CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful safari!
Kenya Turacos Safaris arranged for me a wonderful safari and I was fortunate to have Elijah as my African safari guide as he is well informed , very personable and made my trip highly enjoyable and educational. I am a photographer so capturing images of all the animals in this area was very important to me - and Elijah was very accommodating and knew how to find and enabled me to take incredible images that I will treasure forever. We did go before breakfast because of animals and more was coming out... killings we saw. He is very knowledgeable in birds population, and habits of the big 5 which enabled us to view and photograph incredible scenes.
I let him operate my small camera while I used my large camera so I recommend him as a second photographer also.
Wonderful experience - his sense of humor and explanations of living conditions and some history was invaluable.
I have recommended him to my photography club and all my friends who desire an epic adventure.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing memories that will stay with us forever!Thank you Safarihub!!
Thank you Safarihub for all your time and patience with planning our safari holiday. After such an amazing trip organised by you and the professional advice you gave us together with all the information we desired, we are now highly recommending you to anyone who would like to travel to Tanzania or is considering going on safari.
In passing, we were MOST impressed with everything about Team Safarihub: your 'pad'; your hospitality; and the friendly yet professional advice on offer. Last but not least we have had nothing but satisfaction, and a laugh, with you nice people. It really has been a pleasure dealing with you. We thank you for amazing memories that will stay with us forever!
Review about South Africa by John Bragg of Oregon
Going to South Africa culminated a dream that began in fourth grade geography class. Through the years I've nurtured a fascination with all things African, but especially I became enchanted by South Africa's history as the ancestral homeland of human kind, as a place of historic adventure, and courage, and strife, and an amazing rebirth at the hands of Nelson Mandela.
I began planning my trip to Africa months ahead of time and picked dates in September, which put me in South Africa after the European tourists had gone home but before the South Africans began their summer Christmas holiday season. September means taking a chance on rain now and then, but it also means low prices for food and lodging, and usually no crowds. I travelled alone. I'm a photographer by profession and enjoy travelling solo that I may practice my craft. I love travelling through wild, unknown places and having the countryside almost completely to yourself.
I flew to Johannesburg via Amsterdam, then spent several days in Kruger National Park and Sabi Sands private game reserve. I returned to Joburg for a few days more and visited Soweto, Nelson Mandela's familly home with the stone memorials, went to see Sterkfontein Cave and Maropeng, then flew to Cape Town for a few days of walkabouts, music, day bus tours, and wonderful food. I stayed in Bo Kaap. Finally I rented a car and drove the Garden Route to Hermanus, then on to Knyssna, Addo and Port Elizabeth, then back to Amsterdam and on to home.
If I start listing highlights I will have to detail the entire trip, but I will always remember: Sterkfontein Cave; Soweto and the Apartheid Museum, Kliptown/Walter Sisulu Square, and the Freedom Charter; Nelson Mandela's final home in Joburg; Cape Town, Table Mountain, the Cape of Good Hope, Cape Aghuilas, the Tsitsikamma coast, whales, the upside-down Moon, driving on the wrong side of the car on the wrong side of the road, and so much more...
Water safety: I took my cue from the locals. Most places the tap water is fine.
Food safety: I ate everything everywhere, including at street markets in Soweto, with no ill repercussions, although I avoided bush meat.
Personal safety: Be smart, keep your eyes open, do NOT leave anything in your car!!!
Remember to tip: Eighty five percent of South Africans make their living on tips for services rendered. Tips may range from a few Rands ($1US or less) for a personal service, like getting driving directions from a traffic assistant, or for fueling your car, to R200 to R300 per day for professional services (a safari guide or driver, or city day-tour guide).
I also visited Tsitstikamma National Park and Table Mountain National Park.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The trip of a lifetime!
Thank you so much Safarihub. We had an absolutely fantastic time. We were all so shocked by the beauty of Zanzibar. It was certainly the trip of a lifetime, who can forget the topaz waters and waking up to the beautiful sunrise. We miss Tanzania already.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Katavi is a place to consider for experienced safari goers who want a wilderness experience.
Katavi National Park presents a bit of a mixed bag. It is remote and therefore expensive to get to. Its remoteness does provide a better safari/bush experience but its very remoteness means fewer roads which force the few vehicles and visitors on them. But, it is a world away from the traffic in the Ngorongoro Crater and therefore will provide a truer safari experience for those seeking it.
I have some difficulty recommending Katavi for a first time safari. It is better suited to a repeat visitor who might know more of what to expect from the safari experience. We were there in August and experienced lots of tsetse flies and reports of blazing heat later in the fall. However, I do not wish to imply that all was negative. In what was our third trip to Africa that included visits to nine parks we saw the largest herds of Cape Buffalo, more Hippos and more Crocodiles in Katavi than in any park we visited. We also we fortunate to see herds Roan Antelope, wonderful Lion prides and some fantastic birding.
Much of the safari experience is dependent on the quality of the accommodations and the expertise of the guides. Chada Katavi was a first-rate camp with excellent food, hospitality and accommodations. Even if the camp Elephants were not always cooperative it was a blast to see one about 75 yards away when in the shower.
The Nomad guides were first rate. They have enormous knowledge, are pleasant and go out of there way to make the safari experience as rich as possible. The ability to go on a short walking safari was a big plus. Nomad Tanzania and Chada Katavi get the highest possible recommendations.
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Awesome - Simply Awesome
I was visiting South Africa in January and February 2014, my dream for 38 years has been to visit Africa, attend a safari and experience culture. Well, I did it all thanks to Terminal Tours. When in South Africa, I searched high and low for a tour company who was reasonably priced, ethical, professional and most of all listen to my dreams. My undertaking to find exactly what I was looking for was educational and somewhat inspiring to the fact that I did not understand the big business safari tours are in Africa, although I should have understood the business as a business. During my search for a tour operator, Terminal Tours came across my search engine and I looked into the company. Terminal Tours is a small company so I was not sure I wanted to indulge in their services, I had not what to expect and with their price ranges being lower than the majority, I was quite hesitant to enlist in their services. I emailed Terminal Tours multiple times because of their price ranges and I was not able to comprehend that some tour companies work for the love of public experience and not only to make money. During my multiple email exchanges with Terminal Tours, they were expeditious with responding, they were polite, they were to the point and most of all I was asked what I wanted in a safari, what my goal was. I told them my goal and my life long dream to meet this goal. Terminal Tours took my every word and my every dream and made it happen with a small fee as opposed to the other tour companies. I would highly recommend Terminal Tours as they gave everything we wanted and much more. When traveling on a budget you face risks of over charging, companies not forthcoming and so forth, Terminal Tours were exception with accommodation, education, sight seeing, going off the beaten track, culture and everything our group wanted to experience. Our operator was young and energetic, extremely knowledgeable and a great conversationalist. When we were ready to take on our next sight, our operator was more than happy to bring our goals and drams to reality.
I communicated with several tour operators and the majority were very strict with their itinerary and seemed to dictate what we will see and do, Terminal Tours rose above and beyond every expectation we had. Our friends flight was delayed and our tour guide sat at the airport with our group and waited several hours for our friends' flight to arrive. When the flight did not arrive after hours of waiting, our guide took us to our hotel, helped us settle in and then he went back to the airport to pick up our friend, NO CHARGE, NO COMPLAINTS, if that isn't exceptional customer service with a twist, I don't know what is. I highly highly, recommend TERMINAL TOURS for your African Safari. I am now in the process of scheduling a gorilla tour in 2015, Terminal tours is the only operator I will consider and I know they will take me to where I want to go, let me experience Africa at it's best, on my next leg of my dreams. I can't wait.
VN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very high price quality ratio operation
I have booked two daytrips with this company. For both trips I inquired only one day in advance, because they replied almost immediately this was not a problem and I could book without any problem. Both trips did not require a deposit and were very affordable, it seems like there was no extra charge for the fact that I was traveling by myself, both times I had a private tour.
Before I left I was slightly suspicious as the prices (especially for a private tour) were very low compared to the competition. This was not necessary as both trips were excellent!
The first trip was the 1 day nairobi green crater lake. The park was really nice, giraffe's, zebra's and antilopes all gathered in one place, we also saw buffalo's, eland's and warthogs. The director wanted a day out of the office so he did the trip himself, Otieno is a really nice guy and seems to have a long term vision in which he values customer experience over short term gain as he would like to build up a good reputation.
The second trip was to nairobi national park. This one was more expensive (150 dollars), but again I had a private tour and we took a van with a pop top roof. I saw zebra's, rhino's, hippo's, giraffe's, antilopes gazelles and even a lion (even though he was pretty far away). The driver, Ben, was extremely friendly and explained a lot about the different animals.
I would recommend this company to my own friends.
Knowledgeable, friendly, thorough
Elijah was our guide for one week during a trip to Kenya in 2011. He was reliable, and a very enjoyable person to get to know. He gave great attention to our safety and comfort, especially when the cape buffalo began to get territorial. He is also very knowledgeable about wildlife, in guiding clients to the best spots to see interesting animals & birds. He can identify many species of birds, as well as other types of animals. You will be in good hands with him.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Bad experience with Terminal Tours
My friend and I signed up for a 3-day Masai Mara tour with Terminal Tours (Kenya).
Terminal Tours arranged for us to stay in Rhino Camp for 2 nights, which turned out to be quite a bad experience. Firstly, the electricity was unavailable during some parts of the promised hours and hot showers (generated by wood fire) were mostly unavailable during the promised hours too.
Our driver (and guide) Sammy does not seem enthusiastic in leading the tour. He was often quiet during the game drive and only spoke when people in the tour group asked him questions. Furthermore, he seemed clueless to some of our questions, to the extent that two of the Canadians in our group sarcastically told him to "at least make up a reason to tell us when we ask you again".
Also, the apparent owner of Terminal Tours - Nelson, practices price differentiation to a huge extent. For example, people on the same tour were charged in varying amounts between USD$360 and USD400+. Hence, it might be wiser to book a tour with a tour operator that has a more transparent pricing structure. On a side note, it is intriguing that Nelson issued me with an invoice with a stated amount which is lower than the amount I had paid him and he told me that it is okay.
Lastly, do not rely on their promised free transfer service. Terminal Tours was supposed to pick my friend and I from our hotel to the bus terminal at 6:15am in the morning to catch a bus at 7am. We waited until 6:25am and no one turned up. I have explicitly mentioned to both Nelson and his assistant - Steven, the day before our departure, that the driver must before 6:15am as we needed time at the bus terminal to have our tickets confirmed. Eventually, we had to fork out money from our own pockets to pay for a taxi to the bus terminal. Nelson eventually arrived at the bus terminal himself, just before our bus departed. Ostensibly appearing apologetic, he started arguing that I have told him to send the driver to our hotel at 6:30am instead. I was totally disgusted by his actions and words.
In conclusion, I will not recommend anyone to sign up for a tour with Terminal Tours. As my friend says, it was "a ruined experience in Kenya".
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Super Tour Company, A Real African experience.
I was a little skeptical at first as there are so many tour operators and options, but I can say that after the whole tour and everything, that it was an awesome experience and I wouldn't trade my time spent for anything. In terms of the actual tour operator I can't say that there were any problems, the owners and staff were super friendly and the food (really important to me) was first class. A great job overall and I would use them again. Thanks for the Tour!