50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Photo Tour in Kruger National Park
This was a small scale and informal trip within Kruger NP for 11 days which is designed especially for keen photographers.
The vehicle is equipped with swivel mounts which work well and our hosts/guides Lourens and Bernhard were very knowledgeable.
The trip exceeded all expectations as we saw plenty of animals. Importantly, we had no time pressure to move on, so we were able to stay with good sightings and get plenty of photos.
For safety reasons, you are required to be back at camp between sunrise and sunset, and you can only get out of the vehicles at designated stops. Hence there little prospect of doing landscape photography! We travelled a long way into the park and spent 2 nights at each rest camp. We used both sealed and gravel roads and both provided us with plenty of opportunities.
The accommodation, food and facilities provided by the National Park operators were reasonable but lacked polish, and service levels were often low (as you would probably expect in a NP). Usually there was no WiFi available so you need to have your own plan.
Highly recommended if you want to see plenty of wildlife , and like no fuss, good value, informal touring.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
very friendly and committed to ensure you get the best deal
Bongo travel company is good at keeping touch with the client my experienced they always kept me informed of what I need to do. overal the service was good.
ALways excellent service thank you
All the above very very good. Never been let down!
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Rip off
Doing a safari was one of my biggest dreams. This operator defiantly ruined it. Everything went wrong, but I´ll try to keep it short. I had to pay a 50 % deposit by bank transfer so that a guy sometimes called Donald sometimes Daniel could make a reservation for a hotel. It cost me a fortune and as it turned out: nothing was reserved. I had to share not just a room, but also a bed with the other girl on the tour. Yes, two strangers in one bed! Daniel/Donald stayed in Daressalaam. The driver barely spoke english, but enough to tell us that his boss turned off his phone when we insisted on two rooms or on the pop up roof jeep we booked and payed for. We had to do the safari in a little Toyota. After the rain season the grass is so high that many times you can't see a thing. We never went too far away from the lodge since the car couldn't manage many of the bumpy roads without 4x4. Yes, sometimes we saw animals, but there was no real safari feeling. I am so disappointed. :(
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great service and caring for the customer
We went as a couple with a 1-year-old baby and booked a full-day Safari drive into Moremi Game Reserve. The Game Drive was perfect, with a very nice and knowledgable guide (Captain), good food and a huge truck. Far beyond that game drive, the operations director Mogakolodi took care of us during our 3-day stay in Maun. He collected us from the airport, brought us to dinner locations and back to the hotel, as well as back to the airport. All the time he was very concerned about our well-being and that everything is to our satisfaction. We definitely recommend Bush Baby Calls as they take perfect care of their customer so the experience is unforgettable.
20-35 years of age
great customer service and excellent value for money.
I visited Masai Mara, lake Nakuru and Amboseli and the entire customer service was excellent. African Habitat Safaris have a big heart to serve people and ensure they enjoy their holiday to the maximum. They called us regularly to ensure we had packed appropriate clothing, had our visas as we were coming from a different country. Upon arrival they called us every day to ensure we were okay up to the very last day. Excellent service.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
One of the most amazing experiences I've ever had!
Everything I could have wanted in a safari, I got. My 4 friends and I had an amazing time. Everyone was so knowledgeable, and we loved the printed out itinerary given to us before we even paid. The food and accommodations were perfect and it lived up to our expectations. Our guide was aware of what we wanted to see and what interested us, and made sure that we saw everything possible. Our accommodations were better than expected (we loved the hot water!) and the food was spectacular considering we had one very picky eater in our group. I would recommend this to everyone looking for a safari in Tanzania.
CA
Don't look any further this company can give you the best experience you could hope for.
My safari with this company far exceeded anything I could have hoped for. The knowledge of the guide only added that much more interest. The guide went over and above to make sure we saw as much every single day that we could. His personality was great too so we had lots of laughs. Take a safari with Mawalla and I know you won't regret one minute of it!
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
This was the best vacation I've ever taken; exceeding all my expectations.
This trip was easily booked online and via email. We chose from a variety of tour locations offered to determine the duration of our stay. We chose a six day tour with an added seventh day at a special location. The price was very affordable, and included everything: airport to airport transportation, all meals, all entry fees, all accommodations, and our private guide(s). I expected to see wildlife, but I was astonished at the variety and numbers of animals we saw.
We started our stay in Nairobi with pickup at the airport and a night in a very nice hostel with rooftop restaurant/bar. We met other travelers there: some coming and some leaving. In the morning we toured the national park outside Nairobi where we were treated to an elephant rescue orphanage, a giraffe sanctuary, and tour of Karen Blixen's estate. A thrilling first day.
The next morning we drove to the Masai Mara, a vast game preserve and tribal homeland. We stayed in a rustic camp in large tents. Not too rustic, as each tent has several beds and a private bathroom with hot showers. The electricity was limited to 5 hours per night. It is funny to watch the tourists scramble to recharge their mobile phones. Meals were served in the dining hall. One family we met opted to stay at a luxury resort/spa nearby because they had 3 and 5 year old children. So, the choice of accommodations is entirely up to you. We rather liked the tents. We spent two days here on photo safari all day. This was the most thrilling experience! Our guide, Martin, was expert at finding game. His skills seemed to surpass all the other guides, even though they all do cooperate when game is sighted. On this plain, the guides are free to drive into the bush to get close to the game, and Martin did. We saw most of the big game animals here, and very close up. No telephoto lenses needed here. I photographed elephants, Masai giraffes, lions, cheetah, leopards, pumba, hyena, dik dik, Thompson's gazelle, zebra, wildebeest, and more. We were so lucky that the great wildebeest migration from the Serengeti to the Masai Mara began two weeks early, so we were able to see the hordes of wildebeest and zebra moving across the landscape to cross the river into Kenya. It is one of the great wonders of the world.
The next day we headed for Lake Nakuru game park. There we saw the white rhino and Rothschild's giraffes. You will not believe how big they are up close. There was also great bird watching there, giant storks and cranes, and beautiful vistas. We stayed in a nice hotel in town for this leg of the trip. Then we were off to Amboseli Game Park in southeast Kenya. It was a long drive, but one of our group had requested it specially, so we went. It was well worth the trek, as it lies in the shadow of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Here we saw hippos up close, many very large elephants, zebra, and many more bird species. We stayed in a tent camp again in this park, also very nice tents with electricity and private baths. ACZ safaris brought along chef Frederick to cook for us, so we were really pampered by John and Martin from ACZ safaris. I can't express how much their presence enhanced our stay in Kenya. These guys are very nice people who go out of their way to make the trip spectacular. They are with us every step of the way, and they really know their stuff. They are great game guides, but also know the plants and birds and people. It really adds to the appreciation of all that Kenya has to offer.
On our last night, we travelled back to north central Kenya to stay at a luxury resort. Treetops is a famous British lodge next to a watering hole. Here we stayed in 4 star luxury where you can view game outside your bedroom window as the animals come to the watering hole to drink. If rustic safari is not to your taste, then treetops is for you. My friend woke me in the night to see a pair of black rhino come to drink. They came after the water buffalo and elephants had gone for the night. A pack of 5 hyena also came to drink. I hated to sleep for fear of missing something. As a bonus, on the way back to the airport, John and Martin took us to see Thompson falls. A beautiful waterfall where we were treated to tribal dancers and local shopkeepers.
If the idea of a safari appeals to you even a little, you must go. It will exceed all your expectations many times over. We are veteran travelers of many countries and many cruises, so when I say this was the trip of a lifetime, I mean it. The memories of the sights and the people will last all my life. I highly recommend ACZ safaris. These guys are tops in their field, and very nice people too.
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
everything was well organized and customers taken very good care of. Serema very good all round.
Very effective communication. Safari tour was relaxing and exciting seeing the wonders of the wild. I would love to use the same Company in my future travels.