DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic Safari at Pilanesberg
Thanks to Mmilo an Patrick for organising that astonishing experience.
Patrick is very professional and is caring a lot about the customers. He finds the perfect Lodge to stay at according to ones budget and wishes. For us the 3 Day Safari with staying at Tshukudu Bush Lodge was just perfect. The Lodge was a real gem inside Pilanesberg National Park. The suite was as wonderful as promised and the team, view, food and drinks where very nice too. One cannot wish for more.
The driver Anton that brought us to the park was very friendly and chose a very beautiful route to show us some of the Jo'Burg area.
If I'd go to SA again any time soon I'd definitely make a booking with Patrick and Mmilo.
Thanks for everything and best regards from Germany!
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Our tour with Maasai Legends was fantastic--beyond all expectations.
Our Guide, Leonard, was fantastic. He has a great sense of humor and was really fun to be around. He made us feel comfortable, never hurrying us. He asked what we hoped to see and experience. I think he enjoyed our reactions as much as we were thrilled. He was able to arrange our tour so that we did game drives on the way to our next destination, giving us an even better experience. He was even able to help get our lost luggage from the air carrier to our next hotel! He made our safari absolutely fabulous!
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Relaxing and Awe Inspiring Safari
We were picked up early in the morning (be sure to leave as early as possible! Some of the animals sleep when the sun is overhead) and drove from Johannesburg to Pilanesberg. We did a one day safari with a ranger and it was amazing! It was so relaxing to drive around the park, and so so cool to see all the animals casually grazing with each other. The park is beautiful and majestic, and you can actually get fairly close to the animals. Will definitely be back - what a life changing experience!
US
Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A must do trip
I recommend without hesitation. Mr. Otieno of Safari Walking is highly and promptly responsive to inquiries. It all went well. Ask to have Benson as a driver if you can. Benson is a safe driver, he is polite, patient, dedicated and will get you to see all the animals, some in action. I got to see an entire hunt from start to finish. I just returned from a safari with them. Though I was alone, they proceeded and I had the car and the guide, Benson, to myself for 9 days. That was great. Not all companies proceed when they only have one participant.
There was a hiccup though and I do not doubt Mr. Otieno will see to it this never happens again. I got food poisening in Naivasha in a lodge. I recovered fast as I had no plan to let this incident curtail my trip. However, if you are going to be in a lodge without telephone and the possibility to go out at night because of the possibility of wildlife encounter, make sure issues such as seeking assistance at night if needed are addressed. Annoying things could happen, so...be prepared just in case. In my case, the issue was not addressed beforehand and I am just glad I was able to get through a bad night due to food poisening without needing assistance from the lodge reception (closed at night on top of it all). This most important issue must be addressed. This said, look out for your safety and make sure to ask whether the ice is from purified water, and only eat fruits served with a peel or that do not easily harbor bacteria and that look crisp fresh (pineapples), avoid salads unless they are served with vinaigre on the side, and send back food that is warm but not cooked to death and that is not sizzling hot if cooked (right off the cooking pan). Basic stuff and you will be just fine. On another note, the food was always good, balanced and varied.
FYI, I think 3 nights in Naivasha is a bit long. Once you have seen the lake and done your drive at Hell's Gate, there is not much more to do and see. All this can be done in one day. Naivasha is a good rest stop driving from Masai Mara to Amboseli but that's all. Visit the market of Naivasha and mingle with the people. I liked going where the regular folks go. An hour at the market should suffice. All in all, I am happy with Walking Safari Survivors and I recommend without hesitation despite the hiccup that I am sure will be addressed. If you want to see how it went, I kept a journal/ blog of it on my Instagramaccount daleelah2018. You will see clips I made of conversations I had with Benson (you will love Benson) and a hunt and kill Benson got me to watch from beginning to end so knowledgeable and persistent he is in finding animals.
Another suggestion: for extra activities that are not included in the safari price, the travel agency should pre-negotiate the prices for us. I was left having to bargain the prices. They try to get the highest price first and you should discuss to lower the price. It would be better if that part was taken care of by the guide for a fair result for all. I find it a bit annoying to haggle each time. It can be pretty expensive, like US prices, which, in my opinion is not always justified in Kenya.
Benson dropped me off at the train station at Emali after visiting Amboseli Park and I continued my journey solo to Mombasa, Diani Beach, Wasini Island then Nairobi for 3 days. Kenya is a special country and it's people are beautiful, gentle and welcoming. I can't wait to go back there and when I do, Safari Bookings and Walking Safaries will be my first choice to arrange a safari. Do not let my suggestions or the hiccup I experienced interfere with what will otherwise be an amazing experience with Safari Bookinks and Walking. Safari.
RU
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Beautiful wildlife!
Our Safari tour was great. Everything was on time, the cars, the accommodation were great for it's value. The drivers were very friendly and did their best to show us all the beautiful things in Masai Mara.
Masai Mara itself was an experience completely out of this world. It is beautiful, and we enjoyed every moment of it. I would definitely recommend.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
What an amazing 5 star 'bucket list' experience.
Firstly can we thanks Vanessa for organizing such an amazing trip and for making sure the hotels and game parks were able to cater for my unusual way of eating (as i require all my food to be puree as i'm on a PEG). Firstly the hotel in Cape Town at the base of Table Mountain was first rate as was the room upgrade! Great location, friendly staff and wonderful food, big bonus was the free shuttle bus with-in 8kls to ferry us around and even pick us up. Next was the internal flights up to Joburg and the private transfers to and from the Waterburg Biosphere where our 2 lodges were located. First was the 'Clifftop exclusive safari hideaway' and though one of the older lodges was so warm and welcoming, the 5 large private suites spread along the cliff with large terraces, private plunge pool and furnished bale for shade. The food was just mouthwatering (so my wife told me) and excellent selection. This lodge was all inclusive and free flow of wine, beer and selected spirits which made a lot of difference at the end of the day. Our game park guide was incredible and we spend 3-4 hours starting at 5.30am and again at 4pm let us cover large areas of the park and see the BIG 5. We then moved to Makweti safari lodge, this was also a 5 star lodge with good food though drinks were not included. The 5 lodges were smaller but the main building was filled with amazing Africa antiques and a HUGE wine cellar! We were so impress with how close the animals came up to the lodge and again the amazing staff. A big thankyou to all.
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Awesome!
We have been on a two day safari and it was very nice! We’ve seen a lot of animals and beautiful vieuwpoints. Also the lodge and the food was good!
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Vacation experinece of a lifetime
The wildlife, scenery, weather and all guides were amazing. The accommodations were good, not excellent but it depends on what your looking for. The Lodge in Johannesburg was very basic. The people were wonderful but do not expect much from your room. If we were not arriving after dark and maybe someone else would have been staying on property we may have felt better about the place. We met the owner or Manager and her daughter the next morning and they were wonderful. The pool area and courtyard were pretty. I feel like if we had met them before heading to bed or like I said been there during daylight I would have felt better about the whole set up. The Adventure lodge outside Kruger was exactly as expected and what we were trying to do. We had a private chalet and did not do the tent camping but it still felt like we were camping which is what we wanted. The meals were good but not much variety. The guides and safari's that we took were amazing - We did 3 Safari's while in Kruger and then 4 more in other areas - Botswana and the Chobe River. They were all amazing. While we did stay in luxury accommodations for the remainder of our time in South Africa (6 additional nights) we were glad that we experienced the Adventure lodge as well. We do plan to return to Africa if we can in the next few years and will come to Kruger again and will stay with you again - I understood you are also going to be offering Botswana now.
IN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The overall your was really good.
The weather was really good at that time. We had visited Masai mara National park. It was hell of an experience. The night we stayed there, the silence of nature and its beauty. What we feel can't be described in words here.
AT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Going on Safari was one of the best and most amazing experience I have ever had!
Doing Safari in the Kruger Nationalpark was amazing. We have been so lucky with the weather and the wildlife. In only 4 hours we saw all of the BIG 5. So close to us, that you thought you are still dreaming. It was an indescribably feeling to watch the animals in their natural surrounding. Our guide was very good in spotting animals. He saw everything, even a little camelion next to the street or a lot of rhinos in the distance. He was very smart and had a huge knowledge about every animal we saw. We felt so lucky to doing safari with safaribookings. Everything was just perfect!