US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
3 night 4 day safariin the Masi Mara.
My first safari and I was delighted. Communication from the very beginning of planning to final drop off at the Nairobi Airport was excellent. Our driver and guide, Anthony was delightful and knowledgeable. He was very accommodating to myself and my travel companion, both female over 60. If I were to return I would definitely book with Hallmark Travel Planners.
RU
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience!
Our safari tour was amazing. First of all I should mention that we get a feedback from Gecko Adventures immediately which was very importatnt as we arranged out trip last minute.
Our manager (Rama Mo) was very helpful. We were provided with all the information and advises what to do/where to stay etc. Rufiji River Camp which Rama Mo advised to pick up was in Selous. The service was excellent. We really enjoyed.
Thank you very much.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good organised and helpfull safari company
Our recent holidays in Tanzania was really fabulous. Altezza did an excellent job of arranging our trip. Altezza took care of all accommodations, note all what we asked before, organized all local transports around the trip. They were attentive to detail, helpful, and organised. The guide was incredibly knowledgeable and patient. He went out of his way for us and we would not have had nearly such a good trip without him. He was especially kind to our children. All of the parks included in our trip (Ngorongoro, Serengeti, Tarangire) were wonderful. We would definitely recommend using Altezza if you're thinking of visiting Tanzania!
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Gorillas in the mist is for real and ranks at the top of the mountain!
To see mountain gorillas in their natural habitat was beyond "awesome." To be so very close to them was a cherished memory. When one of the teens brushed my leg, I felt like I had been "knighted." My husband and I were fortunate to have 2 days of gorilla trekking with 2 different families: one high in the mountains and the other in the bamboo thicket. We always felt safe; the Virunga/Volcanoes Mountain park guides were very, very good.
The one hike high in the mountains was very arduous for my husband of 65 years; he actually needed 2 porters to help him up and down the mountain . Our park guide was good and understanding of his situation as well as the other people in our group; a big thank you to all of them. We really did experience the phrase/title of Gorillas in the Mist.
Our accomodations at Gorilla Mountain Lodge were superb. The lodge staff was most accomodating. We loved the service and the food. The view from our lodge was spectacular.
Our driver and his Toyota SUV was another big plus of our adventure. He was at our beck and call and he kept his vehicle immaculate.
Our only short disappointment was the negative response we got from one porter who felt we didn't tip him enough. I still remember him staring me down. Our driver assured us that what we gave him ($10 USD) was sufficient and not to think any more about it.
I have traveled quite a bit throughout the world and have had great experiences and excursions. I have been on a 2 week safari in the Serengeti; meaning, when I rank Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda as: 10+, I mean it.
TR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect experience!
We had 1 week of holidays in Tanzania and we are glad that we choose Uhuru for all the arrangements.
I had contacted them for the Safari and hotel for Zanzibar. the lodges and the hotel that they have selected could not be better! They perfectly understood our expectations and made very good suggestions to us. We did not have any problem with Uhuru neither for the hotel nor for the Safari in Selous. Our driver was very nice and kind to us. He had very good knowledge about the places. Mr.Abdallah from the agency was very helpful since the beginning until the end of the trip. You can 100% trust Uhuru.
CZ
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Perfect service from the first contact to the very end of the tour
We traveled with Anda African Adventure for one week (Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Lake Manyara).
Our travel started few months prior, however. I made the selection of the tour operator. The key reason for selecting the Anda was their active approach - namely perfect communication of Remsi Sungwa who timely and properly responded. His advices to our itinerary (especially which air companies we shall fly with) were always correct. After we completed the tour (incl. flight to another destination) he checked a status of that final service.
What was offered and agreed was completely delivered.
In addition our driver Peter was very nice, knowledgeable and attentive to our requirements.
I highly appreciate all the services of Anda.
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
3 days Massai Mara camping safari
We were pleased with the trip. First, our driver was very kind and knowledgeable about this National Park. We went very close to lions, cheetahs, giraffes etc... even a rhino, that is supposed to be very rare. Our camping was great: urge tent with cement floor, real beds, toilet and hot showers (heated by a wood fire) every night. Food was good with a great cook. If you book with Breezy, be sure to contact Jacinta, she will take very good care of you. And, on top of that, it is the cheapest safari you can get.
GR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent Service, Good Planning, Responsive Attitude
After many emails to different companies we finally chose to organise our safari in Tanzania with Zohar.
Our decision was primarily based on the responsiveness of Lilian (the main coordinator at Zohar) who provided us with clear answers to all our questions and good advise, showing flexibility and willingness to cover our needs.
We wanted to fully utilise our time around the safari attractions, and LIlian was able to craft what proved to be a very good schedule for our needs - meaning the right mix of travelling times, lodgings, variety of scenery, maximising animal encounters, blended with experiencing the local culture.
From te moment we stepped out of the airport until our departure we felt we were well taken care of. Lilian met with us upon our arrival at Arusha on our first evening and gave us a short briefing, and was monitoring our every step through communication with our guide.
Here are some words about our safari...
First of all, our guide Tom was wonderful: all our family loved him! He was always polite, warm and approachable but at the same time respectful to our personal family time. He was punctual and proper, the car always clean, his driving safe but not slow. His english was excellent (we had no probelms in communicating), always explaining things and answering all our questions, with many interesting stories to share. Tom tried his best to please us, looking for the best opportunities to see the animals around, fitting the daily timetable after discussions and according to our needs. Tom was a cornerstone of our enjoyable safari.
Lilian's planning was very good. Firstly, the descriptions that she shared with us were a useful basis for planning and proved accurate in practise. We enjoyed the variety in the itinerary that allowed us to see rather alot in the time we had available.
All accommodation was very good (according to the descriptions and prices) and it was the right decision to change accommodation every night as this allowed us to have different scenery every day (and night).
Our stay at the tented camps (Kati Kati camps in two locations) was a unique experience for us (although especially my wife missed some comforts like a hair-dryer!). We really enjoyed the scenery and hearing the night-life of animals around us. I think that the two nights was just right (long enough to experience, but not too long to get tired).
We ended our safari with a higher quality lodge that Lilian proposed - a good ending to a great trip!
We very much enjoyed our visits to the villages and our interactions with the local communities. Our visit to Mto wa Mbu village was very interesting and well worth the time there. The visit was well organised, the time we spent there was informational and entertaining, it gave us the chance to experience parts of the local life and atmosphere. So a very nice highlight to our trip. (TIP: bring some small gifts for the children - e.g. pens, candy, simple toys - we had deflated balls and a pump... very well received with big smiles and hugs by the children).
We had a stop at a Masai village on the way back from Ndutu to Karatu. As you see many of the Masai around the main roads, we were excited to visit them at their home. The Masai were extremely friendly, opened up their village for us, and explained all the details of their culture and way of life. We were greeted by the son of the village chief who spoke decent english. Well worth the stop, and another type of experience compared to Mto wa Mbu. (TIP: save some of the gifts for the Masai !). The choice of Masai village was made on the spot as many of these villages offer an open door policy for tourists (US$ 50 for our family and an expectation to purchase some of their handicraft).
Our visits to the parks was the main highlight. Lilian's suggestion to see the different parks was right.
Starting with Lake Manyara was a good warm-up, very conveniently located on the way to Karatu, and with different life compared to what followed.
Then the Serengeti was as magical as we expected.
The environment around Ndutu was different to Serengeti and interesting to see this difference - but animal life there was less dense compared to the main Serengeti (say around Serengeti's Seronera river).
Finally Ngorongoro was another magical and unique place...
In all the areas we enjoyed the variety of scenery and animal life.
To wrap up - this was a fantastic trip for our family.
After the safari we spent another week in Zanzibar, but the main images and experinces that are spinning around our heads are from the north part of Tanzania: the scenery, animals and people around Serengeti and Ngorongoro.
Thank you Zohar!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Safari with It Started in Africa!!
We had an amazing Kenyan safari with ISIA back in October 2014, just got round to posting now! Patricia was very helpful in arranging the itinerary (and changing it many times as we requested!) and Alex was without a doubt one of the best tour guides and drivers we've ever come across on any tour, anywhere!
We would highly recommend the Rhino Lodge in Tsavo National Park, amazing place and we were lucky enough to spot a leopard! During the safari we also saw the falls in Thompson Park, the wildlife at Naivasha and Lake Nakuru plus Masai Mara, and spent several days at the beach in Mombasa. Thanks to Alex our tour guide we were able to get up close to lions, hyenas, rhinos, cheetahs, elephants, hippos, crocodiles, giraffes, zebras, buffalo and many more! Amazing safari all round, and looking forward to visiting again! Will definitely be booking through ISIA again - amazing value for money and no complaints! (On a general note, please ensure any US Dollars you carry when visiting Kenya are series 2000 or later, as the older ones were not always accepted for exchange we found). Thanks again to Patricia and Alex!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
I love AFRICA
Apart from the initials issues due to the flights delay with KQ all I can say is : Beautiful country, lovely food, friendly people..........Asante sana rafiki.