35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
South Africa and Zimbabwe
We had the holiday of a lifetime and cannot thank Native Escapes enough for putting together such an extraordinary itinerary.
Our 3 children (20, 17,17) are all on the cusp of adulthood and we wanted one last amazing family holiday to leave indelible memories – it certainly fulfilled that brief.
Cape Town lived up to expectations and the Radisson Blu was terrific. The rooms were stunning and the views out of this world. A porthole onto table mountain on one side, and a panorama of the sea on the other. We struggled to get tickets for Robin Island, but took advice and hung out down at the terminal from which the boat leaves, and we got some cancellations. In future, we would book this well in advance as we didn’t know it would be so busy. We took a private day trip to Cape Point, Klein Constantia and Boulder Beach – what a day! And a trip up table mountain – early in the morning, with great views and no queues – unforgettable – not least because my legs were like jelly and the kids were dangling over the edge. We took our santa hats and took next year’s Christmas photo (in which I look petrified!).
Franchhoek was stunning and the hotel was utterly divine. The kids could not believe their luck when each room was delivered a bottle of champagne and canapés on Christmas eve, and Christmas day lunch was superb. We had a quiet day by the pool on boxing Day (the only ‘chill out day’ of the holiday) and everyone underestimated the strength of the African sun! 27th – our wine tour was outstanding. Duncan was a brilliant guide and we visited some fabulous places – we will be ordering in bulk!
The verde airport hotel was great and out trip to Vic Falls v smooth.
I am so pleased you talked us into Zimbabwe- it was utterly fabulous. The adventure started on the drive to Camp Hwange when we were met at the Boom Gate by the fabulous Stephen in the open top vehicle. A 3 hour drive to the camp (after the 1 ½ hrs from the airport) sounded ominous, but it was fabulous. We were well wrapped up in big fleecy waterproof capes and we stopped for tea and views and animals. By the time we arrived at camp we had seen elephant, giraffe, impala, and so many birds. We arrived at dusk with the big camp fire roaring and the sun setting on the waterhole. We were greeted by Ruth who gave us a delicious welcome drink. Without a doubt it was the most breath-taking arrival we have ever had.
Julian was our guide and he and the team made the experience extraordinary. It was just what we wanted, beautiful, but remote, low tech and high-intensity. The sights, sounds and smells made us feel completely alert and although I didn’t sleep much the first night I didn’t mind. The rains had whipped the bubble frogs up into a state of high excitement and I have never heard a noise like it!
We tracked lion and elephant on foot and the thick bush made this a high adrenalin activity to say the least! We were out from 6 – 12 and from 4-7.30 or 8 every night – incredible! Our photos are remarkable. Despite it being the wet season we found plenty and I am now a bird enthusiast, much to our children’s amusement. The staff, the food and the accommodation were absolutely perfect and we will be life-long Hwange fans. We feel we have come to know the family dynamics of several lion families and will follow their progress on the web.
On the way back to Victoria Falls we saw one last lion – it couldn’t have been more perfect.
Victoria Falls was breath-taking and despite the horrors of our children zip-wiring and bungee-jumping, we had a great time. We ate mopane worms and warthog at The Boma and learned to drum. Perhaps a bit ‘Disney does Africa’ for us, but the Victoria Falls Hotel was a taste of a bygone era.
We cannot thank you enough for the meticulous attention to detail you put into organising the trip. We will recommend you whole-heartedly to anyone who will listen. I sense that we are already becoming safari bores!
David and I will certainly be heading back to Africa – and look forward to your help planning the next trip.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
a forgettable, wonderful experience
From the time of booking there was very good communication with the staff. All the bookings were done properly and i did not experience any problems when checking in the hotel. However, the only problem was that there was no explanation as to where one of the lodges booked was. The taxi man had a nightmare trying to locate the lodge. I think in future Falcon Safaris need to provide a total package which includes someone waiting for you at the airport. There was also no feedback from anyone from Falcon Safari during my stay at the booked hotel. All in all it was a good experience.
IT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Good Service and very professional staff
I organized my holiday 4 days before leaving. I was in a hurry. Prices on web were super high. I called Safaris in Kenya. They were able to satisfy my needs in a professional, cheap and fast way.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An Amazing and Unforgettable Experience
This has been our first trip to Africa and the first time I used Tropical Vacations Inc. This is an amazing experience for people of all ages, solo travelers, couples and groups alike. Mathew Adams truly makes your vacation memorable by showing all the places of Africa that you otherwise would not know to visit. We visited Kenya and Tanzania and spent two incredible weeks with my organized group. As a travel advisor I expect the very best for my clients and work with tour operators who give exceptional service. On this particular trip I was traveling with a group and Mathew has exceeded our expectations and went above and beyond in service. Mathew is an amazing tour guide and very welcoming host. He is experienced, knowledgeable, and professional. Mathew wants you to come as a tourist, but leave as a friend and my traveling group truly did feel special and cared for. Be sure to bring a lot of memory cards to capture all the beauty, culture and history that Africa has to offer.
PS. In addition to Africa, Tropical Vacations Inc. also offers other exotic destinations, so be sure to contact Mathew Adams regarding tours info and specials.
Best Trip ever with our Guide Hoppy!
We did the 4 Day Safari at the Ende of our SA trip and it was one of the Most memorable and amazing tours we did so far. The tour is very welk organized with nice accomodations in the Park, good food and most importantly we had an awesome guide who made the trip perfect! Hoppy is very experienced and such a Kind and fun Person to spend time with that it almost felt like driving through the park with a friend. We saw so much because of his experience and we learned even more from what je knew about the park and all the animals. We can 100% recommend the tour and would definitely do it again the next time we come to SA. Ask for Hoppy as your guide because no Hoppy, no holiday :) thank you for this great trip!
Sandy & David
CA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing trip with amazing guides
Had an awesome time with World Tours. The email correspondence right from the first email was always fast and welcoming. Once we arrived to Arusha everything was set up and easily done for us. Mr. Richard was very nice and very helpful. The guide and cook were amazing people. Gadi cooked delicious and plentiful meals while Frank our guide (Frank the Tank) knew all the hotspots and we saw all the animals we could think of. The tents and sleeping arrangements were top notch, it even rained heavily one night and seeing that our tent held up (compared to some other "popular" tour company's tents) was found to have 3 additional people sleep in it!. Would definitely recommend World Tour Safari to anyone who'd want to do a safari.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
one of the best Trips we ever Took!
We took a 4 Day Safari in November - it was one of the Most memorable and amazing trips we did! Hoppy was our Guide which was the best that could have happened to us. He is a very experienced and Most importantly kind and friendly Person. We can recommend the safari 100% - ask for Hoppy as your guide! We enjoyed the entire Trip so much since Hoppy knows where to go and See really amazing things, he can track the animals and is also a fun and interesting Person to Chat with. The Tour is really well planned with nice accomodations in the park, good food and so much to See! Try to do at least 4 days, it's worth it.
The next Time we come to SA we would definitely so this Tour again, but only with Hoppy because no Hoppy no Holiday :)
Thanks a lot for this experience
Sandy & david
NL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Well organized and friendly people.
The trip was well organized and we received what we expected and what was told. We had a nice guide who knew a lot from what we saw. Especially in lake Maniara park we saw a lot of very nice birds. He knew most of them and the ones he did not know he/we looked for and found in a nice book with all the birds of Tanzania. Together with the next day when we visited ngorongoro park we saw the big five! But many other animals also. We had a great time on my first safari experience!
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very well done!
We used Chris for a multi-park visit to Tanzania last week. He was pleasant, professional, informative and well prepared. I would recommend him without hesitation.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
The best of Tanzania!
I was leading a mission trip to Tanzania, and wanted to end our work with a safari. I have traveled to Uganda many times, but this was my first in TZ, and since I was leading a group, I did a ton of research. I was booking our first night in TZ to stay at the Honey Badger and found out they also run Milestone Safaris. From my very first email, (and I think by the time of the safari there were about 30!) I felt totally comfortable dealing with Jenny and Joseph. They very patiently answered all of my questions, when you are in charge of taking other people it is a bit more stressful than just going yourself. I was very much at peace by the time we were ready for our safari.
Jenny and Joseph were very accommodating about meeting my team on the road back to Arusha. We had been working in south/west of the game parks, and didn't have to make the journey back to Arusha. When we arrived at our meeting spot "Jungle George" was there to greet us, and we quickly knew we were in good hands! I am not sure what I expected but I did not anticipate the high quality of the vehicle we would be traveling in for the next three days! I totally understand it does not always work out this way, but with in the first hour of our safari Tarangire, we saw a lion eating a zebra, two lions mating, and a parade of 16 elephants walked right across our path! There is no way they can promise sites like these, but it is clear that George is well liked among the other safari drivers, and other drivers were happy to share info with him about the location of the animals. We enjoyed a delicious boxed lunch that had been packed for us, overlooking the most beautiful vista. The first day of our safari went way above our expectations.
We spent the first night at Maramboi Tented Camp, first class service from the moment we pulled in! We were greeted with a cold drink and warm towel, while they transported our luggage to our tents. We were able to enjoy a refreshing swim while watching the sunset across the plains. Dinner was a delicious buffet that had lots of both western and African specifies. Our tent had a huge bathroom, dressing room, comfortable bed and spacious porch overlooking the plains. After a delicious breakfast, we were able to instruct the chef on the packed lunch we would take with us for the second day of our journey.
The second day took us to Ngorongor Crater. I have been blessed to have traveled much of the world, and this was truly one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen! We stopped at the top of the crater to enjoy the view, before starting the journey to the bottom of the crater. I did not think George would be able to top what we had seen the day before, but he surprised us yet again! We were able to watch a pride of 16 lions be taunted by a warthog, they must of just eaten, because they were not interested in eating him! We were able to get very close to many animals, especially the zebras that would walk right up to our vehicle.
We spent our second night at Endoro Lodge, a completely different experience from the tented camp but equally as beautiful! The service and food were excellent.
We left the Endoro Lodge the next morning with our packed lunches. I was so impressed that Jenny and Joseph would choose two completely different experiences for our overnight stay! We left in the morning for our return to Arusha, but not before George took us to a Massai village for a tour, and dance. It was a perfect end to a wonderful experience!
My team headed back to the States and I stayed for a couple more days at the Honey Badger Lodge, which was a perfect place to unwind from my mission! I can not recommend Milestone Safaris enough, they were wonderful from the first email, to the drop off at the airport.