US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A customized itinerary, pleasant and knowledgeable driver and overall fantastic experience.
The communication before the trip was excellent and all my questions were answered promptly. The tour was customized to allow me 2 days with the gorillas at Bwindi and primates at Kibale in Uganda and continued to many parks and reserves in Tanzania. My driver Ezekial was very nice and knowledgeable. The tour and locations were fantastic and gave me a wide variety of African ecosystems. Accommodations varied from large tented camps to lodges and hotels.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
This was an AMAZING experience!
First and foremost, Zohar set us up w/ a truly excellent safari guide. Sammy made sure that we saw everything there was to see in the parks, including a black rhino! His font of knowledge and enthusiasm for the natural world seemed limitless. This along w/ his easy going nature, good sense of humor, and sensitivity to our needs made for an exceptional experience.
In addition to the game parks, Zohar arranged for us to experience multiple cultural visits to a number of tribes in the area. The nature of these visits included authentic interaction that was truly unique and defy description. We'll never forget them!
As for some of the details, communications w/ the tour operator both before and during the trip were always easy and responses prompt. Traveling to Africa might be anxiety producing for the less traveled (like ourselves). However, Zohar seamlessly arranged for every aspect of our vacation from beginning to end. Our entire voyage unquestionably exceeded all expectations.
CH
Experience level: first safari
Most Amazing Trip Ever perfectly planned by Journey Beyond
My wife and I spent 2 weeks in South Africa in February of this year and it was one of the most, if not THE most amazing trip we have ever taken and we can thank Journey Beyond for making it happen for us. We learned about Journey Beyond through online research and word of mouth and we started planning our trip early with them. We worked with Tanya Robinson and Annette Holtmann from Journey Beyond and we gave them a budget and a rough agenda of what we were wanting to do and see while we were in South Africa and they took it from there and put together a itinerary that was absolutely perfect. They were so easy to work with and so helpful, in the end all we had to do was show up as they had taken care of everything else. Before our trip, they conveniently mailed us a guide booklet with our detailed itinerary, with each section explained with helpful tips, all needed phone numbers for contacts and useful information about each stop we had.
We started our Trip with 2 days of Safari in Kruger National Park and we stayed in the Tinga Lodge at Lion Sands. After 2 days we relocated to the River Lodge at Lion Sands with Safaris in the Sabi Sands National Park. It was great because Journey Beyond gave us the opportunity to stay in both Lodges, which were quite different from each other but both amazing along with having the 2 different experiences of going on Safari in Kruger and Sabi Sands National Parks. Staying at Lion Sands was the perfect plan as the Staff at Lions Sands take care of every one of your needs and make it so all you have to do is relax and have a good time!
After 4 days of Safari, we flew to Capetown where Journey Beyond had planned our next 3 days of sightseeing. We had a guide arranged by Journey Beyond, Darren, who was a local and extremely knowledgeable of all the areas we saw. All of the suggestions for sights we saw were perfect! Journey Beyond even planned in a day off for us to relax on the beach and by the pool while we were in Capeteown. From Capetown, Darren drove us to the Wine Country in Franscheok where we spent the next few days eating delicious food and drinking some of the best South African wines.
From start to finish we experienced so many different adventures while we were in South Africa from Safari to Beaches to Wine Tastings. Journey Beyond made the trip so memorable for us and by FAR helped exceed our expectations. We are so thankful that we used them to plan our vacation and would highly recommend them to anyone who is looking to get the full South African experience. We hope to make it back and will certainly use them again!
IN
50-65 years of age
Amazing 14 day trip to Kenya and Tanzani - must do once in your life !
We were very happy with the professionalism as well as the overall experience on the trip. We had a guide/cook (Amos) and driver (Eddie) and a 22-seater "Boomer" all for just our family (that was us getting lucky as it was a bit early :-). With a 14 day safari where you are with the crew the whole time, there can be issues and problems, but they went out of their way to ensure we had a great time. I hit my 50th birthday and Amos organized a surprise for me right in one of the camps (this included getting a cake, balloons and even paying for all of it). We had a total of 6 game drives and on each drive, it was great. We saw the Big 5 and even the very shy leopard. They knew where to go and when - one our best viewing was a lion couple mating and we were the only game truck - generally at all animal sightings, there are many vehicles watching. They also arranged for the best possible accommodations and in each place would give us a choice. Food was also great - My wife is vegetarian and it was a challenge to keep all meals different. But Amos managed to do that. Some of the other things we wanted to highlight
1) My wife lost her gold/diamond necklace and she was pretty sure she lost it in the truck. We looked for it everywhere we couldn't and almost gave up. We told Amos that it might be in the truck and he looked for it at night and brought it to us the next morning - he found it under one of the rear seats - striking honesty.
2) On the last day, we wanted to do some Tanzanite shopping - Amos figured all of it and arranged for a cab and even came with us for it as the Boomer could not go into the business district
Debbie had warned be about being patient and that things may not always work as expected (This is Africa expression !), but our crew made sure everything worked like a charm even if things had to be improvised a little. Superb trip, Superb company.
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The best!
My travel companion and I have just returned from a trip to Tanzania which included a safari and visit to Zanzibar. I booked this adventure on line with Roy Safaris and it went off without a hitch! Our agent, Riwaida was phenomenal from start to finish. She even booked additional flights to get us across the country to Arusha where our safari began. She really went above and beyond! Our driver guide was Thomas and with 17 years experience, we couldn't have asked for a more informative, courteous and friendly person! He even made arrangements for our lodge rooms to be close to the main dining area to accommodate my travel companion who was a little older. Our Zanzibar leg of the trip was also wonderful and the beach side resort of Sandies Mapenzie Beach was fabulous!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fantastic Lion-Tastic Safari with Travel Explore Africa
This was truly the trip of a lifetime!
Touring Uganda for two weeks with Travel Explore Africa (Wilson Bisaso) is an experience I will never forget. Three days in Murchison with giraffes, lions (including a pride of seven, and finding a lioness resting under a tree after eating their fill), a pregnant hyena, Patas monkeys, and local music; Chimpanzee Habituation Experience at Kibale (12 hours of following the delightful Sebo, second in command); 3 days at Queen Elizabeth National Park, with wonderful lion sightings (including three satisfied males, lounging), a Kazinga Channel boat ride (hippos, crocodiles, elephants), and tracking chimpanzees in Kyambura Gorge (Kejojo, Brutus and Muzungu!); 2 days in Ishasha, seeing a young pride of 5 lions; Bwindi, Kisoro, and finally Lake Mburo, for beautiful zebras, fighting impalas, spotted bushbuck...wow!
Everything was just perfect: the food, the accommodation, the price, and most especially the animals! Wilson made everything run smoothly, was courteous, professional and kind (as well as funny) at all times; could spot any creature for any distance (his eyes are amazing) and navigated Uganda's difficult roads with panache! I can't recommend Travel Explore Africa and Uganda's National Parks enough!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing Ugandan Safari! Beyond Our Wildest Dreams!
I travelled with a group of 3 friends to Uganda this year - best trip of my life! With the help of Wilson Bisaso, we were able to have fantastic wildlife viewings throughout this beautiful country, including chimpanzees, gorillas, lions, elephants, hippo, buffalo, kob, topi, baboons, blue monkeys, black and white colobus, red colobus, red tailed monkey, zebra, giraffes, crocodiles, and more! Wilson was an excellent driver, making long journeys smooth and enjoyable. He was knowledgeable about animals, politics, the land, and shared a vast amount of information with us, which helped us really get a feel for the country. He introduced us to Ugandan food (delicious) and music (wonderful and joyous!). Everything was done completely professionally and within our rather restricted budget. I cannot recommend this company enough! Communications - A+! Price A+! Safari - A+++!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fantastic Ugandan safari - Best ever!
This was the most fantastic trip of our lives! My husband and I had wanted to travel to Uganda for several years, but thought it was out of our budget (especially paying for gorilla permits!). With Wilson Bisaso's help, we were able to design the perfect safari, to maximise wildlife viewing in many of Uganda's amazing parks. Wilson was an excellent driver, navigating the sometimes very bumpy Ugandan roads with ease and speed, always keeping us safe and comfortable (and because I can suffer from car-sickness, this was quite a thing!). Wilson also had the most amazing eyesight - he could spot any animal at any distance (so it seemed), and my husband and I were completely reliant on him to see many of the beautiful creatures, especially lions! Wilson was incredibly attentive, friendly, accommodating and generous, speaking to us about various cultural issues, and always keeping the conversation interesting. We certainly learned a lot on the trip. Both my husband and I were so thrilled with all we saw and did that we could barely sleep - waiting for the next day's adventure! Highlights of the trip were definitely chimpanzee tracking (Kibale), gorilla tracking (Bwindi), and seeing lions in the wild in Queen Elizabeth. We very much hope to come back soon, Wilson, and will definitely be booking with you again - we have to find that leopard!
Communications before, during and after the trip were professional and friendly at all times. The service provided was beyond expectation and at a totally reasonable price. The safari was AMAZING!
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience working with Kenya Walking Survivors!
Otieno (OT) of Kenya Walking Survivors organized a customized 13-day private tour in Kenya and Uganda for safaris and gorilla trekking. OT was very responsive and understanding of our needs and made sure all travel, park, food, and lodging arrangements were in place. He was very upfront about costs so that there were no surprises. Food and lodging were adequate and our driver-guide-cooks (Ochieng/Jacob, Martin/Sam) did their jobs superbly. While he made several changes to our itinerary, they were understandable and communicated to us. Just a caution--there was a lot of driving (unavoidable) and some activities such as the gorilla trek and pygmy village visit were physically demanding. Overall, we had a great time and highly recommend Kenya Walking Survivors for future trips.
CH
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Rwanda + Ouganda in June 2014 with Mapendano : EXCELLENT !
I contacted Mapendano a few months before the departure. They organised everything and all was perfect in the communication (answers to my questions were quick and complete).
During the trip, I visited twice the gorillas and both experiences were different and complementary.
The hotels were excellent, so was the food.
Samuel, guide / driver, couldn't possibly have been nicer or more helpful - he felt like an old friend by the end of the first week. He was perfect during the safari drives in the animals parks.
We only got little problems with the car (2 flat tires and another problem with the transmission), it was just part of the trip and the lost of time was minimal.
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I highly recommend MAPENDANO for any trip in central Africa.
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All the team members I met at the end of the trip were so friendly.
I only hope to go back soon to central Africa (Burundi ?) with Mapendano.