65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Cuan & his team are amazing
Just returned form our second visit to Kenya, both organised by Cuan & African Ubuntu Safaris. In 2013 we visited Amboseli & the Masai Mara, Cuan did such an outstanding job organising the trip for us as first time visitors that it was never in doubt we would book with him again for our second trip. This trip saw us visit Laikipia and the Masai Mara staying at Kicheche Laikipia & Bush camps. The camps were amazing and the travel between camps organised very efficiently. Unfortunately we didn't get to see all we wanted on this trip but that is the luck of the draw on safari, no guarantees. Kenya was in the middle of a bad drought so much of the wildlife had moved away looking for water. We were disappointed not to see the painted dogs in Laikipia but we did get to see all our favourite cats in the Mara, Fig,Malaika,Nolari and the lone Oloololo boy. We hope to return in 2017 and will of course be booking with Cuan again. I would highly recommend African Ubuntu Safaris to anyone contemplating a trip to Africa.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
thsi was the best company i have use there serivce, the staffs are well behaved and very helpfull
From the moment we arrived at Nairobi airport, the chaz people were very friendly and took well care of my team. Communication was excellent , service was excellent and exceeded our expectations. I would recommend anyone travelling to Kenya to use Chaz tours
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect Kruger Safari
My girlfriend and I recently went on a four-day/three night Kruger tour with Ryan and could not have asked for a better trip. Driving past other tours carrying nearly 20 people with only one guide made us keenly aware of how lucky we were to be able to ask Ryan questions whenever we had them. Ryan's knowledge of the park’s ecology is constantly on display, whether he was talking about animals, insects, birds, or plant life.
Having our own private tour also gave us flexibility. We were able to customize our trip, allowing us to go out to see animals when, where and however often we wanted to. Whether we wanted to take an extra drive, go outside of the planned route to find a lion (success!), or drink Savannah Dry’s until passing out, Ryan was eager to do it. On our last day, Ryan drove all over known rhino routes because we hadn’t been lucky enough to see a rhino up close (which was literally the only animal in Kruger that didn’t practically approach our vehicle). When you are on larger group tours, that kind of personal touch just isn’t possible.
Behind every man is a great woman, and Ryan and Thale are no exception. Before arriving in South Africa, we were in constant communication with Thale despite the fact that she was in her third trimester. We were initially apprehensive about not being able to pay by credit card (extremely high fees) or PayPal (only works with one bank in South Africa), but Thale made us feel completely at ease throughout the entire process.
If all of that wasn’t enough, Ryan and Thale were kind enough to have us over for dinner the week after our tour for our last night in South Africa. We could not have asked for a nicer, more hospitable couple to show us around their beautiful country. They love what they do and it is evident from the moment you first contact them until they drop you off at the airport. We cannot recommend Wild Planet Safari highly enough. Thank you for making it an unforgettable trip!
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best travel experience ever
Marianne Birrell Safaris put together the most fantastic trip for us, giving excellent guidance and advice from beginning to end. Our four-day stay at Ngala Safari Lodge was outstanding in every respect, and our five days in Cape Town were superb. This was our first safari experience, but--as former airline employees--my wife and I are experienced travelers, including destinations in the Far East, South America, the Caribbean (lots!), Russia, and Europe (30+).
Marianne gave us excellent advice with respect to when to travel, what to bring, where to stay, and what to see.
She advised us to travel to the Kruger Park area before the bush vegetation started to fill in, which makes game viewing more difficult, and then continue to Cape Town to get slightly longer days and warmer temperatures. The weather was indeed ideal at the game reserve and the game viewing experience at Ngala could not have been better--notably rhinos, hippos (in the water), leopards, and plenty of lions, elephants, and buffalo. The Cape Town weather was also nearly perfect--one gray day out of five and just an occasional need for a light jacket. Marianne certainly knows the South Africa weather patterns!
Marianne's recommendation of the accommodations was also superb. We started planning the trip in August, which narrowed the choices due to decreased availability. We were lucky that one of Marianne's favorites, Ngala Safari Lodge, opened up during our Sept-Oct travel window. At Ngala, the thatched huts were quite comfortable, every meal was excellent , and the service was highly attentive. Every game drive brought a new and exciting experience. It was as if the six of us in the vehicle, in addition to our ranger Andre and our tracker Joseph (both amazing at spotting the animals), had the 35,000 acre private reserve all to ourselves. I don't know how Marianne did it, but we had one of the most private locations at the lodge--no walkways to any other hut passing near us.
In Cape Town we stayed at the Mount Nelson. Marianne would have us stay nowhere else. We had a fabulous room with a beautiful view to Table Mountain. The hotel service is excellent, the grounds are gorgeous, and the area is quiet at night . The breakfast buffet rivals that of any hotel in the world, and the high tea is just amazing. Thanks to Marianne's advice, we were able to get the right tours to see the most important highlights in the short time we had--wineries, Kirstenbosch, the peninsula (not impressed with the penguin colony, however), the V&A Waterfront (including harbor cruise), and whale watching in Hermanus.
Marianne also has put together a most helpful list of what to bring. We try to travel only with carry-on (thank goodness Ngala does laundry!), and we had everything we needed (including binoculars and three cameras) and nothing that was surplus (except the mosquito spray--hardly any mosquitoes around anywhere).
Communications with Marianne Birrell Safaris were excellent. We exchanged probably fifty or more emails planning and confirming details of the trip, and the responses were always prompt. Marianne also kept in touch with us while we were traveling, either by email or text, which was quite comforting although we had no glitches (for the first time ever in all our travels) anywhere along the way. She made sure we had the contact information also for the taxi service she arranged for the airport transfers, but they were reliable and on time. Marianne prepared every aspect of our trip so that it could not have run smoother.
For our next trip to South Africa, we will definitely turn to Marianne Birrell Safaris!
ES
Beautiful, calm and secure
Very good respect and care for the client and the client needs
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Superb - have no hesitation recommending
I have now been on safari twice with Peter and his team. Each time Peter has gone out of his way to make our trip the best possible. On the first trip there were 5 people in the group and on the second trip their were 6 people in the group. Each and every person in both groups came home raving about their experience. I have no hesitation recommending Peter and his team.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a lifetime
We had an absolutely fantastic vacation! Moses, our driver and guide, adapted to every whim of ours if possible, was very friendly, yet professional.
I personally liked that we added the outdoor activity sections that broke up the long driving days. The long drives I actually didn't like so much but they were unavoidable with our budget. Loved the hike to the base camp of Mt Kenya even though we were in better shape than our local guide, the hike to the bat caves and up the volcano with an excellent Maasai guide, and the mountain biking and hiking at Hell's Gate. We saw all the "Big 5" repeatedly and are still in awe by the beauty of the parks and reserves and the plethora of animals.
The food at the lodges was outstanding as well as service and accommodations.
Sweetwater Lodge was our favorite out of all the beautiful places.
We had a great, great vacation and want to come back for another adventure for sure.
Best,
Jutta and family
NZ
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Disappointed with tour organization and transportation issues
My partner and I did a 4 day Gorilla Tour in Uganda and while I would like to say the tour was great, I just can't it was filled with disappointment from Matoke Tours..
Our driver David was a good driver, and drove sensibly throughout the very long drive. However my partner and I didn't really know what was going on. David's communication with us and the other 4 tour guests that traveled with us was a bitter disappointment. He failed to give us any detailed itinerary of the day.... Yes he was only the driver but when you pay a lot of money for a trip of a lifetime I do expect some professionalism with all staff from reputable tour company.
It gets worse though.
We asked our driver to drop us off at Entebbe Airport along with another guest (so 3 of us travelling to airport) instead of going to Kampala and then going to Entebbe which can add another 1.5 hours to 2hours. The driver said he could drop us off and a Taxi would pick us up to take us to the airport. No mention of cost or price here. So one would assume that cause our driver didnt want to drive via Entebbe that Matoke should accomdate us and include this in our tour cost which was $1890 USD for the two of us.
When we got dropped of at the pickup point the taxi driver had been waiting for us for over 2 hours. We were then shocked that he was told to tell us the cost is $40 USD to take us to the airport from there. Which was a crazy price. We paid $23 USD from Entebbe airport to Kampala when we arrived, they charging over double the price and it was 15km shorter distance. We refused to be extorted like this and so the driver then called Eric one of the managers from Matoke to say we wouldnt pay that. He dropped the price to $30 USD which we had no choice to accept, it was late and we had been driving for 12 hours. When we got to airport I got driver to call Eric back and I spoke to him directory and said how unhappy I was with the situation and very disappointed and there lack of communication. He promised he would have someone email me the next day to recity the situation..... now 5 days later and nothing. Just confirms the type of company you are dealing with. You pay a lot of money and then they are trying to rip you off with a taxi.... Transport should really be included, pick up and drop off. Dont try and rip people off to make a few dollars so you can benefit more for tours that already cost us a lot of money.
The Gorilla Tours with the rangers at the National Park was perfect. But it should be and this part of the tour actually had nothing really to do with Matoke Tours as you get dropped at the national park and do the Trek with the rangers and scouts.... This part was great.. The Accommodation and the dinners we had was also amazing.
However the driver and logistics issues left a very sore taste in our month and really resent choosing Matoke Tours for our Gorilla Tour. My advice choose another company that has reliable communication.
CH
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Where wild animals play the leading role
The six days in and around the Kruger Park were unique. The transfers were well organized and I felt very comfortable in both lodges (Tremisana and Marc's Tree House). In Tremisana I could observe warthogs and baboons just from my veranda, Marc’s Tree houses are very nicely located along a river and on the way from the main house to the tree house you surely meet some nyalas. Both lodges are well managed and very personable. The game drives were, of course, the highlights of each tour. I was often lucky enough to observe (and photograph) many wild animals in their natural environment such as elephants, giraffes, zebras, lions, black and white rhinos, impalas, kudus and one leopard. For the cheetahs I have to return. The bushwalks were interesting and informative. All guides I met were enthusiastic about their job and educated us a lot of interesting things during both the game drives and bushwalks.
IL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
I Love Working With Professional Service Providers
Safarihub did a good job for me and my family when we visited Tanzania in 2014, and they did it again the second time we visited the country last month with my tour group from Israel. Their excellent customer service places them on the top list of tour companies known to provide the best services to local and foreign tourists. They often responded quickly to our calls, made proper arrangements to hold us, and most importantly, they made sure we had fun during tour time. I don’t like negotiating tour costs whenever I travel overseas with my family; I chose Safarihub because their rates are flexible. They give us the best rates, and that explains why they are the best guys for us.