganda. Briefly speaking, nice people, good and professional service. All people from East African Jungle Safaris we had contact with are reliable and really nice (Fred in Kampala, Frank in Kigali, and our driver Twahibu).
Kris
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
lifetime experience
Gosheni Safari organised our Safari during our Honeymoon. Peter, the director, gave us a really good option and he accommodated us with our requests. Our guide Zadock was very knowledgeable and also a good companion during this amazing trip, we highly recommend him. Our next Safari is going to be 100% with Gosheni safari.
SI
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The best experiance in East Africa!!!
We went on a 4 days trip with a Oltumure Tours & Safari. When we arrived at Klimanjaro airport there was Robert waiting for us, like it was aranged and they took us to the hotel. The next day we went on a Safari. Our guide Tito was very friendly and he told us a lot of interesting things about animals and wildlife. Our cook Mr. Delicious was fantastic and he pripared us delicious food :D
Overall, this was the best experiance till now, we saw a lot of different animals and the trip was planed very good because of our guide Mr. Tito, Robert and his company.
We recommend this company. Compared with other companies this was the best offer for the price!!!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Gorilla Trip
For those that follow and may be looking for an operator to take them to the gorillas.
Toured with Gatatu Safari Tours who are 100 metres down the end of the road from Kabale Backpackers. Low Season permit was $350, $100 for transport and $50 to stay near the park for one night. Left Kabale at 4pm and arrived at the Wild Olives guesthouse at 6.00pm. Basic but clean and comfortable and perfect for the one night. Meals included. Left for the park at 7.20am for 8.30am briefing. Only 2 people on the trek so I think getting a permit at short notice is not an issue right now. I arranged on the Thursday for a Saturday trek. Trek was pretty tough on the legs but well worth it and got very close to the gorillas. An hour with the gorillas and 3.5 hours all up. Very safe driver and happy to stop for photos along the way. These guys were a lot cheaper than another well known operator in town and are a very good choice for your trek. Definitely recommend that you check them out. They even thru in a return trip to the lake for petrol money which was a very nice touch.
DK
Private camping safari in Botswana, our highlight of a 2 week Africa trip.
My girlfriend and I booked a 5 days/4 nights camping safari in Moremi Game Reserve with Lelobu Safari in January. Right from the beginning the communication with the owners of Lelobu was excellent, and they provided us with a lot of useful info like lists of gear to bring for the trip and continuous updates on weather conditions in the area, allowing us to organize our baggage accordingly. The camping safari in Moremi was absolutely amazing in every aspect. We had a great guide who was very experienced and knew the area in detail and provided us with a lot of interesting information about the wildlife and the Reserve in general. Our chef was also great and prepared delicious meals for us throughout the tour and organized the camp in an excellent manner. The two of them were very helpful in customizing the tour to our needs and desires, and in general we felt very safe and well-informed when travelling with our guide and chef. The wildlife spotting in the area was just outstanding, we were truly amazed by the sheer number of animals and the diversity of species. We spotted elephants, giraffes, lions, wild dogs, buffaloes, hippos and many other beautiful animals in fantastic sceneries. Moremi holds some quite varied landscapes from flowing rivers and deltas to barren plains, and our guide did a great job at showing us the variety of the reserve. We also had multiple animals visiting the camp both during the day and at night, which added to the feeling of a true wildlife experience, sleeping in the tent on the bush under the stars and the occasional thunder storms. In every aspect, Lelobu safari and our guide and chef gave us a truly memorable experience of a lifetime, rating among our top travel experiences despite having visited multiple countries and continents. We highly recommend Lelobu as tour operator in Botswana as they by far lived up to our expectations on all levels.