Unlike any place on Earth
We stayed at Sussi and Chuma on the Zambezi River. We didn't care about visiting the falls, but we did go boating on the river each day, late in the afternoon, early evening. We went to see animals in the reserve earlier in the day on land with a guide.
While the animals in the reserve were amazing, the scenes on the river were unimaginable. We saw massive crocodiles and hippos everywhere. We saw animals on the banks of Zimbabwe although we did not visit Zimbabwe. Only after we returned home did we realize how dangerous our adventures had been.
A hippo had been hit on the road that ran through the reserve one night. The locals used it to feed the poor. While on the river one evening, we saw the carcass lowered down to the crocs on the banks. It was something you could never imagine seeing and put life in America into sharp perspective.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Best wildlife safari I have ever done
The crew and personnel of Jobovic Safaris was very helpful and responded quickly on all our enquiries. The guide, driver and chef was always friendly and knowledgeable for our requests and gave a service of higher standards than expected. The tour itself was well planned and we had the chance to take the best pictures ever. We had the opportunity to see all of the big five. Thanks guys, we loved it and will recommend you to all our friends.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A great place to experience your first safari.
The national parks in Tanzania have a stunning amount of animals (significantly more so than Ugandan parks), and this makes game drives easier there. We visited 5 parks/reserves there, but by far our favorite resort was the Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge at the rim of the crater. The views from the hotel were stunning, and the dining room was very luxurious, so I highly recommend this lodge.
The Serengeti is a must for any safari to Tanzania. If you can be there during the Great Migration (Jan-Mar) you'll see some awe-inspiring wildlife. Unfortunately we went during the summer, so we missed that, but still had an amazing journey.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Zulu Nyala was an great experience of a life time.
My Mother, our male friend and I drove from Durban to Zulu Nyala in October if 2010. It was spring time on the reserve with flowers blooming everywhere and green grass starting to grow. The game was easily observable since the foilage wasn't overgrown. We saw a moma Cheeta with 3 cubs twice in the week we were there, once skinny and hunting and other time lounging tummies full from a recent kill. We were lucky to see 4 of the Big 5. We enjoyed the elephants, rhinos and George the one horned Giraffe and many Wart Hogs.
NL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Seen a lot and complained a lot with Meru Mountain Treks
Mating lions in Serengeti, the continuous migration of wildebeest and zebras and the aftermath of a nightly hunting party of thirteen lions in the Ngorongoro crater. Yes, our experiences with Meru Mountain Treks were beyond our expectations. Thanks to our driver/guide Richard. He knows the parks, anticipates the behavior of the animals and turned out te be a nice guy. The cook had had simple tools but presented good meals.
So far so good. Yes, we knew we booked a budget safari (four days, four persons, $600 each) so we couldn't expect to much luxury. The problems started with the jeep. Despite assurances that all our gear would fit in it, the jeep was way too small. Richard arranged al larger one at additional costs ($300). The tents we were supposed to sleep in were moldy, had zippers that couldn't be closed and leaked. The least one may expect on a tent safari in the rainy saison is that the tents are waterproof. The first night there was an alternative: simple concrete huts, the second night half of our company decided to sleep in the jeep and the third night we slept in a guesthouse (again at additional costs of $300).
In stead of a quiet evening after a day of encounters with giraffes, elephants, lions and hippos, we constantly had to argue about the poor accommodation. There were telephone calls with Mr. Ibrahim, the director of Meru Mountain Treks, but he persisted that his tents were fine. After our return in Arusha an employee of Meru Mountain Treks invited us to talk about our experiences and our complaints. He announced that Mr. Ibrahim would show up later to hear our story first hand. But eventually he didn't bother. We never heard from Meru Mountain Treks again. Needless to say that Meru Mountain Treks will neither from us.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
If I had to rate only based on our tour guide I would give it 5 stars.
This was our first visit to Africa and there were a lot of concerns ranging from safety to housing. In addition, I had my concerns regarding transferring large amounts of money (price for our safari) to a bank account in Africa, however I must admit I was very impressed with Mr Otieno's. He was kind enough to speak with me over the phone which gave me a lot of re-assurance. Overall, me and my wife were very satisfied and would like to return again, this time we are planning to visit Uganda.
I think the only reason I have given 4 stars rather than 5, is because when we booked our trip to Nakuru I specifically mentioned that I wish to see flamingos and we were not told that there are no flamingos. We only got to know about flamingos when we came to Nakuru and our guide (who was amazing btw, see below) told us that flamingos haven't been at Nakuru for past 2 years... They have moved to Kisumu and other places.
I would like to add that if you do decide to chose Walking Survivors Safari, I cannot stress enough, you must ask for Sylus Bala. I think if it wasn't for him we would not have enjoyed our tour as much. He loves what he is doing and as a result the whole experience is just much more pleasant. Also, he knows some gems like an island in Naivasha where you get to walk with the animals (unlike safari where you are always in the car)... If I knew him before our trip, I would have let him to plan it all...
Either way do visit Kenya it is beautiful country!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
An amazing experience with phenomenal local experience and knowledge
My partner Anni and I took a 9 day private safari with Kgato Safaris in June 2014 into the Okavango Delta.
We were slightly tentative at the beginning in booking with Kgato since there had not been any reviews by previous customers to date. However, as soon as we arrived at the airport we were greeted with a very large smile from a guide by the name of Kenny and the smiles continued through from the admin office to the depths of the delta. Kgato had arranged the administrative side of things brilliantly in that we wanted boat transport into the Delta and also wanted to break up the safari slightly with 2 nights' stay in Oddballs' camp. This turned out to be unnecessary since we were so well looked after by Kgato that the lodge could offer very little that they could not.
Our guides were from a local village in the Okavango and knew the area and wildlife exceptionally well. They did a phenomenal job in incorporating the things that we wanted to see and when we wanted to see them. Not once were we left waiting on the guides when we wanted to do something or go somewhere. The quality of the food prepared by the cook Simon was astounding considering that everything was cooked on an open fire. We ate a delicious variety of food from pizza through to the local pap with slow cooked beef!
All in all, our safari with Kgato was the highlight of our trip to Botswana and we hope to come back and take another trip together some time. I would very highly recommend this tour operator and their staff.
Quickest Reply
Though we are not travelers, we contacted seven by far travel to inquiry itinerary and quotation in Kenya for our clients who wanted to do a combined tour of Ethiopia and Kenya. We; being a tour operator in Ethiopia was impressed by their quickest reply especially since the request was sent on Saturday. We received their response after a few hours. If you are looking to finalize your travel plan fast, then seven far is an ideal travel organizer.And regarding their price you should negotiate further.
HU
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing adventures in East Africa
I and my wife went on a safari for 20 days in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania with KWSS this summer.
We were very satisfied from the beginning. The director, Mr. Otieno was very quick and effective in communication-he immedately replied to our e-mails and was available on Skype to-so we could discuss and plan our itinerary together in person which made everything easy and quick and helped us trust him.
We were not disappointed either once in Africa: he has a very friendly,patient, punctual and helpful staff who did their best to make our safari the most memorable. The driver-guides know a lot about the wildlife and do everything to get you to the best spots to view the animals and the cooks are excellent too! We were also absolutely satisfied with the accommodation Oti provided us- we could experience everything from superb lodges to camping out in Serengeti. Even though we were supposed to stay only in tented camps, Oti managed to upgrade most of our accommodations for no extra charges!
All in all I can only fully reccommend Kenya Walking Survivors Safaris, because apart from minor changes everything went smoothly as written in the itinerary. We had a wonderful safari with KWSS.
RU
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience
We have just arrived home from a great trip to Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. What an experience! We saw all big fives and even more! Mr. Ot (the head of the company) organized a very good trip for us. He made a few changes in our itinerary, but all of them were done for us to get more pleasant journey. Everything went smooth. Lots of drivers, cooks, different cars were involved. I thought it should be lots of headaches to organize such trip by ourselves. Highly recommended company! Mr Ot was available 24/7 to answer our questions and concerns. Very reliable company! Thank you very much!