BR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Visiting Serengeti is a lifetime experience
Serengeti is wonderful. I visited during the great migration of wildebeest and zebras. There are basically three regions in the park: the south serengeti, the center and the north serengeti. I visited the south - that means ndutu area - in february when and where the herds give birth. There was many offspring and if you are patient, you will see female wildebeest giving birth as well as predators such as hyenas, lions and cheetahs hunting. In the center of serengeti, I saw the kopjes, the grumetti river with hippos and crocodiles and the leopards. While the south is green and wet during february, the center and north is dry. But things change along the year so try to find out where the herds and the rain is to assure you will see what you want.
In Sabi Sand Game Reserve, you really do get what you pay for!
During our trip to Kruger National Park, we felt that it would only do the trip justice if we spent a few nights in Sabi Sand Game Reserve before heading back. We had read about the differences between the two and were quite certain we would be short changing ourselves if we didn't pay a visit to Sabi Sand. We stayed in Umkumbe Lodge which is one of the smaller lodges in Sabi Sand. That being said, Umkumbe brought along with it a wonder crew ranging from the chef to the tour guides. There was alot of personal attention and you could see and feel the extra mile they go to making sure your stay is as comfortable as can be. We were a family of vegetarians and they made it a point to make special meals for us and they were honestly some of the best meals we had on the trip. The game drives were alot of fun, the guides were very knowledgeable and the coordination of the drives was great. The highlight was spotting the rhinos and it helped us complete our list of the big 5 (of which we had seen the other 4 in Kruger). I would recommend Sabi Sand for anyone who has the ability to pocket the price you would be paying for it, but once that staged is past, be prepared to have a thrilling, luxurious and very pleasant time in Sabi Sand.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Tarangire National Park by P Nahar
Away from maddening crowd. The hospitality at Mawe Ninga Camp (run by some local group) was superb. Not very expensive.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Serengeti National Park by P Nahar
Its huge. Therefore you can pick and choose the type of safari experience to your liking. It could be a little crowded when a big game like a leopard or a cheetah is spotted. But there is plenty more - great for birding if that is your interest.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Ngorongoro Crater by P Nahar
Too crowded for our taste. There were at least 25 vehicles when a Rhino was spotted. Its great for first-timers though.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Ruaha - if you want to avoid the crowd
Even though it is the largest National Park in Tanzania, it does not carry the same touristy tag as Serengeti. This was exactly why we chose this park during our first visit to Tanzania in June 2014.
The park is rather remote and we were flown in by Coastal Airways from Tarangire. The Kwihala Camp had 6 double-bedded tents and therefore had that personal touch from our hostess Sandra and her staff. The facilities at the camp were superb with great food and wine.
Our guides, Lorenzo and Leverd were full of enthusiasm and were not hesitant to go that extra mile whenever needed. The camp had a few vehicles and we were lucky enough to get a vehicle for just 2 of us most of the time. The vehicles are side-open (top-covered) which have their pros and cons – great for general wildlife viewing but rather restrictive to watch and photographs birds in flight. (https://www.flickr.com/photos/pravin_nahar/15493381299/in/album-72157649073470005/)
We were greeted with a superb sunset near the Ruaha river on the day of our arrival.
The usual arrays of wildlife and birds will keep you interested. We had some close (but safe) encounters with elephants.
The highlight of the trip was to watch a pride of 1 lion (named Grumpy by the locals) and 11 lionesses. The pride was feeding on an elephant died naturally a few days before our arrival. (https://www.flickr.com/photos/pravin_nahar/15493869208/in/album-72157649073470005/)
There were 3 young brothers who, being evicted from this pride, were trying to sneak in to have a bite or two. Their encounter with Grumpy (the leader) was something of a life-time experience for us – he managed to chase them (the 3 brothers) away one by one, making sure his pride is well looked after. The role of the lion (even though he doesn’t take part in hunting) in the pride was very obvious!!
In simple words, if you want a safari experience minus the crowd, visit Ruaha.
For my photos please copy and paste the link in your browser: https://www.flickr.com/photos/pravin_nahar/sets/72157649073470005
DK
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Hell's Gate National Park by Bo Vejgaard
We took a walking safari in Hell's Gate National Park. We had a very good and knowledgeable local guide, John. We came close to Zebras, Warthogs, Giraffes and a lot of Gazelles. We where also led in a big circle around a bunch of angry Buffalos.
A walking safari is a unique experience, and I would really recommend it.
DK
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A Kodak-moment Extravaganza
We had a wonderful trip to Ol Pejeta Conservancy, where we stayed at the Sweet Waters tented camp. Sweet Waters was very welcoming and luxurious, service was top-notch and the food was very good. They made sure that we got a kid-meal a little early so there was room for some grown up dining when the kid slept.
The park is beautiful with a wide variety of bush, marsh and forest landscapes. We saw a lot of beautiful animals on some amazing game drives. Unfortunately we missed out on the big cats and only saw their leftovers.
Our guide, Francis, was very knowledgeable about the wildlife, and took good care of us.
Highlights of the safari must be a close encounter with a Black Rhino, a sunrise over Mt. Kenya and a Giraffe coming to drink right in front of our tent.
BR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Tanzania by Pedro Helder
Tanzania is wild and well organized for safaris. The lodges deliver good service and the safaris tour. It's quite more expensive than Kenya though, but it worths!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Tanzania by P Nahar
Tanzanian safaris are well-organised catering for all the tastes. We visited Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Tarangeri and Ruaha. Each of them has special characteristic with quite unique flora and fauna.