50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful experience from start to finish
Apart from the taxi rides to and from LHR, our entire trip was organised by Sharon at Native Escapes. We had two nights at the Victoria Falls, three nights at Lebala and two nights at Little Kwara. At every stage, Sharon was very helpful offering different suggestions before we booked, which helped decide the precise itinerary, and dealing with queries and changes that we requested. Questions were answered promptly and courteously.
During the trip we were met and helped at every transfer: at Victoria Falls Airport to the hotel, and then from the hotel to Kisane Airport, which meant passport control from Zimbabwe to Botswana. In Botswana, there were three light aircraft flights from Kisane to Lebala, Lebala to Little Kwara and finally to Maun to begin our journey home. Apart from one small delay waiting for the Botswanan rep, everything was faultless.
Detailed documentation was provided making it easy to understand where we were going and what we needed to do.
We had a great time and I have no hesitation in recommending Native Escapes to anyone who's thinking about going on safari,
The places that we stayed were all great. If you are interested in more detail, you can read my reviews on TripAdvisor:
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g472673-d1194523-r233423128-Lebala_Camp-Okavango_Delta_North_West_District.html
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g472673-d1052497-r233724080-Little_Kwara_Camp_Kwando_Safaris-Okavango_Delta_North_West_District.html
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g293761-d1310535-r232530092-Livingstone_Room_at_Victoria_Falls_Hotel-Victoria_Falls_Matabeleland_North_Provi.html
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Lovely vehicles and knowledgable drivers made for a great safari experience!
Footstep Trails had great customer service and our driver, Nixon, was very reliable and timely. Made for a memorable safari!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Highly responsive & extremely knowledgable
I wanted to self-drive in Malawi & explore the country/locations of my childhood. I therefore needed to visit specific places that are off the tourist track. I was also visiting the country 50 years after I had last been there so needed to understand how it worked if one was going to be travelling within it alone. Native Escapes knowledge was obviously expert & their suggestions of where to stay turned out to be ideal for me in every way. Their flexibility in accommodating my itinerary changes was exemplary. Their advice on important issues such as currency, what it is like to drive around a country like that, what to do and not to do was invaluable in giving me confidence that I wouldn't have any problems.
Organising anything in a country like Malawi is tough, I know that. The proof of the pudding was in the eating. I had excellent flights, ( they even made sure I had aisle seats as the on-line check-in wasn't working ), excellent car hire, first class accommodation & everything worked like clockwork on what was on the face of it a relatively bespoke trip. The organisation was seamless.
I would recommend Native Escapes for any trip within the region of their specific expertise, because they know their stuff, have the contacts, and can manage the organisation of one-off itineraries that don't fit into a specific package.
As their name suggest - they cater for those who want to do something a little less packaged or unconventional in countries that, by definition, are not mass tourist destinations. I wouldn't hesitate in using them again & will do when I next visit Africa.
Exotic Safaris brings you
Efficient, trustworthy, good value for money, polite, greeted us everyday with a genuine warm smile, extremely helpful even over the phone - Raphael the manager, based in Nairobi, Kenya, phoned the PesaPal company in Nairobi to make sure which email address i should use to confirm payment (I am based in Mtwara, Tanzania) and promptly emailed me back with all details. At the end of our trip, Raphael left us both a small parting gift of tea and coffee at the hotel we were staying, a token of appreciation for having chosen Exotic Safaris and a reminder that good, polite service starts from the very first bout of interaction and ends on a thank you note.
The driver George was a careful and responsible driver, mindful and very respectful of animals and their habitat, knowledgeable on animals and sharing interesting tidbits on animal behavior. He made sure we saw as many animals as possible in our short 4 safari day trip, was very open to discussing and re-organizing day trip plans and overall a sensible, easy going travel companion.
Great safari experience
We had a great safari experience from Dar es Salaam to Mikumi National Park with Faustin Tours. We stayed in Tan-Swiss lodge, which is a very nice hotel. Also, we would recommend booking transfers from Faustin. Everything was on time and exactly as agreed!
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
excellent!
Faustin was very nice. He was friendly, we went on a nice spice tour, we saw the adorable monkeys. He took us all around and made everything convenient and easy. He even set us up with his brother to take us around Dar es Salaam during a long layover, so we got to see a bit of the city. I was just looking at our pictures the other day. My 2 daughters with me also really enjoyed the tour of Zanzibar. Faustin was great, he was recommended to us by someone else and I'm so glad we had him to show us around.
NO
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent service ensuring a great safari experience and more
I would like to thank Sylvester at Seven by Far and our guide Hassan for a great safari experience in Amboseli recently. We wanted/needed to make some changes to our itinerary just before and during our safari trip and the company responded to this in a most flexible and service minded way which ensured that we had a great few days with them. Hassan was a pleasant and knowledgeable guide throughout our stay in Amboseli as well as during our last afternoon in Nairobi. We can warmly recommend booking a safari trip with Seven by Far.
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
AA Safaris & Tours - 2 week wildlife adventure
My sister-in-law and I returned home 2 weeks ago from our wonderful dream of a lifetime adventure. It all stated with communications with Sydah who looked after getting us organized with all the information for immunizations, currency, dos and don'ts. Thanks Sydah you really helped us get it together. And then there was Joseph, our guide, who met as at Entebee with a big smile and huge welcome after our 2 days of flying to get there. Throughout the whole 2 weeks we couldn't have asked for anything better. Joseph looked after our every need, want and desire and kept us and our belonging safe. We were never worried or concerned about anything. Joseph is very knowledgeable about the country, each Kingdom, the wildlife and birds. We saw and did more than we could have wished for. Joseph helped us with exchanging our money, getting our phone, sims card and figuring our how to make phone calls home. He gave us tips on what to eat and what to stay away from. Advised us when it was okay to take photos of people and when it was not - very helpful. We even stopped at the Rino sanctuary which was not on the itinerary which is really a must go to. Each wildlife game ride was exciting, beautiful and educational. We also did the Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi. I was a difficult trek in the forest but with the experienced guides and highly recommend porters we got to see and sit with the Gorillas for an hour. After leaving Bwindi and getting to QE park I realized I had left some valuables in Bwindi, Joseph was immediately on the phone and organizing getting it to Kampala so I could get it back before leaving for home. Amazing! Never expected him to do that and never thought it possible but he made it happen. The people of Uganda are beautiful, welcoming and just plain sweet! Thank you Joseph for being such an amazing host and making our time so remarkable and unforgettable.
IT
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
the most beautiful birthday gift that I could get
in February ... everything was ready for my "birthday gift" when an "unexpected" has erased everything in a second ... I had almost dropped the idea in mid-July when they gave me the ok ... I could go to South Africa ... I contacted Paul and Enrica SouthAfricanDream of which I have prepared in an outstanding package last minute for me ... what about ... fast, efficient, attentive to every detail and always willing to try to I realize every little desire ...
I want to go to South Africa and I have no doubt about who will be my tour operator confidence, certain that I will be able to best advise is on the route that the lodges where you stay ... I'll be back with Southafricandream ...
Thank you Enrica and Paul ... Great because you love what you do ...
Ciao!
Manuela
Prompt Responses and outstanding customer service
Spot Kenya Safari has outstanding customer care. They diligently work within your budget and recommend many beautiful places to see. I especially like the fact that they are prompt with responses and have outstanding customer care. I would recommend Mr. Mwanzia any time.