US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Incredible experience
Nicholas was ALWAYS available to answer, and assist with, any and all of our questions and concerns! The service we received from him was excellent!
Patrick was a great guide, very informative and easy to understand and travel with. He helped to make those long drives as enjoyable as possible and went out of his way to accommodate o ur needs.
We had a great experience in Kibale and our guide Jessica was fun and professional. She explained things and assisted us through our journey with the chimps.
Our adventure in Bwindi with the gorillas was also a once in a lifetime experience, but I was disappointed in the guides. Not once did they offer an assist, or helping hand, as we trekked through the mud and hilly terrain. Several times we had to call out to them, because we weren't sure which path to follow. They were not informative or very friendly. Aside from that, this was still an awesome adventure!
Our walk to the village in Rwanda was very nice, as was our tour in the city. Our visit to the Rwanda Genocide Memorial was memorable and informative. All of our accomodations were great, especially in Rwanda!
If I were to do it again, I would do my homework better and try to avoid so much travel time each day. I didn't realize how many hours we would be spending in the car. An extra couple of days would definitely have made this trip even better!
Thanks Rwandagorilla, aka Gorilla Trek Africa, for a superb adventure!
Ruaha National Park is one of the most fantastic parks in Africa.
Ruaha NP has beautiful scenery, lots of different animals, big herds of giraffs and buffalos and very few tourists. Brings you the realy african feeling. Have been there 4 times and look forward to the next time...
NL
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Quiet park with nice accommodation, good destination for a couple of days.
We spent 3 nights with a hired 2wd car. We stayed at a cottage at Leokwe camp (Mapungubwe East), which was very well equipped. There are some baobab trees and beautiful rocks in the camp and there is even a small swimmng pool. There are no fences at Leokwe camp, so wildlife can come to your doorstep. We saw klipspringers and many birds while having breakfast. In the evening we heard some noise in the dark ant saw a african civet, an animal we had never seen before. When we stayed here in februari 2010 we saw a couple of elephants near our cottage.
There are not many roads suitable for 2wd, but some more for 4wd. Now, as two years ago, we didn't see much wildlife in the eastern part of the park. You can go to the treetop hide and watch bee-eaters at the Limpopo river and a little further view the confluence of this river with the Shashe river. At the reception we were told that there were lions seen in this part of the park, we can hardly believe that, as several cows were roaming free in the park. Conclusion: in the eastern part of the park you won't see many wildlife, but the secenery is fine and you'll get "bush vibes".
In the western part we saw many more animals, especially from the Maloetswa hide.
We spent two mornings at the hide (and were all allone then) and saw a lot of animals and birds coming for a drink. In our video you can see what animals we saw within a couple of hours. The big five however was only represented by elephants (and there are a lot of them in the park). The tented camp at the western part also is unfenced and is situated in lovely open forest.
There are more campsites in the park which we didn't visit.
The weather was dry and very warm (in februari even warmer).
To travel from the eastern to the western part of the park you have to go out the gate at the reception as there is no internal connection between the two parts.
You can drive thorugh a graded road (20 km) or take the tar road to Pont Drift (40 km). We would not recommend the graded road for 2wd cars. Though when we drove this road two years ago we saw many elephants along this road.
When you have booked an accommodation you must check in at the reception at the eastern part of the park. Recently they have opened a small restaurant near the reception where you can have a meal. But remember from the reception to Leokwe camp the distance is 14 km, so it takes you at least half an hour to get back in time.
If you wish you can book a walk or drive at the reception.
AE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable
I went with my family on vacation, we enjoy the tour as the staff are so nice and ready to help mood. The environment is so friendly and warming.... I plan to visit again
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Photo Safari - Even better than expected
Matt and I want to thank you so much for the fantastic experience with Shadows of Africa in February. As this was our first photo safari we had many questions pre-travel and we very much appreciate your team, especially Jake, for being responsive and patient with our inquiries. Once on the ground in Tanzania our guide and driver, Richard, was on top of every detail, including his recognition of the camera equipment we brought and a trip enhancing suggestion to remove the two middle seats in the Land Cruiser. This gave us the room we needed for our tripod and other equipment. As you know, we requested a very specific 2-person photo safari experience. The Shadows of Africa team responded to that request from the beginning to the very end, even arranging for a place to shower and change on the way to the airport on the final day. This allowed us to have a full last day on Safari.
Natasha, special thanks to you for meeting us at the hotel to adjust our itinerary at the last minute in response to my request to spend an additional night in the Serengeti tent camp. It proved to be a good choice as we lost a half day to rain and the extra night was needed to have a complete experience. All of these details and so much more made our experience a positive memory we can cherish.
By the way, we got some great photos and video of the great migration, lions, cheetahs, elephants, giraffes, hippos, etc. etc. Even some great bird shots. This is why we went to Tanzania and you, Jake, Richard and your whole team made it great. I can’t imagine any other tour company doing better, and the price was very reasonable. I would highly recommend Shadows of Africa to anyone considering such a safari.
Best wishes, Don & Matt Basler
Carolinas USA
HR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Maximum Africa Experience
The most important thing when you're booking a safari is to have an experienced driver - and this is the trademark of SoA. The right driver will take you places other drivers do not know of, he/she knows where to find animals and has special connections in local stores and camps. Also, they can choose the right chef for the trip, give you valuable information on the animals and be a pleasant companion. Natasha is one of few safari company owners who finished a demanding safari management program (which includes spending a month in a safari camp and handing vast amount of info about the local flora and fauna) so you can tell her your wishes and fully rely on the safari package she will tailor for you. Best drivers and best management - once you get there, you will appreciate it, as it is the only guarantee you will return back home with memories and experiences exceeding your expectations.
IT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fantastic safari
We are a family of four and Mama Savana organized for us a wonderful Safari in a tented camp. We spent 1 night in lake Nakuru and 4 nights in Masai Mara. Everything was perfect. Perfect guide, perfect car, the tented camp was nice, clean and well organized. Food was very good and everything went the right way. Thanks Mama Savana for the wonderful time we had!
NZ
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best holiday ever!
We used African Safaris to arrange our trip to Kenya. They were fantastic. We were particularly interested in seeing the Wildebeest crossing, but had never been to Africa before so didn't know what to expect. What a thing of joy our trip was. We saw the crossing, the big 5 (leopard several times), had fabulous accommodation/food and a brilliant driver (thanks Joshua). We went to Amboseli, Lake Nakuru and (of course) the Masai Mara. Every day was filled with beauty and wonder. I'd never considered a safari before and it exceeded all expectations. Every time I see a wildlife program on t.v. I'm transported back to our holiday. And even now (several years and many other trips later) I can still say that the safari in Kenya was one of the best trips of my life. If you've never been, make sure you do. You won't regret it.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It was amazing, everything as I imagined an African safari would be.
We stayed at Ivory Lodge, which is on the border to Hwange National Park, I was a part of a tour group so we camped, but some of my fellow travelers upgraded into the tree houses and they said it was some of the best accommodation of the trip. At Ivory Lodge they have a water hole with a hide, so we spent most of the night watching for what would come to the water hole. We saw a herd of greater kudu and two bull elephants, the elephants were so close you could hear them breathing it was one of the best moments of my trip.
We spent two days at Ivory Lodge, on the first day they took us to the Painted Dog Conservation Centre. At the centre they has 3 rehabilitating dogs and its a place were they take local schools to educate the children and visitors about the plight of the Painted Dogs. Its very rare to see Painted Dogs in the wild so being able to just see some who one day will again be wild was wow. That afternoon we went on a sunset game drive in Hwange and we actually saw real Painted Dogs, so that was my unexpected highlight of the trip, we also saw a breeding herd of Elephants, Buffalo, lots of birds and a cheetah.
On the second day we spent on a whole day game drive, and saw much of the same animals, as well as three lions, and we ran into another herd of elephants they were so close you could have touched them and they weren't afraid they just checked us out and kept eating.
We went during the rainy season, but thankfully it didn't rain, but the park was all green and in full bloom, it was some of the best scenery in Zimbabwe. Our guide were all locals and new everything and always had an answer to our questions.
I would definetely go back it was an amazing couple of days
AE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Detail
We spent 2 nights at the Masodini Lodge organised by Bubezi Safaris. We had 3 game drives during our time there. The lodge was wonderful and the food and service were excellent. The drives - 2 evenings, 1 morning - were great. Bert was a pleasure to have as the driver and we appreciated his knowledge andsense of humour. However, the overriding feeling was that every detail was taken care of expertly and our stay there was hassle free. The dinner conversations were fun and even better when the excellent wine was close at hand. Andy is one of a kind. We couldn't have asked for a better guide who looked after every detail from start to finish! We'll be back.