Unique safari destination, unlike any I have seen earlier!
Hell's Gate national park deserves a couple of days at least, unfortunately I had just one. Its a destination where you can do multiple things & get something out of it. This is one park where you can rent a bike outside & cycle through it. I understand you can also camp onsite here.
The safari drive through Hell's Gate national park is surreal - the scenery is spectacular with craggy mountains on either side. Easy to spot lots of deer, giraffes, zebras, wild buffalo, boar, birds, hyenas etc
Then I took the trek through the Park's ravine - a spectacular place; make sure you go all the way to the end where scenes of the Tomb Raider movie was shot. Its a good 2 hour hike, with wonderful photo-ops on along the route.
The park also has a geothermal station, wish they would allow tourists there too, I got only a peek from outside.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
We had an excellent experience that included tons of animals on safari & spectacular Victoria Falls
Michelle at Thorn Bush safaris did an excellent job! She was very patient with me and my friend and our endless questions. She made herself available 24-7 and was available over skype.
The safari in Chobe National park was spectacular. We saw lions, giraffes, crocodiles, hippo and buffalo - all on the first day. The lodges were air-conditioned and the pools were lovely. Our trip to the stunning Victoria Falls was the icing on the cake!
LT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing wildlife
It was amazing to see wildlife from so close. The nature is beutiful and each park is different. In some you can come close to animals. Diani beach has whote sand and blue sea. One of the best adventures I had
Great scenery, few tourists
The landscape is really wonderful at Mountain Zebra National Park. It had the most beautiful scenery of all National Parks we have been in South Africa. Few tourists were there so it was relatively calm and a nice atmosphere. We made a game drive ourselves and saw of course Zebras, Red Hartebeests, Blue Wilderbeests, Springboks etc. The park is generally not cramped with animals but you'll get quite a few nice sightings. We also did a cheetah tour which is definitely worth the money. We drove with a guide and his assistant around in a safari vehicle until we got a good signal from the collar some cheetahs wear. Then we got out of the car and walked outside until we found it. I would have never found it without a guide. I stood quite a few meters aside from it but I did not see it until the guide exactly showed me where it is lying under the bushes. Their covering works really very good ;) The guides do also have signals of the lions that are living in the park. If their signal is too close then you can't get out of the car. They care very much for your security. Our guide was very good. Not only he showed us the cheetah he also told us a lot of interesting things about it and the other animals we saw during the driving part. All in all I can very much recommend the park with it's amazing scenery and especially the cheetah tour.
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing
Safari was wonderful, natural, beautiful people, friendly: we feel good - we will come again
BR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Tanzania Safari Land is the best
"In September of 2014 we had the amazing opportunity to visit Tanzania on vacation. We made all of our arrangements through Tanzania Safari Land, which included 7 days climbing Mt Kilimanjaro via the Machame Route, 8 days on safari in Tarangire National Park, Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti and then 3 days on the island of Zanzibar. Tanzania Safari Land did an incredible job in making sure our trip was perfect from the very beginning of the planning stages through our final return flight home.
The attention to detail regarding our itinerary could not have been better. Tanzania Safari Land really listened to what was important to us in a vacation and they made sure that our needs were met all along the way. We would highly recommend Kamal and Tanzania Safari Land for your next trip to Tanzania."
CA
Excellent Journey with Tanzania safari Land
"Our Tanzania Safari Land journey in the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater was one of life's greatest adventures. Tanzania Safari Land went to great lengths to personalize our trip with the goal of hosting us to a FIVE STAR experience. They were extremely attentive to our interests and the staff made sure to tailor our itinerary and accommodations to meet our ever wish.
Our guide's vast knowledge of the wildlife, animal behavior, birds, topography Maasai culture and traditions was unparalleled. Captain (who is a Maasai warrior) enriched our experience beyond every expectation and dedicated himself to making sure that we had rarified game-watching experiences. The other outfitters could not believe his uncanny ability to track rare game for his clients. I could not endorse Tanzania Safari Land more highly. Our safari with Tanzania Safari Land was nothing short of a "life changer." Thank you
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fun trip, great people, beautiful country, ride bodas at your own risk!
Peak Cruise Safaris was able to schedule my safari at late notice and did and excellent job.
Jen picked me up from the airport and Abdul was there early the next morning to begin the journey.
Abdul with Peak Cruise Safaris did an excellent job guiding the tour through Murchison Falls. In two short days we saw plenty of elephants and giraffe, and even spotted some hyena and a leopard. He also found some great spots to eat and get coffee on the way there and back. Try the offal!
Abdul has been doing this for over twenty years, and is very good at what he does, but be prepared for fast driving including through pedestrian areas. Winding through swarms of boda-bodas can be a shock for anyone not used to driving in congested cities in developing countries.
If you choose to ride the bodas they are fun and affordable but certainly a risky endeavor. Wild Coffee in Kampala is a fun place and apparently does slam poetry on Mondays. The zoo in Entebbe is a great spot to get up close to any animals you may have missed on Safari. (They even have tigers so you can tell people you saw a tiger in Africa).
Overall, Uganda and Peak Cruise Safaris is Highly recommended.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Arid but beautiful.
As South Africans and having never visited the Northern Cape province of the country, my wife and I decided to take a trip which included the Augrabies Falls National Park. This turned out to be a good decision because the arid beauty is spectacular. Bearing in mind that this is not a game park as such, the "game" viewing is limited to smaller mammals such as the rock hyrax, baboons and a wide range of reptiles mainly in the form of lizards. So if you are looking for the big 5 this is not the park to visit. Birding is good if not spectacular, and many of the birds have become quite tame and can be viewed from quite close up. There are not many trees in the area so this is going to limit the potential for a wide variety of bird life. But this is not what you visit the Augrabies Falls National Park for. The main attractions are the falls and the spectacular scenery which is unique to the area. The falls are not huge but the raw power of the water surging through the canyon is a sight to behold. A very well built walkway is available to allow close access to the falls for most people. The walk is not very strenuous. The best time to visit the falls is at sunrise when the sun peeks over the horizon lighting up the spray and forming a spectacular rainbow. It is also quiet at this time of day and we had the falls to ourselves which was great because you want to be able to get the sound of the falls without noise around the place. A visit to Moon Rock, which is also in the park, is essential. This huge single rock can be climbed. The climb is quite strenuous but the views from the top are spectacular. Don't miss this. One of the advantages of the Northern Cape is all year round sunshine. It is unlikely that you will have an overcast, cold day regardless of the season. The accommodation is basic but comfortable and clean. The staff are extremely helpful and will go out of their way to make your stay a pleasant one. For a National Park with a difference Augrabies is a must visit.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great 12-day trip with Spot Kenya Safaris
My husband and I had a great 12-day private safari with Spot Kenya Safaris in January 2015. We flew into Nairobi and went to Lake Nakuru, Masai Mara, Lake Naivasha, Amboseli National Park, Tsavo West and Tsavo East, and then returned to Nairobi. The parks are amazing and you will not be disappointed! When we (hopefully) return in the future, we will try to go during the great wildebeest migration in August/September, as we heard that is even better!
We were very happy with Spot Kenya's responsiveness during the planning phase and its willingness to design a private safari based around our interests. We ultimately chose Spot Kenya because Geoffrey and the rest of its staff were very responsive, provided a competitive rate, and had good reviews online.
Our guide and driver, Harun, was friendly and professional. He knew lots about the animals and he seemed skilled at navigating the parks and the roads. He also was good at finding the animals and getting us up close to them. We especially appreciated that he was willing to take us to a few places in Nairobi on our final day, even though they were not on our original itinerary.
We loved the places we stayed in Masai Mara, Amboseli, Tsavo West, and Tsavo East. The other places we stayed were okay (fine but not as good as the others), and we conveyed our suggestions for changes to Spot Kenya after our trip. We liked the food everywhere we went, and, as a vegetarian, I was happy with the selections.
One suggestion for future travelers is to ask about the driving times between parks, as we did not realize ahead of time how much driving we had in store. We probably would not have changed things anyway, but some travelers might revise their itinerary if they knew how long it takes to get between destinations.
Happy travels - we hope you get to visit Kenya!