US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing trip..great safari, great lodges, great food and great guides!
We recently returned from our 15 day East Africa safari ending on Zanzibar for a beach holiday. All the arrangements for this trip went amazingly well. No missed transfers, no bad lodging, no negatives at all! It was the trip of a lifetime...we got to see all the animals we hoped we would and close enough to hear them breathe! The two guides we had from Safari Horizons were just wonderful...knowledgable, friendly, helpful and they really worked hard to make sure we saw the animals we wanted to. Our guide in Kenya, Dennis, helped us locate a charger for our camera when we lost it. He even got the shop to stay open!
Our group was so nice...just 6 people including us in an overland vehicle that took us over some really rugged roads and landscape. The lodges we stayed at in very remote locations on Masai Mara and Serenghetti were also truly amazing. All were a little different architecturally and fit into the landscape well. Great rooms, great views of animals from balconies, pools, great service, wonderful large reception halls. Many had entertainment. Two bush babies lived in one of the Great Rooms. The lodges all had great choices of food...I especially appreciated the vegetarian and Indian choices. Box lunches, picnics when we were on the road really were nice. Who dreamed we would be picnicing under a tree on the Serenghetti surrounded by wildebeest! Our rooms were all beautiful and had great bathrooms, access to wifi, pools, and opportunities to meet other guests from around the world. Can't say enough about the staff at these lodges...always helpful, greeted us with warm towels and juice. The staff at the Stanley in Nairobi were especially helpful in finding replacements for our electronic chargers. And Chris from Safari Partners was always helpful and prompt in answering all our questions, addressing all our many concerns. He saved the best for last. We stayed our last 4 days or so on Zanzibar at the Hideaway/Nungwi. What a fabulous place! Beautifully appointed rooms, gardens, and public areas. Just a gorgeous place to end a perfect vacation...a great beach, an infinity pool, fabulous food choices, balconies looking over the ocean, and the most attentive staff ever. We really loved our stay here and enjoyed using the snorkeling equipment, kayaks, catamaran...all free. We went on the Spice Tour and a sunset cruise out of Stonetown. The company we used in Zanzibar, Island Express, were also great. Very professional, prompt, friendly and set up a schedule of activities that was just right. All the flights were arranged for us and we did not have any problems for the entire trip. Thanks, Safari Partners, for one trip we will never forget!
20-35 years of age
Review about Tanzania by HG
A fantastic country, with friendly people, and surprisingly good facilities.
IT
20-35 years of age
NL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
An amazing souvenir!
The trip to Zanzibar & Tanzania with Matoke Tours was absolutely great! A very special and varied program. From the lovely beaches of Zanzibar, the authentic Stone Town, the villages in rural in Tanzania to the amazing safari plains.
The selected lodges were all very atmospheric, super clean and located at the most beautiful spots. Also, the food was excellent during the trip. And last but not the least: Service. This was more than great! All the transfers were arranged accordingly too.
Our tour leader Laurence was of great class! He understood the behaviour of all animals. Therefore he was able to manoeuvre the Extended Landcruiser through the wildlife & other jeeps in order to get the best spot for us!! He searched for the Big Five, and found it. Furthermore did he introduce us to lions eating their prey, leopards relaxing in the tree, cheetah’s hunting for impala’s, hyena’s & giraffes. Overall, he showed us too much to specify all amazing moments.
While other guides were informing their clients that the migrating wildebeests had already left the area, Laurence was able to trace down a group that stayed behind. This way we were able to catch a glimpse of the migration! Laurence really went the extra mile, and if that meant that we would arrive an hour late at the lodge because we wanted to take that extra shot of the hippo or to see more game, this was not an issue for him at all. He knew exactly how to position the safari vehicle in order to get the perfect angle for all our pictures. A perfect souvenir of this unique trip!
A big thanks to Matoke Tours! Well done!
35-50 years of age
Review about Kenya by navrajghataura
Amazing beaches, loads of wildlife, scuba diving, Rift Valley, Mount Kenya, Aberdares...the list goes on.
IT
20-35 years of age
ES
35-50 years of age
Review about Tanzania by Miquel Nieto-Gallardo
I've been there three times. Two safaris and climbing the Kilimanjaro. Always a great experience. Lovely people; the sense of freedom. I love the way Tanzania smells.
IT
20-35 years of age
Review about Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park by Francesca79
excellent scenic panorama
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Best Safari Operator around
I recently took my wife and two of our best friends on our third trip to Africa through Targa Safaris Africa. We are all amateur photographers , we shoot Nikons and we love the look of big glass lens. As you know there are weight restrictions set by the airlines. It is very hard to fit computers, cameras, clothes, chargers and a 500 mm F 4 and a 200 to 400 F4 and all the support gear in the stated weight restriction.
However, Mark lives in South Africa and has excellent connections with the camps and the airlines. He is an insider! He is more than familiar with the difficulties and frustrations facing international travelers with photog gear .
So we pared down our equipment to the bar bones and trusted Mark. Needless to say, we were met at the airport by Marks driver, who took some very tired travelers to our lovely hotel in Johanesberg, where we crashed out for the rest of the day and night. Early next morning, there was our driver who wisked us to the airport and from where we flew up to Maun. We collected our luggage and gear and loaded into the smaller "puddle jumper " planes to fly into the Botswanna Okavango Delta . On a previous trip we had stayed at Duma Plains and just missed a Buffalo kill by the lions and then the lion pride was well fed while we where there. We got a lot of cool photos but we missed the difficult to see Kill shots …
So we flew out to Duba Plains, made our selves at home in our lovely tents and set out of our first Safari right after lunch . We faced a lot of water which the guides expertly drove us through, it was fun picking up all our gear as the water washed over the floor boards and of course, there was a superb Malachite kingfisher sitting on the reeds as we drove by in three feet of water. The bird was quite used to this and didn't flinch. However, we could not slow down for fear of sinking into the mud. this was frustrating but when we got out in the delta we quickly found the buffalo herd with a very hungry pride of Lions with their ribs showing. We were glad as we thought the lions would be forced to feed and soon! It took almost two hours see the great wheel of life turn! Talk about the right place at the right time.
We also found when we drove through a certain area of tall grass that we were being straffed by Carmen Bee Eaters! Why would this bee? I figured out that the truck scared up insects and the bee eaters would swirl around us scarfing up grasshoppers. Great photo opportunity, but when I stopped the Land Rover they flew away, everytime. Time for a new game plan. I asked the guide to turn the truck around and drive the same speed as last time. Only this time I pushed the ISO up, focused the lens on manual, same for the camera body and when the Carmens raided us I would go to 10 frames per second and estimate the distance and machine gun them .. Huge fun running up hundreds of exposure a couple of which turned out fabulous !
The camp made us amazing dinner and deserts and told us amazing stories. We ate under the stars and enjoyed great wines. The guides walked us back to our tents and we stayed there. We had a great time listening to the millions of Rhodesian tree fogs all singing their little hearts out. A great way to fall asleep. Around 4 AM we heard a huge roar about a mile away. We were really sleepy and it was only once, but something big had happened.
After an early breakfast, we were on safari again…..We drove throught the deep waters, past our pet Malachite, and watched the cat and mouse game between the lions and the buffalo. The large herd of Buffalo where holding their turf while the lions moved around them probing for weakness. The buffalo , would respond and send out a half dozen "bouncers " which where very large and muscular buffalo in their primes. They were fearless and the lions gave way choosing not to challenge them. This went on for an hour or more, then through the binoculars the guides figured that one of the buffalos had given birth and they needed a few hours to let the little one get up on his legs. The herd was protecting the little one, buying it time to get used to its legs ! After another hour or two as if on command, the whole herd suddenly retreated across the river with the little new born last in line. As soon as the buffalo's retreated the lions ran across shallow standing water in the meadow, one of the guides hit the gas and got his photographer across the shallow pond for a stunning series of shots with lions running through shallow waters at break neck speed. I really wish we could have gotten that image. But between the shallow meadow pool and the fast retreating buffalo herd was a small forest. So we saw the lions running after the herd. The herd running into the river, the little one slowly struggling in the water, the scene was set for disaster ! We kept waiting and watching and the lions didn't make it through the little forest. The newborn buffalo was noticed and the herd sent back a couple of bouncers to protect the little one again and they made it. We picked up some great images of the herd migrating across the river, our driver then drove us to the little stand of trees and it was there we found the source of the great noise the previousl night.
What had happend was that two alpha male buffalo had duked it out for top dog honors, one had gored the other and that was the source of the great sound, not a new large male lion announcing his occupation of this territory!
The looser of this match had been penetrated by a very large horn to the diaphram and he just layed down and died at the same time another had given birth. So the buffalo elders had held council and worked out a brilliant plan. Send out the bouncers, keep the lions off balance, slightly intimidated, give the baby time to get his legs working, then as one they retreated across the river and "sacrificied " their fallen commrades body to the lions to buy time for the little one cross the river. A life saved, a fallen hero's body given up to by time. Nothing short of brilliant. I did not think Buffalos had any game plan or planning abiliity. We were impressed totally.
We did work the scene of feeding lions for two days. We got some really amazing images and then took a boat trip down the river for other less intense imagery.
My point is, you never know what you are going to see . You need to figure out what it is you want to see, you need a great safari booking person to get you into the territory and camp offering you the best chances. I would highly suggest Taga Safaris Africa as Mark certainly knows his stuff.
We then went to Selinda Camp in the Selinda Spillway and found some other really great images. They are located on a large system of canals or rivers with a very large population of hippos. On a favorite evening we boated out to the hippo pool and celebrated the sunset with cocktails and watched the hippos pop up out of the water like giant jack in the boxes.
The food at Selinda was nothing short of phenomenal , We thought the staff was superb .
We then went to Chobe National Park . Our camp was great and we even had air conditioning and limited internet. Our first game drive out , we photod elephants, crocadiles, prides of lions, countless antelopes, amazing birds, hippos, we found giraffes drinking with the elephants which is unusual . Lots of birds, we really were impressed with the diversity and density of the wildlife . tons of animals and great food in the evenings.
We just felt this was one of our best safaris to Africa ever.
We talked with Taga Safaris about what we wanted to photograph and they made it happen!
Thank-you Mark at Taga Safaris Africa ! You are The Best !
NL
35-50 years of age
Review about Kenya by jhazevoet
There have been a number of new parks in Africa the last years, but Kenya still has an advantage in terms of tourist facilities, good roads and connections.