50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
5 days and 4 nights - fun and amazing
We were picked up from the Kilimanjaro airport and taken to our accomodation. Picked up next morning. And headed to Tangarine NP. Fantastic day, then back to Fig Resort, a lovely little accomodation spot. Great food and service. We had a fantastic time, saw lots of animals up close. Camped at Seronera campsite, and Simba campsite. Facilities are basic, but the experience is amazing. We heard lions roaring during the night, had zebras walking around our tents. Guides and cook were lots of fun. We laughed lots with them and had a ball. We saw so many animals up really close, could almost touch them. Lions, zebras, giraffes, hippos, gazelle, rhino, leopard, cheetah and lots more. We did have a few car problems, but were looked after by our guides and other tour companies coming past - so all was good. Road to the Serengeti was very correlated, and rough on all the vehicles. The drive to each park is fantastic, as you get to see the local country side, the masai people and how they live. A wonderful trip. Thank you.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Truly the trip of a lifetime!
When we started planning our trip to Africa for a group of 14, we contacted several agencies for quotes. Very quickly we decided to go with African Welcome Safaris. The choice was simple: the agency representative, Kathi Simon, was responsive, flexible, knowledgeable, and accommodating. In addition, the price was right. Not only did Kathi tailor our trip to our wishes, but she also made a number of excellent suggestions, which, as we realized later, turned our vacation into an unforgettable experience.
We started our tour with a four and half day stay in Cape Town. This included a city tour, Table Mountain (not to be missed!), Winelands tour, hiking on Lion’s Head (highly recommended but be prepared to do some strenuous climbing), and just leisurely walking around this interesting city. Kathi suggested that we stay at Lawhill Luxury Apartments, which turned out to be superb accommodations. The apartments were luxurious indeed. They were also less expensive and more convenient than comparable hotels.
The next leg of the tour was a safari at Kruger National Park. Our enjoyment of this portion of the trip is beyond words. Our rangers, Terry and Kyle, made everything possible so that we could relish every minute of the safari. We parked a few feet away from a herd of lions that did not pay the slightest attention to us and saw a leopard leisurely walk a few feet away from our Jeep. We would just tell the rangers what we wanted to see, say, zebras, elephants, and giraffes, and they managed to find all of those animals for us. We stayed at the Selati Camp of the Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve, which was also Kathi’s suggestion. The camp was a unique experience in itself. The “bungalows” were rustic enough to create a safari mood, but very comfortable and spacious, with twice-a-day room service to make you feel great. The camp had eight bungalows so that it was all ours. Most importantly, the camp staff was friendly and courteous. They went above and beyond to make our experience enjoyable.
Before moving to our next safari at Chobe National Park, Kathi suggested that we visit the spectacular Victoria Falls. We spent two unforgettable days there. Not only did we enjoy viewing the Victoria Falls from both the Zambia and Zimbabwe sites, but we also swam in the Devil’s Pool on Livingston Iceland, rode elephants and had a dinner cruise on the Zambezi River. These two days were a very nice change of scenery. Thereafter we moved to the Chobe Game Lodge, which is undoubtedly the best safari location at Chobe. The Safari experience at Chobe was different but no less enjoyable than the one at Kruger. The abundance of animals at Chobe is unbelievable. We could observe them not only from the Jeeps but also from boats on the Chobe River.
I cannot say enough to praise Kathi Simon who flawlessly organized and executed the trip that covered a vast territory of four countries: South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Botswana. Due to Kathi’s expertise and attention to details, we had a seamless transition from place to place.
We thoroughly enjoyed each and every day we spent in Africa. Together these days added up to an extraordinary vacation that we will never forget.
US
Lots of animals in a small space
Ngorongoro was the start of my safari vacation, and I'm glad it was at the start. Pretty much all the animals you're looking for are there, and you can see them in less than a full day.
However, it felt really over-crowded to me in an almost sickening way. There was one point where a female lion was sitting by the side of the road, and literally 30 safari cars pulled beside her to look. Because of all the cars, she lost track of her cubs and was crying out for them over and over. It was hot, the middle of the day, and she was scared. I was very sad.
NG
Review about Serengeti National Park by Amaka
I had read that November was not the best time to visit most parks in Tanzania but was pleasantly surprised. I saw pretty much every animal i had been told I could see at this park in reasonable numbers. The weather was dry and sunny with a cool breeze during drives. The guide was amazing, the staff at the company Sandland Tours were an example in superuior customer service even in the most basic conditions and I wished I could be on safari forever.
NG
Review about Ngorongoro Crater by Amaka
I had read that November was not the best time to visit most parks in Tanzania but was pleasantly surprised. I saw pretty much every animal i had been told I could see at this park in reasonable numbers. The weather was dry and sunny with a cool breeze during drives. The guide was amazing, the staff at the company Sandland Tours were an example in superuior customer service even in the most basic conditions and I wished I could be on safari forever.
NG
Amazing... everyone should visit this place.
I had read that November was not the best time to visit most parks in Tanzania but was pleasantly surprised. I saw pretty much every animal i had been told I could see at this park in reasonable numbers. The weather was dry and sunny with a cool breeze during drives. The guide was amazing, the staff at the company Sandland Tours were an example in superuior customer service even in the most basic conditions and I wished I could be on safari forever.
NG
Review about Tanzania by Amaka
I had read that November was not the best time to visit most parks in Tanzania but was pleasantly surprised. I saw pretty much every animal i had been told I could see at this park in reasonable numbers. The weather was dry and sunny with a cool breeze during drives. The guide was amazing, the staff at the company Sandland Tours were an example in superuior customer service even in the most basic conditions and I wished I could be on safari forever.
BE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
5day/6night perfectly arranged safari + accommodation for 4 persons.
Great communication from start!
Great driver who picked us up, always in time. Good spirits and good English!
We saw the big 5 and had a safe and pleasant journey with Freddy!
BR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Our experience at South Africa with "Travel for Life"
My husband and I returned to Brazil in love with South Africa.
We owe the success of this trip to Travel for Life, and especially the esteemed Alexandra, who, in addition to speaking in Portuguese, she and her team made great reservations (hotels , car, etc), gave us great tips for the trip (tours, clothes, etc), helped us with internal flights and request for special food in the hotels, and had enough patience and availability with the thousand questions we asked, via email and whatsapp, During all the planning of the trip.
IL
Great experience, very dedicated stuff, we will never forget this adventure
Shabani was very nice and helpful all along, even before we came to Tanzania, and gave us very good advice about other things in our trip that didnt have to do with the Safari.
Abdul the guide was funny, interesting and has a lot of knowledge. He is the reason the experience was so good.
Everything was planned to the last detail, if there were problems it was mainly because of the infrastracture in the locations - for example the long time waiting before the entrance to the parks, but it has nothing to do with African travel tours