US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Bait and switch
We are 3 weeks into a trip with Wayfairer. So far they have greatly disappointed us. We requested, had confirmed and paid for 5 star lodgings. The average price we paid is $3,500 per day. They have put us in primarily $200-300 a night hotels.
We have multiple times asked them to correct hotels. They have corrected 2 hotels after we pointed out the big discrepancy. They have done nothing proactively.
Today we are checking into a $200 a night hotel by the airport. We are staying over night in Johannesburg for no reason. Their lack of planning has us here needlessly. We are taking a shuttle to a distant hotel when there is a hotel at the airport.
I am with my pregnant wife and our two children. I could not even have imagined such a bad experience for our family.
We feel ripped off. They claim to be a luxury travel company and they demand full payment up front. Then they book you in cheap hotels.
We believe that we have been scammed. Be warned.
ES
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excelent
I had an incredible 9-day vibrant journey touring the breathtaking landscapes of Uganda. The communication was seamless, and the flexibility of the itinerary was truly exceptional. It was an unforgettable and remarkable experience that exceeded all my expectations.
PT
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Very trustworthy to have great days in Uganda
They were excellent with me since the very beginning. All was arranged as decided and their recommendations were really good. I had the programme of 10 days and the highlight was the trekking of mountain gorillas. It was, that’s for sure, a great programme with plenty of amazing pictures and videos.
During those days I saw so many things of wildlife that made this a wonderful experience. And I must tell it was not the first time I had safaris. I was before in Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa.
This time I discovered Uganda, and I strongly recommend this experience with Tubale Safaris to others that have interest in this, as I do.
My first contact was by e-mail, and then Whatsapp, with Anette. She made me feel totally confortably and it was great how she answered fast to all my questions.
Then I got Brian as driver and guide. He couldn’t be better to me! With him I met a country, with its people, animals, landscape and stories.
So, if you’d like to have an exciting experience in the wild, I suggest to choose them. I was very pleased, for sure! Now I have 4000 pictures and videos to edit and my friends just can’t wait to see them.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Peter and his staff are some of the most beautiful and professional people ever!
Laxatrails is a great company to do business with for an unforgettable experience of a lifetime. Professional tour guides. Accomodations that are worth the money. Peter and his staff are very lovely. This is the trip for you if you're a fan of nature, wildlife, and culture. The Kenyan people are a lovely people. We will be returning as many times as we can.
CH
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Big 5 Experience
We booked a 14 day safari with Gilmag Safaris and were worried about the reliability of the service, but when we read review feedbacks from previous customers, we knew we were going to be in the right hands. They were much cheaper than some other quotes received. Mary and her team were there for us and went the extra mile with every possible request had. Mary was always available on WhatsApp and her email replying was also exceptionally fast.
Nickson was a great driver and very friendly, making us feel comfortable from the first moment we met him. The safari was everything I wanted it to be. Within the first 2 days of the safari we saw all of the big five. We saw countless animals: lions, buffalo, leopards, elephants, Giraffes, Rhinos, Warthogs, impalas, Waterbucks, etc (all at close range). Don’t doubt and use this company. You won’t be disappointed! They mean business!
10/10 for Gilmag Safaris! What an amazing experience. We shall definitely come back and recommend you to our friends and colleagues.
MX
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Gorilla Trekking
Everything perfect, Medard was a great driver and great guide, very good communication.
Highly recommended!!
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Makario Safaris is a top notch organizer of a once in a lifetime trip to visit Rwanda.
I reached out to Makario Safaris along with two other companies, as suggested by Safari Bookings, to arrange a private tour for my wife and I centered around a trip to Five Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and a mountain gorilla trek. Alice from Makario was very quick to respond and after a few emails back and forth she was able to put together a package that included a night in Kigali upon arrival and three nights at the 5 Volcanoes Boutique hotel. We ultimately chose to use Makario instead an other company because of the quickness of Alice's responses and the thoroughness of the package she put together for us.
One thing to consider is that Makario does not accept credit card payments, so we had to use wire transfers to send funds which, understandably, can be a bit disconcerting if you are dealing with a company from a foreign country that you were not previously familiar. Makario required we put down a 30% payment upon booking with the remainder due 45 days out from the trip. I would highly recommend using Wise, an app that specializes in foreign bank transfers, as there were some issues with the initial attempt directly from my bank.
Because of the issues with wire, I got to interact with John the CEO of Makario who helped get things worked out. (The issues had nothing to do with Makario, it was a bank error on our end)
As we got closer to the time of the trip, Alice stayed in touch confirming the all the necessary permits had been secured and lodgings booked.
On the day we were supposed to depart, our initial flight out of the US was delayed enough so that we would miss our connection to Kigali in Amsterdam and delay our arrival by 15+ hours. I stayed in touch with Alice via What's App and she was able to adjust to the last minute change on the fly.
When we finally landed in Kigali, we were met by an airport official just as were were getting off the plane who helped guide us through immigration and customs thru a special express lane. After 30+ hours of travel this was a very welcome surprise as I wasn't expecting to see our name on a placard until after we cleared customs.
Once thru the airport, the airport official took us to meet Mansoor, who would be our guide the rest of the way. Alice had asked if we wanted to have a hotel room ready upon arrival to freshen or start the tour as originally planned with a city tour of Kigali and lunch? We thought it best to get started as we thought if we went into a hotel room at that point, we might never come out!
Mansoor met us at the airport in large Toyota Landcruiser tourist vehicle which was clean and stocked with bottled water. We would be spending a lot of time with Mansoor during our stay in Rwanda. His English is excellent; he is extremely knowledgeable, and clearly very proud his country while being happy to show it to foreign visitors. Getting to spend time with Mansoor and hear about his family and his country's history was one of the highlights of the trip for us. He also was able to "read the room" and knew when to stick to the schedule and when to offer a slight alternative based on current conditions. Thanks Mansoor!
The centerpiece of our trip was of course the trek up to see the mountain gorillas! This ended up being a great physical challenge (one of the hardest of my life!) and incredibly rewarding. It took about three hours of trekking straight up thru thick, dense vegetation and bamboo to reach the family we were assigned to see. I highly, highly, highly recommend if you do this trek to hire one of the local porters made available to you at the start. Not only does it help the local economy, but, and I am not exaggerating, I don't think I could have completed the trek without the help of my porter. (For context: I am a 59 year old male in good physical condition who plays golf 2-3 times a week walking without a cart)
Once we reached our gorilla family, the hour we spent with them was truly magical. To be able to see them in their natural habitat is amazing and a once in a lifetime experience. The trek is lead by one of the park ranger's. Our ranger was Ignacious. He briefed us on how to behave (and not behave!) when in the presence of the gorillas. He was immensely knowledgeable and made sure everyone in our group knew what to do and how to stay safe.
In addition to the gorilla trek, we also did a (much less rigorous!) trek to see the Golden Monkeys of the same park, a cultural visit to a village of former poachers, and a boat ride around the twin lakes near the park.
We spent three nights at Five Volcanoes Boutique Hotel. The hotel staff was extremely friendly and helpful. The rooms were clean and spacious but the wifi and tv service were spotty. The food at the hotel was good, and they did provide a nice bag of snacks to bring along for the day activities and after returning from trekking, they gave us much appreciated foot massages and cleaned our shoes!
On the last day, we drove back to Kigali and had lunch at Heaven Restaurant. Before dropping us off at the airport, Mansoor, knowing that I was a golfer, took a quick detour so I could see the city golf course which looks fabulous!
Overall, I was completely satisfied by the job of Makario Safaris especially Alice and Mansoor. It was nice to be able to sit back and enjoy the beauty of this incredible country while feeling safe and in capable hands. The the trip they put together for us, the attention to detail, the communication was all on point. And when things went a bit sideways, as travel sometimes does, they were quick to adjust and make sure the impact was minimal.
I would high recommend Makario Safaris to family and friends or anyone interested in visiting this part of the world.
NZ
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Organised
We are a retired couple and were looking to get a close-up feel of an African experience at a reasonable cost. Online we discovered Sekanka Travel. The Safari is a 'partnership'. The support staff set up and clean up camp, gather the firewood, prepare wholesome and nutritious food, warm up the water for a hasty private bush shower and lay out the drinks table around the fire for the return of the hard working guests after a game viewing drive or boat excursion.
The eagle eyed guides give expert identification and background information on game, bird life and local flora. Think 'those rocks are actually hippos, that log is a crocodile, the lions eating that hippo killed it last night!'
In tough terrain, mechanical glitches (apparently rare) do happen. Support from head office and a resourceful and resilient crew kept the show close to schedule.
Meet, greet and transfers all went extremely smoothly.
A great adventure, life long memories and a few stories to embellish back home.
Thanks team.
SA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Supportive flexible guide
We were a group of 10 and had two cars. I was mostly with Mr. James who is an excellent guide.
He is also flexible to our requests and tries to effectively utilise the entire time. During the safari he is in constant communication with other groups through phone and wireless radio system to ensure that we do not miss any opportunities.
I would like to thank and appreciate Mr. James for his support.
SA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent service, Really flexible and experienced tour Guides
Well planned Itinerary that fits our budget and covers almost all the must visit spots. Really flexible enough to do minor changes up to our will without any exta money.
Excellent Hotels or resort selections. They have even provided a free upgrade to one higher priced resort as the originally booked hotel was affected by rain.
They have provided neat and comfortable vehicles which easily take us through all terrains.
Last but not the least; the tour guides who is our game drivers, they are the best. They know where to find the animals in every national parks and will take us there safely while explaining everything about the species.
Simply, I would recommend Laxa Trails Safaris to anyone who is wishing to visit Kenya