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50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Hell's Gate National Park by Charles Lovely
Lack of diverse wildlife and habitat. However, I have only visited once.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
I thought their dedication to my experience was second to none.
I had an absolutely awesome time, I experienced 6 full days of awesomeness, I must just say that it might have been a full five star rating if we had a little less scheduled to be able to relax for a day or so.
GR
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing country combining wildlife, beautiful beaches, amazing local food and the friendliest people
We adored Tanzania. First we went to Zanzibar for its beautiful beaches, for swimming, snorkelling, etc and then we travelled to Tanzania mainland. We were not travelling as an organised group, but we had arranged all details from home. We had made our research and found out that SerengetiSmiles had received very good reviews and offered us the most attractive custom-made 5 day safari in the best price among other local tour operators.
Deo, our guide and driver proved to be excellent - the best we could find. We consider ourselves very lucky to have him. Not only, did he know every species of local flora and fauna, but he also explained us many many things about their migration, reproduction, habits. Moreover he told us a lot of things about African tribes, their history, civilisation and cultural practices in perfect English. We asked him and took us to a local restaurant, even though it was New Year’ s Eve, and he wasn’t obliged to do that . I personally promise that I will go back and definitely choose the same tour operator and Deo as a guide, because there’s much more to see in Tanzania.
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50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Nairobi's Backyard Wildlife Park
Having been to most of Kenya's more well known wildlife parks Nairobi NP equally compares to Kenya's top parks for wildlife viewing and photography. I have been to Nairobi NP a few times. In my experience, especially If your staying in or near the city center, arrive at 6am when the park opens to avoid Nairobi's traffic, to be amongst fewer park visitors, to see active and possibly more wildlife, and to use the morning sunlight for optimal photography. What makes this park unique is that you can be driving along in full view of Nairobi's cityscape in the background and in the next minute the cityscape disappears and you feel like you're in the wilderness or bush, miles from any city. The park has a diverse range of habitat also, from dry scrub savannah to lush riparian areas with giant acacias hovering over a perennial river to scenic gorges and rocky outcrops. Besides the park, other must see destinations that are super close to the park's main entrance are the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and Giraffe Manor—all three can be visited in one day.
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65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Everything I imagined and more in Tanzania on safari, climbing Kilimanjaro, relaxing in Zanzabar.
It is difficult to put into words the awe, excitement, and beauty I experienced on this once in a lifetime trip. I traveled with a large and very diverse group, yet the arrangements from home back to home again were complete and tailored to the many and varied needs of the individuals in our group, not an easy task. We traveled into the bush meeting and sharing with the Hadzabe, climbed Mt Kilimanjaro, enjoyed and afternoon with the local women in the Mt Meru area, had a safari to Tarangire National Park, and recuperated for 3 days on the island of Zanzabar before returning home. Always our drivers and guides were skilled, knowledgeable and friendly and in very short order became our friends. On the Kili climb, I have never witnessed such a large group of the hardest working individuals ever. The women and men of our crew went the absolute extra mile to ensure our success and safety while scaling Kili. Sharing details of our lives with each other helped develop the friendships that blossomed and provided insights into our very different cultures. Our accommodations were varied from luxury hotels to the tents on the mountain. The food was excellent. I wish I could name everyone who helped make this the incredible experience it was. I highly recommend Charles and Tanganyika Ancient Routes for your first or next escape to beautiful Tanzania.
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65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Magical with amazingly people and hospitality.
My experience in Uganda exceeded any expectations I had. The scenery was beautiful and varied: tranquil lakes, wild waterfalls, lush mountains with incredible vegetation and birds, dense forests and the open bush. Unbelievable sunsets and sunrises. The amount of wildlife is not as dense as other safari destinations so not a lot of big cats, however, the gorilla and chimpanzee treks make up for that. If you are a birder it is a must go. There are so many varieties and as one’s eyes adjust you begin to spot them everywhere. We went with a small local Uganda company, Azas, and Simon the owner came through on all that was promised. Our driver/guide, Allan, was one of a kind. He became like family. He made sure we were well cared for and went out of his way to accommodate us. The people of Uganda were welcoming and had such beautiful spirits. Our accommodations were amazing as was the food. I would skip the cities like Kampala and Entebbe except as a point of entry and departure. But the rest is pure magic.
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent and varied holiday with great accommodation
We spent a second holiday with Giltedge Africa (formerly Southern Africa Travel) and enjoyed the experience again. All arrangements were made according to our agreements and there were no hiccups and the accommodation in all of the places we stayed were exceptional. An excellent apartment in Camps Bay, a wonderful game park in the Nambiti Hills, an original design lodge at the Zulu war battlefields and a luxury hotel on the coast near Durban were the highlights.
The guide at the Game Park was very experienced and committed and added to the enjoyment of seeing the wide range of animals (including the Big 5).
The tours of the battlefield were interesting although the guide was somewhat outdated in his style and attitude.
Although the whole organisation of the trip was good, the consultant on our previous trip was far more proactive than this time, but nevertheless all worked out very well and the knowledge of good accommodation of Giltedge Africa is second to none
ES
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Amazing scenery, fabulous space, friendly people, a great experience
Loved the remoteness, the wild scenery, the endless space and the adventures of traveling around the country and seeing the changing environments. I would highly recommend Namibia as a destination for a self drive safari.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing experience.
South Africa is a beautiful country. We found the tourist areas clean and well maintained. We felt welcomed and we enjoyed ourselves.
Our safari guides Mbombela Tours, were exceptional good. They planned a brilliant experience for us and we throughly enjoyed.
This was a once in a lifetime trip …
SE
Get close to the animals at Nairobi National Park
Nairobi National Park is a great place to go if you want to see Kenyan animals up close - the animals are rather used to cars and therefore come closer than they do in other parks while still being wild.
You can make the experience into exactly what you want to - if you just want an escape from Nairobi for a couple of hours or if you want to bring a picknick and stay there the whole day. As with all safaris, it is best to go in the early morning or late evening to increase your chances of seeing animals. When I went, I did however go in the middle of the day and still saw plenty of animals (even lioness with cubs).
The day started out sunny but soon rain clouds gathered creating a beautifully dramatic landscape. Even though Nairobi National Park is smaller than other parks in Kenya, you can still feel like you are far off from the city at times - in some parts of the park you can get beautiful pictures of animals with the city skyline as a backdrop and in other parts you feel like you are in the middle of no where.
If in Nairobi, I would definitely recommend going to the Nairobi National Park but you should also take the opportunity and go to some of the larger parks / game reserves in Kenya. My favorite so far is Buffalo Springs but I have still to many more to visit! Something to keep in mind is that KWS (Kenya Wildlife Service) parks are much more expensive than other parks, especially for a non-resident, which is something to keep in mind when planning a trip to Kenya. But it's worth going!