US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
16 Wonderful Days in Africa
This is my second experience with Tanganyika Ancient Routes and I could not have been happier. Every detail, no mater how tiny, was given the staff's quick and complete attention. The food was outstanding and each member of the staff went above and beyond to make sure our every wish was granted. They were enormously helpful with language and money questions and always gave us a feeling of safety and security especially when we were required to cross the border to another country. The safari tour of the Crater was so beautiful. It was a wild ride that I will not soon forget. I would highly recommend Tanganyika Ancient Routes to anyone interested in traveling to Africa and, if I go back to Tanzania, I would book with them again.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing food, great vehicle, super communication skills, top notch!
My husband and I were part of a group. The vehicle provided as much comfort as is feasibly possible on those crazy roads. We always had water available and the guide's English speaking skills were great. We can't say enough about the food... always a different combination, always the most amazing flavors! Even though we were in a camp, the staff treated us as if we were in a five star hotel. That's not an easy feat!! Many thanks to the staff and guide.
BE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great trip to Uganda
We had a fantastic trip to Uganda with Matoke (Murchison Falls,Queen Elizabeth national park,Kibale forest,...) Our guide Sam did a great job. The lodges were beautifull and our
best experience was to be close to the gorillas ! Thank you Matoke!
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Outstanding Safari Experience
What can I say? Shadows of Africa knocked it out of the ballpark. Even though I was booked into the "standard" package, most of the amenities and camps would fall into the luxury category IMHO. Our guide Timo really knew his stuff providing info such as life span, mating habits, predators, average height and weight and even unique anecdotes about everything from the smallest bird to biggest of the Big 5. He's a great animal spotter too -- there were times when we were scratching our heads thinking, "How did he manage to see THAT?"
Owner Natasha checked in daily via phone to make sure we were happy. Overall 10 out of 10. Would definitely book with them again.
35-50 years of age
A Gem of Southern Africa
Zimbabwe away from the big cities in the unspoilt bush is a true wildlife and nature enthusiast's paradise. We visited the Victoria Falls area. The upsetting thing is that everything is charged for in US dollars which make it expensive. River rafting the 18 rapids on the Zambezi with the experienced guides make the trip a pleasure. Who has done 5 grade 5 rapids in one day? The safari lodges and hotel serve great food and it is recommended to visit a few for different dining experiences. The elephant back experience and the hot air balloon flight over Victoria Falls was magnificent. We stayed for two weeks in this area and it still felt not long enough. Petrol/ gas is a problem and one should fill up as often as possible if self driving. Great lodges, guesthouses and B&B's in the area with lots of friendly locals.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Zikomo provides a prime S Luangwa wilderness experience in a comfortable camp at reasonable rates
Bordering on the S Luangwa NP on 2 sides and far from other resorts Zikomo is as wild as it can get without being in the park itself. This brings Luangwa within the budget of southern Africans. Coupled with Demian Wallace 's knowledge of the local area and the people he knows makes Zikomo a prime place to visit. The restaurant lounge and swimming pool overlook the river. Demian offers day, evening and night game drives. I strongly recommend Zikomo for a wilderness experience.
CA
20-35 years of age
Wilderness Adventure Camp
On the Western border of Uganda, Queen Elizabeth National Park is one of the largest parks in Uganda, and is home to a myriad of wildlife and geographical features. My personal experience at Queen Elizabeth National Park was at an outdoor wilderness camp near the city of Ishasha.
The lodge we stayed at was called Wilderness Adventure Camp. The lodge was a beautiful large dining hall, open to the wild on three sides. It also is on the shore of the Ngtungwe River, which as the guide says has an old resident hippo (and you will probably hear it grunting throughout the night).
One of the most unique features was the sleeping arrangements... Tents. I was very excited to go camping on the savannah (although in reality you are in more of a jungle than a plain). To my delight, the tents were incredibly clean, relatively bug free and had a porta-potty within. They were actually cleaner than many of the upper end resorts I stayed at.
The game drive started out quite well, one of the first sights you see is the natural destruction caused by elephants. If you think teenage vandals are bad, you should see what a bored herd of elephant can get up to!
All the normal animals you'd expect to see are there: oribies, antelope, buffalo, waterbuck, warthogs, monkeys, baboons. The big draws are the elephants and lions. Oh wait, did I say lions, I meant tree lions!
That was definitely the highlight of the park for me. I never thought I would get to see lions hanging out in a tree. Hell, lions sleeping on the ground are pretty cool in my book. To up the ante even more, our guide had tea and coffee for us so we sat in our vehicle under a lion having tea and cookies.
The drive ended with us returning to the lodge at dusk with a storm raging behind us over the Blue Mountains in the Congo. It was one of the most beautiful and memorable experiences of my life.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Kruger Park Tour
A personal tour for my wife and I. The aim was a hard-core photo safari and Wild Planet provided exactly what we wanted with plenty of pleasant surprises on top. Thanks to it being a personal tour we were able to see more species, get closer and take better photos than we have in any previous trips. Both the food and service was excellent throughout but the highlight was probably the night we spent at Shipandane Hide, where we had Hippos fighting in the river, Lions close by and a night time visit from a Gennet - it was pure magic.
We traveled in a customised VW Transporter Van so we had plenty of room to spread out and to take photos. The tents were surprisingly large (I could stand up in ours) which made camping easy. Because there was only the 2 of us we were able to take full advantage of our guide's encyclopaedic knowledge of Southern African wildlife so when we took a Park Service night drive it felt really "dumbed-down" compared to the wildlife masterclass we were used to. Overall we got exactly what we wanted and a whole load more for a very reasonable price.
We have already made a provisional booking for next year as after 10 years of visitig Africa no other trip we have taken even remoteley compares.
FI
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
The friendliest camp in Africa!
Zikomo Safari is on a beautiful stretch of the South Luangwa river in the Nsefu sector of the park. The chalets, campsite, restaurant (serving delicious food) and pool all have fantastic views over the floodplain and it's wildlife. The Nsefu sector sees much less traffic than South Luangwa proper, and has just as much wildlife. Seems the camp has everything going for it but for us the winning attribute was the friendliness. As self driving campers we are usually sidelined, but Zikomo welcomed us like part of their family. Nothing was too much of a bother for them and they went above and beyond to ensure we had the best possible experience. I have visited 3 camps in the area - If I am in the area again there is absolutely no contest as to where I will choose to stay at - Zikomo!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Five star game environment and country hospitality at competitive prices
Every cottage and camp site has a river view. The restaurant food is good and the lounge / pub / entertainment area is spacious and comfortable, always with a view of the river. We had elephant munching the tree next to us at night. Game drives both day and night are available. Zikomo Safari Camp is away from other lodges so the safari bush experience is enhanced.