NL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Sam showed us the beauty of the bush of Botswana.
Sam made this trip unforgettable. His tracking skill are not of this world. His knowledge about all the animals and plants is endless. And he is fun to be around, an amazing travelbuddy.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The experience was fantastic. The tour guides are so good. We moved with Jibby and is incredible.
Everything is perfect. I recommend people to use Arlanda Tours and Travel they won't regret.
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Terrible tour operator. We were threatened during our tour!
First of all I would like to make clear that our guide Simon Yuma was incredible and really made our safari an unforgettable experience! THANK YOU SIMON. YOU ARE AN AMAZING PERSON!
Simon has an amazing knowledge about animals and is able to anticipate their behaviour. We saw so many animals super close, which other groups didn’t. I can highly recommend him and I hope that he will find a better employer in the future and here is why:
The company, which was recommended to us, AFRIKA KUKAYE, seemed small but legit. We actually wanted to book with a smaller company then with a big operator.
We heard many times that on group tours people from different companies were just put together in the same car and everyone having a different itinerary. We said to Remsi that we did NOT want to do it this way. Communication went well and we WERE ASSURED by the owner Remsi Sungwa that we would definitively go with this company.
So far - so good. He confirmed everything. However, 1 day before our Safari was supposed to start, and of course AFTER WE PAYED, he told us that we would be going with another company from his „long term and highly trusted business colleague DAVID MARO owner of KILI SLOPE.
This led us to be already suspicious. On the day of the Safari our cook had to leave the car, because we were getting a 7th person in the car due to an „emergency“ they said. I would rather attribute this to their inability to properly organize a tour.
On the first evening of our Safari we talked to the persons in our group. It turns out that EVERYBODY BOOKED WITH A DIFFERENT OPERATOR AND EVERBODY HAD A DIFFENTENT ITINERARY AND PAYED A DIFFRENT PRICE. Nobody actually booked with Kili Slope.
Furthermore most of us were promised 3 full days in Serengeti National Park. During this evening we were told that it would ONLY BE 48h because that’s the way the permits in the park work. THIS IS THE PERFECT EXAMPLE ON HOW THESE TOUR OPERATORS CHEAT THEIR CLIENTS.
Long story shot: Everyone was very angry this evening. I contacted my „agent“ complaining about this. I was assured that everything will be fine an that I just should enjoy my time.
Next day the 7th person who was squeezed in our car had to wait for another group from Arusha in order to join them. We felt really sorry for him, because he HAD TO WAIT IN THE CAMP INSTEAD OF ENJOYING HIS SAFARI DUE TO DISORGANIZATION of his tour operator. This made us even more suspicious, because we had an excursion to Lake Manyara on the last day of our itinerary (actually this was supposed to be on our 2nd day, but who cares for the itinerary, right???) and 3 persons in our group did not. One girl had lake Manyara in her itinerary but apparently she was not going to see it because she only booked 5 days Safari and was going back to Arusha with the rest oft he group
Next day we got a call from the owner of Kili Slope Tours Mr DAVID MARO the long trusted business partner of RAMSI SUNWA from AFRIKA KUKAYE:
! Please read this carefully. We have travelled many counties and have been on many tours but this was: the Mount Everest of REALLY BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE!!
MR DAVID MARO HEAVYL THREATEND ME AND MY GIRLFRIEND VIA THE PHONE. WE WERE REALLY SCARED AND MY GIRLDFRIEND WAS EVEN AFRAID HE WOULD SEND PEOPLE TO BEAT US UP! THIS IS HOW HE SPOKE TO US!
WE WERE INSTRUCTED NOT TO SPEAK TO THE OTHER PEOPLE IN OUR CAR ABOUT ITINERARIES AND THAT WE HAVE KEEP YOUR quote: „MOUTHS SHUT AND NOT TO COMPLAIN ANYMORE!“
FURTHERMORE HE THREATENED US THAT HE WILL SEND A CAR AND TAKE US BACK TO ARUSHA (I GUESS WITHOUT ANY TYPE A REFUND)
I can only advise everyone who reads this to stay away from Afrika Kukaye and Kili Slope Tours. These guys will treat you like cattle and only want your money. They give a sh*** about you. They do not have the slightest customer service thoughts and will even threaten you if you complain!
We did our Safari in February 2019 but, to be honest, we first wanted to be out of East Africa before we publish this review. We know that these Tour Operator have a network in East Africa and at that time we were still afraid of consequences posting a negative review about them.
I guess this shows every reader how strong the threat to us felt.
So please, do not book with these people!!
CA
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wow! It can't get any better than Gosheni!
My husband, myself and his two sisters thoroughly enjoyed our 8-night 'Migration Safari during Calving' with Gosheni. Our emails were always answered promptly, our safari patiently tailored to our changing requests by Peter and his staff, and payments easy. We were met at the airport by our guide, Gabriel. He had waited hours for our delayed arrival but we soon learned TIA - This Is Africa. However, a late flight was the only glitch and nothing to do with Gosheni. We chose the mid-luxury option as we wanted en suites, but it felt like we were in luxury. The tents and lodges were all very comfortable, and though we were in the middle of the Serengeti, we felt very safe. And spoiled by the attentive service and excellent food and beverages, at each tented lodge or lodge. The highlight of our safari, of course, had to be our guide Gabriel (who looks uncannily like Denzel Washington!). Gabriel was experienced, knowledgable, friendly, funny and a good driver! He seemed to have a sixth sense for spotting wildlife - we saw so much from a lion carrying her cubs to wildebeest calving to a cheetah kill. We saw all of the Big 5 (even the Big 12), and dozens more species, some so close to the Landcruiser our iPhones even took good photos! Gabriel even had us singing ' Jambo...Jambo Bwana...' We were very glad we chose a local company and supported the local economy. So Kudos to Gosheni and especially Gabriel for making our Tanzanian safari so incredible.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Tarangire National Park by Michelle Papa
Tarangire National Park is very well landscaped and beautiful. It's not as wild as the plains of the Serengeti or as jungle-like as the Ngorongoro Crater. The Tarangire almost feels like an amusement park zoo but don't let that stop you from visiting! There are plenty of animals to be seen and it feels like it's a nice way to break you in before going on a real safari!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Serengeti National Park by Michelle Papa
The Serengeti is what you imagine what an African safari is like! And it's real! The Serengeti is like no other place I've ever been to. We camped out in the Serengeti and a cheetah and a hyena entered our camp at night. And in the early morning, we saw an elephant just walking along the camp boarder as well. This place is magical!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Ngorongoro Crater by Michelle Papa
Ngorongoro Crater was my favorite place to visit. It is so lush and green and it felt like we were going back in time. I highly recommend a visit to this enchanting place!
CA
Wonderful experience.
It was the trip of a lifetime. The people could not have been more gracious and friendly!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A once in a lifetime experience!
The best part of our trip was the safari we booked through safaribookings.com. We choose a 5 day safari with a few nights camping in the Serengeti. 5 days was plenty of time and we saw so many different animals and of course the big 5!
Our guide was passionate and very knowledgeable. We all developed a bond and we still text via WhatsAp from time to time. The lodge, Farm of Dreams, that they put us up in was pretty amazing! They were little huts but they had all the great amenities of a nice hotel. We were treated really well by the hotel staff and workers. I highly recommend this lodging.
In the beginning I felt very overwhelmed planning our trip to Tanzania. Especially the safari leg. SafariBookings.com made it so easy to decide what company I was going to go with. I loved how I was able to review each one day by day and the site is very organized. I would use you guys again! And I recommend you to all my friends!! Thank you again!
SK
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing safari
We (a group of four) booked a 6-day safari in Kenya, visited Maasai Mara NP, Amboseli NP and Lake Naivasha. After a preliminary research and price offers from a few companies we decided to go with the Heritage of African Jungles, because their price was right and they always replied promptly to all the requests. We were not disappointed! (And I have to say 3 of us are tour guides ourselves, so we are quite demanding.) Some points from the trip:
1. The car (a safari-vehicle-converted 8-seater Toyota) was comfy and safe.
2. Our driver-guide Sam was nice, polite and always able to spot the animals. He was flexible and knowledgeable. He cleaned the vehicle daily (as you can imagine, the roads are dusty).
3. We stayed in standard lodges - to be honest, what they call "standard" was already in the luxurious zone for us. But it was worth it as it was only a few dollars more expensive than camps. All the hotels were nice, comfy and fully equipped.
4. The meals in safari lodges are not Michelin-level, but they are still good. Water, tea and coffee was always provided. Breakfast buffet was satisfactory even for a gluten-free person.
5. Our driver provided drinking water for us.
6. If you want to see the big 5, go to Maasai Mara. If you want to enjoy the scenery, go to Amboseli. For this reason I was happy that we decided to do Mara first and Amboseli second - we saw all the animals first and then had fun later.