35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Brilliant Safari Experience
I have just returned from a brilliant two week safari through the Etosha National Park in Namibia and the beautiful South Luangwa NP in Zambia. As a solo traveller it can be a little nerve wracking arriving at a foreign airport not knowing if a person will be on time to meet you, however Robert organised the whole trip like clock work and I never had any problems with flights, hotel or safari bookings. Robert was extremely personable to deal with, and the two safaris I enjoyed were excellent, with much wildlife to be seen. I would definitely be happy to use Wild Africa Travel Company when I next visit that wonderful continent.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Safari!!
We had an amazing time during our 4 day 3 night safari. We got a chance to see just about everything from cheetahs, rhinos, elephants, and even got to see a lion take down a zebra about 10 meters from the truck! We went to Tarangire National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, and Serengeti National Park. We were able to stay at the Ngorongoro Farm House and Tanganyika Wilderness Camp. Both places had great food and the service was very good as well. At the Ngorongoro Farm House we stayed in a cottage that grew coffee on the property and had a great view of the mountains in the distance. We stayed 2 nights at Tanganyika Wilderness Camp and had a great time while there. Each tent has it's own shower and toilet along with a sink. We are not fans of camping but the Tanganyika Wilderness Camp was great, we would camp every weekend if it was like that.
Our driver, Peter, did an amazing job of driving and spotting all the animals. He did an excellent job with ensuring we got every opportunity to see the animals and made sure we were able to get all the pictures we wanted. We arranged for Tanzania Expeditions to pick us up and drop us off at the airport as well. Justin, the owner, met us at our hotel and made sure we felt at home in Tanzania. He also met us before we departed Tanzania to make sure everything went well with the safari.
I have been lucky enough to travel the world and the safari we took with Tanzania Expeditions will be one of the greatest highlights of our travels. Everything from the accommodations, the animals, and our driver, Peter, with his knowledge and experience made for an outstanding trip we will never forget. If you are looking to take a safari in Tanzania make sure you book it with Tanzania Expeditions.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very helpful coordinating. Some contacts I arranged myself, but found phone conversations great.
Everything went smoothly and all companies were great
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
The most underrated park in South Africa - an all round experience of a game park at it's best
I visited Addo twice - the second time was even more enjoyable than the first. There is an abundance of wildlife, especially large herds of elephants. Twice we encountered three different groups - more then 20 per group - in the same area. What a sight! The roads are excellent, even for the smallest cars. The accommodation facilities are well looked after and very clean and cater for a large variety of liking. There is a restaurant for them that don't want to do self-catering. We couldn't wait to get up early morning to do a game drive and came in last every evening. Addo Elephant National Park is a photographers dream because you are so close to the wildlife.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about South Africa by Leonoos
Sanparks manage a large number of game park in different areas, each with a unique appeal and different options, but all very well looked after and affordable. Then there are many private game reserves - more expensive but catering for every need of thos who want to travel in luxury.
CA
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
African Big Five Safaris - a superlative Ugandan tour company!
This was my second African safari, and I wanted to use a local tour company rather than a global one that subcontracted to local ones. My rationale was that this would cut costs without compromising quality and give our money directly to the African country. The four of us (2 couples) had selected Uganda as a place to see chimps and gorillas, in addition to all the other better-known African wildlife (elephants being my personal favourite). We found African Big Five (ABF) Safari company by searching internet, then emailing their office in Kampala. The prompt and amazingly detailed service we got from Geoffrey, one of the company owners, convinced us we were on the right track. Working with Geoffrey, we designed an extensive 24-day tour with a moderate budget (more comfort than camping, but not luxury), a dedicated driver/guide and pop-up-top vehicle. We wanted a trip that included visiting villages to meet various tribal groups such as the Karamojong, Acholi and Batwa, and learn about their culture (history, economy, dancing, food, crafts) and the itinerary kept changing in the nine months of planning. We also wanted to visit several schools for disadvantaged children (orphans, HIV+, or just very poor) to learn about their efforts and how we might be able to help. Three of us are retired "educators" and firmly believe that education is the key to improving conditions in developing countries. I can now say, after just returning home, that the ABF Safari company is A+, 5/5! Our driver Musa was excellent, combining professionalism and promptness with a relaxed attitude, funny stories and extensive knowledge, especially of birds -- his personal passion. In addition, he is just a very nice kind person. Thank you, Musa! Our trip encompassed travelling far north from Kampala to Kidepo National Park at the top of Uganda (a wonderful wilderness with few tourists), then down the west border through a series of national parks: Murchison's Falls, Kibale Forest (chimp trekking), Q.Elizabeth, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest (gorilla trekking....a feat since 2 of us are over 70!), Lake Bonyonyi and Lake M'Buro. Each park had a different terrain and wildlife -- one of the incredible things about Uganda is its vast DIVERSITY of geography and fauna/flora, from grassland savannah plains to mountainous dense jungle. We saw many elephants, giraffes, buffalo, lions, antelope, hippos. In fact, since we visited the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, we did succeed in seeing the famous "big five" of rhino, buffalo, elephant, lion and leopard. We had some very close adrenaline-producing encounters with lions and elephants! And we watched our closest relatives, gorillas and chimps, from a few feet away. I encourage everyone to trek not only the gorillas, but also the chimps, whose behaviour is much more interesting and raucous than the generally peaceful gorilla. Although, we were entertained by a 2 year old gorilla who twice grabbed our hand and tried to take us back to his family! The accommodations, a mixture of lodges, cabins and tents organized by Geoffrey, were all very good to excellent with attentive staff. We especially appreciated that most lodges (forewarned by Geoffrey that we were vegetarians) prepared imaginative food beyond the usual veggie curry. In summary, our Uganda tour with ABF Safari company SURPASSED all our expectations! We got incredible personalized service from the office, a fantastic guide, comfortable accommodations with scenic views, and experienced the warm friendly people of Uganda as well as the natural beauty of the land and wildlife. Go to Uganda, and go with this company -- you will not be disappointed! And thanks again to Geoffrey, Maria and Musa for "unveiling" your country to us.
Jackie was responsive and helpful with logistics and arrangements - Richard was a fantastic guide!
We did a 5 day trip with Katona from Kampala to Bwindi for a gorilla trek, followed by a visit to Queen Elizabelth Park. Arranging everything with Jackie was easy and very smooth and our experience certainly lived up to and exceeded expectations. This was in large part due to our excellent guide Richard. He was extremely professional and attended to our needs and did the best he could to make our trip the best that he possibly could. He was also a very good driver and knowledgeable guide which facilitated our understanding and enjoyment of the trip. Highly recommended!
AT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
3 days selous safari
We did the 3 days selous safari. The organisation was perfect, from picking us up at the hotel until the end. Our guide and cook were pretty amazing -> very good knowledge on animals, culture, history... and perfect food from breakfast, lunch and dinner. Every $ spent for the tour was worth to do it. Well done guys :-)
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a lifetime in very good and capable hands
Me and my wife booked our Safari in Tanzania for two weeks planning to see as much wildlife as possible.
We looked at over 15 different operators but chose Gosheni for the following reasons:
1. Responsiveness: Peter was very quick to respond to our question
2. Flexibility: Peter tailored the tour to our wishes which is not trivial as some companies do not
3. Price: Gosheni was very affordable compared to other companies
4. Amenities: Unlimited drinks (including sodas), No mileage limit for game drives, Experienced drivers, and New vehicles
Peter picked us up from the airport and took us to our first lodge. He sat with us after and informed us that this year the migration is not happening due to excessive rain and suggested we change the Serengeti plan to stay only in the central region. Once we agreed he changed that with no price difference and it was seamless for us. This enabled us to see many more animals as the western corridor was empty at this time.
Thanks to our driver Zadock we were able to see all big 5 and much more, We saw Cheetahs hunt, lion pride hunting, leopards, Rhinos and many more animals. If you do not have an experienced driver that knows the park and the other drivers that may not be possible so we are very thankful for those qualities. Zadock also knows the bird species around for the bird lovers among us.
Last very nice surprise was on the last day , we were scheduled to leave in the evening and had a lunch box from the hotel. Peter arranged a hot lunch in a restaurant for us...This was a very nice surprise.
Overall I would highly recommend Gosheni for your tour , We have met plenty of other groups that missed the rhinos since their driver was not as experienced or did not see Cheetahs at all when we saw cheetahs at multiple occasions.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great time on safari
Our guide had great wildlife knowledge and very patient to explain to us about the animals! We saw all big 5 and more...we had a lot of fun during those few days! Thanks Matoke! Only downside being jeep was old and bumpy.