DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Richard from Mukisa Safaris and his team did a perfect job. Great!
Our Uganda trip was much more beautiful than we had expected. The travel planning and accommodations (Tent Camps) were exactly as we wanted them to be. Our guide Julius and our driver Salomon were very friendly, very competent and very courteous. We had the feeling to travel with friends. Uganda is a beautiful country and the people are very friendly. We can only recommend everyone to visit Uganda and book the trip via Mukisa Safaris. Then a great holiday is safe!
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Not again in this way !
1.Vehicle:
"The vehicle was more suitable for a short-term off-road tour. Definitely not for a longer tour! Seats as in a 3rd class rail wagon – plastic cover (very suitable for sweating at outdoor temperatures at 40 °C and without air conditioning (defective from the beginning/–no armrests/-no adjustable backrests! With up to 10 hours in the vehicle you can already get problems with the intervertebral discs. We have seen the same design equipped in a different way! Furthermore, the vehicle was very under-motorized, which was very noticeable on mountainous routes! Temporarily defective freezer box! Cleanliness left a lot to be desired. I personally took the brooms in my hand! Discs were not cleaned throughout. "So there can be no question of comfortable travel here.
2.Supply
"We are proud to offer our travelers high quality, tasty and healthy meals three times a day." –Statement from Sunway Safaris in the travel text!
One of the most disappointing experiences of the trip was the supply. Unfortunately, only finished products packaged in the supermarket were purchased on a low-cost basis. (e.g. canned vegetables and canned fruit) Lots of pork products! I tried to shop with myself. It worked out sometimes. If there were fresh bread rolls instead of pre-packaged toast bread, the baker bought them and then what was not eaten was also given away. But then in the same breath bought in the supermarket cardboard packaged toast bread. Fresh fish was supposedly bought from the boat in front of our nose for us, but we haven't seen it! Repackaged marinated fish from the supermarket was served! Fresh fruit from the village farmer was basically not bought! Why always? Better supermarket products again! We did so ourselves in part. We then tried to buy some decent beef steaks/kudu or impala in private shops of the reserves. Then we realized what we wanted. It didn't help much. It is important to think more healthily and, above all, to buy higher-quality products as described above all. We have experienced and seen directly that it is possible and there is everything. It may not have been due to the costs either, since the prices were quite reasonable. Maybe everything has to go fast. "Furthermore, the great loss of time due to constant shopping in the supermarkets was not comprehensible to us! 1-1.5 hours, sometimes almost daily. If I know that long distances have to be driven, then I get my things in time and leave accordingly earlier! Conclusion: The care was like a camping holiday corresponding to a youth trip. But it shouldn't be like that. They were all adult people!
The country has so much good and, above all, tasty things to offer. We could not understand and accept this approach on the part of Sunways.
3.Itin' itinerary - Sunway Safari hasn't been able to get the organization of the Soweto tour for us! Started in Johannesburg, where the start was to take place at 6:30 a.m. We were especially rather there to accept the desired briefing in time. After more than 1, 5 hours later, the departure took place. We should feel the loss of time. • Very long journey to the 1st accommodation Zululand. Unfortunately we couldn't do anything there anymore, because we arrived very late! (The loss of time from the morning) Actually very bad, because this accommodation and surroundings was very nice. Why we had to drive around the next day again in order to get to a supermarket remains a mystery. About 1.5 hours stay at a gas station to shop in the supermarket. Again a loss of time and unusable time of our holiday. This went on almost every day! Very late breakfast and late departure to the next station. • Arriving in the direction of Kosi Bay, there was no way to do anything, as the darkness had already arrived. What a pity! E.g. kayaking was not possible. Also in the direction of Swaziland we left very late in Kosi Bay and arrived late in the accommodation despite fast border clearance. Again, no time to do anything else. Beautiful accommodation, but no use! Very nice environment. Highly recommended for follow-up tours. Again a very late departure (8:30 a.m.) the next day. •
In Maputo again late arrival! There was not much time left to see something of the city. Quick sightseeing tour with the tour bus! Then to the Hotel Cardoso which should be kept in any case! Very good level and above all a very good breakfast. We organized a taxi and drove to a restaurant on the beach! Highly recommended! We also had no concerns about any problems with locals or criminals! Even during the night tour in the area, we did not have a negative experience. (certainly it always depends on the area) We felt everything very safe and got to know very friendly people. "Take back, relax and enjoy the warm sea water and the wide white beaches. Boat tour in the Dhau, a traditional wooden sailboat of Arabic design, fishing, snorkeling, surfing or diving between paradisiacal coral reefs are also possible (own cost)". This is such a real advertising slogan! There can be no talk of relaxation and enjoyment! Boat tour with Dhau? Not a chance! Good accommodation- Yes. But nothing more. Going far too far - benefit - effort-ratio was just not right. • Again the whole route back towards Bilene. Attention! Bilene with lagoons description was not approached -First in the tour bus we were told that we would stay somewhere else! Sand dune landscape very nice! Accommodation good! Restaurant very good! But there was nothing to do with swimming! Not a calm lagoon, but very high waves in the sea! Again nothing as it was actually described! That's it with the beach tour-without swimming! Because this stretch of coast is something for surfers and anglers! You could have used the mini pool for a short time! But take on these hardships? So the disappointment took its course. In addition, my wife
because of your injury had been looking forward to the lagoon to go into the water. Joy there!
Then continue towards the South Africa border to Kruger NP. Unfortunately, without looking to the right or left, it was really snapped to reach the next destination (border) as quickly as possible. There was something to photograph on the left and right (LandscapeNative bush hut dwellers and so on. But both (driver and guide) lacked the sensitivity that could be interesting or you just didn't want to stop in some places. (Safety concerns ?– we can't imagine) " In the Kruger itself we arrived again very late in the Letaba camp (by the way the worst and smallest accommodation). It was again just a quick quick – process until the night safari! Making food (I helped yourself otherwise it would have become very tight) in the dark! Showers and go! Rest and relaxation - out of place! The next morning on to the nearest accommodation Makuwa Lodge. Driving and driving! Surely we have also seen animals! Luckily! • Arrival also late! No more activities possible! Makuwa Lodge is highly recommended and also has a decent level and very friendly operators. Last day – without the planned activities - just didn't happen-Just go back to Johannesburg!
4. Driver and Guide
Driver -JoJo: - very good attentive, safe and friendly driver-very helpful
Guide – Ferell:-- a lot of knowledge is available - not always easy to understand - should work on its exterior - partly very dirty clothing - should deal with time management. When shopping, take a more thoughtful approach and shop more health-consciously! Especially not at the time of the travelers, who then only sit around at parking spaces and petrol stations! Maybe camping is closer to him. He had already made this known in person.
Overall conclusion:
The journey wasn't the hit. For the fact that you are sitting almost only in an uncomfortable vehicle and actually have very little of the destinations reached, we would not want to do this tour again in this form. The price-performance ratio just wasn't right. Neither from the course of the tour nor from the supply. In hindsight and the current findings, a self-driving tour (even with a driver) would have been possible without hesitation. (Have hit some on the way) You would also have coped very well in terms of price! The road conditions definitely gave that away. For us, it was like a Paris-Dakar rally. Reach intermediate destinations as quickly as possible and then continue. Just to say I was there once? That was not our idea and it was not really intended and, above all, not described.
In addition, my daily help, with breakfast, packing and tidying up, didn't really help anything. The Routine has been retained! Very annoying!
SE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Dalton - the most committed driver delivered best safari (7 days)
After a few safaris in Kenya we conclude the driver/guide is key! A safari experience is difficult to predict due to things one cannot plan - such as weather, the behaviour of the animals and the health status of the traveling party. At Bigtime Safaris we had the best driver/guide - Dalton - awesome driver, knows the parks and animals, but also friendly, funny, quick and creative with solutions and very helpful! We were on a 7 day safari and every day was worth it! (even tough some days included long drives between parks)
BR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
One of the best experience on my life!!
We had one of the best experience on our lives!!
We did a 9 days trip, 2 friends and me. Mukisa Safaris picked us up at the Entebbe Intl Airport and we spent one night in the city.
We were presented to the staff, Jowana (the guide), Solomon (the driver) and Richard (the owner). They were very friendly on the welcome at the disembark.
The next day, we started our journey to a lifetime experience. First we headed to Murchisan National Park where we saw a lot of animals (those savana typical ones). The first night was on a nice lodge, but we suffered a lot with the hot weather! Be prepared if you chose a midrange package, because there is no air conditioning in the lodges!!
Then we moved to Kibale Forest National Park, where we did a chimp tracking. That was amazing, cause we could see chimpanzees walking on the ground. The Kibale Forest Camp is so cool, with tents in the middle of the trees!!!
The next stop was the Queen Elizabeth National Park where we had a incredible experience, viewing cats from so close (we saw lions and leopards). The Lodge was the Pumba Safari Cottages, with an excellent service and very friendly staff, besides the wonderful views from the terrace.
The last stop was the highlight of the trip, where we went to the Mutanda Lake area and stayed at the Mutanda Lanke Resort, a high level lodge. The gorilla tracking was done on the Bwind Impenetrable Forest National Park. We could see a large gorilla family with a short walk from the base.
The trip ended in Kigali, with a visit to the Genocide Memorial and a city tour.
I don't have words to explain the quality of the service pressed by Mukisa Safaris and all it's staff. They were very professional since the first emails exchanged with Richard months in advance, until the last minute of the trip, always concerned about the tours, the lodges and everything else. But we really had a great connection with two people who stayed all these days with us: Jowana and Solomon. Our guide Jowana she is the best guide in Uganda, for sure!! She is one of the very few female guides in the country, so everyone knows her!! She has open doors everywhere she goes, and she gets great deals and special services during the trip! She was AMAZING. Always happy, with a great smile on her face. Very experienced on explaining about the places visited, we could learn a lot about this wonderful country that is Uganda! About Solomon, he is the best drive on the country! Considering there are many tough places we drove by, with hard roads, swamps and other challenges, he was perfect. Very communicative and with a great mood, he was essential to the success of our trip!
So, the company is REALLY RECOMMENDED!!! You can be sure you will have the best experience ever!!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Professional, flexible and welcoming
From the moment i first contacted Richard he gave me great certainty and confidence that he ran a professional organisation. He was flexible with our complex itinerary and adapted and incorporated all our requests.
Once we got on the ground he handed us over to his very warm and professional guide Veronica and driver John who ensured our trip was sensational. We highly recommend them.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Falsified itinerary and absolutely unprofessional. Highly not recommended.
Their listed Itinerary is falsified. This is the actual itinerary. I made a recap on daily events with full details. Future tourists must be informed accordingly.
Pre-Tour (13/1/2020)
As per itinerary and payment deposit ($930) confirmation we will be picked up from either our hotel or airport on Day 1 of the safari to pay the remaining balance before starting the tour. We made our own plans to be in the country 2 days before our safari tour to explore the city area. We booked our own hotels and driver with plans for both days. On Monday, 13/1/2020, 2 days before the tour, we received a sudden text message asking if we were in the country yet and stating the company (Bluerange Connect) wants to send a driver to pick us up immediately. Bluerange stated that they need to bring us to their office and require us to pay the remainder of the balance $2202.55 + commission in CASH immediately in order to go ahead to our safari tour. They insisted that if we don’t pay in CASH, any credit card charges will take 2 days to post to their account and they don’t have adequate funding to pay for our entire tour without us paying up front. We informed our hotel manager and other honest local people of this sudden issue and everyone said not to fall for a scam, nothing gets done in CASH at last minute. After an hour of stressful debate, Bluerange reluctantly agree to allow us to pay the remaining balance upon our pickup on Day 1 of our tour.
Day 1 (15/1/2020) Nairobi to Samburu
We were picked up from our hotel at 7:30am to go to the office to pay the remaining balance and “briefing”. We were escorted into a small office of a few rooms and two friendly ladies staff took multiple pictures with us and asked to post on Facebook and social media. We then went into Willis Orowe’s office (managing director we were dealing with the entire time). He took a call from other non related business and casually chatted as we sat waiting to pay and be on our way. There was no rush and no courtesy on his end to help us get out of the office any sooner. After we made the payment, they gave us another copy of the same itinerary. We asked if they can quickly point out on the map as to each day’s destination point. Willis had another female staff come in who looked at the map completely confused. We said it’s ok, we can map it out ourselves. She proceeded to reading us the entire itinerary, literally word for word. Finally, we proceeded down to the safari van to leave, not before a few more ladies staff took more pictures of us in front of the van to be posted to social media. After over an hour at this office, we began our drive to Samburu around 10am with our tour guide Ken. We had found Ken through a recommendation on tripadvisor which we need to update them on the actual experience. The direct drive took almost 6 hours. We passed a view of Mt Kenya and asked how tall it is. Ken did not know and said he’ll get back to us (he never did). We were brought to KFC at 12:30pm for lunch which was very shocking as we expected local foods. We didn’t expect anything luxurious but at least good local food which would have been cheaper. After 30 minutes of lunch stop, we continued the drive and arrived at Samburu past 4pm. The game drive was basically driving from the entrance gate to the lodge check-in which was done slowly. We were excited to be in the beautiful park finally and saw an elephant, antelopes and giraffes. We arrived at the lodge at 5:45pm. Unpacked and waited for dinner at 7pm.
Day 2 (16/1/2020) Samburu
We started our morning game drive at 7am. Back at camp by 9am for breakfast. After breakfast, we walked around the little lodge to take a few pictures but we had nothing to do at all and were not allowed outside the gate. The tiny swimming pool was green colored and I would not advise going in. We sat around until lunch time at 1pm. After lunch, we tried to take a nap to kill time as we were still bored senseless. Finally 4pm we went on our afternoon game drive and returned at 7pm for dinner. Ken offered to take us to meet the Samburu people, that it would be nice to see the locals and insist that it was only 2000 shillings per person. We explained that this additional cost was never mentioned to us. We specifically asked Bluerange (Willis) about optional additional cost and received email confirmation with prices (Masai Village $10 pp, Lake Naivasha boat ride $20 pp, Hell’s Gate bicycle $5 pp). Ken insisted that everything is incorrect. He gave us specific additional costs of Samburu village $20 pp, Masai Village $20 pp, Thompson Falls $5 pp, Lake Naivasha boat ride $30 pp and Hell’s Gate bicycle $10 pp. He was unprofessional and firmly insisting that this is just a little extra cost and even questioned if we actually thought things were all inclusive. I explained that I had confirmed with Willis on what is inclusive and certainly doesn’t match what he arbitrarily gave us. We decided to skip both Samburu and Masai Village all together which Ken was certainly not happy about.
Day 3 (17/1/2020) Samburu to Lake Nakuru (6 hours drive with nothing for the day)
After breakfast, around 8am we had our game drive on the way to the gate. We were told that getting to Lake Nakuru will take 6 hours and there will be no game drive that day. Ken advised us that Lake Nakuru is very small and we will get there by evening so there is nothing to see until the next day. The drive was mostly in silence aside from the fact that Ken is on his personal cell phone multiple times per hour. We arrived at the equator around 1pm. The local gentleman did a water demonstration, afterwards offering us a paper certificate for $5 each and or tipping him. After, we had our boxed lunch from the hotel at the bench. It consisted of a very dry piece of chicken leg that caused painfully swollen gums and teeth. Also, a tiny square sandwich of two pieces of bread with mayo and a slice of cucumber, an apple, bag of chips and tiny juice box. After 30 minutes, we continued our trip. We stopped at Thompson Falls for pictures for 200 shillings ($2) per person. (Ken questioned if we wanted to skip Thompson Falls too, implying that we were being cheap since we skipped his arbitrary cost for Samburu village) Locals insisted on dragging us to their souvenir stands to buy things. After 30 minutes, we were on our way. Ken said he needed to find a bank to make a money transfer in order to access the national park tomorrow. We finally found the bank. We arrived at Wagon Wheel hotel around 5pm to check in. Ken said he’ll meet us at 7am to start the drive and left us for the night. We had dinner at 7:30pm at the local restaurant downstairs the hotel, local food was delicious.
Day 4 (18/1/2020) Lake Nakuru to Masai Mara
After breakfast at Wagon Wheel Hotel, we finally got to see Lake Nakaru. Our game drive was from 7am to 11am. We saw a rhino, buffalos, zebras among other antelopes. Then it was more than a 5 hours straight drive to Masai Mara. (Plenty of time for Ken to be on his personal cell phone and us to stare blankly out the window bored) We stopped for 30 minutes to eat our packed lunch from Wagon Wheel Hotel. It was good local food (chicken, pork or beef with rice) however, the portion was just about 10 tablespoons. After lunch, we continued our drive and reached Masai Mara Manyatta Camp close to 6pm. After checking in, we had dinner in the tented camp at 7pm.
Day 5 (19/1/2020) Masai Mara
After breakfast at the tented camp (sausage, beans, eggs, toast), we left to begin our full day Masai Mara game drive at 8am. We were the last ones to leave for the game drive. As stated on the itinerary, during the early hours, it’s best to view game. However, we certainly did not start at 6:30am as others did. We did see four of the big five today including a family of 10 lions which was exciting. This was the one part of the trip where Ken was actually not preoccupied on his personal cell phone and did an amazing job driving to the lions for a close-up view. We did thank him dearly for this. We were taken to the Kenya-Tanzania border stone. Ken stopped the van, pointed and told us to go take pictures. We saw other safari vans where the tour guides walked their tourists around the stone, explaining the history and facts while taking individual pictures for them. Certainly not the kind of guide we got. We asked Ken if he can help us take a picture which he did. He then drove us to an area by the river which we had to wait for an armed guard to escort us around to see hippos and alligators across the river. The walk took about 30 minutes. Ken left us by the river and said a guard will come take us. Other tourists had their guide with them and their guide tracked down a guard to ask to take their tourist group for the walk. Since nobody spoke for us and we were left standing there, we just quietly went along with the other tourists. When we got back however, Ken made sure to remind us to tip the guard. (This was yet another event and expense that was not mentioned prior) We then had a picnic lunch under a tree. The camp had packed us a lunch bag of a tough dry meatless chicken leg, tiny sandwich or mayo and cucumber, banana and boxed juice. After lunch, we continued our game drive, searching for a leopard and seeing more giraffes and amazing animals. Our game drive ended at 5:30pm. We had dinner back at the tented camp at 7:30pm.
Day 6 (20/1/2020) Masai Mara to Lake Naivasha
After breakfast at the tented camp (sausage, beans, eggs, toast), we left around 7am and had a game drive going towards the gate to leave Masai Mara. On the way to the gate, we managed to see a leopard, the big five is complete thanks to Ken. If we think of questions to ask him about animals, he answers them well. Other than that, it was clear he had no interests in any conversation with us. It was a long straight drive of over 5 hours to Lake Naivasha. We arrived at around 1pm to eat our lunch that was packed from the camp. It was yet another painfully dry chicken leg, tiny sandwich of a slice of cucumber, a banana, a hard boiled egg and a box juice. After lunch, we went for the boat ride on Lake Naivasha. Ken now tells us that the boat ride is 1 hour for $20 pp and then there is a guide to take us on a private island to walk around for another hour for $30 pp. He said it will Only be $100 for us both. We decided to go for just the 1 hour boat ride as we had planned before the trip. We were taken to an office with a lady telling us it will be $20 pp. There were no signs or written notice of costs or even such thing as a boat ride. It was all word of mouth. After the boat ride, it was 3pm. I asked Ken if there is anywhere at all that he would like to show us or take us to since he said we were not allowed to walk around by ourselves. He angrily said he wanted us to do the full boat ride and guided walk and since we refused to spend $100, there is nothing to do for us and he is taking us straight to the hotel. He dropped us off at the hotel before 4pm and said he will pick us up at 7am the next day for Hell’s Gate. That was the end of that day, we were left stranded at the hotel with no plans and no considerations.
Day 7 (21/1/2020) : Hell’s Gate National Reserve – 4 hours with rest of the day stranded
After breakfast, we left Taphe hotel at 7am to head to Hell’s Gate National Reserve which was about 30 minutes drive away. When we got there, Ken said the bicycle rentals will be $15 pp. We were outraged in the constant change of prices according to how much he feels like ripping off the tourist. We said he mentioned it will be $10 pp (which is already double the amount that Willis gave). Ken sounded like he was caught giving random numbers and quietly said Oh I told you $10 pp, let me talk to them. (Acting as though he was negotiating with the locals for a price for us). We rented bicycles for $10 pp and hired a guide for $20 to bike with us through the park. The safari van was certainly nowhere near us unlike the itinerary kindly stating that the van will be behind us in case we’re tired. Ken parked the van and went to rest at a restaurant while we biked about 8 kilometers. It was a very direct bike to the gorge which was closed. (there was an accident where tourists were killed during a flash flood and the gorge closed in September 2019 as a result. We had been planning this trip with Bluerange for over two months and Willis did not mention any such closure) We took a few pictures and was on the way back. We were back by the van at 11am. Ken said since the gorge is closed, Hell’s Gate is a very small park and he is not sure why our itinerary claimed we will have a full day there and that there is nothing to do. He drove us back to the hotel by 11:30am and we were again left stranded with nothing to do for the rest of the day. After lunch, we decided to walk outside and not be bored to death. We were told by the hotel staff that we can walk towards town but advised to not go too far for security reasons. We only walked about 30 minutes and turned back before we were too deep in town. We took a nap before dinner as there was absolutely nothing to do.
Day 8 (22/1/2020) Lake Naivasha to Amboseli (6 hours drive)
After breakfast, we left to start our drive to Amboseli. It was another long 6 hours drive in silence since our tour guide was constantly on his personal cell phone or else just not saying a word. We got to Amboseli around 1pm and ate our packed lunch in the car as we drove towards a view point. Unfortunately, it was very cloudy and we couldn’t see the top of Kilimanjaro. Ken drove around to let us take pictures but there were not too many animals out. He was again on his personal cell phone and asked how long we want to stay. He drove us to see the flamingos which we stayed about 20 minutes for pictures. He drove us to our tented camp (AA lodge) by 5:30pm. We had dinner at the tented camp at 7:30pm. This was actually the best dinner we had the whole trip. It was a buffet style dinner but various kinds of delicious local dishes. Even the fresh baked bread with butter was good.
Day 9 (23/1/2020) (Amboseli to Nairobi)
After a delicious breakfast, we left the lodge at 6:45am. We had a game drive on the way to exit Amboseli National Park. Our game drive ended exactly 9am sharp as Ken had mentioned. We drove about 3 hours back to Nairobi and had some traffic when we were in the city. Ken dropped us off at our hotel that we booked in advance. The suggested tips for tour guides are $10 pp / day given that the tour guide does an average acceptable job. Ken does a great job at finding you the big five but nothing more. As a tour guide he is absolutely unexperienced and unprofessional. We were appalled at how he randomly gave us prices and very obviously showed us he was not happy with us declining some suggested tourist traps and left us at hotels stranded with nothing to do. I was unhappily agreeing to giving him the average tips of $20 per day for both of us. My boyfriend however, felt inclined to give him $25 per day even though he was just as unhappy and complaining about Ken ripping us off on additional items. Ken was lucky on this tip. I would not recommend him for any future tours for anyone. If you want to see the big five and be treated like an ignorant tourist getting ripped off, driving 6 hours daily in silence then you can go to him for sure.
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Our bucket list adventure with Parakuyo Tours & Safaris exceeded all expectations.
After many years of dreaming about a trip to Africa, we have just returned from an amazing photo safari to Tanzania. We had heard great things about Parakuyo Safaris and Meleck John, owner/operater did not disappoint. We were able to plan together what our goals were for the trip and he customized a package for ourselves and our 2 travelling partners. From the time we were met at Mount Kilimanjaro airport to the time we said our goodbyes 2 weeks later, the details of each day and each part of the adventure were totally taken care of and our only job was to enjoy the beauty of this amazing country and store away as many picture memories as possible. We chose to stay in tent camps as much as possible in order experience being in the midst of the animal migration and our guide provided us with amazing opportunities to see every animal possible in its habitat. After long days of game drives, we opted to spend a few days on the beach at Zanzibar and the accommodations Parakuyo selected for us were superb. Because he pays attention to every detail and demands excellent quality from all the services he sub-contracts, you can be assured of an excellent safari experience. Meleck John, owner operator of Parakuyo Safaris has a lifetime of experience with the local culture and wildlife. As we encountered each species, Meleck was able to answer our many questions and we came away with many previously unknown facts to accompany the pictures we took. We cannot say enough about the integrety with which he runs his business and the individualized care he took to make sure our experience was exceptional.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It was an amazing trip
Benson delivered more than we ever expected. We have had the feeling of traveling with a long-known friend. He is an amazing driver with a detailed knowledge of nature. He provided us with lots of wildlife and landscape information, and offered us many opportunities to take pictures. Always relaxed and entertaining, he shared stories and jokes with us. We really enjoyed the time with him and our great chef Marcus.
Benson made this trip unforgettable for us and we would definitely book a tour with him again and again and again…
Thanks a lot and hope to see you soon again.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Great Experience with Amazing Tour of Serengeti
From the planning of the trip to Tanzania, arrival at the airport, the Tanzania cultural experiences, local transportation/activities and the incredible trip to Serengeti, Meleck and the Parakuyo team did an outstanding job! I was met inside the Kilimanjaro Airport by a team member who was excellent in helping me through the arrival process. Meleck was waiting to transport us to our excellent hotel. Meleck and his team are professional and provided timely/excellent communication between the U.S. and Tanzania, and during the time we were traveling throughout Tanzania. Meleck worked with us in making the total experience more than I hoped for! Our expectations were more than met because of the extra, personal experiences that Meleck arranged for us. The tented accommodations throughout Serengeti were first class as well as the lodge in Karatu! The meals in both locations were absolutely outstanding! The safari jeep was clean and comfortable. Meleck is extremely knowledgable in guiding during the safari. He knows all about the animals and where to find them, particularly the ones we hoped to see, and he provided great information throughout our safari experience. Meleck planned several picnic lunches during our safari which were lovely and in picturesque locations. We thoroughly enjoyed watching the wildebeest migration. Meleck is very personable, flexible, easy to work with, timely, concerned about details, and simply an incredible guide! I have been to Tanzania many times, but this was my first safari experience in Serengeti. This was by far my best adventure because of Meleck and his team at Parakuyo. I found them to be dedicated to making our experience more than memorable. If you are hoping for the experience of a lifetime in Tanzania, I give Parakuyo the highest recommendation possible!!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Overall the trip was fantastic
We traveled as a group of 6 coming from different parts of the Australia on a trip to Kenya. The travel company was responsive and accommodating from start to finish during the planning process. Our trip Specialist Le provided suggestions based on what we were interested in. While in country, I was able to communicate easily with the planner about questions I had related to logistics. Every member of the travel team we met was professional, helpful and fun that include Vincent and Fredrick; from airport representatives, to drivers, to guides. All travel details were taken care of which was wonderful. All we had to do was enjoy the experience.
Overall the trip was fantastic. Our driver guide Kennedy was so helpful in putting what we were experiencing into a meaningful context. We purposefully included a blend of activity and down time and we are really glad we organized it that way so we could make the most of all we saw. Our guide was the highlight of the trip. We sighted lions, hippos, rhinos, giraffe, zebras, cheetah, baboons hyenas, buffalos, but most importantly our sighting of a leopard killing impala and taking it up the tree was so exciting, can't express. In the near future will be glad to recommend your organization to our friends.
