DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Outstanding driver, great food, good accommodation
We are a young couple from Germany and booked an 11-day budget safari: Samburu- Naivasha- Masai Mara- Nakuru- Amboseli- Tsavo W- Tsavo E.
We picked Terminal Tours because we found reviews convincing and the communication was very transparent and easy while the price was reasonable.
I am writing this because it is very complicated to plan a safari from home and prices are crazy.
Finally, we are very happy with the trip and would book with Terminal Tours again. We had a lot of fun with the entire crew and enjoyed some amazing game drives, although we did not see this freaking leopard!
BOOKING
The initial communication happened completely via email with Nelson. We agreed on an itinerary and agreed that we will pay in cash at arrival after the airport pick-up. We liked the transparancy, all accommodations were named so we could google them. It was very clear how the route is set up, where we have meals and when the game drives are scheduled.
After arrival, we settled the payment with Debbie.
DRIVER
Sam is awesome. He is a very experienced driver and guide. He knows his wildlife as he knows his roads (every single bump of them- and there are lots). Without him, we would have been lost and probably dead. Driving in the parks is something between a skill and an art form - which he masters very well.
Moreover, he is a great guy and easy to talk to. This sympathy is important when you hang out for 11 days.
CAR
It is the standard pop-up roof safari van that almost every company uses. It is no 4x4, but we got everywhere -on and off road. We got stuck a couple of times, but that is inevitable on a safari. Either another safari driver helped out or we got creative. The car has no wifi which turned out to be a blessing - real holiday without email access.
FOOD
Sometimes food was prepared by our chef Kyoko. The food was simply great. Unfortunately, he raised the bar for the food in the hotels. Sometimes Kyoko went back to Nairobi and we had hotel food which usually could not match the Kyoko-standard.
SAFETY
As said above, Sam knows his business. At no time, I was scared that we get into an accident (although traffic and the condition of the roads in Kenya are a nightmare) or that an animal attacks us. On the other side, I am not really in charge for the worrying part in this relationship. If there is anything to worry, it is exogenous and no one would be better to face it than Sam. On the road between Amboseli and Tsavo we were escorted by an armed man for protection.
SAMBURU
Is a very nice park that many skip because it is far away. It has a different landscape and wildlife than the following parks. We found it very worh visiting. The samburu villiage is also nice, but the clearly overcharge (do some bargaining). The accommodation was the Steto Guesthouse (this was the only unknown in the itinerary as it only said "at umoja camp" which a women's village around there). It is an African budget hotel, not great but alright.
NAIVASHA
We did a little detour to the Thompson falls. They are nice, but ain't no Niagara or Iguazú. In retrospective, we would have skipped it and taken an early morning game drive at Samburu instead.
At Lake Naivasha we only did a boat tour where we saw some birds and hippos. It is nice, but clearly not the highlight of the trip. If you like to see hippos, you have better opportunities at Mara and Amboseli. However, doing a boat tour is a welcome change to sitting in the car.
The Tapeh Guesthouse has a very nice garden and looks nice from outside. The room was not as nice, but acceptable.
MASAI MARA
Masai Mara is absolutely great for game viewing. There has been said so much about it already. It's all true, great place.
We missed the crossing of the river, because we were waiting for another herd of wildebeests to cross at another spot. We only got to see the last few of the herd. They rarely cross the river at all, you are very lucky when you see it.
The Mara Sidai camp is also an outstanding camp. The Masai there are kinda business-minded.
NAKURU
We were a little disappointed, because the lake was flooded and for this reason only few flamingos were present. Apparently, they go somewhere else then. Ask before you go. However, we saw the only two rhinos of our trip which was nice.
The golden palace is a little tacky, but nice and comfy.
AMBOSELI
Great park for seeing huge herds of huge elephants! Also the setting with Mount Kilimanjaro is awesome.
Kimana camp is a good choice. One morning an elephant was right next to our tent.
TSAVO WEST
It's very different to the other parks. It is very bushy and thus game viewing is almost impossible. We did not see rhinos, even in the fenced rhino sanctuary.
But we liked the red soil and the baobab trees. Mzima springs is nice.
The Rhino valley lodge is simply amazing. An alltime favorite. Great room, great service, AMAZING view! They have a waterhole where you can see elephants right from your room or the restaurant. They even have light at night!
TSAVO EAST
Game viewing is a little better than in Tsavo West. We had quite a good game drive with huge red elephants taking a bath, lions and cheetahs.
The Nzomeni Lion Hill Lodge is also excellent with a superb view.
After the trip, Debbie helped us in trying to resolve an issue with another driver and hosted us at her home for free.
All in all, great trip - we would do it again: Outstanding driver, great food, good accommodation. Thanks a lot!
An amazing, undescribable and exceptionally well-organised safari in North Tanzania !
We made a 11-days group safari to Northern Tanzania followed by one week in Zanzibar, with Matoke Tours from 11 till 30th of September 2014.
To resume this experience in a few words ?
An amazing, undescribable , wonderful and exceptionally well-organised trip !
Everything was perfectly arranged: a very good driver/guide Elias, comfortable and “good-memories-creating” special accommodations, unique game drives, very tasteful food and a very good 4x4 jeep.
We were very lucky during the game drives, with special thanks to our professional driver/guide Elias. We witnessed the following special situations during the safari:
· A couple of dating lions (oh yes) !
· A real catch: 4 female lions prepaired and attacked a group of buffels: they catched the little one…
· 2 fighting giraffes 5 meters away from our vehicle
· A female lion, carrying her 3 weeks old baby in her mouth, only 2 meters from our vehicle.
· 5 leopards, one crossing the “road” only 3 meters before our jeep
· A Serval Cat
· A group of elephants, enjoying themselves in a very small mudd pool a few meters away from the 4x4.
· A Rhino (although being very very far away)
· A thunderstorm on the Serengetti, early in the evening. This was an amazing show of colors from sun, rain, dust, ….
We travelled together with 2 other Belgian couples and this was a very nice experience.
We can strongly recomment Matoke Tours for travelling to Tanzania. From the beginning of our contacts and demands for information, till the end of the booking process, as well as just before departure, they were extremely well organised and replied within 24 hours (mostly within 4 hours) on all of your eventual questions. They provided honest, realistic and to the point information. If you have special requests, they take them into consideration wherever possible.
It is also good to know that in Tanzania, Matoke Tours works together with Easy Travel. Just take a look at the rating of Easy Travel on Tripadvisor: they are number 2 in safari’s in Tanzania ! In case of problems onsite, you can also trust on them.
Something very professional too was the debriefing at the end of the safari at the Easy Travel office in Arusha.
If you have plans to go on safari, don’t hesitate and get in contact with Matoke Tours !
You won’t be disappointed ….
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A superb tour operator!
The first time I have organised and booked a holiday through a tour operator not based in the UK. Following excellent reviews on Trip Advisor, I contacted Wild Wings Safris as the standard South African safari/ Cape Town tours offered a limited safari experience, or were way above our budget limit. (We being four retired ladies.) From the start, I was really impressed with the advice and speed of replies to my emails from Madi at Wild Wings.With her enthusiasm and knowledge of both Cape Town and Kruger National Park, we had the most amazing holiday - truly a holiday of a life time. Our accomodation, guides, itinery were all wonderful. I never expected that we would get to stay in Timbavati, a private reserve, next to Kruger, and drive off road into the bush to watch lions next to the vehicle, a leopard and her cub from a dry river bed and many, many more amazing experiences. Have no hesitation in using Wild Wings - I just wish they could plan all my holidays!
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Top Notch Guided Tours
Tanzania Expeditions is the only way to climb Kilimanjaro. Their custom tailored, personalized service is top notch. They exceed expectations in providing a safe, fun and successful climb to the summit. Highly recommend.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great guide, good value for money
Maturaf organised 6 nights on safari in northern Tanzania and Zanzibar for my husband and I. His correspondence before booking was professional and he was flexible in tailoring the trip to work with our schedule. The rates were very competitive and now, after having seen the accommodations and experienced the luxury of a private tour, I think Regional Tours offers great value for money. Once we had paid the deposit and before the trip, there was a noticeable lack of response/information from Maturaf. For example, we would have liked to see confirmation from each hotel/camp that our bookings had been made, and although Maturaf told us repeatedly they would be forthcoming, they never were and so we made these confirmations ourselves directly with the hotels/camps. Once we arrived in Africa, Regional Tours proved to be very reliable and everything went smoothly – although we did always wonder after the poor correspondence we had received before arrival. Our driver/guide, Didas, was very helpful in recommending when we should make a start in order to cover what we wanted to see, and it was so lovely to have the flexibility of a private tour in our own jeep. Didas was a great driver (our game drives never seemed as bumpy as what others told us to expect), amazing at spotting wildlife, and knew so much about the parks – he’s been a guide for 12 years so he knows his stuff! The accommodations that Maturaf chose were lovely as well – even the tented camp was the poshest tent I’ve ever slept in! The only slight hiccup was that we had been quoted that bottled water was included on the game drives, but were told when we started our first day that it wasn't, which left us in an awkward situation as we had no internet connection with which to confirm this with Maturaf, and led to a mild case of dehydration for my husband that first day. In the end it wasn't a big deal as water was cheap and it only cost us $10 or so for the whole trip. Overall a great trip and I would use Regional Tours again.
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wonderful - Everything was impeccable!
Our first trip to Africa held great excitement and anticipation for us. We love travel and had expected that Africa would be wonderful and once done we would happily move on to explore different parts of the world. What we never expected was that Africa would become a passion! The fact that we are looking forward to our 3rd trip in a few months is a testament to the wonders of Africa and the exceptional work of our travel specialist – Michael Haines. Had it not been for Michael Haines’ advice, we would certainly have followed the standard tours – had an acceptable experience and never returned. Thankfully, with his counsel, we opted for a more’ authentic’ experience and have never looked back. Our experiences have included Capetown’s coastline, South Africa’s world famous vineyards, the breathtaking unspoiled beauty of Botswana, Rwanda with its remarkable mountain gorillas, the magnificence of Victoria Falls and the Zambezi River and the wide open plains of Kenya.
We are value conscious travelers and Michael helped us decide where we would get the greatest value for our money – and he was right every time. We have been very, very pleased with the locations and accommodation each time. The companies Michael collaborates with are professional and have always taken outstanding care of us – whether on simple transfers or more complicated arrangements. We have never left a location feeling that we wished we had not gone or even had wished we had stayed longer (or not as long).
Finally, and perhaps just as important as our personal experiences, we have recommended Michael Haines to many of our friends in Canada and the USA. Michael Haines has organized brilliant trips for our friends – who have become mesmerized by Africa as well! This just does not happen by accident. Well designed, well organized and well executed travel looks easy but it’s not! Michael makes it look easy, makes it feels effortless and wondrous - that could not happen were it not for his expert level knowledge of the country, his commitment to his clients and his passion for introducing the wonders of Africa to others!
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
every time again and next the serengeti
I am a german visitor and it is easier to copy Pedro ...everything is true!!!!!
Michael has responsibility for his costums and was all the time helpfull to help us and organize our trip!!
Thank you
"3 day Safari Tarangire, Ngorondoro and L.Manyaraimage description
Was a great 3 days experience of our 1st Safari ever. I recomend this agency if you want to do a Safari with best price quality. The Director, Michael was very very nice since 1st contact by Safaribookings and manage a Safari on dates and places that we wont. He picked us up on Airport, leave us on Hotel that was include on price (Very nice hotel, clean and friendly) and every time he was making sure that everthing was ok with us. Then on next day our guide and motorist (Denis) picked us up on hotel and the adventure started. We learned many things about the country and animals with Denis. We stayed on a campsite out of the parks, where the managers were very friendly also. we were on fullboard meals and the cook on campsite was very good. Taragire has many Elephants, Ngorondoro is amanzing (a place to see the Big 5) and lake Manyara is also nice but we couldnt saw the tree climbing lions on that day. We loved this Safari. Next time we will go to Serengeti.
IT
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Breathtaking experience
I first contacted Enrica of South African Dream Tours in Italy last April, in view of celebrating our Silver wedding anniversary (30 September). Unfortunately the time available was so short (only 8 days!!) so reluctantly we had to drop her first proposal (Rovos Rail journey to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe).
She promptly came up with different arrangements to our fullest satisfaction: everything was up to and beyond our expectations (Victoria Falls, Panorama Route drive and game drives at Shumbalala Lodge in South Africa). Not a single minute was wasted, service, communication and organization simply perfect.
Now back home to work, but still dreaming of it...
If you want any further details, just email me
[email protected]
and I will be most pleased to reply.
Do not cry because it's over. Smile because it happened.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A really good guide and efficient pre-tour organisatiion enabled a fantastic trip.
Simon was extremely efficient with his email correspondence and help with our itinerary prior to departure. He really made organising things easy. Our guide, James, was a bonus to have and helped make our trip trouble free and very welcoming. Whilst we understand the vehicles do take a battering we felt that it was slightly under our expectations. Overcoming a hitch with an accommodation booking and an unexpected early departure on our final day didn't dampen our experiences. Very memorable trip.
GR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Best Value, Marvelous experience
We, 2 persons, had a 5 day/4night Tarangire/Serengeti/Ngorongoro Safari with Oltumure Tours & Safaris.
Robert and his team were concetrated to cover our needs and managed to exeed our expectations! Robert always responded to the emails quickly and with clarity to the emails. Further he organised everything perfect, according to our demands and needs and his expeprience.
The guide/driver -Victor, knew many things about the ecosystem in the national Parks, about the animal habits and behaviour, and this helped not only to see the all the big 5 and to spot many animals, but to observe their behaviours -lions mating, elephants taking bath, and even to witness a lion hunt and kill (lions attacked a zebra)- wich was very interesting.
Gabriel the cook is also a marvelous cook who worked very hard in order for us to have plenty of delicious meals.
Also, the agency offered one of the best prices for the tour, so actually is the best value we found for the safari!
In conclusion, I strongly recommend this travel agency!!!