TR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Serengeti National Park by Pinar Erc
Serengeti is beautiful to visit but it is quite large. So to spot animals you need time or you need to be lucky. Game drives are a bit tiring but it is all worth it. I would definitely come back and stay more. Wildlife is enchanting.
TR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Heaven on earth
The scenery is excellent. Very suitable for safari if you have short time. All land is visible, you can spot lots of animals in a short time. A little bit cold in the rim. It is a must if you are travelling to Tanzania for safari.
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
The real bush.
I have been to Kruger a good number of times now, but I still remember my first time in 2006. The main thing that stuck with me of that trip was a bit of disappointment. As a kid I always watched nature documenteries on Discovery channel because of that, I kind of expected Kruger to look more like the Serengeti plains, or the Okavango. This fault was purely my own due to a lack of preparation and I would tell this to first-timers. This initial thought might have been a bit negative but it was quickly turned around by all the wildlife we saw. Nothing beats the sense of awe of seeing your first elephant walking next to the car. It became addictive in a way and I have returned many times.
Kruger is the Bush. I have been to other parks but none of them had the same Bush vibe. It can get very crowded in the south of Kruger though. This means car pile-ups and sometimes fighting for a spot to see things. The positive of a lot of cars means a lot of eyes spotting for animals. I have seen many a lion that we probably would have missed if it was just our own car driving. If the south is too crowded, there is always the middle of Kruger. You can easily see the Big Five (hate that name) there in a day if you are lucky, with a few legendary 'cat' roads. Or go to the north, near Shingwedzi or Punda Maria. Beautiful landscape and if you spot an animal, it often is yours as there aren't many other cars around.
About the subject of self-drive tourists: this is definitely a positive to me. I like driving our own car, at our own pace, doing our own thing. Sure, in a gameviewer you are higher up, the drivers have radio communication for good sightings and they get to drive at times when regular tourists can't. It is more of a safari feel for sure, but as an amateur photographer, I prefer to have an own car. Early morning or at night, I won't be able to take good photos anyway. Don't get me wrong, it is fun and a great experience to drive in a gameviewer, but in the end, self-drive has my preference.
The accomodations in Kruger are great. From simple camping sites and tented camps to nice rondavel cottages, and high-end accomodation (which I have never used). There is something for everyone. All camps have some similarities but also their own vibe. There are (expensive) shops, which are great for souvenirs but food is expensive, so bring your own if you can.
Kruger National Park is a big park, and a great one. You can go there on a budget in your own car, with a small tent or you can go with your own decked-out SUV and stay at the luxury housings. You can go to the north for a bit of the 'old-Kruger' feel or go to the south with high densities of animals. Go wherever you want, whenever you want. Go for a quick weekend-trip when you happen to be in the area or stay there for a week, travelling from camp to camp. A holiday within a holiday. Go in the winter when everything is dry for easy viewing, especially at the waterholes, or go in early summer, when everything looks fresh and green, with lots of baby animals running around. Any time of year is a good time to be in Kruger, because you will be in Kruger.
under20 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A safari experience that will stay with me for a life time.
I visited Kruger National Park with a college group as part of a wildlife study tour. When I originally heard that we would be visiting the park I thought we would only be seeing animals from a distance. The first day at Kruger I was blown away with the scenery and the amount of different animal species that we got up close to. We had close encounters with elephants, giraffes, white rhino, buffalo, hyena, zebra and many others. The second day we where lucky enough to see a pride of lions and on the third day we saw a cheetah up close. Seeing these animals in there natural habitat was one of the things that made the experience surreal, nothing else will compare.
My experience at Kruger National Park was made complete by the raw beauty of the scenery. This was the first time I had visited South Africa so I didn't know what to truly expect, but what I saw I fell completely in love with. Ever though it was going into winter when I visited, the landscape was still stunning.
The accommodation we stayed at was amazing, complete with a pool and excellent food facilities. Around the fence of the accommodation wild animals could be seen, even hyenas in the early hours of the morning which was really exciting.
Overall I feel like I have left a little piece of my heart there and I hope to return soon.
Karumuna safaris
Omg murchison national park has got varieties of animal species barbon giraffes lion's i cant name it even lots of birds of different kinds it was really amazing traveling with karumuna safaris . I wish i can come again to have more most at night on camp fire
TR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Tanzania by Pinar Erc
People of Tanzania are really helpful and friendly. All the staff we met were really hard working. Wildlife and scenery are like heaven. It is a really different experience and a memorable country.
under20 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about South Africa by Laura T
I think South Africa is the only place you will experience such wide range of animal species as well as such beautiful scenery.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
This safari trip more than met our expectations
My husband and I travelled with Thinus for the two week trip in a 4 WD vehicle, starting in Windhoek, visiting the Erindi Private Game Reserve, Etosha National Park, the Kavango Region, the Caprivi Strip, and Chobe National Park. We also visited the San Bushmen which was a very moving experience and one we would highly recommend. We saw large numbers of game, both huge herds of the many antelopes (springbok, impala, kudu etc), wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, elephants, and smaller family groups of hippos, giraffes and wild dogs. We also saw all these animals up close and personal at the waterholes. The highlights were seeing 2 cheetahs, 2 sightings of leopards and 6 different sightings of lions, including 3 small lion cubs. We loved it all, especially the luxury tented accommodation which we opted for on a couple of occasions. The whole trip was very well organised and ran smoothly without any problems. Thinus was an attentive guide and very well informed, not only about wildlife, but about Namibia in general. We would very much recommend this safari company.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful experience!
My 6 friends and I used Marianne Birrel Safaris to plan our tour. We wanted a customized tour to avoid the huge crowds and giant lodges in the National Parks and Marianne gave us several options from which to choose. We stayed at small yet excellent game lodges in private reserves with extremely knowledgeable and accommodating guides and trackers. The lodge in Victoria falls was gorgeous, as was the B&B in Capetown.
Marianne was with us every step of the way in planning and even gave instructions about whom to wire transfer payment and reservations at the various places. She even checked up on the success of the transfer. As for making flight reservations, she paid attention to flight times and advised us which flights to choose, and even gave detailed instructions on how to work the airline's website!
Marianne was available at all times by phone or email during the entire trip to help with any problems that might crop up, and even arranged a small refund in cash when I inadvertently overpaid one of the lodges.
Our overall experience was awesome and we would all recommend Marianne Birrell Safaris and of course will use her the next time we go!
US
Experience level: first safari
Experience of a lifetime!
What an amazing experience! I did a 5-day safari with my girlfriend through Ngorongoro, Manyara and Serengeti back in March and it was unreal. I also added on the balloon tour, Masai village visit and an additional 5 nights in Zanzibar at Amaan Bungalows.
I'll start off with our arrival into Kilimanjaro Airport. We had some issues getting our passport at the airport (entirely our faults). Prior to traveling to Tanzania, we had spent several months outside of the US so did not have US Dollars to pay for the passport fee. Shouldn't have been a big deal, as they have an ATM at the airport, however, the ATM was not working. So, this left us stuck at the airport with no way out. Once our guide from It Started in Africa arrived at the airport, we explained our predicament. The guide, along with another staff-member, made plans to transfer money and pick up the cash we needed for our passport fees at a nearby bank. I don't know what we would have done without them! They were extremely nice and couldn't have been more helpful throughout the whole ordeal. Africa travel tip: Always have US Dollars, don't expect ATMs to work even at major international airports.
On to the safari! What an awesome 5 days! We ended up doing a private camping safari, as a group safari was not available when we went. Our guide and cook were both great. Upon arrival, we mentioned that we were interested in trying more of the local food and they both made arrangements to pick up additional food on our drive from Arusha. They even stopped at a Masai village to pick up fresh goat for us! Our guide was very knowledgeable and experienced. He was able to answer all questions that we had and really made the trip what it was. 5 days was plenty of time for us. It was great to get to see the Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Manyara in such a short time. Manyara is very small and won't take long at all, however, it's a great starting point for the safari. Serengeti is obviously the main attraction and will not disappoint. We went to Ngorongoro on our final day and it was also amazing. You'll see a lot of the same animals, plus Rhino if you are lucky. However, you'll be able to get much closer to the animals in the crater as opposed to Serengeti. That was the real plus to me! Also, we would definitely camp again. All of the campsites have nice facilities and the experience of sleeping outside under the stars in the Serengeti is something you don't want to miss.
Now to the add-ons that we did. The hot air balloon was well worth the extra cost! Our pilot was super friendly and knowledgeable. Seeing the sunrise from the balloon really offered a different experience that you can't get from the ground. We didn't see a ton of wildlife, but the view of the sunrise was what made it worth it. You'll also get a champagne toast and excellent breakfast after landing.
We also did the Masai Village visit. I didn't find this overly impressive, probably because I had spent 2 months living in an African village in Ghana prior to the trip. The whole ordeal just felt too touristy for me, as it should I suppose. For people who have not been to Africa or have not experience life in an African village then I'm sure you would enjoy it.
We finished off our tour of Tanzania with 5 nights in Zanzibar. Let me preface this by saying we are not huge beach fans. Not sure why we thought it was a good idea to spend 5 nights there! Amaan Bungelows are very nice for the price. The beach is nice, but be prepared to fight off the throngs of people trying to sell you stuff. They will follow you every where on the beach and even yell at you while you are enjoying your meal from the nice covered patio at Amaan. I am usually pretty good at ignoring these people, politely telling them I am not interested and moving on. However, they probably annoyed me more here than they have anywhere else I have traveled. There are a lot of nice activities to do while you are in Zanzibar though, like diving, snorkeling, spice tours, etc. We did not take advantage of any of the activities as we were towards the end of our African travels and were on a tight budget so I can't speak to the quality of them. It also rained every day while we were in Zanzibar. It was never a complete washout, but still it rained a lot. You may want to watch the season that you are going. I probably wouldn't go in rainy season. As far as It Started in Africa is concerned though, we had a pleasant experience with our driver who transported us between the airport in Zanzibar and Amaan Bungelows.
I hope this helps folks who are looking to travel to Tanzania. I would love to go back one day and will definitely look to It Started in Africa when I do. Overall, it was an amazing experience that everyone should do at some point in their lives. Welcome to adventure!