US
Experience level: first safari
Simply an amazing experience.
There are a lot of different places to choose from for these types of trip in South Africa, But from what my wife and I researched, and later talked with other guests, Phinda was by far, a great choice to make! Everyone will have their own experiences of course. Cost wise, we found Phinda to be surprisingly affordable considering the level of the service, dinning and accommodations on top of the game viewing experience.
The trip from NY was long and transferring from JBerg to Durban went smoothly enough, and we booked to fly in on the single prop Cessna from Durban to Phinda to be the start of the adventure.
We went 1st week of September weather was dry the entire time; chilly in the morning but hot by lunch time. We stayed 3 days at Rock Lodge in the southern end, with a more mountainous terrain, and 4 nights in the northern sand forest and savannah of Vlei lodge. Rock lodge was excellent, intimate with only a small amount of guests at any time and the food and service were outstanding. The room with its outdoor shower and private plunge pool was excellent, even a bit too much considering you are out on game drives from 6 am to 11 am (With coffee breaks in the bush) and then again from 3pm till night ( stopping to watch the sunset with drinks) With lunches, dinners etc. you don't spend a lot of time in your room, but it's really nice to come back to. Matt & John were our guides at Rock and it was amazing to see their knowledge and tracking efforts get rewarded with great game views like lions at night, herds of Elephants, cheetahs with cubs. Guides and staff were very friendly, professional, courteous and went above and beyond to accommodate. Vlei lodge was no exception either. At Vlei, Douglas was the general manager there and he was phenomenal! (Honestly our booking agent Christine was top notch too, taking care off us even before our trip). Regular visitations to the rooms' plunge pools by thirsty animals made for great game viewing right outside the front door. Happiness, the chef made every meal delicious. My wife requires a Gluten-free diet and staff at both lodges took exceptional care of her dietary needs. Phinda is a closed-in preserve, but with a lot of room and a lot of animals it was never an issue and seven days seeing the north and south and all of the animals was just enough. In one evening drive we saw all of the big 5. This was our first safari type vacation and Phinda makes it a excellent first time experience. They are also close to the ocean, with arrangements through them we took a morning to mix it up and get in the water at Sodwana Bay to swim with Whale sharks. We've nothing but love for Phinda and &beyond parent company and I also applaud their conservation efforts and community involvement.
the best tour opererator in Uganda. Perfectly organized!!!!!!
A very friendly driver who had an answer to every question about country, people and animals. Memorable experiences in Kibala, Queen Elizabeth and Biwindi National Park. And fantastic lodges!!! The whole journey a dream. Thank you Matuke Tours!!!!
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Good Safari Package
Communications were good.
Staff is very friendly and helpful.
Service was OK. Van trip was kinda stuffy ( sardines in a van ) for the first leg of the trip.
Everything else was good.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing 12 days in south-west Uganda.
Our driver and guide was Anatoli - he was perfect! He drove us from Entebbe - Kampala - Kibale forest - Queen Elizabeth NP - Lake Mutanda and back to Kampala. It was one of the best journeys in my lifetime! Everything was very well organized by Matoke Tours! Anatoli our driver was always patient and very friendly, he told us a lot about the country, interesting and sometimes funny stories about birds and animals and life in Uganda. He knew the best places in order to take stunning pictures, he helped me with my broken shoes, organized the best rangers for our safari trips and was always on time. It was really good to be with him which I think is important as we have spent a lot of time with him together in the car. We really enjoyed all of our lodges, chosen by Matoke Tours. They were all clean, had good bathrooms (for example the outside shower under the amazing stars in QE), always with wonderful views like over Lake Mutanda, or the jungle with the sound of the monkeys, or over the canal at Queen Elizabeth´s, with eagles and the sound of the hippos etc. Uganda is so beautiful, so green, there are few cars on the street, the people are so friendly!!! And i am very impressed by this great jungles. We saw a lot of animals, gorillas, chimps, a lion, a big group of 8 female lions - one of them was even hunting a kob, elephants, a lot of baboons next to the streets, hippos - one even passed close to the restaurant in the evening while we were sitting there :-), so many birds and warthogs.. So many..! For me the best stop was Lake Mutanda, it´s such a nice place, we were able to swim, walk around, we did a canoe tour and we spend some more days just for relaxing. The food was always very good, everywhere they asked us if we have any special requests - for me as a vegetarian very important and we have enjoyed every dish. For sure we will visit Uganda again for further tours with Matoke Tours!! They really did a perfect job!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
world tours & safaris Tanzanian is very reliable and well organized. company i am happy to say that.
myself and family we have great memories. Of world tours and safaris arusha. Tanzanian most importantly was the customer care with mr R kilonzo. And all the happy staffs highly recommended to any one who want to enjoy a hint of paradise. Is 10/10 for me. From ZOUZOU malaika. From united kingdom. Xxx
IN
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Got more than what I expected. The Absolute Safaris left no stone unturned to make it memorable.
Absolute Holiday Safari Ltd proved to be the absolute and best choice. The tour operators were forthcoming from day one in coordinating the move of our group from Congo. The crew were highly professional in their conduct during the safari and very prompt. Mr David have been overtly helpful in guiding a bunch of lost men into the blissful world of animal kingdom. The experience of Masai Mara was awesome and beyond what I could imagine. The stay at Masai and interaction with the Masai tribe was as experience worth. All credits to Mr Jackson, our Safari Guide who showed us the Big Five in just 2 days ( probably we were the only group on that day who spotted all five). Overall a great experience of Masai Mara which was made better by Absolute Holiday Safari.
Thanks Mr David to make a dream come true.
Awesome MasaiMara
I visited MasaiMara with my friends during first week of December 14. The tour was very well organised by Absolute Holiday Safaris. The tour manager Mr David is a very friendly and professional person.Because of him our stay at Nairobi as wel as at Masai Mara was very comfertable. The tour guide was thorough professional and took lot of initiative to detect wild life during game drive. Big Time Safaris made our trip Awesome experience.
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Perfect organised Safari in Uganda!!
The chimp and the Gorilla tracking were the most amazing and well organised part of the tour. It was so beautiful to see this big friendly Animals in their well protected natural habitat. The Guide and Driver was well trained and fulfilled us every wish. We can recommend The Lake Mutanda Lodge as it was such a beautiful accommodation! Many Thanks MATOKE TOURS for this unique trip!!
KR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Next time still we would book with “Inclusive Holidays Africa” for they have great services.
It was our second time to book with “Inclusive Holidays Africa.” We found our driver waiting for us at the Jomo Kenyatta airport. Our group from S. Korea was the first one to arrive. Our drive (Moses) drove us to the hotel, as he had to go back for our partners from the states, who arrived 4hours later. From the moment we arrived at the airport, the reception by the team was so friendly and professional. Our itinerary was simply the best so to speak. The “Inclusive Holiday Africa” did a good job in hotel selection. We had a great stay in Nairobi even though it was only 1 night; the staff made it such a wonderful place to be. Even though we didn’t enjoy our dinner because we were tired but all the meals were enjoyed throughout. Our safari was worthy the money. We visited the Tsavo East and West National Park. We enjoyed the morning and evening game drives. One of the great places we went and enjoyed most was at the Salt Lick hotel where we had the opportunity of view animals at a close range because of the strategic position of the hotel. If you haven’t fed a giraffe in your lifetime, then we did at Nairobi giraffe center on our way back. Time flies fast when on safari, one week was just like two days. At the end of our Kenyan safari, my friends from the states had this to say, “Kenya is the best place for safari…we enjoyed every bit of our safari. Can’t wait to come back again. Next time still we would like to book with “Inclusive Holidays Africa” for they have great services.”
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A Passion for Adventure
We worked with Anthony and Anne for a year, fine tuning what we wanted to do and see, and the result was a three-week adventure in Botswana that we will not forget. From the moment we met Anthony, his passion to get back into the bush was intense and contagious. After spending the summer in Nova Scotia, he seemed itching to get back into his comfort zone, and we were the beneficiaries of that itch. He made a three-week camping trip seem easy, showing up with a rig that was fully equipped with tenting and picnicking gear, extra water, sleeping bags. While he was fully prepared, there was nothing formulaic about the preparations - he was able to accommodate our low-carb diet without concern, he was prepared to stop for anything we wanted, and detour for a shopping break here, a bathroom break there, and a photo-stop to capture the perfect African sunset. Beyond all that, his knowledge was stunning - there wasn't a bird he couldn't identify, not only to the species, but to the subspecies and color variation. He could identify them by their calls, and before we left, our bird list had well over a hundred sightings. As we drove over the sandy roads, he would suddenly pull to the side and look down, spotting the tracks of lions, leopards, hyenas and on and on. He made it all interesting - whoever knew all the things you could tell from elephant dung? how many different ways termites contributed to both the natural and human ecosystems? And so much more. It was a different style of safari - not always easy and not always comfortable. But it was filled with the things you can't imagine and we will never forget.