50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Best Safari Ever
A last minute idea with a group of friends turned into the best safari we have ever had. We flew to Xaxanaka taking great photos over the Delta as we went, and camped about an hour away. Every day's drive was a treat. We saw lion, leopard, wild dog, all the antelopes and elephants and giraffe you could want and the most amazing birds. Our guide brought everything to life so well, it was just amazing. There is something so magical about the Okavango - around every corner there is a vista so beautiful it could have been drawn by Disney. Our camp staff cooked us up fabulous food in their underground tool box ovens, provided us bucket showers when we needed, and were just fun to be with. We saw hardly anyone else on our trip and felt completely privileged to be there. Absolutely can't wait to go back.
CN
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful Tour
Service and facilities of the Hotel and Lodges were very good. Our driver guide Mr Enoch was professional and the vehicle was clean. Food at the restaurant was also good. Our trip was well organized, we saw even leopard chilling on a tree with his prey. I would recommend booking your Kenya safari experience with Boundless Africa Journeys.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
You will need the guidance for this trip and this company it's the best.
I went on a family vacation to South Africa and hiring this company was the best decision we made. They met all our expectations and went above and beyond! they were extremely friendly, organized and knowledgeable. This has been by far the best experience in my life!!!
I would definitely recommend this company to anybody that is looking for an unforgettable experience in South Africa with THE BEST PEOPLE!!
35-50 years of age
If I died after this it would be with a smile on my face !
So I wrote a wish list , called Cuan at Ubuntu and he turned the list into an itinerary and then some !
I was smart enough to listen to his suggestions and keep an open mind.
Never heard of Tanzania , didn’t know where it was - now I’m going back within 12 months of the best experience of my life to do it again.
I travelled for a month on my own , a couple of tours , some time on my own - never felt unsafe.
"Dad" greeting me at the airport upon landing made me feel like I was not alone - thank you Mr McLaren.
I embraced each and every country , throwing myself into the additional opportunities and most importantly just stopping to take it all in whilst filling my lungs with air so sweet I thought I was dreaming.
99% of the accommodation was more than expected ,one was a little run down but the views more than compensated for an old "tacky" room.
In short , I saw what I wanted and more than I thought I ever could. The beautiful people and cultures , the long and sometimes painful history’s and then there is the landscape and those animals - heaven .
Highlights
• Meeting the Maasai people in Tanzania , the gathering of the great migration in the Serengeti ( millions of Zebra and Wilder beasts )
• Standing at the top of the Ngorongoro Crater – A crater on top of the world filled with animals. Put this in your list.
• Victoria Falls , walking with Lions , seeing the Maasai Giraffes for the first time – yes they do exists
• Elephant Sanctuary in Hazyveiw along the Sabie River ( Panorama Route)
• Trying to remember all the names of the various animals !
• Seeing the top five and more – African Wild dogs , Black Rhino as well.
• The various tribes allowing us a glimpse of life , dance , music , food and culture. The beautiful kids.
My tip , in whatever country you are blessed to visit , learn to say hello and thank you in the native language.
Not only is it fun , but your hosts will love you for it.
Write that list , send it to Cuan and let him make those suggestions - you will not be sorry.
Ubuntu - the word has strong meanings in Africa - You’ll find out !
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Zambezi Sunset River Cruise
I booked my cruise a few months in advance just to be sure. As advised I was picked up by bus from my hotel at the advised time and taken to the ferry. The boat was not crowded and offered great viewing from all sides. Nice snack food and cocktails were served. I never imagined I would be cruising up the Zambezi River just above the Victoria Falls drinking a cool Gin & Tonic. The highlight was seeing a huge Lone Bull Elephant on one of the large islands. The crew was great - but special mention must be made of a young local man in traditional dress - his name was Innocent - he gave a wonderful commentary during the cruise.
Thankyou Innocent.
IT
an amazing wildlife experience
South Luangwa National Park
We had our trip to South Luangwa National Park on April 2015.
The journey has been organized by me and some friends of mine, very fond of African Safaris, using a local agency, Jackalberry Safaris, led by a south african guide, Mr Gavin Opie, a deep expert of the area.
We flew with Ehiopian Airlines from Italy to Malawi, and then drove to Zambia.
We staid in a small cottages in a camp, in the nearby of the Park entrance.
We decided to have the trip on April because we wanted to visit the Park at the end of the rainy and green season, in order to see Nature in its all magnificence. Sure we took some rain (and with open cars could be a problem ) but I must admit that it has been worth. Furthermore we could watch lots of birds, particularly present in the Park in this period.
The Park is very different form the classical African savannah of Kenya and Tanzania. Open areas are limited, and bush and woods are predominant… it is not so easy to spot animals, first of all predators, but when it happens ..the images that you catch are wonderful.
One of the targets of the safari were wild dogs.. but unfortunately we didn’t succed in spotting them…we saw the paws … we looked for them a lot..but nothing.
We did some night safaris, an interesting experience. During one of those safaris we had the privilege to watch an amazing hunting scene: eight lionesses captured and devoured in few minutes an imapala right in front of us. Unforgettable moments.
Because of the dense vegetation (and so the difficulty in spotting quickly predators) and because of the mud, we could not have walking safaris, another particularity of this Park….a good excuse to come back soon….
At the end I must say the a Safari in the South Luangwa National Park is a really amazing wildlife experience (few people, few cars… only Nature) even if for photography maybe less interesting than a trip to open areas like Kenya or Tanzania.
LK
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Lion kingdom
Samburu is one of those places which just surprise you right from the word go. Literally 2 minutes into driving into he park, we spotted two cheetahs lounging in the shade. The wildlife in this park is just fabulous - from the herds of elephants, the giraffes, zebra and the birdlife. However, the highlight was the lion sightings. Absolutely breathtaking!
Samburu also gives you stunning sunrises and sunsets. The photographs look like they were taken straight out of the 'Lion King'.
All in all, a park you cannot afford to miss if you're visiting kenya. It will certainly give you memories of a lifetime.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great service, great organisation and above all provided a great experience.
After making our mind up to travel to Tanzania for our honeymoon, I stumbled across Earthlife on safaribookings.com as I was searching for an 8 day safari package with 6 days in Zanzibar. I was immediately grabbed by the competitive price and once I made a few enquiries it was clear that this company offered the best combination of pricing, level of communication, and day-by-day itinerary. There were no hidden costs and they were flexible to any suggestions or alteration to the itinerary (which we didn't require as it looked ideal).
We enjoyed the cultural aspects like the Masai village and the local village tour near lake Manyara. This split up the game drives nicely and gave us a chance to buy a wood carving and painting straight from a villager rather than a more expensive outlet. It was lovely seeing kids playing games, the plantations and the countless friendly faces.
We trusted Deo and Catherine's experience as they have been doing this a long time. Forming there own company in recent years has been a challenge in a competitive market with larger tour operators around but they are successful in offering a client focused experience with a personal touch and constant reassurances throughout the planning/booking stage. We got references from 5 other clients and had no problems wiring the complete payment before travelling to Tanzania. Deo came to meet us before our trip and then again afterwards for a review of our trip. I honestly can't see where they can improve the service - it's impeccable. All our lodge accommodation was great and our guide Gilbert was professional, friendly, relaxed and determined to find and describe every animal he could for us. I thought I knew a lot about the wildlife but learnt so much from Gilbert, particularly about animal behaviour and the birdlife which was spectacular. We saw the big 5 (rhino from a distance) but some great close up encounters with Leopard, Lions, Elephant, Buffalo, and numerous others including a Serval cat which was awesome. the highlight was seeing a mother lion taking her 3 cubs across a river. Jumping across with one in her mouth and then encouraging the others to swim across. The safari got better each day as promised, with more and more action. We still had time to relax by the pool before dinner at the lodges and enjoyed views in each place. I got bitten a bit by flies as expected but my partner and Gilbert were fine and it wouldn't put me off going again. Neither of us got ill and the food/service was great in all accommodation they booked us.
I will recommend Earthlife to anyone and it was obvious they took pride in their personable approach compared to the larger companies which we often saw with their vehicles rammed full with clients and seemingly a few glum faces. We had a guide to ourselves which was perfect as it was our honeymoon. He took packed lunches for us and was excellent at spotting animals. He spotted the first rhino sighting of the day at Ngorongoro in the afternoon and called it through over the radio. Within minutes we had about 20 vehicles beside us! A fabulous once-in-a-lifetime adventure but hopefully one day we can do it all again.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Cholo tours were amazing in every way, they were informed, attentive, honest and very friendly.
Cholo is a charming, warm and friendly tour and host. He speaks very well and is completely fluent in English. Cholo went out of his way to make our stay as comfortable as possible. He worked within our budget and gave us the best value our money could buy. We felt completely safe in his care and he took full responsibility for our entertainment as he was very knowledgeable about the Island and the activities.
The tours we went on was interesting and exciting. We will most certainly use Cholo again who has now become a friend.
IL
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
a great experience because of the great company
meticulous andprpfessional planning of the trip , every details was taken care, the trip was executed with great precision, with guides and staff wich took care of us throughout the entire trip. the manager were available for any request and wish, fulfiled these requests and beyond. i strongly recommend using their services.