20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Cheap price but overall a pretty average, stressful experience
We had a very mixed experience on our 11 day Kenya/Tanzania safari. We booked with Explore Africa Holidays but never met anyone from that company – seems to be another trading name for Baboon Budget Safaris. In Tanzania they contract out to 7 Wonders Safaris.
Pros:
- Overall we had a great time - got to all the parks we had planned and saw incredible wildlife. All the Big 5 in both Kenya and Tanzania; views of elephant families in front of Kilimanjaro a definite highlight at Amboseli!
- One of our guides in Kenya was fantastic – Isaac. He was from a different company called Jocky Safaris that we’d been handed over to for the day
- We really appreciated the opportunity to stay at Masaai-run camps in Kenya & chat with the guys working there (Miti Mingi Eco Camp & Kimana Amboseli Camp)
- In Tanzania the camps were extremely basic (more below) but on the plus side was really cool to stay right inside/very near the national parks, with visits from elephants, hyenas and zebras in the night
- Kenya/Tanzania border crossing was managed pretty smoothly, though communication could have been better. We just trusted the random people who presented themselves to us which might be stressful if travelling by yourself.
- Price is very cheap compared to other operators
Cons:
- In Kenya we had 2 different guides for the 3 parks we visited (Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru & Amboseli), plus another driver at various points. This meant changing vans every single day and a lot of time spent on logistics that often felt very disorganised. On our third day we waited 2.5 hours for our pick up to go to Lake Nakuru. We hadn’t expected to be with a different group and different guide almost every day and ended up feeling like cargo being passed around impersonally. The constant change made it hard to relax into the trip as we were never quite sure who we’d be passed to next, what our group would be like, if we were going to miss out on something we’d planned to do.
- For the third Kenyan park we were placed in a car that wasn’t a safari vehicle. The windows didn’t wind down and were tinted so it was completely unsuitable for game drives (I’m not a tall person and would have had to sit on cushions to see out! :-)) When we asked about this it was resolved and we were able to do the game drive with another company (Isaac with Jocky), which we appreciated.
- Our first guide in Kenya, Josef, didn’t volunteer any information on our first game drive and talked the group out of doing an early morning game drive in Masai Mara on the main day there. Thumbs down.
- We were told we’d be met off the bus in Arusha and dropped off at our hotel however the person (Sayid) didn’t show up. Luckily the lovely bus driver seemed familiar with 7 Wonders way of (not) doing things and dropped us at their office. There we were quickly briefed by the manager of 7 Wonders, Evelyn, who informed us of multiple changes to our itinerary including a different Arusha hotel (Stereo – absolutely fine), reversing the order of parks and a different campsite for Ngorongoro. When I asked why we hadn’t been met off the bus as arranged Evelyn dismissively said she didn’t know anything about it. Very poor first impression.
- In Tanzania we again had 2 different guides for the 3 parks we visited but much less chopping and changing. Had one of the guides for 3 days in a row, Florian.
- During the whole time with Florian we felt there was a lot of cutting corners and general lack of service/professionalism. To his credit he made sure we saw lots of amazing animals in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater and was mostly happy to answer questions when we asked. However the biggest negative for us was that he rushed through every single game drive – our group was always first back to camp (by an hour or more), a couple of times we saw male lions or elephants he told us there was no time to stop, but each time we passed through a park gate we had to wait 45-60 minutes (we could see there were no queues at the ticket offices; we suspected it was to make it seem we’d spent longer at each park than the actual allotted 24 hours). Florian and the chef Ibrahim also spent a fair amount of their free time flirting with the one single woman in our group.
- The Land Cruiser safari vehicles in Tanzania were far more comfortable that the converted Toyota vans used in Kenya, however on our second last day the safari vehicle stalled on the steep road out of Ngorongoro, we had an uncomfortable 10 minutes while Florian tried to stop it rolling backwards and get it started again. Luckily another vehicle came along and gave our group of 6 a ride to the top while Florian drove up ahead & park rangers had also arrived quickly. We imagine this is probably a common enough occurrence as the road out of Ngorongoro is very steep. Having said that, our guide didn’t seem very familiar with driving on mountain roads.
- The camps in Tanzania were not of an acceptable standard. We were fully aware we’d booked a budget safari and are not precious, but if you’ve paid for a tour we think basics like drinking water and toilet paper should be provided (or at the very least a heads up from the guide to remind everyone to stock up before leaving a town). We stayed at Jambo Lodge near Manyara, Pimbi in the Serengeti and Simba near Ngorongoro.
Couple of other pieces of info that might be helpful: in Kenya fixed camps are large canvas tents, often with a private bathroom at the back (though very basic we had decent mosquito nets in each place); in Tanzania camping is actual tents with bed rolls and sleeping bags, you are expected to help set up your own tent and the overall experience is fun. Food in Tanzania was much nicer than in Kenya (except for the lunches which were all pretty awful). Kenya/Tanzania border crossing: driven to Namanga, met at Immigration office & helped to navigate departure/entry process (very simple), directed to public bus which then drives you on to Arusha (we waited about an hour).
We hope this is useful information if you are thinking of booking with Explore Africa Holidays or Baboon Budget Safaris. Overall we had a fantastic time in terms of unbelievable wildlife but would not recommend either Kenyan safari company, and definitely wouldn’t recommend 7 Wonders. We completely understand this is a budget tour at budget prices, but for us it was still a fair amount of money to spend on 10/11 days of our trip and we felt that basic service was totally overlooked. If you can afford to spend a little more we think it’d be worth it to feel looked after, have one guide & one group for the duration of your safari, and generally be able to relax and fully enjoy the experience!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Cheap price but overall a pretty average, stressful experience
We had a very mixed experience on our 11 day Kenya/Tanzania safari. We booked with Explore Africa Holidays but never met anyone from that company – seems to be another trading name for Baboon Budget Safaris. In Tanzania they contract out to 7 Wonders Safaris.
Pros:
- Overall we had a great time - got to all the parks we had planned and saw incredible wildlife. All the Big 5 in both Kenya and Tanzania; views of elephant families in front of Kilimanjaro a definite highlight at Amboseli!
- One of our guides in Kenya was fantastic – Isaac. He was from a different company called Jocky Safaris that we’d been handed over to for the day
- We really appreciated the opportunity to stay at Masaai-run camps in Kenya & chat with the guys working there (Miti Mingi Eco Camp & Kimana Amboseli Camp)
- In Tanzania the camps were extremely basic (more below) but on the plus side was really cool to stay right inside/very near the national parks, with visits from elephants, hyenas and zebras in the night
- Kenya/Tanzania border crossing was managed pretty smoothly, though communication could have been better. We just trusted the random people who presented themselves to us which might be stressful if travelling by yourself.
- Price is very cheap compared to other operators
Cons:
- In Kenya we had 2 different guides for the 3 parks we visited (Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru & Amboseli), plus another driver at various points. This meant changing vans every single day & a lot of time spent on logistics that often felt very disorganised, sometimes chaotic. On our third day we waited 2.5 hours for our pick up to go to Lake Nakuru. We hadn’t expected to be with a different group and different guide almost every day & ended up feeling like cargo being passed around impersonally. The constant change made it hard to relax into the trip as we were never sure who we’d be passed to next, what our group would be like, if they were going to deliver or we'd miss out on something.
- For the third Kenyan park we were placed in a car that wasn’t a safari vehicle. The windows didn’t wind down and were tinted so it was completely unsuitable for game drives (I’m not a tall person and would have had to sit on cushions to see out! :-)) When we asked about this it was resolved and we were able to do the game drive with another company (Isaac with Jocky), which we appreciated.
- Our first guide in Kenya, Josef, didn’t volunteer any information on our first game drive and talked the group out of doing an early morning game drive in Masai Mara on the main day there. Thumbs down.
- We were told we’d be met off the bus in Arusha and dropped off at our hotel however the person (Sayid) didn’t show up. Luckily the lovely bus driver seemed familiar with 7 Wonders way of (not) doing things and dropped us at their office. There we were quickly briefed by the manager of 7 Wonders, Evelyn, who informed us of multiple changes to our itinerary including a different Arusha hotel (Stereo – absolutely fine), reversing the order of parks & a different campsite for Ngorongoro. When I asked why we hadn’t been met off the bus as arranged Evelyn dismissively said she didn’t know anything about it. Very poor first impression.
- In Tanzania we again had 2 different guides for the 3 parks we visited but much less chopping and changing. Had one of the guides for 3 days in a row, Florian.
- During the whole time with Florian we felt there was a lot of cutting corners and general lack of service/professionalism. To his credit he made sure we saw lots of amazing animals in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater and was mostly happy to answer questions when we asked. However the biggest negative for us was that he rushed through every single game drive – our group was always first back to camp (by an hour or more), a couple of times we saw male lions or elephants he told us there was no time to stop, but each time we passed through a park gate we had to wait 45-60 minutes (we could see there were no queues at the ticket offices; we suspected it was to make it seem we’d spent longer at each park than the actual allotted 24 hours). Florian and the chef Ibrahim also spent a fair amount of their free time flirting with the one single woman in our group.
- The Land Cruiser safari vehicles in Tanzania were far more comfortable that the converted Toyota vans used in Kenya, however on our second last day the safari vehicle stalled on the steep road out of Ngorongoro & we had an uncomfortable 10 minutes while Florian tried to stop it rolling backwards and get it started again. Luckily another vehicle came along and gave our group of 6 a ride to the top while Florian drove up ahead & park rangers had also arrived quickly. We imagine this is probably a common enough occurrence as the road out of Ngorongoro is very steep. Having said that, our guide didn’t seem very familiar with driving on mountain roads.
- The camps in Tanzania were not of an acceptable standard. We were fully aware we’d booked a budget safari and are not precious, but if you’ve paid for a tour we think basics like drinking water and toilet paper should be provided (or at the very least a heads up from the guide to remind everyone to stock up before leaving a town). We stayed at Jambo Lodge near Manyara, Pimbi in the Serengeti and Simba near Ngorongoro.
Couple of other pieces of info that might be helpful: in Kenya fixed camps are large canvas tents, often with a private bathroom at the back (though very basic we had decent mosquito nets in each place); in Tanzania camping is actual tents with bed rolls and sleeping bags, you are expected to help set up your own tent and the overall experience is fun. Food in Tanzania was much nicer than in Kenya (except for the lunches which were all pretty awful). Kenya/Tanzania crossing: you get driven to Namanga, met at Immigration office & helped to navigate the departure/entry process (very simple), directed to public bus that then drives you on to Arusha (we had to wait about an hour).
We hope this is useful information if you are thinking of booking with Explore Africa Holidays or Baboon Budget Safaris. Overall we had a fantastic time in terms of unbelievable wildlife but would not recommend either Kenyan safari company, and definitely wouldn’t recommend 7 Wonders. We completely understand this is a budget tour at budget prices, but for us it was still a fair amount of money to spend on 10/11 days of our trip and we felt that basic service was totally overlooked. If you can afford to spend a little more we think it’d be worth it to feel looked after, have one guide & one group for the duration of your safari, and generally be able to relax and fully enjoy the experience!
LT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Trully lifetime experience!!
I am experienced traveller. Uganda was my country no53 and I here has probably the best guide driver in my life. Gerard planned perfectly our time. He is very interesting person to talk, very polite and respectful person. I liked everything. Lodges were selected wisely, not to spent too much time on the road driving to national park in the morning. I felt very confident with Gerard driving even in terrible Ishasha road during all day rain.
Jesse Tom response time was perfect, same day.
I highly recommend this team to go to Uganda. Listen for them advices.
One of my best ever travels. Gorillas are the best fulfilled dream of mine.
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Tour operator excellant
Communications and everything to do with East cape 1st class
Fishing Lodge most enjoyable and would visit again.
Did not enjoy African Queen as the boat did not really go anywhere .
and the couple of hours which it did cruise in the morning clashed with
morning activity .Food and staff good but might would be better of in a lodge.
AR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great service
We had a great time during our safari in Namibia. The service was actually given by another tour operator. The driver, the car, the accolodation and specially the food were excellent! Also the people were very friendly.
LT
Review about Queen Elizabeth National Park by Rasa Muleviciene
It was all day rain, i saw very few, the road is terrible. It is my experience because of the rain.
LT
Lifetime experience at gorrilas
I went to Uganda for gorrilas and I got much more. The beauty of Bwindi forest is breth taking. I loved there everything. I spent two nights in a lodge Bakinga. Unforgetable chats in front of open fire place, we had so much fun. A small group of strangers, met for a first time in life and spent wonderfull time together laughing.
We even saw active volcano from Bakiga terrace on Kong site.
I liked chimpanze trekking as well. Very well organized. Although it is supposed low seazon in December, it was a lot people there.
My guide and driver Gerard from Lifetime safari one of best guids in my life. I am experienced traveller, Uganda was my country no. 53. Gerard is very intelligent, nice a sensitive person. We talked a lot many things. I was very confident sitting in the car next to him. One day was full day rain, we were driving Ishasha. The road because of rain became very very bad but Gerard managed it. He planned our time well with a big experience and confience. Thanks a lot Gerard and Lifetime safari company!
Female solo traveller with a good guide can manage Uganda. My advice- Take profesionals local company and you will safe your time, money. I met guys who broke the car because of terible bumpy roads driving like at home in UK, others who spent all night driving themselves to gorillas park gate, because of not having experience on planing time in Uganda. Then the most incredible experience to see gorrilas becames blurry of tiredness and disapontment.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Well organized tour and activities
Cultural Vibes Travel & Tours is great and highly recommended!
I provided the dates I would be traveling to Victoria Falls and Tongesai (Owner of Cultural Vibes) proposed accommodations and activities. What's great is that you can choose exactly what you want to do and you will receive a personalized itinerary. The payment process was seamless and I was emailed copies of the activity vouchers as confirmation.
When I arrived at my hotel, Tongesai met me and provided me with the activity vouchers. Pickup times for the activities were spot on and the activities exceeded my expectations. I even requested a last minute addition to my itinerary and Tongesai was able to make it happen!
Even after my trip was complete and a different vendor had not emailed me a video I was promised, Tongesai went out of his way to follow up with that vendor to ensure they finally delivered.
If you book a trip with Cultural Vibes Travel & Tours, you won't be disappointed.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a lifetime - excellent in every way!
Our trip to Tanzania and Zanzibar was beyond wonderful. When planning our trip, we researched companies and decided to use Viewpoint Adventure Safaris based on the fact that it was a local company. I am so glad we did. We were very fortunate to have Idrissah (Idi) as our guide, who is the director and owner of Viewpoint. It was fun to plan our trip knowing that I was talking to Idi, who was right there at his office desk in Arusha. But, another thing that was nice was that we also had a US contact.
One of the things that impresses me about Idi is the fact that he’s been a guide for 27 years and he still has the passion of a new guide. He was just as excited as we were (well…we may have been a bit more excited…LOL), to see the beautiful animals. He went to school to be a guide and has personally trained the guides who work for him. Idi knew most of the guides we crossed paths with, or they knew “of” him. His reputation certainly was excellent among his peers. There is so much to know – animals, their behaviors, their habitats, the plants, the birds, and the people working at the lodging facilities, on and on. There’s more to learn about people, which cannot be learned from a book. Idi knows people and how to work with them to be sure they get what they want from their vacation. Another thing that I must say is that Idi is a genuinely beautiful person, inside and out. We are very fortunate now, to be able to call him our friend.
Our trip was fantastic. We saw the Big Five in the first two days. I believe this is partially based on the fact that we gave ourselves time. Through Idi’s knowledge of the animal’s behaviors and his direction, we took time to wait for things to happen – such as the black rhino, of which we initially only saw a hump of his back through the grass. After being patient, that black rhino actually stood up. It was amazing. Then we barely spotted a leopard up in a tree. Because we had time to sit and wait, we got to see that unbelievably beautiful animal climb down from the tree – right in front of us. On another day, another leopard was walking through the grass, Idi parked our truck “just so”, and that guy walked over and sat down right in front of our vehicle. This was so unbelievable. I could go on and on, but just know, Idi said we needed to take “time”, we did, and we had an amazing adventure.
The accommodations throughout were perfect. The Serena Lodge at the Ngorongoro Crater was beyond beautiful – a structure laden with stone, right on the edge of the crater. The staff there was wonderful too. A tented camp is a must on this trip. It is an experience not to be missed. We spent three nights at the Tanzanian Bush Camp, and I cried when we left, as the experience and the people touched me so much, I thought this might be my last time to see them.
We had to leave Idi, which was impossibly hard since this trip was so life changing. There’s no way to say goodbye to someone who’s impacted you so. So we didn’t – we said “See you later”. We traveled to Zanzibar at the end of our game drive experience to relax on the beach for a few days. Gold Zanzibar was the most beautiful resort I’ve ever stayed at. The room was so comfortable, the food was wonderful, and the beach was beyond words.
This is a review, not a book, so I’ll just end by saying Idi and Viewpoint Adventures made this such a special trip. Genevieve in the Viewpoint office was so helpful and still emails to say “hello”. From beginning to end these people took care of us and helped us with whatever came along. When we got to the airport at the beginning of our trip, Delta had issues with the plane so we lost one day of our trip due to missed connections. Idi was right there to rebook the initial part of our accommodations and
make sure once we finally got there everything went smoothly. When we got to Zanzibar, we decided to change some local flights. Idi was right there to do that for us and make any changes we needed. Now that the trip is over, Idi’s working with us with our Travel Insurance company to recover what we lost due to the airline’s issues.
This was way more than just a trip. The experience and the people at Viewpoint Adventures will be with us forever. The guide and the peace of mind that you will be taken care of is so important in a trip like this. The other tour companies had trucks on the same roads we were on, parked in the same lots we parked in – it means something in who you choose to book with. I’m so happy we chose to book locally – and that we picked Viewpoint Adventures Safaris. I’d do it again in a hear
ES
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The best experience!
We went on a 5-day trip with Tony, spending 2 nights in Savuti and 2 in Chobe. Our experience was amazing; Tony is a great guide and very knowledgable. We saw loads of animals on each game drive, from lions to wild dogs and even a jackal chasing a baby wildebeest. The stay was also great, the tent and installations were comfortable and the food delicious. We can't wait for our next trip with Tony!