20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing experience
Did the 4 day safari and visited 3 different parks. The safari itself was amazing, the animals were fantastic, and the guide would drive us around where other safari cars werent so that we were really isolated and it felt like a personalised safari. Slept in tents which wasn't too appealing and was quite expensive for what it was.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The perfect Safari
We had a great Safari with Lilac Adventure. The vehicle was good, the driver / guide was incredible ! I recommend lilac for your Safari without any doubts.
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20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect Safari Experience
I won't be able to write a review that speaks strongly enough about what a great safari experience we had with Makasa and our guide, Humphrey.
The great experience started with some last minute planning on my end - I hadn't committed to a set plan until about 1-2 weeks before we would be in Moshi, but Selma was understanding the entire way and helped me plan out a complex itinerary that involved meeting my sister in her study abroad location (a small village named Rhotia), a week-long safari, and driving my girlfriend separately back to JRO to catch a flight back to the States for an internship that had to cut her experience short. Even during the safari, Selma was flexible and responsive - could completely count on and trust her and Ngomi to ensure we had a great experience.
Our itinerary consisted of trip from Moshi to Rhotia, a day in Ngorongoro, 3 days in Serengeti, and then a drive back to Karatu/Rhotia and an excursion to Lake Manyara before being dropped off in Mto Wa Mbu to meet some other friends of my sister for the remainder of our trip. Humphrey was our guide and I cannot speak more highly of the experience we had with him. My sister is a zoology major who studied in Tanzania for four months under the guidance of well-renowned zoologists that led her on multiple game drives and she couldn't stop saying how impressed she was with Humphrey. He was the perfect combination of encyclopedic knowledge (impressive to my sister), a great personality (friendliest guy), and an extremely competent guide/driver/guardian over our 7 days. Not only was he easy to get along with, he was simply phenomenal at his job, spotting everything we wanted to see (Big 5, Ugly 5, tree-climbing lions, cheetahs eating their caught prey, multiple leopards,etc. and a ton of these viewed all alone without lines of safari trucks beside us), consistently navigating his way around like the professional he is (particularly in Serengeti), and sharing his knowledge in an unassuming and unobtrusive way. Even more impressive was his respect for the parks and people - never speeding down the dirt roads, being wary of going off the road, respecting the animals, etc. Couldn't have lucked out more with having Humphrey as our guide.
Obviously cliche, but it really was a "trip of a lifetime" - the care and attention provided, the wonderful lodges we stayed at (K-Lodge, Rhotia Valley Tented Lodge, Sopa Serengeti, Karatu Simba Lodge), the great food we had, and of course, the experience of being in a breathtaking setting with wildlife you only dream about seeing.
I can rave about our experience with Makasa and Humphrey to no end, but suffice it to say - this is money well spent and an operator well-picked. If you want flexibility, reasonable pricing, extremely competent guides and owners, top-notch service, and the ability to give back to the country you're a tourist in (all lodges have some conservation/giving back to the community benefit), you cannot go wrong with Makasa Safaris.
SE
Review about Buffalo Springs National Reserve by Ellinor Johansson
I would highly recommend going to Buffalo Springs National Reserve! There were so many breathtaking moments during our long weekend there that it exceeded my expectations. Most notably, there were so many elephants in the park that at one point our car was in the middle of a very large herd (more than 100 elephants) walking past. It will be one of my best memories from all the national parks!
At another point, we came around a corner and saw a small family of elephants right next to the car. There were several baby elephants and one of them pretended to attack (it was playing, the mother remained calm - making noises, running towards the car with ears out). It was the cutest! We stayed with the family for some time and saw the baby elephants feeding, trying to throw dirt on themselves like the mothers etc.
The roads are not as good as in some other National Parks (ex Amboseli where you have proper flat roads) but I only appreciated that because it made it feel more natural. Even though we had a 4WD, there were some parts of the park where we could not drive and needed to turn back. In either case, I would recommend paying to go on a game drive. We did both (i.e. self-drive and game drive) and not only were we able to go to parts of the park that we could not go on our own, the experience was much better with a game drive as the driver was able to find spots and animals that we could not have found on our own.
Buffalo Springs actually does have a spring (not just a name) where you can go swimming. We brought towels from the hotel one evening and went for a swim - it was a nice experience and rather warm water. Even though I didn't try it, I would recommend going to the spring towards the evening since I assume that several game drives go past the spring during the day. When we were there we had it all for ourselves, could not even see a car around.
Several of the lodges are located along the river (recommended) which means that animals usually come very close to the lodge. Where we were staying, we could sit on our balcony and see several elephants walk past just a few meters away.
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Review about Amboseli National Park by Ellinor Johansson
Amboseli National Park offers a wide variety of scenic views and landscapes. Amboseli is close to Kilimanjaro and therefore especially offers nice views of the mountain, usually with animals in front. The roads are 'better' than in other parks, making it easier to drive on your own ('better' if you want to drive by your self, but worse if you want a genuine off-road experience, like in Buffalo Springs National Reserve).
When booking accommodation, make sure to do your research. We booked what a local travel agency said was a five star hotel (Serena) but it was far from! I would not recommend staying there unless three star with mainly an indian buffet is what you're seeking.
While at Amboseli, you should also go to the viewing point on top of a hill (ask at hotel where it is or if going on an arranged trip, the guide should know) for a 360 view of the park.
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Get close to the animals at Nairobi National Park
Nairobi National Park is a great place to go if you want to see Kenyan animals up close - the animals are rather used to cars and therefore come closer than they do in other parks while still being wild.
You can make the experience into exactly what you want to - if you just want an escape from Nairobi for a couple of hours or if you want to bring a picknick and stay there the whole day. As with all safaris, it is best to go in the early morning or late evening to increase your chances of seeing animals. When I went, I did however go in the middle of the day and still saw plenty of animals (even lioness with cubs).
The day started out sunny but soon rain clouds gathered creating a beautifully dramatic landscape. Even though Nairobi National Park is smaller than other parks in Kenya, you can still feel like you are far off from the city at times - in some parts of the park you can get beautiful pictures of animals with the city skyline as a backdrop and in other parts you feel like you are in the middle of no where.
If in Nairobi, I would definitely recommend going to the Nairobi National Park but you should also take the opportunity and go to some of the larger parks / game reserves in Kenya. My favorite so far is Buffalo Springs but I have still to many more to visit! Something to keep in mind is that KWS (Kenya Wildlife Service) parks are much more expensive than other parks, especially for a non-resident, which is something to keep in mind when planning a trip to Kenya. But it's worth going!
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20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A variety of wildlife in a beautiful environment
Murchison Falls National Park is a large, beautiful park in Uganda. I visited the park for my first safari and I had a wonderful experience. I saw a variety of wildlife, experienced the stunning landscape and relaxed at night at a wonderful lodge. I hired a guide to take me into the park and guide me through it which worked nicely. My favorite part of the experience was seeing the elephants. We were even chases off at one point by an elephant. The park staff are lovely, the falls at amazing, and it seemed like a very good place to experience the wonders of Ugandan wildlife.
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Pilanesberg Game Reserve by crafty1tutu (Ann Cameron)
It is a much smaller park than Kruger, so the animals are more confined and easier to spot, especially if your time there is limited.
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Addo Elephant National Park by crafty1tutu (Ann Cameron)
We only had about three hours there as part of a tour of the Eastern Cape, so not much time to see many animals. We did see two herds of elephants drinking at the dam which was an amazing sight to see.
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A magical holiday
We have been to South Africa a few times and on three occasions have spent time in Kruger National Park. On our last trip in 2014 we booked a cottage in Marloth Park for 10 days and spent each day in Kruger driving ourselves around. We saw many and varied animals and the thrill of the day was searching out new animals. We normally travel in the cooler months as it is more pleasant and comfortable being in the car and the animals are more active. We also find that the dry foliage also makes it easier to spot the animals. Although most of the eating areas have been taken over by commercial businesses, there is no trouble finding a place to eat (it had more atmosphere before when run by smaller businesses). A lot of people may feel safer travelling with a guide, but we have always enjoyed driving ourselves around without any problems. You just have to be aware that there are wild animals about and be alert and not get too close to them, so that they feel threatened. It is a magical trip - one that everyone should strive to do at least once in a lifetime.
