IT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It was my first, in Saadani N.P.: for sure I will organize better next time!
For my friend and I it was the first safari: we were in Zanzibar, so we decided to visit Saadani National Park(closer and smaller), even if we knew that it was not the best and most "populated" African park. Unfortunately the agency we chose was not clear about the duration of the journey from Dar Es Salaam port to the park. We had several issues with our car until we got stuck into the mud: I know people may say it is part of the adventure... however, it is not funny when you have less than 2 days.... In the end we did not make the boat safari to see crocodiles and hippos because in the morning the tide was not at the correct level...I am wondering why we did not make it in the previous afternoon then! For sure, it was very exciting for 2 Europeans to spot giraffes, monkeys and above all a big lonely elephant. We were expecting something more, especially a real guide, not only a silent driver who seems to be annoyed by us... accommodation was ok, but for a possibile future safari, I would not take selousrufijihippoadventure.com into consideration. Anyway, I think that this was just a start and that we have learnt something for next safari.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The experience were great, the service was great but things were not clearly organised.
The service was great, the safari was wonderful but there were some circumstances that were not well organised. The car we left Nairobi with was not up to standard which took up half of our first day, water was not provided (which according to the outline was). But all was handled properly.
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Entertaining, eye opening.
Viva Safari did a fairly good job, I should qualify that my budget did not allow me to be to demanding , the guides were recent graduates, very friendly, but they never left the paved roads in the park, pretty much anyone could have rented a car and did what we did and saw what we saw.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Awesome destination with beautiful Wildlife.
We were 4 days camping in Etosha with a private guide. The guide was good and the wildlife was beautiful. We were lucky to see lots of animals very close (e.g. 50+ elephants at a waterhole and a leopard next to the car) and always felt safe. I would always recommend a guided tour as the guides know at what time to be certain places to see the animals you want to get.
The camping part of the tour was not that good (which was organized by an organization for us).We were staying just outside the park in a camp which was quite good. Unfortunately our sleeping bags were to thin so that we were freezing at night. Additionally the food was really ‘basic’ (packet soup, backed beans, packet salat etc.) so that we ended up buying a bigger lunches by ourself at the camp when stoping there for a break at noon. We only got a ‘normal’ car (not a 4x4) to drive around the park. A 4x4 is not absolutely necessary, but I would recommend it because is a lot for comfortable (with luggage and camping gear we needed to squeeze in) and there are some places we had to skip as you need a 4x4 to get there.
To sum it up I would give 5 stars to the wildlife and the park itself. The overall impression for us was only diminished by the not properly organized camping experience.
AE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
In the nature
The wildlife and landscape is great and beyond my expectation. Felt like staying more there and didn't feel like coming out from there.
US
Met many Kenya people who are not honest, always try to swindle money out of visitors
1.Wildlife is great.
2.No smog control on vehicles, therefore, air pollution is serious especially in big cities.
3. Met many Kenya people (people on street, Guide/ Driver, Park security) who are not honest, always try to fool you and swindle money or taking advantage of visitors. (Some women asked me to take ONE picture for them, then asked for US$20. Tour Guide said he has no money to buy me food/water after I had paid meals/water/tour to the tour company. Security at Masai Mara asked a tip of US$ 50 for a 5 minutes walk. etc.)--I have travelled many places around the world, and I have never met so many greedy people in one place!
Great communication and flexible operator, but guide could have been better
Mwanje did a great job arranging a safari to meet our requirements. He is a punctual with email communication and willing to go the extra mile.
Be sure to check how long it takes to get from on destination to another by car - especially if you need to traverse Nairobi!
CA
Skip the rainy season
Andersson's Camp was fine, though the absence of field guide books in the common area was disappointing. The food was good, cabin comfy. The private park around it was good value for animal viewing, despite downpours. Etosha in the rainy season was disappointing at several levels. Few animals, military vehicles speeding down the main road, dismal little museum. It was hard to grasp the history of the place, like which animals are native, which are introduced. Guide seemed reticent to handle questions of context. And be forewarned: there are no meerkats in Namibia.
I expected so much more
I had been on a Safari in Kenya about 10 years ago. It was fantastic. This time my friends had decided to travel with Safari Legacy. I had been thinking about a safari with my wife as she had not been to Africa before, so we decided to join them. The sales team was very good and provided us with all of the perfect answers. We were quite confident and felt good until we got to Tanzania.
On the ground the only thing that was above average was the vehicle. It was a very new Land Cruiser. Much better than the safari bus I had used years ago. Our driver was not very motivated and seemed to be in a rush all the time. The camps, particularly Kikoti Camp at Tarangire was just average. This camp was very far from the park and there was no sign of wildlife. Due to the high price tag I was expecting a whole lot more. I understand that prices are much lower in the off season, thus we expected to get a little more for our money. Just to be fair, my wife was quite satisfied with the trip, but I think that it is because it was her first time and she did not have anything to base the experience on. She did feel that the guide was not nearly as friendly as the Tanzanians we met in the camps. He was rather push and often talked about how low his salary is. We have no idea what he is paid, but based on what our trip costs, he should be paid well. And if not he should take it up with his boss and not with us.