NL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Professional and helpful, Tanzanian side not very good!
We had a 11 days private Kenya and Tanzania safari. Silas is very professional and helpful. He was in his car in the carpark when we arrived. The flight arrival was delayed by one hour but after contacting him on the phone he promptly arrived to get us to our hotel.
The Kenyan part of our safari was excellent. The driver/guide Samuel is a very knowledgeble and a nice guy. But the disaster started the moment we crossed over to the Tanzanian side. We were made to pay $50 each to get the yellow fever certificates at the border. The person just took cash in Euros and filled in the yellow booklet. No vaccination was given. Upon asking for a receipt they gave some vague reasons saying that the internet was not working and that we shall get it by email, which, of course never happened. A Tanzanian driver received us and we started our Tanzanian journey to the Serengeti park. Within about one hour the left rear wheel of the rickety Toyota Land Cruiser just came off while we were driving! Luckily no one was hurt. We were in the middle of nowhere on a village road. The driver managed to change the wheel with the help of few villagers and we resumed our journey. After every 15 minutes of driving the driver had to tighten the screws of the wheel. This happened a few time. Then suddenly that newly changed wheel had a flat tyre! The driver just could not change it. He had to arrange an alternative private transport for us from the nearby village, who was kind enought to take us till the Serengeti gate. In the process we lost many hours. Ultimately we could reach our camp site after 8PM, eight hours after the border crossing!
The new Tanzanian driver gave a very unprofessional and unfriendly impression. The game drives in Serengeti and Ngorongoro crater were excellent. On our fourth night in Tanzania we were dumped in an extremely low level hotel near Lake Manyara. A very depressive place indeed. Certainly the lowest level of acommodation we had during our entire trip. The driver did not know that we needed to make a game drive in Lake Manyara National Park. There was no time for that any more. The next day we had to leave for Tangerine National park. The only solace on the Tanzanian side was that the national park game drives were really worth the trouble.
We had a sigh of relief after crossing over to Kenya without much trouble. The last two days in Kenya were very good with game drives in Amboseli, and transfer to Nairobi for our return flight home.
I requested Silas to reconsider his contract with his Tanzanian partner "Seven Wonders Safaris" in Arusha, Tanzania, which prompted him to end his contract with them. Thank God.
I hope this small review is helpful.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Martin was so kind, patient and friendly. Simply amazing!
I booked a private safari with Ongeri and told then what kind of experience I wanted and I was so happy to see I made the right choice in going with them. Cazeah was extremely understanding of what i was looking for and she helped me book the right package. She helped me with information regarding vaccines and visas, and we went through a briefing of what i could expect on the trip. She was very present and always got back to me in a timely fashion. They booked me at the spirit of masai mara, a lodge in the conservancy, and had Martin as my guide. He picked me up in Nairobi, and we drove to the Mara, stopping along the way in different towns and experiencing the country a bit. It was wonderful. Martin knew that with the private tour I wanted to stay away from crowds and loud noises and just take in being with the animals in there natural habitat, undisturbed. He would drive quietly and carefully, almost instinctively knowing when to stop for pictures or just to observe, and when to keep going. His driving was beyond amazing, we went off reading along so many different types of terrains, seeking out the animals, and throughout the entire 4 days Martin was patient with me, kept me safe and was just overall such a kind person. He really made me feel welcome and comfortable. His knowledge of the Mara and the animals and the culture are rich, and he shared many stories with me, which I appreciated. I will return to Africa, and book with Ongeri again, and specifically woth Martin as my guide again.
Thank you for giving me the memories of a lifetime!
CN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Apodiformes ahead of others
Great safari experience ever!!!
We booked an eight day Safari tour by Apodiformes. We were so lucky to have Sebastian as our guide during the whole trip I would definitely recommend and choose Sebastian again and recommend him to everyone who would come! It’s our biggest luck to have him by our side. We were amazed by his patience and superb driving skills. Thanks to his excellent performance and experience we collected the big 5 so quickly. He can drive the van with greatest skill that no one else can compare. You would not regret choosing him and we were happy and feel safe because he is trustworthy and we can rely on everyday. He had become our friend and we will miss him from now on. Apodiformes is the best
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
So much knowledge! So capable! So fun!!!❤️
Our group of 9 had wonderful safari experience from beginning to end. The guides knowledge of the animals and terrain was beyond expectation and the level of communication and caring made every day a joy. The food the lodging, and all aspects of the experience from morning to night was unforgettable and the confidence that our group had in the guides and their willingness to relate to our needs and the possibilities of our experience together will never be forgotten! I highly r commend moonlight tours
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Incredibly life-changing tour
Kind, reliable, patient, problem solving - MT Expedition we’re commensurate professionals in all aspects. Can’t recommend them enough!
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
The tour operators were very knowledgeable about the animals and very kind to their passengers .
The whole tour ( 6 days) was incredibly wonderful. We communicated in English through WhatsApp before leaving with an itinerary, they were there when scheduled and informed us each evening what we were doing the next day. The lodgings and food were beautiful and very enjoyable. We saw a lot of animals! I felt very safe and all for a very reasonable price. It was my first time in Africa and the trip of a lifetime!
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
It was a wonderful experience!
We just completed a wonderful trip with Moonlight Tours. Every aspect exceeded expectations - the animals, the expertise of the guides and their willingness to share, the food (included lunches they served during the day), and the hotels/camps where we stayed. Highly, highly recommended.
CN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
very nice and professional and good communication
we really enjoyed our 4Days stay in Victoria Falls and are very satisfied with our tour agency Exec Africa.
Our tour guide Mama G is very experienced and responsible. And our drivers are very friendly as well.
All communication and activities, from quote via email and drop off at the airport on the last day is very soomth.
Highly recommend!
CA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Extremely unorganized and I felt they didn’t provide me with the services I purchased
I booked a 10 day Kenya and Tanzania safari. I am well travelled and this is far from my first tour. Overall I found the company extremely disorganized, my first driver uninterested and rude to other guests, and that I didn’t receive the services agreed on without actively being extremely vocal to get them and some I still didn’t get at all.
There are three main reasons I leave a one star review for this company.
1) I had a morning Safari booked for Masai Mara, the night before I hear the itinerary is changed and we are no longer going there. They told me this is because the government changed the rules from 24 hour passes to 12 hour passes, I would have hopped that they could have either purchased passes on the next morning as that is what I had purchased or made it up in some other way. They seemed completely uninterested in doing either. I was in a group with many others on many different tours, none of theirs had this option, I felt like because mine was the only one with this option they decided to not do anything about this.
2) After a short morning safari at Nakuru we headed to Amboseli, however on the way we had to stop at a gas station and wait for over two hours to get an additional two members in our vehicle, this meant we got in very late that night. We later found out the 2 members we were waiting for had just started there drive late that day due to the driver. I would have hoped the company would have either let us stay in Nakuru longer or would have sent the two others in a separate car.
3) When we went for our game drive in Amboseli our driver didn’t have the correct payment options causing us to be delayed. He then asked if one of us could pay and he would pay back, he said it was $4 but turned out it was far more. The fact that this delayed us and the fact that he tried to get us to pay more than he said was very concerning. If my AMEX when through (they didn’t take AMEX) I would have been charged a lot more than I was told.
4) When I crossed the border to Tanzania I was left alone and told a bus would be there at 10:30 to pick me up, already an hour wait after I got through the border. The bus however didn’t come until around 12:30 and didn’t leave until 1:30. It is lucky I had data to communicate with them otherwise I would have been in trouble. The fact that they would never proactively communicate with me or give me accurate times was extremely frustrating.
5) Communication: this was an issue throughout the trip, you would often not know ahead of time what was happening or when to wake up, several nights I would message them throughout the day asking the plan for the next day and they would say “someone will come tell you” but no one ever would even after asking multiple times, then I would have to wake up in the middle of the night and message some more before finding out what time I had to wake up.
6) One day our whole party arrived at the hotel and the front desk told us there were no reservations for us. I never got an answer from the company as to what happened but clearly it didn’t get booked. We then had to spend a bunch of time trying to figure out where we would all stay for the night as there were not enough rooms. Through pure generosity of the other people I was on tour with they decided to all cram into one room so I could have a room as the hotel only had two left. If not we would have been in a very bad situation late at night with a company that had proven they would make you wait a long time and would not communicate well.
That all being said Juma, my driver for the Tanzania portion was phenomenal. I just can’t justify giving anything but one star based on the other factors.
Overall this was an extremely frustrating experience and I would recommend staying away from this company. Hopefully I can save someone the pain.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Exceptional
I loved every minute of my Holiday. Everything was organized to perfection! We've seen so much beauty of Uganda. I will never forget and I will certainly come back! Our guide was the best! He had so much knowledge of his country it's history and it's nature and treasure! He had so much experience with animals that we enjoyed every story he told us! We felt so secure from the start to the end. The scenery was simply breathtaking. Tracking Gorilla and schimpanzee was one of a life time experience that a person could never forget and the people of Uganda was so cheerful welcoming and organized and civilised. I can only praise this beautiful experience. Keep up the good work!
