20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Life time experience exceedi expectations for a very spoiled and seasoned traveler and nature lover.
I always wanted to go to subsaharian africa to experience safari. I had the chance to go in February this year, as I was on work related matters in Botswana. I had no idea about how it works, what are the options, tourist traps and so on. I also had a limited time to plan. My first encouter with gondwana was on Safaribookings where I was ghoing through offers and reviews. I wrote a generic and very simple and naive set of requests and sent it out to 5 tour operators. I had a fixed date for the Safari, between 31 January and 8th February. Did I mention that first contact made was on 21st January? Yes. it took only 10 days between my first contact with Mark Hathaway from Gondwana to the actual start of my safari. apparently people plan it months ahead. I had not the luxury to do so.
anyway, based on my very rudimentary perspective what I want and what I THINK I want, Mark was a perfect consultant. dont get me wrong, the other offers I received were also interesting, at least I had three final contenders. However Mark was the must responsive, quickest in responses and grasping what my wishes are and what I can have in such a short time frame. I also had the feeling like talking to a real person doing a personalized safari for me, not like being tossed a prepared safari schedule.
I gave my financial limit so we can plan more easily and Mark came up with several options, in my opinion stretching as much as possible the benefit for me. I know for sure he could have sent me to some mediocre places and have another customer in his pocket.
I to four different places, Splash camp by kwando, Lagoon by Kwando, Pangolin in Chobe, and one night at Vic Falls. everything was seamles, meticoulusly planned. The camps were faboulous. when Mark suggested one site I was not so much sure about given my preferences I have not raised before, he was responsiove and changed the offer and customized it - to my absolute satisfaction. I went during !low season! but I have not seen anything low in my experience, except of the number of people - there were times when it was just three people in the whole camp with all the activities. Or the animales, the game, I had encouters I would never dream off. Marks choices of the sites was perfect. the staff at kwando properties is super professional, friendly, and curteous. I really enjoyed every minute spent there. Pangolin in Chobe with their photographic equipment was an amazing end for the safari, before I went to the Vic Falls. Mark knew exactly what I wanted, or at least he had enough customers to help lost causes like myself who want to see as much as possible but dont know enough. I really assure you that it is worth going with gondwana, instead of the usual safaris I have seen in chobe, overcrowded cars with 9 people staring and trying to get a picture of one animal. tracking, walking safari, boat cruises, in lagoon and rivers, mokoro, all that was perfectly managed and complemented with the professional attitude of the Kwando staff either in camps or outside such as the guides or trackers. superb Job!
I would definitely recommend Mark and Gondwana Tours. And I am definitely coming back.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A Once in a Lifetime Adventure with Trevaron
Our family's safari with Trevaron, through Amboseli, was beyond anything we could have imagined. The communication process was seamless and our tour guide, Joshua, was a seasoned expert. Through Joshua, we learned in detail about the animals of Amboseli during our morning and late afternoon drives. We were fortunate to get close up views of elephants, gazelles, crested cranes, flamingos, zebras, monkeys and giraffes - just to name a few. Our stay at Serena Lodge was excellent. The rooms were comfortable, the food fabulous and the staff courteous. We would highly recommend Trevaron as a safari tour company.
NL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Africa experience with Grassroots adventures
We just came back from an amazing experience in the continent Africa.
We booked this 5 week holiday safari by Grassrootz adventure.
The communication was very good.
We travelled throughout 3 countries.
Uganda Tanzania and Kenia.
We told Sander from Grassrootz about what we want to see in all of this beautiful countries.
He planned the perfect routes for us.
And he also booked the accommodations.
Everything was beyond our expectations.
Uganda was very special with her chimpanzees ,gorillas , and a lot more of beautiful wildlife.
We see so much of everything.
Thanks to the very skilled driver.
Tanzania was very great.
We see a lot of lions in the Serengeti.
The Ngorongoro crater was also one of the great highlights.
Again we were lucky with all the wildlife we saw.
Leopard with a prey in a tree.
Not once but 2 times we saw this amazing animal.
The places where we sleep added also a great experience.
In the middle of the national parks.
With roaring lions in the night.
Our last country that we visit for 12 days was Tanzania.
With the great planes of the Maasai Mara.
Where we see Cheetahs, lions and many more.
Big elephants parades in Amboseli national park.
In Tsavo west we sleep in a very special hotel with a drinking place I front of the lodge.
AMAZING.
Totally we make 20 game drives.
We have travel thousands of miles.
The price that we have paid was worth every penny.
And really affordable comparing with other companies in Holland.
The communication was very good.
The Grassrootz adventure company makes our journey unforgettable.
We travel a lot already but this holiday is number one definitely.
Thanks Sander.
Big thumbs up
EG
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Beyond expectations
I found "Africa Tours Adventure" in safaribookings website, I contacted them to arrange very short safari in Uganda, I really did not expect much, the planned trip was very short and for a solo traveler, but I found them keen to help, and I let them arrange everything from the arrival to the departure, I took their advice and stayed at Bwindi lodge which was really fantastic, Their guide was knowledgeable and helpful, it was great holiday in every aspect.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing and knowledgeable.
They never disappoint knowledgeable staff and reasonable prices. I would recommend anyone to try Archtrek Safaris.
AE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
It was a smooth ride
I and my 5 close friends,booked our trip with Lakeside tours and travel ltd,in Jan 2019,it was a 10 days stay in pearl of Africa Uganda,Rose was so helpful in organising and putting our itinerary together,we really had a great time,lots of social activities, without forgetting our professional driver/tour guide Robert .well done lakeside tour and travel
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Incredible experience with a wonderful guide!
My wife and I wanted to go on a safari in November for our honeymoon. Friends and colleagues had recommended a number of different safari operators, so I reached out to several different companies for information and price estimates. From the very beginning, Tanzania Choice was the most professional and responsive operator we engaged with. Brenda and Kakasii set up calls and sent multiple emails to answer questions, describe the experiences we would have during our safari, and help us feel at ease with all of the logistics associated with the trip. They were easy to work with, and super responsive to our questions -- which for us, was the most important thing in choosing a safari company.
The safari itself was truly an amazing experience. Our guide Leslie was kind, funny, flexible, and incredibly knowledgeable about the animals, the environment, and the culture. We spent a total of five days in the region -- stopping in Lake Manyara National Park, the Serengeti, and Ngorogoro Crater. Leslie seemed to have a knack for finding all the animals -- even some of the most elusive ones. He also did a lot of the little things that made our trip even more enjoyable -- stopping any time we asked; making us coffee/tea to drink with our lunch; and even sharing stories over dinner/drinks with us some nights. In short, if you're going to spend five days straight with a guide, you want it to be someone special -- and Leslie is truly a special guy!
We could not have asked for a better honeymoon safari! Tanzania Choice made it a trip we'll never forget.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Booking was easy and tour operator was very responsive to our questions.
Service was great, Douglas was awesome. Prepare for bugs, as mosquitos were in our room at the lodge, and AC wasn’t very cold. Food at the lodge was very good and our safari guide, Lucky, was amazing. We saw 4 of the big 5 (plus many many other animals) within Kruger. We were fortunate enough to see the 5th at a rest area that had a small preserve on our route to and from Kruger. I highly recommend taking the Panorama route, it is extremely worth it. The days are long but worth it.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The Best safari with the best safari Company in Tanzania!
Before we went on safari in Tanzania over the Christmas holidays, we researched a number of safari guide outfits and we found that they offered the most flexibility in terms of customizing your own itinerary, which was very important to us. After soliciting quotes from three outfits, we went with Viola. We are glad we did.
First, our guide Frank was absolutely incredible. Very polite and professional, and he has a college education in zoology so he was very knowledgeable about the birds and wildlife we saw. This was important for us because we are well-informed birdwatchers and his knowledge of the local bird population was extensive and accurate. Insist on Frank if you want to birdwatch. Frank was also a responsible guide. We watched many guides nearly run over animals in the Serengeti, while Frank would get us as close as possible without disturbing the animal’s natural behavior or startling them.
Second, the truck was very nice. The truck becomes your second home for the trip. We saw a lot of older trucks used by the bigger companies that we had considered hiring (including some broken down and on the side of the road between Ngorogoro and Serengeti, which has an awful gravel highway). Our truck was a Land Cruiser that was barely a year old, WiFi (!!!), and it had AC for the rear compartment, chargers for our cameras and phones (using a number of outlets, including American 2-prong type), and a refrigerator that came well stocked with water, beer, wine, and soda. Frank either took the car to be detailed every day or did it himself, even when we told him it wasn’t necessary.
Being familiar with off-road vehicles ourselves, we noticed that the Viola Tours trucks had BF Goodrich tires. If you aren’t familiar, these are often twice as expensive as generic/off brand tires. Frank told us that management insisted on BFGs in order to make sure the safaris run smoothly. I thought this was a very important detail that would be missed by most passengers, and it shows that Viola Toursis laying out a good bit of money to prevent breakdowns.
As far as the safari itself, Frank met us at Kilimanjaro International. We had a rough couple of days after Kenya Airways lost our luggage; without getting into too much detail, avoid Kenya Airways at all costs, as they cancelled and rebooked us at least 4 times in addition to losing our luggage. So it lifted our spirits to see that Frank was waiting for us, and he had set out a table near the truck with a bottle of wine and a white tablecloth for us to sit at while we listened to his briefing on the itinerary. We stayed a few nights in Arusha at the Planet Lodge which was excellent. We used this as home base for safaris to Arusha park and Kilimanjaro.
Speaking of Kilimanjaro, Viola Tours gave us a separate guide just for the mountain hike. Saloom (unsure of the spelling) had summitted Kilimanjaro 92 times and knew the mountain like the back of his hand. It was great that Viola Toursprovided us with a skilled second guide just for this hike.
We went to Tarangire, Ngorogoro, Serengeti, and Lake Manyara while we were there. The area around Lake Manyara is hardly luxurious (although it is very safe and we had no issued walking around town at dusk), so the nearby Twiga Camp - where Viola Tours booked us - was not exactly the Ritz-Carlton. However, it was very close to the gate, the people were nice, it had security guards and one of the rarest things in all of Africa - reliable WiFi. We stayed at several luxury camps during the trip also, but ironically, the fastest and most reliable internet access was at the most modest accommodation. Twiga was clean, the food was good, the beer is cheap ($2 for a tall Serengeti/Safari/Kilimanjaro beer), and there’s a grocery maybe 10 steps outside the front gate.
Angata Camp is in the Serengeti and is owned by Viola. It’s very luxurious and is like glamping, except you are actually in the middle of the park with the wildlife. Joseph, the Masai tribesman on staff, escorted us to and from our tent at night. We saw hyenas on the way back to the tent one of the nights, and that was a really cool, authentic experience we won’t forget. I say “tent”, but the tent we stayed in was larger and nicer than most hotel rooms we’ve stayed in. Our room had two king size four-poster beds, a living room/lounging area with chairs, power and a power strip for charging, a bath tub, a separate shower room, a regular toilet, and lots of hot water. We could go on and on about Angata camp and the food, service, and atmosphere there. We recommend it if you plan to stay in Serengeti. The Endoro Lodge near Ngorogoro was also outstanding.
While easily 90% of the people we saw on safari had the ubiquitous “pizza box”, which was a cardboard box that had a plain box lunch in it, Viola Tours got us chef-prepared meals every day, and we had our white-table clothed folding table, chairs, and actual silverware and glassware. At the picnic areas, all we saw were box lunches and people eating in their trucks when there weren’t enough picnic tables.
We rarely ever write lengthy reviews like this, but Viola Tours deserves it. They were competitively priced, but we felt like we were treated like royalty. Really, having a nice safari truck where you will spend the vast majority of your time is critical, and having a well educated guide and actual lunches were more than bonuses. 5 stars
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Great experience
myself and my 13yr old daughter used Falcon Safaris for all our outings as well as airport transfers. Canoeing, Devils Pool visit and Elephant back ride. They were all fantastic especially Vimbai and Edna. We had an amazing time and nothing was too much trouble to sort out for us.