20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best time on camping tour
Had an amazing time on the 7 day camping tour. Robert from Wild Africa in Melbourne was very helpful in planning the trip and advice, and the local tour guide (and the cook!) on the trip were fantastic -- knowledgeable and a lot of fun!
HK
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
More than satisfactory
I've engaged Kenya Budget Holiday for a 9d8n safari tour in Kenya and Tanzania. Communication pre trip was all through e-mails, they are very responsive and helpful! The arrangement in Kenya was good, from airport pick-up to sending us to Tanzania, they have taken good care of us and arranged nice drivers. But for the Tanzania part, our tour was "outsourced" to another agent and due to miscommunication/I don't know why, we were not able to visit one of the parks as stated in the itinerary. Through numerous correspondences, we were given a refund of the entrance fees when we were back to our home country; we are pleased with the arrangement and the operator is truly reliable. If you're looking for some budget options, be sure to look for Kenya Budget Holiday.
EG
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Tarangire National Park by SRIDHAR
Decent wildlife experience
EG
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Ngorongoro Crater by SRIDHAR
Quite scenic and lots of wild animals to see
EG
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Lake Manyara National Park by SRIDHAR
Limited wildlife but quite scenic
EG
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Serengeti wildlife experience
It was quite a wildlife experience with lots of animals to see in their natural environment and also their natural instincts. Food and lodging quality was of a high standard. Transportation and guide was very good
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Experience of a life time
We visited both Balule Nature Reserve and Kruger National Park proper. We stayed a private lodges, Toro Yaka Bush Lodge and Grand Kruger Lodge close to the Crocodile Bridge Gate. Toro Yaka Lodge is simply outstanding. It was our second visit there and just as wonderful the second time as the first time. The safari drives were exciting, because the tracker and driver can go cross country we had the chance to view animals from up close. Because of their expertise in animal behavior, we were able to observe lions hunting and making an impala kill and the witnessed the ferocious scene of the lions' feeding frenzy. We saw leopards resting and hunting, and were up close and personal with a black rhino and her 350 lb. baby. Some of the elephants appeared to be curious about our Land Rover and came to observe us, another elephant, on the other hand, seemed annoyed and knocked a tree into our vehicle's path.
On our self drive in Kruger National Park we saw the "big five" within an hour in the Skukuza area. The most thrilling adventure was observing a leopard ambushing and killing an impala at a water hole and a giraffe challenging the leopard as it was dragging the dead impala off into the bush.
EG
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Tanzania by SRIDHAR
Great weather and the overall wildlife experience plus people's hospitality levels
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Brilliant Kruger Park experience
My wife, myself and our 2 sons (19 & 22) booked the safari from Australia.
From the first email contact it was clear that nothing was too much trouble. Booking, payment, instructions as to what to bring etc were easy. When we arrived in South Africa we had 2 nights in Pretoria and were then picked up by Rhys and Gayle for the drive to Kruger. The vehicle they used was a kind of combi and was perfect for the 4 of us. For the next 4 days we proceeded to see a constant stream of wildlife - about 40 different species including the big 5 - and receive a constant stream of interesting information from Rhys.
The camps and accommodation were clean and comfortable. All meals were provided by Rhys and Gayle and they were excellent - simple food but absolutely delicious - and plentiful! We thought that this safari was the perfect length of time.
On the 4th day they took us to Johannesburg airport for a flight to Cape Town.
Everything was included in the price and it was outstanding value for money.
Would not hesitate to recommend these guys to anyone. Bring a good camera!!
BE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A journey of a lifetime thanks to Paul and Sarafino
We had amazing time in Tanzania, and we are so glad we trusted Paul Tickner for organising it! Every detail was arranged, we fell in love with our guide Sarafino and there are no words to thank Paul for taking care of all our needs from the very beginning to the days after our trip was over.
When we first contacted Paul we had some ideas on where to go and what to do, and without imposing his opinion, Paul gave us precious advice on where to stay (all lodges booked by him were state of the art and for reasonable price), how to prepare for the trip and what experiences to chose taking into account our preferences. We exchanged tons of emails, also on the most ridiculous details, and he was always there for us, fitting every single capriccio in our tight budget. Sarafino was our guide and driver, and he made us feel secure and at home during the whole journey. We went by car from Dar es Salaam to Mikumi, Udzungwa and Ruaha, and we spent an average of 12 hours a day with Serafino. Not a single issue came up in 8 days, with pleasure he told us the history of Tanzania and its people, their culture and habits, with amazing empathy and understanding of the fact that we came from so far that our understanding of his country was childish and naive. Sarafino was more than a guide, the confidence he inspired (and for a reason!) tranformed in a strong attachment and a friendship that will last.
Aside from the game drives (mind blowing!), Paul also arranged some additional activities like village visits, hiking, our hotel in Dar, etc. Everything went perfectly well, and we enjoyed every single minute. The whole experience was so amazing, and turning back the time, we would not change a single detail. It was our honeymoon, and Paul's expertiese and attention made it the journey of our dreams!