US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A customized itinerary, pleasant and knowledgeable driver and overall fantastic experience.
The communication before the trip was excellent and all my questions were answered promptly. The tour was customized to allow me 2 days with the gorillas at Bwindi and primates at Kibale in Uganda and continued to many parks and reserves in Tanzania. My driver Ezekial was very nice and knowledgeable. The tour and locations were fantastic and gave me a wide variety of African ecosystems. Accommodations varied from large tented camps to lodges and hotels.
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great wildlife and scenery experience
First of all: I had a great trip with Northern Circuit Adventure, I definately recommend them.
Me and my friend completed a safari group of 5 travellers to go and visit Arusha NP, Lake Manyara, Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater. Our guide Elias had loads of (fun) facts ready to share with us together with a great eye for spotting animals, added with the wonderful (large) meals prepared by Gabriel and an international group made this an amazing time for me.
The only downside was that I had to sleep in Arusha Tourist Inn for a couple of nights, arranged by NCA. Across the street was a mosque where prayers started at 05:00 hrs, I'm definately not used to that kind of thing so it really disturbed my nights. I would choose all the different kinds of tents over this inn any day (the tents were great).
I would definately recommend this safari company to my friends because they offer a great safari for a reasonable price.
IN
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
a last minute trip
All communication while planning the trip was prompt, very courteous and accommodating. Towards the end while we were finalizing it (the departure date was finalized very late), i believe the agent too was travelling and communication dropped, causing me a few tense moments. A mail saying my mails had been received and were being worked on would have been appreciated.
The safari vehicle itself wasn't in good repair (simple things like overhead handles to hang on to on the bumpy routes in the parks were missing).
That said.....the trip itself went off well. Our guide and driver Hamza was an absolute delight. Very helpful and very cheerful...he made the trip great fun.
I would use Wildebeest Safaris again as i believe the minor issues we faced were because of the late nature of the booking.
It was an enjoyable experience overall.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
This was an AMAZING experience!
First and foremost, Zohar set us up w/ a truly excellent safari guide. Sammy made sure that we saw everything there was to see in the parks, including a black rhino! His font of knowledge and enthusiasm for the natural world seemed limitless. This along w/ his easy going nature, good sense of humor, and sensitivity to our needs made for an exceptional experience.
In addition to the game parks, Zohar arranged for us to experience multiple cultural visits to a number of tribes in the area. The nature of these visits included authentic interaction that was truly unique and defy description. We'll never forget them!
As for some of the details, communications w/ the tour operator both before and during the trip were always easy and responses prompt. Traveling to Africa might be anxiety producing for the less traveled (like ourselves). However, Zohar seamlessly arranged for every aspect of our vacation from beginning to end. Our entire voyage unquestionably exceeded all expectations.
CH
Experience level: first safari
Most Amazing Trip Ever perfectly planned by Journey Beyond
My wife and I spent 2 weeks in South Africa in February of this year and it was one of the most, if not THE most amazing trip we have ever taken and we can thank Journey Beyond for making it happen for us. We learned about Journey Beyond through online research and word of mouth and we started planning our trip early with them. We worked with Tanya Robinson and Annette Holtmann from Journey Beyond and we gave them a budget and a rough agenda of what we were wanting to do and see while we were in South Africa and they took it from there and put together a itinerary that was absolutely perfect. They were so easy to work with and so helpful, in the end all we had to do was show up as they had taken care of everything else. Before our trip, they conveniently mailed us a guide booklet with our detailed itinerary, with each section explained with helpful tips, all needed phone numbers for contacts and useful information about each stop we had.
We started our Trip with 2 days of Safari in Kruger National Park and we stayed in the Tinga Lodge at Lion Sands. After 2 days we relocated to the River Lodge at Lion Sands with Safaris in the Sabi Sands National Park. It was great because Journey Beyond gave us the opportunity to stay in both Lodges, which were quite different from each other but both amazing along with having the 2 different experiences of going on Safari in Kruger and Sabi Sands National Parks. Staying at Lion Sands was the perfect plan as the Staff at Lions Sands take care of every one of your needs and make it so all you have to do is relax and have a good time!
After 4 days of Safari, we flew to Capetown where Journey Beyond had planned our next 3 days of sightseeing. We had a guide arranged by Journey Beyond, Darren, who was a local and extremely knowledgeable of all the areas we saw. All of the suggestions for sights we saw were perfect! Journey Beyond even planned in a day off for us to relax on the beach and by the pool while we were in Capeteown. From Capetown, Darren drove us to the Wine Country in Franscheok where we spent the next few days eating delicious food and drinking some of the best South African wines.
From start to finish we experienced so many different adventures while we were in South Africa from Safari to Beaches to Wine Tastings. Journey Beyond made the trip so memorable for us and by FAR helped exceed our expectations. We are so thankful that we used them to plan our vacation and would highly recommend them to anyone who is looking to get the full South African experience. We hope to make it back and will certainly use them again!
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
First African Experience Was Overall Good ++
Following is a review of the places we visited this past month (June 2014). Roho Ya Chui helped us plan and book the trip. It was a group of 5, with 3 of us being newbies and and the other 2 old hands at African Safaris. Ute Sonnenburg was a delight to work with, and she went the extra step for us on several occasions.
I thought I'd give you my reviews of the places we visited.
Lawhill Apartments: I think this was a good choice, though a bit spartan in amenities / furnishings. Great location at the Victoria & Albert Wharf. Dionne (spelling?) was a good guide and flexible to our suggestions. I really liked Cape Town and Stellenbosch. Next time I might do 2 nights in Stellenbosch as it is quite a nice little town.
Xigera Camp: This one was my favorite. The staff were incredibly friendly and the whole "vibe" was inclusive. When new people came we were all introduced and had a communal table for dinner. And in one of life's little coincidences there was a couple that lives 1/2 mile from where I used to live in Hermosa Beach, California. Our guides, Onx and Rider, were very personable and knowledgeable. And for our last two treks we did game drives rather than the boat. The management at Xigera, Olivia and Masha, were very accommodating. This was my very first experience at game drives/floats (?), so seeing that first elephant, or hippo, or giraffe, or Cape Buffalo was really amazing.
Getting to Victoria Falls: This was an odd experience, from the airport near the Botswana - Zambia border, being dropped off at a small boat on the river to cross over to Zambia, then the wait at the border while the guide / drive had our passports processed. It was a bit unnerving for some of us.
Royal Livingstone Hotel at Victoria Falls: This was a very deluxe place with a head doorman with his hand constantly out for tips. The service in the dining room was excruciatingly slow. There is relaxed dining, and then there is "I should have brought a book" dining. The falls were at full flow and beautiful, and we had the chance to get pictures in the evening and the ensuing morning.
Moving on to Nelspruit, it was a long drive after our flight, BUT we did see a cheetah along the side of the road when we entered the Londolozi reserve.
Londolozi: Obviously a first class 4-5 star facility. The staff that we met were very friendly and accommodating. The "vibe" here was more exclusive, no attempt was made to introduce us to other guests, nor did the other guests seem inclined to socialize. But the rooms were very nice, the meals plentiful and tasteful, and the hot water bottles in the Range Rover for the morning game drives were a much appreciated touch. Will Ford, the camp manager, and the assistant assigned to us, Jeremy (I might have this wrong), were great, as were our guides, Alfred and Chadrock. The butler, Stanick, was always there for us in the dining room. Will Ford arranged a sundowner wine tasting for just our group one night which was a special treat. And we saw the Big 5 in our very first trek! The game here was more numerous than in Xigera. A great experience all around.
Jo'burg: The guide, whose name escapes me, was a disappointment. He met us at the private general aviation lounge at the Jo'burg airport and managed to snag a bottle of water for himself, but not for us. He had a tour he was determined to make and there was no flexibility in his schedule. We probably could have used an extra day in Jo'burg, but not with this guide.
Michaelangelo Hotel: This was a very nice place with big comfortable rooms (apparently if your AC was working which it didn't for the Browns). I was a bit disappointed in the restaurant, or at least the menu. But we had a chance to meet this delightful woman who had booked our trip, oh yeah, that would be Ute. So that made the evening good all around!
Serena Lake Victoria - Entebbe / Kampala: As previously noted by Stephanie, this hotel was too far away for a one night visit, and arduous to get to. And the staff didn't seem to know how to register guests, or at least were very inefficient at check-in and check-out. The restaurant was basically a buffet cafeteria, and not very good, a big disappointment for a property this beautiful physically.
Sanctuary at Bwindi: Same comments as Steph's. I didn't think it was dirty, just more rustic than what we had experienced. The staff was pretty indifferent with the exception of our server, Barbara. And if you weren't trekking, there was not much to do, though I managed to finish a terribly written book on the day I declined the first trek. I must say I am very proud of my fellow travelers for completing that trek and then the "easy" one two days later.
And you know all about the high drama with Qatar Airways, but even that turned out okay eventually, but it was handled very poorly by the airline.
One lesson learned by me is that I don't like the one-night stands (Jo'burg, Lake Victoria, Victoria Falls) because you never really relax and unwind. I'll keep that in mind in the future.
All in all it was an enjoyable trip with delightful travel partners.
IN
50-65 years of age
Amazing 14 day trip to Kenya and Tanzani - must do once in your life !
We were very happy with the professionalism as well as the overall experience on the trip. We had a guide/cook (Amos) and driver (Eddie) and a 22-seater "Boomer" all for just our family (that was us getting lucky as it was a bit early :-). With a 14 day safari where you are with the crew the whole time, there can be issues and problems, but they went out of their way to ensure we had a great time. I hit my 50th birthday and Amos organized a surprise for me right in one of the camps (this included getting a cake, balloons and even paying for all of it). We had a total of 6 game drives and on each drive, it was great. We saw the Big 5 and even the very shy leopard. They knew where to go and when - one our best viewing was a lion couple mating and we were the only game truck - generally at all animal sightings, there are many vehicles watching. They also arranged for the best possible accommodations and in each place would give us a choice. Food was also great - My wife is vegetarian and it was a challenge to keep all meals different. But Amos managed to do that. Some of the other things we wanted to highlight
1) My wife lost her gold/diamond necklace and she was pretty sure she lost it in the truck. We looked for it everywhere we couldn't and almost gave up. We told Amos that it might be in the truck and he looked for it at night and brought it to us the next morning - he found it under one of the rear seats - striking honesty.
2) On the last day, we wanted to do some Tanzanite shopping - Amos figured all of it and arranged for a cab and even came with us for it as the Boomer could not go into the business district
Debbie had warned be about being patient and that things may not always work as expected (This is Africa expression !), but our crew made sure everything worked like a charm even if things had to be improvised a little. Superb trip, Superb company.
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The best!
My travel companion and I have just returned from a trip to Tanzania which included a safari and visit to Zanzibar. I booked this adventure on line with Roy Safaris and it went off without a hitch! Our agent, Riwaida was phenomenal from start to finish. She even booked additional flights to get us across the country to Arusha where our safari began. She really went above and beyond! Our driver guide was Thomas and with 17 years experience, we couldn't have asked for a more informative, courteous and friendly person! He even made arrangements for our lodge rooms to be close to the main dining area to accommodate my travel companion who was a little older. Our Zanzibar leg of the trip was also wonderful and the beach side resort of Sandies Mapenzie Beach was fabulous!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fantastic Lion-Tastic Safari with Travel Explore Africa
This was truly the trip of a lifetime!
Touring Uganda for two weeks with Travel Explore Africa (Wilson Bisaso) is an experience I will never forget. Three days in Murchison with giraffes, lions (including a pride of seven, and finding a lioness resting under a tree after eating their fill), a pregnant hyena, Patas monkeys, and local music; Chimpanzee Habituation Experience at Kibale (12 hours of following the delightful Sebo, second in command); 3 days at Queen Elizabeth National Park, with wonderful lion sightings (including three satisfied males, lounging), a Kazinga Channel boat ride (hippos, crocodiles, elephants), and tracking chimpanzees in Kyambura Gorge (Kejojo, Brutus and Muzungu!); 2 days in Ishasha, seeing a young pride of 5 lions; Bwindi, Kisoro, and finally Lake Mburo, for beautiful zebras, fighting impalas, spotted bushbuck...wow!
Everything was just perfect: the food, the accommodation, the price, and most especially the animals! Wilson made everything run smoothly, was courteous, professional and kind (as well as funny) at all times; could spot any creature for any distance (his eyes are amazing) and navigated Uganda's difficult roads with panache! I can't recommend Travel Explore Africa and Uganda's National Parks enough!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing Ugandan Safari! Beyond Our Wildest Dreams!
I travelled with a group of 3 friends to Uganda this year - best trip of my life! With the help of Wilson Bisaso, we were able to have fantastic wildlife viewings throughout this beautiful country, including chimpanzees, gorillas, lions, elephants, hippo, buffalo, kob, topi, baboons, blue monkeys, black and white colobus, red colobus, red tailed monkey, zebra, giraffes, crocodiles, and more! Wilson was an excellent driver, making long journeys smooth and enjoyable. He was knowledgeable about animals, politics, the land, and shared a vast amount of information with us, which helped us really get a feel for the country. He introduced us to Ugandan food (delicious) and music (wonderful and joyous!). Everything was done completely professionally and within our rather restricted budget. I cannot recommend this company enough! Communications - A+! Price A+! Safari - A+++!