US
under20 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Game Reserve by Tommy
Great park for seeing rhinos but not so much for any more of the big 5. I would recommend it for photographers as the views are amazing.
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about South Africa by Bird Brian
This is an enchanting park, located in an arid mountain location, with a wide variety of animals, easily viewed because of the low vegetation and excellent road network. The accommodation and other facilities are of a high standard.
NL
under20 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fantastic wildlife experience in an overly complicated park
Queen Elisabeth National Park is one of the most popular safari destinations in Uganda, but still you can go there and have the feeling you were one of the very few people around. The park offers many activities, from Jeep safaris to bird watching and chimp tracking. I started my day in QE with the latter, but days before actually getting there, I had to go through an overly complicated process of bureaucratic steps, arrangements and phone calls to make my reservations. It was almost as if they just made things as difficult as possible, so that you would just get so frustrated that you'd simply book an all inclusive arrangement at a tourism agency. Which, as a simple budget backpacker, I obviously didn't want.
This continued as I arrived at the chimp tracking site on a motor taxi. As it turned out, my reservation hadn't come through at all. Luckily I was able to take somebody else's place. Then there was the problem of my transport. I didn't have my own car, even though that's usually a requirement for the Chimp tracking safari, since the tour guide has to bring us to a yet to be defined location in the park (and of course the company doesn't have its own transportation). Unfortunately none of the at least six people I spoke to over the phone to try and make a reservation, had the courtesy of telling me this. Again luckily, I was able to drive along with another tourist who did have his own car.
The Chimp tracking safari itself turned out to be amazing. Our tour guide, Stephanie, lead us through a lush piece of rainforest in the beautiful Kyambura gorge, sharing all sorts of information with us about the things we stumbled upon. The site wasn't the ideal place in Uganda to do Chimp tracking (this is most likely Kibale Forest NP), and we were aware of the reasonable possibility of not finding any chimps at all. After a three hour walk uphill, downhill, through bushes and pools of mud in the middle of the jungle, our guide finally spotted several chimps in the distance. Before that, we had already seen a wide range of tropical birds, hippos, baboons, crocodiles, velvet monkeys and an elephant. Even without the chimps it would've been worth the $50. Our guide was an absolute genius and the scenery was beyond beautiful
Almost every other activity happens all the way on the other side of the park, which is about an hour and a half away by car from the chimp tracking site. In the meantime you drive through scenic pieces of savanna, where elephants play games with each other, gazelles graze freely and baboons block the road just to take the piss out of you. Passing the main gate, you arrive at the Mweya peninsula, where you can find a tourist information office, a gas station, a cute restaurant/bar and a wide range of hotels and hostels. I can't judge any of these accommodations as I haven't spent a night in any of them, but the general opinion seems to be that they are remarkably good and well priced for national park standards. The scenery around here is once again brilliant, as you're surrounded by beautiful nature on one side and the stunning lake Edward and the Kazinga channel on the other side.
At the end of the afternoon I went downhill to the shores of the channel, to do the Channel launch trip. This is being done in a standard type touring boat in groups of about 20 people. This was an absolutely amazing experience not many other moments during my time in Uganda can compete with. From the upper deck of the boat I was able to see loads of elephants, hippos, African buffalos, crocodiles, gazelles and monitor lizards on the shore of the channel, living in peace with each other and not caring the slightest bit about us tourists coming so close. Our tour guide was a slightly nervous, but funny man, who enthusiastically provided us with tons of information about literally everything that moved around us. Lastly, seeing the sun setting above the horizon over Lake Edward was a very nice bonus.
Going back wasn't as much a pain in the ass getting there, but only because the staff of the fancy Mweya Safari Lodge were so kind to help me getting a taxi and use their phone to call him, even though I wasn't even a guest of theirs. The taxi brought me to the village of Katunguru, near the main entrance next to the freeway, seperating one side of Queen Elisabeth from the other. From there I was able to take public transport back to civilization.
All in all, Queen Elisabeth National Park provides some of the best tourist attractions in the whole country, for better prices than your average safari in Kenya or Tanzania. It's a major hassle to get there, and dealing with all the complications and the bureaucracy isn't easy if you're on a tight budget, but there's no doubt it's very much worth it.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Mikumi National Park by Sheikh. Ghulam Sarwar
On the way to Zambia, the main roads is passing through the Mikumi park.
IT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Good experience
Blessing Mumbure, my contact for Africa Zim Travel is a very good guy. We agreed my itinerary by mail and I can say that everything was done in the right way. No problem for the accomodations, no problem for the transfer from/to the airport or to the several places visited (Hwange National Park, Chobe National Park...). He can suggest the best that North Zimbabwe can offer and he's always available for your needs.
NL
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Mokala National Park by Harry and Grace Mateman
A new park a believe. Excellent accommodation and restaurant. We saw animals we didn't see in Kruger (tsessebe and sable antilope). Only dirt roads in the park.
NL
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Marakele National Park by Harry and Grace Mateman
There is a unfenced tented camp, beautifully situated at a lake where we stayed a couple of days. You can drive up the mountain for a lovely view, or drive into the bush to see rhinos and other animals from nearby (watch my video of Marakele at youtube). Mix of dirt and tar roads.
NL
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Quiet park with nice accommodation, good destination for a couple of days.
We spent 3 nights with a hired 2wd car. We stayed at a cottage at Leokwe camp (Mapungubwe East), which was very well equipped. There are some baobab trees and beautiful rocks in the camp and there is even a small swimmng pool. There are no fences at Leokwe camp, so wildlife can come to your doorstep. We saw klipspringers and many birds while having breakfast. In the evening we heard some noise in the dark ant saw a african civet, an animal we had never seen before. When we stayed here in februari 2010 we saw a couple of elephants near our cottage.
There are not many roads suitable for 2wd, but some more for 4wd. Now, as two years ago, we didn't see much wildlife in the eastern part of the park. You can go to the treetop hide and watch bee-eaters at the Limpopo river and a little further view the confluence of this river with the Shashe river. At the reception we were told that there were lions seen in this part of the park, we can hardly believe that, as several cows were roaming free in the park. Conclusion: in the eastern part of the park you won't see many wildlife, but the secenery is fine and you'll get "bush vibes".
In the western part we saw many more animals, especially from the Maloetswa hide.
We spent two mornings at the hide (and were all allone then) and saw a lot of animals and birds coming for a drink. In our video you can see what animals we saw within a couple of hours. The big five however was only represented by elephants (and there are a lot of them in the park). The tented camp at the western part also is unfenced and is situated in lovely open forest.
There are more campsites in the park which we didn't visit.
The weather was dry and very warm (in februari even warmer).
To travel from the eastern to the western part of the park you have to go out the gate at the reception as there is no internal connection between the two parts.
You can drive thorugh a graded road (20 km) or take the tar road to Pont Drift (40 km). We would not recommend the graded road for 2wd cars. Though when we drove this road two years ago we saw many elephants along this road.
When you have booked an accommodation you must check in at the reception at the eastern part of the park. Recently they have opened a small restaurant near the reception where you can have a meal. But remember from the reception to Leokwe camp the distance is 14 km, so it takes you at least half an hour to get back in time.
If you wish you can book a walk or drive at the reception.
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A good one-day safari if you are on the coast
This is a good mini-safari for anyone who is staying on the Kenya coast, especially the South Coast. However, I would not recommend traveling to the coast just to visit this reserve. If you are in Nairobi, you have better options within 3-4 hours of the capital.
What is so nice about Shimba Hills? It is a lovely patch of forested hills only 30 minutes' drive from the beach hotels. That means you can spend the day viewing animals in an authentic African setting, and still squeeze in a sunset swim on the beach before dinner.
It is also a pocket-friendly safari, at least by today's standards. The reserve's low entrance fee allows the tour operators to keep the cost of a full-day safari to around US$100, and that includes a gourmet lunch at Shimba Hills Lodge (drinks extra).
On to the animals: You should be aware that this reserve does not host lions or cheetahs, and there are no rhinos. So you will not see all of the "big five" species here. The occasional cat may sneak in, but they are officially banned because of the presence of the sable antelope, a majestic, large antelope with a purple-ish hide that is exclusive to this reserve. Come to Shimba Hills, and you can boast that you have been to the last refuge of this species.
Elephants are quite numerous both inside and outside the reserve, so numerous that the Kenya Wildlife Service has had to remove some of them in the past, driving them to Tsavo West National Park a hundred km away. However, because of the plentiful forest in Shimba Hills, spotting them is not guaranteed. I have seen at least one on every visit, but I have met people who did not. The elephants love the shade and tasty fruits on offer in the forest, and they come from far and wide for this perk. You could pass very close to an elephant loitering in a forest without even knowing.
There is a small giraffe population, but they are easier to spot as they tend to stay in the more open savannah near the main gate. They are of the Maasai sub-species, and I was told they had been imported from Amboseli National Park. But since this is an authentic ecosystem and not a zoo, that fact didn't seem to detract from the safari experience. Transportation of animals between parks is not uncommon these days.
Buffalo are another attraction here. Their still, lump-like forms, usually seen from far away, don't stimulate me as much as an elephant with its complex personality. There are probably a handful of buffalo herds in Shimba Hills, and their tendency to stick to large, open fields means you will definitely see them on your visit.
There are many warthogs! Normally pathologically shy, these beasts graze in large groups just a few metres from your vehicle. I have heard a few people comment that they had never seen so many warthogs in one place. The exceptionally lush grass may have something to do with this.
Of the other hoofed animals, I liked the sable antelopes if only for the fact that they are extremely rare. Huge bush bucks, almost the size of moose, make a tremendous noise when they smash through the forest after being surprised. The other well-known gazelles and antelopes are also found here in good numbers. I have, however, seen so many Thompson's gazelles around Kenya that my eyes seem to pass right over them.
It should be noted that the safari drivers will make every effort to ensure that you see the animals you want to see. They are radio-dispatched, and if elephants are scarce, for example, they will call other drivers to try to locate them for you. But as in any other park, there is no money-back guarantee!
The roads in Shimba Hills Reserve are well maintained and are passable in any weather. You can enter with your own two-wheel drive car if you wish, as long as it is in good condition and the KWS staff don't think it will have to be towed back out. Drivers cannot leave the roads to go cross-country. The road network is so good, in fact, that it gives the reserve a slightly artificial feel, akin to the "safari parks" in the UK with their excessive signposting. That is the only reason I don't give Shimba Hills 5 stars for "bush vibe". But it does make a do-it-yourself game drive a breeze.
Feel like swimming in a waterfall? Shimba Hills is one of just a few parks in Kenya where you can peel off and bathe in a pool under a crystal-clear waterfall, with no need to worry about crocodiles or hippos! To visit Sheldrick's Falls (named after the conservationist David Sheldrick) you must be prepared to walk for 45 minutes in fairly hot, humid weather, so bring a large water bottle. But the idyllic 15-metre waterfall, surrounded by lush forest, is well worth the effort. The escorted walk is offered with every day-safari, normally after the morning game drive and before lunch.
As mentioned above, the midday meal is served at Shimba Hills Lodge, which is also inside the reserve. It is a treehouse-style lodge - actually resting on piles, but with several large trees growing right through the middle. No one could say that it is not a very enchanting place, at least to eat. The dining tables are arranged on a covered veranda that overlooks a small pond and the forest beyond. This is not a Tsavo-style waterhole that attracts elephants, lions and other large animals. Here you may see gazelles sneaking a drink, and you can always watch the resident hawks swoop down to pick up balls of ugali (Kenyan maize cake) thrown by the waiters. There is also a large monitor lizard living right under the lodge amid the supports!
Aside from a few rarely-used campsites in the reserve, Shimba Hills Lodge is the only tourist-quality accommodation in or near the reserve. For details and reviews of the hotel rooms, it is best to consult Tripadvisor or similar sites.
Shimba Hills Reserve is not Africa's greatest wildlife park. But its convenience, coupled with a few unique charms such as the waterfall, have made it my "local" when it comes to safaris. Offering a real African bush experience a stone's throw from the beach, it waits there for me whenever I crave a change. I have not yet tired of it.
Review about Tarangire National Park by DaktariPaula
quite nice park, very green, lots of Baobabs