FI
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great hassle-free experience
I went with my girlfriend to a 2 and half days safari in Serengeti and Ngorongoro with Swahili tours, and words cannot describe how much of an amazing experience it was.
Mr. Jimmy was very helpful through the whole booking process, he helped us get the flights, hotels and the taxi transfers without any extra charges. He also was in permanent contact with us to make sure everything is going well.
The safari itself was just perfect. Our driver Johnathan was very professional informative. He knew every detail about the animals and the environment. I am a curious person who likes to ask questions about everything. And Johnathan answered all my questions gladly.
We also had a good cook (William) who accommodated my girlfriend's vegetarian needs and cooked extra for us when we asked him to do so.
Both the cook and the driver spoke great English.
The tents and covers were clean. But I advise people to take thick clothes because it does get very cold at night.
During the Safari we were provided with many water bottles, so we never felt thirsty.
We managed to see so many animals (except rhinos), and we stopped in a Masai village where we got to see how they lived and met the children in their school.
Unlike what people say, we didn't have any issue with tipping. We tipped whatever we wanted, and the guys did not even check how much we gave. They just put it straight in their pockets and thanked us.
We will, without a doubt, use Swahili's services in our next expeditions in Africa.
Thank you!
BZ
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Absolutely the best!
I was on Safari for 3 months with 10 different operators and agents. None of them can compare to what Safari Specialists did for us. Lisa was the best right from the start in customizing our trip. We had 3 separate parts to out adventure with them. She always kept us up to date and if she wasn't around Erica stepped in and took care of things. We were greeted at the airport in Maun and presented with information & guide books that no one else provided. When we had problems Lisa was always there and stood up for us and kept us constantly informed. We even received a big refund on one of the Safaris when there were major problems. I have never written a review before but Lisa was so good that I had to write this. I highly recommend Safari Specialists to anyone for any trip. I just wish they were in Tanzania & Kenya as well. Thanks Lisa.
Kajie Safaris helped enhanced my travel experiences in Uganda
Ronnie helped to organise my safaris to Kidepo and Lake Mburo, gorilla tracking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park as well as site-seeing visits in Lake Bunyonyi and Kampala. Ronnie is an extremely friendly and sincere tour guide. When you talk to him, you feel that he is listening to you, which not only makes for good companionship on the long drives but also enables him to tailor the travel to suit your interests. This is key; he has the knowledge and the contacts to make your trip to Uganda a better experience. He does this in a way that is not stifling, or pressuring you in any way to go to certain places or do certain things. He just facilitates the discussion to find out what you want to get from your Uganda experience, and then does his best to make it happen. During the visit itself he is flexible, willing to adjust the programme to match changing expectations. He is also extremely patient. I never once saw him lose his temper or get flustered, even in some stressful driving situations, which has the effect of making you feel at ease and enables the whole experience to be more enjoyable. I therefore highly recommend Ronnie and his company to all travellers going to Uganda.
Experience level: first safari
Encounter it with tripetee
I had an excellent customer care with tripleetee team, wonderful safari and a great experience. I would recommend them anytime. they are the best.
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Efficient, dependable, educational, communicative
Explore Rwanda tailored a Gorilla Trek tour for 2 older ladies with efficiency, instilling confidence as their communication was excellent. We were met at the airport by Abraham, our hard working and responsible guide. He provided us with so much information, and also a secure feeling, and was always concerned for our welfare. The experience of trekking to find the mountain gorillas was a "once in a lifetime". I felt very confident with Abraham, and in Rwanda itself- very clean, safe and friendly and the people we sooo grateful for tourists.
US
Awesome adventure!
Excellent tour company. Went on the trek up Kilimanjaro with them and I was extremely impressed. Price was competitive. equipment was good. Food was excellent. Guides were great and made a safe and enjoyable trip for all of us. I couldn't recommend them enough. We did the 7 day trek, which was excellent for acclamation and being able to relax and rest a bit more. I did a ton of research regarding Kilimanjaro treks and I lived in Tanzania for a few months This is one of the best tour companies around.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Value for your money for 21-day, 3 country safaris (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania)
Had done extensive research on Trip Advisor and Safari Bookings. Trip Advisor does a great job with reviews, but didn’t find it helpful for the tent camps we wanted for our experience in several countries. Would recommend using Safari Bookings since they have an easy search engine for your destinations. https://www.safaribookings.com/
20-Day Safari to Kenya Maasai Uganda Gorilla and Tanzania
Nairobi (Start), Masai Mara NR, Lake Nakuru NP, Jinja (Town), Lake Bunyonyi, Bwindi Impenetrable NP, Lake Naivasha, Lake Sonachi, Arusha (City), Serengeti NP, Ngorongoro, Tarangire NP, Zanzibar (Town & Beach), Nairobi (End) We took out beach portion and added Sambura at his recommendation which was the highlight of our 21 day trip.
Pros: KWSS had the flexibility to cater to our destinations for a reasonable price. Many places charge double what we paid for, but you do get tent camps out in the middle of nowhere a few times.
Drivers Marcus (Kenya), David, Richard (Uganda), and Michael (Tanzania) - all averaged about 15 years’ experience in travel guides. All showed above average knowledge and provided for above average gaming experience.
Cons: The hotels we did stay in cities were mostly concrete and noisy. Do not recommend Sky Hotel in Nairobi, Silver Springs Hotel in Kampala, or Sky Hotel in Lake Bunyoni area I believe. We awoke to noise in each of them. Silver Springs had 2 parties at 1:30 am in the morning. Also had call to prayer at 2 and 5 am from a distance at Octagon Lodge, but we were tired enough it didn’t matter much. Ask for other accommodations before you pay since we had early starts most mornings.
Forget the itinerary time tables – they were almost always off. Lunches and game drives were wrong in many cases even though they were cut out of their standard programs he used for our custom trip.
Road to Masai Mara was miserable, but they are paving a good part of it in 6 months or so. These African safaris are not for you if you can’t take a rough bumpy ride half the time.
Mr.O had promised 4x4’s the whole trip. We got stuck first day out and had our time taken up some and scary crossings due to sudden thunderstorm. Big .5 drop in ratings due to broken commitment. He attempted to make it up which is why it’s not a 1 point drop with extra activities on last day not scheduled.
What to bring:
Toilet paper always with you. Drivers try but many times we had to use squat toilets and no privacy for men urinals. Sometimes “bush” toilets were necessary. Driver usually has extra toilet paper. Not an issue for us, but can be a big surprise to many. Long lenses for cameras – standard lenses will not work in many areas where you cannot travel off the road. I purchased a new attachment for my Samsung 6 with no reviews on Amazon (look under telescopes – takes about a month to get and fits onto many phones with clasp over lenses – a bit of a risk, but fit my Samsung 6 – Ccloon Professional HD camera lens kit -$60 USA – does need refitting several times a day but competes with the thousand dollar lenses)
Flashlight for head is very handy for $15 dollars Energizer Vision HD LED from Amazon – one each. Portable chargers for phones since many tents shut down power after 10 or so.
Get your yellow fever shots a few weeks before going. They are out of stock currently and do check several sources for alternative shot. Nothing else was necessary according to OT. We purchased Deet and mosquito long sleeve shirts. We didn’t need them much in Oct./Nov.
Ponchos or rain gear for Uganda mostly.
Also bring an open mind for local cultures and lots of patience. We are 64 and 59 and in good shape (for Uganda jungle hikes).
ES
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amaizing company
At the beginning we had our doubts, they have prices that are much lower than the rest of the safaris, but the truth is that they are wonderful people, super competent, kind and serious. We had certain problems that they knew how to solve and they got our trip to be unique and unmatched, the wonderful hotels, the unbeatable guide, mr otiendo is a wonderful person has behaved great with us, we would repeat with them for sure.
SI
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Really good Safari experience - cheap & car on stand by in case of any car problem
First to let you know, there is not such thing as cheap safari. If you pay 170 per person per day, you’ve got a really good deal. The safari experience was amazing (we saw two actions - leopard catching antilope and two cheetahs hunting wild best and eating them). So that part was like Heaven. The only negative side was the food, but after we came back we told them honestly about “the food thing” and they offered us a free night at a quite good hotel. They said, that they paid enough momey to the guide and to cook for meals, so it shouldn’t been , like it was. They really gave us a filling that tehy really care about their costumers and told us, they will have conversation with them. We talk with John (he was our guy) - the best guy.
If you are looking for a cheap safari trip, this is the best agency to go with.
FR
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Once again, an unforgettable safari holiday !
We have been going for safari holidays every summer since 3 years ago, and have chosen Roho Ya Chui every time. From our first experience, Ute has been so kindly helpful, catering to our taste and responding immediately to all questions. Our destination this time was Zambia (after experiencing South Africa and Botswana in the past), and we had a little more special requests as to the itinerary and the lodges. Ute rapidly provided us with very good alternatives and options, and we are so thankful to her as our trip in South Luangwa and Lower Zambezi turned out to be another unrivaled experience of our life.
Those (including myself) who love the nature and animals never get bored of being in the African wilderness even without spectacular sightings…but our trip this time gave us the memorable chances of seeing a leopard hunting, wild dogs hunting, porcupines, honey badgers, as well as a colony of beautiful southern carmine bee-eaters, not to mention all other big popular animals (except the cheetahs which are unfortunately non-existent). The boat and walking safaris in the serene Lower Zambezi not only made us discover a new world of African nature but also was in itself very exciting with lots of animal/bird events.
Safari trips are not inexpensive but as always we felt that the actual experience was totally worth the costs. Even after coming back from the trip, Ute cares how our trips went along and is attentive to our feedback. Sharing the experience and giving her the feedback is indeed a part of our safari pleasure.