35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Outstanding Personal Service - Making Africa a little bit easier!!
Being new to Africa I was quite nervous about solo travel. Cardboard Box took care of everything. I made a simple enquiry, next thing I knew I had a fully costed proposed programme with recommendations of things I should try. My consultant, Lilly, was patient, knowledgeable, quick, polite and informative. I almost felt as if she was as excited as I was about the experience I was about to get.
Arriving at the airport the knowledge that the car hire company are fully prepped to expect you and are used to dealing with this companies clients is a huge confidence boost - formalities are over with in a few minutes. On arrival at the first hotel you get a comprehensive pack of vouchers with helpful advice, maps, emergency numbers, local Sim Card etc. And then you are free to make your own way around frankly the most beautiful country I have ever experienced.
Africa can be difficult, even if it is always rewarding. Namibia has been made much easier by Cardboard box. I have now travelled with them three times in the last 15 months and I would recommend them to anyone. Whatever your Namibian requirements I would make Cardboard Box you first call - you may well find it is the only call you need to make!!
PH
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Remarkable 5-day safari (Tarangire-Serengeti-Ngorongoro Crater)!
I booked my 5-day safari through another tour agency, but since I was alone, I was given to Bestday Safaris instead. It turned out to be a perfect tour. We are a group of four tourists and our driver was nicknamed “Six” and our cook was “Rama.” Having only four people inside the eight-seater Toyota Land Cruiser gave us enough space to move around the vehicle to take pictures and enjoy the magnificent wildlife and landscapes.
Our itinerary was Tarangire-Serengeti-Ngorongoro Crater. We went on a morning drive to Tarangire National Park and it was a perfect sighting for plenty of elephants. We stayed the night at Mto Wa Mbu and our supposedly tent accommodation was upgraded to a tented bed with makeshift toilet and bathroom. Food was nice especially the leek soup.
We then headed to Serengeti via the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. We did a detour to the Olduvai Gorge after requesting this to Six the night before. This was not part of the tour but a trip to “The Cradle of Mankind,” was good especially to people interested about human history like me. This is where they found the 6 million-year-old skeleton of “Lucy,” the small-brained species known as Australopithecus afarensis.
We stayed at Serengeti for the next 3 days and 2 nights and it was not even enough to cover the vast plains of Serengeti. However, we were very impressed with the wildlife we saw. We saw the Big 4 (out of the 5) on all three game drives. We didn’t see the Black Rhinoceros since these are found in the southern part of Serngeti. We had a choice of going South to look for the Rhino and complete the Big 5 or go North and experience the Great Wildebeest Migration. We decided to head north for the rare chance of seeing the migration, since this event is only seen in Serengeti. We did not see the actual river crossing since it was too early when we visited Serengeti in June, but we were able to see millions of wildebeests and zebras along the way, enough to feed the whole of Africa! We stayed in tented camps for the 2 nights and experienced the safari nightlife while enjoying the symphony of bird and animal sounds, including lions, hyenas, jackals, among others.
Six was an excellent driver and guide with 15 years of experience. His “gut” feel where to find the hardest-to-find ones like the big cats (i.e., lion, leopard and cheetah) were amazing. If he sensed a big cat on a rock or perched on a tree, he will stop the car and look through his binoculars. As we were leaving Serengeti, the amazing thing happened. Until this time, we haven’t seen a cheetah yet and were quite disappointed. We only saw a thin white line and thought it was a gazelle lying on the ground. But why would a gazelle lie down that way? Six stopped the car and looked through his binoculars, and lo and behold, it was a cheetah lying on the green grass with its white belly facing us! We stayed there for about an hour hoping it would stand so that we can take a photo of its full body. Not only did it stand, it slowly went our direction looking for something, until it crossed the road about 5 meters from our vehicle. It was a splendid moment, and it happened just as we are leaving Serengeti.
On our way, we visited a Maasai village and joined the locals in their traditional dance. There were about 120 of them in their village and they herd cows, goats and sheep. They were nomadic and look for place near a water source. However, during dry season they needed to get water from Arusha and pay a good sum of money to transport it to the village. They get money from visiting tourists which help them in their daily lives.
We then went to Ngorongoro Crater and stayed there for the night. Our morning game-drive was also spectacular as we saw all of the Big Five. We saw the buffalo, elephant and lion within minutes apart. We saw a lion within 5 meters off the roadside. It was sitting at first and then a few minutes later it stood up and slowly walked away. Majestic scene! Next we saw the black rhino from a distance, probably more than one kilometer off the road. It was blurry even on the binoculars but still we saw it. After seven hours of morning game drive, we decided to leave quite disappointed we haven’t seen the leopard. Six said it was very hard to see the leopard on the crater floor since there were very few trees. These animals now stay on the forested slopes where trees abound. However, these slopes were not accessible by car. As we are nearing the exit, the amazing thing happened. Our driver stopped the car to talk to another driver going down the crater. The other driver told us that he just saw a leopard crossed the road a few meters behind. Upon hearing this, we got excited. Our driver started the car and continued our way up slowly so as not to startle the big cat. After a few meters, I saw the leopard in the bush on the roadside, just 5 feet away from my seat. My window was half-opened already but I was awestruck and half-frightened I was not able to move. The leopard, frightened just like me, quickly jumped out of the bush and onto the road. Our driver tried to come nearer by going backwards, but soon the big cat walked onto the bushes and out of sight. What a sight it was! We got our wish to see the Big Five in one game-drive with the rare sight of a leopard walking on the road with a full body view. Remarkable indeed!
Overall, my 5-day safari with Bestday Safaris was a blast and their service is highly commendable!
Tip: Bring jackets and layers as camping at night can be very cold as temperatures drop below 10 C, especially at Ngorongoro Campsites which is about 2,400 masl.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Tanzania 3 Day Safari with BestDay Safaris
My daughter and I just got back from a 3 day Safari to Serengeti National Park and Ngrorongoro Crater with BestDay Safari. Peter, Managing Director of BestDay Safaris, was very responsive during the booking process and was very prompt on answering questions and providing any requested information. The accommodations, Katikati Camp and Rhino Lodge, were very conveniently located which allowed for quick access to both the Serengeti National Park and the Ngrorongoro Crater. The safari vehicle was very clean and our guide was a great driver. We were able to see the “Big 5” which made the safari a great experience. I would highly recommend Peter and Bestday Safaris.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent customer service by Cardboard Box Travel Team
When I decided to take my family for a trip to Africa, I wanted to find a country where I can self-drive around and an agency who will help me customize my itinerary and take care of the bookings with no hassle. I couldn't have found a better agency than Cardboard Box Travel, and a better agent than Allison. In fact, the Cardboard Box web site was a primary reason I chose Namibia for my vacation; it has a wealth of information.
Allison was super great. Everything was handled very well, professionally and with great care. It couldn't have been better! She helped me customize my itinerary to my requirements and handled all bookings. I received all the information needed to make the trip great even before I started. Once I was in Namibia, the packages and information Allison had for us were sufficient to complete the trip. A particular highlight is that Allison and the team are super responsive by mail. All questions were answered and all bookings were made by mail prior to the trip start and it was hassle free.
My trip was great and thanks to Allison and Cardboard Box Travel for making it memorable.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent 3 day safari from Dar Es Salaam
Hve just returned from a wonderful 3 day safari with Kanuth Adventure
I was with my wife + 2 kids (10 &9)
The communication / information prior to safari was 1st class, with superb correspondence from Jesca
We had a private 3 day safari (2nights) in Selous Hippo Camp
We were picked up from our hotel in Dar Es Salaam – due to be collected at 08:00, we were 10 mins early , and car was already waiting
We were in a 9 seater private safari jeep (Front 2 seats were taken by tour guide Tony & chef Nicholas – more about them later !)
There was a long drive to camp (~ 6 hours), however we knew about this in advance, and was actually better than I anticipated, due to amount of room.
The 1st 3 hours was a smooth road, we then had a lovely picnic lunch preprepared by Nicholas at a local restaurant
The next 3 hours was a lot more bumpy , however scenery was much better and we started to see some animals (mainly baboons) prior to arriving at lodge.
We welcomed at lodge by manager with cold towels / drinks , and shown to our room
Rooms were basic, but to be expected in the wilderness
We then has a 2 hour boat safari which was pretty good – this was with a couple of local guides provided by camp site
It was enjoyable nad guide was very knowledgeable
Only slight grumble was camp site manager, made a big point of how the guide / boat driver were lowly paid and we should tip them – we would of anyhow, but if lowly paid, maybe he should pay them more !
Also mentioned there was drinks included on the boat, a bit surprised when we returned we were charged for these – not expensive I should add, but nevertheless thought it was a bit sneaky, especially when he tried to charge me for the cokes consumed by by guide / driver
Please note this is nothing to do with Kanuth Adventure
We then had a wonderful meal provided by Nicholas, various dishes, but beef stew was the pick of the buch – this along with every meal that was provided by Nicholas was first class + plentiful , more than enough to feed 4 greedy Scottish (2 of them fussy kids) people
The next day we had the full day game drive which was superb
We saw many many animals including hundreds (maybe thousands) of impala / giraffe / hippos / zebra / crocodiles / monkeys / baboons
We were also fortunate to see a number of elephants (including a baby < 1 week old) , as well as a pride of lions, warthogs and hyenas
We also saw many colourful birds , and a number of large eagles
Tony (the guide) knowledge was exceptional, and provided books etc to show info on different birds / animals
He also had a uncanny knack of finding animals.
The next day there was a 2 hour walking safari, with local guide, this was more informative, however we did get to see elephants / monkeys and was an enjoyable experience
In summary had a 1st class experience with Kanuth , trip wasn’t cheap (by my usual holiday standards), but was comparable in price to any of the cheaper tour packages, and would have no hesitation in recommending Kanuth for a safari, based on our fabulous experience
Thanks Tony + Nicholas
Hakuna matata
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A great experience with a few bumps
First I would like to thank Mack for his patience whilst we sorted out our end. Mike, our driver and guide, for his knowledge and willingness to assist us in getting the best experience during our time on safari. And Nicho for some excellent food at the Hippo Camp.
Some points that would have improved the overall safari, prior planning on the part of Kiliholidays to ensure vehicle is in the best state prior to commencement may have prevented the flat tyre just outside of Dar Es Salaam, and having a fully serviceable jack would have reduced the amount of time on the side of the road. In addition having to wait in Dar Es Salaam whilst groceries were purchased detracted from the excitement for all participants who were on their first safari. And though it was necessary to have a spare prior to departing the Hippo Camp, it was not good having to wait for two hours whilst it was being repaired when it should have been done the previous day/night, and I do understand this is not Kiliholidays fault as the tyre was dropped off for repair with plenty of time to do so.
The sunset boat tour on the Rufiji was spectacular, with the sun setting over the hippos. Accommodation provided by Steve and his staff at the Hippo Camp was a pleasant surprise, much better than what we expected. The safari was, from start to finish, a magnificent display of african animals in the wild, Giraffes, Impala, Warthogs, Zebras, Wildebeasts, Lions, Hippos, Kudus, Water Bucks, Crocodiles, Babboon, Monkeys and Elephants. The best experience though was getting within a couple of meters of 3 month old Lion Cubs with their mother. And the view from the bank of the lake/river whilst we ate lunch was brilliant. Didi and his magical 2 hour walk through the bush the following morning was an adventure that none of us will ever forget, and then he topped it off with more elephants.
All in all the six of us immensely enjoyed the experience, but the time wasted for provisions and tyre change/repair on the voyage to and from Dar Es Salaam could have been avoided.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Highly managed, experienced and affordable tour operator !
I recently did my Uganda trip last month with excellent support of Ababa Uganda Safaris team. Their services are really awesome. I will suggest all to contact them for an amazing trip.
AE
Good management and arrangement by magical retreats
Good hotels and stay arrangements.
Nice management of the trip. Though the van could have been in more better condition.
US
An Exciting Trip and a Wonderful Experience
My friend and I booked the 6-day Hakuna Matata trip for mid-July. We were greeted by both Sylvester and Nick at the airport the day before we started the tour. Sylvester was very helpful during the booking process, in terms of following up and being accessible in our email exchanges. Our guide, Nick, was extremely knowledgeable of the local culture and wildlife. Both my friend and I are photographers and we were dying to find some big cats. He spotted all the animals we were hoping to find, multiple times, no less. Both Nick and Sylvester were very kind and flexible with planning. The planning was incredible and detailed, and all the time was well-used. Overall, it exceeded our expectations and we would definitely book with them again, should we come back to Africa.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
You Will Not Find Better
It was important to us to support a Tanzanian/Kenya based and owned safari company as we were informed that many of the largest companies are non African owned which means the revenue is not staying in Africa. Bright African Safaris and our guides Stephen (Kenya) and Athuman (Tanzania) made this an exceptional trip.
We initially made contact due to the positive reviews on Trip Advisor and BAS did not let us down. We started investigating our trip 8 months in advance and over the next month and many emails and suggestions later we booked a 12 night safari thru Kenya and Tanzania - Rukia and Msangi from head office were always prompt in their communications and offered great advice on lodges and parks to visit.
Our only tip would be to ensure you get accurate information on the time it takes to travel between parks as this may influence whether you drive or fly some legs of your safari.
We spent most of our safari with Athuman in Tanzania and would recommend you personally ask for him as your guide - he is easy to get along with, attentive, has a good sense of humour and generally made the safari more enjoyable. Athuman was recommended to us and his knowledge on all the wildlife, both animals and birds was exceptional.
Bright African Safari were very professional and were a major contributor to making this a trip of a lifetime for us.
Please feel free to contact us.