Experience level: 2-5 safaris
highly professional and well organised
Good professional driver / guide. Well organised and timely service.
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Bwindi-Gorilla-Tour 2017
A dream came true. We visited the gorillas in the Bwindi National Park. The whole organization was organized by Speke Uganda Holidays. Everything worked perfectly. Many Thanks. We would like to come back to Uganda.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very good experience.
I think the trip was excellent. And the attention from the online guys was good until.......
It was awkward for all of us when Jimmy was informed by office - this, half-way to Queen Elizabeth Park - that I needed to pay the rest of the fee before we proceeded . However, I hadn't receive a email reminder, and as I had booked some months previously, I finally figured out that I really hadn't.
So, we had to do several bank withdrawals along the way, on separate days, in order to fix this. I expect one of the online guys forgot to send the reminder, just like I forgot I needed to pay it. (Sorry guy(s) , I'm sure neither of us did this intentionally).
I would definitely recommend a trip with Safari Bookings
But it was solved and I definitely would recommend the trip.
CA
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Safari experience met bucket list expectations
We travelled March 1 - 15 2017 with Go Touch Down, one week in Capetown and one week on the Johannesburg tour which included 3 days safari at Kapama River Lodge. Our stay in Capetown met more than our expectations from the one bedroom apartment to the "Gordon Ramsay" meals to our efficient guide. The only bump in the road was our two day stay at Dunkeld Estates prior to our safari. We travelled as a group of 4 and had booked the trip in 2015. Upon arrival we were told that they were overbooked and that we would have to stay in a Fisherman's Cabin 10 min walk away from our friends who were put in a guest suite. When I questioned the manager why we were separated from our friends when the booking was placed in 2015 she told me room assignment did not have anything to do with when the reservation was made, and that it was not her problem. What we found in the cabin was one hanger in the closet, a front door that would not latch, to keep it closed one had to lock it, no safe, television that did not work, and no phone to call someone for assistance so we had to walk the 10 min back to reception to get someone, no lighting at night to walk back to the cabin all the while hoping that we were able to spot the horse dung that had been deposited along the way. Service in the restaurant very slow. We were the only table for all 3 meals we had there, and dinner took 2 hours to complete. Our friend who was in a guest suite found what looked like potato bugs walking on the bathroom floor both nights of our stay. I sent a letter to the C.O.O. of Go Touch Down 4 weeks ago outlining my experience and to date no reply and at this point do not expect one.
I found Go Touch Down in Oakville to be more than accommodating and organized. I would recommend travelling with them for the Capetown tour, but as Dunkeld Estates is owned and operated by Go Touch Down
avoid the Johannesburg tour, and book with someone else. The safari portion at Kapana River Lodge was outstanding . It provided excellent accommodations and the thrill of seeing 4 of the 5 Big Five up close and personal. Never did I expect to have a male lion walk right passed the safari vehicle or a giraffe standing two feet away.
Professionally organised trip, good lodges, excellent wildlife guides
Kingfisher Safaris arranged our trip in a very professional manner, with no communication glitches, and with excellent liaison with the local Zambian tour company. We stayed in two lodges in South Luangwa National Park. The lodges were actually situated very close to each other and game drives from each covered the same territory, but we saw different wildlife on each drive, so this was not a serious drawback. The lodges were very well run and the time was organised in a very efficient manner between rest, daytime safaris and night drives. The lodge staff were friendly and professional, and our wildlife guides were excellent.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Excellent and very Responsive. They are customized according to budget.
They are very friendly &responsive. Customer care is good before, during & after travel. Their wide reach in the region makes them a good choice within the areas where we work.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Soweto and Joburg Tour
We really had a fantastic time, Willy was always on time and he is a good tour guide.Willy explained every place we went and I understood we were not even afraid to ask questions.I also learned that Johannesburg is not all about history has many things to offer Coffee shops and food market etc.I will definitely recommend Mount Zion tours to tourist because they are really professional.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Safari is the best part of Kenya but be prepared for lower service quality
We had with my wife a private 3 day Safari. The trip started in Amboseli, which was amazing - lot of animals and beautiful nature views. Kibo camp where we stayed was also great - tents were perfect, cozy and totally comfy. Then we moved to Tsavo West, which was a bit less interesting. It was very dry and we saw almost no animals. Luckily we are huge fans of nature, which was beautiful also there, so we were happy anyway - but I can imagine that "regular" tourists would be disappointed from seeing no animals there. The Ngulia Lodge where we stayed was also not a very nice place - very old, empty and with low service quality. Our guide Anthony was a nice guy, however he was more like a driver than a guide. He drove us safely to all of our agreed places, but he didn't provide us many additional information - only the name of an animal and some high-level basic info. He also paid more attention to his "fellow guides" than to us, which caused that we stayed for couple of minutes every 500m, when we met some other Safari car to have a talk with them. In general the Safari was great experience, but the service level could have been much better for so much money.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A great experience, accommodating company, very professional guide.
I was shopping for a last minute trip to Africa, with less than two weeks notice. I didn't have time to do a lot of research, or join another group, so I started emailing companies I found online about options. Home to Africa was quick to respond, and willing to organize a trip for me, solo, on the dates I could travel. They sent several itinerary options for me to consider and kept in close contact to answer questions until it was settled.
There were a few issues with details, which I gave feedback for them to improve (like knowing how to wire money so that we don't all get hit with big fees; being clear about how much drive time was expected each day and offering stops; knowing if there was periodic wifi service available; providing a beverage as part of the meal; and being explicit about who tips at each stop on my behalf- little details that show top notch professional service).
Overall, my itinerary was a very good tour of the country. I could tell they had planned it to be as comfortable as possible for me (although this meant eating and staying at some places I would not have picked because they were situated and oriented only to tourists). Because my itinerary was designed to see highlights that were far apart, I had looong days in the car, so that is something to consider for your trip. The roads are not always in good shape, so it can be slow going, but I did also see a lot of interesting things out the window!
My guide Paul was an excellent driver, he was very professional and knowledgeable about what we were seeing. We saw all the wildlife I expected, I was able to talk with him about Uganda's history and politics, about conservation issues and natural history of the animals.... it is no small thing to be traveling with someone every day, all day, for 12 days and have a good experience. I had seen similar reviews of Paul and concur he is a pro!
I am happy to answer questions about this company, I recommend both their services and Uganda as a destination- this was my first trip to Africa. I never felt unsafe, and was able to have a very comprehensive experience of culture, landscape, and 'safari animals' in a 12 day tour.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Good choice!
If you want a safari these are the men for the job.
This safari was from Mombasa and we'd already had a safari from Nairobi earlier in the holiday with a different company where things had not gone according to plan and we were worried that this would be a repeat performance. We needn't have worried; this was a totally different experience and we quickly felt at ease and started to enjoy ourselves.
We opted for airport transfers and Max, the boss-man himself, was there waiting for us, with a big sheet of paper with our names on held high. We have often had problems of one sort or another with this type of meeting, but this time it was perfect.
On the day the safari began he was again already waiting for us when we came down to reception and introduced us to our driver & guide, Bashir. Bashir is a star. We saw and learned more than we had expected thanks to his comprehensive knowledge and helpfulness. The safari bus was in good order and he kept it clean & tidy, unlike some others we saw. Throughout the safari Bashir made sure we were well watered, well informed and as comfortable as possible, given the condition of the 'roads', and always seemed to know where the animals were to be found. We were always delivered to and collected from our overnight accommodation on time and it was always of the quality we had chosen, although there were a couple of substitutions - this is normal, and was explained early on in our booking.
Once again, on our departure, Max was waiting for us and we were taken to the airport in good time in the comfort of his personal car.
A safari is not something we'll be lucky enough to do again for a few years at least but when we do we'll be knocking on Max's door for sure.