US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Easygoing with a range of options for safari
I enjoyed my trip to Botswana and regret that I only had three days in country. The Okavango Delta is among the most unique ecosystems on Earth and spans a vast area. As such, one can only cover a short amount of ground in a standard-length trip, so making the right choice for lodging and tour operator is crucial. I enjoyed my dugout canoe tour immensely, but imagine I’d have seen more wildlife had I chosen a lodge further into the Delta (accessible via bush plane). Botswana is an expensive country, but one that is well worth the cost. That’s said it’s worth noting that the “low end” of the budget requires several hundred dollars per day.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful Experience
We stayed at Little Kwara for two nights after spending 3 nights at Lebala. We travelled by a Cessna 206 from the Lebala airstrip to the Kwara strip—about a 25 minute flight. Little Kwara is a newer, smaller and (I'm told) a bit more luxurious camp than Kwara, which can be seen a few hundred metres away through the trees.
The tents were more like wooden chalets on stilts with large double-bed, bathroom with bath, loo and outside shower area. There were lights, but no electricity points. Gadgets and batteries had to be charged up in an area in the central part of the camp. The bed was very comfortable. Our room had a view on the edge of a wooded area across open savannah down to water. At various times, we saw baboons, elephants and assorted antelope walking across.
The wild life at Little Kwara seemed to be more populous than Lebala. We spent less time looking *for* and more time looking *at* animals. To be fair, I thought Lebala was a pleasanter camp than Little Kwara. For bird fanciers, the boat ride in the delta is a wonderful opportunity to see hundreds in one small area. But there's always an element of luck: another group reported seeing a cheetah with a kill. Unfortunately, when we went back there was no sign of cheetah or kill. The guides thought the local lions had probably chased the cheetah off and completely consumed, including bones, the red lechwe that was killed.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
I loved the professionalism exhibited by Alpha Tours and Safaris during my stay in Tanzania.
Alpha Tours and Safaris Offers authentically world class tour and travel services that i have ever experienced in Tanzania. They stand with the values of the business and have great value for their customers.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Beautiful
Fantastic country. Friendly people and beautiful wildlife. Can’t wait to visit again in the future.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Masai Mara National Reserve by Narayan
Great place - we were in Ashnil Mara Camp by the Mara river - with resident hippos and crocs. Heard a lion roaring in the middle of the night. Sighted lions, antelopes, cheetah, baboons, elephants, hippos, crocs, etc
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Pembury Tours ticked all the boxes we requested for a safari and delivered an amazing experience
Pembury Tours have been really easy to communicate with and very prompt with organising. All our stop over locations were in beautiful settings and plenty to see and do! The Safari tour at Lalibela was amazing. We received 1st class hospitality and the accommodation was excellent! The staff were very welcoming and professional and with the expertise of our Ranger we managed to see 4 out of the big 5! We would go back tomorrow through Pembury Tours of course!
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Gaps in infrastructure, but beautiful wildlife
More than anything, a good guide and driver makes all the difference! We went to Maasai Mara through Perfect Wilderness Tours and Safaris, and Khalifa absolutely made our trip. He was knowledgeable, insightful, funny, and a good driver (despite the extremely rough terrain). More than that, he's fostered good relationships with everyone in and around the park, from rangers to locals to other guides, which gave him an extra edge in creating a memorable experience. If you book with Perfect Wilderness, ask to have him as a guide!
With accommodations, I would recommend skipping the luxury spots and sticking with a basic option. Lenchada Tourist Camp wasn't cushy, but had everything we needed. When you're only going to be there to sleep and have breakfast, it's not worth it to spend the extra money.
One thing I can't recommend is the Maasai cultural experience. If you want to support the tribe beyond your park fees, I would donate to a community fund and skip the show.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Lake Nakuru National Park by Narayan
Semi- arid but we sighted a leopard and three rhinos apart from flamingos (not many), zebras and other animals.
BE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good organisation
From the start, mister Shabani was very honest and puntcual. We were looking for the cheapest safari possible and found that with him. He picked us up at the airport the day before our trip and dropped us at our hotel, the guide picked us up again the next morning and in the end we were dropped back home. Very good service!
When the guide had some troubles paying the entrance fee, we payed it for him and mister Shabani refunded the money the next day, without further problems.
We are very enthusiastic about this company. The only complain we have, is about our guide. He was a very good driver and a good card player, but as a guide he wasn't very talkative. We had to ask everything, and the answers were always very short. Of course, he is not the only guide in the company. We talked to two others, and they seemed to have more knowledge on the topic.
We had a very nice trip, enjoyed the overnight in a great private iglo (even tough we payed only for camping) and were stunned by the national parks.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Beautiful country, lovely people, fantastic safari destination
My son and I had an 8-day Explore the Northern Circuit sarfari with Safari Soles and it was the most amazing experience. Everything was so well-organised and we felt totally looked after, from touching down at Kilimanjaro Airport until we left. We had one night in Arusha to get over the long flight - the Tulia hotel is fine to bookend the safari. We were taken to the art/cultural museum/gallery, which was fascinating, to the Masaai market and then for a sunset hike. Bryson, who owns the business, was there to check everything was OK at the beginning and end of the holiday and to make sure our drivers were there to pick us up at the allocated time. The next day we left on sarfari. Our driver/guide Elias was perfect. He really made the holiday special. So knowledgeable and incredible at finding animals - two pin-pricks on the horizon and somehow he just knew they were rhinos. He was great company throughout, interesting and lovely to chat to and really understood what we wanted from the trip. Half the fun is spotting the animals, but he really delivered. In a few short days we saw two leopard, a cheetah, seven rhino (including a baby), lots of elephants (and several young ones), numerous lions (male, female and cubs), migrating zebra and wildebeest, buffalo, vultures, giraffe, hippo, impala, gazelles, baboons - the list went on and on. We witnessed two female lions separating a zebra from the herd and trying to run it down (unsuccesfully). We visited Tarangire National Park and saw lions resting in a tree (the park is known for it); the Ngorongoro Crater (a Unesco World Heritage site) was truly stunning and the Serengeti was everything I thought it would be. The safari lodges were first rate and exceeded our expectations - we stayed at Farm of Dreams Lodge and Serengeti Safari Lodge - beautiful grounds, large rooms and fantastic staff. The food was superb (very fresh, lots of lovely fish). We also did the day trip to the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro with Baltazary - visited coffee growers, walked to a stunning waterfall and swam in a hot spring - again all well-planned and we felt really looked after. In fact, we felt totally safe the whole time we were in Tanzania - everyone was so friendly and the country is stunningly beautiful. I also did the Balloon ride option with Serengeti Balloon Safaris and it was one of those really special moments I'll never forget. If your budget can stretch to it, then you won't regret it. Absolutely could not fault a thing. Would highly recommend this company and would definitely book with them again. In fact, I really can't wait to go back.
