Fantastic
We had a 10 day safari across Tanzania and Kenya that was organised by WildRace - it was seamlessly organised and one of the best trips we've ever been on
We saw the big five within a day and learnt so much from the knowledgeable guides - as well as being able to relax in nice surroundings and accomodation
Would definitely recommend Wildrace to friends
PL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Extremely well communication and pleasant safari experience
We booked our Safari trip half a year in advance via safaribookings.com
We're very delighted with communication and responsiveness. Replies were coming from Steve - Senior Tour Operator and we'd like to give him special thanks for taking great care. Replies were quick (up to 24h and almost immediate once we arrived to Africa). All questions were always answered. He also provided some tips for us before arrival and he helped to sync with the driver when we needed. One more thing that needs to be pointed out is great honesty - Steve returned us excess money we left for hotel owner to book bus tickets for us but we hadn't chance to get the change before departure.
As for Safari itself is was great experience. Eric - our driver and a guide in one person did his best to show us big five and he made it. He's very good driver, also quite fast but we were totally fine with this. Also he always stopped when we asked him to. He was flexible and kind.
One thing I would like to see more is some description of animal life and safari stories from our guide. We were asking some questions, but most of the time his answers were rather short.
Food was very basic but fine and we weren't starving.
In our opinion overall price was very good and experience for that price was totally worth it.
FR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A superior safari for the 6 of us
A friend of ours found very affordable flights to Kenya for the Christmas break. Aurelie helped us organize the perfect trip (and she speaks French) so that was very helpful for our group. The objective of the trip was to see Wilddog and Rhinos, the famous Masai Mara and also Mt. Kilimanjaro if we could fit it in, but we only had 8 days of total time in Kenya to work with.
After quite a few emails back and forth speaking about what we wanted to see in Kenya and also what kind of lodges and camps we wanted to stay in, Aurelie presented us with an unbelievable custom tour. She combined a driving tour with some flights so that we could cover everything on our list. In our camp in Amboseli we were with a guide from the Tawi Camp, who was very good. We saw Mt. Kilimanjaro and plan to climb it in the coming years, and are happy to know that E-Trip also climbs Kilimanjaro. We did a night game drive here (as recommended by Aurelie) and would recommend as you get to see alot of different wildlife.
We then flew to Ol Pejeta Conservancy were we met the E-Trip Africa guide named John. He was very knoweledgable and also had an excellent sense of humor. We were very luck to spot a pack of wilddog, which I understand is not an everyday thing. We also saw our fill of Rhinos.
The trip then went by road to Masai Mara stopping along the way near Lake Nakuru. The Masai Mara was mroe than I could have ever dreamt. The luxury camp is located right on the Mara River, so we saw wildlife even when in the camp.
I must commend Aurelie and her team for a memorable safari in Kenya. Aurelie worked hard answering all of our questions and building the tour that met all of our needs. It was a perfect selection of lodges and camps, and she always gave us the choice with plenty of details about each of the options available to us, all while being very transparent.
The next trip will be to take on Mt. Kilimanjaro and then hopefully go to find some Mountain Gorillas in Rwanda if we can afford it.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing safari in Kenya and Tanzania - thank you Wild Race for the trip of a lifetime
Went on a 10 day safari in Tanzania and Kenya in August 2015 and had an incredible time. Wild Race Africa were incredibly helpful throughout the planning process, and helped us put together an itinerary that suited our budget and timescales. The guides we had on both the Tanzanian and Kenyan side (Godlove and Gordon) were both incredibly knowledgeable and helpful - we learned so much on tour. Saw the big 5 within the first 3 days (which is apparently very rare and lucky!) and also we were lucky enough to see baby leopards, baby cheetahs learning to hunt and a baby elephant less than 2 weeks old.
We stayed in a range of accommodation styles, from luxury resorts also to temporary private campsites. Personally, I felt the campsites were the most memorable and special - we were right in the heart of the wild (eg the Serengeti on the Tanzanian side), so could zebras and other forms of wildlife walk past the camp in the middle of the night. Felt completely safe and comfortable the whole time. The chef on site cooked up some amazing meals, and all of the staff ensured we were very well looked after. We could also sit outside the tent (which is fully furnished with a double bed and hot showers etc) each evening to watch the sun set and enjoy a glass of wine after a day of game drives.
Would highly recommend Wild Race. We specified our budget and requirements, and kept communicating with Simon until we reached what we felt was the right itinerary for us. They are very flexible and accommodating. Highly recommend. Thank you Simon, Japherth, Godlove, Gordon and the rest of the team - you guys were great :)
CH
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Outstanding service with a lot of heart and passion
My partner and I really enjoyed our 15-Day South Africa Tour including Swaziland and Lesotho and we want to thank you very much indeed for everything you did to help us have such an incredible time. All the arrangements with flights, accommodations, excursions – everything went so smoothly with your tour. We also loved your company and we fondly remember all the interesting explanations and conversations but also the quiet moments which gave us time to digest the wonderful impressions. Your willingness to answer all our questions in depth and sharing a special part of yourself made this journey very special to us.
Choosing you was a wise decision as we were able to adjust our itinerary along the way according to our interests and needs. We very much appreciated all your professional help and support in making our trip an experience of a lifetime.
Thanks to you we learned a lot about South Africa, its cultures and customs and the country’s past and future. Hearing the stories of people and their lives and visiting some of the most breathtaking places was fantastic!
Now looking at all the photos fulfils us with a great deal of happiness and joy.
Thank you very much once again for this truly memorable adventure, Craig ! You were amazing and we just loved your own personal touch! We would recommend you wholeheartedly to anyone who is planning to visit South Africa.
Hopefully we will get more people from Switzerland to travel to South Africa with YOU. We hope to see you again in the near future.
US
Gem of a travel agent!
We used Luciano Travel and Tours on a recommendation from a colleague, so were not sure of the level of service to expect. We booked a last minute visit to the Royal Livingstone Hotel in Zambia, and Shadrick Luyanga exceeded all our expectations. I would recommend him to anyone planning an African safari. The company is professional and efficient and they provided fantastic service, from meeting us at the airport in Zimbabwe, driving us through the border post and dealing with all aspects of our stay at the hotel. Shamrock even collected some personal effects I had forgotten at the hotel, and arranged for them to be forwarded to me in Harare.
What a lucky find!
JP
Friendly, flexible and welcoming service
We spent in total 8 days in Kenya. Bigtime has assisted us during these days and provided attentive care throughout the trip. We planned to go to Tanzania but our visa was rejected on the border. However the crew was with us even to the border and tried to facilitate it by all means. When it turned out it was not possible, they immediately assisted us with alternative plans. Thanks to Bigtimesafari, we had the best trip in our life this yime in Kenya in masai mara, Naivasha and Watamu.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Gorilla twins!
We took a two-day gorilla trek, which actually took less than 24 hours. Drive 2.5 hours from Kigali to Hotel Muhabura on night #1, wake up at 5:30 a.m. the next day to drive to national park entrance, hike in to see gorillas, spend an hour with them, hike out, then drive back to Kigali.
The tour is responsible for getting you to the hotel, arranging meals there, getting you to the national park, and working with the national park guides to get your group on a trek to see a gorilla family. The national park is then responsible for leading your hike, communicating with the gorillas (no joke), and ensuring everyone's safety.
Both the tour operator (Enos) and the national park ranger gave us the best service we could have asked for. In particular, we were under a tight time constraint - had to be back in Kigali by 3pm for a flight - and both Enos and the ranger worked to get us on a shorter, rather than longer, trek to make that possible. Enos was a portrait of good service. The gorillas themselves were everything you could want; you get very close. Our family even had twins!
Additionally, communications with the company prior to arrival were very smooth. They have an assistant in California to help English-speaking folks on USA time zones. They are very quick to respond to emails and calls.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
First class bespoke service from extremely knowledgable, flexible and friendly staff
We were recommended Alex by a friend who used her to book their honeymoon - we were not disappointed. From the first call when we thought we wanted to go to South Africa, she discussed what we wanted from our trip. After lengthy discussions, she said that if adventure, amazing scenery and landscapes was our thing, then she would recommend Namibia - we were blown away by the trip beyond all expectations and Alex pitched absolutely perfectly when it came to the mix of luxury and adventure - this was only possible due to her own experience in Namibia. We gave her a budget and she stuck to it rather than what most agents do which Is stretch and tempt you with things that you cannot afford. When a flight was cancelled prior to our departure, she sorted everything and gave us various options all within 24 hours and then sorted out the alternative bookings without a fuss or any cost. first day back and we are saving for our next trip with Alex as this is a truly bespoke service. We could not recommend highly enough. Thank you Alex.
RO
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A total dissapointment! Avoid them at all costs!
I travelled around the world and I haven't found a travel agency worse than East Cape Tours. I booked with them a 4 night stay at Jackalberry Lodge, I paid 30% and I asked them to pay the difference after I would receive my visa for South Africa at the beginning of December. They spoke with The Reservation Department from Thornybush Game Reserve where Jackalberry is located and it was agreed that I will pay the difference after I have my visa issued. On November one month before leaving to SA, East Cape Tours have charged my credit card for the difference even if the agreement was to pay at the beginning of December. The bank was asking me if they should block the payment but in the end I have received the visa and I said no.
But the worst things were still to come.
3 weeks before leaving to South Africa Thornybush Reservation Department informed me that they have no availability for 4 nights at Jackalberry even if I paid in full our 4 night stay and I have received the confirmation of booking. East Cape Tours and Thornybush Reservation Department were so incompetent in dealing with me and my reservation and offered me a lower value lodge N'Kaya. I was very very dissapointed and frustrated to see that these 2 companies were trying to turn my holiday into a disaster. The accomodation that they were offering was 500 USD cheaper than Jackalberry. In the end I had to settle with N'Kaya because we had already paid the transfer to Thornybush and there was no lodge available left for the period before Christmas. I had to phone my bank 4-5 times to see if the difference was reimbursed of not, in the end the money entered my account.
I lost a lot of time speaking with East Cape Tours, with their stubborn manager Colin Diland which didn't apologize for the mess and harm done to us. i have all the emails and documents provin the harm done by these 2 companies. Anyone interested can contact me anytime. Try to stay away from East Cape Tours and Thornybush Reservation Department, otherwise your holiday can turn into a disaster!