20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Would do it again
Everything was amazing. I came in without expectations and the team at bigtime. Within 24 hours of my inquiry I was placed on a bus with a group and had a great 3-days seeing every animal Africa could offer (aside the rhino and leopard) with a knowledgeable and funny guide\driver who answered every question with patience and had some great anecdotes from past safaris. He has sharp eyes and spotted the two lions stalking the herd of buffalo on our first sunset safari.
The next day, a full day in the park, he drove us around for 120 K's keeping the same patience and level of professionalism throughout the entire day. And that was the day we saw everything. Of course, no animal sightings are guaranteed and we were pretty lucky.
The camp had all the necessary facilities and great food and hosts. The local Maasai are friendly and happy to show you their village and home.
All up, it was a memorable Africn experience that will stay with me until I hit old age and lose my memory.
Thanks Bigtime Safaris!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Professional, Helpful and Informative
We travelled to Victoria Falls with Vayeni. Tara, who was our Vayeni representative was extremely helpful throughout the booking process, she was very informative and provided us with her own views on the various accomodation available throughout Victoria Falls. In addition she had recently visited the various accomodation so was able to provide us with a first hand account of what we could expect.
Through Tara, we booked the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge and it certainly lived up to our expectations. It is very beautiful, the rooms were spacious and very clean with all the amenities one would expect. Having breakfast whilst overlooking the watering hole, was very enjoyable as one was easily captured by the various animals coming to the watering hole.
Vayeni (Tara) also provided us with suggestions as to what to do whilst in Victoria Falls and whilst we did not book any further activities through Vayeni as we wanted to see how we felt when at the Fall, the information provided was very useful once we had arrived.
All told, Vayeni and especially Tara in this instance could not have been more helpful in ensuring we had a fantastic and very memorable time in Victoria Falls.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Recommended
It was a 6 days photography safari, our guide Fred was the best we could wish for. The weather was excellent. The entire package was very good, jeeps, hotels etc. very recommended.
CH
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent stay during my photography journey.
Excellent service, very nice stuff always there for me. Quick answers and friendly guides! I came to uganda to do photographies of mountain Gorillas and Chimps, also for the Ruwenzori mountains. I did EVERY SINGLE PICTURE i had in my mind. I DO RECOMMEND 100% AB5 Safaris! You will not be disappointed.... Thanks again to all!
Take a look at my pictures under www.thefabulousview.com Projects, "THE HILLS OF ALBARTINE"
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best touring outfit I have worked with in years of world travel
I was able to modify the standard package to make sure I was able to see what I wanted to see including add-on visits and sub-tours, thanks to the trip organizer working so closely with me. I was fortunate enough to see all of the top five animals during the safari days (but note that is rare and not promised). My add-ons included Soweto while in Johannesburg, wine country tour and Township tour in Cape Town. Cost a bit more but excellent quality for the price. Exceeded my expectations which can be a bit demanding. Wish other countries had such an entrepreneural approach to tour organizing.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic, well organised, great staff and a value for money tour.
My wife and I went on a 5 day / 4 night tour of Tanzania in March 2015. After doing alot of research online prior to leaving Australia we found that Northern Circuit Adventure covered all the same places that the other safari companies did but cost a lot less. For this reason we decided to give them a go and were certainly not disappointed.
The manager Mike was great to deal with via email prior to us leaving and was able to customise a tour based on the dates that suited us and places we wanted to go. He organised somebody to pick us up from the airport and take us to his office and then the hotel in Arusha.
Our tour itself was also even better then expected. The driver and tour guide (Elias) was extremely knowledgable and managed to spot pretty much all the animals we could hope to see. Our cook Sweetbart dished up tasty meals every night and breakfast in the morning, as well as providing plenty of laughs and conversation during our dinners etc. These guys (along with the animals of course) really did make the tour a very personalised and enjoyable experience.
We would highly recommend saving your $$$ and giving these guys a go. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
amazing tour!!!
service beyond the obvious with customized care and planning that leaves one yearning for more.
The team was so helpful and knowledgeable,Derrick lent us a listening ear that ensured the details we cared about were well inculcated into our itinerary.
IL
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Excellent
Excellent tour operator. All was handled smoothly and the service was exquisite and special, from the office staff to the great (now a friend!) guide to all the staff from the camps where we stayed. All made us feel warm and welcome. Great vacations we will never forget. Will return definitely.
NZ
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Five stars on most aspects
We chose Encompass to plan our African holiday because it was so highly recommended to us by a couple we met on another trip. We mentioned this on our first contact with Encompass. Unfortunately, they assumed that we wanted the same type of trip as our friends, when in fact we didn't even discuss the trip with the couple at all. The outcome was that we had a month in Africa that was about 2/3 of what we wanted, and 1/3 what we didn't.
We saw some amazing things, stayed at some great places, and had wonderful guides. Most everything went like clockwork. That all deserves 5 stars for the Encompass team, including their attention to my husband's health issues the night before we were to depart for Africa.
So why not 5 stars? We arrived home exhausted, having completed around 25 game drives (and having sat out about 8). We spent 16 nights in total at 5 camps, travelling mostly by safari vehicle between them . We were envious of those who were moving on to other activities and countries for non-safari adventures. Of the 30 nights in Africa, 16 were in camps, 6 were in transit, and one was a day of rest.
When we arrived home, we would have given Encompass 3 stars on this review, but instead we contacted them with our feedback. We have added one star because of the team's sincere response to and disappointment with what we expressed to them. They immediately gathered all the information we gave them along with that from the entire planning process, discussed it, and decided there were some mistakes made. We believe that they learned something from this experience, and that means a lot to us. Although everyone else gave them 5 stars, perhaps now some other couple in the future will not have the problems we experienced and they'll never get below a 5 again.
With over a month having passed since our return, we now look on our African experience in a positive light, enjoying and sharing our photos, talking about the great experiences we did have, and being very pleased with the response from the Encompass team.
We have no hesitation in recommending them to others, with the recommendation that you research Africa yourselves, read review of the places they suggest you stay, have a good understanding of what 3 days in a camp means and how many of these days you are prepared to sign up for, and finding out about all the other activities and adventures there are in Africa.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Roho Ya Chui gave us ULTIMATE safari adventure unlike No Other!!
You gave us a "True" African adventure and exceeded our expectations. Had we gone to So Africa and Botswana on the first leg of our trip, we would have been Very Disappointed that the rest couldn't match what you provided. Our only regret was that we did not stay longer. Our permanent tents were luxurious; our non-permanent tent was comfortably rustic and took us back in time. The food and staff at Every site was Excellent; we especially loved the true Botswana lunch prepared special for us by Judy at Okavango Delta. A special Thanks also to Sunny Boy at Sabi Sands.