Ten days in Madagascar
I love photographing birds, so I was very pleasantly surprised to find many birds I had never seen before. The highlight was a flock of Madagascan Olive Bee-Eaters right in the centre of Antananarivo. I arrived in Antananarivo spending five nights there. Although it was the middle of winter I found myself wearing shorts and t-shirts by the middle of most days. Beautiful sunshine. Antananarivo is beautiful from several vantage points with canals running through it while being surrounded by pretty mountains. The architecture is a unique combination of old European style, complimented by countless ageing French motor vehicles, and more random Madagascan shacks. People are obviously very poor compared to first world nations, but they remain outwardly content with their way of life. It's a challenging confronting country to visit and yet, at the same time, heartwarming to see people happily going about their daily lives worlds apart from the worlds most tourists come from. I spent five nights in my brother's home in Antananarivo. Then we adventured to a small resort on the shores of Lake Mantasoa. The 65km drive was incredibly scenic and took us about two and a half hours. Road conditions were generally good, only requiring us to go very slowly in a couple of places. Traffic congestion entering and/or exiting Antananarivo is a challenge. But once you break free from the city it's easy enough. Our accomodation was right on the shore of Lake Mantasoa and was very affordable, perfectly clean, and incredibly relaxing. I couldn't have wished for better in Australia, let alone Madagascar. We had a wonderful relaxing stay. We mostly self-catered, having found everything anyone could need in a very well stocked Shoprite Supermarket in Antananarivo. However we did eat out at a Swiss-themed Restaurant (yes Switzerland in the middle of Madagascar) near Lake Mantasoa and our meal was great value and delicious. Nicely presented too.
Highlights from this visit included relaxing walks on the shores of Lake Mantasoa; beautiful birds; beautiful sunny weather in the middle of Winter. And being Winter Mosquitos were generally not a problem. I've visited previously and on previous visit highlights included amazing experiences with Lemurs at a Lemur park and also in the wilds of a rain forrest. Lemurs are gorgeous and can be quite sociable. We explored some truly beautiful rain forests (a good four hour drive from Antananarivo). Madagascar has no dangerous poisonous snakes so one can enjoy walking searching for lemurs, chameleons, and many beautiful birds without fear of being bitten. I do intend to return.
I benefited greatly from my brother's local knowledge and his ability to navigate the roads and understand the way local traffic operates. If you are used to driving on the right hand side of the road then it certainly helps. Despite that I would recommend travelling with a local tour operator or someone with local driving experience. The crazy variety of vehicles all the way from bicycles to human-propelled carts to donkey carts and large trucks and the haphazard way they navigate is amazing to see and photograph. I would recommend being a passenger with a camera (or phone) ready to take photographs than being a driver in Antananarivo. Having said that, most road users are friendly so if you must drive, just be ready to take it slow!
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Best experience of a lifetime!
Dear David,
Larry and I appreciated all your efforts in booking our safari to Lake Manyara, Serengeti and Ngorongoro. The lodges accomodatiion, food, amenities, staff were great.
Felix our driver was awesome and made our safari the best experience of a lifetime.
I can't thank you enough. This was my second time going on a safari and Larry's first time. He really enjoyed seeing the best of Tanzania!
Again, Asante sana!! We look forward to booking another safari with you and your team.
Lana and Larry
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Memorable for the right reasons
We went to Selous game reserve for 3 nights, 4 days. We stayed at hippocamp. Our experience at the game reserve was amazing, we saw lots of animals, had lots of breathtaking memories made, so many pictures to go through. Our guide Ali, was very knowledgeable about where the animals might be and about their habits. We loved every minute of it. Would definitely recommend.
Hippocamp, was basic but we knew this. The staff were lovely and the food was very good, we didn’t have a bad meal. No internet for 4days was lovely, there is no WiFi, no need to check social media,
Bush babies visited us every night and our walking safari was eventful, heart stopping and exhilarating.
BE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Happy customers of Endless Summer Tours
Rhys took us on a great 3-day safari in Kruger park. He was our (nature) guide, driver and cook, providing us with everything we wanted and needed. Highly recommended!
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent outing. Saw all the wildlife that we hoped for, and more. Great accommodations.
Wildlife was great. Parks were open and you definitely had the feel that you were seeing the animals in their environment. Weather was great. Lows in the 50's, highs in the 70's. No rain. Driver / guide was outstanding. Road to Masai Mara was terrible, but new road is under construction. All of our accommodations were excellent.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing animals, incredible experience!
We got great viewings of all the big 5 and many more. Accommodations were extremely comfortable ("glamping" is underselling it), food was delicious and varied. Our guide was incredibly knowledgeable and enthusiastic, and really went out of his way to find the cool animals. It was a fabulous trip. So wonderful to be able to see so many animals in their natural habitat.
IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a lifetime!
I can say nothing but great things about Suricata. Great equipment, food, car, cook Salim and guide Ezekiel. They are both assets to the company. We saw almost all the wildlife we hoped to, didn't manage to spot a rhino or leopard. Guess this means we just have to go back! Would definitely recommend.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Go2Africa provides an excellent service.
It's my third time using Go2Africa and my second safari. About the safaris, both were AWESOME. Great service in all camps, great food and drinks. Very nice guides/drivers. We were able to see all Big 5 in both safaris, Masai Mara 2013 and Serengeti 2014. We are already thinking about a third safari for 2015. Thanks to Maureen Stover for organizing this unforgettable experience.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
An unforgettable experience
From the moment of arriving to Entebbe, Uganda felt to me a safe and friendly country. I went only to visit Bwindi National Park to see the gorillas and wish that I was able to spend more time as there is so much more to see.
I booked my gorilla permit in advance directly from UWA, hired a car and driver from a great local company, Self Drive Uganda, stayed in good clean and well priced accommodations and had a fantastic, problem free trip.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Awesome family vacation
Our family of 5 (ages M53, F53, M22, F20, and F17) decided to climb Mt. Kili and then go on a safari in Tanzania. Our guides (Sylvester and August) were great and although it was cold on the final day of the climb, we were all successful getting to the top of the mountain. Everyone was in decent shape, so don't think you can just show up, but the key to making it up the mountain is acclimation; do the 7 day trip. We tackled the Machame route and were not disappointed. I'd recommend using foot-warmers (maybe 2) in your boots as you climb to the top on summit day.
Our Safari lasted 8 days and were fortunate to see everything we hoped for. Highlights included: The Big 5, cheetahs, 3 wildebeest crossings in the northern Serengeti and even some lions mating from 15 feet away. Simply amazing. David, our guide, was the right fit for our family and was a pleasure to be with throughout the entire trip. He even introduced us to his favorite local restaurant in Arusha on the last night, making it a trip that was truly memorable.
Sunny Safaris helped create a trip that was tailored to our requirements of 'somewhat rugged', not too expensive, yet with the right amount of luxury/comfort to keep us in budget. After tenting on the mountain, we spent our evenings in nice, yet simple "luxury tented camps" where the service was great and the facilities were excellent. Other evenings we were in the Sopa Lodges in south Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater and Tarangire. We also visited Lake Manyara. If you are short on time, you can have a great 4-5 day trip and simply go to the Crater and then the Serengeti. If you want to go to the northern section because the wildebeest are crossing, strongly consider flying. We had 8 days so driving was an acceptable and cheaper alternative (saved $1200), but we also had one long day of washboard roads that lasted about 8 hours.
For our family, this trip will be one of the most memorable trips we ever take. If you enjoy the outdoors, learning about life and world around you, and are open to new and adventurous things, this type of trip needs to be at the top of your list.