NL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Matoke Tours.. All just EXCELLENT
We made a private tour to Uganda with Matoke Tours. Two weeks in different lodges..
We found Matoke Tours on Internet and also from family who traveled with them last year..
The information in the website is very good and also by email. Good service, quick answers and always there if we had another question.. All the lodges were so special. We will never forget this..
And.. the day before we went to Uganda, Matoke called us if we were " ready for take-off" and to wish us a good trip.. Were do you find this personal service in " internet-times?".
If we go to Africa again, we call or email Matoke!!...
Thanks Matoke for making this trip so special for us.. Uganda has a special place in our harts (thanks to you too).
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
The Perfect Trip
I recently returned from Tanzania where I successfully summited Mt. Kilimanjaro with Java Safaris and I was completely impressed with this company. After looking at so many other companies, a referral from a colleague led me to contact Java and I was not disappointed. From start to finish their professionalism, attention to detail, and personal touches were exceptional and they guided us in choosing the right route as well as giving us as luxurious accommodation/food as possible while climbing the mountain. This made all the difference in having a memorable experience as we only realized how well we were being looked after when we saw other climbers on the mountain, which we could say we had the five star treatment all the way. I would highly recommend Java Safari and my only regret is that we did not stay on for a few days to do a safari with them. Next time….
IT
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
It could not be better!
We were looking for a safari experience in Tanzania and some relax time in Zanzibar. Considering our budget, we asked for confort and tented camps at the same time, being in touch with nature and far from crowd. Our expectations were fully satisfied, we had excellent accomodations, tasty meals, expert guides and efficient 4x4. Looking forward to going back with them.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Bunch of liars and fraudsters in my opinion. Never trust them!
Simply fraudsters if you ask me. We organized a 3 days safari one month before the departure, but after we paid them half of the bill in advance, they totally disappeared. We tried to call them multiple times but they never answered; by email they continued to say that everything was fine, but they didn't tell us any further detail about the transfer, they didn't book any room in the lodge in which we were supposed to stay and, furthermore, no one actually showed up on the agreed day of the meeting. In the end, in my opinion they are liars and I would advise you to never trust them (even if they offer you a convenient package! ) unless you want to have your holiday completely ruined by them.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Asante sana Ecological Wilderness Adventures! Your service was top notch! Highly recommended!
This safari review for Ecological Wilderness Adventures (EWA) is long overdue. My husband and I went on our first African safari last September with EWA. We found EWA through Trip Advisor. Originally, we requested to have Brian, EWA’s owner, as our guide because of his wonderful reviews. Unfortunately, a medical emergency arose and Gerard was assigned to be our guide...and what an awesome guide he was! He was energetic, easy going, had a great sense of humor and was full of knowledge about the wildlife. In addition to wildlife information, he also taught us about everyday life in Tanzania, how he became a guide, family life, and even taught us some Swahili. Gerard was always outgoing and willing to answer our endless questions! We chose to do a private safari and weren't disappointed! We highly recommend a private tour for the full attention and focus of your guide.
We absolutely loved how our safari was totally customized to our interests. We wanted game drives as well as cultural experiences mixed in with our safari so we could experience and learn about Tanzania as much as we could. The Land Cruiser truck was well maintained and equipped with bean bags for our cameras, inverters for our camera batteries, guide books, water, & other proper supplies. The pictures and videos we took of the wildlife were amazing! We took over 5,000 pictures! Gerard had a keen eye for even the smallest of wildlife and he would always strive to position the vehicle so we could get the perfect shot. We saw the Big 5 and more! We were happy that we saw the black rhino in the Ngorongoro crater & multiple cheetah & lion sightings in the Serengeti. At no point during our safari did we ever feel rushed and were able to see and do so much in 8 days.
The food provided throughout the safari was delicious and plentiful! We even had the opportunity to taste bbq’d squirrel during our hunting outing with a local tribe. All accommodations we stayed at were exceptional and we loved all of them. Our favorite lodging point was the Serengeti Savannah Camp located right in the Serengeti bush. We could hear the hyenas at night just outside our tent! The tents were roomy, amenities were perfect and the hospitality was excellent! The water for the bucket shower was always warm and the beds were super comfortable. Enjoying sundowners around the fire was also a nice way to end the day.
Our only regret is that we should’ve booked a longer safari. The 8 day safari went by so fast! If we travel back to Tanzania again (and we hope we do), we would definitely book with EWA again. We always felt safe and secure and their professionalism was superb. Even though we booked our trip from the other side of the world (Seattle, Washington), communication was easy, both by phone and e-mail. Our numerous questions were answered quickly and thoroughly by either Brian or Baraka (EWA's booking agent). Both Brian and Baraka kindly met with us in person during our stay in Tanzania. Even though Brian wasn’t our guide, we had the opportunity to speak with and meet with Brian for coffee at the end of our safari. He was genuinely interested in our safari experience and was happy to hear we had a wonderful time. We enjoyed our safari so much that we turned our memorial adventure into a Christmas card to share with friends and family. If you have a chance to go on a safari in Tanzania, we highly recommend Ecological Wilderness Adventures. They will not disappoint!
IS
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful experience
I booked this trip thru Candice and was very very happy with the care she took of us, she really made an effort in getting us just want we wanted. I felt very supported thru every stage of our tour by Go2Africa and I will certainly use them again.
AE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Outstanding Safari with Joe
We just concluded a safari organized by Joe and he did an awesome job at putting the whole thing together.
We were accompanied by Kaka Karim our guide who pointed us to all the animals along the way! We saw all the big five almost every day :D Had close encounters (like less than a meter!) with a pride of Lions, Elephants, Giraffes and Leopards!!!! We even managed to track down a Rhino and its baby and it tried to charge us! It was like being on a Nat Geo episode!
We also had SnoopDog (habib) the cook had delicious meals prepared for us all the time! Make sure you have him make you his beef stew with plantains! Amazing!
We were a group of 6 with very different schedules and plans (some went to do horseback riding etc...) but Joe juggled it all very well.
A great trip all in all and highly recommended!!!
US
Experience level: first safari
Amazing Africa From the Southern Dunes to the Wilds of Etosha: Kids and Adults loved it!
Book with Nature Travel and you will be amazed by the level of customer service, lodging options, transportation, and expertise of the staff including Nick and Jakes, our guides for this adventure. If time and money were no issue, we'd leave tomorrow and do the entire trip all over again. We had a wonderful time, learned so much, saw this beautiful country, and made a lifetime of memories. We can't say enough positive things about the entire experience. We took the 8 night tour.
Transportation: We opted for the van which worked out for us perfectly. It gave us the space to spread out and not be crowded, at all. The amount of driving was fine, even though we did a lot of it, and we wouldn't have changed any of our stops. We managed to do all the traveling without leaving too early in the morning, and always got to our destination before dark.
Lodging: outstanding across the board, starting with the Belvedere Hotel in Windhoek. It was nice having time there to enjoy their facilities. The lodges were top notch and we enjoyed staying so close to the beauty, sights. Our rooms at the NWR in the park were so close to the watering hole making animal sighting ideal. Staying at the Mushara just outside the park on the last night was especially nice. They have the attention to details down to a science, including the hot water bottle. Each
place had something special and we would recommend them all. We didn't miss tv or the lack of wifi at some of the places. We also liked the guesthouse in Swakopmund. As I said, they were all good.
Food: the lodges provided great meals and we didn't have any complains, except we ate a lot and gained weight, luckily no one had scales. The stops at Solitaire were also nice. Jakes ensured we had plenty of water and in the day we were delayed because of sand, he had us pick up lunch to go. All good.
Sights: really perfect itinerary with the number of days we had. We wouldn't have wanted to miss anything. The kids loved the dune buggies, safari outings, and we found the dunes breathtaking, the living museum informative, the rock engravings interesting, and Etosha to be outstanding. Really everything was outstanding. At ages 12 and 14, it was just the right mixture of activities. Some
people might not want as much driving, we did about 2400km, but none of us got bored or tired of the scenery. Jakes gave us plenty of time to take pictures and explore and had a good sense of timing and when we needed to get moving- like getting away from the dunes right before the sand whipped up so much it would have been miserable. The tour at the Desert lodge on our first afternoon was also great. I took over 3000 pictures and I'm sure I'm forgetting something. You did a great job putting this itinerary together and we will definitely recommend you to friends. Going to Vic Falls first worked out well. We loved being in Africa and the kids remarked how fast the time went.
Thank you Nature Travel - you deserve the five stars plus more.
NZ
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent budget choice
Mike is very communicative and responds quickly to emails. Elias (guide) was excellent, lovely, knowledgable and friendly! We had a great experience with Northern Circuit. Great choice of camp in the Serengeti as it was well located and reduced long driving time each day. Good, hearty food and comfortable vehicle.
LU
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
We enjoyed 10 days in Uganda
I would like to recommend Travel Explore Africa as well! We spent 10 days with them going on gorilla safari. It was very well organized and all the staff members were very professional, making sure all the questions and queries were responded in the most professional way. I really liked Diana, I delt with her when making the bookings via e-mails, lovely and very cheerful lady! Thank you so much Sweetie Diana! JJJ