CA
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
South Africa Trip with African Safari Consultants
My wife and I visited SA for the first time this July -- in their winter. Our plan was to visit Cape Town, Kruger Park and Victoria Falls. Although we are not unsophisticated travellers, we had never been to sub-Saharan African before and we found the prospect somewhat daunting. We considered using a major tour operator such as Abercombie and Kent -- but their programs were expensive and they promised a tour of not more than 16 people -- which seemed to mean we'd be on a bus much of the time. That didn't appeal to us. I found African Safari Consultants in Trip Advisor reviews and I dealt with Camille Rowe there. Camille was wonderful. She reviewed our original plans, had us determine a budget and suggested hotels and locations for us to visit. The price ended up being significantly cheaper than AK and the locations we visited were all wonderful (and I think the same in some cases as AK used). We stayed at the One and Only at the V&A waterfront in Cape Town. The hotel is lovely (more attractive with nicer rooms than some Four Seasons we've stayed at). Our tours were all by private car and the guides in both Cape Town and Johannesburg were excellent. Camille made a point of finding us a flight that would get us to Joburg early enough in the day to visit the Apartheid Museum -- that was well worth the effort, and something I would have never thought to do. Camille sent us to Kirkman's Kamp at the Sabi Sands Game Reserve at Kruger, and I can't give that place too high a recommendation. Our ranger and tracker were both excellent and informative and the amenities were perfect. Finally the emails and tour summaries Camille sent were extremely clear and helpful to have when we were travelling. I heartily recommend African Safari Consultants. I would certainly use them again in our next trip to SA.
US
Awesome family safari experience!
Thanks to Ute Sonnenberg the planning and organization of our safari trip was very easy and efficient. She is super responsive, friendly and professional.
All game drives at Sabi Sands and in the Kruger Park were amazing and exceeded our expectations. Especially our safari guide Edward was very knowledgeable and fun to be with. The transfers from and to Johannesburg were excellent.
I highly recommend booking your safari through Roho Ya Chui.
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Excellent overnight camping in Chobe National Park
Perfectly organized trip and a great experience!
Special thanks to Joseph Moyo - he´s an excellent guide.
Highly recommended!
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
10 days/11 nights -- great private tour package!
As this was my first safari, I wasn’t sure what to plan and Lilac Adventures was a big help. I worked with Daniel (over a hundred emails) for more than 3 months to work out details of our 10 nights in Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa! Daniel and his team responded to every email and answered all of my questions.
This was a girl’s trip and we both very much enjoyed it. The 10 nights/11 days was the perfect amount of time (although I would have loved longer) to experience the 3 countries. All lodges, game drives and transfer companies were great!
Our tour package for the most part was good with only a few minor issues. We were missing some information that should have been provided ahead of time (transfer times and tour/transfer company names) so we needed to contact Lilac Adventures almost daily to confirm. Also there seemed to be confusion of our arrangements at each lodge. We paid for ‘private tours’ and some lodges had us with groups. Even though the issues were resolved by each lodge, my expectation of hiring Lilac Adventures was to avoid this confusion and that everything was prearranged correctly.
I would recommend Lilac Adventures, but encourage all details be provided prior to the start of your journey to avoid any worry or confusion while on your trip.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing experience - highlight of our holiday
Michael, the owner of the company, answered to all my emails swiftly and professionally. He picked us up from the bus terminal and drove us to the clouds view hotel for the first night before the safari. The hotel was clean, the rooms nice, the food fresh and reasonably priced and the staff lovely and attentive. The safari itself exceeded all our expectations. Our driver Dennis was super lovely and we were actually a little sad when we had to say goodbye at the end of our safari. Our chef Abbe cooked the most delicious meals containing lots of fresh fruit and vegetables which we loved. They both made our trip perfect. There were only three of us in a small group safari, it alwas actually nearly a private safari for a very decent price considering the park entrance fees. We visited the serengeti where we drove all the way to the mara region to see the migration which was incredible. The camping site was tiny and clean it felt very exclusive. The tents and mattress/sleeping bags were all good too. Lastly we went to Ngorongoro which was busier but still very nice. We didn't realise how cold it would get so I'd recommend bringing some warm kit! If I go on safari again I would definitely go with Michael's company again and ask for Dennis and Abbe!
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great safari that exceeded our expectations
Mega Adventures organised a great safari for us; 4 days, 3 nights to Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater. Part of the programme was to follow the great migration, for which we went all the way to the northern edge of the Serengeti. Views were spectacular, with wildebeests everywhere you looked. During the safari, we saw many animals, including the lion and elephant (close distance), rhino (in Ngorongoro crater), hyenas, almost every animal you would hope to see.
As we opted for the budget safari, we camped in little tents. This was quite exciting, as there are no fences around the campsite. During our last night, we saw some zebras at the camping site. The quality of the meals was fine (the fact that I eat vegetarian was no problem). The tour guides were knowledgeable. The schedule was pretty tight; going all the way up northern Serengeti takes a lot of time. We often felt that we were in a rush, not allowing us to spend as much time watching animals as we would like. However, since the guide (Ibrahim) often decided that we had to move on, we saw probably more animals (and better views) than we would have if we would have taken it easy. He knew very well to set priorities, searching for the most spectacular scenes.
Initially, the Maasai cultural interaction was included in our itinerary, but it turned out that we did not have enough time to do this. However, I was glad that we took as much time as possible for game viewing.
Altogether a very good experience and well organised. Another major advantage of booking with Mega Adventures is that they did an effort combining groups (which is why they could offer a competitive price) - perfect for individuals searching for a group to join.
NL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great, super ans wonderfull
It was a wonderfull experience we really enjoyed our stay in the parks.
The driver and guide Nikolas was great.
He made our holliday.
He knew fast what had our attention.
So we did see a loth of wild animals, but also three tribes!
Visited a school, hospital and….his family.
Thanks to him it was an unforgettable experience.
Marcel Wallage - Netherlands
CH
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fantastic!
We (young swiss-married couple) enjoyed our 5 days trekkting organized by usambaraexp. very much!
Alex was very helpful with the booking. Joseph & Richard have been great guides trough spectacular landscape, mountains, forests, villages.. they knew a LOT about the plants, people and surrounding!
The accomodations and Food was very nice.. the price for the whole trip was more than worth to pay for all the nice food we ate and people we met.. we can really much recommend to go for hiking into the usambara region instead of the touristy place arusha!!! Usambara mountains was one of the most beautiful experience and adventure in my life!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A once in a lifetime experience done the best possible way.
Going on safari has been a lifelong dream of mine. Right from the moment I sent an enquiry through to Chris, to the moment he dropped me back at the airport after the safari, I felt safe, well looked after and well informed about every aspect of the safari, which meant I was free to sit back, relax and enjoy everything that Kruger had to offer.
Before you go on safari, people warn you that you shouldn't expect to see something every day and that, when you do, it might be an elephant far in the distance or a buffalo herd on the horizon. I tried to manage my expectations as best I could. When I saw Chris's Armadillo truck, I started to get really excited. The extra height meant that our feet were at the level of most cars' roofs. This means you can see further, and also you can drive up to any sights people are viewing at the roadside without being blocked by a car in front.
It is hard to describe the wonder and the experience of a safari adequately, and we were exceptionally lucky on ours, but here is a quick list of what we saw, close up (touching distance, were it not for Kruger's rules and personal safety concerns): 5 different groups of lion at the roadside, including one pride of 18 lions, one of which was Kruger's only resident white lion; innumerable elephants, some crossing the road; a crash of rhinos crossing the road in front of our truck; herds of buffalo; a leopard sitting in the branch of a tree at the roadside; zebras; giraffes; kudus; beautiful birds and plant life... You get to watch how the animals actually behave, in the real world, and Chris gives you time, space and information to enhance this. Perhaps the best part of the safari was when we were woken in our tents at Satara by the sounds of heavy breathing and growling. These were the sounds of a buffalo being taken down by a coalition of 3 male lions right outside the perimeter fence. We were able to watch it all, as well as check in on the cycle of life and scavenging that played out afterwards between the hyenas, the jackals and the vultures.
Apart from the experience itself, there is NO OTHER vehicle like Chris's doing safaris. It has better height than the others by a good couple of feet. It also has tables, comfortable seating, a flush toilet, a library of reference books and even an honesty bar on board to you can kick back with a cold beer or cider whilst watching the natural world play out in front of you. Chris is a generous and excellent cook, the food was superb. The tented accommodation is also very comfortable.
I am the sort of person who will always find reason to moan about something, but I literally cannot think of a single thing to complain about on this trip. It was flawless, one of the best experiences of my life, and I envy you the anticipation of not having done it yet.
under20 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
2nd time with Flash Mc Tours - Amazing!
Peter and his team have been fantastic this time again. They offer a competitive, clear price with no hidden charges. Peter looked after us from the beginning of our trip right till the end. The collection and drop-off in Nairobi was painless and Leonard, the tour guide, was well informed and jolly. We stayed at Kibo safari camp in Amboseli National Park which is a paradise in itself. Fully stocked bar, delicious food, courteous service and amazing views of Mt. Kilimanjaro combined with a swimming pool provided for a relaxing stay.
Will definitely be using Peter and his team again when I'm back in Kenya next year.