IL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful experience with Big Time Safaris in Kenya and Tanzania
Our experience with Big Time Safaris was simply extraordinary! We took a 9 day safari in Kenya and Tanzania and also a daytrip to Amboseli and couldn't be happier we chose them! We were well taken care of since the moment we arrived in Nairobi until the moment we left.
Everything went smoothly and according to the itinerary. The guides were punctual, kind, very knowledgeable and they made it their priority that we saw as many animals as possible; always trying to get us close to them and always looking for the best angles for pictures. John , our guide in Tanzania, was exceptionally good. He was amazing tracing the animals -thanks to him we saw the big 5- but he was also fun to talk to. We learned so much about the Masai and the wildlife in general thanks to him.
The accommodations and the food provided were both good and just as promised. Special food requests are accommodated without a problem.
If you have the opportunity to visit a Masai village, do not skip it. It's really a memorable experience. Just make sure you bring some goodies for the kids (they love candies and coloring books for example) and a little money so you can buy some of the beautiful things the Masai women make and sell over there.
Special thanks to the lovely Martha, for impeccably preparing and coordinating our whole safari to the smallest detail, and for kindly answering all of my questions and attending every request I had. Since the first time I e-mailed her she stayed in touch and within reach, even while we were on the safari, which we really appreciated.
Thanks to Geoffrey as well, who drove us within Nairobi and was always so friendly and kind to us.
I can't praise the Big Time Safaris team enough for the once in a lifetime experience they gave us. It was simply incredible!
ES
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience. I'd rate it with 4.5 at least.
I booked with James on the same morning of departure, and everything we got in the safari was as he had previously explained to me. In the jeep we were 6 (plus driver and cook), and only some of us had booked thru Big Five Voyage, other travelers booked thru other companies and in the end we all got the same trip.
Both the cook and the driver/guide were very nice and professional, they deserved the tips (and probably a better salary!)
The first and only issue was a flat tire just an hour after departure, but it was quickly fixed in minutes.
To me, the only negative aspect would be the picnic lunches... Didn't enjoy them. The rest of the meals were good; I am a vegetarian and the cook always made sure that the veggie/rice/pasta portions were bigger, coz, you know what? In the end the vegetarian plates emptied faster than the meat dishes!
The overall experience was great. It is expensive for most travelers, especially budget/backpackers, but this exclusivity keeps those wonderful spaces wild, quiet and untouched. Enjoy the bargaining, too... Try to get a good price!
UA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A Wonderful trip with Vuriva Complex and Safaris LTD.
This trip was one of a kind,with the most incredible hospitality.We were six of us on a week safari.
We visited Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro crater and Tarangire National park. All the arrangements were well organised,services were way better delivered than we expected.
We are actually planning the next visit in 2018 since we had so much fun and an amaizing time.We got to see all we hoped to see and many more,the staff members assigned were such proffessionals and very friendly.
All thanks to Vuriva complex and safaris LTD for their great services.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Great experience with fantastic guiding
We were a bit nervous canoeing on the Zambezi River, but our guides TK, Trust, and Emmanuel made us feel welcome and at home in their wonderful country. Some of the meals we had were better than what we have in the fancy lodges and there was just a very personal feeling to the whole experience. I wouldn't pick anyone other than Natureways to guide me down the Zambezi!
SE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent
Very good service. We would highly recomend to travel with this agency. Both guides were great and we were happy to see the largest gorilla family just two meters from us. The food and stay was excellent, including the service. The only thing was that it was holiday one of the days and most of the roads in Kigali was closed. Therefore we couldn't see the viewpoint, neither the memorial center or handicraft market as purposed. Though, the guide took us to another place instead so thats ok.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Everything was great!!!
Everything regarding the safari tour was great. Would not hesitate at all to use Wildebeest Safaris for any future safari tour needs, and would highly recommend them to anyone considering a safari tour.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
What an experience!
Working with Megan from Discover Africa to setup our safari was a breeze. She manage to get us to all of the locations we wanted to get to and the camps we wanted to visit. She was incredibly responsive and helped us with any questions or problems we had. (Don't forget to find somewhere to store your hard sided suitcases when you switch to duffel bags!).
All of the Sanctuary Lodges blew our expectations out of the water. Our tracker Sky at Chief's Camp was amazing and we spent four hours one day tracking down a rhino until we finally managed to see it making our trip complete! The staff at all of the Sanctuary camps were incredibly and being able to go in either private or small groups (4 total people) game tracking made the experience infinitely better.
My only advice to fellow travelers would be to try to take a day trip to see Victoria Falls from the Chobe area instead of going to a camp in Zambia. We found the Botswana national parks to be an overall much better experience than those of Zambia.
IT
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Perfecly understanding customer needs
We went for a 10 days gorilla tracking and safari in Rwanda and Uganda. It took some time to select on the web the right travel agency, and after several contacts, we chose Africa Adventure Safaris, as costs, answers speed and flexibility to adapt the offer to our requirements were sensibly better than other companies'.
Organization: all was very well organized and even a trouble that the car had has been perfectly managed, without impacting on the activities planned. Anna, who was our reference contact, has been truly outstanding
Drive/Guide: William Kirie has been a great guide, a lovely trip companion, a stunning birdwatcher and a cautious driver (shared taxis or matatu make this aspect rather tricky). We appreciated all of him.
Lodges/accomodations/food: were all perfect, very well selected: nice rooms, good food, and perfect service.
Activities: it's easy to arrange gorillas and chimps tracking, but we enjoyed a lot also unexpected activities that were part of Africa Adventure's proposal. I think that due to a deep knowledge of what both countries offer and to a deep attention to customer needs, Africa Adventure is able to organize and propose what customers really enjoy.
Not one single criticism, sorry but this is reality.
I will copy this same comment in Tripadvisor, and I will add notes to each lodge visited.
US
Perfect visit to Tanzania
Perfect saferi trips with the best guide ever Deu :). Loved every hour of our trip as well as my family and my 2 year old son. Thanks!
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great safari
After obtaining various itineraries from different companies, Safari Trackers had proposed one of the more appealing ones. I was a bit hesitating due to the few reviews and the one bad review, but after having talked to Charles over the phone and hear his side of the story, I decided to go with Safari Trackers.
At the beginning of the safari it became clear that some miscommunication had occurred, but Charles immediately came with a good solution for it. Next we went to Manyara, Serengeti and Ngorongoro for 5 days and saw so many animals, including massive elephants, lions, lionesses and their cubs, cheetahs and cubs, leopards and many more (unfortunately no rhino). Our guide Elli spotted so many animals from far away, had a lot of knowledge about the animals' behaviour and was very sociable and funny. The cook Amidi prepared us some great meals and I especially liked our breakfasts. A few items of the lunchboxes were a bit less tasty in my opinion. But it included 7 or 8 items each time, so enough to choose from. And there was so much food each time, so you'll definitely not be hungry during the safari.
Overall I thought the safari was good, mainly do to the amount of wildlife we saw, our guide Elli and the great food served by Amidi. I would also recommend to spend enough time on the Serengeti, as the area is massive and it is a 4 to 5 hours drive to the park and back. We drove up there in the morning, did a afternoon game, next a full day game and a morning game, before heading to Ngorongoro in the afternoon. I think you'll need this time to also see the uncommon animals, like the cheetahs, the leopards and the cubs.