CL
My Sep trip
We went to Safarihub in 2014 and chose a return trip for 2016 because we enjoyed it so much. We were not disappointed.
Martin was an excellent driver-guide.
Martin was our driver/guide for a week so was indispensable for a good holiday. He showed just the right conbination of knowledge, skill, efficiency and friendliness.
He made the holiday a real pleasure and we would recommend him warmly to other visitors.
I was was interested in birds and he went to great lengths to find and identify any birds we came across. We knew little Swahili and he taught us a lot more.
Overall satisfied with the safari !
OM
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent Safari with Mwema Africa
Simon from Mwema Africa Safari is very professional and provided be me with a fair quote for our custom safari in Tanzania (Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro, Serengeti). Everything went very smoothly since our first email and the trip was very well organized. This include all ground transportation from Kilimanjaro to Mwanza, national parks entrance fees, flight tickets from Wmaza to Kilimanjaro, up-scaled accommodation, great food, and of course very knowledgeable guide (Kevin) who knew where to look for animals and drove very safely.... Thank you Simon and Kevin
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A great private budget level Safari Tour. Excellent Driver/Guide. Exceeded Expectations
Khanga accommodated our short notice private safari request with a prompt initial response and good communication prior to arrival. Our driver/guide was excellent, masterfully (and safely) handling some very challenging/remote roads and finding us more than enough wildlife and local experiences (very close up!) to last a lifetime (everything except for the elusive leopard) during the 6 day trip. Accommodations were generally of a higher standard than we expected for a budget safari. No hesitation in recommending Khanga Safari's to others looking to experience Kenya on a private safari. Also suggest factoring in some R&R time (2-3 days) at the conclusion of your Safari in a Mombasa resort, this is a great way to finish off your trip.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Five days and four nights in Kenya
I signed up with Wildebeest Safaris after researching about a dozen different companies offering trips in Kenya.
I was going to Kenya for business purposes and only had 4-5 days available for a safari. The trip I chose included Amboseli , Lake Nakuru and Masai Mara National Parks. This trip was during the first week of December, which worked out great for me. All three parks were virtually empty this time of the year, which definitely enhances the experience. It is also the time of year to see all the baby animals. So I have pics of mother/ babies of every animal we saw. Including the cheetahs'
My driver/ guide was Ken, who is very experienced, knowledgeable and friendly. It was just him and me for the five days. Ken picked me up at my hotel on time and ready to go. One of the reasons I picked Wildebeest is their tour offered a Toyota Land Cruiser (vs a mini van), which I very glad for after spending multiple hours travelling between the parks and for its ability to go anywhere and every where in the parks. I stayed at the Kimbo Safari camp, Flamingo Hill Tented camp and Mara Leisure camp. All three were very nice with large "tents" that all had masonry flooring, full bathrooms and comfortable beds. Hardly what most folks view as camping. The food at all three camps was fine, with multiple choices and well stocked bars. The staff at all three were very attentive and friendly. I would highly recommend this safari and this company. One word of caution- its is about 8 hours from Nairobi to Amboseli, another 8 hrs from Amboseli to Nakuru, and then again from Nakuru to the Mara. Also the last 2 hours to the Mara are on a dirt "road' that resembles a stream bed in places and not a road . It is a rough ride, so if you have back or neck issues, be prepared for a bumpy ride , or as the guard at the Mara Park gate called it- "a free massage ..." Thanks again Ken for a great time for all your knowledge of the landscapes, the animals and the Masai people.
CH
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Biking Kenya
The overall experience was fantastic. Agnes in head office easy to contact. Did have some trouble with wiring the money but not sure why. We did the 10day biking and safari trip. Sankale was an excellent guide and a wealth of information on the culture of the Masai and what an experience to see how the people of Kenya reacted to him in his traditional clothes, I enjoyed all the info he gave to us and still want to learn more. Hassan was our guardian angel who got us safely to everywhere on the difficult Kenyan roads and always with calm and a great sense of humor. We were spoiled to have these 2 and we all enjoyed each others company throughout the trip. All the places we went were incredible as far as the animals we saw and the sites themselves and everyone was a different experience. Great time of year to see the animals as we saw them all with babies as well. The accommodations in the comfort level were fantastic and a great surprise especially all the tented camps. The biking was fun maybe less kms than I thought and the bikes could be in better condition but were still functional. The transfers were long and on bad road conditions but Hassan and Sankale made it all enjoyable. Maji Moto was a favorite and in general I was very surprised at the generosity and kindness of all the staff in every accommodation. Kenya was a wonderful surprise and is filled with wonderful people as well as incredible haute and animals.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing visit to South Africa / Kruger
I am not a rich person. But I enjoy rich experiences: viva safaris allowed me to have an amazing experience in South Africa, make our group feel special, see the big 5, eat incredible meals and not have to spend a lot of money to do so. We stayed at several of Viva's properties: Marc's Treehouse, Tremisana lodge, and the wonderful and luxurious Katekani Tented Camp. The latter made me feel like I was a millionaire it was so luxurious. Piero cooked the most amazing meals for us and we had the whole place to our selves. Tremisana is a wonderful place to start a safari as it is comfortable and immediately you feel immersed in Africa with Warthogs and Monkeys roaming the property! Viva is a well put together safari company that is extremely well coordinated across complicated logistics. It feels seamless, but obviously must take a lot of work to coordinate across so many people and activities and have it feel effortless! I highly recommend this company and its various properties. Do make sure you know what you want in terms of accommodations: we signed up for "budget" at the tented camp and while it was great - our older members wanted a bit more luxury so we upgraded to Katekani from Marc's Treehouse. Viva was incredibly accommodating and for that I will be forever grateful. Thank you Viva Safaris! I will recommend you to many others!
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Fantastic way to experience nature
We spent 5 nights on the Fisheagle canoeing safari from Kariba to Mana Pools and 3 nights hiking at Chitake. It was the most amazing experience!
Canoing down the Zambezi is awesome: the landscape along the river and the river itself keeps changing throughout the trip and you see more and more game the closer you get to Mana. Our guides Takesure and Manu were very professional and entertaining: we felt perfectly safe at any time, heard lots of interesting facts and stories and enjoyed very good meals every day.
Chitake is a very special place. It is very remote and you hardly see any other people. Our camp was set up right at the riverbed which turned into an elephant highway every night. Exploring the area with our very experienced and knowledgable guides Craig and Elijah, we saw lots of plains game but also elephant, buffalo and lion close by.
Highly recommended to everyone who loves nature and wants to travel off the beaten track!
SA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great Guide, Terrible Accomodations
This review is to be a negative one.
I hope they take this feedback and try improve their communication and their services.
My family (my wife and my 2 daughters) experience, in terms of activities were good.
We owe that to our guide. He is an excellent guide and very safe driver.
There was one other person. I didn't know what the other guy did till the last day.
There were discrepancies in the itineraries. What we were promised was different what was delivered.
We never did the early morning and the evening game drive.
Time gap between the departure time from Masindi Courtview hotel and the actual Rhino walk was more then 6 hours. Nothing to do for 6 hours. We just sat around did nothing.
From the very first night, accommodations were substandard, despite much better accommodation availability nearby properties. They communicated and promised to us that our accommodation in Ziwa Sanctuary would not be a budget accommodation.
We spent the entire night awake with mouse and rats running around us. There were literally hundreds of live bugs and mouse droppings on the sheets.
We are still so upset about this which I am considering in taking further actions.
Food options, well there were no food options at Parkside lodge. We ate whatever they made. One main course. That's it.
To be fair, Courtview and Ziwa had food options.
We've paid a premium price expecting premium service. Our guide/driver was outstanding. Other than that it was terrible.
After I've learned what the charges were in the hotels and permits and entrance fees, the profit margin was significant. They basically put us in the cheapest and dirtiest places to make that profit.
Our bad experience with accommodations and food would not take away the joy and pleasure we had by learning about Ugandan people and culture. Kindest people we've ever met during our travels.
CA
under20 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Zanzibar trip
Thanks to Planet Wild Safaris for organizing our holiday in Zanzibar including diving, spice tour, island tour and fishing. Our guide was very nice and doing everything to make sure we have a good time.
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
An amazing experience I won't forget in a hurry...
I was so pleased with the correspondence with emails keeping us up to date with a wealth of information. There was always someone on hand to answer any questions and very quickly too. I felt they were very professional and left nothing to chance. Deposits were paid in advance and I had no qualms whatsoever and the balance for the trip was paid too without any problems.
I found the staff very friendly right from the start of our journey from the airport to the very end. The accommodation was very clean and comfortable. Every meal was well cooked and superb. Nothing was too much trouble for them.
The guides were very friendly and smart with a wonderful sense of humour. I felt very safe even on our short walk away from the vehicle, trying to find the elephants that were near. My biggest thrill was stroking two cheetahs who had just killed and were very full lying down almost asleep. They each had one eye cocked ready for anything and then we come along! I could almost see them yawning and thinking, oh! it's them again. I must admit we were all pretty cautious going in one by one, for these were real wild animals with the carcass of their kill just behind them. The guides certainly know their stuff and it was an absolute joy to see all the wildlife. It far exceeded my expectations and the night safaris were a real bonus. The sunrises and sunsets were incredible. I have no hesitation whatsoever going with them again. We are planning to go in 2018.