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Honeymoon w Safari Infinity
My wife and I decided to do our honeymoon in Tanzania and went with Safari Infinity after interviewing a number of Tanzania-based tour operators. They weren't the cheapest option, but they provided by far the best customer service. Lucia is the main person you will communicate with and she is very organized and responsive. If you have a question about your itinerary (and I had dozens and dozens) she will usually reply within a few hours, regardless of the time of day. Because it was our first safari, I was really clueless about the itinerary, lodging options, etc. and Lucia walked me through all of the details over the course of a few weeks. If you care about the details but don't know much about Safaris, you won't have a better partner to help you out than Lucia.
The safari itself was amazing, although I'm sure most people do have amazing safaris, regardless of the company they travel with. Our guide Kelly was a local guide who knew a ton about all the animals. He often took us off the beaten path so we weren't stuck with too many other cars. He was very friendly and we had a great time with him over the course of 8 days. The only thing we could complain about is that we didn't get to see a cheetah, but apparently it was the wrong season to see those cats. Honestly, the trip was amazing and I was sad on the last day to be flying out. We hope to be back on safari again in the near future.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Experience!
My two friends and I went on a 3-day Safari with Andy and Bubezi Safaris and we had a wonderful time. Andy is friendly, good humored and very knowledgable/passionate about wildlife. He's also very attentive to detail and goes out of his way to makes sure you are always taken care of from beginning to end.
We'd definitely recommend Andy and Bubezi to anyone considering a safari at Kruger!
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An excellent safari experience
Sunny Safaris organized an excellent 4 day safari touring us through 3 different parks and conservation areas. Jessica replied promptly to deal with our questions and concerns. We were fortunate to have Abdul as our guide as he was knowledgeable and experienced. I would highly recommend using Sunny Safaris to anyone planning a safari.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Sabi Sand Game Reserve by Caroline
This was more of a canned experience with the rangers knowing exactly where to take you. For that type of experience however, it was exceptional.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Mkhuze Game Reserve by Caroline
Once again its been a while since we visited and they have since introduced more wildlife. A wonderful memory is watching (from a distance) the hippo come out of the water after dark.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Ithala Game Reserve by Caroline
Been a while since I visited but the birding is exceptional. The game viewing less so but the accommodation was pretty good.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Game Reserve by Caroline
This is a wonderful park that I visit often. I always stay in park accommodation and although the camps vary in quality (love Nselweni) being in the park is the best. The tar roads are pretty bad with potholes but they are presently repairing them. The other roads are fine. The game viewing is generally good and I enjoy being able to use my own vehicle.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
This is an exceptional large South African Park to take at your own pace.
Spending a week in Kruger National Park earlier this year, having last visited as a child, was an awesome experience. The park is large so at no time is there a "canned" experience. As we used our own vehicle we were able to go at our own pace. I am a keen photographer so the ability to shoot from your own car (with a bean bag) is pleasure as being on the back of a truck can bring its own challenges. Less then two minutes into the park we saw lion! However, just being in a typical South Africa bush brings me joy and Kruger Park delivered this same experience whether the more unusual animals were around or not. We had fantastic beautiful, still, warm weather and spent every day and evening in shorts. We stayed at Lower Sabi in the tented accommodations and then in chalets at Berg en Dal. The tented accommodation (wooden structures with canvas sides) at Lower Sabi is on the river and couldn't have been more beautifully situated. The only small complaint was that neither of the camps were well equipped but that was a small price to pay. Baboons tore their way into our tent at Lower Sabi when we were out one day and the staff immediately apologised and cleared the huge mess they had made. The staff couldn't have been more accommodating in this regard and the camp does its best to keep baboons away. One of the things that makes the park so good is that the roads follow the river as much as they can, allowing good viewing.
TW
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
A spectacular alternative to the crowded northern circuit and certainly worth a trip of its own.
Ruaha is my favorite Tanzanian national park due to its fairly remote location and the spectacular landscape. An incredible variety of wildlife and some very well-trained outfits operating there. Ruaha's remote location and massive area, two of the things that are most attractive, are also its main vulnerabilities. I had made many visits to the park when I lived in the area from 2005-2008 and was concerned when I returned earlier this year because of all of the accelerated poaching that's gone on in the area over the last several years. Ruaha's remote location and massive area, two of the things that are most attractive, are also its main vulnerabilities. The quality of safaris for guests however, remains mostly unchanged in my opinion. Most of the game viewing tracks are in a relatively small portion of the park that is well-protected. Having heard so much about how hard the park has been hit, I was surprised at the abundance of wildlife (this is of course not to minimize the scale of the problem in Ruaha, particularly farther afield in the north and out into the WMAs and game reserves).
I've stayed at River Lodge and Mwagusi in the past (only River Lodge on this visit) and have to say that both Chris and Peter Fox run top notch operations: well maintained camps, excellent food and services, and really do a spectacular job training their guides on Ruaha-specific flora and fauna.
Two recommendations:
1. "Ruaha National Park: An Intimate View" by Sue Stolberger, is probably the best guide out there to flowers, plants, and trees of miombo woodlands, not just in Ruaha but for most of the country. It's a bit cumbersome to navigate until you get used to it, as the plants aren't grouped taxonomically, but Sue's insights and comments more than make up for this minor setback. I've seen a number of guides even up on the northern circuit using it as a reference. It is tough to get a copy of, but the main gate of the Park has copies in their storage room if you ask specifically for it. That is where I purchased a copy in May. I think it was US$45.
2. "A Field Guide to the Larger Mammals of Tanzania" by Charles and Lara Foley is another excellent resource that has recently become available and can be purchased more widely. It is also easy to use in the field as well with a good index that makes looking up details a breeze.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A magical day
Our group (of 9 people) booked the Chobe Full Day Trip hosted by Kalahari Tours (http://www.kalaharichobe.com). Apart from a delay in our border pick-up from Zambia, the day went smoothly.
After a quick morning tea, the first half of the day was spent in a boat on the Chobe River - we found our guides informative and entertaining. We were delighted by the amount of bird life along the river seeing, among many others, African Fish Eagles, White-fronted Bee-eaters and Great White Egrets. There was plenty of animal life along the banks too - crocodiles, elephants and hippos.
After lunch which was simple but filling, we spent the afternoon in a specially-modified 4x4 vehicle in the Chobe National Park. A highlight of this was seeing the after-math of a leopard-kill. We had a close (but safe) encounter with some elephants, and saw several baboons, impala and giraffes. Unfortunately no lions that day, and zebras were 'out-of-season' - their migratory pattern means they simply are not present in Chobe in June. Again, our guide was knowledgeable and entertaining.
I would thoroughly recommend a visit to Chobe National Park, and fully intend to go there myself when I am next in southern Africa. To see some pictures from that day, visit https://www.flickr.com/photos/s-haydon/albums/72157655902764278.
