35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful family safari
My family (including a 3 year old and 6 year old) went on Safari in Ugand with safariwildz. The trip was fantastic. Nothing was too much trouble for Cosmos- he was full of knowledge and my children still quote him. He made the long journey fastincating. We saw so much, felt well looked after and really safe. He made sure everything was suitable for the children and reassured us all.
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
CKC was affordable; we felt like friends instead of clients and enjoyed this great experience
The director of CKC went out of his way. Even when the Safari was over, he helped us plan the rest of our time travelling independently to Mombasa, Kilifi, Malindi and Lamu. The advice was invaluable. He even met us on our return to Nairobi, and took us to the airport for our flight home to SA. The tour accomodation was superb. I would have liked to stay much longer. I wish the CKC every success.
From Ron and Gill Dugmore
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
A truly memorable experience for a family of five ranging in age from 14 to 70!
Starting with Lucia who patiently responded to all our questions and constructed a safari that exactly met the needs of grandparents and grandkids alike, and ending with an amazing excursion into the bush, this was certainly the trip of a lifetime. What I especially liked about working with Lucia is that she suggested accommodations that she thought would best meet our criteria and then offered some alternate choices. She made it easy to compare prices all while working with one tour operator.
Our guide Erik was so good with those kids and good with us old people too! He has eagle eyes for spotting game and knows where within the parks to find the best game viewing. Game movements are often unpredictable, but Eric drove us over 100KM to get us smack in the middle of the great migration which had moved farther east than normal. We tried not to gloat back at the lodge at the end of the day when other guests voiced their frustration at missing the migration and getting stuck in the mud instead.
We are not blessed with perfect children, so Simon got a chance to demonstrate his tour operator skills by locating and forwarding a lost camera charger and keeping us in "the chips" (memory chips). Erik cheerfully made two round trips to the airstrip to hand deliver the essential equipment back to camp.
Our much anticipated "local cultural experience" was the chart topping event for the younger crowd. Erik and a local guide arranged for us to visit the Hadzabe Tribe of hunter gatherers and participate in the morning hunt for small game. There are several good stories, some quite graphic!
We stayed 13 days/12 nights and think the time was just about right to really enjoy the top parks and attractions. We were busy, but not rushed. I could not recommend SI and our guide more highly.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic advice and service - one of our best ever holidays!
Our time in Africa was everything we had hoped for and much more. And everything organized by African Welcome Safaris was spot on. From the airport transfers always on time and always lovely people, to the excellent day trips suggested and organised, to the hotels in fantastic positions, to the timing of flights, to the support with answering queries while on the road, and of course the tours which were nothing short of amazing. There is nothing we would change if we were to go again tomorrow. Thank you so much - your input into our holiday made it all it was.
HU
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Communication with Kenyawalk
We found KenyaWalk on this website and we chose to contact them because of the excellent reviews we read here. Though our safari is due in July, we can say that we already have very good impressions on KenyaWalk and the company's boss, Oti. He is very quick and effective when it comes to communication and it is also easy to contact him on Skype. We think he is funny, open, flexible and patient with his clients. We are very excited and can't wait to meet Oti and his team and go on a safari with KenyaWalk.
RU
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A great adventure with the help of Lilac
My girlfriend and I went on a safari with Lilac as part of the our tour of Madagascar, Tanzania and Kenya. The tour was in Tanzania and it was great! The company did a great job picking us up and then accommodating our departure. Only thing where they could improve is on giving better advice on what sites to visit and which not to visit. For example, we visited Lake Manyara apparently at the wrong season, so did not get close to the water. Would have helped to be warned about this before going there. Would have loved this extra day in the Serengeti! But overall a very competent company that provided a good vehicle, arranged the hotels well and communicated with me actively over email before the trip, customizing their offering to my needs.
Thanks Lilac!
SG
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unbelieavably beautiful country, world-class service
We all had an amazing time in South Africa, and have just been talking about it non-stop to whoever would listen, really!
My children (ages 7&9 years) just told me two nights ago that they miss South Africa - which shows how much your lovely country has managed to charm even the children.
Considering our group of 12 of two families (total six kids from ages 6-17 last year) and two grandmas were planning our holiday with AFRICAN WELCOME
SAFARIS all the way in Asia, Kathi Simon at African Welcome
Safaris was amazingly efficient, patient and knowledgable.
She even answered all our queries via email "real time", given our different time zones.
She was ever so thoughtful and took into consideration our party's diverse age group and interests, we knew that we were in good hands!
I wrote a gushing post on African Safari Welcome's FB timeline, although I would like to again applaud the wonderful team at Tintswalo especially Kaylee who is such a genuine sweetie, and Eric and Foster (whose game vehicle the four youngest children, Patricia and I had the joy to ride in -- they have such a respect and deep understanding of the animals and the bush, we were able to experience some
unforgettable animal encounters thanks to this dynamic duo!) and of course, the effable and knowledgeable guide in Cape Town, Rhys and of course our genial driver Victor.
Thanks to Kathi and her team at African Welcome
Safaris, her recommendations and efficient service. I have had several friends asking me for your contact and our itinerary after they saw our photos posted on FB, and I know they will be in good hands with their assistance.
Full marks and deep gratitude for the best vacation my family have ever had!
US
Experience level: first safari
Fabulous vacation; wonderful adventure
This was my favorite trip to date along with Tibet, which was also fabulous for different experiences. The entire trip was wonderful. Mark, with Odyssey Safaris, was great to work with. He was always easy to reach and so helpful with setting up our tour and answering questions. Could not have asked for anyone better. The trip to Kenya was outstanding even though the flights from the USA to Kenya were long. Everything flowed smoothly from the time we were met at the airport in Nairobi to the time we departed Nairobi. We felt safe the entire time. The lodges/tented camps were amazing with great meals and wonderful service. The people were all so friendly. Erastus, our guide and driver, was the best. We were four gals on an 8 day private safari and he had a great sense of humor and made the trip a lot of fun. He also had a great eye for spotting animals and thus we saw different animals & birds on each of our game drives. We saw 4 of the big 5; missed our leopard by 2 minutes but saw a cheetah! All other animals you would hope to see were everywhere in their glory! I would recommend everyone check out Odyssey Safaris if you are looking for a wonderful tour with easy and great planning, scheduling, lodging, meals, service, amazing game drives and an overall amazing experience.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Masai mara, nakuru and samburu
absolutely marvelous, masai mara, nakuru and samburu were awesome, the driver was very effifient and knew all about wildlife and the scenery
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An exceptionally well organized and faultlessly executed trip, thanks to Kathi and Rhys.
I just cannot say enough good things about African welcome safaris. My experience of working with them to formulate an itinerary was just A+. The Garden route tour we decided upon was just perfect for us and they made everything so easy. Whenever I had a question Kathi responded immediately with an answer, nothing was ever too much trouble. The itinerary brochure for the trip was first class, it went beyond my expectations even providing me with a mobile phone from voda phone. It was also a good idea to pre-pay the day trips along the way and there was never an occasion that we did not have the passes required for entry. Just everything was super slick and went without a hitch. African Welcome gave us the best trip ever, worry free with all the i's dotted and the t's crossed.
And what feedback can I give you on Rhys!!!! - perfect, very knowledgeable, funny, helpful, flexible, well organized and the list goes on. I did have slight concerns, before the trip, about spending so much time with a "stranger", however, I need not have worried as Rhys very quickly put us at ease and we had a wonderful time. Rhys made very welcome suggestions and we actually ended up seeing much more than we had expected but in the same breath he always listened to our wishes and made sure that the day went the way we wanted it to. It was great to have a guide that knew the area and the history of the area so well. I had expected that when we changed to "day tours" in Cape town that we would have a different guide but we were delighted that Rhys would stay with us and that we would have the same vehicle.
Kathy and Rhys - thank you both for such a faultless tour, it was everything we had hoped it would be and much more. I know that Lorna and Ian would also like me to pass on their thanks - it could not have been better. Most certainly if we return to south Africa we would use African Welcome and most certainly ask for Rhys Bradshaw to be our guide.