35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great Customer Service and superb tour!
We were recommended to use Basecamp by fellow travellers and it was the best piece of advice we had on out trip. We were looked after superbly by Achmed Philips (the Half German/Half Brummie co-owner), who must be one of the characters of Africa. They were happy to create a safari that catered to our lowish budget, but even so the company policy was not to mix groups so we got our own driver/cook and guide and 4x4 to ourselves. Awesome!! We heartily recommend using Basecamp if you want a great safari in Tanzania.
35-50 years of age
Africa at its most unspoilt, its most beautiful and most thrilling.
Our experience in Botswana was unforgettable and far too short. One day we will return and see what else this wonderful country has to offer. We travelled with the UK company Explore (they supplied an overland truck with tents on board, a cook,a driver/guide and a UK tour leader) and combined the trip with Namibia. We spent three nights camping at the Xakanaxa site and had guides/drivers and smaller vehicles supplied by the operator Wilderness Dawning. We can not recommend them highly enough-particularly as they found us two leopards in one day, something we shall never forget. The campsite was basic but had a toilet and shower block; not be used at night as the site is completely unfenced and it's a bit of a walk. It is also in a super spot with acess to both Moremi and the delta. Bushbuck and vervet monkey and lots of birds could be spotted even around the campsite. During our stay we did four games drives in the reserve and spent the best part of day on a flat bottomed boat cruising through the delta and stopping to walk across one of the islands. The wildlife in the two areas is totally different. Moremi has the big cats and antelope, whereas on the delta we saw lots of birds, hippos and many more elephant. We travelled in January and hence did experience some very heavy rain showers but the animals were still around in abundance. Combined with Namibia I can say without hesitation this was our best holiday ever.
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A personal, friendly and experienced tour operator specialized in Uganda
My trip to Uganda was great! Fantastic country and travel experience. We stayed in hotels and they were good. Matoke Tours arranged all transportation and that was comfortable. A professional car driver and tour guide showed us all the highlights of Uganda and explained a lot about the country. They knew where to go for dinner and special places to visit. Food is not impressive in Uganda, but good enough. I was impressed by Queen Elizabeth national park. Great wildlife and nature. But the other parks were beautiful as well. I can recommend to visit Uganda. Friendly people, beautiful nature and great weather. A great Africa experience!
US
35-50 years of age
A top-notch safari experience
I stayed at the Linkwasha camp in Hwange National Park as part of an organized tour that also visited camps in Botswana and Namibia. The terrain at Hwange is a bit different from these other parks as it is more flat, less bushy, more like a savannah where you can see open areas of flat land and many animals together in the same environment. It was in Hwange where we saw large groups of giraffes, together with zebras, wildebeest, etc all in the same area. We also were fortunate to see many lions here, including a family with cubs who came out to play a few feet in front of our vehicle while we watched the parents on a hunt for ostrich. We also were very lucky to spot a leopard in Hwange - our guides hadn't seen one for a few months! Linkwasha camp was very comfortable, and had a spectacular view of a watering hole very close to the camp deck, where elephants were on view during any given time of the day. Our guide, Temba, was excellent. He always seemed to have a sense of when animals were close by, and would find them for us. He had a great sense of humor, too. Other highlights in Zimbabwe were visiting a village and school, as well as a flight to view the spectacular Victoria Falls. August was a great time to go, with sunny days that were cool in the mornings, with layers coming off and sunscreen needed for middays. Ideal for animal viewing! I would go back to Zimbabwe in a hearbeat!
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The perfect blend of roughing it and refinement
The trip was outstanding. Most important: the guiding. The owners of Letaka are funny, intelligent, encyclopedic in their knowledge (especially of birds), and skilled at creating a coherent social group in a short period of time. The wildlife was spectacular. And the G&T's on the mud-spattered hood of the jeep at dusk, made me feel like a lady explorer of the 1930's. The rudimentary tents and cots provided just enough comfort by night, the meals were amazing, cooked over the campfire but rivaling restaurant fare. We wanted raw experience deep in nature under canvas, but not separated from it by platforms, fences and guards. But we didn't want to spend half out time pitching/striking camp, washing and cleaning. So having lovely camp hands to do those tasks was the right balance for us. Could not recommend this outfit more highly.
IT
50-65 years of age
Review about Botswana by Regina54
a lot of animals, good bush and beutifull view. Only few birds.
US
35-50 years of age
Review about Masai Mara National Reserve by Jay Harsevoort
Maasai Mara is the best especially if you can only do one park. The wildlife is unsurpassed, and the experience in all ways is the best. I think if you stay more than a day you can begin to explore other animals and birds and relax during the day.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Excellent quality for a reasonable price + family friendly!
My family (2 adults + 2 kids age 7 and 9) went on a two-week desert-safari in Namibia with CrissCross Namibia in Jan 2013, with a stop-over in Livingstone to see Vic Falls. We have been planning to go on a trip like this for a while and since we live in Ethiopia and had already done safaris in Tanzania and South Africa we wanted to focus exclusively on deserts in Namibia. We searched the web for tour operators that would provide us with the best fit and the best deal. By far, out of close to 10 companies we contacted, the most responsive and accommodating was Thinus, the owners of CrissCross. Not only was he listening to what we wanted (!), but he also gave us very good ideas where to go and stay (so that it was good quality but not overpriced), was flexible (and there were many changes in flight schedules), accommodating (we changed the order of activities many times on the road depending on the weather and kids’ wellbeing) and never “pushy”. Therefore we went with him, which turned out to be an excellent choice. The trip was what we have expected and much more. We would not change a single thing about it if we were to do it again (well maybe just add a few more days if we could :) It was perfect - the places to visit, lodges, hiking trails, the pace, activities, etc. Staring with Sosussvlei gave us all, urban creatures, an unforgettable feel of the desert starting early in the morning (at 5:30am!!!), in the middle of the day when the sand must be about 50C to sundown at the dunes. Few days in Swakopmund filled with activities in the morning (e.g., quad biking, sandboarding, catamaran, 4x4 desert tour, living desert tour) and lazying around the beach in the afternoons were great. Cross Cape Lodge is a beautiful place and I wish we could stay there longer. Finally Damaraland with so many places to hike, explore, learn was a real treat for avid hikers like us. Having said all this, I do want to emphasize that without Thinus the trip would not have been the same – his knowledge of the country, sense of humor, kindness - were essential ingredients to make our trip unforgettable. I would recommend CrissCross to anybody who wants excellent quality for a reasonable price. Thank you very much Thinus!
US
35-50 years of age
Botswana is an incredibly beautiful country with amazing wildlife and spectacular sunsets!
The wildlife viewing in the Okavango Delta was fantastic! Close views of Lions, Leopards, Elephants, Zebra...the list goes on. One of my favorite parts of the safari was the birds. There are so many beautiful birds!
The weather in June was great. During the days the temps ranged from the 70's to 80's(F). At night the temp dropped into the 40's or 50's, cold but not bad at all. Plus the cooler temperatures means not too many bugs!
I could not be pleased more with the guides incredible knowledge and tracking skills. Amazing!
ATI Holidays is simply superb!
ATI Holidays think of everything. Every little detail is taken care of. From booking the accommodation, car and activities to restaurants and taking care of special details like birthdays and anniversaries. And when something does go wrong along the way, they have a 24-hot line. They do their absolute best to keep their clients happy.