DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Safari experience with Imma
After our two-day trip to Mikumi National Park I highly recommend it to anyone interested in a short Safari. It is worth every penny.
The whole Safari was well planned by Mansoor and our guide Imma. Thanks to Imma's responsible driving style the 6-hour ride was relaxed and safe. Meals and accommodation were excellent.
During our Game Drives - one in the afternoon and two more on the next day - we got to see a great variety of species. Our experienced guide Imma would spot them even from great distances and share his knowledge with us. There was always enough time to observe the animals' behaviour and to take pictures.
I made some unforgettable memories and would do the trip again any time.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Booked a group camping 5 day safari, and all expectations were exceeded!
Pre-booking experience: They responded to all emails in a day and would answer all personal questions with specific information - not just copy & paste answers that they send to all people.
Airport pickup/drop off: They picked us up from the Arusha airport and dropped us off at the Kilimanjaro airport - all included in the price! The cars were clean and the drivers were friendly.
Hotel before/after the safari: They booked us a room in the Ambassador Hotel for the night before the safari and a night after the safari - all included in the price. The Ambassador Hotel was clean and comfortable enough.
Safari Car: The pop-up roof car was the perfect safari experience! You could tell that our car was a bit used (some broken arm rests and one window that was jammed and couldn't open), but after being in it for 5 days and seeing the road conditions in the parks, I'm not surprised that it had a few little problems.
Staff: Our tour guide+driver (Hozza) and cook (Kelvin) were phenomenal and truly made the safari top-notch! The guide could talk for hours and hours about any and every animal and plant. He was really experienced, professional, funny, and kind. He would explain facts and habits of different animals when we would see them on the safari and then he would go really in-depth on one specific animal every night at dinner. He was also an aggressive driver when he needed to be - making sure other cars didn't block our view for certain popular animals.
Food: For a budget camping safari, the food (quality and quantity) far exceeded expectations! We had a cook who traveled with us every day and would make 3 meals. You will NOT go hungry!! Breakfast always included fresh fruit, omelettes, pancakes, toast, juice, and coffee/tea. Lunch was boxed (you would eat it at the national parks) and included a sandwich, chicken, banana, crackers, chocolate, and juice. Dinner was also a huge spread, and varied every night - homemade soup, fresh salad, pasta/rice, meat...
Drinks: We had unlimited water bottles in a cooler in the car (cool water!) and juice at every meal. We also were served wine and gin and tonics every evening at dinner. The alcohol was included!
Lodges/Campsites: We booked a camping safari, but we ended up staying in a basic lodge for two nights and camping in tents two nights. The basic lodge was a pleasant surprise - hot water private showers, a real bed, and wifi. The tour company provided all of the camping supplies - large tents (each couple/individual got their own tent), sleeping bags, and pillows. We set up our own tents with the help of the guide and cook. We never slept very well while camping because you would hear animals outside of the tents, but totally worth it for the experience! We saw a hyena, warthog, and buffalo at one campsite and an elephant from the other! The campsites have flush toilets and cold water showers.
Safari Itself: The itinerary was different every day, but generally we woke up early and would stay in the park for 6-8 hours a day. Driving between parks takes a long time, but the car is comfortable. The guide is always radioing the guides from the other cars to find out the locations of different animals, but you can expect to see EVERYTHING! We saw so many lions (and lion cubs), cheetahs (and cheetah cubs), leopards (and leopard cubs), as well as elephants, giraffes, zebras, antelope, warthogs, hyenas... PHENOMENAL EXPERIENCE!!
Thoughts on a 5 day safari: By the end of the five days, we were definitely safari'd out. I would recommend to my friends to only do 4 days (Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Manyara/Tarangire) - no need to do both Manyara and Tarangire. The scenery is different in each park, but you get to the point of being tired of sitting in the car for the full day.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Extraordinary 13 Day Luxury Safari
We have just returned home from our 13-day luxury Safari adventure that included Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti, and Selous. We are both having a little trouble adjusting to all the loud noises, crowds of people, and that lost connection to the presence of wildlife about us. In short, we had a life changing experience that neither photos nor mere words can convey. However, we can tell you what made the experience and adventure possible was all the careful planning and attention to detail that Galloping Safaris provided. We cannot praise Walter Tenga enough for all that he did for us. As promised, Walter was waiting to personally pick us up when our 5am flight arrived and took us to enjoy a wonderful breakfast. Afterwards he reviewed our itinerary with us making sure that all our needs were met.
We booked this trip eight months in advance for my 50th birthday and our anniversary. As I was somewhat nervous, I sent many emails to Walter, with questions, to which he always promptly and patiently replied with explanations and assurances. Four weeks after booking our air travel with Turkish Air and placing a down payment with Galloping Safaris, we were notified that our outbound flight had been cancelled and that we would have to book a different flight. Through emails exchanged with Walter he offered us alternate solutions so that the rebooking could still be managed within the budget of our Safari. Then in March, after paying for the balance of our trip, we read that Azure Selous, one of the camps on our itinerary had closed because of forest clearing in preparation of construction of a dam. After I frantically sent off an email to Walter, we learned that he had already been finalizing a rebooking at another equally amazing camp. I think in the process of trading emails, Walter came to understand my preferences, and made one last upgrade substituting the &Beyond Ngorongoro Crater lodge for the previous Highlands Camp. That change thrilled me beyond words and our stay there was amazing but more so, Walter had apparently arranged a surprise celebration for our anniversary and my birthday as the staff from &Beyond not only set us a special dinner table but also performed a traditional dance and song for us complete with rose petals thrown over us.
And then, there was our amazing guide - Lawrence. We liked him from the moment we met him. His laugh is infectious, his knowledge of the flora and fauna in-depth, and only surpassed by his keen eyesight at spotting animals. We spent many a happy day on game drives with Lawrence and he somehow always managed to locate various animals and position us for not only wonderful photo shoots but also to enjoy intimate moments with the animals where we could observe their special behavior. Like Walter, we cannot praise Lawrence enough. He was the most gracious guide, and wonderful person, always making us feel very special, and sharing insights into the Tanzanian people. It was tough saying goodbye to him when we flew off to Selous.
We had told Walter that we were looking for memorable experience. With Walter’s planning, Lawrence as a guide, and all the wonderful, friendly, and accommodating staff at all the camps and lodges we stayed, we felt very special and genuinely welcome, and had a trip that was every bit as we had hoped for and even beyond.
There are literally hundreds of tour operators offering all types of packages, consider yourself fortunate if you have discovered Galloping Safaris; book with them if you are looking for your trip of a lifetime.
Please feel free to reach out to us with any questions.
AE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent, super, the best you can get.
We highly recommend Big Time Safaris Ltd and thanks a million to Martha Mutanu for making excellent arrangements from the time we landed in Kenya and left. A big thank to great Gibson our driver for Masai Mara Trip, he took good care of us (my family) as a big brother and made our Kenyan holidays one of the best. Cheers to BTS team and keep up the good work. We sure recommended your excellent services to our friends.....Cheers
KW
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Tour & Amazing Company
Our trip to Maasai Mara exceeded our expectations. Throughout the booking process Ms. Joyce Njeri (Operations Manager) was extremely patient, informative & understanding. She answered all my questions patiently through emails (lots of emails). The communication was too good that Ms. Joyce replied to every email with details very promptly.
Our driver/ tour guide Ms. Joseph Mayungu was amazing. He knew the park very well, he knew all the animals, and he explained to us everything very well. We were not fortunate enough to spot the Big 5, but we have seen the Big 4 & several other animals & birds.
Matira Main camp was awesome. We are very much impressed with all of the lodging.
Joyce & Joseph, once again, Thanks for everything.
AT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic tour guide, individually customized to our needs and budget for a family of 5
For the first time we had 4 day a safari for our family of 5
Wilson, the owner and main guide, is an extremely experienced Safari guide,
He organized for us to complete and very individual tour program.
We have had our own choice of a accommodation, and Wilson managed to book it directly for us at Better conditions.
During driving Wilson was always able to provide us additional information about country and wildlife, cultures and habits. So we were amazed that there is much more than spotting the big five, A lot of smaller details were caught by his sharp eyes.
What was most important to us, we felt always very safe and comfortable, The tour was timely very well organized, same moment it left enough space to wait patiently in the wilderness spotting animals. No hassle, no stress, pure relax and adventure.
Frankly were two other visitors. We chose N’goron’goro crater beside the Serengeti, However we settled down in the crate or more like Disney park visitors, cruising around in circles with at least 150 other vehicles. Finally be regret, that we did not pick any other national park instead, which are worth to see around Arusha.
Very nice that we rested next to the crater national park entrance up in the hills within coffee plants in a farm house, T.E.C. coffee farm rest house, Oldeani. But be sure you have a 4WD with you.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The Best Wonderful Safari Experience
Trip was amazing. Everything went as advertised, pick-ups from Nairobi and hotels were on time, hotel was fantastic, and service was excellent. Game viewing was also amazing thanks to Paul, who knew all the trails from the back of his hand. Newton from the office was wonderful as well, quick to respond and gave us detailed explanations for all we enquired about.
Overall, fantastic experience and will definitely be using Bateleur Eagle Safaris for future bookings.
CA
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic Outcome
We began on African Adventure with a safari in three national parks in Tanzania. Chris and Safari Partners had booked us at three Asilia Africa camps, Little Oliver's, Highlands Ngorongoro and Dunia. All were outstanding in every respect--accommodations, food, staff, and game drives. We then went on to Victoria Falls and Cape town. All travel arrangements were booked through Chris. No disappointments anywhere. The local operators that Chris chose ensured that everything went like clockwork. An entirely stress-free holiday. Leading up to the holiday, I had many questions. Chris was extremely responsive and knowledgeable, often responding within minutes of my e mails. In the end, the outcome is all that matters. I am an experienced traveller. The outcome was an adventure that was the travel highlight of my life. Thank you Chris. I will be sending other people your way!
QA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
An Amazing Trip
It was one of the best experiences we have ever had!
Right from our initial query to the very end of our trip, the operators ensured our Safari experience was top notch.
We took a Private Masai Mara Safari Tour and Our guide was Mr.Zakri, who made sure we had the best experience possible.
He was fantastic and a great professional willing to share his knowledge with us.
He always kept the vehicle in the best position for us to get the right viewing angle and pictures, he was truly an awesome guide.
Overall it was one of the best Wild life Safaris we ever did.
I’d totally recommend "Kenya Walking Survivors Safaris Ltd. to anyone who wishes to do a memorable Safari :)
And here you can see our Masai Mara Safari Video:
https://youtu.be/B8i4U898C1o
IE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
In a word fantastic
Myself and 5 other's took a 10 day Safari with Best memory Safaris. I and my friends had been on many Safaris before, but could not get over the price provided and the camps which where excellent. In a heart beat I would recommend Isaac the company owner, and Mike the tour guide.
We saw all there was to see and much more. Not to choose best memory Safaris would be a big mistake.