50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A great experience with a few bumps
First I would like to thank Mack for his patience whilst we sorted out our end. Mike, our driver and guide, for his knowledge and willingness to assist us in getting the best experience during our time on safari. And Nicho for some excellent food at the Hippo Camp.
Some points that would have improved the overall safari, prior planning on the part of Kiliholidays to ensure vehicle is in the best state prior to commencement may have prevented the flat tyre just outside of Dar Es Salaam, and having a fully serviceable jack would have reduced the amount of time on the side of the road. In addition having to wait in Dar Es Salaam whilst groceries were purchased detracted from the excitement for all participants who were on their first safari. And though it was necessary to have a spare prior to departing the Hippo Camp, it was not good having to wait for two hours whilst it was being repaired when it should have been done the previous day/night, and I do understand this is not Kiliholidays fault as the tyre was dropped off for repair with plenty of time to do so.
The sunset boat tour on the Rufiji was spectacular, with the sun setting over the hippos. Accommodation provided by Steve and his staff at the Hippo Camp was a pleasant surprise, much better than what we expected. The safari was, from start to finish, a magnificent display of african animals in the wild, Giraffes, Impala, Warthogs, Zebras, Wildebeasts, Lions, Hippos, Kudus, Water Bucks, Crocodiles, Babboon, Monkeys and Elephants. The best experience though was getting within a couple of meters of 3 month old Lion Cubs with their mother. And the view from the bank of the lake/river whilst we ate lunch was brilliant. Didi and his magical 2 hour walk through the bush the following morning was an adventure that none of us will ever forget, and then he topped it off with more elephants.
All in all the six of us immensely enjoyed the experience, but the time wasted for provisions and tyre change/repair on the voyage to and from Dar Es Salaam could have been avoided.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Highly managed, experienced and affordable tour operator !
I recently did my Uganda trip last month with excellent support of Ababa Uganda Safaris team. Their services are really awesome. I will suggest all to contact them for an amazing trip.
AE
Good management and arrangement by magical retreats
Good hotels and stay arrangements.
Nice management of the trip. Though the van could have been in more better condition.
US
An Exciting Trip and a Wonderful Experience
My friend and I booked the 6-day Hakuna Matata trip for mid-July. We were greeted by both Sylvester and Nick at the airport the day before we started the tour. Sylvester was very helpful during the booking process, in terms of following up and being accessible in our email exchanges. Our guide, Nick, was extremely knowledgeable of the local culture and wildlife. Both my friend and I are photographers and we were dying to find some big cats. He spotted all the animals we were hoping to find, multiple times, no less. Both Nick and Sylvester were very kind and flexible with planning. The planning was incredible and detailed, and all the time was well-used. Overall, it exceeded our expectations and we would definitely book with them again, should we come back to Africa.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
You Will Not Find Better
It was important to us to support a Tanzanian/Kenya based and owned safari company as we were informed that many of the largest companies are non African owned which means the revenue is not staying in Africa. Bright African Safaris and our guides Stephen (Kenya) and Athuman (Tanzania) made this an exceptional trip.
We initially made contact due to the positive reviews on Trip Advisor and BAS did not let us down. We started investigating our trip 8 months in advance and over the next month and many emails and suggestions later we booked a 12 night safari thru Kenya and Tanzania - Rukia and Msangi from head office were always prompt in their communications and offered great advice on lodges and parks to visit.
Our only tip would be to ensure you get accurate information on the time it takes to travel between parks as this may influence whether you drive or fly some legs of your safari.
We spent most of our safari with Athuman in Tanzania and would recommend you personally ask for him as your guide - he is easy to get along with, attentive, has a good sense of humour and generally made the safari more enjoyable. Athuman was recommended to us and his knowledge on all the wildlife, both animals and birds was exceptional.
Bright African Safari were very professional and were a major contributor to making this a trip of a lifetime for us.
Please feel free to contact us.
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fabulous mother son trip to Tanzania
Jerome did a fantastic job of organizing our 2 weeks in Tanzania. From meeting us on arrival, taking us on a successful climb of Kilimanjaro, arranging our safari afterwards, and finally our good bye at the airport, we only have praise for him and his team. It was an amazing vacation, and I recommend Kileo tours to everyone.
SA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great adventure we always dreamed of .. Thanks to KWSS
KWSS and Otiano gave us the greatest experience in our life. Awasome 13 days safari we have been to Aberdare, Samburu, Sweetwaters, Lake Naivasha and Masai Mara. Our guide Jefith was really great and dedicated. He made sure we have seen everything. All big 5 were spotted as well as Samburu big 5. I strongly recommend KWWS to be your safari tour operator.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Brilliant Safari!
We arranged two full day private safaris with Nandzana Safaris on our stay at Silonque Bush Estates in Phalaborwa and were highly impressed by our guide, Craig. He was friendly, incredibly knowledgeable, highly experienced, patient and helpful. He went to great lengths to help us see all the wildlife we had hoped to find in Kruger National Park and was amazingly skilled at sighting animals and especially at hearing and identifying lots of birds. He was a fountain of information and based on what we explained we were interested in seeing or doing, he did his best to accommodate us. During our drives we had the chance to discuss lots of topics, such as such as politics, religion, culture and thoroughly enjoyed Craigs's company and definitely benefited from his wealth of knowledge and friendly connections. We learned a lot about the wildlife of Kruger—both big and small and the people and life in this amazing country—for which we are very grateful.
AE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Excellent Operator, Fantastic Holiday
My family and I recently had the joy of doing a safari with Gosheni. Expectations were exceeded throughout; from creating the itinerary with Peter to each day on safari with Moses. The team, led by Peter, take a lot of pride in personalising the service and experience.
Peter was very helpful when we were planning the itinerary. We wanted a private safari and we had 2 children (aged 9 and 7) who were experiencing Africa for the first time. Peter made suggestions taking into account our budget, but nothing was forced upon us. The decisions were ours and together we created a nine-day safari that was to be absolutely magical.
The service started on arrival at Arusha Airport where our guide Moses met us. Peter also met with us at the hotel later to go over the itinerary and answer any questions.
Attention to detail is evident with Gosheni. They are different to the multitude of other tour operators because they care for the fine details. We had a brand new land cruiser with less than 200km on the clock that was equipped with cushions and kikoys (masai blankets/wraps), wifi and electric plugs allowing you to charge cameras and phones. However, it is out of their control that the Serengeti does not have total phone coverage! We had a table, with table cloth, and chairs for our various picnics compared to other operators who used a blanket on the ground or bonnet of the car. There was an ample supply of water and soft drinks, plus we had wine with our lunches.
Moses was not just a driver, he was an excellent guide who shared a wealth of knowledge about the animals and birds, and Tanzania. He really cared about us and our holiday and was keen to treat us to amazing sightings, even though he had seen it all before. He was amazing at predicting what the animals would do and was always able to position the vehicle so that we missed nothing. Moses became a member of our family for 9 fantastic days.
Our departure from the Serengeti was a flight back to Arusha, where we had 4 hours to kill before our next flight to Dar Es Salaam. Peter met us again, and we were able to have lunch in town rather than wait out the time at the small airport.
In summary, I would highly recommend building your African safari holiday with Gosheni.
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Awesome scenery, Challenging ride excellent horses. Great organization kind competent generous staff
Hospitable thoughtful caring capable sociable staff. Honest assessment of ride and experience. Amazing safe well cared for mounts. Breathtaking scenery. Excellent food. Excellent organization. Punctual.