IN
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Our guide was very informative and cooperative
Very good experience guys … I connected them through some reference but the entire commercial transaction was done online from India before I reach Africa . Very good service , pickup van reached before time and whatever services were committed got delivered. You can trust on them. Thanks David , Ali and team for good experience.
SG
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Virgin Safari Experience with Shadows
Planner: Chris Walker
Local Staff: Ben / Joyce
Guide / Driver: Jackson (with Nick being the driver who transferred us from the airport to our first accommodations)
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TLDR:
Pros - (1) Staff was responsive and did their best to accede to our requests. (2) Actual safari experience was great with Jackson being an experienced guide (17 years under his belt), ability to spot animals and knowledgable enough to answer all the questions that we had about the culture, wildlife and Tanzania.
Cons - (1) Could have better advised us on certain locations / activities that we have decided on (i.e. weather conditions, things to pack for certain activities and plausible experience with the location / activity). (2) Last minute changes which we have agreed to but would have been a better experience if this was avoided altogether (nitpicking here but just to explain why it was not a 10/10 experience).
Overall - 9/10
Our Itinerary - Arusha - Taranguire National Park - Lake Manyara National Park - Ngorongoro Conservation Area / Crater - Lake Natron - Northern Serengeti
Period and duration that we went for - September (Dry Season, mornings and nights can be cold but day time will be hot) - 8 days
Full Review:
Just a day or two before our trip, we were informed that there will be some changes to our accommodations due to availability which we have agreed to. Though this did not affect the entire experience but could have been avoided.
Our virgin Africa safari trip finally happened after 9 months of planning and anticipation. Our first interaction with Shadows of Africa ("SOA") was with Chris who was really helpful and responsive to all the queries and requests that we had. After going through all the quotes from the different agencies and the suggested itineraries based on what we were looking for, we found SOA's offerings and pricing to be the most ideal.
When we first arrived at the airport, just having this trip as our virgin trip to Africa, an unknown place for us, we were relieved when we saw Nick holding up a sign that indicated that he was there to pick us up to bring us to our first accommodation. Overall, the transfer experience here was great as Nick was able to engage us throughout our ride and shared many interesting facts about Tanzania and the people in Arusha.
Fast forward, in terms of our accommodations, we really like Olerai Lodge (which we later found out to be owned by SOA), Acacia Farm Lodge and Mara Luxury Tented Camp. We found the other 2 accommodations (Rift Valley & Lake Natron) which were offered by Africa Safari Group to be sufficient but we were not blown away by the aesthetics, food variety and reliability of electricity.
For our experience at each location, our advice will be to skip Lake Natron altogether given the experience of the activities there, accommodation options and most importantly weather (hot throughout the year). If you are really pressed for time, you could consider just doing Northern Serengeti for the great migration and wildlife (you will pretty much see everything here except the Rhinos which is more likely to be found at Ngorongoro Crater). Even though we really like Ngorongo Crater and Lake Manyara National Park
Just highlighting here that we could have been better advised by Chris for Lake Natron, to make sure that we would have the best experience.
Activities wise, we have visited the tribe (Hazadbe) and had a Masaai guide to bring us to Lake Natron and the waterfalls. In our opinion, we feel that these activities even though it was not all bad, can be skipped once again if you are pressed for time.
In terms of communication, on the actual day for the start of our safari adventure (Day 2), we felt that communication could have been done better as we were left stranded for quite awhile before being informed that we will be transported to the office for our briefing.
For transport, if your budget allows for it, we would recommend taking the domestic flight options for a better travel experience especially after many days of safari in which you would have to wake up quite early every day for.
All in all, even though it just fell short of a perfect experience, we definitely enjoyed our virgin safari experience with SOA and would recommend it for others to try.
SG
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Organised
I had Godfrey as our guide.
He was organised and knowledgable.
Accomodations given were good. Van had aircon, was pretty new.
Just note to bring a small fan as the weather in Uganda is hot and there are no fans in the accomodations provided.
General tip, always check how long your safari time would be, if it's shorten, do not hesitate to question and they will make it right.
I did a 3 day's gorilla trekking at bwindi forest. Last min added a safari trip to lake mburo.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
He was so friendly and flexible
Augur Tour and Travel were so good when we approached them for the service,we just named our dates and they a devised and shared with us the best itinerary and it was flexible.we want to thank our driver for the whole trip he was so friendly and multi tasking coz at some point he play the photographer role,thank you Mr.Atidu
US
Experience level: first safari
Alex was very knowledgeable and made sure we were able to get close and see the Big Five!
We had a wonderful experience on our 4-day Masai Mara and Lake Nakuru tour! We upgraded our hotels to the Jambo Mara Lodge and Sarova Woodlands in Nakuru and highly recommend doing that. The food at Jambo Mara was okay and was very good at Sarova Woodlands. The staff at both hotels were very kind and felt very secure. There was hot water at both and nice bathrooms. For the safari, it was not always clear what our plan was and the plan would change without enough communication and we ended up not going to Lake Naivasha because of an timing issue. Alex was really great at helping us see all of the animals and letting us get close and watch without rushing us. I highly recommend doing the balloon safari (it is a VERY early start) and is very worth it and the breakfast after was stunning. We visited the Masai village as well which is very nice to learn about but be prepared to spend a bit of extra money with the souvenirs and donations to the school. Also, we really enjoyed spending time with the other people throughout our tour and saved a good amount of money by not doing a private tour.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
We went to Amboseli and really enjoyed the beautiful scenery.
We stayed for three days whreby we enjoying the chefs and the guides were really professional we look forward to visit the park again.
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
A very enjoyable trip
We enjoyed pretty much all our holiday the trip to Selous being very memorable as regards the activities - safaris, river trip and bush walk - AND the people.
The only downsides were:
1. The lukewarm (and, therefore, unhealthy) buffet food at Reef & Beach resort. We chose to pay extra to eat à la carte at Pepino’s for several lunches and dinners.
2. The fact that, having got up very early to fly to Selous, we were whisked away on our first safari without checking into the camp and no chance of a bit of a rest or breakfast! We were shattered by the end if the safari.
IT
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
efficient, attentive, kind, responds immediately
Our tour in Kenya among 4 different parks had been great.
We had just problems with our accommodation in Amboseli park, but all the rest was perfect
FR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
We saw everything
We had a wonderful moment on Selous, seeing crocos, hippos, elephant, girafes, antilopes, lions, buffalos, gnous and hyena.
Our room was big and clean, the restaurant was good and healthy, everyone cared about us.
Unfortunately our car broked in the park so we lost time on the safari duration. But our guide Haroun managed to make us see everything even later than expected, he knew animals and nature very well.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A great driving safari covering a cross-section of Kenya
We booked a complex safari with 4 different destinations only a week or so ahead of time in peak season. John was amazingly quick and efficient at setting things up, including changing one of the lodges for something more out-of-the-way. Our driver/guide, Richard, drove well and worked extremely hard each day to give us the best possible experience (including handling a breakdown by replacing parts rather than trying to patch things together until we got back to Nairobi). It did feel a bit rushed at times, but that was partly because the itinerary we chose covered a lot of ground and both Nakuru and the Mara were pretty crowded in peak season. Landscapes and game viewing were amazing – including all the big 5 and much more. I would definitely recommend if you’re looking to pack a lot into a short trip.