50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
I had a wonderful wildlife experience at Amboseli National Park
We were a group of 8 photographers, and we stayed at Amboseli Serina lodge for two nights. We were very pleased with our accommodation and food at the lodge. As we went just after the rains, the park was lush green everywhere. The wild animals had babies with them and it was a pleasure to watch the baby elephants with their mothers and their families. The bird life was less than we had expected , but the ambience of this park with the Mount Kilimanjaro at the background was breath taking. We photographed elephants blowing dust at each other and also baby elephants playing in the mud. The scenery was wonderful and we took sunset and sunrise photos at Amboseli with elephants and water holes in the foreground.
We experienced good weather, no rain and the temperatures were cooler than I had expected. The climate was very pleasant indeed. We travelled with Arunga tours and we had two very capable drivers /guides for our two four wheel drive vans. I would recommend Amboseli National Park to any traveller who appreciate wildlife
Review about Lake Manyara National Park by Nigel Nudds Photography
We only had a morning here so can't elaborate too much but the bird life was outstanding here
Great Introduction to Wildlife in Tanzania
Tarangire was our first Safari of the week and was a great introduction of things to come. Visting at the end of May and just after the wet season the grass was long and lush so a little difficult to see the smaller animals. We almost immediately came across a family of baboons who were very active and climbing up and down "their" tree. Later we saw our first elephants but from a distance which was still great to see. Further on we met a lone elephant who got very close to our vehicle but was not aggressive in any way. We didn't see any big cats on this day visit but plenty of bird life to include superb starlins, hornbill, hammerkopf and love birds. Also plentiful were the majestic giraffe. Views from the small picnic site were beautiful overlooking the river, where we later saw a family of elephants drinking
NL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
We had a very nice trip with Nyati Travel
On our 4 day trip we went from Mutare to Great Zimbabwe Ruins, Lake Muturikwi (Lake Kyle) Recreational Park, Chivero Recreational Park and back to Harare. We really had a great time. The driver provided, Alec, first of all was a very good driver. He was also kind, helpful and patient. He listened to what we wanted and had some good suggestions himself. We enjoyed the beautiful landscape and the wildlife. We will be sure to recommend Nyati to others!
US
At the waterholes in particular we had some great animal viewing.
We very much enjoyed our time in Etosha National Park. The park was easy to get around in, and the people we met were kind and courteous. Animal viewing was terrific. Although we didn't see the numbers of animals we've seen elsewhere in Africa, the dry climate and associated waterholes made for some great, concentrated sightings, with some unique poses. We highly recommend this park as an animal viewing destination.
FI
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Day Trip to Chobe National Park
Chobe National Park is worth visiting only for a day if you do not have time for longer visit. It is easy to access and reach from Zambia and Zimbabwe if you happen to spend time either of these countries. You can find real bushes and secluded areas from Botswana, but Chobe is easy to reach and services are great to support your visit. We visited there on May, 2016 and trip was organized by a local travel agency in Zambia. We were a group of 5 people from Zambia and we joined another group from Zimbabwe (6 people). The morning was spend on the river with the guide who's experience and knowledge were excellent to support a very informative drive. We had coffee, cookies and soft drinks onboard, and we saw a lot of animals in the water and on the banks. There were hippos, elephants, crocodiles, lizards and lot of different kind of birds and the scenery itself was exactly the same you can find from public websites. After the pleasant boat ride, we had a lunch break with decent food in one of the lodges were we had an opportunity to fresh up and rest. Afternoon was spent on a game drive and then we had only a group of 5 in the same car. We basically drove the marked roads in the area and again the guide was excellent. We were able to spot a lot of animals and in this area, animals are quite used to vehicles so they are not running away as soon as you spot them. If you get overwhelmed about the scenery on the river, the view from here to the river is even more spectacular with the number of elephants, hippos, giraffes and other animals you could see in the wide area. The highlight of the visit was when we spotted lions - our guide was able to drive very close and that was one of the best experiences on our three week's trip.
When visiting Chobe like this, keep in mind that it is a public park with many other visitors in the same area and there are self-driving tourists, as well. Definitely you find more bush vibe from private parks but for the day trip this was value for the money.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Safari in the rain
Wonderful trip filled with WOW moments. Unfortunately the roads were not good due to the rains but on a positive note everything was very lush and we saw almost all the animal species.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Magic surroundings, unique scenery,
The Okavango Delta scenery is quite unique and as you have to fly a small plane to get to one of the lodges, you can realize it as soon as you board. It is very remote and with the water reflection the light is a wonder and you ear the bush noises so clearly day or night (you can ear hyenas grunting , lions roaring, bell frogs croaking etc.). For wildlife, scarce elephants and hippos are guaranteed. But you may not see cats if you don't book in a lodge offering game drives. Most of the lodges have boat activities and bush walks (a great experience indeed), but few have game drives. If you think you will be frustrated not to see lions, choose lodges with gale drives. If you can afford to stay in two places (one in the north, one in the south), it might be advisable as you'll probably see different things. Quality wise, the accommodation we booked was not a bargain. Lodges are very expensive and the service is not quite as good as we might expect for what we paid (I know, it is the bush but...) The thing is if you are used to other safari accommodations (I live in South Africa and have tried quite a few..) you can have real value for money (even if it is not as spectacular as the Okavango)...
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
A place for someone who is looking for an excellent safari experience
Our children had been worried when the brochure described the accommodation as "tented". They needn't have been worried, not many tents include a very comfortable double bed, a good side bathroom (though an outside shower was a surprise) and its own plunge pool. The "tent" was extremely private being set in its own wooded area, the only visitors being the nyala and wart hogs which unconcernedly wandered past.
The ranger we had for the game drives was top-notch. He and his fellow rangers obviously kept track of all the animals on the reserve and we saw a good selection on each drive. However he was also very knowledgeable about the environment as well, stopping to show us interesting plants, birds and smaller animals as well as the "big five".
The only downside was the restaurant in the evening, service wasn't all it could have been and the food presented wasn't what I would have expected from somewhere with Shamwari's reputation.
If you want an excellent safari experience then Shamwari is definitely the place to go, but go on the understanding that the restaurant service might not be of the best.
IN
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
glad we chose Chalo africa
as i said... everything was well taken care of and will surely get intouch with you when we plan our next safari