CZ
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Zanzibar transport with good price
We are group of ten people who just returned from Zanzibar. We were in Zanzibar only for relax after some days in Selous park. Cholo tours organized for us all transport in Zanzibar. We choosed them because they offered best prices. The service was without problem and they added guide to the bus who gave us lot informations.
I can warmly recommend this operator.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Except entire reception, good Communication, affordable service
These guys keep time, communicate every single message and keep you entertained your safari
IN
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
You made our vacation a dream come true
Thanks to one and all in It Started in Africa for such an excellent service to make our Kenya tour so successful and enjoyable.everything went as planned,you kept all our werid wishes, and your drivers cum guides Carlos and Alex was just fantastic because of their courtesy,knowledge of wildlife and their always hacunamatata attitude.We just want to go back when ever possible -D this may be a combined Tanzania-Kenya tour.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent service, great experience.
Communication of booking with Wecam was very pleasant. Emails was always returned in hours. They can help you arrange the hotels in Nairobi as well with a great deal. They communicate with you during your safari trip as well and make sure everything meets your demand. I recommend their service and will use Wecam again.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Fantastic and varied trip around Uganda and Rwanda
We booked a 15 night trip with Ken Bushman and I would have no hesitation in recommending him. Communication was excellent throughout the planning stages and he made very valuable suggestions and discussed/changed details to tailor our trip to our exact preferences. We used a variety of accommodation ranging from budget to luxury and all were up to our expectations. The journey was well paced and well balanced with a wealth of fascinating experiences. Wildlife highlights included walking with rhinos at Ziwa sanctuary, seeing chimps in Kibale forest, Gorillas in Bwindi NP, Boat trips on the Nile to Murchisons Falls and on the Kazinga channel and numerous game drives in different national parks. We also added on a 2 night trip into Rwanda which provided quite a contrast to Uganda with interesting visits to the Kigali Genocide memorial and other sites. Bushman is an excellent guide, everything ran smoothly, any minor hiccups (inevitable on a trip such as this) were easily and professionally sorted out. Uganda is a great destination with more variety than you might expect - a visit with Bushmemories safaris would be a great way to see it.
IL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Professional, Reliable and Outstanding Service
8 members of our family recently returned from a 7 day safari though Zohar African Safaris. Lily, the manager and our 3 guides (Sami, Fasal and Baraka) made sure that this safari will be a personal experience for each and every one of us by being attentive to each needs and interest. The organization, guiding was not less than OUTSTANDING and the personal attitude of our guides was warm and attentive threw the entire trip.
The whole experience of east africa safari was EXTRAORDINARY and UNFORGETTABLE.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a life time
This was a trip of a lifetime. Mr OT's communication via email was fantastic from day one. He replied to all my questions and concerns. The driver was waiting for us at the airport even though our plane was over an hour late. All of the drivers were more than helpful. The accommodation was great. I would definitely book with them again for my next African safari.
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The amount of wild life we saw far exceeded expectations; we felt safe and well taken care of!
Right from the start, the communication was friendly and trustworthy. Cliff and his team was highly recommended to me by a colleague who had lived in Tanzania for many years. I brought a group of teenagers from Germany to Tanzania for a service trip and we ended our time there with a 4 day safari with Africa Tried and Tested. I was given options to choose from , they organised the safari according to our budget and wishes. There was no variance from the price quoted to the fee we paid. There was room for flexibility, even once we were on the safari. We were picked up from our location, given the option to leave excess baggage at the office. At the end of the safari we returned to the office, given time to repack and then delivered safely to the airport, even waiting until we gave them the thumbs up through the window that we were fine, checked in and on our way to the gate. The meals on safari were all hand made and prepared on location. The bread was baked on the open fire- the best any of us had ever eaten and served with real butter. We occasionally ate alongside other safari groups at lunch stops and in the evening, and our meals far surpassed what other companies were serving their guests. Truly amazing since we were on, what I would consider, a budget safari. But we certainly didn't feel like it as we ate filet, mangoes, hand made sausages, English breakfasts, stir fried veggies and rice, and freshly baked cakes. They also specially prepared meals for one of our group with allergies. The equipment, tents and sleeping bags were all top notch and the crew worked right along side with our kids to set up and break down camp. Drivers were friendly, experienced, knowledgable and I never felt unsafe. I recommend without hesitation and with loads of enthusiasm-Africa Tried and tested.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best Guide and Amazing Experience!!!
Going on Safari has been on my wish list for as long as I can remember and my experience with Chabo Africa Adventure exceeded what I ever imagined. Ernest is incredibly knowledgable about the landscape, local history and has an almost magical instinct. We saw everything we wanted to see and more. He took great care of our group, made us feel safe at all times and provided an excellent experience overall. The food was outstanding and it is a trip I will never forget. No need to go with anyone else.
US
Excellent experience!
I booked through krugerpark.com, stayed at Tydon Safaris, and visited both Sabi Sands and Kruger Park.
What an awesome experience. Everything was perfect from the booking through the whole adventure.
I worked with Donna at krugerpark.com to book. I waited too long to actually book a safari and I was rushed to line up my travel for the safari with my work travel when I finally contacted Donna. It was basically 36 hours from the time I first called and talked with Donna until my trip was booked. She was excellent, working through a 6 hour time difference. We emailed and talked on the phone a few times. She even logged back on to finalize some things from home after work hours because I needed some time in the afternoon in my time zone to verify some things before booking. She wanted to finish the booking on her end as I finalized my international travel to be sure everything lined up correctly. Thank you Donna!
Donna books for multiple outfits throughout the park. She selected Tydon Safaris for me, and we settled on the 5 day Kruger Park and Sabi Sand combination. I didn’t know about Sabi Sand before now, and Donna suggested that the combination of the public Kruger Park with the private Sabi Sand reserve would be a great experience, and she was right!
I reached out to the owner Gavin with a couple of emails before the trip, and he was quick with responses and helpful. I worried about taking too much to the camp since I was traveling for business before the safari, and I worried about security for my laptop. He assured me that bringing extra luggage and keeping my laptop safe would be no problem. I flew to the airport about an hour away in Nespruit, and Gavin picked me up.
I thought I was going to stay at the Tydon Safari Camp, but I was at the Tydon Bush Camp instead. Although both are great, I really lucked out with this change! I did spend one day at the Safari camp when we went into Kruger, so I’m glad I experienced both. I talked to one couple who was splitting their nights between the two camps which is another idea to consider.
The Safari camp is small but bigger than Bush. It has about 6 tent cabins, whereas Bush has 3. Both have excellent staff including wonderful cooks who overfed us often! Safari sits between Kruger and Sabi Sands, so you are about 20 minutes from either outing. Bush sits right in Sabi Sands, so you are about 40 minutes from Kruger and right in Sabi Sands. Safari has a small swimming pool and more people; Bush doesn’t have a pool and is smaller. Again, both have pros and cons, but I would definitely pick Bush. You can hear the animals close by (and some stop in the camp!), you wake to the birds, and you are RIGHT THERE! And you might even get an extra outing. We had come back for the evening and were getting ready for dinner when our guide heard that two female lions were nearby… so he asked if we’d like to go take a look. Well heck yes! So we found them at night. Cool!!! People at Safari couldn’t do that. Also, I believe that Bush is adults only which is also nice in my personal opinion.
The tent cabins are very comfortable. I think the Bush tents are slightly smaller. You have two twin beds (but I think one had a single double bed), which were very comfortable. And you have a full private bathroom with shower. Each has an air conditioner and heater, but I didn’t need either.
The staff was awesome. I met staff at both camps, but I was mostly with the smaller staff at Bush. My guide was the amazingly awesome Jared. He knows so much about the parks, the animals, South Africa in general… he educated us on so many of the animals including their culture. It was great to go on outings with him and then later sit by the fire and just talk. He really made the experience extra special. Angie was our cook who prepared amazing meals (and I thought she was always expecting double the people… so much food… so good…) and Abigail was the house cleaner. Just really excellent staff.
The two parks are really different. I agree with Donna that it was a great experience to see both. Kruger is bigger, you drive on the paved and dirt roads, has more rivers and water, but has LOTS more people and vehicles. Sabi Sand is smaller, less people, and you can drive off road to get a better view. And the only vehicles are safari vehicles which look much better in pics than just another car! And each evening we watched the sun set in Sabi Sands with a glass of wine watching the animals, but there is no alcohol or getting out of your vehicle in Kruger. I liked the mix, but if I could only have one, I would definitely pick Sabi Sands. It was just sooooo special.
What is a typical day like? I was there in winter, so you get to sleep alittle later. Staying at Bush Camp and visiting Sabi Sands was basically: get wake up greeting at 6, quick coffee and snack, out at 6:30 for a ride, back around 9 or 9:30 for a huge breakfast and talk about the morning, then nap/read until lunch at 2, then back out at 3:30 including wine with sunset followed by a night hunt, then back to the camp for dinner and wine around the fire, then bed, then start over! Summer schedule is a bit different… I think you are up earlier and have more afternoon time (when it is hot).
I really liked the winter experience. Although things weren’t all green, it was still beautiful. You could see the animals in the bush, but they also blended really well with the browns of winter. That surprised me a bit. In summer, I’m guessing they stand out more against the green, but you can probably only see them when they are in front of the bush. I’d like to go back some day in the summer to see the difference.
My best advice would be to just enjoy what you see. Every corner can bring an wonderful animal or a beautiful landscape. Just enjoy it all. If you go with your mind set on seeing a specific animal, you will miss out on everything else. Just enjoy it… it is nature… you don’t know what you will or won’t see. On one outing, we were with a guy who just wanted cats… and it felt that he missed all of the other beauty just waiting for cats. Relax… enjoy it all!!!
You never know what you will see. Unfortunately we only saw a couple of cats while two friends in other parts of the park (different parts) did see lots of cats. My guess is that it was because they were close to a big river and we weren’t. And this part of Sabi Sands was somewhat dry in the winter, but I think there are more water areas in the summer. Again, my experience was awesome, but just wanted to mention that there might be more cats elsewhere in the winter if that is all you want to see. (But my favorite was the elephants… I could watch them for hours!)
So how long should you stay? I would suggest no less than four days. Some people were there for fewer (including the guy who was just wanting cats), and less than four days doesn’t give you enough outings to see a variety. Remember, this is real nature… If you want to be sure of what you will see, go to a zoo… this can be so different every outing and around every corner. That is the beauty. I stayed five days which was great, and as I was leaving I talked with people staying for six. So, minimum of four, but I would recommend five, but as I left, I thought one more would have been nice!
I was worried about malaria… and I even got some of the prevention drugs from my doctor. You really have to decide this personally. When I was there, there were no mosquitoes. I decided not to take the meds because of the terrible side affects and I was happy with that decision. Just spray on some OFF in the mornings and evenings.
If you go in winter, bring lots of layers. It can be cold in the morning, you are out before sunrise, and there is a wind chill in the open vehicles. And the temp drops again after sunset in the evening. I took safari pants that transition to shorts and then back to pants, short sleeved shirt, long sleeved pull over, and jacket. Oh… and definitely bring a hat. I wore my winter cap in the mornings and it definitely helped to keep me warm. They provide blankets in the jeep, but keep your head warm.
I traveled solo. I was in SA on business so I wanted to take advantage of this. It was no issue at all being a solo traveler. I got my tent to myself (I think there was a slight extra charge, but very low), and it was nice to meet other people. So if you are considering going alone, you will still have a great time.
There is no internet access. Yes, I was worried about being so disconnected, but that actually helped me to let go. My cell worked with international roaming in the Bush camp but it didn’t work in the Safari camp. They also give you a number so people can reach you if there is an emergency at home.
So…. Just book it now! You won’t regret it! It is a terrific experience! Oh… and keep a journal. Write in it after each outing. I really enjoyed looking back at my thoughts as I reviewed all of the pictures. Oh and there were soooo many pictures!