20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Absolutely spectacular!
Everything was perfect. We saw all of the animals I was hoping to see and much much more our guide, Leslie, spoke perfect English and was incredibly adept at spotting animals and getting us very close. He knew lots of litte facts about the animals that were great to hear on the trip. Moshi, our chef, created spectacular meals that I still remember fondly. Fantastic safari and I would absolutely recommend!!!
CL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing experience -- Galloping Safaris is the best option!
I highly recommend Galloping Safaris. I went to Tanzania with my wife for our honeymoon and everything worked perfect, just on time. Mazzatu, which was our guide, was very friendly and provide us a lot of information about the animals we were watching. The lodges were exceptionally comfortable, clean, and luxurious.
I would recommend Galloping safaris to everyone looking for a safari operator because of three main reasons: (i) the services are exceptional; (ii) it is not expensive considering the prices of other operators; and (iii) the people who manage this company are from Tanzania. This is not a foreign company.
I really enjoyed this experience and I hope other people can do the same.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best Safari Trip
Day 1: Arrived in Nairobi in the evening and our driver picked us up from the airport. We could not find our driver at first because there were so many people with signs picking up passengers. Due to the trouble we had finding our driver, I advise when looking for your driver to tell them you will be by the customer service area. I also suggest OT making a sign shaped like a number 1 so the sign will stand out. We checked in at the Hennessey hotel after a short ride from the airport. People were standing outside of the hotel but it is a gated. Hotel in my opinion is not a mid-range-luxury hotel (which is what we paid for). However it served its purpose for one night until our excursions started. If you stay at this hotel it is considered a 2 star when comparing hotels we are accustomed to in the USA. If you stay in this hotel make sure you are nowhere near the kitchen (room 108) because they start preparing breakfast at 4am. The breakfast was served buffet style. I didn't go for round 2 of getting another plate but it served its purpose as well. Also all restaurants make omelets so I took advantage of that after my first day. Beverages were served at room temperature. When our driver Sam dropped us off, he informed us he would pick us up at 8am and he was promptly on time.
Day 2: We drove to Massai Reserve the morning and arrived at the AA Lodge in time for lunch. Note road is bumpy but my main concern was our safety and we felt at ease. The hotel met our expectations and beyond. Very clean and even though there was limited internet access and no TV we didn't need it. Massai tribe came and entertained us with their ritual dances and chants.
Day 3: We took a hot air balloon ride and arrived to the site in time to see the sun rise. We had breakfast on the reserve and afterwards we had time for our second game drive. The service and food was grade A.
Day 4: Lake Narvasha was our destination today. We enjoyed the boat ride and had no complaints until it was time to check into Camp Carnelley. The room we requested was bandet 2 and was not the same room as described when booking the room. It had very old carpet with stains vs the hardwood as advertised. Comforters had stains and bathroom outhouse was not to our standards. The trailer was aluminum and it held the heat from outside which made it bearable to stay in the mobile home no more than for 5 minutes so we left the room quickly. We were told this was a campsite Lodge but it was a mobile home\trailer. We requested another room, preferably the one like the picture provided on their site as well as Walking Kenya site. They stated they were booked and the room was nonrefundable. Due to this we had our driver take us to the nearest lodge where we had to pay for our own room. We however were going to eat at Camp Carnelley since that is where our free meals would come from. After we checked into Fish Eagle Lodge that took 15 minutes max, we went back to eat dinner at Camp Carnelley. We could not eat at the lodge because they sold our room. Now we were out of a room that our driver was going to stay as well as food. We had to go back to our Lodge and purchase or meals from there. We did get a refund from OT of $160 but it was a month after our trip because they had to work it out with Camp Carnelly first.
Day 5 & 6: No complaints at all with Lake Narvasha and Kimojoro. Peaceful and serene setting.
Day 7: This is when things got tricky. Our next destination was Tanzania to go to Serengeti. As we arrived at the boarder we were not allowed because we had no proof of taking the yellow fever shot. We informed the officer the shot was taken but our yellow card was not signed properly. In addition we were told Americans didn't need to take the shot. I even confirmed with OT but we were given incorrect information. It seems if you are a USA citizen that steps foot in Kenya first that you WILL need the shot. If we came directly into Tanzania proof was not needed. We were told we had to pay additional funds to confirm USA has us on file for taking the shot. We declined and due to that we didn't go to Tanzania at all. I'm glad we waited to buy our Visa's for Tanzania and only purchased Kenya's visa at the time because we would have lost money from visa, game drive and hotel.
Day 8-11: We arranged with OT to book a flight and hotel to Mombasa for the rest of our trip and we stayed our remaining days there. We had no complaints with the exceptions of having to pay yet again for hotel and food.
Overall would I use Kenya Walking Survivors Safari again? YES!!! They were always professional, assisted with our needs and most importantly answered all of our questions. Some monies were lost but we gained an experience that was priceless!!!
LB
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
wonderful experience during the holiday
we booked a 5 days Kenya safari via Khanga safari,and had a wonderful experience! Lawrence the coordinator was very professional,patient and cautious with our questions and provided the best price among all operators we had reached out to.Tom,our tour guide was always on time,friendly and very knowledgeable about the animals ,culture and parks.The jeep was in good shape and had no issue during the tour.
overall,we loved our holiday,the preparation as well as the coordination.We took so many photos and really enjoyed our time.thanks to Lawrence and Tom they are the best.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Swindled by this company--avoid!
I was slated to do a 4-day trip to Nogorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara with this company back in October 2015. A day after I made the payment in full ($410) via M-PESA, I was informed by a company representative that the safari was canceled because the company director (Kristen Hubert) had had a serious accident on her way to Diani. Completely understandable, and I asked them not to rush with my refund, given the circumstances involved.
Fast forward to November: the company director's husband (Georgette Hubert) gets in touch with me and tells me that he will make a refund ASAP. However, since November 19, I have heard nothing from him, in spite of several reminders. Since I did not wish to be insensitive, I was patient, realizing that there could have been medical complications associated with Kristen's accident. However, intriguingly, since then, the company has continued advertising for safaris on their Facebook page (since then taken down) and has actually organized safaris for clients, as vouched by one of their recent clients with whom I have been in touch. To me, this reeks of corruption and hints rather strongly that I have been swindled of my money, as they are quite obviously flat-out ignoring my emails and Facebook messages. Considering that we are now in April, I do not envision receiving my money back again. That being said, I wanted to post this cautionary message, so that other travelers are not swindled by this company.
Overall we are happy with the trip
Overall we are happy with the trip, it was exactly what we wanted. The program was excellent, the accommodation first rate and logistics handled seamlessly. there was a small issue with the transfers between 2 towns, but it was sorted out very quickly as soon as we pointed it out.
Camping in samburu
Mobile tent camping in the wild of the Samburu game reserves was an experience that we could not have had if we were safely packed into a permanent tent on a platform in a significantly expensive accommodation. Learning to use a bush shower and toilet was fun and adventurous.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
More than we expected
We were a group of 7 people and shared a common dream of visiting Africa. It came true recently when we made a trip to Northern Tanzania. We started with contacting several tour operators and finally zeroed in to Bright. From our first email exchange with them, we felt a positive vibe and hoped that we can partner with them. Msangi is the owner of the company and a wonderful person. He chalked out a initial draft of the itinerary and asked for our suggestions. We suggested few changes and he incorporated them all. Special mention should be made of Lake Natron. Lake Natron is an off beat attraction with no proper connectivity. Most of the tour operators were not ready to cover this place and discouraged us from going there. But Msangi readily agreed to it without a slight hesitation. This is what was really the deciding factor in the favour of Bright. And we are thankful that he agreed to take us here; for this place is really unique in its landscape and a different world compared to other parts of Tanzania. You can see Ol Doinyo Lengai (Mountain of God) - an active volcano on way to Lake Natron and drive through volcanic ash strewed paths. Feel free to call him up to discuss your plans as I did. Everything was arranged meticulously and per the plan agreed upon. We all flew in from different parts of the worlds and arrived in different times. Separate pickups were sent to the airport and one even at midnight. We visited Tarangire NP, Lake Manyara NP, Lake Natron NP, central and western Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater. The vehicle provided was in top shape, fitted with charging points and a minibar. The lodges we stayed were all very good and top quality. To be frank given our budget, we were overly surprised at the quality of the accommodation provided. And finally special mention must be made of Osman, our guide. You will be lucky to have him as your guide. He is a very pleasant person with a smile on his lips always. He is very knowledgeable about the wildlife and would patiently answer all our questions. He is a very good spotter and spotted a lioness on a tree top at Serengeti which just blew our minds off. He is also a good and safe driver as we came to know when we drove to Lake Natron. Overall, it was a wonderful trip, much beyond our expectations. Asante Sana Osman, Msangi and Bright African Safaris.
My Tanzania safaris
I travelled with my husband's parents, a total of 3of us, in October 2015. Our guide onema, drove us through Arusha, Tarangire, Serengeti, and Ngorongoro Crater over 6 unforgettable, wonderful days. I don't know why people focus so much on The Big Five, but we saw those and so very much more! We were so glad to have a guide who has an eye for the critters because we would not have known what to watch for in looking for the less common animals and we might otherwise not have spotted them. Rukia has a good eye for places to stay. My all time favorite place was maramboi Tented camp and I was so sad to leave after only one night there. Everyone at every location except The Rhino Lodge was exceptionally attentive, showered us with personal attention, and bent over backwards to make our trip as rewarding as possible. The only thing I wish were different is that, although the food was good in the evenings at all of our locations (some better than others!), we were served African food only a couple of times, and instead served a solid interpretation of Western food. Morning was always Western foods which was nicely done but forgettable. The worse food was the box lunches. Some research should be put into packable food items and suggestion of variety. Although we were hoping for more authentic dining options, I am aware it would be difficult for them to accomodate the variety of dietary restrictions they are presented with and still remain authentic. So in summary, we weren't there for the food, thus the food didn't effect my "take away" from the experience. I loved this trip and would recommend it to anyone who appreciates nature, wildlife, and who wishes to preserve memories of these animals while they are still around. Helpful information for travelers: Because so many are involved in the upkeep of each place, many working in the background, tips are given at the time of departure from each hotel/tent camp, including tips for meals, housekeeping, etc, you leave it in a designated box and the owners (or someone) distributes the total to all of the working staff.
NZ
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Madagascar Safari
organisation was excellent from the time we stepped off the plane in Johannesburg until we departed on our way home. Arrangements in Madagascar were everything that we could hope for with every little detail attended to by our wonderful tour guide,Anthony. This tour is more of an adventure trip and requires a certain amount of fitness but all aspects are adequately covered and at no time did we feel that we were not able to cope with the demands of the tour. Wildlife and scenery were spectacular and we were made to feel like family.