US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about South Africa by ntny1955
South Africa has some of the most spectacular scenery on the planet. The people were incredibly warm and welcoming.
CH
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Botswana by Georg Treptow
Drive slowly or you might hit an elephant turning around a corner, careful when getting out of the car as lions and leopards are many in numbers inside all the parks.
The only thing we did not see were rhinos and cheetas, everything else was present.
CH
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Unique Tours & Safaris by Georg Treptow
Heike put an amazing trip together for us. She has travelled all the spots she recommended herself and was able to provide information to each location that would have been hard to find elsewhere.
Everything was planned perfectly, from the timing of the various lodges and campsites to the directions to the various sights.
We already booked travel with her again for 2012.
Amazing Mikumi
Early Sunday morning 13 November the safari car was ready for our trip to Mikumi. We left the Arc hotel at 5am and arrived at the park borders when daylight broke, the best time of the day t o watch animals. The watching of animals in Mikumi is no doubt facilitated by the fact that the main road from Dar es Salaam towards the (wild?!) west passes right through the park. We watched elephants and other animals crossing this busy road without paying special notice to the huge lorries that use the road at all hours of the day.
After driving an additional 40 or 50 kms we arrived at the main gate. We spent some time getting registered and paying the access fees. The entrance staff first insisted that we use credit card to pay the fees. But in the end we were allowed to even pay in Tanzanian shillings, although we were clearly expected to pay in US$. One may wonder how the Tanzanian citizens manage to get into the park if they do not have a credit card or have bought dollars from their local bank.
One of the reasons we went to Mikumi was to also visit the Genesis Snake Park. We had first understood that it was part of the National Park. But it is in fact a private venture, like a small zoo with snakes and other reptiles like crocodiles and turtles. We enquired with the National Park guide about the snake park. He said it was a shame to have it in the Mikumi neighbourhood. In fact, he suggested that we could buy the snakes and other reptiles and move them all to Morogoro if we could find a good place for them there, for example at SUA or in a private zoo that he also thought would be of interest both for local people in Morogoro and for visitors. He said that he could no doubt get the National Park Service to write a recommendation in this regard.
We then drove off into the Mikumi National Park spending a couple of hours on the ‘game drive’. In addition to the big mammals that we already had seen before going through the gate (elephants, girafs and various antelopes and zebras) we also watched many birds, lizards, and maybe we even saw the tail of a leopard.
The possibility to see more than the tail made the driver bring the car off the road and onto some rather clayish and wet terrain. Even using the full four wheel drive gear it took him quite some time to get us back onto the road. Some of us started suggesting that we get off and help by pushing the car. But he finally made it.
On the way back to the entrance we stayed for a while at the so-called hippo lake. However, this rather small lake or pond was really nothing compared to the Wami river hippos that we watched on trip to the Wami-Mbiki Mkongo camp on 11 November, where we could walk along the river bank both watching and listening to the herd of some 30 or 40 hippos enjoying themselves in the middle of the river while clearly aware of us all along. Sometimes one of them opened its huge mouth towards us, apparently as a warning to us not to come too close or maybe stay too long.
After the game drive we then went to the Genesis snake park lodge where a guide showed us various mainly dangerous venomous snakes like cobras and green mambas. We were not very impressed by the presentation, nor by the conditions the snakes were living under (along with some turtles and crocodiles). The guide tried to impress us by making one of cobras (se photo) attack him by tapping on the thick glass window separating the snake from us.
We had a quick lunch at the snake park restaurant and then went back to Morogoro and the Arc hotel.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Ol Pejeta Conservancy by hollisa
One of the few parks with a realistic chance to see the big five in a single gamedrive, plus the only place to watch chimpanzees in Kenya!
ES
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Sheer luxury, straight Out of Africa.
We arrived at Mala Mala by Land Rover through the bush and left by airplane from the local airstrip, which is an interesting experience in itself. Once you arrive at the lodge, you feel like you're about to bump into Meryl Streep or Robert Redford right around the corner, or sipping a drink in the confortable bar. The accomodation is first class, with the possibility of having breakfast and dinner at your porch, watching herds of animals roam by just a stone's throw from where you're enjoying your wine.
CN
20-35 years of age
Mala Mala offered complete luxury, a perfect escape from reality.
The accommodation and service were top notch, offering a personalized experience that went way above my expectation. Amenities were fine, but I was not there for the amenities as much as the wildlife. In two days we saw just about everything I had hoped, going out of our way to try and complete my list. The guides were knowledgeable and made sure that my experience was amazing. I would highly recommend a trip here in the future. I drove myself to Mala Mala, an option that was fine but I would not do this again. Too much time was spent on the road rather than at the camp.
ES
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about South Africa by Stefan Randholm
South Africa has the exotic vibe of the african continent, yet the all the conveniences you'd find in any developed country.
CN
20-35 years of age
Review about South Africa by laut1234
South Africa is my favorite destination I have ever been to. I have no other safari experiences to compare it to, but it exceeded my expectations at every step of the way.