NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Pollman's Tours and Safaris by Ellen
Very good driver, who told a lot of the animals, the vegatation and other interesting things. The lodges where all very good.
CH
35-50 years of age
US
20-35 years of age
The Water level was the highest in 50 years and we were not able to get deep into the delta.
I went to the delta in July 2011 and there is nothing more peaceful than a makoro ride through the delta (as long as you are not arachnophobic). I think I had too high of expectations for the safari after seeing the planet earth footage. It is important to remember that all of the planet earth footage is aerial footage and a Okavango Delta safari is a non-motor vehicle safari. Unfortunately for my trip, a pride of lions had come to the island we were camping at two weeks earlier, made a few kills, and scared most of the animals away. So don't be too surprised if you don't see much of the larger safari animals. It is really just luck of the draw. We did see some really interesting birds including a saddle-billed stork, a Hoopoe, and a Scimitar-billed wood-hoopoe.
That said, one of the most amazing parts of my trip in Africa was an flight over the delta. During the flight we saw all of the tracks in the delta where animals crossed from one island to another. We saw groups of elephants, giraffes, buffalo, tons of different types of antelope and many other wildlife which we didn't see while in the delta. The flight over the delta is an essential part of any trip to the Okavango Delta.
In conclusion, I definitely want to go back to the delta. I think there were many parts of my trip that were just the result of bad luck.
US
35-50 years of age
Review about Tanzania by Marie
It's not a zoo - it's out in the wilderness. It's something my family hasn't seen before. The country seemed so natural, and in some ways - healing.
NL
35-50 years of age
Review about Lake Manyara National Park by Ron van de Leijgraaf
Lake Manyara feels slightly different from the other parks in northern Tanzania and that makes it a special place. And of course, you have tree climbing lions here, very special indeed.
NL
35-50 years of age
Review about Arusha National Park by Ron van de Leijgraaf
Arusha is a little gem that most people forget when they drive off to the more wellknown parks. But this relatively small park is very nice indeed and you can see lots and lots of giraffes here.
Beautiful country with a wide variety of safari options
Tanzania has many safari options, from luxury hotels in the heavily visited Ngorongoro to unserviced campsites in Mikumi National Park. In general the main roads outside the cities are OK but other roads are often dirt. However, in my experience safari companies are well aware of this and bring appropriate transport (as always, you get what you pay for).
Tanzania has some unmissable sights: Ngorongoro, Serengeti (an extension of the Mara in Kenya) and, if you are fit enough, climbs up Mount Meru and Kilimanjaro.
Safari options range from basic camping (in parks where it is allowed) to all-inclusive luxurious hotels in the middle of the savannah. Often it is a good idea to get a park ranger to accompany you if available - they often offer - and because they work in the park all the time, they can be more knowledgeable about recent animal sightings.
If you are visiting the parks in the north of Tanzania you probably won't have much reason to visit Dar es Salaam, and you probably won't miss much either. It isn't a particularly interesting place and many people just pass through on the way to Zanzibar.
50-65 years of age
Review about Kenya by Ian Macfadyen
I've been to Kenya, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia in the past. Areas such as the Masai Mara in Kenya rival anything the other destinations can offer, and there's simply nothing to beat the visual experience of the 2 million flamingo at Lake Nakuru or Lake Bogoria, when numbers are high, (the number does fluctuate with the weather, time of year and level of water in the lake). On the other hand it's often argued that Kenya is more "touristy", that it's less "wild" than say, the Luangua Valley in Zambia, - well probably true, but then it's more accessible, the infra-structure is better and it's less expensive. I'd also suggest the game-viewing is perhaps better, as the open plains are condusive to seeing animals from afar (in Chobe N.P., Botswana, and Hwange N.P. , Zimbabwe, I found animals were only visible when they emerged from the bush to cross the road). They are also more used to tourist disturbance, - not so skittish. So it gets a good rating in my book!
FR
50-65 years of age
Review about South Africa by mbd
Great variety of wildlife, but we are extremely worried about the high rate of poaching at the moment which really spoils the whole experience
20-35 years of age
Review about Zambia by T.M.
Zambia is a beautiful country with extremely friendly people and great wildlife. Aside from the area around Victoria falls there are comparatively few visitors to the country and so one can experience amazing landscapes and abundant wildlife without the crowds often found in Parks in other countries.