CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing Safari, Amazing Safari Provider!
Family Safari from July 16th to September 2nd, 2017.
For my wife and I, this was our second safari. This trip, we brought along our daughter (16) and son (12) to see the splendor for themselves. Our vacation consisted of an 8-night deluxe safari with a 5-night beach getaway.
Our quest to find our safari provider began with many hours of reading reviews and visiting sites like “Safari Bookings” and “Trip Advisor”. After corresponding with several companies (and clients) we ultimately selected Amazing Memories Safaris (A.M.S) for the following reasons...
1-Our correspondence was directly with Co-owner Anne. Anne was professional, informative, and articulate. She was quick to respond to all our question and requests even though we had a 7-hour time-zone difference.
2- We are firm believers of doing business with smaller/family run businesses without having to compromise quality of course. Amazing Memories is exactly that. A family-run company whose focus and attention to detail was undiluted. We wanted to be a customer NOT a number.
3-Price!!! From the get-go, Anne was very forward in stating that she would not be undersold. After comparing all quotes, she was true to her word.
Our Trip-
Upon our arrival in Nairobi, we were astonished by our airport reception. Co-owners Anne, Joseph and driver Kennedy met us with huge smiles, warm hugs, embroidered safari hats and beautiful bouquets of flowers! They quickly shuttled us to the EKA Hotel where we had a late supper but not before they treated us to a ceremonial “Welcome Toast” (another a nice touch, one of so many).
On safari, we flew several legs and drove the balance in a 4x4 Toyota van equipped with beefy off-road tires. Our drivers Kennedy and Joseph were very capable of getting us through every obstacle that came our way. We did not opt for the Landcruiser. Having had experience with both type of vehicles, the van had a smoother ride and plenty of space for the 4 of us. Ultimately, this was a great savings to our overall expenses.
Our safari took us to the following places…
Serena Amboseli Lodge
Excellent hotel! The rooms are a little dated but the excellent location and service more than make up! Plenty of animals with the iconic Kilimanjaro as our backdrop. Gorgeous!
Sweetwaters Serena Camp in Ol Pejeta
Amazing Camp!!! The Rino Sanctuary and the Chimpanzee exhibit make this park a one-of-a kind place. We were surprised by the amount of game animals in this conservancy as well. Would highly recommend this reserve AND Sweetwaters Serena Camp (especially with kids)!
Enashipai Lodge in Lake Naivasha
This hotel disappointed. The actual hotel was quite beautiful however, the overall experience was terrible. This hotel didn’t have that friendly vibe that we’d come to know in almost every other Kenyan hotel. The dining service was lousy. The worst part about our stay there was crazy person protesting on a loudspeaker at 5 AM (no joke). This person who the staff later referred to as “the Preacher” was a commonplace occurrence and “beyond their control”. It was terrifying and unsettling to say the least. I would never recommend this hotel unless this was addressed.
Mara Serena Lodge
Excellent hotel!! The crown jewel of Mara lodges. The rooms are little small but this was trivial because the Serena is the best location in the Mara, especially during the Great Migration. We saw all the big five and a legendary wildebeest crossing. We also did the Balloon safari which always concludes with a Champagne Bush breakfast. On our final evening, Amazing Memories Safaris treated us to a surprise a private VIP Bush dinner. That night is something that we soon will not forget.
Beach stay at Diani Beach - Swahili Beach Resort.
This resort is surreal. It’s Swahili architecture was like something out of a fairytale (striking). Everything about this hotel was top-notch. The only thing that would be a problem for some was the actual beach. Water access during low tide was almost impossible without shoes. We made the best of it especially because we love exploring tide-pools.
All-in-all, this holiday was truly a trip of a lifetime. Anyone considering a safari, should take a moment to get to know Anne and her staff at Amazing Memories Safari Co. It’s not easy to put blind faith (…and a lot of money) in the hands of a complete strangers that are a world away. We did it with A.M.S and have no regrets.
Call them, you will not be disappointed.
On a more personal note, Anne, and co-owner Joseph, along with the rest of the staff quickly became like family. Our safari-driver’s Kennedy and Joseph both ensured our comfort and safety on our voyages. I would also like include a “third” Joseph (from the Nairobi head-office) into this mix. Although we did not spend enough time together, he too was a very enduring person who helped us during a particularly difficult moment. Thank you ALL! You found a way into our hearts and we miss you very much!!!
Suggestions for future visit...
-If traveling from North America "with" a stopover- (unless the stop is short), I would strongly suggest staying a day or two in your stop over city especially on the return voyage.
-In July-August, do not underestimate the cold temperatures in the evening and mornings especially in the higher elevations
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
'Perfect fit' safari!
Daniel's advice and knowledge helped us put together a memorable holiday. He explained the reasons for visiting the different areas and everything he said was true! We were very well looked after at Giraffe Manor and Solio Lodge where we enjoyed our game drives with the very knowledgable Amos. The view from Basecamp Eagle View was without doubt outstanding - and with the extra bonus of fresh elephant droppings on the path to breakfast in the morning! Sampson and Kaleb were wonderful guides and great fun to be with. We finished off at Sand River, once again a superb camp where they took pleasure in catering to our every dietary need. It is located in an area well away from the high traffic density of the Mara triangle, and we saw four of the big five before even reaching the Lodge (Thank you Akeba!).
The whole trip went like clockwork, and we are now waiting for the grandkids to be old enough so we can share another safari adventure with them.
Thanks Daniel.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Fantastic 10 Day Big 5, Bush and Beach Safari
We booked the 10 day bush and beach safari as our "once in a lifetime" family holiday and chose Wild Planet Safari based on all their positive reviews. We were not disappointed! Even before the trip they really looked after us with regular updates and messages. Our guide Ryan and his assistant Benjamin collected us from our hotel at exactly the appointed time and looked after us fantastically from then on.
We spent four days touring Kruger Park, travelling from north to south and staying at Letaba, Orpen and Berg-en-Dal. En route we saw all the Big Five (Big Six if you count Black and White Rhino separately!) as well as many more birds and animals. Ryan guided us excellently throughout, telling us not only about the wildlife, but also the geology and history of Kruger. He really knows his stuff and answered all our questions patiently, as well as regaling us with many stories over a glass of beer in the evenings! As a birdwatcher, I was pleased to find that Ryan is one too and he really helped me increase my life list, even stopping for the "small brown jobs" from time to time! We recorded over 100 bird species in Kruger alone. Ryan certainly has eagle-eyes and some kind of special intuition for when and where to find the wildlife. He helped us connect with some of the more unusual creatures too, such as porcupines, honey badgers, and a rock python.
From Kruger we travelled south through Swaziland and spent one night at Royal Hlane, where you get close-up views of White Rhino in particular at the waterhole there. We then continued south and spent two days in Hluhluwe, staying at Hilltop camp, where we saw plenty more rhino, as well as lots more other birds and animals.
After seven days on tour we ended up at Greenfire Lodge on the beach front in Umdloti, near Durban, where we spent two days relaxing by the beach and unwinding. There is wildlife there too - vervet monkeys in the town, and whales and dolphins in the sea, which we watched from the balcony of our room - fantastic!
We had an absolutely fantastic holiday - truly a "lifetime" event - thanks to Ryan and his team, and hope to repeat it again one day. We cannot recommend Wild Planet Safari enough - book your tour with them and like us, you will not be disappointed!
AR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Discovering Tanzania with the best...
I had some ideas of what to do but they organized me a trip that had all the colors of Tanzania. For two weeks, I climbed Kilimanjaro; then an incredible safari around the Tarangire National Park, Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Conservation Area. And to close this incredible experience, a few days on the beaches of Zanzibar before coming back to Argentina.
Hekima's team is very professional, very friendly and make you feel very comfortable in their guest house.
I certainly recommend them and invite everyone to know that beautiful country that is Tanzania and its people.
PL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Tsavo West Safari and Wasini Island Safari
Excellent tour operator, competitive prices, top level of services. Most friendly owner we had ever met. Best guides we could imagine, very knowledgable and willing to share their experiances. We highly recommend this tour operator for everyone!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Good Value for money
My daughter and I took a 10 day Safari with Prime Safaris in late August early September.
I found Prime Safaris very efficient and professional to deal with.
Cate and Simon were always quick to respond to my e-mails/questions.
Our Guide Joseph had the skill and personality to make our safari a very relaxed and enjoyable tour, while still keeping our days on schedule. He went our of his way to make sure we we were always comfortable and satisfied. The only negative I have to say about the company is that the vehicle that we were assigned needed some maintenance both mechanically and aesthetically. It would have been nice to be able to drive with the windows up and the air-conditioning.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
One stop place for all your travel and tour
MJ is a quality company and has a powerful responsive website and are good at what they do.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Friendly client orientated bush experience
Xaa went out of their way to accommodate us without compromising the experience of their other guests.
It was the most amazing sunset cruise from Maun on the Thamalakane river passing some local fishing Mokoros, African Fish eagles and stopping to observe a crocodile and being fed a ton of information from the guide.
We shall use them next time for a 3 day customised excursion into the Delta with all camp sites and accommodation arranged by Xaa.
Thank you Xaa for an unforgetable experience.
CH
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Wunderfull Safari from Kigali to Entebbe
The communication was easy and Paul Kaggwa Kibirango is a reputable and sympatic Guide and Driver!
He was looking for everything that we need and also he was like a friend to us, perfect!
The Tour was: Kigali-Akagera NP-Nyanza-Nyungwe Forest NP-Gisenyi-Volcanoes NP with the Karisoke Research Centre-Kisoro-Klimbing Mount Muhabura-Bwindi NP with Gorilla-Tracking-Lake Mburo NP-Kampala-Bujagali Falls & Source of the Nile in Jinja-Entebbe
IN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent safari, one of the best experiences we had in Uganda
My wife and I did a 3-day safari of Murchison Falls NP with these folks. We have just the best memories of the entire trip. We could not be more satisfied.
Some of the highlights:
- The owner, Wilson, is friendly and directly reachable on the phone. I wanted to be extra-sure before committing to these folks. So I went and met Wilson at his home in Kampala and he immediately put me at ease.
- They own and rent out several modern, clean vehicles in very good condition, and run safaris all the time.
- Kassim, or driver, was a pleasure to interact with. He is young, very helpful and dedicated to his job. Further, he is observant, drives very well, and is a good conversationalist with lots of interesting tidbits.
- Further, probably because Kassim is such a pleasant person, he has a very good network with what we presume are other drivers and safari guides, because once we enter a park he switches into a different mode. He is actively working the phones, and you as a passenger just have to sit back and watch the amazing scenes unfold. For example: in Murchison Falls NP, we got to hang out with 12 lionesses and lion cubs for almost an hour, watching them as they ate and played. This was only one of many sightings during the day.
- The trip itself: we were very happy because Saso does not do the usual nickel-and-diming that is very prevalent in other economy safari companies, for example in Kenya.
- Itinerary: even though we made a few last-minute changes to the overall plan, Wilson and Kassim handled everything admirably and made sure we got where we wanted to go
- Arrangements for food: I don't know if this is standard across all their safaris, but the food arrangements were all uniformly excellent. Further, Kassim took note of our dietary preferences and only took us to places where we would get good options
All in all, a simply superb safari experience. If you're looking for a good safari company in Uganda, look no further!
Side note: something that caused me a bit of anxiety before the safari began was the fact that they have very few reviews! Unfounded anxiety, as it turned out. These guys are the real deal. Book them with your eyes closed, and rest assured.