US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An experience I could spend my whole life trying to top.
Could not imagine a better safari. Our guide, Robert, was knowledge and fun. We stayed at amazing and beautiful places I will remember the rest of my life. A+
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Hazina Afrika has the right formula for a stellar safari!
I feel very fortunate having found Hazina to facilitate our safari. The all around A++ service began with the prompt and thorough answers to any questions we had prior to safari. The well put together information packets regarding travel to Africa and safari that Hazina provided was very valuable, especially for first timers like us.
Upon arrival in Tanzania, there were no questions or worries, everything happened like Hazina said it would. We were greeted at the airport and helped with visa, then escorted to the hotel where we were warmly greeted by Lisa and Rama. They briefed us on our upcoming 7 day adventure and answered any questions or concerns we had. They even gave us a mobile phone that could be used to call Hazina staff in case we ran into a problem during the safari. We had an early start the next morning and we were pretty tired. We were helped into our room and awaited our adventure the next morning to begin.
Embarking on a safari is quite a different format of travel than we are used to. A safari literally has you spending 6 (or however long your trip is) entire days with someone you've never ever met before. Needless to say, a connection between the travelers and the safari guide is so important for a successful adventure. That being said, we hit the jackpot. Our guide Lodi was simply the best! We can't say enough good things about this guy or the experience he gave to us. He is kind and friendly, open and good natured. Lodi is a walking and talking search engine for all things safari, Tanzania and beyond for that matter. We are happy to call him a friend :)
Our expectations of the safari itself were more than fulfilled. We began our safari in the north and slowly made our way south. Each day we rose before the sun and and got a head start on sightseeing. We saw all of the Big 5, multiple times. We saw an amazing cluster of mama, teen and baby lions. We saw a lion, two cheetahs and a hyena each tending to their kill, the always present vultures were ever interesting too. A slumbering tree dwelling leopard. Elephants all around. Oh, and who can forget the THREE rhinos we saw (one up north and two in Ngorogoro). A prized moment was witnessing the literally thousands and thousands of wildebeest and zebras crossing the Mara River. In tow with the sharpest guide in the Serengeti, we arrived just as the crossing was starting. Because of this brilliant timing, we saw the entire phenomenon from start to finish. What an amazing sight!
A little about accommodations and food... In general the four hotels/lodges we stayed at were good. Buffalo Luxury Camp and Osupulko were top notch. The rooms, staff, food and feeling of the spots were exceptional. We enjoyed our time at these two places very much. The other two we spent time at, Sopa and Mount Meru, were average in all aspects, not bad, but just okay. The box breakfasts and lunches for safari were satisfactory. We were never left hungry. In addition, there were additional snacks and unlimited drinks available in the truck.
The amazing experience we had on safari will stay with us forever. We are so pleased with the service provided by Hazina Afrika. If looking for safari again, you can bet if Hazina is offering, we are taking.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
For the neophyte or experienced traveler, Blue Sky Namibia Tours offers a suberb experience.
I have toured twice with Pieter Mostert, owner/guide. The tours are handcrafted to fit your requests. Every detail is taken care of before you arrive. All of your travel, lodging, meals, and in most cases, gratuities and fees are included in the quotation. You will receive an itinerary that includes your requests, as well as, suggestions from Pieter. Adjustments are easily made. I was able to do all of my pre-planning through email before I ever left my home, and with confidence that Pieter would be waiting for me at the airport.
Namibia is large enough that you need to plan for travel time. My longest drives were a full day; many others were a half day. Pieter plans enough time for stops along the way and for a thorough enjoyment of your destinations. He schedules activities at the destinations with your approval. I found that the mood is casual and that events are adjustable as a day progresses. Lodging requires a fair amount of lead time, so book early and give Pieter a chance to put you in the nicest places.
My first trip was seven years ago. My request was to see animals. He took me to Etosha National Park and a mountain tent camp called Etendeka in northwestern Namibia. This spring, I requested Sossusvlei and Walvis Bay/Swakopmund to see respectively, the famous giant sand dunes and flamingoes/seaside resort/seaport. Near Sossusvlei, I enjoyed a sunset drive through petrified dunes capped off with a gin and tonic at the top. At the coast, Pieter arranged a tour of the local sand dunes' flora and fauna with a biologist.
Other worthwhile tourist places abound in Namibia, and Pieter is well-qualified from a lifetime of working in a variety of locations. I was told ahead of my first trip, that "Pieter is a walking encyclopedia of Namibia." I found this to be true. If you are an experience traveler or this is your first time, you cannot go wrong booking a trip with Pieter.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Head and shoulders above the competition
We have just returned from a wonderful family safari holiday that Rose and her company organised for us to Mauritius, Tswalu and Nottens in Sabi Sands, South Africa. It was quite a complicated itinerary but every bit of it worked like clockwork. With a lot of research and some experience of safaris we had both a clear idea of some of the things we wanted and a good idea of what would constitute value for money. We had an ample budget but wanted a lot for that money. We made initial calls to five safari operators including Rose. The first one was a well known safari company which we had used before but the person we spoke to gave us a quote which was approximately 10k over the top, partly because of the ridiculous logistics - he was certainly enthusiastic about Africa but just a real novice at putting together a trip in a sensible way eg at least two redundant internal flights - multiply that by four people and it's throwing away a couple of thousand. Plus we had to point out to him the basic stuff like "aren't they doing a stay 4 nights and get free flights offer". The second one we talked to was a real expert on one region (and I have used their website a lot for research) but more enthusiastic about the region than listening to what we wanted (but well done to them on their transparent pricing policy). The third one was just a waste of time - peeling back their non-transparent pricing made it clear that they were in fact advertising a safari which they couldn't deliver at the price - a really tacky approach. The fourth one was a good company but although clearly expert in the regions their itinerary came across as indulging their fantasy trip rather than listening to what we wanted eg it may be possible to fly across Mozambique by light aircraft hops to avoid a Joburg transfer but why on earth would a family want to do that especially when it costs multi-thousands of pounds and takes 12 hours?
Which brings us to Rose. These are the reasons Rose was just so far above the others:
1) Rose is a real expert - she knows her stuff on safaris, locations, destinations etc
2) Rose is what a really good travel agent of any type should be ie she listens to you, talks to you, chats about what you want and what you like and what you are hoping for and then uses her knowledge to suggest things that are useful or appropriate or interesting. Maybe you won't take up her suggestions but you will feel they were useful suggestions or ideas for you to think about or give you a better benchmark.
3) Rose is sensible and organises your safari in a way which makes logistical sense eg canny use of internal flights so you don't spend your time and money taking 5 flights when you could have done it in 2 ( OK, I know this doesn't sound so difficult but you really should have seen what our first well-known safari operator suggested!)
4) Rose isn't afraid to persist with a suggestion if she really thinks you will like it and will come up with good ideas to show you how it can be possible in your budget. Nottens in the Sabi Sands was Rose's suggestion and she showed us how our plans and budget could accommodate it - that turned out to be one of the highlights of the holiday and a real improvement on the plan we first put to her, although I had researched our first plan so carefully.
5) Rose's pricing is transparent - you know what the prices are and you can readily see if you are getting a good deal (and yes, from our experience you are - The Luxury Safari Company was the only operator we spoke to who demonstrably was giving us a better deal than we could have organised ourselves).
6)Rose doesn't stop thinking about you when you have paid for the holiday eg sent us information about South Africa's new potential requirements for birth certificates for under 18s to make sure we weren't caught out by a sudden change of policy.
Thank you, Rose and we will be in touch again!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Good trip,migration wonderful...spot Kenya were on time and had all arrangements organised
Hotels nice , good service , felt we paid top price ....lots for 1 week holiday
Wonderful safari holiday in Namibia and Botswana
We had an amazing holiday!
The CrissCross team (Helene & Thinus) put together a great itinerary and managed to fit us in with 3 months notice (not nearly long enough apparently. Take note!). Communication was clear and prompt and everyting went according to plan. We have have no problem whatsoever in recommending CrissCross for a personal, reliable service.
Thinus knows the parks incredibly well. He is a goldmine of detail on all the wildlife, and of course the people and country. On our very first evening we saw dozens of elephant, zebra and warthog come to a waterhole to drink - we'll never forget that introduction to safari! We were fortunate to have Thinus as our driver, guide and spotter! He was always in a good mood and was good company throughout.
The accommodation that CrissCross selected was generally excellent (there was one lodge we were slightly disappointed with, but we did book late) and catering was good to superb. We preferred the smaller lodges.
All in all we have wonderful memories of great holiday - thank you!
NO
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Highly recommended!
First of all it was a great trip with an experienced crew. First day we went for boat safari, where we saw crocs, hippos and birds. The second day, we went to Selous game reserve where we saw almost every animal we could see there. There is known fact that lions are not so abundant in Selous, and you have to go to Serengeti to see them. But with this crew, everything is possible. We searched for a while, but Kanuth and his crew managed to find lions and other animal living there. The third day was a walking safari. It was quite interesting due to how close we were to the wild elephants, and at the same time within a safe distance. We stayed at the Hippo camp, close to animals habitat. Therefore the experience was more intense since we practically lived one with the nature. The staff of Hippo camp were polite and helpful, and food was outstanding. Kanuth and his crew really knew the animals habitat and gave us a good experience. Highly recommended!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
memorable!
They ares doing a great job and should promote local tourism more and negotiate affordable rates for the local and common citizen.
AT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Simply the Best, Unforgettable and Stunning experience...
To be honest, when I contacted Joao Oliveira for Safari, I became bit suspicious as he used to reply usually within 1-2 hours (even in the night). Also, Safari company is quite new and therefore had to search for how genuine they are, before transferring advance payment. Reviews about the company made me to trust them. Joao helped to arrange and make safari itinerary in the best convenient way. I was completely satisfied with his responses towards my all questions and queries.
We made a safari for 5 days, 1 day Tarangire ( 1 night at Maramboi Campsite), 3 days Serengeti (2 nights at Ikoma bushcamp Serengeti), 1 day Ngorongoro crater (1 night at Rhino Ngorongoro). Fabulous locations, fair arrangements, good food and facilities.
Tarangire was nice experience but we spotted mainly elephants, giraffes and zebras (no cats) which we spotted also in Serengeti and Crater, and therefore it would have been no harm in skipping Tarangire. Manyara lake is famous mainly for Flamingos, which was not our primary aim to spot in Safari. Serengeti and Crater safaris were mind blowing. We could spot all big 5 animals (Lion, Leopard, Elephant, Black Rhino and Wild-Buffalo).
Martin, our tour guide, guided us in all possible ways. He has eyes like an eagle and could spot animals even a km far. Binoculars provided by company made our safari much more interesting and exciting. Instead of Joao (as he was out of station), Mathias helped us.
Overall, I would recommend It Started in Africa 100%. They know how to make your once in a lifetime safari memorable in all ways. They are very joyful, friendly and fantastic.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fanastic!
My boyfriend and I went on holiday to Zanzibar on one of the matoketours packages and we couldn't have hoped for a better trip. The resort and hotel we were booked into were amazing; rich in history and very friendly and hands-on staff. The staff of matoketours were quick to handle any bumps in the arrangements and at the end of it all, we wished we could stay longer! We will definitely use them again for our next vacation.