US
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Kenya Safari
James Karivki of Arch Treks made my trip to Kenya a lifetime memory.I made last minute arrangements and numerous changes during my Safari and James flawlessly handled them all.The guides he provided will remain lifetime friends.Part way thru my trip I made a surprise visit to my granddaughter who was in Kenya on a yoga project.To arrive unannounced half way around the continent was a logistical nightmare but James and his guide did it! Something my family will never forget.
ES
Very professional. Would contact them again!
Benson replied to all my emails very prontly solving all my questions quickly and efficiently.
The itinerary was very well detailed and organized. At Siku Njema they put a lot of attention to detail so that you have your best safari experience! I thank you again for that!! Keep it up!
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The best trip of my life!
Where do I begin? Chris was amazing at helping me plan this trip. I started in Tanzania and climbed Mount Kilimanjaro and then a safari in Kenya at the Encounter Mara camp. This was the best trip I have ever been on and Chris really helped to ensure everything was planned perfectly. From the shuttles from the airports, to the climb to the safari everything was planned perfectly. All I had to do was show up :)
I will be using Safari Partners again no doubt about it.
IE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The experience of a lifetime. Can we do it again, please??
A friend recommended Southern Africa Travel (Giltedge) to us to help organise our honeymoon. From the moment we contacted Giltedge Africa, we felt included and important in all decisions made. We were consulted on each step of our trip and all enquiries from us were dealt with in a timely, courteous and professional manner.
All our transfers, accommodation and pre-booked tours were expertly organised, which allowed us to relax completely on our holiday. All services provided were entirely efficient and professional with an individual touch, making us feel quite important :)
The safari tour in Sabi Sands game reserve was the highlight of our trip. From the moment we arrived at Savanna Lodge until it came for time to leave, we had what can only be described as an unforgettable experience. The level of service was extraordinary and every little thing you could possibly need was catered for. Without a doubt the most fantastic place we have ever stayed.
Southern Africa Travel comes highly recommended, with good reason!
They fully deserve a 10/10 review.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
18 day tour of Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia
8 of us just returned from a excellent safari with Nature Travel Namibia. We had been planning this trip for over a year and the communication with the company was excellent. We had endless questions, all of which were answered in a timely manner to our satisfaction. The lodges were above our expectations with personal and excellent service. We celebrated 2 birthday's and 1 anniversary and Nick our guide made sure special celebrations took place for each event. The first three days were set up for us at Victoria Falls, and even though Nick did not join us for this part of the trip, everything went perfectly. The next 10 days we spent with Nick in Botswana and Namibia, his talents as a guide are incredible. We can name most of the animals and all of us have a better appreciations for the beautiful and diverse bird life. We saw the Big 5, and more animals than we had ever anticipated. The last four days we spent on our own with a self drive to the coast and desert in Namibia. Again everything went perfectly. I would highly recommend Nature Travel Namibia to anyone, and hope to use them again one day.
IE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing and wonderful, great people, good food and close animal contact.
We 3 friends, very different people from different countries with different expectations and interests,
were treated to a wonderful Southern Safari by Grassroots and the team. From start to finish it exceeded all our hopes.
We had with us the charming, talented young cook Asha and the eagle eyed Gaston for 6 days of amazement
and wonder. We saw, tasted and felt the world we only believed was Attenboroug's.
Grassroots has something for everyone.
It didn't cost the earth but it was value for us three hopefulls.
Thanks to all the people we met on the way.
Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Queen Elizabeth national park is a queen of its own
I booked a wildlife safari to Queen Elizabeth National Park with Gorilla Tour Booking Safaris. I definitely chose to go see this park having seen the activities that I could do. Our journey was full of enjoyment. I arrived Entebbe Airport and after I met the guide Richard, he transported me to the hotel for a sleepover. The guide seemed so easy and someone you could easily get along with. Early in the morning after my breakfast, the guide picked me up and I started my journey to Queen Elizabeth national park. I stopped at the equator, bought some crafts, and took some refreshments l. We continued journey to the park and this was like a game drive. I saw several animals along the way, the buffalos and the elephants. Feeling a little tired, I took my dinner and spent a night at Mweya safari Lodge.
The lodge had spectacular views especially that of the Kazinga channel. I saw several tourists taking photos of this great view especially in the night, I took several of them. Since the lodge is located within Queen Elizabeth national park, I was excited to start my game drive and I ensured that my camera had fully charged. The next day was a game and boat drive, I enjoyed both of them. My 3-day trip ended so quick that I felt like doing it again the next day.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best Safari Ever!
Ok, so it is also our only safari experience. But that doesn't change the fact that Shaun and Moriti Safaris have ruined us for all future trips. We cannot imagine using anyone else when we go back to South Africa. Before the trip, Shaun always responded to any and all questions we had about our arrival. Once there, he was friendly, funny, excited to share his knowledge about the animals, and did everything in his power to make sure we were having a good time. He went above and beyond in his generosity. On top of that, the accommodations we enjoyed and the chef we had on hand at the private game lodge were beyond our expectations.
If you don't choose Moriti Safaris when you travel to South Africa you are missing out.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful Experience
My family went on a day tour of Johannesburg, SA, with Anthony. He took us to all the main sites in the city and was extremely knowledgeable about each and every one. Willing to answer any question, friendly, and caring, I would highly recommend using Anthony and Bohlale Tours.
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
So many Possabilities.....
This review should be read in conjunction with Clives’s review posted in February 2015—he and his wife were the travelling companions with me and my family (wife, daughter and son). https://www.safaribookings.com/or5815
I have delayed in giving a review of Eastco in order for my mindset to become more objective as Clive has pretty much given an accurate outline of our experience with Eastco plus I was interested to see if Simon would make any contact with us to see what our view was. It is now September and we have not heard one peep from Mr. King although I expect he might have a response to my comments here.
My view of the trip was similar to Clive’s and I back him completely in his version of the events as they unfolded. I will ad that on the face Eastview’s proposed itineraries look pretty good—lots of “game drives” shown, nice mix of mid and very nice accomodations, etc., but what the itinerary doesn’t reveal is that many of the “game drives” are simply long drives over rough and dusty roads to get from place to place with little or no gave evident. The use of Ol Tukai lodge puts you several hours out in a virtual desert and fills in a couple of days there with”cultural” activities involving hot walks to neighboring village and school—I have no problem with learning about local cultures but we specifically stated in our work up that our primary interest was game drives and game viewing.
Boundary Hill lodge, which is a beautiful place to stay, is again a long drive to get to and from with little game in its immediate area so more long drives to see game.
We had specifically planned this trip to coincide with the wildebeest birthing stage of the great migration and clearly set this out when planning the itinerary with Mr. King—no luck, the migration moved faster than expected and had already passed the location of Eastco’s tent camp and lodge accommodation placing the main herd several hours drive from where we were staying—no opportunity was presented or even available to us to change itinerary to accommodate because the Land rovers were broken down.
We had also specifically asked for 2 days in the Ngorongoro Crater—we got one day and one of the accommodation nights was changed to a much cheaper location—ostensibly because the more expensive lodge was full and we didn’t book soon enough—yeh, right!!
The last few days of our itinerary were spent at replacement (read Cheaper) lodges and we were offered no explanation or refund.
We did see a good selection of game but not what we had hoped and planned for—this safari was not good value for the money—which was quite embarrassing for us as we had made the selection of Eastco based on the reviews we had read prior to our trip and our e-mails with Mr. King. We advised our friends that Eastco had good reviews and they went with our suggestion--too their dismay I am sure!
We quite agree with Clive’s assessment that Eastco is a second rate operation and we do not recommend booking with them either. My daughter was quite upset by the "hostage incident" and my wife and I were disappointed with missing the birthing. Mr. King's operation appears to be running so close to financial difficulties that there is little or no room for any flexibility once you are committed to the itinerary--but yet there is no problem in shifting accommodations to cheaper venues with no explanation (or refund).