NL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
We had a very nice trip with Nyati Travel
On our 4 day trip we went from Mutare to Great Zimbabwe Ruins, Lake Muturikwi (Lake Kyle) Recreational Park, Chivero Recreational Park and back to Harare. We really had a great time. The driver provided, Alec, first of all was a very good driver. He was also kind, helpful and patient. He listened to what we wanted and had some good suggestions himself. We enjoyed the beautiful landscape and the wildlife. We will be sure to recommend Nyati to others!
NL
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great Tanzania trip
Last december we visited Tanzania for the 2nd time. Africa Tried and Tested organized our safari to Tarangire National Park and Ngorongoro Crater. We ended on Zanzibar, 2 days Stone Town and 5 days at the beach at Fumba Beach Lodge. Wow. It is hard to use any other word than perfect to describe our experience.
From the moment that our guide picked us up from the airport to the minute we left absolutely everything went flawlessly. Not to mention the absolutely excellent correspondence from Karin, whose prompt, friendly and incredibly informative emails were the motivation for us picking Africa Tried and Tested for our safari. We were not disappointed!
As for the safari itself, we saw absolutely evrything one hopes for on a trip. The Big Five, including two separate leopard sightings (South of Tarangire), and a lion kill (Ngorongoro) werw more than we could have hoped for!
Throw in the rhinos we encountered in the crater and the vast array of other animals and birds you really have an unforgettable experience. The guide was wonderful, friendly, funny and impressive, we could not have asked for more! He was particularly great at finding the right angles to allow us to take some great photos of the animals, and at making quick decisions when action was happening ( e.g. whether to follow the lion kill or stay put.......we followed and got to see the whole thing!!). Zanzibar was a splendid ending. We loved to walk through the small Streets in Stone Town, and the beach, just wow, total relaxation!
There is little more praise I can give but I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who is considering a safari in Tanzania.
Visited December 2014
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantasic Family Safari Experience
Our Southern African holiday was initiated by my father-In-law who thought it would be a great experience for our 2 children. He came upon Darren and Compass Odyssey from mutual friends in Perth. All arrangements were made via e-mail. Darren suggested several itineraries that would suit our family, including my Father in law and 2 young children 7 and 5. Our final arrangements included Cape Town, Kruger NP, Victoria Falls and Chobe NP.
All our accommodation was superb. From a beach House in Kommetjie, Cape Town to the quirky rondavels in Kruger NP. All accommodation was arranged to be self catering so we had flexibility when it came to feeding the kids.
African Safari's with young children can be challenging as many operators do not allow children as young as 5. Darren had arranged and drove our own private mini van which meant our youngest could be a part of the experience.
There were several internal flight between Kruger and Zambia as well as Botswana to Johannesburg airport not to mention less than straight forward border crossings between Zambia and Zimbabwe. These all went of smoothly.
As our group consisted only of us and Darren as our guide ( for the entirety of the trip) the days and scheduled events were very flexible. As a parent himself to 3 young children, Darren had a good sense of how much to fit into one day, never did we feel rushed and plenty of rest stops were catered for on the longer drives.
Darren's passion for South Africa is evident through his extensive knowledge from politics and history to the bird life and wild life which he is more than willing to share.
Our holiday was one that will not be soon forgotten. From the initial contact to the final goodbye everything went smoothly and without any hassle. I couldn't recommend Compass Odyssey and Darren
highly enough. Especially to those thinking about travelling with a younger family.
20-35 years of age
Best Value Safari!
John our guide picked us up from Nairobi, ad after an 'african massage' we arrived at our very comfortable tent.
With each safari drive we saw different animals with our guide stopping for perfect picture locations. Great value for money with a smiling guide for a recommended budget trip. We saw 4/5 of the big 5
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A self guided safari by bicycle among African fauna is a wonderful experience!!!
We rented 2 bikes and started our journey from a campsite near Hell's Gate National Park (where we could spot some Hippos at night because our tent was just next to the lake) and we arrived at the park. We had a guide until the canyon but we came back by ourselves!!!! It is so amazing to cycle among zebras, giraffes, monkeys, buffaloes, gazelles... You really have time to stop wherever and whenever you want and you really feel like an adventurer!!! The landscape is also beautiful, especially when you start going down the gorge!!! Avoid rainy season but in May we had a really good time there (though check the meteo because it can be bad sometimes..) You can also visit some flowers plantations next to the park! Take your lunch box as there is only limited food available (but it is much better like that!!!)!!
We really enjoyed our journey there and we highly recomment it!!!
Review about Kruger National Park by John Bragg of Oregon
Kruger (the tiny portion I saw) has large numbers of animals and is a photographer's heaven. Terrain is hilly bushveldt. Huge rivers (Sabie and Sands rivers) are full of hippos and crocodiles (I saw both but only at a distance). There can been traffic, but if you go with someone familar with Kruger, you can find recondite little places that are away from the crowds and it might be just you, your guide, and that leopard.
Differences between Kruger and the adjacent private game reserve are that Kruger closes promptly at 6pm (reserves permit night driving for watching predators), requires vehicles to remain on paved or rocked roads (reserves allow off-road driving); requires roofed vehicles with side doors (reserves allow open body safari vehicles); and of course, Kruger has more traffic. Kruger also has lots more animals because it is so much bigger than all the private reserves combined. I hope to go back to the Sabie River country. I selected a small, family-operated safari company with a bush camp inside Sabi Sands and their main camp just outside of the reserve, about fifteen minutes from the Paul Kruger Gate. The bushveldt is simply fascinating for a photographer, and especially at sunset.
Review about Addo Elephant National Park by John Bragg of Oregon
I learned one must be in Addo when it is very dry (winter), since it is the only significant large watering hole for miles around. I got there Sept. 27, two days after the rains began, and though there were no elephants, nor any large game of any kind, I had a wonderful time photographing birds all around the camp. Dugout, ground-level photo blinds make for spectacular low angle shots, but as soon as the rains begin, the elephants and other aanimals quickly disperse.
Many birds! Addo is self-drivable, but there is lots of tall, dense brush which makes it advisable to hire or have a safari vehicle. Park vehicle are available but always full of tourists...not an option for me, as I need a steady, immobile platform for taking pix. I probably would not go back to Addo, but might consider other options near by.
Sabi Sands is a hidden door to the Africa of my dreams.
South Africa's climate and landscape was strikingly similar to that of my home US state of Oregon (i.e., rainy, lowland, rainforest coast separated by mountains from a high, dry arid, semi-desert plateau. It was also similar in terms of land use and economy (farming, ranching, forestry). But where we would have elk roaming the fields, South Africans have rhinocerouses!
Before I left Oregon, people who had been to Kenya and Tanzania told me I would be disappointed in South Africa because of all the brush: you can't see anything, they declared. To be fair, there might be a point there, in summer, when everything is green and growing, but in September winter is at its end; the bush is dry, the animals are hungry for fresh growth, and the grass and brush has been nibbled and gnawed to bare twigs. I loved the bushveldt! It has a feeling a mystery and awe, a sense of closeness, and it evokes powerful feelings especially at sunset, when the heat and dust of the day filter the sunlight.
I selected Tydon African Safaris, a small, family-operated safari business that offers extremely good value for a more than fair price. Although I'd signed on for a shared safari vehicle, in nearly every game drive I shared the vehicle with no more than two companions and a driver. We had fabulous rides, plentiful sightings of game, and very knowledgeable guides.
I took a walking safari and learned a tremendous amount about bushveldt ecology which happens to dovetail nicely with aspects of my professional work. A walk in the African bush is in someways better than riding around looking for animals; the difference is, on a bush walk, you are mostly interested in learning about the poop that all of the animals leave around. It's all part of the ecology!
September is a good time to travel to South Africa and Kruger NP region if you want to avoid malaria. Most of South Africa is out of the malaria zone, but KwaZulu-Natal Province, and Mpumalanga Province (Kruger-Sabi Sands) are in the malaria zone. Mosquitoes become active as soon as the rains begin. That's what I learned from the locals.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Kenya by Flo Romain Worldtour
We also visited Cresent Island, which was a walking safari, and once again we had an amazing time!!!!
Review about South Africa by John Bragg of Oregon
Going to South Africa culminated a dream that began in fourth grade geography class. Through the years I've nurtured a fascination with all things African, but especially I became enchanted by South Africa's history as the ancestral homeland of human kind, as a place of historic adventure, and courage, and strife, and an amazing rebirth at the hands of Nelson Mandela.
I began planning my trip to Africa months ahead of time and picked dates in September, which put me in South Africa after the European tourists had gone home but before the South Africans began their summer Christmas holiday season. September means taking a chance on rain now and then, but it also means low prices for food and lodging, and usually no crowds. I travelled alone. I'm a photographer by profession and enjoy travelling solo that I may practice my craft. I love travelling through wild, unknown places and having the countryside almost completely to yourself.
I flew to Johannesburg via Amsterdam, then spent several days in Kruger National Park and Sabi Sands private game reserve. I returned to Joburg for a few days more and visited Soweto, Nelson Mandela's familly home with the stone memorials, went to see Sterkfontein Cave and Maropeng, then flew to Cape Town for a few days of walkabouts, music, day bus tours, and wonderful food. I stayed in Bo Kaap. Finally I rented a car and drove the Garden Route to Hermanus, then on to Knyssna, Addo and Port Elizabeth, then back to Amsterdam and on to home.
If I start listing highlights I will have to detail the entire trip, but I will always remember: Sterkfontein Cave; Soweto and the Apartheid Museum, Kliptown/Walter Sisulu Square, and the Freedom Charter; Nelson Mandela's final home in Joburg; Cape Town, Table Mountain, the Cape of Good Hope, Cape Aghuilas, the Tsitsikamma coast, whales, the upside-down Moon, driving on the wrong side of the car on the wrong side of the road, and so much more...
Water safety: I took my cue from the locals. Most places the tap water is fine.
Food safety: I ate everything everywhere, including at street markets in Soweto, with no ill repercussions, although I avoided bush meat.
Personal safety: Be smart, keep your eyes open, do NOT leave anything in your car!!!
Remember to tip: Eighty five percent of South Africans make their living on tips for services rendered. Tips may range from a few Rands ($1US or less) for a personal service, like getting driving directions from a traffic assistant, or for fueling your car, to R200 to R300 per day for professional services (a safari guide or driver, or city day-tour guide).
I also visited Tsitstikamma National Park and Table Mountain National Park.