AL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great good guys.
Moses organised a super tour on short notice. He upgraded us for free.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
They did a really great job making an amazing tour for me.
Prisca was always very responsive every time I messaged him with a question before and during the trip. He was also able to adapt the trip really well when two others on my tour had to cancel at the last minute.
Christopher my driver and tour guide was an excellent driver and great at solving any problems around fitting activities in and working around what I wanted to prioritise.
The trip was also good value. The gorilla and chimpanzee permits are locked in prices so there’s not much they can do about that but everything else seemed very reasonable.
I thoroughly enjoyed the tour, but I would recommend more time at lake Bunyonyi. Also, the Chimpanzee trekking was a little disappointing as the chimps were up in the trees for the entire hour. Not much you can do about that though, and some other people said that the chimps had spent a lot more time on the ground when they were there. There might be other good (and cheaper) places to try chimp trekking. Just ask Prisca, he’s good at accommodating your needs!
All in all, I can recommend this tour and Christopher to anyone!
IE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Be careful to avoid a trip from a nightmare
Tl Dr: If you dare to book with Glory, confirm your exact itinerary, find out who delivers the services, whether she takes responsibility for anything at all from what she sells to you and then cross your fingers to not end up like me.
I was recommended Glory by the manager of the Shoki Shoki hostel in Zanzibar city as I was looking for a last minute safari. At first she had nothing available but a few days later she contacted me on WhatsApp with an offer to join two other travelers to Mikumi on a three day trip. She sent me a picture with an itinerary, the price and the starting date.
I gladly accepted, paid on her website after checking her reviews here and looked forward to the trip to Mikumi with a visit to a Masai village teh first evening, a full day game drive the second day, a dinner show the second night and a sunrise walk up a hill the third morning with private transfers between Dar and Mikumi and meals included.
My "guide" Joseph met me at the ferry in Stonetown and put me into a car with two other people in Dar waving me goodbye after exchanging only a few sentences on the ferry.
I felt that this was a bit weird but went with it, thinking that the other man in the car is my new guide.
Our driver dropped us at a bus station outside Dar. Ar this point I started asking questions and found out that we had no guide but rather Joseph gave some cash to my fellow traveler who happened to be a very nice local man to help me get to Mikumi and to cover my share of the safari car. The agent told him that another man will pick me up at the bus stop.
This was followed by a 7 hour drive on a local public bus.
Unfortunately there was nobody at the bus stop and Joseph was not answering the calls of my fellow traveler.
At this point I contacted Glory and asked her what is happening with the visit to the Masai village, why didn't I get a private transfer and why don't I have a guide?
She told me that she never saw the itinerary she sent me. She only forwarded that as she simply outsourced me to Joseph. She didn't organize my trip ( only took a cut) and told me that the itinerary I received was never achievable from the price I paid. At this point I was fuming.
She did not want to take responsibility as in her view Joseph was the one that owed me the services.
Eventually she organized to pay for my park entry fee and my packed lunch but I had to pay my second night of accommodation, organize another bus ride back to Dar, sit on a crowded, uncomfortable bus for another 7 hours, get my own transfer from the station outside Dar to the ferry and pay for my meals on the 2nd and third day.
At the end I got a 4hr game drive in a car from around 1980 and spent 2 full days traveling there and back on some horrendous buses, spent the whole time worrying about how will I make my way back, spent an extra $50-100 on top of what I paid up front and got a lower back pain that took me two weeks to get rid of.
And what was Glory's response? It wasn't her responsibility. She trusted the wrong people but that is not her fault.
What about the fact that I paid her, based on an itinerary that she never intended to fulfil? - you may ask. She thought that was not her fault either. "I should have known that this itinerary was not achievable. "
She reassured me that no matter how I feel about this trip God understands that she is a good person and thus all is good. Let's just say that I didn't quite agree.
Would I recommend Glory's glorious travel agency? Not this time. Thanks.
Similarly, I would not pay a penny to Joseph's wonderful agency, Jodari Expeditions either.
Stay away from these people if you can.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Attentive to all the details, customized and personal experience, and incredibly knowledgeable.
My partner and I absolutely loved our 5-day experience with Wild Planet Safaris. We started with four days on safari in two different camps in Kruger, followed by a day of exploring the Panorama route. Thale (Wild Planet coordinator) advised us on every aspect of the transportation, activities, logistics, and options.
Thale responded very quickly and professionally to our questions and requests while planning the trip. Before and during the trip, she helped incorporate everything we wanted into our itinerary.
Our guides, Chris and Sani, drove us on morning, afternoon, and evening game drives and shared their incredible knowledge of the bush. They tailored the drives to our interests, and took us to the best locations to see rare game. Because of them and their knowledge, we saw a huge number of animals and birds. Highlights included baby cheetahs, giraffes, hippos, hyenas, vultures, lions (male, female, and cubs), and elephants galore! They even took us to the rare sighting of an elephant carcass with predators feeding at dawn. They also set up a night drive and a morning bush walk with the Kruger park rangers at our request. Both were incredible!
The service was excellent. They made sure we were comfortable with prepared meals four-times a day. We chose to camp during the trip, and they set up and packed camp quickly, allowing us to maximize time enjoying animals and exploring. They cooked almost every meal, and we especially loved the freshly barbecued bush brai, shared family-style. Sani's curry was a huge hit after a long day of adventure.
The five day package was great value, and we were lucky to have such an accommodating guide to plan our customized tour. We had a completely private tour experience. We slept in comfortable and warm cots in spacious tents, with electricity provided. I'm 6'5" and could stand up straight in the tent. All of the camp restrooms and showers were clean and well-maintained. Almost all meals were included in our package, and we spent very little money on the occasional lunch during travel days.
Our guides Chris and Sani were incredibly respectful and we enjoyed getting to know them and their backgrounds. They both were extremely gracious to us, helping us have the best experience possible. They were attentive to the smallest details, ensuring we ate with a table cloth and tailored the menu to accommodate our dietary restrictions. We felt very safe during the entire trip, both in terms of security, animals, and Covid 19.
We would absolutely use Wild Planet Safari again in the future and have already recommended them to our friends and family.
US
EXCELLENT SAFARI!
It was the best vacation trip my wife and I have taken in a very long time and will be remembered for a long time.
This was a private Safari for 19 days in both Kenya and Tanzania for me and my wife.
Guides:
Both Guides were knowledgeable and informative. Their driving skills were second to none.
In Kenya, our driver George was great. We really connected with him. He went over and above what we expected. If we were to go again, we would want him as our Guide/Driver.
In Tanzania, Stuart was a great driver/guide as well.
Both allowed us to adjust our schedule to suit our needs and made sure we saw everything.
Lodges:
The Tented lodges exceed our expectations in every way. We would stay at these again.
The tour included a sunrise Ballon Safari in Masai Mara. it was a great addition to the tour.
NL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Amazing safari company
We booked a 5 day luxury private safari, with direct flight to the Serengeti. From the start communication was good. Quick response, tailored itinerary with prices within a blink of the eye. Every question was answered immediately, with great friendliness.
The price/ value balance is amazing. They booked us the best luxury accommodations and the best rooms/ tents with amazing views. Everything was well organised. The safari car was in good condition and the driver/ guide was friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. We had an amazing safari, everything went smoothly. We would definitely recommend this safari company!
ES
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Highly recommended
It was our honeymoon. We did the 5 day tarangire, serengeti and ngorongoro safari. We went with two wonderful guides. The Spanish translator Justin and the driver Lemomo. The two good friends, always looking out for us. Good explanation of the parks and the Maasai culture. Very careful with the luggage and with our things. Every day the car cleaned and collected. Very punctual. They adapt to our preferences. Very friendly and polite. Totally recommended, we would repeat with them. From now on we are rafiki. Thank you very much!!!!!
(automatic translation from Spanish)
BE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
EXCEPTIONAL
We took the 4-day/3-night budget option offered by Topy Tour.
We first spent the first night in a very good budget lodge. The other two nights were camping and everything went well too, but beware if you like comfort, camping there are not many! (It's adventure and it's an unforgettable experience)
The first night before the safari and the last night after the safari as well as the return journeys from the airport are included in the price. We were grouped with people from another agency to do the tour. We were 6 in the jeep and everything went very well! The guide was therefore from another agency than that of Topy tour.
JACKSON is the person from Topy tour that I contacted to book the safari. He is very available, very kind and answered all my questions (and there were some).
BENJAMIN was our guide for the entire safari. He is an extremely nice person, always in a very good mood, he did everything so that we could see as many animals as possible, he did not hesitate to make detours for us, to place himself so that we could see perfectly the animal, to sing, laugh, share! It really is a pearl and I did not expect to have such an exceptional guide! Thank you Benjamin, you're the best Babalao!
ERICK was our chef. He prepared excellent meals for us in very large quantities! I did not expect to eat so well and I was pleasantly surprised! He too, always in a good mood, he sang, danced and with Benjamin, they made a pair!
(Small message to the agencies: Keep Benjamin and Erick, they are great people who provide indescribable and unique experiences!)
So thank you to Topy tour, Benjamin, Erick and Jackson for this exceptional experience!
(automatic translation from French)
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent Tour and Good Value
Wonderful tour! Did the six-day Panoramic Route and Kruger. Hotel in Kruger was booked so they put us at the Idube Lodge in Sabie Sands for two nights. Animal viewing and accommodations were much better than in Kruger so be sure to request this modification (you still do a day trip to Kruger). First three nights were at the Hazyview Lodge. Both lodges were upscale, clean, comfortable, well-located, and had excellent food and service. Yacob, Stanley, and Keegan were our guides, and they were all super knowledgeable and friendly. Vehicles were clean, comfortable, and air-conditioned. Everything went smoothly. Excellent value. Highly recommend!
NL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY
Long story short we paid for a 5 Safari days.
On the day 4 we found out that the 5th day of the Safari was… going to the airport.
So the amount that we paid to this company, included the entrance in Tarangiri park 1 morning + the use of the Jeep for a morning safari and they just took us to the airport and kept that money to them. When I spoke with the person in charge he said that he wanted to make it right so he would do a refund of 318€. 10 days have passed and Haron is ignoring my emails. First he gave an excuse that he was in Nairobi and after then ignoring emails and phone calls… not happy at all.
Besides this incident, we also paid based on accommodation. On the 3rd night we paid for a Serena Hotel in Ngorongoro cratera and we found out, once we left the cratera, that we werent staying there….
Keep in mind that there are thousands of Safari companies who will definitely provide a better service. As an example, during lunch time, we always had a very basic lunch box (cold items) and we saw several companies coming with warm meal and providing a total different (and better) experience to the customer.