US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Without Arrow Trekking I wouldn't have made it to Summit
Arrow Trekking was a great company to choose. They offer competitive pricing for their services, and pay great attention to detail while we were on the Trek. At each camp everything was already set up for me when I arrived, and the Porters were very friendly and supportive. They greeted me each time with a big smile and made sure that I had everything I needed. The food was delicious, and they always made sure I had enough water and snacks to keep me going throughout the day. Isaack was a great guide as well. He explained to me the different terrains we were going through, and constantly monitored how I was feeling in order for me to have the best experience possible.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Safari experience!
I booked my Safari at Rhino explorers and got a fantastic Safari experience. Pick up from the airport, 2 nights in the hotel and 4 days Safari, I enjoyed a lot! Daniel was warmly welcoming me and organized everything. Because I was in my own, the first day I met my group and we could start the adventure in Serengeti. Our driver and Cook were really kind and made our stay quite comfortable. During nights some of the animals surrounded the tents which was exciting and a complete new experience. The meals were always yummy and water was for free. Our guide told us many things about the animals and parks and we could see a lot. So in total it was a great experience and I would recommend Rhino explorers to my friends.
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic locations, wonderful and knowledgeable guide
Our journey from Victoria Falls to Cape town was wonderful, the trip of a lifetime. The 3-4 star lodge accommodation exceeded our expectations and a lot of the lodges were in fantastic locations. One was up on a huge ridge accessed by 4x4, another in the middle of the desert accessed again by 4x4, yet another in the middle of nowhere, others were right on river banks etc. We travelled towards the end of Sept. which is a great time for game viewing but Victoria Falls doesn't have a lot of water at that time because it's just before the wet season. We didn't find this a problem as we thought the falls were still spectacular and we enjoyed being able to actually see some of the huge gorge which would normally be covered in water.
Our truck / bus was not air conditioned but we found it was quite comfortable with the open windows. Bring a cushion if you have back problems or just like a little more comfort as a lot of the journey is over unsealed roads. Viewing the animals from the bus was easy due to the many windows. The truck also had a large fridge at the back which we could use to store drinks and snacks. Our guide recommended a daily rotation system in the cabin so everyone got to move around and chat with everyone else which worked well.
Speaking of our guide, Kembo would have to be one of the most knowledgeable guides. He was questioned incessantly about subjects as diverse as the flora and fauna, the economy, the history of european invasion, the history and language of the local tribes, their daily lives, education, aides and many other subjects. He always responded in depth to any question. Add to this, his ready smile, his exceptional organisational skills and his wonderful sense of humour and you have a guide made in heaven. A lot of us actually cried, including the men, when we said goodbye to Kembo at the end of the tour.
The game viewing was exceptional. We saw the big five and lots and lots more animals. Again Kembo was great, all we had to do was shout and he would stop the bus and back it up so we could see whatever animal one of us had spotted. Having said that, Kembo was also an expert game spotter. He would often stop the bus and we would wonder why, until he pointed out a lion under a tree in the shade or some other animal reclining in the shadows.
After the game viewing, our visits to Damaraland, the Namib desert and the Kalahari were truly exceptional. We particularly enjoyed our 10 km return hike in the Namib desert to the massive dunes. We began the hike in a sand storm which made for spectacular photos and lost hats. None of the other tour companies take their visitors on this hike, they go by 4x4, as can Kiboko clients if so desired, but for us this was one of the highlights of our trip.
I suppose the only place we found boring was Calvinia, the stop before Cape Town. It seems that there used to be lots of wildflowers in Sept. around the region but they have disappeared due to climate change. The town of Calvinia may be historic but there is virtually nothing to see there. We thought that this was a comfort stop as to drive all the way to Cape Town would be over 800 kms and too far in one day particularly for the guide who is also the driver. It's just one of those necessary stops. Bring a book, do your washing and think about the fantastic things you have seen in the past few weeks and what you have waiting for you in Cape Town. The restaurant where we had dinner and breakfast was very interesting with lots of old, historic implements and books etc.
We had a very special trip with a great company. Although the landscape, accommodation and safaris were wonderful, we would like to emphasise how much Kembo, our guide, contributed to our enjoyment of this trip. Four of our friends have already booked for next year after hearing about our experiences, two are going on the north south route and two on the south north route. Both in September.
Kiboko is recommended by us without any reservations.
IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Simply a perfect safari with Greg Adventures!
We went on a 5 days safari with this great company. It was really a wonderful experience from our landing in Kilimanjaro Airport to the departure for Zanzibar. Pick up at the airport, first night organized by the company and 5 days simply perfect! Pick up new and perfectly working, staff always tidy and professional with their uniform. David, our guide, knows like everything about wildlife and habits and he was always at our disposal, ready to wait hours observing lions or looking for cheetahs as well as ready to run for making us look the black rhino! And what about the dinners and lunches prepared by Ray? Delicious!!! These guys really made go our trip the extra mile!
NO
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trustworthy and well planned.
We were picked up at the airport by a representative from the company before transferred to our guide.
The drive to Masai Mara took approx. 6 hours. We had a flat tire, and with a short game drive we didn't reach the camp before after 7,5 hours.
This drive could have been skipped as we had already traveled for 20+ hours.
It was dark when we reached the camp so we didn't see much. Received a welcome drink and escorted to our tent for some freshing up before dinner.
All the food was fantastic and the service was second to none. We felt very welcome and taken care of.
Our guide picked us up at 8 am, way later than the other guests, but seeing it was our honeymoon we didn't want to rush.
We saw A LOT of animals! Our guide obviously knew where to drive. It was really impressive to see how they remembered all the roads crossing each other. We had a whole car for our selves, which was great. Except for one time where we forgot the clock and lost track of the direction in the dark, this trip was everything we had imagined and more! The transfer back to Nairobi was well organized and everything went smoothly.
We would recommend using Classic Journeys when booking a safari in Africa.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Professional always providing updates and feedback
Explicit in communications, service delivery good, the tour kept on schedule and had no snags, drivers and tour guides very good.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The perfect guides for your dream safari
We went for the 9 day Tented Lodge option and it was incredible, exactly what we had hoped it would be! Highlight was the Masai Village!! Highly recommended
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
They certainly live up to their name: their heart and soul is in the little details they provide.
An opportunity to do a safari arose for my husband and I when he had a business trip this October/November 2017 in Tanzania. Having explored the internet for all the possible options, and getting overwhelmed at that, finding Soul of Tanzania gave us the confidence we needed to move ahead and plan our safari adventure. As many have shared, they are very responsive, replying to emails within a day (quicker than how we can even process the information), giving us various options so we could pick and choose based on our comfort level and budget and just giving us an assurance that here was a company that understood the needs of their clients. Some of our choice lodges were not available as it turned out and SOT was quick to offer alternative lodges and negotiations were a breeze. On arrival at Arusha we were given a briefing on our itinerary and possible add-ons with time permitting. And on our return from the safari, we met for a quick chat concerning our experience and feedback about the overall service.
In a nutshell, you arrive in Arusha and meet your guide, a complete stranger with whom you spend the next 5 days of your life with, but end the safari adventure with a tinge of sadness knowing you leave behind a friend. Such was our experience in the 5 days we did Tarangire-Serenggeti- Ngorongoro circuit! Our man, Pius, was a personable, charming, knowledgeable guide who took pride in his work yet was understanding and sensitive to our needs. It was easy to warm up to him and trust his knowledge and advice. The vehicle was maintained clean each day, he set up lunch with pride as only SOT could do it – with warm food and wine and style! (Everyone had boxes and we had cloth covered picnic tables with real utensils!!) Pius was determined and patient in locating the animals and was creative in positioning our vehicle so we can take great pictures. Although it was just my husband and I, we had the big land cruiser, well equipped with a cooler, chargers , binocular and a guide book. SOT may be a young company, but they certainly live up to their name: their heart and soul is in the big things and the little details that they provide. Their passion for the wildlife and sharing this experience to their guests shines through in the interactions throughout the safari. They listen to feedback, and even anticipate the needs of their clients seeking ways to improve even more. The only regret is we didn’t have our boys with us but maybe that will be another reason to visit again. Soul of Tanzania’s got to be the only way to experience safari. Every detail was covered and you get even more!! Shout out and thanks to Miguel, Christina, Iris, Rachel, Francis, Ben and our man, Pius-y !!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unbelivable Trip
Holiday of a lifetime, truly grateful to compass safari for making it so special for me and my girlfriend.
The guide knew everything about the animals and locations, they blew me away, couldn't be more knowledgeable.
Non of my special requests were a problem, would happily recommend to my friends and family.
HIghlight of the Trip definitely Manyara national park!!!
CA
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
New standard of excellence for safari's
There were many tour company's to chose from but after reviewing many we chose Gorilla Links Tours . We are glad we did.
We asked Carolyn the owner/ operator of Gorilla Link Tours to design a safari like no other.
We decided on Murchison Falls National Park.
She took up the challenge and besides the normal morning and afternoon safari's that are expected, she provided two night safari's where a park ranger joined our guide as we ventured out in the evening. As night approached we saw lions leaving there cubs as they set out to hunt. We saw a female lion who just lost a cub to a Cape Buffalo and was mourning, eventually picking up the cub and carrying it to be buried. We saw a mother with 3 cubs feeding, as she laid on the ground. Even our guide had never seen this before.
I'm not saying you will see what we saw, but you will for sure see things over and above the norm. Carolyn arranged for a small "private"boat to tour the Nile river so we avoided the crowds of the big boats and got in close to shore to maximize our viewing experience. And surprisingly all the extra were reasonably priced. Carolyn did so many others things for us at no cost.
A wonderful personality to deal with. You won't regret using Gorilla Link Tours. Ask her to get Richard for your guide. He is outstanding and will bring your safari to a new level. Ask for him!!! You again won't regret it. He makes the unexpected happen. Great guy.
We also heard huge positives on the Gurilla tours from others we met that used Gorilla Links Tours. Again, I'd ask her to get Richard. His name is now out there so book him early. Seems everyone we spoke to had outstanding experiences and satisfaction with Gorilla Links as we did.