DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The best safari we ever did.
Early March is a perfect time to go on Safari in the Serengeti. We saw a lot of animals and birds. It's a good location to see the "Big Five" and many other african animals. The guide we had was very professional and really nice, he always gave us enough time to make pictures and to enjoy the wilderness. He told us a lot about the nature and wildlife and was able to answer all of our questions. The car was in a good condition and it was enough space for all of us to enjoy the view and taking pictures. The accommodations were very good, nice people, great food and clean rooms. If we go on Safari in Tansania again, we would choose Mega Adventures for sure.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great value tour of Uganda's highlights, perfect gorilla experience and blissful Lake Bunyonyi .
This is a Ugandan led tour and its USP is the connection you get with the country through the planned itinerary and the links to local communities that Gatatu offers as part of your experience. This is a budget option that offers real value for money. The accommodation we had was very decent quality, particularly at QE National Park and the Entusi Lodge at Lake Bunyonyi which is as near to an earthly paradise as I've ever encountered. You rough it a little up in the mountains visiting a local community but the rooms there are clean and comfortable and the climate is cool and sleeping is easy. We were well fed and had no problems at all with stomach upsets! Gatatu's foresight in that department was much appreciated. Our driver Stefan was brilliant. His driving was excellent, safe and thoughtful, he was a great guide and a really enjoyable companion. Always willing to answer questions about the wildlife and all aspects of Ugandan life, especially music which is a big passion of mine ( I now have 8GB of Ugandan and other African sounds which I'm gradually working my through). The pace of the tour and its variety were spot on. Not too much but lots to keep you fascinated and delighted. The highlights for me were the cruise along the Kizenga Channel, with a dazzling variety of animals and birds, and above all an amazing encounter with the gorillas in Bwindi INP. We were exceptionally fortunate in meeting them, just the 2 of us, after only 30 minutes trekking. It was a remarkable and deeply moving experience for which I am truly grateful to Richard and his colleagues. The big surprise of the tour for me was Lake Bunyonyi, one of the most beautiful places I have ever been and which I intend to revisit soon. Finally its important to remember that Gatatu is a Ugandan business. Your money benefits local workers and businesses and helps Richard and his colleagues to support a school for poor families in in his local town of Kabale. If you want a really Ugandan experience of the wildlife and landscapes of this beautiful country Gatatu is a great choice.
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Thorough and very knowledgable
Communicating with Bernard was an absolute pleasure. We made all our bookings through the Cardboard Box Travel Shop's Interactive Map (http://map.namibian.org) and did most payments online. Bernard made all the bookings for Etosha on our behalf so we had no stress at all. Apparently it is very difficult to make National Park bookings. Highly recommended.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
My experience was amazing. The company knew exactly where we could visit for a memorable experience
The staff were courteous and the whole experience exceeded our expectations
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Nairobi National Park
We enjoyed a wonderful one-day safari at Nairobi National Park. Setting it up was easy and straight forward. We are looking forward to using Sweet Africa Safaris again in the near future.
FR
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Rachael's attention to detail was amazing!
Our safari last year to the Caprivi region and also into Botswana and Victoria Falls was an absolute delight.
Rachael ensured that all details, vouchers, booking etc.. were absolutely perfect!
She even met us at the airport on arrival to ensure we were aware of visa regulations for the Botswana/Zimbabwe section of the safari.
Visitors to Namibia should be aware that it is very (too) easy to drive at high speeds on their excellent roads.
BE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Authentic Rip-off
I was promised 3 days of Walking Safari with "Camping in Comfort" in Ruaha N.Park. These "experts" didn't know that standard procedure this time of year is to close all walking trails due to high grass - so no walking. As for comfort - I had more in the army; of course the location was great and so on - it is Ruaha after all, no credit to Authentic. Food was barely OK, portions miserly. Equipment shoddy, badly maintained. You would do a lot better going fly-camping with a local company for a fraction of the price.
Bottom line : these guys are only after money, a disgrace to the safari business
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very well organized from the beginning till the end
From my very first E-Mail, Ute the Safari coordinator was really great and helpful. Any question that I had was answered within less than a day! All the information were accurat and she was very friendly and I also got the feeling she was happy for us that we were able to see the Krüger.
The trip itself was unbelieveble. Our guide Trevor made sure we were comfortable, explained everything we questioned, was very funny and just the best guy to be around. He was very experienced and well connected to other guides so whenever there were rumors of seldom annimals - we were one of the first to see it.
The lodge Laughing Waters was a great place to relax. The food was excellent and the two owners made sure we felt at home!
In total it was an unforgettable journey and trip. The organization of the trip was perfect (that coming from a German ;-)
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very suspicious
We did not travel in the end with Visit Tanzania Tours & Safaris but would like to share our experience of the booking process with them. We have been left very disappointed and frustrated after many weeks of correspondence with this operator but fortunately did not put down a deposit due to suspicions we had with regard to the way they did business.
*Having confirmed an itinerary and price with Visit Tanzania we were asked to pay a deposit. The operator confirmed reservations had been made and would be held for seven days.
*I called the accommodation and found out however there were no reservations for us.
*Visit Tanzania said that their agent in South Africa agent was working on this.
*I called the SA agent and they confirmed they had not yet made reservations!
*A week or so later Visit Tanzania confirmed the reservations had now been made and the total price.
*I questioned the total price on several occasions as it seemed too good to be true – Visit Tanzania simply said it was due to the discounts they can get with the suppliers. The price was included on several emails along with inclusions/exclusions so seemed very clear.
*Due to the previous "confusion" I confirmed with the agent in SA that reservations were in place and they told us they were.
*We returned to Visit Tanzania to pay the deposit (we were asked for 30% upfront which is not unusual). I asked what contract there was between us and for confirmation of their T&Cs as we only had email correspondence to confirm the price etc.
*Visit Tanzania sent me a very short booking form on my request (this asked for passenger details only).
*By this point, discomfort and suspicions had grown so I asked the agent in SA if we could deal directly with them.
*At this point the price Visit Tanzania had quoted was investigated - it transpired that Visit Tanzania had “forgotten” to include all items of the booking and the actual price was over double that quoted.
I do not see how an experienced operator could misquote so significantly and I find it vey negligent that the deposit was requested before reservations were in place. We are lucky we did not pay the deposit as who knows how difficult it would be to get this back (we are not proceeding with either Visit Tanzania or the agent in SA as have found a more competitive offer with a reputable operator in SA).
NL
The intentions are good but the customer experience is poor bottom line
Friendly welcome. Promising program but it proved to be not realistic because of huge travel times. First day we were completely surprised we (my 7 year old sun and I) had to travel 11 hours in the van. Domestic flights absent. Intentions are good but Uganda is a very different environment with a dramatic infrastructure. Which we were unaware of and not being informed about.
Unpleasantly surprised by having a fellow traveler whilst the booking was a private safari. Poor execution of the program. Poor planning. Poor information about travel times. Program changes possible but proved expensive. Nice selection of accomodations.