IT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing experience
I had the pleasure to travel with Gorilla booking on a 3 days trip making Gorilla trekking and a relaxing boat trip on Bunyonyi Lake in Uganda. Everything was perfectly organized, the trekking has been amazing, and the lake has astonishing views. Andrew was the perfect driver and guide of our journey. Highly recommended
IT
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Magnificent experience under the guidance of a very experienced guide
I traveled with my husband with the guidance of Mr. Oluoko He himself suggested a variation of the trip that was very useful, given that the purpose of the trip was to visit the Rift Valley lakes in search of flamingos. We then visited Lake Nakuru, scouring every part and arriving at sunset in an enchanted place where white rhinos and buffaloes were found near flocks of flamingos. We slept in a beautiful resort on Lake Elementatia and early in the morning we went to peel the shores, where millions of flamingos lived. a paradise !
Mr.Oluoko was very good, great ornithologist, to illustrate all the species of animals and birds seen!
NL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
The personal approach from the proffesional guides makes this the best safari we ever had in years.
Communication before leaving and after arrival from the management makes you feel human instead of a number. Safari feels like hunting with a camera of course, the guides did work great together. Rest camp did feel like home.
AT
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great safari, bush walks and hiking!
Our hiking tour through South Africa, Swasiland an Zululand was wonderful. Our guides Colly and Cloud from Sunway did a fantastic job spotting moving rocks as animals from far away, sharing all their huge knowledge about wild animals, history and living conditions with us and showing us very beatiful scenery on our hiking tours. They are very kind guys, well organised, excellent cooks and deal with all upcoming questions in a way everybody can feel well.
The accomodations were fine, it´s a good idea to stay two nights and than move on to the next. The small group of five made the bus to our mobile living room.
Thank you so much for the gorgeous experience!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Enjoyable but didn't get full itinerary!
Positives.
Good communication whilst booking safari.
Good friendly guide"jacktone"who got us to the major sightings in the parks and safely transported around in his clean safari van.
Overall the accommodation was good for a budget safari
Enjoyable safari overall.
Negatives.(minor)
Offering transport on our free day in Nairobi for $260 which we did by uber for $30!!
Telling us enroute that our naivasha boat ride was optional (included in itinerary),which we got a day late after sorting things out.
Not stopping at suitable picnic area on way back to Nairobi.
Cold breakfast at miti mingi camp,and no hot water for over an hour one morning,plus tough meat in stew in evening.
Towels taken from our tent by staff at kimana camp(you have to provide your own), on morning we were leaving so unable to shower,and tent in poor condition.
Family tents not adjacent in spite of booking months ahead and safari company promising to secure good tents for us.
All the above are acceptable by us as part of travelling on a budget.
Negative(major)
However this was not,
The itinerary we had agreed and paid for said we would get a full afternoon game drive upon arrival at nakuru,and a short one the following morning before departure,with possibly one on arrival at amboseli later the same day.
Due to rescheduled boat ride we arrived later than expected at nakuru and were told we would have a longer game drive in nakuru the following morning (which meant no chance of getting to amboseli in time for one same day),but no game drive at nakuru on arrival.Upon pointing out what itinerary said I was informed that the itinerary was inaccurate and that it should have said only one game drive in nakuru,I made it clear that I was unhappy about this,and was assured that something would be arranged to make up for it.
Nothing was done to make up for it,in spite of us having a spare day in Nairobi after end of safari.
Stephen has since informed me (in one email),that nakuru game drives were 2hr upon arrival and another 2hr before departure,so 4hr morning of departure should have been enough.
Stephen has also by email agreed with staff member telling me at the time that we were only supposed to have one game drive!.
The fact that emails conflict and neither agrees with our itinerary (which he admits was cut and pasted from elsewhere) means we still feel short-changed.
We received an apology after returning from Kenya but that was too late.we expected something (at the very least an apology whilst still in Nairobi.
IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing experience!! Best tour operator ever!
My experience with Tanzania Roadside expeditions tour operator was great. Communications was really easy (email or WhatsApp) and Paul (tour operator manager) answered all my questions and doubts on time. We were a group of five people and we spent 2 nights in a lodges and 1 night in tended camp. Both the accommodation types were much better than expected. The safari tour was awesome. One of the best experience of my life. We saw a lot of animals (lions, cheetahs and so on) hunting or resting on the ground.
I suggest this experience to everyone.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Absolutely top notch in every way
In June/July 2019 we spent a week in Uganda following 2 weeks in Kenya. We had a strong idea of what we wanted to do from guidebooks and online research: flying from Nairobi to Entebbe Uganda and from there to Kasese for chimp trekking in Kibale Nat’l Park and community and swamp walks in nearby Bigodi, a drive down through Queen Elizabeth Nat’l Park with a boat trip and stay on the Kazinga Channel, then further south through the Ishasha Sector to see tree climbing lions and to Buhoma for a gorilla trek in Bwindi Impenetrable Nat’l Park, then a flight from Kihihi back to Entebbe and home.
I emailed our wish list to half a dozen companies for feedback and estimates. Most of them responded with their stock 5 or 6 day itineraries that had little to do with our interests and research. No thanks!
Wyclef of Gorillas and Beyond was responsive and had the best price so we went with him and we could not have made a better choice - we had an absolutely gobsmacking visit. Everything went smoothly and we loved it all: the flights, lodging, guides, tours, and road trips with Wyclef.
We found Wyclef to be creative, knowledgeable, organized, compassionate, passionate about his country, and really great company. I don't have sufficient words to recommend him highly enough - he's that great. Happy trails!
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic experience!!
Paul and his team helped us to get a fantastic experience during our stay in Tanzania.
The arrangements were perfectly coordinated from the moment we arrived to the airport, personalized assistance and very accommodating of all our requests. Excellent service, safe driving and great knowledge of the area! I highly recommend their services and hope to have the chance to come back soon!!
RO
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Maxi trip
I recomment Glorious TZ Tours because of the top quality services and organization. We had a great trip composed of 3 main activities:
- Safari
- Kilimanjaro
- Zanzibar
Everything was fine we had also a good accommodation and food in Glorious House.
Thanks for everything!
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Terrible Vehicle - Great guide
We were extremely disappointed with our experience with Swala due to the dilapidated condition of the vehicle we were put in. The car was clearly greater than 20 yrs old, super high mileage and in terrible condition. It was very underpowered and clearly badly misaligned. To go straight, the steering wheel was at 4 o'clock. We were always the slowest on the road; our guide did not seem comfortable driving the vehicle at regular speed. 3 of 6 seat belts were nonfunctional, passenger doors couldn't be opened from inside and none of the seats had headrests. The "cooler" did not cool so drinks were always warm. We had several harrowing moments. Leaving the Serengeti, the car made a sparking noise and smoke came out the dash vents. Fortunately, after waiting a bit, it restarted and smoke stopped. Another time, while climbing out of Ngorongoro crater, transmission popped out of gear and the car made a bad smell and initially, would not go back in gear. We held our breaths the rest of the trip out of the crater. Also, the brakes started squeaking horribly and we needed to take the time to take it to a local mechanic because we had no faith that the car could be safely driven. Thank god for our outstanding guide, Sunday, who not only was extremely talented at picking out wildlife and providing a fountain of knowledge regarding animals and habitats but also possessed much needed mechanical skills. Throughout our 7 day safari, I did not see a single other vehicle in nearly as poor condition. Honestly, we felt very unsafe and several times seriously considered abandoning the rest of our trip out of safety concerns..
So if you are looking for a safari with an extra dose of discomfort and fear, Swala is for you. Otherwise, I'd stay away. Sunday our guide, however, was outstanding and I would go again with him (with a different company) anytime.
FYI: Our car did not resemble any of those in their pictures. My guess is they are too embarrassed to show it..