US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Kicked By A Silverback- Once In A Lifetime!
I booked a Gorilla Trip for mid August in 2015. I went alone as a female and was extremely apprehensive before going. Nicholas helped to plan and coordinate my trip to perfection! He answered every question that I had almost immediately and was extremely reliable and professional during the entire experience. When I arrived to Rwanda I was placed with Eric as my Tour Guide. Eric was friendly, sweet, knowledgeable and overall a great person to have! He made me feel comfortable and I always felt that he put me first as well as my best interests.
The first day we toured Kigali and Eric asked me what I wanted to see and tried his best to make it happen. He included all the must see highlights as we drove to Volcanoes National Park. I ended up staying at the Mountain Gorilla View Lodge which was beautiful! The room was huge (much too big for 1 person) yet cozy. The Eucalyptus permeated the air such a pure and clean smell which is something that I have never experienced before. The following day we headed to the park for our Trek. I chose a medium level difficulty for the trek. Which actually still ended up being pretty hard since you end up hiking on a very very steep incline. The Guide and Porters were friendly and hard working. The trek was beautiful and so very different and unique. I loved every minute of it! We eventually approached the Gorilla's which were securely guarded by armed guards. They may seem scary at first but they are really fun happy guys! Don't be afraid of them there's no need to be! Once we entered into the Gorilla's territory they came very close to us. If there was one experience in my life that seems indescribable this would be it. We ended up being so close that you almost forgot that you are in their world and habitat. Towards the end of our hour experience a Silverback awoke and stood up. The beautiful beast started to come towards me. My guide quickly advised me to squat down and look away from the Silverback. As King Kong became closer he gave little kick (playfully). I was then informed that getting touched by a Gorilla means good luck. This of course just added to the already amazing experience. I mean who gets kicked by a Silverback! Everything about this trip was fantastic. I highly recommend this tour company and my guide Eric! I spent 3 1/2 weeks traveling all over Africa and tackling an astonishing amount of 6 countries in such a short amount of time. Rwanda and this experience was by far my favorite. It's a must do!!!
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Such a great experience ! I am grateful.
The whole trip was perfectly organized. Our driver was not only our driver but became a friend, a member of the group. Whereever we went and whatever we did it was always a very familiar.
FR
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
great safari in Masai Mara and Lake Nakuru
My daughter and I booked our tour through Viator and were happy to be taken care of by Bencia Africa Adventures and safaris. Our safari in Masai Mara was great and we saw so many wild animals. Lake Nakuru Park seemed small compared to Masai Mara but the lake itself with the flamingos and other birds is worth seeing and we had the chance to see a black rhino. Our driver Morris had very sharp eyes and was able to spot the animals easily. George did nice meals for us (great soups!!). The accommodation was basic, which is OK for young people, but at my age I would have enjoyed more comfort. I would definitely recommend this agency especially if you don't have a big budget.
EG
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Over priced
They were good but no one gave us the tickets for the fly back and we waited for almost one hour in the jungle without water for the plane to come
IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Strongly recommended safari operator
It was my first safari and it was a really amazing experience.
I chose Africa Travel Waves because my email correspondence with Edwina, the director, was very clear and with quick responses.
Everything was very well organized and how expected, there were just few changes in the schedule plan in order to put together other travelers with me, but I'm really satisfied of my choice.
Edwina came to pick me up at the airport, and the day after organized for me a city tour with a guide, then she was very helpful with the choice of my hotels.
All the transportation vehicles were ok, I had no problems with the visas, and the game drives were excellent with two expert drivers.
I had just few very little troubles: first 2 nights I was not given the breakfast as agreed by the hotel, but Edwina offered it to remedy, one night the campsite staff didn't know that I had a single room, but then with a phone call to the company it was resolved, and on the last day I thought I had the transportation to the airport included, but I had to pay it by myself, so I suggest you, if booking with this operator, to make clear every detail before the departure.
Anyway I strongly recommend this company for who wants to have a safari in Kenya and in Tanzania.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An outstanding experience in beautiful Tanzania.
Our experience with Restoration Safari far exceeded my expectations. The staff were incredibly warm, knowledgeable, and well prepared. All details were seen to and there were many delightful surprises along the way. As you would expect, we saw a tremendous variety of beautiful animals. However, that was really only the beginning. We also had the opportunity to see a multitude of landscapes in several different regions and parks. We experienced local culture and toured several villages. The lodgings were varied and special; they added great interest to our journey. Truly, ours was the trip of a lifetime in the capable hands of Restoration Safari. I highly recommend this operation!
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great time, flawless communication and planning
After doing a lot of research, we booked for a 4 day private mid-range safari with Bestday. They were very responsive during our planning phase, which made it easy to plan and coordinate. During our safari, they really stepped up and helped us solve a missing suitcase issue which was waiting for us upon our return. Our driver (Six) had tons of experience and relationships with other drivers that allowed him to figure out where the action was and take us there. We loved hanging out the top of our pop-top vehicles and appreciated having it be a private tour so we could control how long we stayed at each site. We really enjoyed each of our lodging choices (Eileen's Trees, Ikoma Tented Camp and Rhino Lodge.) Each was very different from each other which added a fun variety to the experience. We highly recommend Bestday, enjoy your safari!
CY
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Animals, Camera, Action!
Fun filled vacation in Tanzania, the driver/guide was experienced with a quirky sense of humour and I took load of pictures. Thank you for organising the itinerary, will refer to friends who want to go next summer.
US
Experience level: over 5 safaris
Gorilla Trek Africa arranged a wonderful trip to Rwanda and Uganda.
While the trip began as their "double gorilla trek"booking, I soon realized there would be a lot more I wanted to see. My trip had wonderful, close primate opportunities, afforded by mountain gorilla treks in Rwanda (Volcanoes Park) and Uganda (Bwindi Forest), chimpanzee tracking Uganda (Queen Elizabeth Park) and golden monkey hike (Volcanoes Park). All communications, service, guides, accommodations were outstanding. The trip exceeded my expectations, and is highly recommended.
RO
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing six days safari
We completely enjoyed the trip we had organized by Oltomure from the very beginning to the end. They took care of everything from accommodation, transportation (from and to the airport, through the safari), food, etc. We had 6 days safari in Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Manyara parks.
While going to a safari the most important is the guide you have. We were very lucky to have Victor who is having a lot of experience and explained us a lot of things about the animals helping us to understand their behavior. He is very knowledgeable and knew very well the parks. We've seen a lot of lions in attack or sitting (females with cubs and big lion males), leopards which are very expensive at sight, cheetah in attack, lots of buffalos and all the other herbivores as well as lots of birds (with a lot of background details from Victor). He is having the eagle eyes seeing the animals from far away even though very well camouflaged. There were lots of situations where Victor saw the animal right away pointing it to us and we struggled to see it even with the binocular…yes…this is the experience.
Besides the guide the cook is also important in a safari for multiple days. It is important not only to have good food but food good for your organism. We never had any issues with the stomach and this is the best…believe me we’ve heard some bad situations. Mr. Delicious is cooking as per his nick name…absolutely delicious. We totally loved his soups and still trying to find the recipe for the cucumber one J.
We would totally recommend Oltomure to all travelers wishing to have the Safari of their life. The guys are very professionals and at the end everything pays off.
Thank you Victor, Mr. Delicious and Robert for an amazing safari.