US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Easy and delightful from start to finish!
We had an amazing time on safari with Dancing Zebra! Jessica and Abdullie did a great job with the early planning stages - they were responsive to our needs and requests, plus they just seem like nice people. The itineraries are presented in an easy to understand and visually appealing way. Plus, their local connections really help with planning and pricing; they were checking in on the properties and local partners in person while we were organizing the trip, which made us confident in their recommendations. The safari itself was effortless on our end and we ended up really enjoying the itinerary they had recommended. Our vehicle, guide, and lodging were superb! Dancing Zebra checked in during the trip to make sure everything was going okay, but we really had no response other than thank you! I would definitely recommend using them for your safari.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
This company stole $2,900 USD of my money! DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!!!!
I am one of many people who trusted ISIA last year. I wired $2,900 USD to the company a year in advance. Four months before I was to leave, I received an email that my safari was being cancelled because the company was going bankrupt. The money was never returned. A group of us set up a page on Facebook. Some of the clients lost much more than I did to these dishonest operators. You can search for our stories on Facebook under 'It Started In Africa Client Group.'
Please contact me if you have any questions about what happened to me and others. I am happy to share my story with you. Please do not book with this company.
CH
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Source of Nile/Jinja, Ziwa Rhino, Murchison Falls NP, Chimps in Budongo Forrest, Shoebill in Entebbe
The communication before the Safari was very good, i dont know many with a communication like this, perfect!
At the Safari als was as it shout be with a very friendly and interested guide (Paul).
I'm shure that we will book again by Terrain Safaris!
IN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect safari with great guides!
Review
We had an unforgettable 7-days safari during our Christmas holiday. We arrived with high expectations, and left with all of them more than fulfilled. Every single one in our group of eight (of all ages; we're in our 20s, 40s, 50s and a 3 year old toddler) feel we've had an experience of a lifetime. This was also thanks to our two great guides; Miraji and Erasto. They did an excellent job by being knowledgable, finding the god spots, understanding what we needed and would enjoy, and going out of their way to give us the optimal safari experience. Thank you so much! We highly recommend Rupia Adventure, and especially their great guides Miraji and Erasto!
The Best Experience
Rupia Adventure got us up Mt Kilimanjaro, they ensured a very successful safari, and ultimately made our stay in Tanzania extremely worthwhile. The experience on the mountain is what we came for and we left as family. Our guides Julius and Noel ensured a safe and fun trek up the Marangu route. Samora our waiter, also doubled as a helper on summit day and as our photographer. Turns out he’s won some photography awards! We had plenty of food and it w as delicious our whole trip up. The vast knowledge of our guides of the flora and fauna through Kilimanjaro National Park was amazing. Our tents were set up every day before we reached camp, and we had our own private outhouse tent which was entirely unexpected. They really dragged us up the mountain when we needed it (especially on summit day) and made it a memorable experience in the best of ways.
BG
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Fabulous safari experience in Uganda - Kidepo Valley NP, Murchison Falls NP, Mabamba Swamp!
I and my travel companion just came back from 12 days safari in Uganda with Grassrootz Adventures Safaris. I have not felt sorry even for a moment that I have chosen their offer out of eight quotes from various safari outfitters based in Uganda. In most cases we have to sacrifice the least expensive offer in favor of the best experience or vice versa, but with this safari the owner of Grassrootz Adventures - Sander van Zanten just nailed it from the very first email that I have received from him. I am quite experienced with African safaris person and a keen wildlife photographer and by no means I would consider myself an easy to satisfy customer. Sander did provide for every possible request of mine, including the type of vehicle that we used - safari Land Cruiser with two rows of seats behind the guide and side windows that we could open on both rows (except the pop-up roof, of course). Every other detail and aspect of the safari were discussed in details in a very professional manner.
Excellent communication with rapid response to every email that I have sent. I do plan my safaris very carefully, but Sander managed to further improve the overall experience by optimizing the schedule and offering a better accommodation for a lower price in Kidepo Valley National Park than the one that I had originally selected.
The guide Moses did his best to satisfy our needs and even added some extra activities. He can be flexible, when possible, just talk to him when you get new ideas during the trip.
We had one day and overnight in Entebbe, full day (just one day) transfer to Kidepo Valley NP, which was a long, but very interesting drive, followed by four nights at Savannah Lodge (it is actually an excellent tented camp), located on top of a hill some 50 meters from the "gate" of the park. There isn't a real gate, at least up to this moment, neither it is manned, so no need to wait in line or do any kind of paperwork before entering the park. Very comfortable large Meru style tents with a private flushing toilet and a real shower (hot water at any time). Batteries can be recharged at any time inside the tent or at the dining area. Stunning 360 degree views to the savannah and the surrounding mountains. Great food (four course dinner) and inexpensive drinks (cold Nile Special beer is less than 2 US dollars). The park itself is nothing short of spectacular. Although the number of visitors is increasing, it is still a very wild place with stunning scenery. We did hire park rangers for most of the game drives in Kidepo Valley, some drives we did with our guide only. We also did an optional night game drive with our vehicle (plus a park ranger) and a spot light rented from Savannah Lodge. Great luck with that - young adult male and female lions, lot of buffalo, porcupine, white tailed mongoose, grey duiker and other animals. During the day game drives we saw the largest buffalo herds that I have ever seen - perhaps over 2,000 heads, leopard in a tree, lioness with a kill (young buffalo), server cat, tons of oribis and defassa waterbuk, Rotchild's giraffes, Jackson's hartebeest. Quite a lot of birds, including a martial eagle.
The other park we visited was Murchison Falls NP. Fort Murchison was an excellent option just outside the park, about 10 minutes drive to Tangi Gate. Victoria Nile upstream (to the falls) and downstream (to the delta) boat safaris were included in the price. We did see the very rare Shoe billed stork and many other birds and animals from the boat (the Shoebill on the trip to the delta). The wildlife density in Murchison Falls NP is higher than in Kidepo Valley NP and although not as wild as Kidepo, there weren't as many visitors there as in Masai Mara or Serengeti. Sometimes we would drive for two-three hours without seeing any other vehicle.
I forgot to mention, that we did the Mabamba Swamp day tour while in Entebbe where we saw the Shoebill from a short distance. The swamp itself is a very beautiful place and there are many other water birds present. Do not forget to ask Sander to include this trip to your itinerary.
My personal advice to any prospective Uganda visitor would be not waste time, just contact Grassrootz Adventures and Sander will custom- build the best itinerary according to your requirements.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best honeymoon we could have asked for!
We had the best best trip with Ken, Jared and Barack. They were so warm and welcoming, it felt like we were on a big family vacation the whole time. Everything went perfectly, the food was delicious and the trips and views were outstanding. We started in Kampala and then visited Queen Elizabeth national park, then Kisoro, then gorillas and Mt Nyiragongo, in Virunga national park, and then last but not least, Kigali. It was incredible. Ken and Jared have such a wealth of knowledge and such great banter that it made even long drives a breeze. Barack met us at the Congo border and helped get our visas and navigate Congo very easily. The Nyiragongo hike was hard but definitely worth it for the views and the awesome lava (literally looked like a boiling pot of soup made of fire), and even the food at the top!! And our last day in Kigali was so powerful and then ended with such a lovely late lunch at the pork joint. We can't thank you enough for making the start to our honeymoon so so memorable!! Can't wait for our next trip back!
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Professionalism from start to finish.
Climbing Kilimanjaro with Snow Africa Adventures was an experience that we highly recommend. As a tour operator from the USA, we often view how a tour is handled with different eyes. As this review was titled -from the pick up at the airport, to our final hugs goodbye, our experience could not have run smoother or be any better. Florent, Snow Africa's owner/operator made sure that all details were executed perfectly and his staff of guides and porters were not only professional, but they were all so enjoyable to be with, especially when they sang to us! We felt safe at all times under their care. The equipment provided for the campsite was top quality and the food served was excellent. After a successful summit, we finished our African adventure with 3 days of safari. It was an amazing journey - one that we will want to repeat again, and again! We loved it!
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Unforgettable trip adventure!
Bernard of Africa Anziza Odysseys is simple the best! From pre-planning until the last day of the trip, he was always there to help and in contact (even went out of his way to tour us around Kampala even late at night). He was easy to work with in planning our trip and had many suggestions and recommendations for us to have a unique experience. He was very organized and everything was well thought of. On our last day, despite being a LONG day, he still accommodated and prepared an excellent dinner for me and my friends at his home.
Sam, our driver and guide, was excellent as well. When I got sick during the trip, he made sure I will be alright and ready for the Gorilla Trek (the highlight of the trip!).
We can’t wait to plan our next trip with them.
Thank you again to the Bernard and his staff!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Complete fraudsters.
We paid 4 months in advance because otherwise Solaris couldn’t pay Ngorongoro Farmhouse for our accommodation (apparently). We arrived in Tanzania and had an email to say we had been ‘upgraded’ to a tent in a place called Mosquito River. We were then parked in a hot vehicle for 4 hours in the middle of Arusha because the company had no money to pay for the game parks. The vehicle had broken seats and windows and all the seatbelts were broken. Amazingly we all survived long enough to get malaria !
Many emails since and 5 months later not a dollar back for the poor accommodation (the farmhouse had a pool, electricity, food and mosquito nets), missing game drives and spending hours in a dangerous truck because the tent was nowhere the Crater !
They are crooks, stay away