50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Professional,friendly and overall confidence inspiring.
Suricata’s team proved to be both friendly professional and competent. Finding ourselves with the time go on a Safari at the last minute in country they reacted quickly.
Ally the tour manager met us at our convenience and immediately inspired confidence giving us time and the information needed to chose the right safari for us and a day trip too.
We chose a 4 day private trip to cover Taringere, Serengeti and Ngorogoro , 2 days camping and a first night at their lake Manyara lodge.
Ally kept in touch prior to the tour and we were picked up promptly from our hotel by our guide Baraka who proved to be a great companion.With 6 years experience behind hiim , this showed with his competent driving and knowledge of wildlife, spotting what we could never have found.
The hotel proved to be very luxurious but fun with amazing entertainment from a local acrobatic troupe and an energetic post dinner sing song from the staff - great !
The camping obviously more down to earth but an experience to sleep with the sounds of the wild night. Zebra wandering through the site and giraffe and buffalo on the margins. Tents were prepared and meals cooked for us on site including the preparation of a hot lunch every day ! Lucas cooked for us and I don’t know how he managed to get so much done behind the scenes. A lot of hard work goes on that you don’t see to keep things right.
We had not planned to be on Safari this year but events conspired to give us the chance so no real pre-conceptions. To be honest the magnificence and variety of the parks alone would be enough but the abundance and variety of wildlife takes it to another level.
We saw the big five but that didn’t really matter it was the variety and complexity of encounters and plain amazing how close you could be.
Highlights for me were watching the reaction of a cheetah as it spotted a lion in the vicinity of itself and cub. It decided to lay low as the pack remained intent on the warthog they were tracking and in the end failed to catch in the final chase. Later Barak somehow spotted a black rhino in the long distance and we were able to see it trot along meeting couple of big male elephants as if out for a jaunt,amazing.
So overall a trip we’ll never forget, we will come back for more and will recommend Suricata to friends and family.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
worst service & gave us the worst experience of Safari
Once we arrived in Nairobi, the tour agent picked us up and took us to their office to pay the remaining balance. We expected everything to go smoothly, but it didn't.
1) We had the two worst drivers who were rude and inconsiderate. During the safari tour, they did not show us the best sights. They lacked the patience to wait for important moments, like when a lion was about to hunt a wildebeest. The drivers were only focused on their own benefit and, sadly, not on us, their customers.
2) We paid for 7 rooms for our entire trip, but they only booked us 5 rooms and downgraded our accommodations to different hotels than what we agreed on. This is really unacceptable for your customers. Additionally, we tried to contact them multiple times, but they did not answer the phone calls. This happened to us 3 times during our 7-day trip with this dishonest agency.
3) The services were very poor and far from standard quality in both Kenya and Tanzania. We experienced unpredictable service every day. Honestly, I believe it feels like a scam or a robbery.
If you want to have a terrible safari experience in Kenya and Tanzania, choose this dishonest and unreliable agency. We are very disappointed and do not recommend this agency at all. We just want to share our experience with everyone.
CA
8 nights safari in Uganda and Kenya
We booked an 8 night mid-luxury Uganda/Kenya safari with Right Choice.
Uganda part was handled by another tour operator (we found out this once we start our tour in Uganda) partnered with Right Choice. We stayed four nights in Uganda in three different locations therefore it was far more complex than Kenya which required arrangement of multiple bush planes and ground transportation. That tour operator did a remarkable job on timeliness and open communication.
The Kenya part of our travel started with a few hiccups but in the end George made it right for us. In general, George is very responsive and replied all my emails in a day before our trip. However, you have to ask for everything (the itinerary, the flight details, tour guide contact info, etc.). If you do prefer a hands-off approach (i.e. tour operator shares prior info such as on vaccination, visa requirements, etc) on your travel booking, you may feel slightly uncomfortable. This was not a big deal for us as we did our research and asked George for the parts we were not clear (i.e. luggage restrictions on bush planes).
The success and enjoyment from safari is highly dependent on the guide and safari vehicle. Our guide, Jacob, in Masai Mara did a fantastic job to ensure we had the best sightings and a great safari experience. He had in-depth knowledge on the flora, fauna and the region as well as close ties with the community there. Besides from the excellent sightings and life-time memories, we learned a lot from Jacob. He truly deserves a five star.
Our safari vehicle was a land cruiser but a bit outdated with broken suspensions (we found out this when we were driven on another land cruiser on the same terrain, it was way less bumpy), a non-functioning inverter (this is needed to power the outlets in the vehicle to charge electronic devices) and middle-row, back windows were almost impossible to open. Although it was two of us on a seven-seater vehicle with a pop-up roof, we needed to open windows for great photo shoots depending on the vehicle's position on specific sighthings. Jacob was kind enough to jump in the back and open them for us with excess force when needed.
I also would like to mention about our driver, Steve, in Nairobi. He was a thoughtful gentleman with a nice car drove us to the pharmacy due to my medical condition before our flight.
In summary, we enjoyed our 8 night safari and thanks to everyone (tour operators, drivers, guides and amazing people we met on the road) who made it possible for us.
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Superb
I had an amazing experience with Kisangara on the safari* .
The 4-day duration was just perfect, and we covered all the main parks, even getting to see the Big 5 animals. Suricata did a great job arranging our accommodations, and the locals were incredibly friendly. Our guide Tumaini was truly exceptional and incredibly knowledgeable about the animals. I would definitely recommend this as the trip of a lifetime! Big thanks to Tumaini, and hopefully, we can meet again in a couple of years.
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Top hospitality
I had the most incredible experience with Kisangara from start to finish, everything was perfectly organized and exceeded all my expectations. The guides were extremely knowledgeable and passionate about the wildlife, making the entire safari both educational and thrilling. They took us to some breathtaking locations where we were able to see the "Big Five" up close, along with many other fascinating animals in their natural habitat.
The accommodations were comfortable and immersed in the beauty of the surroundings, giving us an authentic safari experience without sacrificing comfort. The staff went above and beyond to ensure that every detail was taken care of, making the trip stress-free and enjoyable.
What really stood out was the company’s commitment to conservation and sustainable tourism. Knowing that our tour was contributing positively to the local community and environment made the experience even more meaningful.
I can't recommend Kisangara Safari
enough! If you're looking for a once-in-a-lifetime adventure filled with awe-inspiring moments and exceptional service, this is the company to choose.
NL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent operator for safari
With quick communication and good guides and vehicles this is an excellent choice for values of your money.
IT
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
An amazing and unforgettable experience, full of emotions!
My 11-day tour in Uganda with Buyaga far exceeded my expectations, and I had one of the most incredible, impressive and unforgettable trips of my life. From the very first message, Peter has always been extremely efficient, professional, passionate and flexible with our plans, providing detailed information on what to expect from every single experience. And after a flight cancellation, Peter was exceptional in helping me to find the best solution, allowing me to keep my schedule! Anderson, our guide, was incredibly kind and caring, with a positive attitude, always ready to answer our questions while taking good care of us. An excellent driver, Anderson was really tireless, in spite of the long drives, making each part of the trip so full of emotions. We had a great time together, and I really had a once-in-a-life experience! Everything was absolutely perfect, from the excellent accomodations, to the many different activities, to all the people we met. I can't thank Buyaga, Peter and Anderson enough! But I am pretty sure we will meet again, in Uganda...
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It was a very impressive trip
Our trip was very nice.
We saw a lot of things, had a lot of new experiences and gained a lot of impressions. Our guide Juma was very nice and friendly. We can only recommend Hekima Safari.
(automatic translation from German)
IT
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
A perfectly tailored safari
Both the Gorilla trek and the Chimpanzee trek were super exciting and very well planned.
Fantastic views and game drives in Murchison Falls and Queen Elizabeth.
From the very first day Twaha (guide) and Khalid (driver) were professional, friendly and provided us a really valuable company with even more activities and experiences than planned.
We definitely recommend them for any holiday and safari in Uganda!
HU
Excellent service and all around amazing experience!
I had a great time with my guide Mr. Anderson, he paid attention to my needs, gave me interesting information about the country and culture, we bought a lot of delicious fruits on the way and had interesting conversations. Peter was always available and fast to respond to my enquiries, communication was easy and straight forward. Due to health issues I could only do half of the tour, but once I recovered I was able to finish the other half as well, during this process Peter was very understanding and helpful. The lodges booked for the tour were excellent with great service. The conditions were much better than I had experienced in other East African countries, and the experience with the gorillas, chimpanzees and rhinos makes Uganda my favourite place for safaris. I can definitely recommend this tour company and especially going on a safari with Mr. Anderson!