US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about African Travel by Madam Bella Bleuski
I've used them for 3 trips to the continent of Africa: Egypt, South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, and Zambia and have a 4th coming up in Oct. to Tanzania. Everything they have offered has come through, except for once, and they compensated us immediately for the lack of the tour. Very experienced.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
This was the trip of a life time
Going to Eastern Africa was a dream of mine since I was a little girl. When I got married, my husband and I went on our honeymoon. We wanted to experience the Mt. Gorillas as part of our journey. Ken and his driver Alfie gave us an experience I will never forget in this life time. Ken worked very hard to make sure everything went well and went out of his way to change things around so we experienced things that were important to us. Our trip was booked to see Mt. Gorilla but Ken made sure we drove through the rural country side so we could see what life was like in the villages. We stopped in a small town and had lunch at a local restaurant (eating like the locals is very important to us; if we wanted to eat like we do at home we would stay at home) and went to a local market (which is one of my favorite things to do when traveling. Nothing tells you more about people than their market) We got to see Lake Bunyonyi, which was spectacular and where Alfie stopped the jeep for me so I could see a local man's baskets (he was walking down the road, transporting them on his head). They bought me a basket, which is now a treasured piece in my home. Ken is passionate about conservation and we had some educational and meaningful conversations about Uganda and it's natural wildlife. But the Mt. Gorilla's were by far the highlight of the trip. We were informed we might hike for hours to see the Gorilla and even then there was no guarantee. We hiked about 45 minutes through thick forest and then we saw them. Being so close and personal with them was a spiritual experience. At one point, a little toddler looked at me. I gazed right in his eyes and we held that for about ten seconds. After that, that little tot stayed close to me the entire time we were there (we were only allowed an hour with them for their well being), including pulling my hair (we are not allowed to touch them but I guess they didn't know they were not supposed to touch us!) and swinging over my head and throwing sticks at me. I just loved it! The mama was close by and made a grunting sound at first. I actually told her, "Don't worry. I won't hurt your baby." She looked at me and then didn't grunt at me anymore (but she kept close by). To see those magnificent animals, our cousins-I was convinced 100%- was auspicious. Words really can not describe our time with them.The silver back was this enormous creature who was clearly in charge. I loved watching him and how we led his family. We followed the group for an hour as they foraged and roamed for an hour. I was sad to leave them and I think about our time with them often (I have several photographs in our home and at work to remind me of this very rare and special experience.) I would recommend Ken in a heartbeat. You will not have a better guide than him and you will not have a better experience. Uganda is a lovely place that will remain in your heart.
FI
Experience level: over 5 safaris
Unique safari experience
I am very happy with my first Masai Mara safari with Roho Ya Chui. Kicwha Tembo was a good choice: accommodation, food and facilities were great. And the wide open landscape of Masai Mara with animal herds was so stunning!!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about South Africa by Russell R
South Africa is a wonderful country as it is not too dissimilar to many western countries eg: fantastic hotels, restaurants, good roads, great food, however, it has its own unique favour in its culture, scenery and wildlife.
It is a safe destination (as safe as anywhere in the world) providing the rare opportunity to combine fantastic game viewing with get scenery (Table Mountain, Drakensberg Mountains, Beaches etc) and great accommodation. You can easily self drive here (I have done it with my family).
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Absolute trip of a lifetime!
I have just finished the full 72 day Absolute Safari. We covered an enormous distance seeing and doing so many incredible things.. Game driving in the big yellow truck, crossing boarders, mountain treks and gorillas, islands and beautiful beaches, house boat charters, wild rafting down grade 5 rapids, sleeping under the stars, water holes, desert, mountains, rainforest, 4 seasons... I have hardly scratched the surface! This is a hands on camping safari which is a bit rugged on the edges but well organized covering a great trip route on an itinerary through Africa, and comes with the support of 2 road crew to assist you on your adventure. I highly recommend this company to those with a sense of fun and adventure to get the most out of the people and places visited on this safari.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
the crew and office were fantastic! made a great trip - lots of fun and value for money
The trip was varied in what we saw and what we did, animals and scenery were fantastic. My guide and driver were friendly and full of information. The accommodation was basic camping but good - some lovely campsites. The Big Yellow Truck was exciting! food was excellent, i want to go with them again!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Incredible wildlife and an amazing lodge experience!
There aren’t enough good things I can say about our time at Mala Mala. It was genuinely a once-in-a-lifetime experience. There were times when it was hard to remember we were in a jeep because our animal encounters were so vivid and personal. For instance, we watched a baby water buffalo born just minutes before our arrival take its first, halted steps. Later, we looked up into a tree and saw a leopard ripping apart an impala it had just killed, while a hyena circled below waiting for scraps. We were only twenty feet or so away from the hyena – too awesome! The impalas, alas, endured another casualty the next day. In the morning, we saw a pack of wild dogs fighting over the pieces of an impala, which gives new meaning to the phrase “pack of wild dogs.” We saw a plethora of giraffes, elephants, rhinos, and zebras, oftentimes only a few feet away from our jeep.
We saw big game everywhere, but one of the more interesting compenents of the safari was learning how a complex ecosystem operates – from the smallest insects to the leopards and lions. For instance, our ranger spoke to us at length about the “life cycle” of rhino droppings, and scooped a small mound off our path to reveal an ant lion hiding in its hole – no larger than the size of a pencil eraser. There was nature all around us, from the elephant herd that walked by my porch only fifty yard away, to the amazing stars in the night sky. I genuinely adored each moment.
One of the more meaningful moments was the morning of our departure, when we went on one last drive to see the only Big Five animal we had left to spot – a lion. After an extensive search involving quite a bit of off-roading with tree branches whipping our faces, we came upon a pride of five lions, lying in the center of the road, asleep. I could now check off the Big Five! I even received a certificate to prove it.
Review about Nxai Pan National Park by Leslie Bialik
It offers everything that the Central Kalahari Game Reserve offers and some very interesting salt pans and baobab trees, too. Kwando Safaris gave us an experience very similar to that of Central Kalahari Game Reserve and I fulfilled a lifelong dream of meeting my first San Bushman who was our tracker. Our guide was Lucky Garenamotse who owns Lucky Tours and Safaris and who was on loan to Kwando for 3 months. I would recommend Lucky to anyone! He knows everything about the birds and plants in Botswana and a whole lot more, too. Sweet guy, great driver, lots of fun.
It was everything we imagined about the Kalahari Desert - wildlife everywhere and intense heat!
This was an amazing place so full of contradictions. It looked like there wouldn't be too much wildlife supported in the desert-like area, but animals were everywhere! There were no rhinos, hippos or buffalo because of the arid environment, but plenty of lions and cheetahs, elephants, giraffes, gemsbok, springbok, zebras, snakes, and so many birds! Kwando Safaris gave us a top notch experience with excellent food, bush walks with San Bushmen, game drives and beautiful accommodations looking out at the waterhole. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable about any questions we had, and our tracker was a San who did an interesting bush walk and was able to identify and locate everything for us. The birds were particularly impressive with their variety and beauty, and the insects were the biggest we've ever seen. We saw lions mating and cheetahs on the hunt. Kwando Safaris is environmentally friendly with all their power from solar energy. They had no internet, no cell coverage, no radio, no tv, but did have power points where we could charge our computers and cameras. There is no air conditioning, but with the thatch-roofed huts and the ceiling fan, we were able to stay reasonably cool during the 110F heat of the day. We weren't expecting such attention from the staff and were treated like royalty. I'd recommend Kwando Safaris and the Central Kalahari Game Reserve to anyone. It provided us with a lifetime of memories to cherish.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
An astounding bush experience marked by spectacular wildlife...like living in an IMAX movie!
Although technically the most rustic of the places we stayed, our camp in Musanza was situated in an idyllic riverbank setting, and was surrounded by mopane (which actually look similar to ironwood trees and were unknown to us, although they are rather common in the area) and checkerwood trees. It ended up surpassing our expectations and was our favorite of all the camps we have visited. The staff were wonderful and the cook was great; the food was superb. There was something amazing about having the opportunity to lounge in collapsable "director's chairs" just outside our tent before high tea in the late afternoon, watching the exotic birds in the tree and vines, reading, or occasionally seeing or hearing hippos splash in the Lufupa river fifty feet away.
Yes, hearing hippos. I had never before thought about hippos making noise, but they actually make a very distinctive (and rather loud) sound that marked our days and nights and that we had never before experienced. It is an expansive and deep laughing sound, as if someone had recorded a guffaw and then played it back --much louder-- at a slower speed. At the risk of dating myself, I would liken it to a 45 rpm record being played back at 33 rpm. The hippos frolic and splash in the water, submerge themselves for a few minutes, then resurface and bellow out HOOOO HAR HAR. (One person in our group posited that they go under the water to share fart jokes, then come back to the surface to laugh over them. If you ever have the chance to hear this sound you will find this explanation strangely.
The beasts splash around in the water, submerge for a minute or two, then surface and call out HOOOOO HAR HAR HAR. (One wag in our tour group suggested that they go underwater to tell fart jokes, then surface to laugh at them. If you ever get to hear this sound you will find that theory strangely conceivable.)
We really wanted to walk that fifty feet and sit on the river bank, but were told to keep a distance of at least ten feet from the water at all times, since that is the striking point of the crocodiles who share the water with the hippos. We did not need to be instructed on this twice.
One of Musanza's afternoon activities was a boat ride up the river that lasted a few hours, in an outboard aluminum skiff that accommodated roughly seven. There was a plethora of birds, and as we meandered up river our boat driver made sure to maneuver around the hippos. You would think since the hippos are fairly large targets that this might be an easy task, however, since they occupy a fair amount of time underwater is more difficult (and more dangerous) than it appears. There were times when he would spot bubbles further down the river and would simply steer us in a compact circle for a few minutes until the underwater hippos had vacated. There was an occasion where he misjudged, and a hippo reared just under the surface about two feet to the left of the rig, causing a huge ripple and provoking a not entirely uncalled for shout from a woman who had the distinction of sitting right at that point of the boat.
Hippos look funny, and their laugh adds to that picture, but they are genuinely dangerous because of their inclination for capsizing boats. They are close to the top of the list of large animals that routinely cause human deaths. (This being around here of course; there are not very many hippo-related casualties in our neighborhood). They are also threatening to each other, with a social structure that features a lot of the alpha-male, "are YOU lookin' at ME?" stuff. A couple miles upstream from our camp on the river bank, we happened upon a severely injured young male hippo limping through the brush and into the river. He had a nasty wound on his left rear flank, which most likely arose from a brush with the wrong adult male.
A stop at the Treetops school was including on our boat trip. This school is where more affluent parents, mostly from the capital Lusaka, send their children for four to five days of seeing the animals, living in the bush, etc. It is basically a summer camp featuring elephants. There was a larger variety of ethnic diversity than we expected (Indian, black, and white), until we were given the explanation behind "affluent": these were al children of the diplomats and other "upper crust" in Lusaka. The school had a classroom and separate, camp-style dorm buildings, and was situated in a clearing close by the riverbank. The setting was dominated by a giant baobab tree, which also merits some discussion.
If you have ever studied French in school then you probably read "The Little Prince," By St. Exupéry, in which case you have already conjured up a mental image of a baobab tree as a vine-draped thing that has roots drooping from all its branches and thus spreads itself over a very wide area. Well, delete that image because St. Exupéry was entirely wrong in confusing a baobab tree with a banyan. A baobab is defined by a very wide trunk and comparatively thin branches - in fact, it looks as if someone chopped off all the branches from a much older tree and they have only been growing back over the past couple years. The trunks are of such great diameter that in old times poorer residents of the village would hollow them out and use the still living tree as a home; in some instances the community would use them as prisons. The baobab at Treetops could probably have served as a small maximum security jail: the tree was roughly 150' high and easily 25'-30' wide at its base. (We have a picture of us standing at the base - it's so big that you have to look two times to see us.)
We left Musanza (and Zambia) with heavy hearts; it had truly been an Edenic three days and we really bonded with the staff there (it probably didn't hurt that we were the only guests). As seems to be the standard procedure at every camp we have visited, the last night included musical performance by the staff, a lively drum display that had everyone up on their feet.
