50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
My dream safari adventure come true
I decided to go "first class" as it was my trip of a lifetime and I wanted to go to more exclusive areas not open to the hordes of general public and self drivers and dozens of land rovers surrounding a pride of lions.... I was not disappointed. I stayed at "Kings Camp" and Notten's Bush Camp". I cannot recommend those camps highly enough. (Note that Notten's Bush Camp operates by night by candle and lantern light only - which is a bold move and you have to be into that. I found it really a great idea - set up a great, classic safari vibe, exciting and romantic, but I suppose you have to be into that. You were able to recharge electronics in your room at any time)
I especially commend Paperjet Travel - who worked on giving me the exact trip I wanted - and they found camps (in the mid season granted) who would not charge extra for single occupancy. I think I exchanged 35 emails with them over time. They answered every question promptly and generously, even questions about the drought in Cape Town and the potential strike by South Africa Airways (so - they supported me beyond the call). They put me at ease with detailed and accurate information. They tweaked my itinerary several times after giving me numerous options until it was exactly what I wanted. I can't recommend Paperjet highly enough. Ask for Jason. He is THE best.
Guides were every informative, congenial, accommodating - couldn't be better
Wildlife - we saw every conceivable animal. I stayed in two different camps so that I hedged my bets on seeing all animals. That turned out to be a great choice.
Accommodation was truly first class in every aspect. The food, the set up of the camps, design and architecture, amenities, the personnel, the service; I was treated like a king
Transportation was flawless from airports and between camps. Even the drivers acted as guides. They stopped once or twice to show me animals.
I was not at any disadvantage as a result of going "mid season". Animal sightings were excellent and plentiful
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Most of safari was fantastic, but disappointined with Galloping Safari Owner, Walter Tenga.
Our family safari in Ngorogoro and Serengheti with my two young adult children ( 18 and 21) was an incredible experience. Weather, variety and quantity of game viewed, Four Seasons Serengheti Lodge, Balloon ride and our safari tour guide, Kennedy, were all outstanding and lived up to all our expecations and more! I am, however, quite disappointed in Walter Tenga, the owner of Galloping Safaris. Our hotel the first night in Arusha was changed (downgraded) from the hotel documented on our itinerary, without any advance notice of the change. Mr. Tenga described the change as a "mistake". The hotel we stayed at was nice, but not nearly as nice the one stated on our itinerary. During our return from Serengheti to Arusha on the last day, we ran into a problem with our flight. We wer e told a flat tire on our small aircraft would result in over a two hour delay of our flight. I attempted to contact Galloping Safari Tour owner, Walter Tenga, for help. I called his office and cell phone multiple times, but he never answered and I was not able to leave a message. As a result of our delay, we missed a farewell luncheon at beautiful hotel on our last day and shopping time. No alternate lunches were provided, although I had already paid for these meals in our tour package. I contacted Mr. Tenga and requested a refund for our meals, but my request was ignored. Very disappointing. Last but not least, our Galloping Safari driver who took us back to the Killimanjaro airport seemed to misunderstand our flight information. Once I reviewed our departure time with him, he drove at a dangerously high speed to get us there on time. He was stopped by the police because he was driving so fast. When we entered the airport, my kids and I were met by security personnel because of our very late arrival to board our plane. All this made for a very stressful ending to an otherwise wonderful trip.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Phenomenal experience with Trek & Hide
The team at Trek & Hide created an experience we will never forget. We did a 6 day Kilimanjaro hike and a 3 day safari. The team (from the guides to the porters to the safari guide to the drivers) were instrumental in making this trip intimate and special for my group. I cannot recommend the company more.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Value for Private Safari
Our 4 day private safari was great. We really loved our guide, Amos. He was super friendly, enthusiastic, and knowledgeable. We felt the Safari was a great value, and definitely worth every penny. We really enjoyed the Land Cruiser upgrade-I think that makes a huge difference in the comfort and overall experience.
The only thing that could have been improved is if we had spent a bit more time at Lake Nakaru our final morning. It felt a bit short. We didn’t know what to expect but found Nakaru to be very photogenic and filled with great sights.
Also Jarika Lodge in Nakaru was a bit noisy until midnight or so, as they put us on second floor right above noisy lobby and parking lot. We asked to change rooms twice but they refused. It’s also not the best location in Nakaru as there’s nothing to really do around there. But we understand this was the budget option. The food there was good and especially the waiter Ben was one of the friendliest people we encountered.
We really enjoyed Jambo Mara aside from several power outages but understand that it is hard to maintain generators in the remote area. The staff was really friendly and the food was fine.
We will definitely recommend this trip. Thanks for all your help, Magdalene!
SE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience
The guide, Dismas Alex, put a lot of effort to show us as many animals as possible. Some, like the rhinos and leopards were tricky to spot but he waited patiently and helped us finding them. He tried to show us as much as possible but did not explain too much unless we asked, then we always got very good and informative answers. He also wanted us to start a bit earlier in the mornings than other tourists around, which gave us extra time out in the parks and more opportunity to spot animals. Our cook, Vitalis, prepared a lot of great food, especially considering the camping kitchen. We had a bit smaller tents than others but it was not a big deal. Overall, we would recommend this safari trip, it was one of our best experiences.
RU
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wunderfull safari
I want to thank Bee Eater and Honey and personally Rade and our driver for pleasant journey. Everything went as planned, service and communication were fine, our 3 days safari to Serengetti and Ngorongoro were outstanding. Definitely recommend this company.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Excellent BirdingTour with Paul Kaggwa through Entebbe, Mabamba, Masindi and Murhison Falls
Paul Kaggwa provided birding and driving support for 10 days in Uganda. His communication and payment process gave confidence before we left. He looked after both of us well throughout the trip. We found 292 species in 11 days. His knowledge and the respect from all the local guides and hotels and reserves, we went to, demonstrates that he has great credibility in Uganda as a Birding Tour Guide. I would not hesitate to recommend him and perhaps go to South West Uganda next time.
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
THE SAFARI OF A LIFETIME........WITHOUT A SHADOW OF DOUBT!!
My wife and I have recently returned to the UK following a 12 Day Safari visiting Tsavo East, Tsavo West, Ambosseli, Lake Navashia and the Maasi Mara, concluding with a full day tour in Nairobi.
We booked the safari with Kenya Walking Survivors Safaris Ltd. in the early part of last year (2018). At the time we paid in full to receive the maximum discount on an already competitive price for this package.
Our reason for choosing KWSS in the first place was the value for money price quoted for a safari that had a full itinerary together with the excellent reviews from previous satisfied clients.
Then in September 2018, very poor reviews were beginning to show on their web pages and on Trip Advisor which put a lot of doubt in our minds that the company was not all what it portrayed. After a short while, KWSS issued a statement that their CEO, Mr OT. was involved in a horrific road accident and was hospitalised. It then became apparent that without Mr OT at the helm, the everyday running of the office was thrown into turmoil as there was no 'Plan B' set in place to deal with client's problems and payments to safari lodges and park fees.
We contacted the office via emails enquiring about the validity of our safari and was assured by a gentleman named Kenneth that Mr OT would sort out all the problems as soon as he recovered and was well enough to return to the office. A month passed and we contacted KWSS again for further news and confirmation that KWSS were still in the business of providing a customer service to satisfy our contract with them. By now Mr OT had made a good recovery and had now reorganized the office so as in the event of him not being able to carry out the everyday running of the office, there would be a system in place that would never again see issues with future safari bookings. Mr OT assured us that we would indeed have a 'safari of a lifetime' and not to worry.
We were travelling from Tanzania prior to our safari in Kenya and contacted Mr OT a week before to obtain joining times and briefing details. We received a prompt email setting out these details. We were picked up from our hotel on time in Nairobi and the safari commenced.
Our driver and guide, Zachary was very polite and spoke excellent English. In the field he had very good eyes and was able to spot animals that my wife and I did realise were there (African Eyes!!). His knowledge of the parks was exceptional and on two consecutive days we were treated to the 'Big Five'. We saw so many animals, it was such a joy for us as we were also both celebrating major milestones (big birthdays) in our lives and boy oh boy, what a way to celebrate!!
The programme was for the most part kept to, allowing for the long road journeys between parks. The lodges were of a very satisfactory standard as was the food throughout the 12 days.
Any doubts we may have had before leaving the UK quickly disappeared after the very first day, so to anyone who has been put off by bad reviews, please be assured that Mr OT and his company KWSS, WILL provide you with a safari that is set out on their web pages and you too will have 'the experience of a lifetime'
Thank you KWSS, thank you Mr OT, you were never in any doubt that you would provide a first class service and you kept to that promise. We wish you all the best for the future of your company and we will definitely use your services again should we return to East Africa again.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent option to organise Gorilla Tracking tours
Highly recommend them. I didn’t see them splashed all over on Google, but found them to be trustworthy and responsive. Kiganda was the person I dealt with and he coordinated everything. He managed to bring down the price of a typical 3day Gorilla Tracking tour (budget hotel stays) as per my humble request (since my budget was super limited) by changing from full board to B&B, and also instead of providing me transport, bought me tickets on executive coaches while ensuring I was dropped off and picked up always, promptly (and organised all drop-offs and pick-ups). Was worth the compromises since the main highlight was to see the gorillas! He and his colleagues were incredibly kind, hospitable and always made sure I was well-looked after. Don’t think twice - use these guys if you’re here next time!