NL
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
An excellent tailor made safari holiday
Whenever you decide to book a safari in KZN, in Tailor Made Safaris you will find an excellent partner, who translates all your wishes into an adventurous and beautiful experience. You will feel at ease traveling in SA with a complete set of information and documentation and a TomTom and cellphone provided (for free) by TMS.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
This was an experience of a lifetime, surpassing all expectations.
This trip was an amazing introduction to all the beautiful country of Tanzania has to offer. Everything was wonderful: the guides were knowledgeable and friendly, the Land Cruisers comfortable and accommodating to the terrain, the Serena hotels were exquisite, built with cultural and environmental respect. The staff at the hotels were kind, efficient and helpful.
And the safari - oh the safari... It was a wonderland of all kinds of animals in their own environment - no cages, bars or, restrictions on their habitat. We saw it all: lions, zebras, elephants, hippos - all the animals I have seen on videos and movies about safaris. It was surreal seeing it in person and finding out all about the animals and their habitat from our friendly and knowledgeable guides.
Our leader, Alym, was enthusiastic about his tour, very visible, and checking in continuously to make sure all needs were. met. It was most important to him that we had a good time and we did! It is something not to be missed in this lifetime. I thought once would be enough but I am already thinking about my next safari. Thank you to Alym and East Africa Wild Adventures for an experience I will never ever forget.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great adventures in Kenya
When planning our visit to Kenya going on a safari was one thing we really wanted to do. After sending our several emails there was almost instant reply from Bicmac Africa Safaris. All our questions were answered, always quick and very friendly. After booking a safari for several days we also booked a few day tours and we were not disappointed at all.
We were picked up on time and had great drivers for all the parks, they all knew lots about the wildlife and gladly stopped over and over again for us to get our pictures of zebras, rhinos, or lions.
For the big tour at the end of our stay we were able to leave some of our luggage at the office, before leaving for Masai Mara and the biggest surprise, they even managed to have a cake for my friends birthday at the camp we were staying at.
We really enjoyed our tours and our stay in Kenya and would always come back again.
SS
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Safari in Kenya!!
This safari was a dream come true!! We saw everything. The Big 5 and more!! Our driver/guide knew how to spot all the animals and find them in difficult to see places. Chose the upgrade to resorts instead of camping - worth the money for comfort and food. Only comment is there is a lot of car time - hard for younger kids so bring books/entertainment. Thanks for a great adventure!!
CA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The most exciting, exhilarating and beautiful experience - already planning my next trip!
I went into the Safari not knowing a single detail about the schedule, transport or lodges thought the duration of the trip. I didn't even know what parks or places we were visiting. I had heard so many good things prior to the trip and was with a group of family and friends that I wasn't too concerned. Having said that, I was pleasantly surprised and extremely impressed with the level of service and quality of the experience. It was beyond what I imagined in my wildest dreams. Hotel bookings were made for us. All meals were covered. Transport was safe and on time. The lodges were beyond beautiful ( I didn't want to leave). And most importantly, the ride through the various game parks was incredible. One would expect this, of course, because how could it not be when you are watching lions, elephants and wildebeest in their natural habitat. What enhanced this already beautiful experience, however, was the knowledge and professionalism of the guides. They scanned the parks and spotted out things for us to see. They provided an extremely safe drive, and taught us about the lay of the land. Without the guides, we wouldn't have seen the things we saw. They took us to the right places at the right times. They spotted leopards in trees and cheetahs!! Their expertise was uncanny. The car rides were full of laughter and fun as a result. The vehicles were clean, and the rides were smooth ( as can be). It was a seamless expereicne from start to finish. I never felt unsafe, nor unaccounted for. Questions were answered before they were asked. Thank you East Africa Wild Adventures for the trip of a lifetime.
IE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Refunded for day 1 of trip
** UPDATE APRIL 2015
Thanks to peter for refunding us the cost of our first day's travel as promised
** ORIGINAL REVIEW
We booked transport from Nairobi airport to Masai Mara for 7.30am dept time so we could do an afternoon game drive. We left nairobi 8 hours late at 3:30 pm having waited all day and arrived at 9:30pm and missed entirely one of our two days of game drives. We were given continued excuses over and over again and several requests for money en route for expenses etc. We had paid upfront and in full. This company almost ruined the entire trip. Thankfully we had independently booked great accommodation who provided their own good driver and guide for our game drive the next day. This company is not anywhere near good enough and should be avoided at all costs. They have promised a refund but continuously have deferred about paying this.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Good safari experience
Our overall Safari experience was great. The driver (Thomas) was great and would always be on time for all of our trips. He communicated very well and spoke good English. We specifically enjoyed Ngorongoro the most of all of the parks we visited - Ngorongoro, Tarangire, Serengeti and Manyara.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Sharing Culture in a personal, engaging way!
I have known Ibrah since I first visited Tanzania in 2008. Prior to starting Afrishare, Ibrah worked with Cross Cultural Solutions while I was a volunteer. He was a consistently friendly face and provided an extremely hospitable environment in my recent trips to Tanzania. I have referred friends to Afrishare for the famous "Kilimanjaro" treks. Ibrah makes sure that you get the deepest level of engagement with the community, while keeping your volunteers costs minimal in order to keep the volunteer placements running.
Afrishare is a life-changing experience. I have met fellow travelers on their paths, and all of them seem to become like family at the Afrishare compound. There are people from all walks of life, and Ibrah does a fantastic job at creating a community. My memories of my time with Afrishare will be with me indefinitely, and I am planning a trip back as soon as possible!
Ibrah works to provide safaris and treks at the lowest possible prices in the region. I have not found any other organization that provides safe, and reliable, safaris at such affordable prices.
CA
Experience level: first safari
Absolutely amazing....the experience and Safari Partners arrangements!
All the arrangements made by Safari Partners went off like clockwork. There wasn't one glitch. The people that supported us along the tour route were great. They were waiting for us on schedule and guided us extremely well through Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania and Zanzibar. Then the people in S. Africa were there when arranged and provided all the services planned. The two tours in Cape Town were excellent. They hit the spot.
On the safaris we saw everything we had expected and possibly a little more. All the accommodations were great. They exceeded our expectations and the staff at every location were excellent, they just couldn't do enough. They even cleaned our hiking boots after trekking to see the gorillas.
Thanks so much to the staff at Safari Partners and please pass along our appreciation to all the people that supported us during the trip.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Superb safari, well planned and delivered. Extremely satisfied customers.
I thoroughly and unhesitatingly recommend Makasa. Selma listened to what we wanted, made some very good suggestions and tailored our trip to meet our needs. And then made changes in dates we wanted for us too. Communications were excellent - rapid replies to emails and even skype!. the service was faultless - everything worked perfectly. We had a variety of accommodation - tented lodge, mobile camp and hotels - all very differnt but all very good. it added to the charm and variety. Francis, our guide, was excellent. 'Eagle eyed' and brilliant at both spotting birds and wildlife - we are interested in birds as well as animals. He is extremely knowledgeable and informative, and has a good sense of humour. And he always got us a front row view of the everything. The highlight had to be our private viewing of the lions mating 10 meters from our car!!!!!
We thought this was probably the best holiday we have had. I cannot praise Selma, Francis and the staff at Makasa enough. I'm glad we chose them based on others reviews. (We did get quotes from 3 others too but they didn't come anywhere near Makasa in terms of personalisation or listening to what we asked for.) We've asked Selma for tips for a southern route safari - i wouldn't bother with anyone else after this experience. So in short, excellent people to deal and travel with, superb safari, good value for money. heartily recommended.