ES
Phantastic organization, excellent guides, different game viewing different reserve, friendly staff
A wonderful safari adventure, unforgettable, unique. Well, very soon we noticed what Charlotte meant at the welcome meeting: "You will get the real feeling of Africa.." Yes, the treehouse and especially the 1 bed with 1 blanket a bit small for 2 elderly women.... but it was part of the adventure. We enjoyed the warm nights on our terrasse with nothing but the stars above, listening to the frogs, zicades and grills with a bottle of wine, slightly shattered of the daily activities, but happy. My phone had died the 2nd day because of the power cut and I had forgotten my PIN number - how wonderful that has been! Me who has a 24 hour service with my mobile clinic, cut off completely!!! Phantastic!
Charlotte always caring that everything is well organized and everyone o.k., Victor planning the next day program, the guides so enthusiastic explaining their nature, animals, plants, the staff always friendly and with a smile on their face, everything well organized. We have been the oldest ones (and to learn how to climb onto the jeeps without looking like grandmas) and the ones with the longest stay. Luckily we found a very nice group and we have been together most of the time. In the evening interchanging information about other countries, customs, cultures,. We have been a Southafrika couple, two Japanese women and an Australian chap, and we from Germany and Austria. So even more information!
Wonderful photos are reminding me, I put quite some all over in my house.
Thank you very much again and hopefully Viva Safaries stays like this and in future will go ahead offering unforgettable, wonderful safari adventures!
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Outstanding, knowledgeable, caring and flexible
What a magical experience from arrival to departure! I can’t make enough positive comments about my experience in
Tanzania with Leadwood Expeditions. At very short notice, the evening before actually, they went out of their way to arrange a tour that I wanted to do that had not been included in the itinerary. What a team! The drivers/guides had an uncanny ability to find the animals and sights that every person has gone on safari to see, and they do it with class, easily negotiating a line between stopping long enough for those who want to watch a specific animal for hours , and those who want to move on to see other sights.
Their friendliness and attention to detail were outstanding and I would certainly recommend them to anyone considering an African safari.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
15-day Kenya-Uganda-Tanzania safari
In February 2019, my friend and I finally embarked on our 15-day journey around East Africa (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania) with Kenya Walking Survivors Safaris after planning, then booking the trip via their online payment platform months ahead of departure (in May 2018). Our itinerary included the Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru, Jinja, Lake Bunyonyi, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Lake Naivasha, Amboseli, Lake Manyara, the Serengeti, and Ngorongoro crater. From the first day we made contact with KWSS and throughout the entire trip, their founder, Mr Otieno, showed incredible professionalism, always responding to all our requests / questions in a timely manner. We enjoyed spending time with our three very experienced guides. In Kenya, Ken showed incredible determination to track various animals during game drives, even managing to show us the Big 5 within a day. The Uganda leg consisted in a lot of driving all the way to the extreme south west of the country with Daudi who proved to be an excellent driver. In the Bwindi forest which is shared between Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, we got the chance to spend one hour with a family of wild gorillas. This was probably the shortest hour of our lives, an absolutely breathtaking experience which we will cherish forever. The last days of the trip were spent in Tanzania with Godlove who's communication, plus knowledge of the region, wildlife and flora impressed us greatly. KWSS being on the more cost effective end of all the safari solutions we found online, it wasn't without some apprehension that we made the choice to go with them despite their good feedback online overall. Reflecting back on the experience, I have to say that they absolutely delivered and that we were glad we chose to support a great local business. Keep it up KWSS, you guys rock!! Check out my instagram feed for pictures / videos. It's "zayvyer" :)
Cheers!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
well organised , safe, excellent guide and cook, with endless wildlife
Su and I decided on Kalahari after a wide search of safari company's, "big is not always the best". This small operation was flexible with attention to our needs and wish list. George visited our accommodation the evening before the safari, just to let us know we would be picked up in the morning and what time we would like to leave. At the start of the journey, George and Kaiser (guide) kindly stopped off at the warehouse,so as we could pick up some beer and wine for the adventure ahead.
The itinerary was great in that we started in Victoria Falls and finished in Maun and didn't have to back track , all along the way wildlife and bird life was aplenty. The abundance of sighting was greatly attributed to Kaiser's vast experience as a local and a guide, he was tireless in his effort to find wildlife, which was always rewarded with amazing close up viewings of animals ,such as wild dogs and all the "cats"
The camping was great and George always supplied plenty of wholesome food and camp was always set up in great locations , sure you could spend a lot more money and have more up market "glamping" but we often had more sightings than some of the "high end" safari tours.
At the end of the safari, Christopher (co owner) dropped into visit us on the night before we left Botswana just to see if everything was ok, get some feedback and if we needed any assistance.
Being a local company this on the ground personal service is a nice touch but importantly if something unforeseen happens, staff and owner are not far away.
I wish Kalahari all the best in the future (importantly all staff employed are locals)
Simon
CA
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
The trip of a lifetime and Leadwood made it all possible
The entire team from Leadwoood made this trip more than memorable. Elias, John, Remi, Roger, Tonny, and the rest of the team gave everyone red carpet service! From the first night to the last drop off, the service was totally seamless. They take great pride in their country and it's natural beauty and it shows in everything they say. Every question, no matter how mundane, was answered thoroughly and with a smile. This was my first trip to Tanzania and I didn't realise what a great sense of humour Tanzanian's have. Every member of the team was funny in their own unique way and enjoy a bit of subtle, good natured ribbing. Some of the drives were long and dusty, but never boring. I would go again with Leadwood in a heartbeat!
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very professional, reliable and organized. Wouldn’t want anyone else to lead a Safari. Amazing
They exceeded my expectations each day with their communication, ideas, knowledge and interest in our group. The Safari was unbelievable and our guide Remi had such a great eye when spotting animals.
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good viewing - poor guiding
The booking process was easy and Thale was a pleasure to work with. Very accommodating.
The accommodations were as advertised and decently comfortable.
It was on overall good value for a private tour, with food included and in those accommodations. I enjoyed the food, great cooking by Lungisani!
My problem and reason for 3/5 is the guides. I honestly don’t know if Isaac can see well enough to be guiding tours. He was knowledgeable when we spotted an animal, but he never saw them. Lungisani would spot all the animals and tell Isaac to stop (his driving wasn’t great either). On the 2 drives in which Lungisani didn’t come, Isaac didn’t even stop the vehicle once because he didn’t see anything (even though we did). Also he didn’t speak once to us. When they were both there, on the drives and at camp/during meals, they just spoke to each other in their own languages or were on their phones, which made it very awkward and uncomfortable for us. Very little conversation with us and getting to know each other. Although we saw lots of animals, and the park was incredible, the guides detracted from our experience a lot.
Overall, would I go back to Kruger? Yes, 100%. Would I use Wild planet safari? Possibly, but it would totally depend on who the guides were. Service levels while spending 5+ full days with someone needs to improve drastically.
DK
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
I summit on Top of Africa. 6 Days Machame Route (Thanks Isack Chief Guide )
I summit on Top of Africa at Kilimanjaro last month with Safari Bando Company, and had the most amazing experience! The guides were so knowledgeable, and took great lengths to make the experience as enjoyable as possible! Health was a clear priority, which on such an expedition was very important, especially on summit day.
Overall I was extremely glad that I summated Uhuru Peak with Safari Bando Company, and had an extremely positive experience.
We highly recommended Safari Bando for trekking Kilimanjaro
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent service
We have been using Senait Ethiopia for our annual grade 8 school trip to Northern Ethiopia for the last seven years and their service and large group tour organizing capability is excellent. All these years we have not had a single problem. Despite the large number of students going everything was organized superbly at all destinations. Choice of tour sites and organized activities were always appropriate to the group and prepared professionally.
CA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
They are Excellent and well Equipped
It was my first time in Africa and in Tanzania, I had a wonderful time there and also a memorable experience.
The safari was fantastic more than how I was expecting, I enjoyed a lot and everything was in order and everyone was doing there best and they were very helpful, I saw all animals and I thought I could have stayed longer to explore more and more.
I really had an amazing experience with Gizale Safaris Ltd I even wished to become there Ambassador so that I can recommend my friends to come to enjoy the wild animals with Gizale Safaris.
Thanks, Gizale Safaris for the Experience and I would love to come back again.