35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Life changing!!
Had an amazing trip to see the gorillas, Barack organised everything and picked me up from my Airbnb in Kigali. He was friendly, informative and fun and the gorillas were completely amazing!! Thank you!
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Experience - exceeded expectations
When we started our search for a safari we made a list of what we needed:
-Professionalism
-A specific itinerary- 10 days making a wide loop from lake Nakuru -Maasai Mara-Serengeti -ngorongoro-amboseli starting and ending in Nairobi. I'd done a lot of research and thought this made for a nice kenya/Tanzania highlight reel
-Private vehicle and guide
-accommodations with Private ensuite bathrooms with hot water and clean, critter free accommodations with decent food
Aside from that, our requirements were minimal and we were trying to stick to a budget, so I think this puts in the solidly midrange category. I reached out to about 20 companies (i am neurotic): mr. Otieno at Kenya walking survivors was one of the first to respond with clear answers to all of my questions and a package that matched our needs perfectly. About half the companies responded with offers that didn't match my request at all; among the other half kwss was actually 10-40-% less than anything else with comparable lodge/camp quality, so it was an easy choice to book with them.
Throughout the booking process I received reliably prompt clear answers to all my questions and was provided with contact information for my driver well in advance of our arrival. We actually arrived the day before the elections and had received several state department warnings; I reached out to kwss and they provided clear reassurance with explanations and offered to allow us to postpone even though it was unnecessary - i am so glad we didn't!
Our experience on the ground was excellent and exceeded expectations. The lodging was actually significantly nicer than I expected overall: photos don't do several of the places justice. I have done medical work abroad and stayed in many pretty spare/rustic places, my husband is the picky traveler and he was very happy throughout. Even in the tented camps we had very lovely, well decorated rooms with nice en suit bathrooms, plenty of space and even turn down service with a hot water bottle. staff were universally friendly and helpful although we had one negative experience at our camp in serengeti it was related to a single employee. The food ranged from acceptable to extraordinary - packed lunches were just ok, but some of the dinners were top notch - shout out to the steak and curry at lake Nakuru sopa lodge, the entire buffet at octagon lodge. This was even more impressive given many of our meals were cooked to order and not buffet due to the high number of election-related cancellations. Also- not a single mosquito ever in any room we stayed in- key!
The game drives were amazing. We didn't have the fanciest vehicle and might've had a slightly bumpier ride than some people (we were in a pop up van in Mara and a land cruiser in Serengeti and we noticed a difference for sure) but we didn't care. Our guides were all incredibly nice, patient, relaxed and approachable. They were also all open to answering all questions- not just about the animals but about politics and life in Kenya and Tanzania. Their knowledge about animals varied and they weren't all necessarily high grade naturalists. They all could definitely identify every animal and were all agggressive about making sure we saw as much and possible were each genuinely excited for us when we spotted something unique (mating rhinos!) They really all had great attitudes and senses of humor and I'd argue that's more important for spending ten hours a day with someone. Shout out to mike and Abel our two guides in Tanzania - I have rarely gotten better vibes from two people. Mike's amazing laugh and smile seriously put us in such a good mood. When we did have a small incident at one camp he advocated for us with incredible professionalism. THE BEST!
The overall efficiency of the operation was extraordinary. We actually changed our itinerary mid trip! We originally planned on spending 4 days in Masaai Mara and 2 in amboseli (with three in Tanzania in between) but after 2 days we felt we had a full/incredible Mara experience so decided we would prefer to do 3 and 3. I emailed and asked if this was possible assuming it probably wasn't and to my surprise mr otieno responded immediately that he would be happy to make this change if it would make our trip more enjoyable.
That was really the sense I walked away with overall; that Kenya walking survivors safaris and all of its employees and affiliates genuinely wanted us to have a great experience. Friendly, professional, flexible, responsive and well-run operation. If I ever went back I'd use them again in a heartbeat. Thank you!
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best adventure ever!
Everything about Nature Travel Namibia was top notch. The itinerary was perfect - great birding and game sightings, excellent lodges and food. Nick is a world class guide who is entertaining, organized and a pro. Arranging the safari was easy from payment to pick up at the airport to travel help. I highly recommend this company to those wanting a once in a lifetime experience.
NO
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Safari
On our 7 day safari with Regional Tours in November we visited Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Serengeti and Ngorongoro national parks. Our guide Harun did a great job and we had a great safari. We saw a great number of animals. All the accomodations were excellent. The best one was in Serengeti (Kubu Kubu lodge) where we could watch wild animals right from our balcony. During the night we could hear a lion, hyennas and buffalos. An unforgettable experience.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Terrible, feel absolutely cheated. Feel they spoiled what should have been the holiday of a lifetime
Please do not use these people. I do not know if they are fraudsters or just incompetant, but we paid a premium to stay at the plush NGORONGORO farmhouse. They took a 40 % deposit 3 months in advance and the balance was paid weeks before. They said the deposit was required to sucure the rooms. On the day we arrived in Tanzania he emailed to say we had been "upgraded" to a tented lodge (we could have booked a tented lodge for $250 less per person) we didn't get the email until they had picked us up because we had no internet. Then that seemed the least of our problemsbecause 4 hours after we were supposed to start our safari we were stillsitting in Arusha high street because there was no money on the entry card for the game reserve. We started to wonder if there would be any safari at all. We thought we might be being kidnapped. We eventually started our safari at 2.30 pm instead of 8 am. Then we were taken to this tented lodge (the name of which translates to "mosquito river") instead of the luxury hotel we had paid for. we also lost another half days safari at the end because our schedule was rearranged because they had no money on the card so we had to leave early to get back to Arusha by nightfall. a total disaster and no refund. DO NOT USE THESE PEOPLE.
That said, the animals were wonderful as was our driver/guide (it wasn't his fault) who did his best to salvage his employers incompetence/bad practice.
AE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Top guide
From the start of our inquiry through finalizing the itinerary for our 8 day northern circuit safari in mid-September and all the logistics, Msangi, the owner, and Rukia, his delightful office assistant, were prompt to respond to emails and were true professionals. It was such a pleasure to meet them when we arrived in Arusha!
Little did we know that Msangi had chosen a man to guide us who, quite honestly, none of the four in our group can describe with words alone. There just aren't enough superlatives for Onema Junga. (Everyone calls him "Junga".) I'm sure all of Msangi's other guides are wonderful but do yourself a favor and juggle your trip dates if that's what it takes to make sure Junga is your guide.
This man went above and beyond in every way imaginable. From dealing with broken leaf springs in the Serengeti at night and getting us to a camp site at midnight to turning around as we were leaving Ngorongoro on our last day when reports of a rhino sighting came over the radio he was superb. Junga could have just called it a safari and headed out of the crater but he was relentless in his pursuit of our satisfaction. We got the big 5 and more.
He has an uncanny ability to anticipate what animals will be doing and putting the vehicle in the best viewing position possible. Other safari companies' guides weren't doing what Junga did and trust me, we were treated to better viewing than many others. He was also relentless in his search for animals in spite of the long hours behind the wheel. Junga did this even though it meant extra work for himself and Jamal. He would also stop to offer help to any other vehicles or guides that looked like they may need help. He struck us an overall good and trustworthy man.
Here are a couple of examples of how Junga went above and beyond. We were at a hippo pool and were enjoying the scene for quite some time when he popped the driver's hatch and announced that he was going to find us a snake. Five minutes later he announced that the game was on for us to find it with our binoculars. He described generally where it was and said its recently shed skin was nearby. We had the best time spotting this snake, a boomslang, and it was a treat. Its bright white skin being right next to it was just a great bonus. While I can't guarantee that the other safari vehicles parked near us didn't spot a snake, I highly doubt it.
He brought us in the "back entrance" to Lake Manyara which was absolutely the right call. It seemed we had one entire section of the park all to ourselves. It made for a longer day and another late arrival at camp that night but Junga really did put our interests ahead of his and Jamal's comfort.
As for Jamal, our wonderful cook, again there's good news. We had some onerous dietary restrictions and this man bent over backwards to accommodate us. I gained weight on the trip due to his huge portions of delicious food. It was simple but delicious and exactly what you'd expect on a camping trip. We even had a scratch baked cake and banana custard a couple of evenings! I was glad to have brought plenty of snacks, though, as it sometimes got be a while between meals.
Msangi went above and beyond as well. He met us at the Mvuli hotel at the end of our safari to see how things went and to say goodbye. When he learned we were going to Zanzibar for a few days he arranged for a taxi driver to pick us up at the airport and take us to our hotel. He told us that even though our safari was over, we were still his clients until we left Tanzania and to let him know if we needed anything. How gracious!
We forgot to pick up a couple of t-shirts at the Bright African office and Msangi learned this after we were on Zanzibar. Imagine our surprise when his taxi driver arrived at our hotel with the t-shirts. Msangi had them sent to Zanzibar on a flight later that day and arranged for his taxi driver to deliver them to us! Unbelievable service!
Here are a couple of helpful hints for you. Number one is tipping. I'd read many formulas for what constitutes an appropriate tip and saw one of Msangi's posts that suggested 10% of the safari price. We ultimately took the 10% as a base and increased it significantly for Junga and Jamal going north of 15% to make a nice round number. I also gave each of them our headlamps to help with future night breakdowns and tent set-ups in the dark. Last, I gave them what remained of the roll of duct tape I brought. Do yourself a favor a bring a roll along - we made good use of ours several times.
I could write a novel about the vehicle breakdowns (yes, plural) but be advised these vehicles take a beating on those roads and if you don't have at least one breakdown I'd be amazed. We saw other victims of the worst washboards you'll ever drive. Just be patient and realize that AAA does not exist in Tanzania. No complaining. Hakauna Matata. You're all in it together and you'll have a great story to tell.
If you're doing the budget camping trip like we did, be prepared for very refreshing, almost cold, showers at some campgrounds. Take sturdy sandals and expect no place to hang your towels or set your shampoo. It was also helpful to have some good sturdy sandals, like Keens, for the campgrounds in the evening. The first night I used flip flops and got a few nasty stickers in my foot that were difficult to remove. It is also a good idea to bring toilet paper as it was frequently in short supply in their bathrooms. Oh, and I saw a fairly creepy spider on/under a toilet seat so be prepared to do a toilet sweep and sit at your own risk.
I was a little nervous about the comfort of tent camping expecting to be sleeping on the ground but they provided very comfortable cots and sleeping pads with good wool blankets which I found surprisingly comfortable. I was still a bit chilly when we camped on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater so bring some warm clothes and socks if you itinerary takes you there.
Take along some type of plastic bag in case you have to relieve yourself in your tent in the night because the buffalo/lions are too near to risk going to the restroom. Better to go in your tent than die by buffalo.
Get the best binoculars you can, they will make the animal viewing even more spectacular. We rented Swarovskis from optics4rent.com - Todd, the owner, is great. When Junga first saw them, he immediately told me they were the best. No kidding! We were all amazed and trust me, when your Rhino and her baby are 400 yards away or you can count the whiskers on the leopard in the tree you'll be glad you brought them.
The Mvuli hotel has basic clean rooms - it's not a Hilton but you're not paying Hilton prices. It's really off the beaten path at the end of a very bumpy dirt road. Going into town will require a taxi. The food was good. Check out your shower before you accept the room. The first night we stayed there, our shower had virtually no pressure. After our safari, I made sure we had a different room. They will also do laundry for you for a small fee and have it folded and ready by morning.
Start your safari with a trip to Arusha National Park. Do the walking safari with an armed park ranger. It's a great appetizer for what lies ahead at the crown jewels of the northern circuit. It also gives you a day to get over jet lag before you start driving long distances. If you do it at the end of your safari it won't have much of an impact.
They did not ask for additional passport photos or a copy of our passport when paying for our visa at KJO airport. Just $100. Be prepared to stand in lines for about 45 minutes.
Be careful at the roadside curio stands. They are ruthless, high pressure negotiators and we ended up paying higher prices than we found later in Zanzibar and even at the airport for the same articles. As much as I would like to support them I felt the prices were pretty outrageous.
We tried to pack light and do laundry every few days but if I were to do it over I would just pack enough clothes to get through the whole trip. Since you are sitting in the vehicle most of the time you don't really get too hot and sweaty so it's no problem to get a few days out of shirts and pants. Laundry was difficult to do in the showers and did not dry by morning causing unneeded hassle. The zipper pants were handy as the mornings were a bit cooler but as it warmed up it was easy to unzip the bottoms and convert to shorts.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very experienced and good communications.
I don't really like to write reviews for many reasons, however I feel it's fair to highlight the smooth and professional experience we had with African Travel Consultants. Sally Saidy planned our Madikwe safari and Tau Game Lodge was recommended to us since we didn't know what to expect. Everything went as was promised and we had a wonderful 3 nights stay at the lodge. We highly recommend Sally and African Travel Consultants if you are looking for a hassle free reservation service.
Malcolm Yates
Cape Town
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
High Dollar tipping required ??
Good day
It has come to our attention by a couple that has completed a tour lately with your organization that they were required to tip $20 per day to the guid and $10 each to the assistants.
Kindly advise why this is required from the tourists. I was a tour guid in RSA and this was not the norm.
Percival Fourie
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
This new safari company goes above and beyond to give you a unique and incredible experience!
This safari company exceeded all of my expectations. Brian and Chris were amazing guides going way beyond what was in the itinerary to show me local villages, peoples and unique landscapes in addition to showing me all the amazing wildlife found in QE National Park. Chris was a very knowledgeable guide and while I myself am a biologist, learned a lot from him about local wildlife and plants. Beyond that, Brian and Chris took great care of me even going so far as to take most of my pictures for me so that I was free to just focus on the experience! The driving was excellent, the food great and the accommodation superb. I would fully recommend this safari company as they are wonderful guides that will give you a really unique experience for a great price. Thanks to both Brian and Chris!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Well organised, nice accommodation and food, the safari trip is incredible!
Perfect 4-day trip to Masai Mara for my partner and I. We saw everything except the rare black rhino. Best bit was seeing a leopard climb up a tree to eat its kill. Balloon trip is well worth the extra price. Mara Sopa lodge accommodation is fantastic and not far from the park entrance. Food is fine. Obama is a very knowledgeable guide and was very accommodating to our requests. Simon responded to all my emails in a quick fashion before the trip and also called me afterwards to check how the trip went. You travel around in a 10-seater Nissan safari van with a pop-up roof. Really useful to be picked up from Nairobi hotel and dropped off at airport. I would highly recommend Wild Race Africa!