Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very Successful Tour by a great operator
I joined the fixed date birdingpal tour of 6 people from January 24 to February 7 2014. It was a truly memorable trip. Apart from all the birds and wildlife, Uganda is a beautiful country. The group gelled really well, and lots of fun was had along the way. Deo and Robert were not only great guides, they were great hosts. The value of the fixed date tour is extraordinarily good, as everything is supplied. You only need a little cash for guide tips, alcohol and snacks, plus souvenirs.
LOGISTICS
Pre-tour, Deo's communications were prompt, clear, and informative, giving me great confidence that I was booking a trip with a competent organisation. Deo, an accomplished birder, accompanied us on the whole trip, along with specialist bird guide Robert. In addition to this, we were accompanied by armed park rangers and security on our treks in the National Parks, as well as specialist guides in places. Accommodation was from basic (Mburo) to comfortable, with ensuite bathrooms in all but the raised, covered tents at Lake Mburo NP. All were clean. Transport was by pop-top 4WD Minibus, over roads which were rough in places, but there were no dramas, and almost all driving was done in daylight hours. Meals were healthy, though not particularly memorable, though there was great food at Nyanz'Ibiri Eco Camp. Luxuries Forget about free wifi most of the time, expect power outages, and warm beer at times. Deo's mobile internet was available in case of need.
THE TOUR
Entebbe, Mabamba Shoebill boat trip, Lake Mburo NP, Bwindi Impenetrable NP; (Ruhiija and Buhoma), Queen Elizabeth NP, Nyanz'Ibiri Eco Camp and School Visit, Semilki Forest, Kibale Forest, Royal Mile, Entebbe. if you log into your google account, you can see this annotated map of this tour
https://mapsengine.google.com/map/edit?mid=zgxsnE9Gp4Wg.kQZAI_g-vMB0
BIRDING
That is what the tour was all about, and the birds were delivered relentlessly. Both Deo and Robert proved to have excellent knowledge of where to find birds. They also have great tracking and identification skills. Robert's skill in finding birds in the rainforest gloom was exceptional. My tally was 444 different species and a further 12 heard. The total group list would be higher. To see that number in the 15 days requires some dedication, and only fleeting glimpses of some birds were made, especially in the rainforests. Our guides were very keen to make sure that we saw as many of the birds as possible. Deo and Robert were genuinely excited when a rare bird was spotted and gave crippling views, possibly more excited than the group.The Long-tailed Cisticola springs to mind. Highlights for me were the Touracos, Trogons and Sunbirds, and the sheer diversity of birds on our walks in Bwindi, where we managed to see 15 of the endemics and hear another.
COMMUNITY and PEOPLE
The school that Deo supports is very needy, and the donations of school materials were very well received. We walked away thinking that so much more could be done. The Ugandans are very friendly and positive people, and I always felt completely safe. Uganda is a beautiful rich country, but corruption seemingly means that funds do not get where they should.
OVERALL
I thoroughly recommend Uganda Ecotours, and hope to go back one day and see the parts of the country I missed out on, and maybe some of the birds as well.
Mark Taylor, Melbourne
AE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Tanzania
I am travailing with Wildness Safari from 2007. Every time the arrangement was perfect. They are the specialist in Tanzania. And particularly The MD Mr Ahmed Khan. He is just superb.
50-65 years of age
Sleep with a lion or hyena outside your tent
We stayed in the Mabuasehube area of the park.
This is one of the few places where you can pitch your tent in the wilderness without having a fence to protect you from the wildlife. It is wild, very wild and you must be careful not to be included in the diet of the lions of which there are usually plenty.
This is typical Kalahari with very hot summers and pleasant cool to hot winters and is situated in the summer rainfall region. There are not any mountains and the scenery is grasslands with camel thorn trees which is heaven for a lover of the Kalahari.
Accommodation is camp sites, some with long drop toilets and cold showers and others with nothing, just the bush.
Mabuasehube can be reached from Nossob a rest camp in the South African part of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park via a dune route of about 170km. This road is strictly for 4x4 vehicles with high ground clearance. The other options are from Tsabong in the South which is the route we took. This route is also just for 4x4's. There are also roads from the North and East but we have never tried them. There is no fuel available at Mabuasehube and at Tsabong we had to wait a day for the petrol to be delivered. Taking extra fuel is recommended.
The following items are not available at Mabuasehube:
1. Drinking water - take your own
2. Food - take your own
3. Diesel
4. Petrol
3. Doctors
4. Pharmacies
5. Garages
You must take along whatever you will need.
Be careful to not leave any food or anything else outside at night. Our cooler bag with cold drinks and picnic bag with all our cutlery was stolen by hyenas. Luckily we picked up cutlery stolen from previous visitors otherwise we would have had to eat with our hands. We used plastic bottles cut open for plates.
The wild life is typical Kalahari which means Springbok, Oryx, Lions, leapard and a few other antelopes as well as smaller cats and jackal. You will not find elephant, buffalo or rhino.
NZ
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A great experience
My wife and I had 2 weeks safari tour with Jane and it was really good. The staff were lovely, the food was excellent but most importantly Jane's knowledge and guiding ability is exceptional. After being in Botswana we went to Tanzania and did another safari with a very adequate guide who did nothing wrong but it was clear to us then that Jane more than just knows what she is doing. If you are a photographer look no further, Jane is an expert, with a camera that looks like it could launch a rocket and she knows how to get in position for the best shots. We are not really photo people but by the time we had finished we had a wonderful collection of a quality that still surprises us.
I liked the fact that in planning the trip I was communicating with the owner rather than someone wanting to do a deal and move on. I was impressed at the range of meals and the consistent quality and I had to ask for a repeat of one meal that I very much enjoyed. Ulinda Tours is more than just a commercial safari and really worth doing.
20-35 years of age
Kafue National Park - A classic African safari destination
Kafue is Zambia's largest park, and one of the largest in Africa. It encompasses a range of habitats, but is dominated by Miombo woodland and seasonal 'Dambo' Savannah. The wildlife in Kafue remains very prolific. It is extremely good for elephants, and large herds can be seen throughout the year. Other ungulates, including Impala, Eland, Kudu and Puku are also common. Most 'typical' African carnivores (Lion, Leopard, Cheetah, Hyena, Wild dog) can be seen in Kafue, although none are particularly common and an element of luck is usually required to spot these. In all, most 'classic' safari species can be seen in Kafue with the exception of Rhinocerous (formerly occured, now extinct) and Giraffe. The birdwatching possibilities in Kafue are excellent, and the Nanzilla plains in the South are one of the few places where the Black-cheeked Lovebird can be observed. Kafue is not a well-visited destination and remains somewhat off the beaten track. Consequently the infrastructure is limited and independent travellers will need to prepare much of what they need for their trip in advance. (Some good accomodation possibilities exist around the parks periphary, although almost nothing is available in the interior). However, the quiet nature of Kafue is also one of its biggest appeals. A visitor can travel large distances without seeing a single other tourist, and will have vast landscapes and abundant African wildlife to themselves. In all, Kafue in something of a challenging safari destination, although will reward adventurous travellers with a classic African landscape which they will be able to enjoy almost entirely to themselves.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Travel in Nairobi, national park & surrounding villages
Moses was our driver, he was great, very knowledgeable & great weaving in & out of traffic in the crazy traffic jams in Nairobi.
His knowledge of animals at the national park was great & he could spot animals before anyone of us.
Communication was great, he pointed out areas of historical & cultural interest everywhere we went & was very patient with us scots, stopping to allow us photo opportunities on many occasions.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Experiences i had with Safari Trek Tours were unforgettable!
Safari Trek offered us, me & my husband the best safari tour by giving us a tour guide, driver who was very informative and friendly, will definitely be coming in the summer for more Safari to the Masai Mara. The tour was great, Excellent services definitely recommend to anyone!!!!
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing experience
I made last minute plans for my trip and was accomodated quickly within my 5 day "planning" process with paul! I was met and picked up and taken to the masai camp area and had a great time with everyone. The highlight of my trip was seeing the children in the masai tribe while visiting their school. I saw so many animals and also visited lake nakuru, and lake naivasha. The driver, jackson was friendly, knowledgeable, and accomodating as well. The price was affordable,for me and i did a total of 5days 4nights with the tour guide. I felt safe throughout the entire trip and enjoyed shopping and seeing all the wonderful treasures that kenya had to offer. I also was able to do the hot air balloon ride and watch the sunrise. There were so many great aspects of my trip i wish i could describe it all. A huge thanks to paul,jackson, jospeh(masai camp, joseph(hot air balloon guide) and everyone that made the trip so wonderful and special to me.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent experience with no hassle made it very easy to book from the U.S. without worry!
Not only was this a honeymoon trip, but it was also our first trip to Africa so we wanted it to be perfect. We were recommended to East Africa Wild Adventures by a friend and we're so thankful we used them. They were incredibly helpful in setting up the trip and providing suggestions. They were also very knowledgeable and quick to answer questions and make us feel comfortable with the different travel options, which was really important to us since we'd never been to Africa and we were booking the trip from the U.S. They also customized our trip and were able to work with our interests to create a more personal and private experience. Once we arrived in Africa we were taken care of from the time the plane landed to the time we departed. Everything was already arranged so we didn't have to worry about anything which was perfect. We did a private 6 day hike up Mt. Kilimanjaro which is when we really knew that East Africa Wild Adventures uses the best tour guides and really made our trip special. Our guide was really interested in helping us and learning from us, and he spoke perfect English, not just the basics like most of the other guides which made the trip even better because we could joke and understand each other rather than having to translate everything or walk in silence. We met a lot of other tour guides who either didn't really speak English or didn't really want to be there so they weren't as friendly as our guide. Our guide was always smiling and I can honestly say that I would not have made it to the summit without him. After our hike we spent a few days on the beach relaxing at a beautiful all inclusive resort in Zanzibar, where East Africa Wild Adventures arranged for us to get a free honeymoon upgrade. Overall, we had a great experience and would highly recommend using East Africa Wild Adventures as they made everything so easy and we had such a wonderful time.
NZ
Simply the best!
We are still talking about this amazing safari to everyone and anyone who is interested. I must say we have travelled extensively and we always said Alaska was the best trip of our lives, but Botswana out did it. Once again it was brilliant and thank you for all you did for us.