US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Incredible Animal Encounters In A Wild and Wonderful Country
In April of this year my 76 year old mother and I vacationed in Namibia for three weeks. I chose Namibia because I am a hobbyist photographer and wanted to visit the Namib desert and the Himba tribal lands. Mom came along because she wanted to see African wildlife in their natural habitat.
April was a wonderful time to visit Etosha, because there were many baby animals out and about (we saw baby lion, zebra, giraffe, elephant, warthog, wildebeest, kudu, hartebeest, springbok, impala). The grasses and vegetation were still green, but just turning into gold (the "blonde" season for Namibia) so the beauty of the landscape and the vistas was truly breathtaking at every turn. If you'd like to see some of the photographs, please feel free to visit this site: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jillscoby/
Great Safari and Zanzibar experience
I was traveling for work to Kenya and decided to go for a short 1-week holiday to Tanzania to explore a new country. At first, i was not sure what to do in Tanzania, but obviously, when in Tanzania, one should do a Safari! So i contacted a few safari tour operators and got responses from 3-4 tour operators. It was the 'low' rainy season, so it was quite difficult to join a group. I was traveling alone, so the only option for me was a private safari. A few safari tour operators offered me interesting option of itineraries. But Tanzania Serengeti Adventure was the most responsive and flexible (in terms of itinerary and budget) amongst the others. I was in contact with Jordan and told him all the activities i wanted to do. He suggested an itinerary and managed to include Zanzibar as well. Compared to the other operators, the itinerary offered was by far the best, esp the accommodation options they proposed. I was basically moving from a hotel to another, everyday for the full week. My favorite was the Maramboi tented camp and also the Seacliff Zanzibar hotel.
Once my itinerary was confirmed, Iris contacted me to brief me on the logistics through skype. I met her upon arrival in Arusha and she gave me all the specifics and made sure i was well briefed.
My guide during the safari trip, Phillemon, was very knowledgeable, safe, kind and determined to make sure i had a great safari experience. I had a great safari and looking back at my pics, i wish i can come back soon!
In Zanzibar, my guide there - Mbwana, was also great. He was very knowledgeable and was a good storyteller when it came to Zanzibar's history. I really enjoyed the Stone town city tour. He was also very patient with me as i stopped so much during the tour to take lots of pics.
The last stop of my trip was at a beach resort recommended by both Jordan and Iris. And i must say, this resort is spectacular! Enjoyed my late afternoon, having a walk by the beach and watching the sunset. Then in the morning, i arranged an early horseback ride along the beach.
Overall, my solo trip to Tanzania was very fun and memorable. I got to do all the things i wanted and i thank Tanzania Serengeti Adventure for making it all happen.
Recommended.
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Mikumi and Udzungwa
We had a great experience with Gombe, many thanks.
The driver took good care of us and was driving very safely.
Communication with Joshua from the office went well and also the price versus quality is ok.
Do not expect luxury, you are in africa, buth enjoy every moment of this beautiful exciting country.
We advise you to end your holiday on Zanzibar thats the place to relax in one of the great resorts!
Very responsive, but a little disorganized
Robert's company was recommended through the Nairobi Expat Marketplace forum and overall, we had a good trip. The driver who accompanied us was friendly and great at spotting animals (though not necessarily able to tell us much about the animals). Robert was also very responsive to our emails both in the planning stage, and throughout the safari when we needed to clarify things.
My suggestion would be that if you book with Maasai Trails East Africa, to send a confirmation email the day before to confirm that you will be getting water and binocular. Both were forgotten for us, which was disappointing. Maasai Trails reimbursed us for the water we purchased, but no binoculars meant some of the animals further from the road were harder to see. Also double-check the itinerary: our driver didn't know half of our itinerary and there was a lot of confusion over whether he had been given the park fees, etc. Ultimately Robert handled the situation but it would have been nice to not have had to spend an evening calling and clarifying our itinerary.
Despite the forgotten items, we enjoyed our safari experience overall. Thanks, Robert and crew! If you all improve communication within your team members and ensure that what is listed in the package is included in the car, you'll be a 5-star deal.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect Service.
Open Africa Safaris is providing a perfectly organized schedule for Tarangire NP, Lake Manyara NP, Serengeti NP and Ngongoro Safaris. They are very good in communicating with clients. The drivers are well experienced and flexible, and the served meals are so tasty. The price performance ratio is in the top quartile of all offers. Indeed, Open Africa Safaris provides Perfect service to their clients. I will be more than happy to book my next tour with this company again. I strongly recommend joining Open Africa Safaris for safari tour in Tanzania.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
A Tsavo East Epic Adventure!
Arriving at the famous Tsavo East National Park at the Voi Gate Headquarters, we were greeted by smiling rangers and park staff. We were quickly processed and were into the park within 10 minutes.
Rounding the first corner, no more than 200 metres in, we saw our first elephants, a small family group grazing in the bush by the side of the track. Elephant would prove to be our ever present in the park. It was full of them all over the whole park.
Our first night was spent camping at Ndololo Camp. This is a public campsite, with a shower/toilet block. There was a very helpful caretaker who brought us wood for the fire! Camping was fantastic due to the fact that the campsite is unfenced and animals can wander in at leisure. The highlight was a bull elephant not 50 meters from where we sat reaching up into a tree with his trunk and using his body weight to pull a branch down. Exhilarating!
Game drives were constantly stopped to look at elephants and the plentiful game. Our guide found us lions lazing in the grass. You have to be pretty fortunate to see them moving around or hunting apparently! They were an amazing sight though!
The bush is thick in places and the guide is crucial as they know where the game hangs out- we saw everything we wanted to!
We then moved up to the northern area to stay in a luxury tented camp called Galdessa on the Galana River. One word- spectacular! The river was full of hippos and crocodiles and just sitting there we saw elephants crossing- who can resist seeing a baby elephant swimming across with only it's trunk visible above the water?
Lions came down to drink nearby in the dark and the noises of the bush at night were sensational! The camp was awesome! Great food, helpful staff and the highlight was a bush walk with a guide and a ranger down the river from the mighty Lugards Falls. We saw a leopard! The elusive animal was on a rock waiting for us it seemed! It soon disappeared as we stopped to look at it, ranger on guard just in case!
We took a sundowner trip to a place called Mudanda Rocks. Perhaps on of the greatest views in the world! We climbed to the top and sat over looking a waterhole, watching giraffe, elephant, impala, warthog and gazelles drinking as we sipped a cold Tusker beer- heaven! The view from the rocks out across the vast expanse of Tsavo East was simply stunning and I never wanted to leave!
All in all our safari to Tsavo East was amazing, well worth the money! In fact, for the experience we had it was cheap!
Kenya is such a fascinating country and I would recommend visiting it to anyone. We took our two small children aged 8 and 6 with us and never ever felt unsafe. The guides and rangers were incredibly professional.
Kenya- visit it now!
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An Exceptional Experience
Mala Mala was a 5 star experience all around. Game viewing exceeded expectations. We saw the Big 5 in the first day of our four day trip. But each day had its own highlights -- lions stalking, leopards mating, giraffes necking, a leopard munching on an impala snack, elephants drinking at the river, and cheetahs walking along as cool as you please. Admittedly, we were lucky but both rangers talented at finding game and the dry weather which caused the game to hang near the river, helped. At Mala Mala, the guests spend most of day with their assigned ranger. You are with them not only for game drives but also for meals and drinks at the bar beforehand. So you need to get along with these guys to make it an enjoyable experience. However, I saw no one that wasn't enjoying interacting with the rangers, that includes my group who enjoyed hanging with Daniel over the four days. The time and social pressure on the rangers is large, but they all seemed handle it with aplomb. Daniel not only knew where to look, he was very knowledgeable about all the animals we saw (including numerous birds), but was also good at explaining their behavior, or, more to the point, the reason for their behavior. One other ranger-positive remark: the game drives take place very early and late in the day and with the sun low in the sky, back lighting and shadows make for tough photographs. These guys were particularly adept, when possible, at maneuvering the truck around to get a good, close, well lit shot. Now, they can't drive over logs or cross rivers to do this, but if they could achieve a good position, they would. Our rooms were spacious and well cared for. They have complimentary laundry service, a very important feature when you can only carry 20 kilos of luggage for an 11 day trip. The food was tasty and well prepared. Meals were buffets which was helpful in controlling quantities. Final point: work with your travel agent in getting to the camp. Mala Mala has a airstrip 15 minutes from the main lodge. Make sure you can access the camp via this airstrip as opposed to the two hour drive from Nelspruit that we experienced!
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
An amazing experience with a wonderful guide that gave us a unique and life changing trip
Our safari was wonderful. The communication and followthrough were outstanding. They were very timely and professional and the service was impeccable. I think the experience was better than I could have hoped considering what we tried to accomplish in just two days and with such a large group. I will definitely use this safari company again and look forward to our next trip!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A fantastic, memorable experience of South Africa's wildlife
We first visited the Kruger in July 2015 with Wildwings Safaris (staying at Skukuza and Satara) and had such an amazing time that we visited again in August 2016 (staying at Letaba, Mopani and Shingwedzi). Kruger is huge (about the size of Wales or Israel) so there is plenty of habitat to support a wide range of wildlife. We had excellent views of the 'Big 5' and other great wildlife such as Wild Dogs, Honey Badgers, Sable, Roan antelope (north of Shingwedzi) and Tsessebe. Both visits took place during the southern winter (dry season) and the weather was dry, warm and sunny with game viewing easier then due to the drier vegetation. We stayed in the SANParks rest camps and these were an ideal base, with handy shops for buying your own groceries if self-catering or restaurants if not. There was also a petrol station at each camp. Our guide with Wildwings Safaris (Simon) was excellent and really enthusiastic - it was like he was on holiday with us! He was also a keen birder (as am I) so it was great to be able to stop and enjoy plenty of Kruger's varied birdlife too. They also arranged our other accommodation in South Africa flawlessly - I can't recommend this company highly enough. We also enjoyed the SANParks evening/night game drives and bush walks, which provide an alternative way to see the bush after the gates have closed and a chance at seeing something unusual, such as Porcupine, Genet and Side-striped Jackal. We love Kruger and will definitely be back again.
CH
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Outstanding Experience
Etosha National Park is quite a unique place - we got to see a lot of animals in their natural habitat. One morning when we left very early (6ish) from one of the camps we even saw a leopard perched on a tree, enjoying the scenic view (or maybe eyeing a kudu ...). We can really recommend staying several days in the camps, as there are water holes at each camp and animals do really show up at those. We even saw two rhinos at a waterhole at night (around 9pm) so patience really pays off.