20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Whistle stop trip but had some lovely wildlife sightings.
We travelled to Kafue National Park for a 4 night whistle stop trip over Christmas. We drove ourselves from Lusaka airport which was a very easy journey with supermarkets found on route from the airport and once you are out of the city the roads are very easy to drive. We stayed at Mayukuyuku Camp located right on the edge of Kafue River. We had two person tents pitched for our arrival right beside the river with the hippos actually passing in front of them during the night. When we weren't out in the bush we were able to fish beside the stunning river. We often had dinner cooked at the camp where we ate under a nice open bush hut with the other guests. The food was very nice and at an affordable price (dinner $30 dollars that consisted of a starter, main and desert). We drove ourselves within the park and found once we were off the tar road on the side loops the wildlife was great. Animals can still be seen from the tar road but the speed limit is still high there so you have to be aware of other drivers passing through. We were there during the wet season but even off the tar road the roads were manageable and we only got stuck once but were able to get out ourselves. It might have been the time of year but there were fewer tourists in the park than I expected and you didn't have the large volume of vehicles that you often find in other parks which meant that a lot of the sightings were very personal with just one vehicle present. The game in the park was lovely to see. Although we didn't see the leopard that frequented the camp we saw elephants in most areas and had a great sighting of lions. The most special sighting of the trip, however, was coming across a pack of wild dogs that were completely relaxed around us and ended up lying down around our vehicle. At the end of the trip we had to start taking game drives with a guide as our fuel was low. If you're staying along the tar road there aren't many options for refuelling. Our guide however was very knowledgeable about the wildlife in the park and showed a real passion for the wildlife. Overall we had a lovely relaxing trip and will definitely visit again.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Kenya by Dawn
You'll see everything--animals, birds and more. The people are friendly and lovely and the scenery goes on forever.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Zambia by Steefo555
The travel from Lusaka into the wildlife areas was very simple and you were not having to travel long distances. Once inside the Kafue National Park there was a great diversity of wildlife and often you wouldn't see too many other tourists so sighting of the wildlife could be quite personal.
Mala Mala was absolutely AMAZING!
Brett and Yuri were amazing guides. It was a great experience and we got to see the Big 5 in just 2 days.
lots of zebras and thick brush
We stayed at the UWA bandas which were quaint and clean enough. we visited this park to see zebras since we hadn't seen them yet and we weren't disappointed. there is some new invasive plant that is taking over and making through brush so thick you can barely see wildlife from the road.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Most unique park I've visited in all of East Africa.
The oil camps popping up were sad to see, so I hope they don't expand in the park anymore. This park was stunning, with the rolling hills, and acacia trees and palm trees. We booked through EcoExpeditions Uganda and our guide really knew what was going on. We stayed at Fort Murchison just outside of the park, but it was close enough that we were able to get to the park early. The food there (4 course meals) was great, but the mosquitoes were bad. Overall, my favorite park in Uganda.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing experience with the chimps, with an easier trek than Bwindi!
This area of Uganda was one of our favorites as it was much greener than other parks. The tea plantations were stunning. We stayed at the Kibale Forest Camp just outside the park and it was our favorite accommodation of the entire trip. The staff was super helpful and attentive, and we loved staying in the forest and hearing the sounds of the jungle in the morning. The trek to find the chimps was a very easy one on flat terrain and the actual experience with the chimps was fantastic. My one complaint was the large number of people who go see the chimps at the same time. They split you into several groups of about 7-8 and each group takes a separate path into the forest. We all ended up trekking the same large group however, and I was surrounded by more tourists than chimps. Other than that, I can't recommend this highly enough.
Good person.
I met Richard, the company owner, on my trip in Uganda. He is very committed to help people in need and make a difference for them.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Flawless safari
My family and I just returned from a 10 day safari with Awaken to Africa. Grace Evans planned the trip for us earlier this year and the safari was perfect. There was literally nothing in the least that was out of order or less than expectation. Grace's knowledge of the area and the various tent camps and accommodations, ability to plan an aggressive yet achievable safari and her attention to all of the details was impeccable. She arranged all of our local flights and transportation to and from Dar as Salaam. All of her planning was meticulously documented in both emails and documents mailed to our residence in the US. Her responsiveness to questions was prompt, clear, and comprehensive. That she is located in the US is very helpful. The trip was flawless due to her knowledge and planning. We stayed at four Lamala tent camps including the new and highly luxurious Kuria Hills camp in the northern Serengeti. We also spent a night and half day at the Gibbs Farm cottage/lodge in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, which was one of the nicest, most pleasant stays I have experienced in my lifetime.
For the 11 nights and 10 days of safari, her co-owner for Awaken to Africa, David Mshana, was our full time guide. He met us at the airport in Kilimanjaro and was with us 24 by 7 until he dropped us off at the Kogatende Airstrip inside Serengeti National Park 11 days later. David guided us through Tarangire, Lake Manyara, and the Serengeti National Parks along with the Ngorongoro Crater. We also had an impromptu stop at a local outside market in Karatu and a planned stop at Olduvai Gorge where the Leakey’s did their most noteworthy anthropology work. David suggested and coordinated a guided tour to the bottom of the gorge where all of the famous Leakey excavations occurred. Seems no other tour operators did so. David also coordinated a walking safari and a night safari in Tarangire.
David is simply the best. He has incredible knowledge and experience with the area and paced the 10 days perfectly. He was able to provide excellent insight into the regional fauna and flora and is highly intuitive on animal behavior. This intuition allowed us to see things that other tour operators either were not aware of or did not have the patience to endure. For example, we came upon a number of safari vehicles watching a lioness in the Serengeti. David immediately noted that the lioness was calling her cubs and patiently waited until she disappeared in the brush near her cubs. While all the other tour operators left the area, David drove us near the brush and we were able to see the lioness with her three cubs from a less than 10 yards away. Only then, did a few of the other operators return. He also showed us a recently abandoned Maasai village outside Serengeti National Park. It certainly helps that David seems to know half the drivers in the various parks and is well connected to them via a radio in the safari truck. We seemed to be in the know at all times as to where the animals were. The best experience with David, however, was his knowledge of the migration at the river crossings. We saw six in total, including four in one day and one with over 3000 Wildabeests. David knows exactly how to observe the beginning of a crossing without getting so close to distract the animals and disrupt it, unlike too many other operators who where consistently disrupting crossings. In all we were able to see everything we expected including Cheetahs, Leopards and their cubs.
In summary, the trip was completely flawless and I highly recommend working with David, Grace and Awaken to Africa for all of your Tanzanian safari needs.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A truly amazing safari
The staff at Expedition Kenya Safari gave me a spectacular safari experience during my 7 day kenya safari in April. Patrick was very accommodating on our requests and communication via e mail and phone during the safari operation were smooth. Meshack met us at JKIA airport and it was a pleasure to have such an upbeat safari guide who was patient and took us on very exciting game drives. Our safari started at the Amboseli national park where we stayed at Amboseli serena. The lodge was pretty awesome and the Mt Kilimanjaro views were breathtaking. We ended our safari at the Maasai Mara and i will always treasure my safari in Kenya. What a beautiful country. Thank you Patrick and Meshack:)