CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
First African Safari .... Absolutely Wonderful
Once the decision was made to do this grand African Safari it was with the understanding that this may be the one and only Safari therefore it had to be great and by way of custom itinerary. After much searching Mike Haines of Safari & Co. was referred via a friend of a friend. Mike sat down with us, listened to our desires and concerns, gave his views and came up with a preliminary itinerary which ended up being the final version after a few minor tweaks. Based on the time of year and our desires it was suggested the countries to visit should be Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda. The Rwandan inclusion was a personal must for the gorilla trekking experience. The itinerary was action packed with THE most beautiful lodges and locations and couldn't have been more perfect. The custom itinerary was truly the best way to go and ultimately, cost wise by no means the cheapest, but certainly the most effective for our needs. During the actual travels there were a couple of times when things came into question but in forging onwards the reasons for all became clear. During the planning stages Mike explained each lodge/location, the reasons for the suggestions and when 1 particular location was mentioned by us Mike gave a negative facial expression. When asked why the facial expression Mike was very honest in his answer and when we did see the location during our journey we remembered that expression, understood why and nodded in agreement.
As this was the 1st time on the African continent and not knowing what to expect there was much trepidation about the whole trip however everything, guides/drivers/transfers, ran so smoothly. All of this pays tribute to the fact that Mike is obviously well versed in his field, well connected with the required tour operators in Africa and understands his client's needs and desires.
Just as an aside....upon first meeting Mike we immediately liked and felt comfortable with him especially after he explained that he was a TICO member which helped to raise the comfort & confidence levels further.
Safari & Co was the right choice. If the future holds a 2nd African Safari Mike will be the 1st call.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
12 day private safari
I can't speak more highly of Chislon, Mussadiq and our guide Emmanuel from Easy Travel & Tours. I spent close to 6 months researching whom to travel with in Tanzania and eventually settled on Easy Travel. You can do what I did or simply just book with Easy Travel........trust me, you won't be disappointed.
From an extraordinarily demanding professional photographer, I cannot recommend Easy Travel more highly. You must ask for Emmanuel as your guide.........he is incredible in every way and bends over backwards to make sure he is doing everything possible to ensure your trip of a lifetime. His knowledge and passion for his country and wildlife were incredible, highlighted by when he stopped the truck in the middle of nowhere to pick up a water bottle that had been carelessly dropped by a tourist.........'that would kill an animal', he said. This action spoke volumes about the person he is and the company he works for.
We spent 1 night at Kirurumu tented camp at Lake Manyara, 3 nights at Roika Lodge in Tarangire, 2 nights at Kati Kati tented camp in central Serengeti, 4 night at Serengeti North Wilderness Camp and 2 nights at Rhotia Valley at Ngorogoro crater.
Everything was amazing, with the highlights being Kati Kati, the wilderness camp in the north and Rhotia Valley. I will post seperate reviews of the accommodation.
Save yourself the time and just book with Easy Travel! There's a reason they have 442 very good or excellent reviews.
Please contact me for further information should you need it, especially if you are a photographer needing advice.
SE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Uganda is Beautiful, Steady Safaris Limited is wonderful
We are very happy to let you know that we made the right choice of safari and travel organizer for our Uganda vacation. To choose “Steady Safaris” turned out to be the perfect choice and most satisfying since we have a special interest in the culture and nature of the country. Our expressed requests and needs of what we wanted to do and see were met in an extraordinary professional and satisfying way. “Steady Safaris Limited” have a broad knowledge and a true expertise in travel organization. Their people were extremely service minded and showed an enthusiasm beyond what could be expected. Not only did “Steady Safaris” show us the beautiful Uganda, its culture, animals and nature, just as important they also made us feel very comfortable with practical arrangements such as accommodations, transportation, nature and cultural guiding.
If you plan a trip to Uganda, and want to get the most out of it, you should undoutfully use “Steady Safaris” as your tour organizer, and we guarantee that you will get full satisfaction and unforgettable memories.
I personally was empowered from the time i spent with your team. I learnt from much as i hope you learnt from me. I hope all to see you again.
CA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great service, experience, food, price
Great service, food, experience, price. Picked me up at airport,hotel. Dropped me off. Accommodations were good. Recommended. Maasai Mara is incredible.
wonderful wildlife - quite an adventure
The safari experience was great - wonderful, incredible wildlife - 2 day Masai Mara trip (overnight camp) and half day in Nairobi National Park - saw everything we wanted to see. Peter, our driver, looked after us well and he was very skilled at both driving off road and in finding the wildlife. Minor quibble, but water and T shirt was not provided despite being specified - check with owner, Mr Otieno, very carefully what is included and not included in the price.
IT
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very old jeep
Jeep very slow, very old (20 years), that did not work well (the engine would not start). It 'a shame to have a ruined a trip so nice.
CA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic trip in the world of the lion king.
I travelled on my owned to Kenya this summer and loved it. I was paired with people my age and who had similar interests. Young, fun, smart people from all over the world. Everything was awesome, guie, food, tours. Got to see the big 5 and so much more. Got to be close to all the animals roaming freely in the Masai Mara, meet people and stay in decent places.
Logistically, it wasn't perfect, but you can roll with the situations.
Loved it and David made it really simple and was very responsive.
Highly recommend them.
A remote park
If you are in the area, it is well worth a trip to Ruma National Park. You will probably not see any large carnivores, but it is the only park where you can see Roan antelope. We saw plenty of roan antelope, topi, impala, giraffes, monkeys (vervets and baboons), some pretty birds, and zebra in the park. There is a nice camping area. You must have a four wheel drive vehicle as the roads get muddy and it's easy to get stuck. We ended up having to push our landrover out of some mud. But! We were the only people in the park, it was peaceful, there were not huge groups of landrovers surrounding the animals. For that BIG reason, I highly recommend it. It's probably great for birding as there aren't tons of loud people around! If you an get there, I highly recommend it.
This is outstanding company. Charles our safari Guide was amazing, He is well trained.
It was not easy to choose a tour Operator, I and my Husband decided to choose Snow Africa Adventures. We booked through Caroline, She was great lady. She replied our email very soon. We booked 5 days lodge safari. Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Tarangire National parks. Charles our driver guide was perfect. Wonderful knowledge for wildlife and great English. We highly recommend Snow Africa Adventures to any one thinking about safari in Tanzania.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
not well-organized and put me into cheaper hotel than what was quoted in the itinerary
I did a two-week Kenya and Tanzania safari with Kairi Tours in late Sept 2014. (My agent tour is Java Africa Safaris Ltd, but then I found out everything was arranged through Kairi Tours & Safaris Ltd. ) There were some dramas that never happened during my other international trips. When my flight arrived in Samburu, there was no driver to pick me up. The Safari Link pilot had to stay with me for more than one hour in a hot stuffy plane in a dry and windy desert-like wilderness. He was so kind not to leave me along since there were animals all around the air strip. The driver finally turned up after the pilot had to fly away and leave me with a local gun-carrying soldier. It was such a horrible wait under the sun, sweating with dust on my face. Then when I arrived in Tanzania, their tour agent in Tanzania put me into a much cheaper and much lower quality camp site instead of the lodge I booked in my itinerary. They also tried to change my activities to suit their profit without following the itinerary. So basically, every morning before the car started, there would be an argument after I was suddenly notified that I couldn't go to the place as listed in the itinerary. This experience totally spoiled my fun for my Africa safari tour. I have been asking them to provide refund for cost difference between the quoted lodge and the cheap camp site lodge. But they have kept ignoring my request. I would say if anyone making a good comment on this tour company, it would be their pure luck.