NL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
do not book with this company !
We are a victim of African Circuit Safaris (Paul Muthangya). We booked a 5 day safari in Nov 2015. And paid a 50% deposit in Dec 2015.
On July 16 2016 we mailed some questions to Paul on the safari trip but since did not receive any reply. After the mail we tried mailing him again and calling him without success. We also checked if the 1st night hotel in Nairobi was booked and it was not booked. Later we heard from Jeffrey Howgate's case (see previous review) that the office of African Circuit Safaris does not exist (anymore?).
SafariBookings.com was helpfull but can not prevent this kind of fraud.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Uganda Tour
Very well organised. Hamid, our driver, was excellent. Very polite, well spoken, considerate and always on time. He tried to accomodate any small changes we wanted to make en-route and was very familiar with the roads, almost to last pothole. He seemed to have a very good rapport with other tour guides and with game reserve staff which made a big difference to our experience. The only slight problem we had was with the baggage. We probably had too much and some of it had to come in the interior seating area which made it a little crowded, but Hamid did everything he could to ensure our luggage was properly secured on the rood and protected with canvas and the rest was properly stored inside.
The itinerary was a little tight and we missed doing a couple of things which we would have liked to. Had Speke suggested a couple of extra days, we would have considered it.
Overall, would highly recommend Speke Uganda Holidays.
Amazing Experience!
It was my second time on the Mountain and this time even better than the last, Thanks to Safari Big 5 Tours
Very helpful crew, guides with positive attitude and very motivating the whole way till the Peak. Had a great time!
AE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable Safari experience!
We returned from a fantastic safari with Gosheni, just a couple of weeks ago. We decide on the 5 day (4 nights) trip to the Northern parks, as were extremely keen to see the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater. I had emailed a few safari companies recommended on Tripadvisor, however, a lot of them did not respond (which apparently is quite common!) but decided to go with Gosheni as Peter was so helpful and extremely efficient with getting back to me and answering my hundreds of questions!
Before we started our safari, we spent 3 days in Zanzibar, Peter organized return flights for us from Zanzibar to Arusha as part of our trip. Upon arrival at Arusha airport, we were met by the lovely Eddy, our driver and guide for our trip. We then made our way to the Arusha Coffee Lodge, where we were met by Peter to go through our itinerary and answer any further questions, we had. The Coffee shop is beautiful and is part of a very nice but expensive Elewana Collection. We ended up having the buffet lunch in the hotel garden, which is priced at $25 pp but totally worth it.
After lunch, we headed onto the road for our first stop; Tarangire National Park. I had read reviews on Tarangire and had heard that is it a bit of a hidden gem, which a lot of tourists miss out! Within a couple of miles of entering the park, we were greeted by Zebras, later on we even discovered a pack of lions, a heard of elephants and giraffes. Tarangire National Park, actually turned out to be one of our favourite National Parks, maybe because it was the first park but I also because there are much less tourists there. That evening we stayed at the Tarangire Sopa Lodge, which was nice although I think was fully occupied so extremely busy. The food was also quite basic, but sufficient after an exciting day in Tarangire.
The next day we headed off early to the Serengeti National Park. The drive to the Serengeti from Tarangire is long and extremely bumpy, we even managed to get a flat tire on the way! but is totally worth it! The Serengeti is the most beautiful place I have ever had the pleasure of visiting and we were lucky enough to again see a lot of the big 5, in fact, I think the only animal we didn't see on the whole trip was a Cheetah! That evening we stayed at the Serengeti Serena Lodge, which is beautiful and our favourite hotel of the trip. The sunsets from the hotel bar/lounge are out of this world!
At 4am the next morning, we were up and on our way for our hot air balloon experience. This is an expensive extra ($500 pp) but I would highly recommend this. The views from the balloon are obviously outstanding, and the fact that you get to see the sunrise across the Serenegeti plains is just beautiful. Again, we were lucky enough to see a lot of animals - Hippos, lions, Gazelle, Zebras, Eagles, Elephants...the list goes on. The balloon ride is approximately an hour (wind dependent) and we were in a basket with 14 other people. There was 2 balloons in the sky at the same time. Once the balloon lands, you then have a champagne toast and head off for a champagne, English breakfast. The breakfast is simple but adequate.
After breakfast, you are dropped by the balloon trip organisers, to the visitors centre, where you are greeted by your guide and continue with your days game drive..
After our final day in the Serengeti, we headed to Ngorongoro Crater, which is home to two beautiful lakes, one salt water and the other fresh water. It is also home to Flamingos! There is a beautiful picnic spot, that Gosheni take you to, which is right next to the fresh water lake, where you can see Hippos. That evening we stayed at Ngorongoro Serena Lodge, which was again beautiful, which breath-taking views of the crater, from your room.
For the final day of our safari, we headed to Lake Manyar National Park, small but nonetheless stunning. Unfortunately, our flight back to Zanzibar was at 3pm that afternoon, so we only had a couple of hours in the park, which was a shame and I would definitely recommend spending more time here, if you can, as again there are fewer tourists and Jeeps.
Overall, we had an incredible time with Gosheni. Peter is extremely helpful and accommodating and really does go out of his way to make your trip fantastic. Our guide and driver Eddy was a lovely, with fantastic knowledge of the animals and birds! I think what makes Gosheni different to the rest of the safari operators, is they are a smaller company (in comparison to like likes of Leopard Tours), which provides you with a more personable service.
We definitely have the safari bug and will hopefully undertake another trip with Peter and Gosheni in the not to near future.
Keep up the good work Peter and the team!
CN
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Both my son and I enjoyed the Safari and the company's professional service.
Just came back from Tanzania Safari, the company and the team provided very professional service. Especially thanks to the guide/driver Apollo and the cook Fazile's service.
US
under20 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Once in a lifetime experience! It was beautiful everywhere you looked!
The tour itself was magical! The guides were all so nice and very informational, they could answer any questions we had. There were so many animals of all kinds and each very beatiful! I enjoyed every minute!
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A wonderful experience and lifelong memories thanks to Makasa.
Selma tailored our itinerary to exactly what we wanted, and it was perfect....we saw Arusha park and Mt. Meru, Tarangire, Ngorongoro, and central and western Serengeti with a flight back to Kili at the end.
All accommodations she selected were great, our favorites were the Maramboi tented camp, Gibbs Farm, and the Chaka camp. Our guide, Kaleby, was outstanding in his knowledge and professionalism--I can't imagine a better guide. Tanzania and it's wildlife are simply amazing, and it's people warm and friendly.
We highly recommend Makasa!
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent tour for a reasonable price!
I was looking for a 3-day safari that I could afford on a student's salary. With only a couple week's notice, Max helped me book a wonderful tour to Tsavo West and East. Our guide was knowledgeable and found an abundance of wildlife on every trip. I have never seen so many lions or elephants in such a short period of time. Highlights included lions with their kill, a family of elephants in Tsavo West heading off into the sunset, and cheetahs in both parks. Both of the hotels that we stayed at were very comfortable and had a lot of character. I'm thankful that I found a trip that fit my travel dates and budget and would definitely recommend. I will connect with them again if I'm ever back in Kenya!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Thornybush Game Reserve by Debbie JT
Thornybush is a relatively small private reserve in the Greater Kruger. Although currently fenced, plans are in place to remove the fencing adjacent to the Timbavati reserve, which in turn is open to the Kruger National Park.
The wildlife viewing was excellent. We stayed for a week, and saw six individual leopards (two of whom were busy producing the next generation!) and lions with young cubs. Being 15ft from a male lion when he started to roar was an experience not to be forgotten! All the usual suspects are present: giraffe, elephants, buffalo, rhino (we saw both black and white on our trip), kudu, impala. They limit the number of vehicles at a sighting to two, giving a very private experience. Safari vehicles use both a ranger and an experienced tracker, whose skills must be seen to be believed.
We stayed at N'Kaya, a small lodge with only four rooms, each of which is an individual cottage with bedroom, living room and two bathrooms. The food was superb, and the hospitality second to none. The lodge overlooks its own waterhole, so time between game drives can be spent watching what visits the lodge.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A beautiful wildlife haven
Madikwe is an enormous fenced reserve on the South Africa / Botswana border, about 5 hours drive from Johannesburg. It is also possible to use a FedAir shuttle service, as we did, to fly in to one of the two airstrips serving the park. The flight from Johannesburg is about an hour by light aircraft, and representatives from your chosen lodge will pick you up when the plane lands.
There seem to be a number of different habitats within the reserve: areas of low scrub, interspersed with more open grassland; rocky outcrops and lush valleys with taller trees. These support a good diversity of species - with healthy populations of zebras, wildebeest, impala, cape buffalo, giraffe and elephant. We were lucky enough to see both black and white rhinoceros during our seven night stay, and had wonderful sightings of lions with their young cubs. In addition, we observed two different cheetah coalitions, and were privileged to watch a successful hunt on one occasion. Our main reason for choosing Madikwe was to try to get a glimpse of wild dogs, and I'm happy to say that we did. I was envious to hear that our companions in the truck had got to follow a wild dog hunt the day before, but to see them in repose gave us some good photographic opportunities. The leopards eluded us on this trip - but not for want of our guide trying to track one. He apparently succeeded the afternoon we left! Bird life was fairly good, with raptors including a Marshall eagle, snake eagle, greater kestrel and gymnogene.
Reserve policy is to only allow three vehicles at a sighting, which means the animals are less stressed and as a consumer you get a better view. The guides ably manage a 'queueing' system for more popular sightings, so everybody has a chance to see. When compared with parks I have visited in the Greater Kruger area, I felt that the wildlife here is less habituated to vehicles, but with the professionalism of the guides, that it didn't adversely affect the viewing.
We stayed at the Motswiri Private Safari Lodge, over on the western side of the reserve. It is an intimate place to stay, having only five rooms. There is also a self catering cottage which is suitable for larger parties. We had a fantastic time there. The staff are warm and friendly, the food was amazing and the accommodation comfortable. Each room is, in fact, a separate cottage, with its own deck. The bedroom has very comfortable beds, complete with mosquito net. The bathroom has an indoor bath and an outdoor shower, with twin basins. A gas fire keeps the cottage cosy on winter nights, with an air conditioning unit for the hot summer days.
One note for anyone going on safari in the South African winter (we were there in July): Take lots of layers! In the middle of the day, the temperature was lovely for a Brit abroad (mid 20s) but before sunrise or after sunset the temperature sank very swiftly. Don't underestimate the wind chill of going along in an open safari vehicle. Even with five layers and the large blanket provided I was freezing. Gloves would have been a good idea.
In conclusion, Madikwe is a wonderful place to experience a safari, and I would recommend it heartily.