US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
fantastic trip well designed and coordinated by the outstanding staff of Great Safaris.
africa is a must see experience but only if the tour company knows what they are doing and plans the most interesting sights and places to see and the handles all the scheduling and details so that the trip is a once in a life time experience. The sums up Great Safairs!
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Outstanding accomadations and wildlife viewing.
The rooms were separate from the lodge. There was a lake in front of the room with lots of hippos. They made fun noises at night. The dining was outside in a covered area next to the lake. Food was excellent and made to order at each meal. Good wine.
The excursions were exciting and we saw wildlife every trip. We saw everything we wanted up close and personal.
We even had a surprise dinner around a large campfire in the bush one night. Gave us a feel for the bush after dark. I would recommend the lodge and park to anyone wanting to go on safari.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Great tour company, all the guys are very professional and looked after our every need
Myself and my wife travelled on a 5 day tour which included visits to Murchison Falls National Park and Bwindi Forest. Uganda is a beautiful country wrapped around the equator, it has an extraordinary landscape. We found the people to be extremely friendly and enjoyed many conversations with locals along the way. Our tour leader Peter had arranged visits along the way, they included stop offs at villages and schools to meet the real people of Uganda, we found this gave us some of the greatest insights into Ugandan culture.
Budget Safaris are a great company, they over delivered on everything.it was just perfect! We hope to come back and visit in 2015 except this time to do a 10 day tour.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Kilimanjaro and Safaris in Serengetti and Masai Mara
Alligator was a great company in organising my climb of Kilimanjaro and the three safaris we di following Kili. I wanted to deal with a local African company not a multi- national or foreign based tour company. This did have its drawbacks like no credit card payments but other than that everything went smoothly. Met at the airport, escorted to the bus for the drive to Moshe, all tour operators met us as arranged and accommodation was a bit too luxurious but I enjoyed it.
Payments are by direct transfer or cash on arrival which is not something we are used to in the west but it saves fees.
Meshack Mureithi was great and I would thoroughly recommend that you can book your holiday with him with confidence.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Dishonest Management
It's a long story, but in summation we paid extra to stay in nicer accommodations but were taken to another location without being told or asked. We had to confront the company before they would admit the mistake. Management made multiple excuses with a story that changed each time then promised a refund for the difference between the two places. We contacted the company multiple times for this refund and have yet to receive anything.
At the end of the day, there are so many great safari companies, why use one that you can't trust?
CR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An incredible climb & safari holiday with big expeditions
Dears Sirs,
During the unforgivable days I was climbing the Kilimanjaro Mountain and marveling at Ngoro Ngoro National Reserve and Serengeti National Park, I had the opportunity to enjoy the pleasant company from my Tanzanian friends. Also, I found out why these three places are considered natural modern world wonders and some of the greatest Tanzania’s proud.
For these reasons, I consider myself as a very blessed person; and, consequently, I thank the Lord for having permitted me to enjoy this unique natural wonder and all of you for welcoming me very warmly and facilitating me how a dream came true.
Additionally, I also would like to beg you people to always take care of the wonders of the beautiful Tanzania. You all people are the most fortunate ones in the world.
On the other hand, in my country, the tiny Costa Rica, people have a colloquial saying, pura vida, which is an expression difficult to be translated in to other languages because it represents a combination between welfare and joy of living. This expression can be used as a salutation but also as an manifestation of our most profound feelings and convictions about how valuable life is for all of us and, as a result, how important it becomes to love and respect life. However, no one in the entire world celebrates life as Tanzanian people do; therefore, you, my friends, you all are pura vida people, as well.
Finally, I just want to say that, as regards the uplifting Tanzanian National Anthem, truly God bless Africa, the United Republic of Tanzania , the Republic of Costa Rica , all of us,and our beloved families. I wish all of you prosperity, wisdom, freedom, peace, and unity. We invite you again to visit my country, Costa Rica. All of you will be welcome very warmly.
Thank you very much for your entire hospitality, kindness, and friendship.
Mungu ibariki Tanzania. Kwa herini. Asante sana.
Yours faithfully,
Manuel Ant. Soto Cartín
Tibás, Costa Rica
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Perfect itinerary and great attention to all the details.
We flew into Johannesburg and transferred to Zambia where we started our trip at Victoria Falls. The helicopter tour of the Falls was amazing. From Zambia we went to the Sabi Sabi game reserve in South Africa, where we stayed 3 days. The food and accommodations were way better than we expected. Our ranger and tracker were extremely knowledgeable and greatly enhanced the daily and night drives.We saw each of the big 5 major animals as well as many other animals. While we saw a post-kill we did not actually observe a kill. From there we flew to Cape Town for 4 days. Our guide made sure we saw all the highlights of the city and made our stay fun and interesting. The Table Bay Hotel was excellent especially being part of a wonderful shopping center.
We were so pleased with Great Safaris we recommended them to two other families who did the same trips.
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Phantastic Africa experience
This was my first trip to East Africa, as well as my first Safari trip. Knowing that travelling on your own and seeing all the amazing wildlife in Tansania is almost impossible to achieve, we have selected Kanuth as organizer, driver and tour guide.
He managed everything in a phantastic way and gave us furthermore insight into daily life in Africa. It was a groundbreaking experience which can hardly be achieved without such a passionate experience. Many thanks for that!
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent stress-free trip of a lifetime!
We recently returned from an 18-day tour around Rwanda expertly arranged by Herbert of Umubano Tours & recommend him highly! After emailing Herbert with everything we wanted to do, (based on tours posted on his website), he promptly emailed a customized itinerary at a very reasonable price. From the time our guide, Bosco, picked us up at the airport with a beaming smile, until he returned us after the best trip we could have imagined, every day was a new adventure filled with laughter, wonder & many jaw-dropping moments! Bosco was excellent in ensuring we were well taken care of & translating with the locals. From visiting 3 gorilla families, (each a totally different & humbling experience); all the various monkey species going about their business, (tons of fun); seeing hippos cooling off in the water close up, (awesome!); startling a bull elephant about to cross the road with his family, (causing him to trumpet & flap his ears in warning - OMG - heart-stopping!!); having the "angry" elephant saunter along behind us picking off leaves from treetops - (poor guy's full of bullets & has the reputation of getting cranky on a moment's notice!); to dancing with natives at a former poachers' village; to staying in Dianne Fossey's room; to boating to an island to see a massive bat colony, this trip exceeded our expectations! If adventure is your thing, you must go to Rwanda! Although visiting the "gentle-giant" gorillas are a must - (please hire a couple of porters. They need this income to buy food for their families & not poach. Also, after carefully hauling me up & down the mountains which I could never have done without them, they certainly earned generous tips & were so grateful. Rwandans are the sweetest people. It's a fabulous learning experience watching the locals go about their daily lives, (walking miles up & down huge hills with goods to sell on their heads); watching roads being built by pick & ax; having fresh milk & eggs for breakfast each morning, (from the hens & cows out back); going to a local market; waving to the adorable children who grin & wave back, to enjoying driving around the beautiful countryside. It's like going back in time 100 years. But our vehicle was new & comfy & Bosco went above & beyond to ensure we were having a great time, which we always were. We 100% recommend Herbert of Umubano Tours, with Bosco as your reliable guide who will take great care of you! You will have an unforgetable, stress-free trip of a lifetime & help support these wonderful Rwanda people!
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great Service from Macho Halisi!
The trip we booked with Machol Halisi was fantastic. The communication prior to the trip was quick, clear and responsive to our needs. When we had questions they helped out with detailed answers and thoughtful ideas. This was extra helpful considering we were a last minute booking. The service during the actual safari was great. All the bookings were handled smoothly and our driver guide was the best. He was a great source of information and had a detailes knowledge of the different areas within the Serengeti. I would highly recommend Macho Halisi.