SK
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Samburu and Aberdare safaris
We had a really good guide, which made our safaris unforgettable. I think he is the best. He had a really lot of experience. For example, nobody had seen leopard in Samburu for 4 days, but he found it. There was a really good communication with this company, they prepared for us the best itinerary according to our needs. Please prepare for paying deposit which is 100% few days before safari start. They can also be flexible if there is something missing to you or you are not enjoying any of your itinerary. We should go for 2 days to Aberdares, but once we found out there is a quite dense forrest and animals are rare to see during the day on game drives, they offered us swap for hiking on Mount Kenya National Park where we see some interesting animals.
FR
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Thank you Zohar team for an Unforgettable Experience
Going on a real African safari has been on my bucket list for decades. So, when we finally decided to go ahead with it, I spent a very long time searching for the best possible travel experience contacting and comparing many different companies. Zohar stood out from day one, initially thanks to how both Jacqueline at first and later on Lilian communicated with me. I had a million questions which were always answered promptly and with a lot of patience (as I do tend to go into a lot of detail 😊). This reassured me. Lilian adapted the itinerary to our wishes and did her utmost best to stay within the budget we had fixed for this trip. For every day of the tour, she proposed a selection of lodges to choose from.
We just came back yesterday from our 12 day vacation in Tanzania. The first 6 days were fully organized by Zohar after which we spent 5 nights in Zanzibar. Upon arrival, when we stepped out of the airport our safari guide (Solomon) was there waiting for us. When we got to the car we were presented with refreshing towels and fresh fruit juice. We also received water bottles with our names on to use during the safari.
As we arrived late at night, we had scheduled to take a day to relax and leave on safari on day 2. Both Lilian and Solomon took out time to come and see us in our lodge to give more detailed information and useful tips to make our safari experience as good as possible. I was very happy to be able to meet Lilian in person after having communicated with her by email for so long.
Over the next 4 days we visited Tarangire, Manyara and Ngorongoro National Parks and we also made a cultural village visit (Mto Wa Mbu) and an authentic Masai cultural visit. Solomon was with us every step of the way. He is extremely knowledgeable about nature, animals, local culture and was able to spot the wild life from miles away. He is also a very good and safe driver. We were truly impressed.
Our first game drive (Tarangire) happened to be on my birthday. I never mentioned this but somehow when we arrived at our lodge late afternoon, there was an ice bucket with a bottle of champagne with my name on the label and a card from Zoha waiting for me in our room. As if that was not enough, I also received a birthday cake + sing and dance after dinner by the staff of the lodge.
All along the 6 days Lilian and her team stayed in touch with us through a WhatsApp group that she created a few weeks before our departure. Before our departure Rachel was in touch with us through the group to share valuable tips on what to know and pack for the trip.
We spent our last night not too far from the airport to catch an early flight to Zanzibar the following morning. I really appreciate that Lilian took out time (on a Sunday) to come on see us personally to say goodbye even though she just returned from a very long drive and was really tired.
Conclusion: I never experienced this level of customer service and personal attention anywhere in my life. I have travelled a lot over the years (personal and professional) so I am quite qualified to compare. We will book with Zohar again for sure and I advise anybody reading this review to do the same, you will not regret it.
BE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing experience, 100% service oriented
The service provided by the people from Shammah Wonders is out of this world. I've been to many hotels and restaurants in Western countries, including 5 star superior hotels and Michelin star restaurants, and let me tell you that Shammah Wonders' service level is definitely up there with the best of the best for a fraction of the price.
We had a private safari, which actually was private from the beginning until the end. I double checked with Justine whether this was actually a private safari, because I received similar offers from other companies where it was a shared safari. Shammah Wonders had by far the best offer I received. I don't know how they do it, but somehow they have the best price, the best guides, the best hotel and a fully private safari. I'm not complaining. :-)
Our Safari guide Eli and the trainee Tiko were very knowledgeable about the animals and the park. They made sure we had a good combination of chasing through the park towards something that was spotted by other guides (e.g. lions hunting a giraffe), and being by ourselves in wide open spaces full of animals. The bush walk led by Simba was an unforgettable experience as well.
Some noteworthy highlights:
- We even joined Eli after hours to the local bar, where we danced with the local people
- My girlfriend was sick during the airplane ride back (not at all the fault of Shammah Wonders of course), and the Shammah Wonders taxi driver patiently waited for almost 90 minutes before we drove off to the hotel
- We got a free upgrade to an amazing room in a nearby camp
Don't even bother comparing this to other safari companies, you've found the best one. ;-)
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent service in the Pearl of Africa
Had an outstanding 3 day mountain gorilla trek. Our tour guide Joseph gave us an amazing experience. Will definitely be booking with them again.
IN
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Budget tour
11-18 Aug (8 day Adventure budget group sharing tour)
Owner Mr Richard is available to troubleshoot problems. Hospitality was ok.
Pricing - Budget, reasonable (cutting corners is visible)
Travel - Very bad. They changed vehicles and drivers everyday. The condition of vehicles was very old and shattered. Great to get bodyaches.
The drivers were not punctual. On 1st day masai Mara we got only 90 min of Safari. 2nd day driver started 1 hour late and exited the park 2 hrs early. The drivers took park entry tickets but never showed us. The way they did it, seemed fishy.
Stay
Masai Mara - Lenchada tents - stay is ok, food is ok
Nakuru - Hotel Hill Court- very good
Naivasha - Hotel Leisure Apex - Good
Amboseli - Nyati Safari camp - Very good
Despite assuring water on all 8 days, they provided water only on day1 and 2. We had to buy over priced water from the accommodation premises.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
We had an epic week observing so many animals!
We had such a wonderful week seeing so much variety. We saw all the big 5 plus so many other animals including young animals! I was happy to get to see some animals up close! Great communication from our driver Francis and we learned a ton from him! For a budget tour, my expectations were blown out of the water! Schedule was very punctual and that was appreciated. Our guide was very accommodating to our requests, for example a different drop off after the tour. Thank you Francis and jocky tour for everything!
SG
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Well-organised, friendly and professional
I booked a 3-day Bwindi Gorilla tour at the very last minute, on the evening before the trip departure from Kampala.
Kawlaw was super efficient and organised the permits, accomodation, driver etc within a couple of hours. All communication was done via WhatsApp.
Payment had to be made online as their office was already closed for the day. I was hesitant to make online payment via a payment gateway I wasn’t familiar with. However, Kawlaw made an effort to meet up with me to explain about the payment gateway, and it was reassuring to be able to put a face to the name.
Edie, the driver/guide, assigned to us was easy-going and knowledgeable. We enjoyed our time with him.
The entire trip went smoothly with no hiccups, which left us able to enjoy the experience with no worries.
CN
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Regular company, excellent service
The price and itinerary of the travel agency are very reasonable. I participated in a seven-day trip and a four-day trip here. All the staff are very polite, especially Daisy, who has a very good service attitude and always responds promptly. She also gave us two free airport pick-up services. Next time I come to Kenya for vacation, I will still choose this company.
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65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
This felt a genuine experience to ‘peek behind the curtains and see the real Africa
We arranged a trip to visit a local mho stead and meet the extended family living there. Harrison, our tour guide was very hospitable and took us on a very interesting tour through the township neighbourhood in which he lived and then into a more remote area to the homestead. He had a good relationship with the family and helped the visit, tour of their property and conversation along. A very revealing experience to western eyes and one which we will remember
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
He was very nice, and helpful.
Phillip was our tour operator. He was very nice and accomodating when our plans changed. He gave us the right amount of information without hounding us with information. Sometimes it’s better just to enjoy the moment being in a beautiful place like Namibia.
He did give us lots of insight amount the people, and places within the country. He was always making sure we were well taken care of.
We had two other tour guides join us briefly during the trip and they were both very friendly.
Emilia was our tour organiser, and she did a wonderful job of keeping us updated and helping us organise additions and changes to the trip.
The company seems small but very well organised. I wouldn’t hesitate to book with them again.