US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Tsavo West - the mountainous rustic gem of the Kenyan safari parks.
Tsavo West was one of three national parks we visited while in Kenya, along with Amboseli and Tsavo East. Each of these parks has its own special characteristics and charms. Of the three, Tsavo West is certainly the least visited, which helps to give it a more secluded and natural feel. The relative lack of tourists means that even when impressive groups of animals are spotted, only a few safari vehicles will converge, and so are less likely to spook them away. Additional plusses for Tsavo West are that the terrain provides a beautiful backdrop as this park is the most mountainous of the three, and that there was the opportunity to see animals that we were not able to spot elsewhere. For example, Tsavo West was the only park where we observed leopards, hippos (at the Mzima Springs pools within the park), and several kinds of monkeys. Mzima Springs in particular was an exceptional treat since it was one of the few opportunities on safari to leave the jeep while in a park, though in exchange, the guides needed to be armed just in case a hippo or other large animal decided it did not like our presence. Luckily, incidents almost never occur, so the result is just that one can get closer to the natural environment and have a slightly elevated sense of adventure while doing it. Tsavo West also contains a black rhino preserve, though we were unable to see any rhinos while there. Not being able to see a rhino was perhaps the only major downside with our visit, though I am sure other visitors don’t have this kind of bad luck. Others potential criticisms of the park are that because it is so remote, the lodging services are a little rougher and that because of the terrain, there are no locations to get expansive photos of hundreds of animals of different species together as far as the eye can see. We personally found the lodging in the park to be pleasantly rustic, and thought the change of background scenery provided a good compliment to the other parks on the trip. Assuming you can fit it in your itinerary, a visit to Tsavo West is certainly recommended along with the other fine parks in the Kenyan park system.
CH
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of our lifetime :)
From Kilimanjaro to Safari in Tarangire National Park, Ngorogoro Crater and Serengeti - it was awesome, a once in a lifetime experience and perfectly organized!
Safari Big 5 organized us a great tracking team up to the Kilimanjaro and with them we made it to the top!!!!
Also within our safari trip it was perfectly taken care of us. We slept in amazing lodges with great lunch and dinner and had a great driver who knew a lot about the animals and spotted the big 5 for us and every animal we wanted to see.
We can totally recommend booking a trip with Safari Big 5 - great value for the money! We don't think that you can get these trips any cheaper for this kind of comfort and fun!!
Visited October 2013
CH
Fantastic trip... all the resorts were excellent
We had a fantastic trip, thanks. We loved the combination of locations (beach / safari / island) and all the resorts were excellent.
Ras Kutani was beautiful, great food and worth having the suite for the extra privacy, views and plunge pool. The quietness of the resort was perfect for winding down after the wedding.
Siwandu was also excellent, great food again and lovely rooms (our favourite on the holiday). We met some great people there and the hostess was lovely. Unfortunately the rains came early, so we had a few wet days towards the end, but that made for a few fun adventures in the mud. We saw everything we wanted to on safari.
Pemba was magical – stunning setting. The resort wasn’t full, so lots of privacy, but we got along brilliantly with the other guests who were there and had many fun late nights! And the diving school was excellent, very professional and great diving.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
An unforgettable trip!
We cannot speak highly enough of your company. From the initial planning, through to the actual trip, everyone was so helpful, offering help and advice all the way through. We had a fantastic time....thanks to your smooth arrangements. No hitches at all, & very good value as well.
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Truly tailor made
After booking my first safari back in 2009 I have been coming back to Wild Things ever since. From the start they have been a great help in realizing my big and/or small - off the beaten path - wishes. I have been very impressed with the high professional standard set from when I first communicated with the office in Dar-Es-Salaam all the way through to the end of a very successful southern circuit safari along some of the most beautiful sights of Tanzania. The staff are all very enthusiastic and knowledgeable and I felt they really wanted to share with me their passion for nature, wildlife and the country itself. On this specific safari I had prepared myself for rice and beans along the ride but I couldn't have been more wrong. I have enjoyed some of the best chips in quite literately the middle of nowhere and the meals served at HondoHondo on the edge of the Udzungwa Forest were, I might say, even better than the ones served in one of the more 'posh' hotels on Zanzibar.
After that first and very successful undertaking in 2009 I decided to come back to Tanzania in 2011. Again I consulted Wild Things to set me up for an hiking trip to the East Usumbara Mountains, which is regarded as one of the biodiversity hot-spots of the world. From the Amani Forest Lodge where I was set up I explored some of the most fascinating endemic species (birds, chameleons, plants) in this intriguing and ancient forest. The accommodations and food were right on par with what I experienced two years earlier.
Fueled by all this tramping around in the Eastern Arc I set my mind to climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro. Unfortunately I was only able to realize this feat the next year. By this time it was obvious that I would choose Wild Things as my safari company. With very little effort I was able to join a group planning on climbing the Rongai Route. Pick-ups, rental-gear and briefing were all done in a timely fashion and so the next day we set out to climb kili. The guides were experienced and adept and the porters proved to be reliable. Together they took the 5 in our group up to the top and back all in one piece.
All in all I'm very pleased with the services provided by Wild Things Safaris and I am looking forward to another great trip to Tanzania in the near future.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An outstanding safari experience!
I highly recommend Bushtrekkers and especially our guide and driver, Mr. Ibrahim Kawaga, for the outstanding services performed while on safari and game drive in Lake Manyara N.P., Tarangire N.P., and Ngorongoro Crater wildlife areas. My wife and I are experienced travelers having visited 25-30 countries and used various guides and tours throughout our trips. Mr. Kawaga and Bushtrekkers stand out among the best for providing expert guidance and service. They really went all out to make sure we had the best safari/game drive possible and the safest experience we could have imagined. Mr. Kawaga amiably shared his expert knowledge of the local wildlife, local flora and fauna. He had such a truly pleasant and polite manner and conducted himself as a consummate professional. He has been guiding for many years and treated our safari with the excitement and freshness of a freshly minted guide. We even had the misfortune of two flat tires in the same day which he handled quickly and efficiently. Bushtrekkers made our safari a truly unique and wonderful experience.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Magical Experience!
I travelled with 2 girlfriends who had never been to East Africa before. We were looked after with every care we could wish for. The game viewing especially was exceptional and we stayed out much longer than anticipated. The itineraries that can be arranged through Cheli and Peacock cover some more unusual but beautifully picturesque locations - we chose Meru and Shaba - Elsas Kopje and Joys Camp are quite close but are so different in every aspect. Both are top for service, food and of guiding - how do they see so much when they are driving! Please go and support a beautiful country !
ES
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Friendly, totally tailored to us and what we wanted, felt like royalty, absolutely fantastic.
Wildthings were fantastic; from the moment we started planning the trip, where they were extremely helpful and spent and enormous amount of time with us helping us plan, rethink and tailor our trip to ours needs with recommendations and alternatives that made sure we got as much as we could out of our budget.
The trip was flawlessly executed, the first year we went we travelled to the southern parks, Mikumi and Ruaha and then on to their tented camp in the Udzungua mountains. We had a wonderful experience, the accommodation was excellent, the days spent on safari fantastic. Without a doubt the best thing about the trip were the guide and cook, fantastically friendly and charming people who did their very best to make our trip unforgettable.
It was so good we went back for our honeymoon the following year.
ES
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Life-changing, life-affirming and one of the most beautiful places I have been to on Earth.
We had a true outback experience. Staying in the tent camp, the facilities were good but basic and the food was excellent. The afternoon tea was a welcome addition to each day! It was easy to fall into the natural rhythm of the place - we got up with the sun and tracked elephants, leopards, lions and many other animals while taking in the beautiful scenery. Days filled with 4x4 drives and walking tours with experienced, witty and knowledgeable guides - perfect! Weather was just right; a few cloudy days but always warm and enjoyable. The highlight of my visit was climbing up the ridge known as the ampitheatre and sipping a beer while watching the sun set on elephants playing in the river below. The game reserve was a lot greener than expected, due to visiting near rainy season time. Many interesting locations to visit that offer amazing views and a superb range of animals: Eagle Rock, Baobab Rock and the Ampitheatre were just some of the places I enjoyed visiting. Spotted some Marshall Eagles and European Rollers, which were amongst my favourite sightings (apart from the elephants of course!). I highly recommend a visit here, it's somewhere to be truly at peace with yourself and with nature.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A fantastic, once in a life time experience in a beautiful location packed with Wildlife
The reserve was accessed by a river crossing at the botswana/south africa border, which also marked the end of any tarmac roads. The 4x4 trip into the reserve was barely underway when the ubandant wildlife started to make an appearance, even without the animals and birds there the stunning scenory, of large expansive scrub and plains encompassed by large ridges. Over the two week stay my group spotted 100+ species of birds and over 30 mammal species and a variety of reptiles. Some of the most memorable sighting included close encouters with lions, giraffe and elephants and a slighlty more distant view of leopards. As I was located in a small camp outside of the main part of the reserve I cannot comment on the main accommodation and can only say that if the cooks were any near as good and as accommodating as ours then you will be pleasantly surprised whatever your dietary requirement