20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very nice experience !
We decided to visit Chobe mostly because it was very close to Victoria Falls, which was our intended destination. Given the fact that accommodation in Victoria Falls is quite pricey, and there was not much of interest for us to do in terms of activities to occupy us for more than a day, we decided to stay near Chobe, and do a one day VF trip during our stay.
We did not expect much from Chobe, since the only thing we knew about it beforehand was that it was famous for elephants.
Our stay was fantastic, we enjoyed very much the boat cruises, from which you can really enjoy all of the wildlife on Sedudu island.
I am not a big fan of birding, but we did see lots of interesting birds, and some people apparently seemed very into the matter and enjoyed it very much !
We also did a morning game drive, which was good, but not excellent. There were too many vehicles compared to some private game reserves, and since we could not get off-road, the animals we saw where quite far away. Still, it was a good experience, and the park still has lots of animals, and for a much more affordable price than what you pay in a private game reserve.
Overall, our experience was very nice, people were very friendly, the scenery was fantastic, and we did see lots of animals !
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Diverse awesomeness
I was in Kruger National Park and also in a smaller game reserve near Johannesburg. In both experiences, I was able to be very close to nature and animals, which was an extraordinary experience. If you like nature, I definitely suggest doing a safari. The bush is really quiet, and I loved that the most. It was magnificent to see and hear Elephants in their natural habitat, playing in the water and among themselves. The people are extremely friendly and nice, and always open to answer to your questions about the area and about animals.
Johannesburg has its own vibes, and you feel how vibrant the city is.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
I felt like I was in the Lion King, best place I’ve ever been
I visited 2 places in Kenya, the Nakuru Lake and Maasai Mara, in February.
It was an amazing experience, I would say it was the best trip of my life. We saw pretty much all the animals except the leopard, although we were very close to see one twice.
The amount of wildlife is amazing and not only the animals but also the landscape is truly beautiful.
We did our trip through Seremara Safaris, an amazing company which provided us the best driver with a lot of knowledge about literally everything, so it was very enriching in all senses.
Truly recommend!
João
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Viva safaris was a trip of a lifetime!
We loved Viva Safari tour. Excellent guiding and accommodation was great if you are looking for value for medium end tour. Saw all the big 5 and more. The scenery was beautiful and people so friendly and helpful. We would recommend South Africa to all. We did Jo’berg to Capetown. Fantastic.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgetable Tour
We enjoyed a 7 days safari in Rubondo Island , Serengeti and Ngorongoro.
All of the lodges and camps were special and amazing.
The knowledge of our guide Sule was excellent, therefore we learned
a lot about animals, culture and history from him. Although he had the
eyes of an eagle, so we saw many animals, which we did not
expect.
Thank you Sule and thank you Brian for the outstanding organisation
of the excellent safari!
I will highly recommend Friends of Africa Family Safaris to our friends and to everybody else.
Thank you Brian Matechi for organizing our trip !
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Kenya is an amazing place!
We had a wonderful time in Kenya. Our safari guide with Wildebeest Safaris (good value) was so good at finding all of the animals to see in the three national parks (Amboseli, Lake Nakuru, and Masai Mara) we visited. Seeing these animals in their natural environments was so amazing. Our stay in the lodges (Amboseli Serena, Sarova Lion Hill, & Mara Serena) was very nice with other visitors from all over the world. I would suggest staying in each park for two nights since the travel in between is long (unless you fly). We also stayed in Nairobi (Fairview Hotel was beautiful) for a couple of days (National Museum, Karen Blixen house & downtown walking tour) which was very interesting. If you can visit Kenya I highly recommend it!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wonderful
The safari was great, people were polite and friendly. Nice nature near Kilimanjaro and in he national parks. Tasty food. Cosy relax in the Zanzibar island. Advise for everyone who likes animals and nature.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing experiences in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater.
Have rated our experience as excellent as we were blown away by the experience of the Serengeti and Ngonrongoro Crater. Prior to arriving in Tanzania we experienced excellent communication with Abidan who was there to pick us up at Kilimanjaro airport and at the end of our safari Jesse, our driver, took us to the border for our connecting drive to Kenya.
We did have a change of itinerary which we weren't expecting but was a logical step as we wanted particularly to see the migration in the Ndutu area and because we had a long drive to the border for our connecting drive to Kenya at the end of our stay. All in all we were satisfied with this. We loved the camp we stayed in in the Serengeti - Heritage camp - which is small and run by a really cheerful crew and gives a very authentic experience. Serengeti was something I shall never forget - seeing the enormity of the mass of migrating wildebeest and zebra etc. The pride of lions - about a dozen with cubs on our first early morning game drive, lying on the rocky outcrop was just awsome as was watching the sun come up - great pics. We watched elephant antics - and waited while the leopard in the tree (with his kill) had to stay up there due to the six or seven lions lying around the bottom. For me the Serengeti stay was the highlight but the Ngorongo crater was also amazing - we watched a zebra give birth and baby take its first steps. We did go to Lake Manyara park as our first day of safari - it is very beautiful but what came after sort of overshadowed it. Our last night at the Simba Ngorongoro Forest Lodge was a lovely ending - with all the luxuries etc and a beautiful dinner.
Jesse is a very good driver and we felt very safe with him. He is clearly passionate about his country - I don't blame him as it is stunning. Although he didn't have radio communication in the vehicle we used he seemed to know where to find everything as we certainly saw some awsome things!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Avoid January
We went to Gombe NP (amazing chimps) and Selous Game Reserve. As it rained during all of our stay, the second safari experience was terrible. No animals, roads in the worst of conditions possible. 7 hours from Far Es Salaam are too many for this park. next time I would spend more and go to Serengeti, at least the money would worth it more.
Generally speaking Tanzania is quite expensive
Review about Kruger National Park by Melcher Groenendijk
Very nice scenery, a lot of wildlife, good guides, knowledge of the guide, nice people