20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
All in All a great weekend!
My safari with Gombe Track Safaris and Tours was a very spontanous decision - nevertheless the communication was good. My contact person to Gombe helped me very well as i couldn't find a place in my choosen safari to find another one for the same price.
As we started the safari the driver picked me up in time. payment was uncomplicated & there was enough space in the car.
Our driver Rajabu drove fast but safe to the national park. In Mikumi National Park he could tell us a lot about the animals and the nature & was very kind. The drivings in Mikumi were awesome! We really saw every animal which is living in this Park - Lions, Lepards, elefants, giraffs, hippos, crocodiles, buffalos, wildebeasts, antilopes monkeys and many more.
The Food was also great. We got three meals per day, which were always enough and very delicious.
Our trip at the third day to Udzungwa National Park was also very great.
Unfortunately our actually hotel was full, but the alternate accomodation was very nice as well!
All in All it was a great trip to Mikumi & Udzungwa for a reasonable price. We were a funny group of persons & our drive Rajabu was very kind & had a lot of knowledge about the nature and the parks.
I will definitely book with Gombe Track Safaris again.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Solio Ranch by NSStone
Beautiful! Lots of rhinos, beautiful views, scenery can change quite a bit with views of Mt Kenya. Baboons, monkeys, lions, Impala, vultures, etc...
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Was awesom
Our group of 14 travelers recently returned from a 6 day/5 night safari in Tanzania with Tanzania Joy Tours. Although this is a relatively new company, the reviews we read were positive, so we thought we'd give them a try. From start to finish, they far exceeded our expectations. Emmanuel, our travel advisor, was superb in helping us plan our itinerary. He offered great suggestions on parks, accommodations, etc., and was extremely prompt and thorough in responding to our many questions and concerns. He was also very good in handling all the details and logistics involved in making travel arrangements for such a large group.
The safari itself was one of those "once in a lifetime" experiences. Our guides, Dan and Fred, were terrific! They worked hard from morning to night, enabling us to see amazing wildlife (including "the big five") close up. They were knowledgeable and great at answering our many questions. We were originally scheduled to visit Tarangire, Serengeti, and Ngorongoro N/Ps. We had great visits at each of these, plus they squeezed in a memorable visit to Lake Manyara N/P as well.
Our accommodations were unique and fun, with staff at all of them going out of their way to make sure we were comfortable and well cared for. Arriving back from safari, we were always met with cool towels to clean our dusty faces, beverages, and hot water carried to our tents for some unforgettable showers. Campfires at night and wildlife wandering through the campsite at sunrise added to the experience.
Transportation (safari vehicles, airlines, and transfers) worked like clockwork and were very comfortable. Several in our group commented that they'd never been on a trip that went so smoothly.
Thanks to the staff at Tanzania Joy Tours, our safari was a amazing experience/adventure. Although many of their safari groups are smaller than ours, they very capably managed our large group. They offer a great experience at a reasonable price. Based on our experience, I strongly encourage you to give them a try
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Absolutely recommendable
When planning our trip to Tanzania, we had the following things in mind: we wanted to do a 5 day tour in Tanzania; we wanted a nice mixture of tented camps and lodges for a reasonable price and see a variety of different landscapes and wildlife settings. We were overwhelmed by the amount of tour operators, and in the end contacted 12 different operators – Tanzania Joy Tours convinced us with the most flexible offer in terms of accommodations, giving us the opportunity to choose what we liked best, and their honest recommendation of what made the most sense during our 5 day trip. Together with Emmanuel we designed our very own itinerary which perfectly fit our wishes - we stayed 1 night in Tarangire National Park, 2 nights in Serengeti and 1 night in the Ngorongoro Crater. Our accommodations were all very different and all lovely. We cannot stress enough the fact of having a knowledgeable and sympathetic guide for the trip - Fred our guide did a perfect job, answering all our questions, explaining everything we wanted to know and teaching us some Swahili on the way! He has 6 years of experience in guiding safaris in the Northern Circuit, which he demonstrated in always coming up with new ideas of where to look for animals and not getting lost in the road maze in Serengeti. We learned a lot about Tanzanian culture, the national parks and the wildlife. Thanks for this great trip, Fred!
Finally here are our highlights of the 5 days:
- Tarangire National Park: Great drive along the river bank with a lot of wildlife, especially the Elephant families were so much fun to watch!
- Serengeti: you will find the plains truly breathtaking, with herds of zebras and wildebeests. We were especially impressed by the lion families with their cubs or their prey.
- Ngorongoro Crater: Driving down into the crater is an exceptional experience viewing the wonderful landscape - here Fred guided us to see a rhino, making our big 5 sighting complete.
All in all, from the flexible planning with Emmanuel, to the pick-up at the airport and especially the tour with Fred it was a fantastic experience! Tanzania Joy Tours not only professionally planned our trip but moreover helped us put all the ideas that we had into practice, making this an unforgettable 5 days! Thank you so much to the whole team! Absolutely recommendable!
IN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
an amazingly unique experience indeed!!
Absolute holiday safaris are a thorough professionals in their field.Our trip to Nairobi & Masaimara was very efficiently managed by them.The rates were very reasonable and the team ensured that all the arrangements are in place at all times.
FI
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing safari experience
My experience with Absolute holiday safari was excellent! I joined for 6 day safari (Masai Mara/Lake Nakuru/Amboseli) Everything was organised in best possible way and we saw more than I could have ever imagined. Even leopard chilling on a tree with his prey. :) David, John and our lovely driver Patrick are the best!
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A perfect safari with wonderful hosts
Do you have an aunt and uncle that will take you on a perfect Safari, cook for you every day and night and dote on your kids while you relax on vacation? No? Well call Chris and Nikki at Armadillo Overland Safari and Adventure tours- they'll do all this and more. My wife and three daughters (4, 6 and 8 yrs old) spent 5 nights and 6 days with Chris and Nikki and their "armadillo" truck and we wanted to stay longer. Another month or maybe a year would be about right.
Communication with Chris was easy and his e-mail responses were quick while we were planning our safari before we left the US. He sent us a planned itinerary of a safari in Kruger National Park and then added a requested side trip to Elephant Whispers which he arranged and included in the price of the Safari to make it even easier for us. And when traffic snarled our original itinerary he made a few calls and re-arranged the visit to ensure we had plenty of time with the Elephants and plenty of time in the park. He also added the requested panaroma route during our return trip to Johannesburg and was flexible with our schedule as our flight got moved up a couple hours the week before we left.
The 'armadillo' vehicle is a elevated box on the back of an Isuzu 4x4 that ensures you can go virtually anywhere in the park and see everything when you're there. The sitting height is even higher than the game viewing vehicles that we saw allowing us to see animals far into the bush. The elevated box has multiple windows perfect for wildlife viewing and picture taking and for keeping cool riding around in the park. The box also has tables set between chairs to allow kiddos to play some card games when the game drives got longer than their attention spans or on the way to and from the airport. It also has an honor drink bar (beer, cider, water and chocolate milk for us) that Chris and Nikki will stock with whatever you'd like prior to departure. Binoculars? Check. An extensive library on all things safari? check. A heater for chilly mornings? check. An electrical strip for charging devices, camera batteries, etc? and with adapters? check and check. I'm not sure what they could add to make it better but give it a couple months and I'm sure they'll come up with something.
Chris cooked up something delicious for us every night - it was so good that even our 8 year old that here to forth we thought survived on photosynthesis asked for second helpings a couple nights. And the brunches were just as good.
We camped in the park for four nights and just outside the park the last night. The tents and sleeping mats were comfortable and kept us dry during a couple unseasonable rain showers. Chris and Nikki provided pillows and extra blankets which reassured my cold-phobic wife.
This was the best family vacation we've had so far. If I could give them 10 stars I would- and it still wouldn't be enough.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
"Awesome Safari Experience!"
I took a safari with my husband and my 6 year old daughter. John and Anthony were extremely helpful and knowledgable. They made us feel as if we were part of the family. The people we met did not treat us as foreigners, they treated us like friends visiting. Other travelers I spoke with talked of villagers charging them for a simple photo. We were invited into their homes. I had such a wonderful experience, I cannot wait until we go again and this time volunteer at an orphanage through Open Africa Safaris. I highly recommend Open Africa Safaris to any traveler who wish to get not only the real Adventure experience, but also the best service in general.
NZ
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Outstanding safari destination
Mala Mala borders the Kruger National Park. Southern Africa's in the grip of a drought, but Mala Mala's fortunate to have a (much-reduced) river running through it North to South. This and the winter-thinned bush make for a safari bonanza. Thanks to our outstanding guide Tim we saw a veritable A-Z of African wildlife, from top predators through to some of the rarest animals on the planet. Because Mala Mala's private you're not sitting in a queue with tens of other vehicles, and the guides can get their vehicles well off the track. It feels unbelievably privileged. Highlights were wild mating leopards, a female leopard in a cub with her den, running with a nighttime pack of hyena, herds of elephants (and much more). We were in a family double room which worked brilliantly. And I'm always amazed how places like this serve up exceptional food and drinks, which is a bonus. But we came for the safari, really, and it's made for a lifetime set of memories.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Special Experience!
We did a 4 night 5 day safari through Open Africa Safaris and had a fantastic time. From start to finish John the owner was excellent. Note only that he was helpful and made us feel very welcome , but he is also a true gentleman. In fact, he even changed our flights for us while we were on our safari.
On our safari our guide Anthony was very friendly, knowledgeable, open minded, and very experienced. He has visited in the USA 3 times, and so spoke great English and nothing was too much trouble for him. He did everything he could to make our safari experience special. The meals we had , cooked by Joseph , were also very delicious and we had plenty of food all the time.
Overall we had an excellent Safari experience seeing everything we wanted to see and would have no hesitation in recommending this Open Africa Safaris to anyone.