NL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
One-week photo safari/workshop in Mfuwe/South Luangwa
I spent a week in the Mfuwe area of South Luangwa under the wings of lodge owner/bushguide and wildlife photographer Peter Geraerdts of Track and Trail River Camp.
The Camp is located on the other bank of the Luangwa, just outside the Park's Mfuwe gate.
We stuck to a 'first in, last out' policy: arriving at the gate for our morning drives just before six, and trying to leave the Park at 8pm sharp. Regime was strict: morning drive until 10:00-10:30, early lunch, and afternoon/evening drive from 15:30 or 16:00 through 20:00, followed by dinner around 20:30.
I've been around SA, Namibia, Kenya and Uganda, but Zambia was a first-time visit. A few (online) friends had recommmended South Luangwa, time to find out for myself!
It's a long trip (Amsterdam-Nairobi, Nairobi-Lusaka, couple of hours off to a hotel then Lusaka-Mfuwe), but worth it. Door-to-door is probably just under a full day, but the lack of time difference cuts out jetlag at least...
Transfer from Mfuwe to the Lodge was a painless <40m exercise, over remarkably good (tarred) roads. The Lodge/Camp is situated right on the bank of the Luangwa, with pool/gym/massage/spa facilities, as well as a bar, restaurant and small library.
I was assigned a spacious thatched chalet with a comfy double bed, large bathroom and safety features for both my valuables/documents (small safe) and my photo gear (a padlocked strongbox). Food was good to excellent, with 3-course lunches and dinners every day. Good pastry as well, with always a slice of something waiting for me at tea time. The Camp feature daily laundry service, and had reasonable wifi coverage in the bar/restaurant area.
My goal for this trip was twofold: a week-long safari in a park and country yet unknown to me, as well as improving my wildlife photography skills. Peter proved to be the ideal host: his fauna and flora knowledge is remarkable and perhaps even better than some of the native guides I worked with, and he's a skilled and patient photography teacher.
Our safari vehicle was not your regular open 4X4: it was heavily modified for the (pro) wildlife photographer... The rear section of the car features heavy steel swivel arms with beanbags and ballhead mounting space on the sides, supplemented with more beanbags in front and at the back. This effectively gave me a 360-degree line of sight with steady support for even the longest piece of glass...
Both of my goals were met: my skills have tangibly improved, with a couple of impressing shots as evidence, and I got to sample most of South Luangwa's flora and fauna.
More on the latter: the floral diversity was impressive, ranging from monumental Baobabs to wild jasmin, from nile cabbage to the intriguing ansellia. A remarkable amount of sausage trees in the area, bearing some of the largest fruits I've seen...
The fauna is probably why most people come and visit, and I was not disappointed... Both of the big cats (with 4 leopard sightings in just two drives!), a large group of wild dogs, heaps of elephant, a small herd of buffalo, and much, much more. My timing was just right to come across fighting grazers: we saw some impressive male impala and zebra battles!
Crocs, water monitors and hippos are abundant thanks to the river, with the latter two incidentally paying a visit to the lodge. The smaller mammals were well-represented: we saw 5 species of mongoose, 'caught' both civet and genet up close, young porcupine, spotted honey badgers twice(!), and ran into the accidental shrew or shrub hare during our night drives.
I'm not a 'hardcore' birder, so haven't recorded every sighting, but we must have easily seen 100-120 different species. Ranging from raptors (bateleur, tawny, snake eagle, martial eagle, lizard buzzard, goshawk, ...) to storks (open-billed, woolly-necked, yellow-billed, marabou) to herons (my first decent shot of a squacco) to the more colourful birds like rollers, sunbirds and - especially near the river banks - bee-eaters.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Short but fun
On February 2015, we had visited Kenya for a voluntary project .It was a demanding project and it drained us. Due to that we decided to do a trip so relax our minds. We searched for a company that was giving a short tour to MasaiMara.Luckily we found KWSS and we requested for aa quote.He gave the best rates and also was flexible in dates.The driver guide was nice and also the cook.Hw really took care of our stomachs!The park was nice but would have wished to visit when migration begins.I trust I will go back to Kenya to explore the wonder.
Unforgettable honeymoon
Let me start by saying that I work in tourism and as a result I have very high expectations. From the moment I sent out my first email to 10 different tour companies, It Started in Africa exceeded my expectations! First off they were the only company to offer several different levels of accommodations according to our proposed budget. All the others offered 1 solution, and several went over the budget I had initially proposed. Joao responds to emails at lightening speed, and his patience and care in answering all of my questions was truly impressive! We couldn't be happier with our decision to tour with this company.
Our 6 day safari + Zanzibar retreat was awesome, in the truest sense of the word. We saw more animals than we ever imagined! Jackson is a great guide; you can tell he's been in the business for years because not only did he spot EVERYTHING long before other guides, but also he was the first to lend a hand when another group had a flat tire, and when yet another got stuck in the mud. Also, I love photography and really appreciated how flexible he was with getting the car in just the right viewing spot without disturbing the animals. We couldn't have been luckier with the weather too--in spite of it being the "rainy season", we had a total of 30 minutes of rain on our first day in Tarangire and never saw another drop. High grass does not inhibit game viewing in the least, and with so few cars on the road, you feel like you have parks all to yourselves. Never will I sign up for a safari in high season!!
As for lodgings, Maramboi and Ang'ata were the best! We're so happy we tried out different types of accommodations--each is so unique. Maramboi was a treat because they offered a free walking safari at sunrise. For the Serengeti we treated ourselves to the Ang'ata mobile camp and had the entire place to ourselves (well almost to ourselves; we did have to share with the hippos, hyenas, and lions we heard roaming thru camp at night!).
What else can I say? From Joao's first email, to Baraja's quick responses when we had issues with our Zanzibar flight, to Jackson's superb driving and insight, to Silvia's attention to customer care before and after our safari--we always felt like we were in great hands. You guys are the best!
ASANTE SANA It Started in Africa!!!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A fantastic experience from start to finish with the Classic Safari Company
My Wife and I wanted something different and a bit special for our Honeymoon so we decided on a Safari! After a lot of searching and googling we came across Kath Austin at the Classic Safari Company and from the start to finish delivered a fantastic experience.
Kath was very helpful and knowledgeable and provided us with a range of different options to meet our tight budget. We decided on multi stop honeymoon travelling from Cape town to Sabi Sabi Sands for Safari and then onto Zambia for the Victoria Falls.
Kath was very organised and was always available to take our calls and questions, she even came into the office out of hours to change my wifes flights (at very late notice) due to a family illness! And it is this extra mile that establishes the Classic Safari company as one you can trust.
Before leaving for our honeymoon we were provided with a fantastic booking pack containing a detailed itinerary and a summarised itinerary, including all our transfer, hotel and flight vouchers so we knew exactly where to be and when. It also included some complimentary luggage tags and shirts to get us in the safari mood which was a very nice touch!
From the moment we touched down in Cape town our transfers were smooth and friendly and the hotels were amazing.
1) In Cape town we stayed at the V&A Waterfront - very nice hotel, fantastic location overlooking table mountain with plenty of restaurants nearby.
2) In Sabi Sabi sands we stayed at the Arathusa Lodge - We booked the Luxury room which was clean, modern, spacious and extremely well decorated. The staff, rangers and food was excellent and we saw the magnificent 7 (including a wild dog hunt). It also has its own waterhole which was huge and always had activity (hippos, elephants, zebras, warthogs, impala etc
3) In Zambia we stayed at the Royal Livingstone hotel. A beautiful hotel and the rooms were amazing with great views of Victoria falls. I must say however the service received at the hotel certainly needed some work! A few times I ordered a drink a had to keep chasing them to remind them of my order!
Kath must also have made it clear during the reservations it was our honeymoon because a note and bottle of champagne was waiting for us at the V&A waterfront hotel. Thanks Kath! :)
In summary we could not have asked for better from the Classic Safari Company and the experiences we had on our honeymoon. I will therefore without hesitation recommend the Classic Safari company and Kath to all my friends and family!
Thanks Kath! :)
Geoff & Charlotte
CN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
This tour is very nice and comfortable.
This tour provides exclusive hotels which have very good outside environments. And the game drive in Masaai Mara prairies and Amboseli are excellent experiences. The driver ( guide) was very nice and was always very patient searching for wild animals for us.
US
Experience level: over 5 safaris
Customized plans for individual choices
Have had 3 South African trips with Rhino Africa. Used the same agent (S. Myburgh) each time. Every trip thoughtfully planned to my requests. Able to secure requested ranger and tracker pair. Notified when exchange rates were favorable to make final payment. Questions/requests quickly attended to via email. CC payment on line. This is a superb company.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
3 day safari that really only added up to 1 day - promised refund never came!
I booked a 3 day safari to Amboseli with Karibu Safaris. I was told I would be joining a group on their way through from the Masaai Mara and be picked up at 12.00 midday. I was not picked up until 3.30, meaning that the game drive scheduled for that afternoon did not happen as we were travelling til 9.00 that night, and eating dinner almost at 10.00. I was also promised free water and a visit to a Massai village - neither happened. The group I joined had been told they would all get a window seat in the van - my arrival meant that there were 3 in a row on our seat, and we couldn't all stand up at once to do the game viewing when we finally got out into the park for a day. It was a good day, very average lunch, accommodation VERY basic, stinking toilets, 20 mins to get hot water etc The next day after a 2 hour game drive we had to drive to the Kenya / Tanzania border to drop off some of the group. This meant me sitting in the van for 2 hours in various carparks waiting for them to be sorted over the border. Not my problem, not what I paid for. So 3 days was two days driving and the equivalent of 1 day game viewing. Arrived back into Nairobi at 2.00pm - nothing like a full day there either. I asked for a refund, was told that I would be given $50 refund, I said $60 given the free water had not eventuated either, and so was told I would get $60. I sent account details, was told that it had gone to accounts, and now - typically - am not getting any replies to my enquiries. The trip was also run by Bigtime safaris, a totally different company I was just thrown onto. I have been travelling through Africa for 15 years and this was the most disappointing trip - lied to, oversold, bored sitting waiting in carparks while others had their trip sorted out and I couldn't get mine sorted, and then to be promised in various emails a refund only to have that fall by the wayside too. DO NOT GO WITH KARIBU!
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful safari experience
We recently completed a 5 day safari with Open Africa, and it was a truly memorable experience. As other reviewers have mentioned, Anton is a great guide who has a deep knowledge of the land and wildlife, and worked tirelessly to ensure we saw everything we wanted to see (big 5 checked off!). He is experienced, friendly, and just the person you want to lead you on safari. A gorgeous sunrise with giraffes in the foreground, having breakfast amidst the incredible migrating wildebeest herd, and watching lion cubs playing in the sun were just some of the highlights of our trip. We also had guide-in-training Sam along with us, and getting to know the 2 guides and hearing their stories were highlights in themselves. Above all of that, John is extremely responsive to emails and communicated closely with us from the moment we inquired about the safari, all the way to after the trip. While we experienced one or two logistics issues while on the trip, John was quick to help resolve them afterwards in a professional manner. (Make sure to double-confirm the flights and itinerary before hand!) I would recommend Open Africa to anyone who wishes to visit Tanzania for a magical experience.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Sweetest dish on wildlife adventure
What would you do if you go to a certain country, and they serve you some dish you have never tested before? Would you reject it or try it? I was faced with the same challenge. My friendly guide Mr. henry bought some for me, and he said it was the most delicious thing he ever tested. Guess, what is was locusts .At first I said no please thank you, but he insisted and told me about the history of the Ugandan locusts. With a little confidence, I tried them out; and immediately, they became my favorite they were so sweet. My friends are next in the line, Uganda we are coming back for your locusts with my friends. Long live Uganda, long live the locusts thank your Gorilla Tour Booking Safaris.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Cultural Adventure.
To me, traveling is all about experiencing something new. I opted for something like a cultural center-a place where I culture meet. I enjoyed the stay at the cultural center because I had new experiences. That wasn’t the only thing that loved about the journey. The mountain gorillas for me where breath-taking. Really, this was an amazing journey. My friends, gorilla tour booking, thank you so much for all your care. I deeply enjoyed it.