NG
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Seamless travel with attentive, helpful and friendly mangament and staff.
From our very first email enquiry to Experience Uganda and all throughout our 5 day Gorilla Trekking tour which they organised, Kevin and his team were immediately responsive and helpful. Their extensive local knowledge meant our time in Entebbe and Bhwindi was both expertly guided and seamless in making connections between locations and that our travel felt safe at all times. The accommodation booked for us at Buhomo Lodge in Bhwindi and Karibou Lodge in Entebbe was comfortable, clean and serviced by the happiest staff whose wide smiles made meal times so enjoyable even though the food was already wonderful enough.
If there was anyone who delivers on a mission of "exceeding guest expectations" it would have to be Experience Uganda. Thanks so much Kevin and Lesley.
Great experience
We went to Selous GR with Msafiri Travels. All went well, we had a very nice safari! Butembo Lodge is a wonderful place, Peter is a very good, comitted, knowledgable and friendly guide and all travels went well and safe. Selous is definitely a place worth visiting.
Thanks again for your planning, we really enjoyed!
CH
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
perfect, except the vehicle
our guide was absolutely perfect! Halisi Camp was soso. The vehicle was poor!
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
We experienced spectacular scenery, comfortable lodging, and the most gracious people.
We recently celebrated our 25th anniversary with an amazing safari to Kenya. We received a very prompt reply from Maggie to our inquiry for information about possible destinations/prices. She responded to all our requests for information in the same quick and courteous manner via email. She planned our trip with detail and every place we stayed knew that it was our anniversary and provided us special treats. Jackson was our tour guide and we could not have asked for anyone better. He was very knowledgeable and answered all of our questions. He was patient and and had good humor. We felt very safe with him wherever we were. We found the lodging at the Fairmount Mt. Kenya Safari Club to be the most luxurious. The scenery and staff of the Sun Africa Keekorok Lodge were wonderful. A highlight of our trip was visiting the Masai village just outside of the Masai Mara national park. We hope to return to Kenya and will definitely book through Maggie and ask for Jackson to be our guide. We had a wonderful experience thanks to Tekko Tours.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very friendly and spontaneous help
The Hallmark Travel Planners reacted very spontaneuosly on our request to plan a tour to the Loita Hills/ Maji Moto and booked a affordable, nice place to stay there (we got an offer only a few hours after we called him so we could start our journey the next day). Levis, who managed everything for us, was very friendly and flexible in helping us to plan our tour. Also we felt very well advised, which tranports to take. The tour itself was very beautiful and special, as due to our little budget, we didn't end up in the most touristic spot but in a little village called Ewaso Ngiro, close to Massai Mara, where we felt very much wellcome by the staff of the camp as well as by the people living there.
QA
Amazing safari adventure with great people
Planing a safari with Peter from best days safari was so easy and quick, he was always there to replay all the emails without any delay and always ready to give lots of useful suggestions.
The safari was a new adventure for us and we enjoyed it a lot,our driver was really good, and the lodges were so nice, definitely recommended.
It was a real pleasure to meet a nice helpful guy like Peter to make our stay in Tanzania better than expected.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Superb Safari Experience with Awaken to Africa
My outstanding experience with Awaken to Africa started with the very first communication from Grace. Unlike the other tour operators I contacted, Grace sent a personalized email and responded to the specifics of my inquiry (the others sent form emails). She spent many hours working with my friend and me to put together an itinerary that matched what we wanted to experience on a safari. We told her we wanted to be off the beaten path, and not feel as though we were surrounded by other tourists all the time. And boy did she deliver. The itinerary could not have been better. The accommodations were all outstanding (special shout out to Gibbs Farm, Neptune, Kisima Ngeda, and Kiota Camp). Grace is a wealth of information and despite the barrage of email questions I sent her, Grace responded promptly and with specific answers to all of my questions. Only a relatively small tour operator can provide this kind of personal attention. I've never met Grace, but I've had so many communications with her, I feel as though I've known her for years.
And then there was our guide, David, co-owner of Awaken to Africa. I could not have dreamed of a better guide. From the minute David picked us up at the airport to the day nearly 2 weeks later when he saw us off on a prop plane in the middle of the Serengeti, David was a delight to be around. His smile is infectious, his sense of humor endearing, and holy cow, this man can spot animals like no other. There were a number of times when we noted that other vehicles drove by animals because the guide did not see them. David's vast knowledge of all things wildlife enables him to sense if there is an animal in the area, a hunt about to take place, or perhaps some sparring between males of the same species. Seeing animals is exciting in and of itself, but having someone explain the animal behavior while the action is taking place is a true enhancement to the experience. My friend and I were simply amazed at David's wealth of information, which included all creatures (animals, birds, vegetation, tribes). David is genuine, sweet, smart, patient, funny and knowledgeable. Your guide can make all the difference in the world, and we are so thankful that we were fortunate enough to experienced our safari with the very best.
My friends are stunned at my photographs as they cannot believe the many types of animals we saw, the vast number of them and our proximity to them. And for those of you who may want to try something a little different, I highly recommend spending the morning on a hunt with the Hadzabe tribe. I admit that I was a bit skeptical when Grace recommended we include this in our itinerary, but this turned out to be one of the highlights of the trip. It is a truly special and unique experience. It is best if you are in at least halfway decent shape as the pace is quite fast and you walk for many miles (you do not need to be an athlete). But, after being in a vehicle for much of the time, we found it was a nice change to get so much exercise in one morning! If you want to feel as though you are not just off the beaten track but truly in the middle of nowhere, go visit the Hadzabe tribe and Lake Eyasi. You will not regret it.
Awaken to Africa will plan your trip of a lifetime. They are really something special. I found them through this website and I am so thankful for the other great reviews here that caused me to contact them. I hope that my review encourages you to reach out to them as well.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Our Odyssey Safari was a great value, well planned and included everything we wanted to do and see.
The key to a successful safari is your driver and guide, a small and compatible group and a company that works with you from planning to getting you back safely. Odyssey Safaris met this criteria. Once we decided which Safari to take, everything fell into place. Mark and Lucy were quick to respond to any question we had. Our accommodations were excellent, the lodges, food and settings. We traveled by Toyota 4 wheel drive, no mini vans. There were 6 of us, never having met before, but compatible. Our guide, Charles, kept us on schedule, whether on game drives, driving from one park to another ,or optional tours. He also knew the history of Kenya. He had a good sense of humor. He knew the names of all animals and could find them and always stop for our photos. He kept plenty of water in the vehicle for us. The roads in Kenya are not too good, so expect some bumps. You will get a list of what and what not to take. I recommend a pair of rubber shoes,( keen, or similar) that can be washed and worn the next day, NOT sandals. Take less clothing . we stayed in each lodge 2 nights making it easy to get clothes washed. Get 6 people and go together. It is an awesome adventure. Odyssey safaris will treat you well. remember ==some bumpy roads in Kenya. Oh, and yes, a great value compared to some other companies that take you to the same places for twice as much money.
US
35-50 years of age
My trip
Would not hestate to recommend the team.I went to tanzania Me any my Husband , and we had so much fun , The entire holly day was just so relaxing , we saw so many beautiful things , and experienced the african life , would go again !
Thank you.
IR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience in tarangire
We had one day safari with Dahlia to Tarangire. It was unforgettable. Our guide driver (Johari) was very expert and showed us different animals with their interesting stories. He made unforgottable day with great memories for us from baobabs, girrafe, zebras, .... he told us that girrafe can be nominated as Ms. Savanah because she walks like a miss world