NL
Gorilla track Uganda
My mother and me went to see the Gorilla's in June. It was truly an amazing experience, something we will never forget. Partly this experience was so good due to the great organization of Gorilla bookings and the good company of our tour-guide Ben. They arranged literally everything for us, so we did not have to worry about anything and could just enjoy the beautiful country of Uganda.
This trip has been a blast and I can strongly advise everyone to book with this company. They make your trip very easy.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
4-Day-Safari-Eco-Camp (Group joining budget safari)
It was a great and very affordable safari trip. Big 5s are there!! And much much more
Individual ratings and why:
Safari transportation staff: 5 stars. Why? Our driver was extremely friendly, funny, spoke very well English and it was a pleasure riding in his van. (Name: Sammy)
Onsite-payment: 2 stars. Why? Besides the upfront payment online, the rest was enquired in cash; I thought it can be done via credit card. There was no information on cash payment (at least I don’t remember seeing this). This crashed our liquid money and we couldn’t by many presents after all.
Transportation: 4 stars. Why? There was some vehicle switching in the beginning and our luggage was in a different van, no big deal- but it’s always better to have your own luggage in the trunk behind you. It was guaranteed that the other vans will reach the same destination, but Africa is Africa.
Cars/Vans: 5 stars. Why? The van was always cleaned overnight (by our driver) and there was not one spot of dirt the next days. All trash items which were left behind during the day have been removed by the driver.
Eco-Camp: 3.5 stars. Why? The eco camp was fine, remember you stay in tents. The camp was very clean and the staff friendly. The only conflict was that there is only power (to charge electronic) for two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening. This not just only affected charging cameras or phones, it also affected the lights in the tents. Please bring flashlights and hang up in the tent, otherwise you run in the dark. Power in the morning was difficult (5-7am), you only get technically one hour of charging in, because the tours start at 6am. (We had a solar flashlight with USB connector; that means you can use the flashlight for light and the self-charging solar panel, you can re-charge your phone on the go).
Food: 5 stars. Why? The food provided in the camp was plenty and nothing exotic or odd. There are several choices to take from the buffet. Traveling with children, there was plenty they liked. The food on the road for an all day trip was packed and prepared with love. Nice things and plenty.
Water supply: 4 stars. Why? Since this is an all-meals-included safari, water goes with it. I believe it was 1 liter per person per day, which is pretty good and plenty. But, depending on from which operator you are booking from, the water might be at the camp or in one of the vans. Our water was not at the camp and in one of the vans, which had left the camp after we were dropped off. We made friends and borrowed a liter bottle from others to drink and to use for brushing teeth. That was not great organized, but manageable – since we were all one big family.
Again, I can only recommend this safari- it’s fun and a nice getaway; and we will do it again.
I went with my two children (13+14) –kids friendly (…. I must say that my two daughters are very well behaved, and know the rules)
One last note: We went in February- bring warm clothing. It gets real cold at night in the tent and game drives start at 6am; chill temps.
Don’t forget the pack some sun screen lotion, the sun gets strong during the day.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Doing a safari with a friendly and knowledgeable driver/guide makes all the difference!
The communications with Wildebeest Safaris LTD was mostly by email, which I appreciated. We were picked up from our hotel on time and delivered to the tour bus (both the hotel and tour pickup location were in Nairobi) that would take us to Maasai Mara about a 5 hour drive away. There were 2 people in our party and a total of 7 people on our 9 passenger bus. We were fortunate to have a friendly, chatty group of people on our bus. It's a loooong drive. The people we drove to Maasai Mara with were the same people we would end up spending the next 3 days with.
Our specific tour was for 12 year old guests and older. We were grateful to not have very young passengers on our bus for 3 days.
While on safari, our driver, Raheem, communicated by radio with the other drivers to be sure we saw the Big Five. If one tour group found a specific animal on the savanna, he would radio the other drivers so they could head right to that spot. We lucked out and saw the Big Five as well as so many other animals.
Raheem was attentive to our group and helpful in every way possible. I was not feeling well on our last day and he was concerned and sensitive to my issue. Fortunately, I was able to make it back to Nairobi without incident.
We were fortunate to have a group of people on our bus that all spoke English and were friendly. There were other tour groups that just didn't seem to be having as much fun as we were. I feel like I've made friends for a lifetime.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
I got value for my money and enjoyed every bit of my safari package. Kudos Sana Adventures
Very organised and awesome communication. Fulfilling.
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Heading- A Great and Memomorable Safari
Communication and service and safari itself was good.So next time I choose again for Solaris Tours and Safaris.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A good experience from beginning to end
Very professional from the time we were met. Guide was friendly and accomodating. Enjoyed accomodation at Amboselli. Very comfortable relaxing and friendly. Safari tours were varied and guide knowledgable. Would recommend
AR
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excelente aventura. Guia muy experimentado. Viaje entre 20/05 y 27/05/2017
La atención de Ryan, Thale y sus ayudantes fue muy buena. El es un experimentado hombre de campamento. La familia nos ofreció su tienda para comer y nos hicieron probar en varias oportunidades el vino local, que es muy rico. El safari cubrió nuestras expectativas, aunque debo reconocer que no poder bajar del vehículo en ningún momento fue un poco cansador. No obstante ello, quiero mencionar algunos puntos que tienen que ver con la información y satisfacción del cliente, entendiendo que le puede servir a otros viajeros:
-Nosotros, probablemente por una cuestión de marketing, y de mirar los capítulos exitosos de Animal Planet o de NatGeo, no estábamos bien informados de la dinámica de Kruger, de que “no es un zoo” como nos manifestó Ryan, y que los felinos pueden aparecer… o no. Hay que estar preparado para ello.
-No somos asiduos viajeros de aventura, ni de safari, pero hemos recorrido bastantes lugares del Caribe y America del sur; y como turistas internacionales nos sorprendió un poco no poder decir cuántas veces quisiéramos que se detenga de tal o cual forma para sacar una fotografía… teníamos que aceptar el criterio de Ryan, como si estuviésemos haciendo su safari y no el nuestro…
-De acuerdo a lo manifestado en los correos previos mantenidos con Thale, en ningún momento se nos dijo que la bebida no estaba incluida en el precio… ni siquiera el agua. Se mencionó que la comida estaba cubierta, menos dos almuerzos y una cena, pero nada más. Tampoco el almuerzo del dia de salida estaba cubierto. Nosotros supusimos que la bebida si, porque se nos pidió indicar en formulario previo de adhesión nuestra preferencia por el tipo de bebida, y esto nos creó confusión…. De todos modos, reitero que Ryan nos invitó con vino en varias oportunidades. Para evitar la confusión sugerimos que quiten del formulario previo la mención a preferencia de bebidas y que agreguen, en cambio, una mención muy clara indicando que la bebida no está incluida en el precio.
-En una parada del camino de regreso, Ryan se enojó con nosotros por regatear el precio de algunas artesanías, manifestando que esa gente pobre tiene días y días de trabajo sobre cada artículo, y que no es moralmente aceptable ese regateo. Pues bien, luego de abonar una obra casi U$40, encontramos exactamente la misma en Johannesburgo por la mitad de precio. Asi que como le contesté, Ryan debe dejar a los turistas ser turistas y limitarse a opinar sobre su actividad de guía, que es lo que conoce.
-Tomen los servicios de Wild Planet Safari y al finalizar, recuerden solicitar el pen drive o la memoria prometida con las fotos tomadas por Ryan o por Lungisani. Se les olvidó entregarnos la nuestra.
The attention of Ryan, Thale and his assistants was very good. He is an experienced camp man. The family offered us their tent to eat and we did try the local wine several times which is very rich. The safari met our expectations, although I must admit that being unable to get off the vehicle at any time was a bit tiring. Nevertheless, I want to mention some points that have to do with information and customer satisfaction, understanding that this can serve other travelers:
We, probably because of a marketing issue, and looking at the successful chapters of Animal Planet TV or NatGeo TV, we were not well informed of Kruger's dynamics, that" it's not a zoo"as Ryan told us, and that felines may appear ... or not. You have to be prepared for it.
We are not very adventure travelers, nor safari, but we have visited many places in the Caribbean and South America; And as international tourists we were a little surprised not to be able to say how many times we wanted to stop in some way or another to take a picture ... we had to accept Ryan's criteria, as if we were doing his safari and not ours...
According to the previous emails maintained with Thale, at no time told us that the drink was not included in the price ... not even the water. It was mentioned that the food was covered, minus two lunches and one dinner, but nothing more. Also the lunch on the day of departure was not covered. We assumed that the drink would, because we were asked to indicate in our previous membership form our preference for the type of drink, and this created confusion... Anyway, I reiterate that Ryan invited us with wine on several occasions. To avoid confusion we suggest that you remove from the previous form the mention of beverage preference and instead add a very clear mention stating that the drink is not included in the price
At a stop on the way back, Ryan was angry with us for haggling over the price of some handicrafts, stating that these poor people have days and days of work on each item, and that bargaining is not morally acceptable. Well, after paying a work almost U$ 40, we find exactly the same in Johannesburg for half the price. So, as I said, Ryan must let tourists be tourists and just comment on his guide activity, which is what he knows.
Take the services of Wild Planet Safari and at the end, remember to request the pen drive or the promised memory with the photos taken by Ryan or Lungisani. They forgot to give us ours.
AR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
I am very happy i had chosen them for this great experience.
The Safari, the Guide, The chef...everything was more than i expected. We saw a lot of animals, everything was well organized and carry on...A better price than other companies. i am really happy that i dod this experience with them. Evelyn was very servicial and helpfull all times..Thanks Seven Wonders!
GA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Good Budget Safari
Communication with company was very good prior to safari. They were quickly responsive to any question that we had. Upon arrival, pick-up at the airport was smooth and tour group was able to arrange for in-town transportation for us as we had a full day in Arusha before the start of our safari. The driver was professional and Footslopes arranged for a good price.
Footslopes walked us to an ATM machine and helped us pick out SIM cards and then properly load them on our phones. This was really appreciated.
The safari vehicle was nice and comfortable with a pop-top to be able to take good pictures of the animals.
The wildlife and bird watching was excellent in all of the parks we visited. Our guide was quite knowledgeable about animals and birds.
This is a budget safari and if you're not as worried about dining selections and hot water and more worried about animals and birding, then this is the safari for you.
We do recommend this tour but with the knowledge that it is a budget/value option.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Young Men with a vision
At first I did not want to risk. Just like any other person I wanted to see the credibility of these guys..The moment I decided to give them I shot I was glad I did..right from pick up Patrick was so kind and welcoming. I was ushered into a luxurious tour van which made my travel even better than I expected. The whole safari took 3 days 2nights..I got the chance to visit and masai mara. Thank You guys for making my holiday a success. Will surely recommend