FR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A 2 day AWESOME experience!
It was a real surprise to find Kruger Flexi Tours, Dave and his staff are always there to advice you and make your stay unique!
We made a 2 days trip at the Kruger with Dave. We saw 4 out of the big 5 but the most amazing was the wild dogs!!! A hunt of this animals to the impalas and zebras!! Dave is an excellent guide! You learn a lot about the park with him! And the diner he prepares is delicious! The last day we also went to the Blyde Canyon and it was also a great experience!!!
Biwakwango is certainly one of the best trip advisors for Africa : Adventure, nature, authenticity
When we decided to follow Thierry, the founder of Biwakwango we didn't imagine a second it would be so wonderful and exciting. 3 times, we used the services of Thierry :
The first trip was in South Africa in the Kruger Park and some private reserves around the Kruger (splendid),
The second was a trip in boat on the Zambèze (incredible adventure we recommend to everybody) with a special new year's eve at Hwange.
The third were in Bostwana were we finally see the wild dogs (fantastic). Each time, Thierry accompanied us excepted the last.
If you want a special trip with adventure and authenticity, choose without any doubt Biwakwango.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Incredible Safari Experience
Visiting Tanzania is a must in a lifetime and I would highly recommend everyone to see the beauty this country has. The Sopa lodge overlooking the crater is such a magical experience. Thank you Safarihub for organising a flawless trip into the depths of Africa!
We had a brilliant holiday... Thanks for your efforts on our behalf.
I wanted to write and let you know that the trip was a great success.
Your suggestion of Lake Manze was really excellent. We both absolutely loved it and felt that the open nature of the camp really suited the experience. We were hugely comfortable throughout and felt the four days was good value for money. We loved being some close to everything and being totally immersed in the safari experience. I think, if money were no object we could have stayed there for the whole two weeks.
Over on Zanzibar then, again, Sunshine, was a really great choice. We didn’t quite work out that the half board nature of it meant that our evening meal was included! On the first night we headed off to a local restaurant. It was only a small matter as the second night we dined in and I was very delighted when the mega valentines seafood buffet bill arrived at about a tenner each which incuded our wine and drinks etc… It’s a lovely hotel and the local feel was excellent as well. Snorkelling was brill as well.
Nungwi was good fun too. Zanzibar as a whole does have a certain sadness to it I feel. It’s a beautiful place but you really feel that life is hard for many people there…as with Africa as a whole really. The local towns are in quite bad shape and it’s funny to see so many tourists not even keen to leave their hotels at all. The local seafood is definitely a highlight and we ate so well for the fortnight.
We had a brilliant holiday and are both now keen on saving up for our next safari in about ten years time!! Or maybe sooner if some big plays come good.
Thanks for all your efforts on our behalf.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Six Weeks In Heaven
I had dreamed of Africa since I was a child. It took me till my 50's to finally make the dream come true. I contacted Ntaba Tours. I started by arriving two days before the tour began. I participated in a charity project. Then spent 9 days in a small tour group of only four of us. All accommodations were wonderful. We were accompanied on all flights, game drives, and activities by Robin Mountain (owner/operator). The safari lodges were all so personal, with excellent staff. The meals were all first rate. You can never guarantee game sightings on game drives, but we were never disappointed. We had first rate guides and trackers. No comfort was lacking. I noticed that at every lodge you were assigned a guide who was there from sun up to after dark, and we were not just ma'am or sir, we were addressed by our name. Ntaba Tours had an excellent working relationship with every lodge we visited. It was just beyond reproach.
At the end of the 9 day tour, the rest of our group headed to the airport and for home, and I headed out for some solo travel. Ntaba Tours had arranged 5 separate locations for me to stay in, most in remote areas of Botswana. I was in the Chobe area, Okavango Delta, Makgadikgadi Pans, and Johannesburg/Pretoria. Many small planes, transfers, camps, and experiences were all perfectly planned and executed. I NEVER had to worry, never felt unsafe, and all my needs were met and exceeded! Stella Mountain (owner/operator) had given me a detailed itinerary all neatly bound in a small compact book form so I knew what was next. And every place I went, I was treated as if I was long lost family. Again, every accommodation, camp, lodge, airlines, staff, etc... were the best. I was having the time of my life.
The last 2 weeks I flew into Namibia and met back up the Robin and two other ladies, whom I had talked to on line prior to the trip. The plan was to spend the two weeks driving Namibia with Robin and Jamie Bundy (West coast Ntaba agency director) as they did site inspections of lodges for future tours. I can say we had an absolutely fabulous time! It was a new place almost every night, but we saw so much of the country. We ended up driving almost 5000 km. This portion not being a formal 'tour' made it so relaxed. In the end I had 40 days of flooding...of my senses! It was life changing! Ntaba Tours did it all! I didn't have a single minute that I ever had to wonder was this done, or that taken care of. It was done with unbelievable attention to detail! I have to give a big thank you to Stella for that. And when I say my trip was life changing, it is so true. Africa got into my blood, under my skin, and into my heart. I have the most indescribable yearning to return, as if being drawn slowly back to a place where I found myself for the first time in my life. I will be returning in Sept. of 2014 and will be doubling my time to 12 weeks in order to see and do more. And I will trust no one but Ntaba Tours, Robin and Stella Mountain to make my plans for me. I know I am in the best of care.
CA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Trip to Tanzania with EASTCO
Hello everyone. We just got back from our trip to East Africa and visiting Tanzania. We are both hoping to go back again some time at a different time of the year and experience another aspect of the wildlife.
We arrived in Arusha at around 11pm on March 1st and were greeted with a smiling James from EASTCO. We were not really expecting to be greeted at the airport since our Safari was going to start on March 3rd but Simon sent James over any way (which was a relief for us).
Day 1
We had booked this day to stay in Arusha, rest a bit and get ready for our 7 day adventure in the country but once again James came out, took us to Simon's place for a cup of coffee and we also got the chance to give him the balance for our trip. Afterwards he took us to Shanga for lunch and buying Tanzanite which we had asked for. He also promised to help us with getting a sim card on Monday.
Day 2
We were picked up in the morning, our sim card/cell phone matter was taken care of, packed lunched were picked up and we headed for Tarangire. It proced to be a beautiful park and we saw 3 of the big 5 on our first day of Safari! We saw a big herd of about 200 elephants migrating locally through the park. We saw a pride of lion with tiny cubs and we saw a beautiful leopard in a tree. We also saw giraffes, waterbucks, impalas, Zebra and ostriches which was nice. While driving to get to the leopard, James made a turn somehwere suddenly and to our surprise we had stopped a couple of meters from 4 male lions just hanging out under a tree! I'm not sure how he spotted them but I'm sure glad he did. They were gorgeous. at around 4:30, we started heading back to our camp for the night. We stayed at Naitolia and were the only guests so we were well taken care of and found the outdooor bush shower and toilet quite interesting.
Day 3
We had an early morning walking safari in Naitolia with a Masai guide. We spotted zebras from a distance but were really interested in seeing giraffes so our guide started tracking and leading us to where the Giraffe families were. They were terrified at first but after about 1 hour and slowly moving towards them, we ended up getting very close to them and it was thrilling to be walking so close to these magnificant creatures.
We called James to meet us along the trail back as we were too tired to walk back! We had walked for about 4 hours in the sun and didn't want to go back on foot. The camp staff awaited us with water ready for showers which was great as we were terribly sweaty and after lunch, we headed towards the great Ngorongoro.
We arrived in the conservation area and saw the baboons hanging by the entrance and then entered the park. We stopped at the viewing point to admire the beauty of the crater from up above and managed to spot elephants, buffalo and a rhino with our binoculars. It was great to go from the heat and dryness of Tarangire to the green and lush Ngorongoro. We arrived at Rhino Lodge to spend the night and saw a huge buffalo right next to our porch grazing at around 9! He didn't budge when we went out to the porch to look at him. Had a great dinner and went to bed early to wake up early in the morning for the crater drive.
Day 4
The crater offered us the rest of the big 5 and we managed to see 3 black rhinos (from a distance) and tons of buffalos. I never imagined that I could be surrounded by so many animals and so much beauty. It was just amazing. We saw two pairs of lions (Male and female) and about 30 cars watching them. James mentioned that they are going to be mating and all the cars stuck around. After about 40 minutes one of the pairs got up and left for the bushes and went out of sight. The second pair followed them shortly after and we ended up not seeing the lions mating! We did however, see some of the playful moves of the females trying to get the males to mate which was good enough for us.
We left the crater around noon to go towards Ndutu and southern Ngorongoro. Had our packed lunched with the Kites flying above us and trying to steal the food. It was quite interesting as I hadn't thought of Kites as the stealing type! They would literally come close to scratching people to get their food so we just got back in the car and had our lunch in there.
We stopped on the way for a visit at the Masai village and found it interesting to learn about how they live.
Driving south, we saw tons of Gazelle, giraffes, and Zebras and the local cattle and goats grazing along with them. Some wildebeest here and there as well so it was an interesting mix of animals. We got to our mobile camp in the middle of the wilderness eraly in the evening and had dinner and quick showers. We were also warned about the sound of the animals at night and not to move or make sounds if we hear an animal (elephant, lions, hyenas) coming close to the tents!
We did hear an elephant and a lion fighting in the distance but it was too far so didn't scare us much
Day 5
Our first game drive in serengeti was a great success. We saw lion cubs eating a zebra. We also saw the beautiful lake Ndutu and the giraffe, zebra and wildebeest on the plains. The highlights of the day however, was seeing the great migration! We saw what I can only guess was over 500 thousand wildebeest and their young calves all around us. It was amazing to be driving between this huge herd of animals. There were also tons an tons of zebras getting ready fo rtheir migration. I can't even describe the feeling we had watching these creatures and all the young feeding. We saw more lions and two cheetahs (a mom and an older cub) and back for the day. We also saw hyenas, jackals and vultues eating the remains of a baby wildebeest.
We had a great dinner and woke up at midnight at the sound of a lion and hyenas fighting! This time, a little too close for comfort but it was still awesome.
Day 6
Our second game drive was amazing as well. We saw two prides of lions and spent about 1 hour with one of the families as more and more of them kept coming out of the bushes and they started grooming each other and showing more affection for the cubs. It was a beautiful sight and I feel blessed to have witnessed this at such a close distance. The highlight of the day was seing a momma cheetah with 5 tiny cubs, little hairballs, eating and playing with a Thomson's Gazelle. Then the mother dragged the food to the shade of another tree since the first one was a little too much out in the open. The cubs started following her and it was just an amazing sight to see. heading back to the tent, we saw dik diks, two male lions hanging out in the marshes and making our day.
Day 7
We left for an early morning game drive, saw some more lions, giraffe, ... and headed towards Central Serengeti and the Western Corridor to see the Grumeti river and its Crocs. We saw 3 lions up in the trees in Central Serengeti and we also saw two leopards here. We went towards Grumetti and saw 4-5 big crocs in what was left of the river in this season and also saw lots of hippos. Our arrival in Speke bay was around 6 pm which gave us enough time to shower under running water for a change (it felt so good) and go for dinner. I loved the Speke Bay Lodge with its great view of the bay.
Day 8
We took the boat to the Fisherman's village close to the lodge, saw the people and how they lived there and saw the resident crocodile at Speke Bay lodge. Early afternoon we headed for Mwanza, had dinner and got on the ferry leaving for Bukoba where our Tanzania journey would end and Uganda would start.
Overall, we loved loved loved our time in Tanzania and would love to go there again, this time at a different time to see another aspect of the wildlife. EASTCO did a great job and there were no hiccups whatsoever on the trip. Our only complaint was that the car was a little too old but really, after being on so many game drives, I'm pretty sure that it doesn't matter what car you're in, it will still be pretty bumpy!
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent experience with no hassle made it very easy to book from the U.S. without worry!
Not only was this a honeymoon trip, but it was also our first trip to Africa so we wanted it to be perfect. We were recommended to East Africa Wild Adventures by a friend and we're so thankful we used them. They were incredibly helpful in setting up the trip and providing suggestions. They were also very knowledgeable and quick to answer questions and make us feel comfortable with the different travel options, which was really important to us since we'd never been to Africa and we were booking the trip from the U.S. They also customized our trip and were able to work with our interests to create a more personal and private experience. Once we arrived in Africa we were taken care of from the time the plane landed to the time we departed. Everything was already arranged so we didn't have to worry about anything which was perfect. We did a private 6 day hike up Mt. Kilimanjaro which is when we really knew that East Africa Wild Adventures uses the best tour guides and really made our trip special. Our guide was really interested in helping us and learning from us, and he spoke perfect English, not just the basics like most of the other guides which made the trip even better because we could joke and understand each other rather than having to translate everything or walk in silence. We met a lot of other tour guides who either didn't really speak English or didn't really want to be there so they weren't as friendly as our guide. Our guide was always smiling and I can honestly say that I would not have made it to the summit without him. After our hike we spent a few days on the beach relaxing at a beautiful all inclusive resort in Zanzibar, where East Africa Wild Adventures arranged for us to get a free honeymoon upgrade. Overall, we had a great experience and would highly recommend using East Africa Wild Adventures as they made everything so easy and we had such a wonderful time.
CA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Easy, Fun, Friendly and Well-Priced
East Africa Wild Adventures was a pleasure to work with, and truly took care of our every need. We would have had no idea where to start when booking this vacation ourselves, but the combination of a knowledgeable agent in Canada, and amazing operators and guides in Africa made this vacation a smooth and unforgettable one. From the moment that we arrived in Killiminjaro Airport, to the moment we departed in Arusha, we was taken care of by our guide (and whisked around Tanzania without problem or delay). The hotels we stayed in were great, and they were even able to get us some upgrades! Also, and perhaps most importantly,our guide found us EVERY species of wildlife that we hoped to see (the Big 5), including Rhinos and a Leopard dragging its prey up a tree.
The prices were very fair as well - and we DID shop around. I highly recommend Alym and his partners, and will definitely use them again when I go to Africa next.
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Crossing Serengeti
I have been travelling to Tanzania yearly for 12 years and have gone their on safari 4 times. By far the most enjoyable and authentic experience I have had has been with Naenda safaris. The owner, Jesee, volunteered with the charity I volunteer with in Tanzania, so it was natural for me to book with him. He and his team are genuinely caring and giving. The concept of social business on which he has founded his company is still new in the safari business.
He brings to his company a culture of giving and their support of vulnerable children and women made my experience with Naenda that much more enrichning.
This company is organized, professional, responsive and the staff are always pleasant and service oriented.
They can organize any type of safari you want according tailored to you. Just ask, they will go out of their way to make your time with them memorable.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very good organization+consideration of the customer'wishes.Great professionnalism and friendliness
Very good naturalistic knowledge, allowing us to observe numerous animals.
Transfer of his knowledge of the territory to permit us to have a better approach of the history and local culture. Very good listening of needs and wishes of the participants.
Very good management of the group. I wish to reserve other travels with this compagny.