IN
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Really good safari experience, could have been better..!
My husband and I did a 4 nights 5 days tour with Joagro Safaris. Overall we had a good experience for the entire duration. We visited Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Lake Manyara. We loved the whole wilderness experience with our guide Anwar. I would like to detail out day by day experience -
Day 1 - Anwar picked us from the airport on time and dropped at the Hotel Tulia. The drive was pleasant and we loved the greenery around Arusha. The hotel is basic with minimum amenities, Ok for a transit one night stay.
Day 2 - We start around 8.30 am to Ndutu part of Serengeti. I feel it was quite late to start given the distance to cover and time taken to reach. The journey was good, however, we were rushed to the stay inside the Park which was towards Central Serengeti. We did mention we wanted to explore the ndutu side as January season is for migration to be around this area. We fell short by easy two hours, had we started early we would have had more time to spend before reach our camp stay.
Having said the above, the Signature Into the wild stay was breathtaking. The views were gorgeous. food was delicious and staff extremely courteous. We loved the overall experience at this luxury camp stay.
Day 3 - We started at 7.15 from the camp post breakfast, we didn't see many animals to our surprise, the park seemed empty. Our guide didn't do much tracking on this day we felt. Since we didn't see any cheetahs in the park, he said he would take us for another drive outside park to spot them and thus he was trying to rush us out of the park. We exited the park early around 1 pm with expectation of the cheetah spotting as he had mentioned, Upon exit, he took us hardly 2/3 Km towards ndutu lake on the road just on the entrance of the Serengeti gate and he said we must return as he doesn't have permit to take us on that side. We felt cheated as he rushed us out of the park and then did not continue the drive that he mentioned he would. We completely understand its luck to spot animals and it would have been OK that we didn't see cheetahs but we didn't like the misleading and then not following through. Also if we would have known that Ndutu lake needs additional permit we would have been ok to get that permit and spend more time in that area as the park was kind of empty of animals.
Also we had to wait almost 2 hours at the Nabi gate for getting clearance to check out which wasted a lot of time. We saw all other vehicles checking out faster than we did, and we were given a reason that network was slow. I am not sure if that was the real reason.
We reached the Ngorongoro wild camp quite late as our vehicle broke down. People on the way were extremely helpful they helped us alot in this situation. The camp was decent and food was also good.
Day 4 - Our guide was pushing to start for Ngorongoro safari early but he never told us the reason on the previous day that the permit to be in Ngorongoro was only till 3 pm. Again this felt misleading. We started around 7.30 am thinking the Crater is small and we can spend whole day inside looking for animals, however we didn't know about the time limit only till we started our safari on Day 4. If guide had told us in advance we would have planned to start early as he suggested. The ngorongoro safari was good, we spotted many animals. We decided to skip the lunch in the crater to increase our safari time. We only saw two lions, I think the claim that 22 lion families reside in the crater seems bit inaccurate.
Anwar dropped us at the bouganvillea hotel around 4 PM. The hotel was really good and food was super delicious.
Day 5 - We visited the Lake Manyara national park. The park has a dense jungle which was quite nice however we didn't see the tree climbing lions for which it is famous. Our guide told us that its not the season for lions in the park. I think since trip operators are the experts, they should guide tourists with such details while we do our bookings. We google information and plan the trip but if its not the best time to visit a park, then I would expect the expert tell us how to better plan the trip.
One last thing to add - we were promised Complimentary Wine and Beer for the trip but not served even on a single day. Since it was complimentary it felt awkward to ask. It would have been great to be honest and let us know if promised things would not be served for whatever reasons.
Overall the experience was good, Jonas and Anwar were warm and courteous. Only the above few issues left us a little dissatisfied given the amount of money we spent on the whole trip. If the above is addressed then Joagro would be a definitely 5/5 tour operator.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Adventuretour threw Tansania
Contact and planning went smoothly and in German. Special was that the guide was always on time and the lunch was cooked himself. In Africa, punctuality is usually not taken that seriously. During the tour we saw many animals and were able to collect impressions. It was a successful trip.
CH
Great price/value however hard to get complete answers from agency before hand
Great guide (Jeff ❤️), we felt safe on the road and Jeff made his best for us to see all animals on the safari! Price/value great, however I struggled to get quick and complete answers from the agency beforehand.
BR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Full budget safari
Safari through 3 national parks (Masai Mara, Nakuru and Amboseli) costing less than 800 dollars. Everything included in this experience: accommodation, food, water, entrance fees to the parks and travel distances, which are far away. The agency team spoke to me all the time to make sure everything was ok. The only negative point was with the first driver, who did not check the car properly, and we had to stop on the road to check the brakes. Furthermore, he drove irresponsibly, and while overtaking improperly, he tore the tire, so we had to change cars. Super Eagle immediately provided another one. The first car was also full of cockroaches, which shows that proper cleaning was not done. I emphasize that this was not under super eagle's control, and when informed she quickly resolved all issues. I highly recommend this company for a safari in Kenya.
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The operator and driver were very friendly and helpful.
We had a great time on the Safari.
Our driver was very friendly and drove safely. He explained a lot about the animals at Tarangire and Ngorogoro. As we booked a 2-day trip, we stayed over night at the Marera Valley Lodge which we enjoyed as well.
We would recommend doing a 2-day trip to See the difference between the parks. The Ngorogoro crater was our favourite as we saw many different animals and we loved to see the wonderful nature.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
6 Days Family Safari Tour
Thank you for helping me plan our 6 days family safari in Masai Mara and Amboseli. Everything was well organized from the driver to the safari vehicles and we were well treated I really recommend them for your Kenya safaris.
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Everything we wanted
We were really happy with all the services provided by Viva Safaris and the whole team were great - from being picked up in Johannesburg, being met at Tremisana and experiencing our first safari - everything was perfect and well organised. The team are friendly and knowledgeable and really made our experience special.
Thanks to you and everyone at Viva Safaris for a great time.
I would definitely recommend them for value for money, seeing a huge range of animals and meeting other like minded travellers.
OM
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Safe and secure with Johny Johnson
It was a great experience with Jocky tours and this was made unique by our guide Johny whi went to all extent to spot all animals at all national parks. He was very patient and understanding. Although we had some issues with the accommodation, all those were covered with the attitude of Johny. Will strongly refer him for your safaris.
NG
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Service
Crispin is an excellent tour guide. Very passionate about his job and exhibits a dedication to customer satisfaction.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Book your tour with Suricata Safaris today!
Elias, the tour guide was very patient. He saw the animals from far away. I was unwell and fell asleep many times, but he always woke me up when a big animal was close by. We saw 4 out of the big 5- lion, rhino, buffalo, elephant. He stopped regularly for toilets. The meals were very good and varied. We had meat, vegetables and starch. Drink options were limited though-Coca Cola, black tea and water. I hope they add more options in the future like Sprite, green tea, and natural juices. The accommodations were ok for 3 nights. The tents and sleeping bags were big and cozy. The bathrooms in Serengeti were not as nice as the ones in Ngorongoro. The ones in Ngorongoro were more modern and the showers had hot water. I advise you to book with Suricata safaris- they think of everything from the time you reach the airport (transport to the hotel, etc.) so you don’t have to.
