US
Phinda combined the best of nature with the best accommodations, service and food!
We have been on many safaris and Phinda was one of, if not the best. We felt completely connected with nature , while still having Five Star amenities--accommodations, food, and service. This was one of the few lodges where I felt this way. The animals, the landscape, the design of the individual lodges at Vleit were just spectacular. I would recommend Phinda Vleit for anyone interested in having a phenomenal wildlife experience.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Just Awful
We booked a 7-day Kenya+Tanzania safari with a Kenyan operator and the 3-day Serengeti-Ngorongro portion was subcontracted to Migada. Unlike the Kenya portion, Tanzania was terrible in every way and our vacation was half-ruined.
The car had multiple problems and was absolutely unsafe. Breaks were bad and locked the tires on gravel roads so downshifting was the way to slow down. Parking break didn't work so it was always exciting to see the car run away until driver used rocks to stop it. Engine didn't start if turned off when it's warm, so engine ran the whole day even when parked next to the animals. We had to ask other drivers for a bump when driver stalled the engine. The car didn't have radio so game viewing was random. A policeman warned us about the wheels being not fit to drive. But more on the car later.
The driver got lost multiple times, starting day 1 from Isebania to the lodge in Serengeti. When it was getting dark he panicked and started driving movie stunt style on horrible roads, doing a pretty high jump where tires detached from the ground for about 4 seconds that felt like hours. No empathy with passengers' comfort for restroom or lunch breaks, we had lunch inside the car in dust while driving. The company's card was out of money while exiting Serengeti so we had to wait about an hr just to exit a park. Nothing happened smoothly..
The car broke down a few minutes after our descent into Ngorongro, and we found out the radiator had a leak that the driver knew about. His calls to the office were unanswered but another safari driver was kind enough to stop and take us into his car, and tow the broken car until the nearest water hole. We helped fill the radiator with muddy water and plugged the hole with elephant dung and the car surprisingly made it to Arusha the next morning on mud, dung and prayers. They gave us a new car from Arusha to Kenya border and then came our best moment in Tanzania: getting exit stamps and seeing our Kenyan driver on the other side.
Thinking back about the whole thing, we should've rejected getting into that car after the first day.
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Perfectly organized
Perfectly organized round trip throughout. We went to Zimbabwe, Botswana and Zambia. Monika had very useful tips and excellent advice for any need. Great service, easy communication and absolutely reliable. Many thanks to Monika and her team for this very special and unforgettable trip. We recommend The Safari Source.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Excellent Experience
I found AAA on Safari Bookings and emailed them along with numerous other companies for a quotation on a 5 day safari. Jalala was the first to reply to my enquiry and his response to all my many emails with lots of questions was always extremely fast. I felt nervous booking a company through a website I was unfamiliar with so also telephoned Jalala to get more information, admittedly the line was not great but I felt confident enough to book. My Mother and I wanted to do a 5 day safari taking in Lake Manyara, the Serengeti and Ngorangora Crater, we specified that we were keen to see the wildebeest migration. Our driver/guide was Godson, he was a really kind, considerate and lovely guide with exceptional time keeping.
Lake Manyara was beautiful, we did not see the tree climbing lions but we did see a whole host of other wonderful animals. Angani Tented Lodge was lovely. We stayed at Angani Tented Camp for the next two nights in central Serengeti. AAA picked this camp as it was where the wildebeest migration was supposed to be. Due to an unusual season the migration was further North than expected but Godson spoke with other guides to find out their whereabouts and was able to take us to see the migration, this meant we had to leave an hour earlier than planned and we felt grateful for him to forgoes his rest for us. We are lucky enough that this was not our first safari, we are seasoned safari goers but Godson was able to consistently position his vehicle the right way round so that we could follow the action and also in places that at first seemed a bit odd but then turned out to be central to what was about to unravel. In the end we decided that the animals could smell him and were drawn to his vehicle! At one point we were watching leopard cubs in a tree and we could hear the grass rustling then a leopard cub popped out right nest to our car! We always seemed to arrive at just the right time, having never seen any kills before we saw 3 in two days. Godson wasn’t great at his birds but he was able to find them in his book and tell us which ones they were in a matter of seconds.
Rhino Lodge was really lovely and the Crater was spectacular, we saw the black rhinos!
Godson’s vehicle was extremely comfortable and was equipped with multi region plug sockets (very useful for charging cameras on the go) and a fridge. It had a strong pop up roof (some vehicles had no protection from the sun!). Godson kept it clean and tidy throughout and kindly cleaned his fridge for us (we did offer!) after one of our sundowner beers exploded in it! The roads are really rough on the vehicles and we noticed that Godson carried a toolkit and seemed to know how to fix most problems as he offered advice to other broken down vehicles and repaired two minor faults which happened to his vehicle. Having travelled on these roads for 5 days and seen the amount of stopped vehicles I think you should count yourself lucky if you do not need to stop for repairs!
Guides are given loaded cash cards to pay for the entry into the parks. There was a problem with our dollar cash card (it had expired) which meant we had to pay for the park fees at 2 places. We were really worried that it was some sort of scam but we needn’t have worried, Jalala refunded us the cash as soon as we got back to the office along with an extra $10 to cover card transaction fees.
The picnic lunches were large, tasty but could have been better, they were mostly wheat based products.
Overall our experience was excellent, the itinerary was exactly what we wanted and it was altered along the way to suit our needs and give us the best opportunity to see everything that we wanted to see. I would recommend this company.
FI
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Recommended to small and big people!
Relaxed and nice atmosphere! Our trip was very successfull - even the smallest in our company were very well taught off and well taken cared off. Can recommend to you all!!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Memorable Family trip to Maasai Mara
East African Jungle safaris did a great job in organizing our trip to Masai Mara national park, they came up with a great itinerary, we enjoyed seeing a lot of animals like the Lions Zebras,
their choice of a guide Tom who was impressive with his knowledge and him being a bird watching specialist made it even better
given an opportunity I would definitely use them again, a big thank you goes to director Fred who organized all that above.
AE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
8 Days Samburu | Aberdares | Lake Nakuru | Lake Naivasha | Masai Mara
The 8-day safari with Africa Holiday Tours was simply everything I had expected it to be. The driver/guide was very knowledgeable and accommodating, and the experience was fantastic. It was exactly what I had negotiated with the company, a budget safari leading to upscale. I would highly recommend Africa Holiday Tours.
QA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Savannah Explorers is great choice!
As I used the references on Internet to decide which safari operator to choose, I will also contribute my reference. Savannah Explorers has proven to be a great choice! On many fronts; quick detailed replies from Roberto on our questions, fantastic guide Hans, better than expected lodges and that all for a competitive price. We went to Ngorongoro, Serengeti up to the Mara river in the north and were lucky to see the Great Migration (Wildebeast crossing the river), and many other animals like Leopards, Chita's, Lions, Giraffes, Elephants, Zebras, Hippos, Buffalos, Crocodiles (and some of them even in action!). Hans knew where to find the animals, knew how long and where to wait for action and did share a lot of his knowledge. I just couldn't believe my eyes; you see the nature yourself as on a documentary of National Geographic!
AT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing 6-day safari to Ruaha NP, Mikumi NP and Udzungwa Mountains
Our safari to Ruaha NP, Mikumi NP and Udzungwa Mountains exceeded our expectations by far, it was an amazing experience. We're really greatful to the team for having made our safari so unforgettable and can only highly recommend Grassroots Safaris to anyone planning a safari in Tanzania.
Here are more details:
Wildlife
July seems to be a great time for visiting the above mentioned national parks: We got to see way more animals than we had ever possibly hoped for! There's lots of elephants, giraffes, zebras, baboons, water bucks, impalas, hippos, crocodiles, wart hogs, wilderbeests etc. We got lucky and even spotted lions with a cup, a hyena, a cheetah, a leopard, ostriches, a pelican, a buffalo, a pelican, jackals and many more.
Food & accomodation
We had our own chef with us, Asha, who prepared excellent meals for us. She even made sure to prepare vegetarian food for us when she realized we didn't like meat so much. Even though Asha cooked really well, there was always more then enough food. We also got the chance twice to help her with the shopping at the local markets in Morogoro and Iringa.
Our accomodation was always very nice. We particularly enjoyed staying at Ruaha Bandas for two nights where elephants and hippos sometimes walk through the camp (the guides always make sure that you're safe). As the camp is situated next to a river, you could just sit in little pavillions and watch animals such as hippos, zebras, elephants and giraffes when you're not on a game drive.
The first night we camped at a campsite, which we enjoyed a lot as there were local people making music and dancing. The atmosphere was amazing and many people joined in. Our tent was huge and we didn't sleep in a sleeping bag. Instead, they provided us with mattresses, pillows and blankets, so it was very comfortable.
One night we spent at a hotel in Iringa where we even had wifi in the main area.
Our last night we spent at our own little bungalow with a nice veranda in Camp Bastian in Mikumi". The camp looks like a big, beautiful garden and you have your meals at tables outside under the sky. So relaxing!
Driving and safety
Fikiri (our driver and guide) is a great guy who you can have a lot of fun with. He picked us up from the airport in Dar es Salaam and we started the safari right away. He explained lots of things en route - I think there was no single question he couldn't answer. He knows a lot about all the animals and plants, but he never bored us. ;) He's also an excellent driver and we felt very safe at all times.
Our jeep (a 4x4) was perfect for the safari. You could fold up the roof, so it was possible to take great pictures in the national parks while being in the shade.
Team and Communication
Grassroot safaris has an amazing team - Fikiri is an amazing driver and guide, Asha is a great cook and Micky made sure we had the perfect itinerary for our time frame and budget.
Micky planned our itinerary for us and answered all our questions promptly. He provided us with lots of information and we felt very well-prepared. He even talked to us on the phone during the safari to make sure we were having a great time.
Value
We payed about 1.100$ per person in a group of two, which is a great price for a six-day safari. It includes all entrance fees, accomodation and food, so only tips are extra. We are more than satisfied with what we got to see and do for that price, the value is great!
IN
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
A great12 day tour arranged by Trevaron Tours
Ours was a 12 day tour arranged by Hannah of Trevaron Tours in September 2013. She was there to received us at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and personally guided us to the Safari Park Hotel for our first night in Kenya. From there Simon, our capable and affable guide and driver for the next 11 days took over - Masai Mara ( Serena Lodge) for 4 days, Lake Nakuru Lodge, Mt. Kenya National Park Mountain Lodge, Samburu Game Park Lodge and our last night at the Mt. Kenya Safari Club. The game lodges that were arranged for us were excellent and the wild life viewing was great except for lake Nakuru where due excessive flooding, the alkaline nature of the lake had changed resulting in the flamingos flying to other alkaline lakes. We went on to Lake Bagoria where we did see some flamingos but not in such great numbers as we had seen on a previous visit to Kenya. Our visit to Kenya in September was dictated by non availability of accommodation in the Mara in August. We did see the end of the great migration but the best time would be August, to be there in the middle of it. So book early.