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..
AE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful safari with a real personal touch!
Usually, I am not the type of person to write reviews; however, for this company, I am making an exception without any doubt. From the get-go, Seven by Far Tours has proven to be a very professional and service oriented partner; Sylvester responded rapidly to our requests and put together an itinerary about which my travel buddy and myself got really excited.
Upon arrival, we were immediately picked up from the airport and brought to our hotel in Nairobi. From that moment onwards, everything was great. Our guide, Mr. Charles, went out of his way to show us all the national parks had to offer. In short, I can say that I have seen quite a bit of the world; however, this holiday was one of the most amazing holidays of my life, and it was certainly due to the organization Seven by Far tours has put into it! To conclude, if you ever consider booking a safari, contact these guys. You will not regret it for sure!
NZ
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
WARNING!! DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!!!!
WARNING!!! DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!!!!
We were booked on a seven night safari with Enrico’s. We booked about 6 months in advance and paid in advance.
The day that our safari was supposed to commence, no one showed up. We could not get in contact with the company to find out what was going on (we tried their phone numbers, whatsapp, email, Facebook etc). When we finally got in contact (after hours and hours of trying), we were told someone would be there by 2:30pm at the latest. Again, no one showed up. Again, we could not get in contact with Enrico’s to find out what was going on. When we did get in contact, he suggested that we arrange and pay for our own transfer to what was supposed to be our first stop?? Eventually our then-current accommodation offered for us to stay another night and Enrico’s promised to pick us up at 9am the next morning. Enrico’s said they would pay for the accomodation, but they did not and we had to pay for it.
At 9am the next morning, surprise surprise, no one showed up!! And again we could not get in contact with Enrico’s to find out what was going on!! We were finally picked up at around 11:30am (1.5 days late for our six day tour...) in a minivan with worn out suspension that was supposed to drive us on sand/gravel roads in between destinations - even our driver said it was unsafe and that he didn’t think the car would be able to make the journey!
We found out our was a freelancer that was called by Enrico’s at 7am on the day that our safari was meant to commence to get to us in Kasane from Windhoek. It is 1,400kms and 14 hours away from our pick up point. There was no way they were going to be able to pick us up at the scheduled pick up time and no way they would even get to us by 2:30pm so I have no idea why this was promised by Enrico’s. It also meant that Enrico’s knew that this would not be possible before 7am the day of our safari and they never contacted us to tell us this. We could have done activities that day through our then-current accomodation, but instead spent an entire day in reception trying to get in contact with Enrico’s!!
When we finally arrived at our first accommodation, NOTHING had been booked or paid for! The accomodation had never heard from Enrico’s and did not know we were coming! Apparently this is a very common occurrence and our driver had heard of this happening regularly before. Luckily we could get in for one night (the last two rooms) but again had to pay for this ourselves!!! We were paying for our whole trip twice!!
We found out we had not been booked into our next accommodation and none of our activities had been booked. Again, we could not get hold of him to find out what the hell was going on! One time we called off our driver’s phone and when he heard our voice he hung up!! When we finally got in contact much later, he said he could get us into some other accommodation but we would have to pay for it and be refunded. Obviously we were not going to do that, and after such an incomprehensibly terrible experience.
We found out that he has been banned from the camps in National Parks in Namibia for non-payment. He doesn’t pay his drivers or guides on time. Our driver says he has a reputation for being a terrible tour operator - I have no idea how his business survives.
He lied to us continuously to try cover the mess up. He should not be allowed to offer these services. We are reporting him to tourist organisations so that our experience does not become someone else’s.
Luckily we booked through Tour Radar so we were able to get a full refund.
ES
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Outstanding service and experience, high professionalism
From the initial online contact, they have provided a great and very professional experience. Moses and Eddie where our guides who have shown us their enthusiasm, love and knowledge for that amazing country and wildlife. Always taking care of us, showing the local culture, food and fun. The car condition and cleanliness was excellent.
We visited the Murchinsons falls and nature, the rhino sanctuary, Bunyonyi lake... etc.all the lodges were great and service was more that outstanding.
To sum it all up, I would recommend Yaneta Safaris 100% and especially Eddie and Moses to experience Uganda.
CN
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
IT WAS AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE!
Our group of four spent six amazing days with Mega Adventures .our driver is an experienced and friendly man . his name is Yassin.he has bring us a amazing trip.we have see all kinds of wild animals,all of us are very thankful with him.