CA
An Authentic Trip Through the African Bush
This trip was the highlight of my month of traveling through Africa. We were taken up the delta on traditional mokoro boats, and set up to camp in the middle of the wilderness. Our guides (members of the local village) took great care of us, and took us on multiple safari walks. these walks allowed us to see the animals up close and in their natural, undisturbed habitat. With such little alterations to the landscape, the Okavango Delta is truly a magical place. 100% would go back, and would definitely recommend it to a friend!
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Everything was perfect- we are so lucky we have found mister atik and his nature-loving employes.
The Guide was brilliant. We could really get an impression of the country's nature and how the nature lives.
The Lodges we stayed at were very cozy and clean. The food was delicious and even if i don't like meat that much, i am happy i have chosen a steak one evening. It was worth to repeat it actually!
We loved the early gamedrives and also coming to the lodge after the sunset.
The whole atmosphere during the safari was very relaxed and i was happy our guide was that spontanious.
If you really would like to go on a safari which is incresibly good- choose mister atik's company.
It is worth it!!! :)
Thank you, MEGA ADVENTURES!!!!!
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Chill vibes and lots of animals!
We did a 6-day safari in May 2024. The weather was great, warm during the day but not too chilly at night. We started in Maun and ended in Kasane, traveling through Moremi, Savuti and Chobe game parks, and included a Chobe River boat cruise - definitely do a boat cruise if you are interested in seeing birds and hippos and crocodiles up close. We saw so many animals including elephants, giraffes, hyena, wild dogs, hippos, lions, cheetah, leopards, jackals, zebras, baboons, vervet monkeys, warthogs, water buffalo, wildebeest, an ostrich (!!) and tons of different deer & antelope and birds. We used tour operator Tony's Mobile Safari out of Kasane and loved them. We camped in tents at night and got to listen to the mating calls of Impala. We loved the camaraderie of the different tour operators, who would share info on game sightings so each tour group got the chance to see the most animals and the jeeps would jockey around for best positioning when there was a group of lions enjoying a kill (for instance) so everyone got a good photo and viewing opportunity. Overall all the Botswana people we met were friendly and relaxed, which made for a great vacation.
We were 100% happy with choosing Botswana as a destination and would go back and do it all again.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing experience and Trip of a Lifetime
We used Tanzania expeditions for the climb up Kili and a 2 day safari and the trip was beyond our wildest imagination. There was four of us total and the guides and porters were just fantastic. Justin set us up with great guides up the mountain. Eric was great at taking care of us throughout the hike, enjoyed all the culture and singing that we brought to the table, and was one of the happiest people I have ever met. We sang, we laughed, the food was incredible. I was a little worried about that, and they blew it out of the water. Mr. Delicious, our cook, made it seem like we were in a 5 star restaurant at every meal. During the hike, you could tell that this group was different than the other companies. The porters seemed much more happy to be there, they weren't loaded down with weight, they sang songs of encouragement as we hiked every day, and each morning we sang songs to get the day started off right. With this company, you get in as much as you put in, saying that if you want to be a hiker, you can be a hiker, but if you want to experience as much culture and meet as many unique and amazing people, this company gives you that opportunity.
ES
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
The best place to see African wildlife by your own.
Kruger National Park is the best place for watching animals in a self-drive safari. You feel really in contact with the wildlife, very close to them literally. And there are a lot of animals, variety and density altogether. A paradise for a wildlife photographer, whether you are a pro or not. The scenery is awesome because you drive through all kinds of African landscape, beautiful ones, even if it is dry, wet, hot hot or chilly, at dawn or sunset. Accommodations in Kruger offer just what you need, you do not need anything else to enjoy the park. The fact of self-drive make this experience more adventurous, and the friendly other tourist you meet, instead of disturbing your solitude, help you to find animals in the bush. The food they offer is fine, but the possibility of cooking by yourself or braai makes it more enjoyable. I am spanish, I've been six times already in this park, and I spend all the time recommending this trip for holidays.
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Maasai mara Safari; We had a blast
Communication leading to our booking our safari with Swift Travel was spot on and so was everything else thereafter, a private safari jeep, a knowledgeable guide, a comfortable and well placed camp-the Karen Blixen camp and sharp price just to mention but a few.
The safari was good and we had a blast at the Maasai mara. Not only did we have a great group of people in our camp but also luck was on our side. On our first game drive we had already seen a leopard, a pride of lions, elephants and buffalos and only missed the rhino to complete the “Big five”. We did not spot any rhino on our next 5 game drives though but our guided had indicated that there are very few rhinos within the mara triangle, he has only spotted three over the last four years! We would have had greater chances if we stayed at one of the conservancies and notably at the Porini camps. Our next trip will definitely include that as well as Lake Nakuru or Ol Pejeta Conservacy.
Cannot fault this company as the service was better than average, keep it up guys!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The pearl of Africa lives us to expectations
Murchison national park & waterfall where an amazing experience. So beautiful and amazing to see all the animals and birds in their natural surroundings. Tour operators was first class & very knowledgeable about everything
Knowledgeable driver/guide helped make our safari memorable
We were picked up at Kilimanjaro Airport as planned, and taken directly to our Arusha Hotel with no delays. Our driver/guide, Isaac, was there on time to pick us up for the safari and delivered us back to the hotel at the end of the trip with lots of time to spare. So no timeliness issues.
Isaac was very knowledgeable about animals, birds, and vegetation. He was excellent – easygoing and friendly, and I’d recommend him to others. He was also a good driver – necessary given unpredictable traffic and terrible roads in the parks. He had been guiding for about 8 years and was very experienced and knew all the routes in the parks; in all our travels (about 1700 km) he never referred to a map. The competence and personality of the driver/guide are critical to the enjoyment of the trip. We were lucky.
Our safari van was about 15 years old and had about 300,000 km on it. It had been well maintained, I think, since it stood up to the roads, absorbed most of the shocks, and didn’t break down. No problems with it. But dust was incredible. People with breathing issues would want to consider this trip carefully.
Our Arusha hotel, L’Oasis, was comfortable, with a dining room, lounge and pool. Our room was fine, and the food was quite good. No problems with it.
The Maramboi tented camp was also very comfortable, even though our ‘room’ was a large tent with two rooms. Dependable running water and electricity in the tent/room. The main building included a lounge, large dining area (part inside but mostly outside on a large verandah). It even had a swimming pool which was good to cool off in. Very good food, with a large buffet selection at all meals. We also chose our own picnic lunch contents. Interesting to sit by the pool and watch the zebras and wildebeest herds grazing a hundred metres away. The camp, after all, was in a Conservation Area and thus open to whatever wildlife ambled through. It was also well-patronized; most tables were taken at dinner times. In many ways, this camp combined comfort and wildlife authenticity best of all our accommodations.
The Lake Manyara Wildlife Safari Camp was a high end place. Guest rooms were separate buildings (not tents) joined by a garden-bordered walk to the main building. The latter featured a lounge and dining room with an extensive front garden that ended in a swimming pool that overlooked the Great Rift Valley and the Maasai herders who drove their cattle and goats up and down. This was a very luxurious place with an outstanding view. The other thing we noticed was that there was only one other paying guest. The place was empty. So that meant that we had no choice of dinner fare, but ate what the chef had prepared for us. We also accepted the chef’s choices for the contents of our picnic lunches. Fortunately, these choices were very good, although the portions were large.
The three tented camps (N’dutu, Seronera, and Ngorngoro) were all variations on a theme. In each, our accommodation was a two-room tent with wood floors, running water (most of the time) but no electrical capacity to plug in appliances. Each camp had a main dining tent with lounge (the latter equipped with electrical charging capacity). Each camp was staffed by a manager (who may also have been the chef – this wasn’t clear) as well as two or three support staff whose jobs included carrying suitcases, accompanying us after dark from our tent to the dining tent, etc. These were not permanent sites; the N’dutu camp, for example, was due to be taken down and moved to another location a few weeks after we were there.
Again, in each of the three camps we were the only guests! So no choice of meals or picnic basket contents; we ate what the chef prepared. Generally this was quite palatable, though we became a bit tired of the standard side vegetable of sliced carrots and green beans, which we had at almost every dinner. And again, significant to realize that we were in wildlife terrain, so the water buffalo, elephants, zebras and giraffes that moseyed through the camps were in their own environment. We were the outsiders.
Serengeti and Ngorngoro were the highlights. These were the must-sees, in our view, in terms of variety of animals, scenery, etc. (especially the rhinos). On these grounds, Tarangire would rank third, Lake Manyara fourth, and Arusha fifth.
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic, amazing and very affordable
It has been 15 years since I last visited and was pleasantly surprised at how energetic and vibrant the Western Cape was. We were vacationing in the Houtbay area and enjoyed our stay immensely. Surrounded by mountains and the Atlantic ocean. The area was conducive to hiking and water activities. Cape Town was a few kilometres away and offered stunning views, restaurants and night life. Table Mountain was a challenge we accepted with trepidation but conquered in about five hours..the gondola ride down was about 5 minutes. Highly recommended
NL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very special and impressive
We did a 4-day tour, visited Tanrangire, Serengeti and Ngorongoro crater, which was really great. We went with 2 children aged 16 and 20, who also enjoyed it. Even though there was a rainy season, we saw and did a lot. Many thanks go to the staff of Serengeti Africans Tours. Very nice and helpful. Made an unforgettable trip.