ES
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Just stunning
Kruger is a piece of Africa's heart. There are a lot of wild animals that are easy to spot, including mammals, birds and reptiles. I saw at least once a day lions, leopards, elephants, kudu, rhino, hippo, cebra, wildebeest and plenty of different species of bird. In addition, the landscape is awesome, specially the sunset, you can take amazing pictures.
The accomodations, shops and restaurants are really good.
I recommend to avoid weekends because there are too many people.
CH
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Luxury among the Widerness
We stayed at the Pondoro Game Lodge in Balule Nature Reserve for a couple of days - and we can absolutely recommend it.
A typical day at Pondoro used to start at 6 am in the morning with the morning safari drive. Safaris were on a open jeep with a guide / driver and a tracker. Our guide and tracker (Rulani and Andries) were absolutely wonderful. Rulani always gave us a brief description of the animals we sighted - which was very helpful for us city people. Both were very friendly and absolutely motivated to provide us the best safari experience. We still remember the time when Andries went out on foot in search of lions, and after half an hour we saw a family of lions heading our way with Andries following them calmly with a stick in hand. We managed to see not only the Big 5, but also zebras, giraffes, hippos, etc.
Robbie and Lize maintain the lodge as a family home and you are always made to feel very welcome. Returning from the morning safari (around 9 am), there is a luscious breakfast waiting for you. It is indeed an exhilarating experience having breakfast out in the open, with the sound of a stream flowing nearby, where different animals often drop by for a drink. After breakfast, you are free to relax, roam around a bit and explore. The cottages are beautifully designed with modern amenities such as air conditioners, fully equipped bathrooms; and a bit of wilderness such as showers and a jacuzzi out in the open. So you might be taking a shower when an elephant decides to drop by for a visit :)
For a more detailed review, please refer to our blog: http://travel-pics-tips.blogspot.ch/2015/08/south-african-wilderness.html
ES
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about South Africa by MªCarmen Hernández
The only negative thing it's sometimes there are too many people watching the same animal and it could be stressing for him.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A positive, personalized memorble experience of a lifetime awaits you with Msafiri Travels.
Msafiri Travels organized us the trip of a lifetime! We had a fantastic Arusha-based guide, Charles Benjamin, who knows where to find wildlife, has great informative insights, and a great personality--which is a great asset when you are together for a multi-day safari. We saw every wild animal we imagined we might see with Charles's insightful leadership on a 7-day safari. We stayed in luxury tents, with bed, western toilet, showers and high-quality meals. The leopards, cheetahs, and hippos were most memorable. The rich array of birds in Serengeti was also a treat. The rough roads were made bearable by Charles's competent driving skills and underlined the fact you are in East Africa, removed from your normal world, experiencing the majesty of a sanctuary for wildlife. Msafiri and Charles were great communicators, and they were very responsive and willing to accommodate our interests--essential elements in making each day of this memorable week a true, unique treat. We highly recommend Msafiri to anyone seeking a personalized experience seeing bountiful wildlife with competent commentary.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The best 11 days in Tarangire, Lake Eyasi, N'gorongoro crater and Serengeti
My wife and I toured Tarangire, Lake Eyasi, N'gorongoro crater and the Central and Northern Serengeti in 11 days. The experience was absolutely flawless, thanks to Grace's perfect preparation and David's fantastic guiding!
We initially requested some information from multiple tour operators, and Grace's was by far the most comprehensive and detailed response, and the closest to the brief we had given. Grace then took the time to tailor further the tour through multiple emails, improving it to the point where it looked absolutely perfect on paper.
And David absolutely delivered on it! It was clear from the beginning that he was very experienced, but every day we spent on the tour confirmed it further. David has been guiding for close to 25 years, and has an incredible knowledge of the parks (where to find what animal and what time of the day), the animals (from the scientific name to their place in the ecosystem to interpreting why a specific animal behaves the way he does, and what he's likely to do next), the people (he seems to know absolutely everyone) and how to be an awesome guide (he clearly cares about making your experience memorable, and managed to surprise us with something new every day). He has the sharpest eye you can find, which means he doesn't have to rely on the radio to find animals like many tours do. You will often be the first, and sometime the only one, to see a leopard in a tree, or a lion family playing. But the best is that he clearly loves his job, which means every day will be another great experience for you.
US
Great value and great experience!
Our safari experience greatly exceeded our expectations. Additionally, we felt the safari experience was a very good value, and I would book through this same company in the future. All transportation and hand-offs went very well. Our guides were knowledgeable and friendly and enabled us to see everything that we wanted. We felt safe at all times, with no problems or hiccups along the way. The food provided was good, and we were never hungry. They fed us well. Finally, the communication of the office was fantastic, allowing us to experience the exact safari we were looking for. A terrific experience and highly recommended!
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Custom Safari Adventure
Was referred to Marianne by a friend in the States. She was excellent. I have planned trips for my friends before and we are always looking for something out of the ordinary that would not be found on regular tours or searching the internet. Marianne was very familiar with the countries in Africa and the various Safari lodges and arranged a tour around our interests. She spent months narrowing down the choices with the result being a once in a lifetime experience that was well within our budget. She knew what was important to spend money on and what was not. In coordinating the trip the fact that I lived in the United States and Marianne was in South Africa was not a problem. Excellent all around.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
First Class Experience with African Welcome Safaris
From the time we first contacted African Welcome Safaris to the very end of our trip, Kathi was top-notch in helping us have the best vacation ever! Kathi worked with us and our schedule to figure out the best dates for our trip. She was then able to figure out how to put everything we asked to do, which was a lot, into our time in the country. Kathi was extremely easy to deal with and everything was ready for our trip to South Africa!
Once in country, everything that was set up for us to do was just plain awesome! Rhys picked us up at the airport and was our tour guide for our time in the Cape Town area. He was a wealth of knowledge, easy-going, and was a great guy to spend 5 days with. Laura was a great guide up Table Mountain and we enjoyed our time with her as well! Again, everything we did in Cape Town, Gansbaai, and the surrounding area was taken care of and the only thing we had to worry about was getting our luggage from the airline. Hikings, paragliding, cage diving with sharks, and a trip to the Cape of Good Hope were just a few highlights of our time in the area.
After our time in Cape Town, we headed up to Sabi Sabi Little Bush Camp for an amazing safari experience. Again, Kathi took care of all the bookings, including lodging and our plane trips from Cape Town to Sabi Sabi and later from Sabi Sabi to Johannesburg. Little Bush Camp was an amazing place and we wouldn't have picked it without Kathi's help. We would definitely recommend Little Bush Camp to anyone looking for safari.
This vacation was the best of our lives! We could not have had such an amazing time without the help of Kathi and African Welcome Safaris!
CA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Honeymoon Experience
We went on an 18-Day trip with African Scenic Safaris, 14 of which were on mainland Tanzania and 4 of which were on Zanzibar. We were on a private tour, just the two of us, and I can safely say that is THE way to go on safari. The whole experience was so personal. Being able to choose when we wanted to leave in the morning, how long we would stay on the game drives, and how long to stay at a particular location being amazed by the animals was a luxury that we noticed some of the larger tour companies and groups were not afforded.
Our guide David was so knowledgeable, creating two amateur animal behaviourists in us by the end of our safari. He had a great eye for spotting animals in the bush, but wasn't too proud to congratulate you when you managed to find one first (though he might tease you a bit if you were to get overly excited about a rock or branch which resembled an animal). When minor problems arose (like a broken zipper on the tent or a rock wedged in the jeep's brakes), David was quick to solve them, while making sure that we were still comfortable and happy. David was even a bit of a photographer, taking many great shots of us over the course of our journey together.
Our chef Ommy made sure we were well-fed. Correction: VERY well-fed. Daily, we had 4 or 5-course meals for dinner with no repetition of entrees or soups (which were something we looked forward to regularly). Breakfasts were similar every day, but had so much food that if you wanted to only eat one portion of them, you would find them very diverse. Lunches were usually packed to-go, so that we could spend the day on the game drive without having to return to camp, and was more than enough to satiate us. Several times, we had the privilege to enjoy a brunch prepared by Ommy when we had an early morning activity. What he can do with so little North American kitchen luxuries is astounding. Highlights include his fresh baked, pizza, lasagna, and a traditional African dish called ugali. Once or twice we had special requests, and he was very accommodating.
We chose to sleep in tents, rather than the lodges. The tents had more than enough room for the two of us, and with the provided mats and sleeping bags, were quite comfortable as well. Just to point out for any prospective safari-goers, tenting is the way to go if you want a cook; sleeping in lodges means you have to eat reheated frozen food, rather than the three square meals prepared fresh daily (again, which were always delicious and filling). Trips to the bathroom in the middle of the night should prove to be an adventure.
Each park we visited (Tarangiri, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater, and Serengeti) had something different to offer in terms of landscape, but the animals we saw were mostly consistent. That is not to say that it was boring or tired, as nature never ceased to amaze us. We saw all members of the Big 5, and a wealth of other animals (including a cheetah with 5 cubs!), all of which were incredible to see so close in their natural environment. Our add-ons to Ol Doinyo Lengai (a volcano near Lake Natron) and Lake Eyasi were wonderful experiences. The volcano was a gruelling hike (be prepared to double the time estimates given to you, and keep in mind we were the only group to reach the top that night of the many that attempted) for inexperienced climbers like us, but the sunrise view and the surprise at the top were worth it. At Lake Eyasi we had an unforgettable time of visiting a Bushmen tribe that MUST be experienced for anyone who has time.
In Zanzibar, Scenic Safari booked us into excellent hotels in great locations (the Stone Town seafront and a secluded beach resort). Transfers to and from the airport were all planned for us and ran very smoothly, although there was some confusion on our end regarding our final one, Amanda was easy to reach by email and phone from the resort and was able to clear it up for us.
There is only one concern we had on the entire trip and that was the estimated driving times given to us on the itinerary. The estimates were often far too low (we drove for double the posted time). As Canadians, we are used to long driving times to get to any other city, and were a bit annoyed to have to sit in a car longer than we were expecting. That being said, the trip was INCREDIBLE and an adventure of a lifetime (see the 5-star review) and African Scenic Safaris comes with a high recommendation from us.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Two days trip to see chimps at sweetwater
While traveling to kenya for volunteer project, we decided to take a short safari with my friends.they were able to give me many options within the budget w had set aside. we
decided on the Safari of 2days 1night to sweetwaters/ol pajeta. An amazing,unforgettable experience!