50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The best experience ever!!!
Amazing views, amazing people and amazing food. The guys from The Great Trekkers Safari were very professional, knowledgeable and always very happy and friendly.The places we stayed were very comfortable and had fantastic views. My partner and I had the best experience and we will never forget it. Thank you The Great Trekkers Safari team for making our Safari tour one of our bets holidays ever
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Life-changing experiences
Without a doubt, this was one of the best life experiences ever! Between the almost twice daily safaris, the luxury resorts, the excellent food and service, not to mention the great companionship, one could not hope for more. I kept thinking that the next day could not possibly be as good as the present day, but was always pleasantly surprised. Our skilled guides were excellent in finding animals for viewing and never disappointed. This was true in both Kenya and Tanzania. All the guides were knowledgeable and had great senses of humor.
Susan is a great coordinator in organizing such a large trip, even with the recent floods prior to our visit. Everything ran smoothly and seamlessly. Wonderful experience all around!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Brilliant
Excellent service from first email!
I have been on safari in TZ several times before, but this was by far the best thanks to my Guide Wiliam. He went out of his way to help as much as possible. He was extremely knowledgeable and patient with my many questions about the wildlife in Selous. The chef at the camp was also ace. The food was better than in many fancy restaurants in TZ. I met some wonderful fellow safari goers at the camp. The camp was comfortable and peaceful. Much appreciated after the madness or Dar. Unfortunately, I had a few big problems in Dar and this safari company stretched themselves beyond the call of duty to help. Wiliam helped me so much !!! Cannot thank him enough. I will definitely do another trip with this company.
:-)
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
4 day/3 night Masai Mara/Lake Nakuru Safari
When I first started searching for a short Kenyan safari, I was overwhelmed with the choice of different tour operators seemingly offering very similar products. After contacting a few such companies, East Africa Tours and Safaris really stood out due mainly to the exceptional customer service given to me by Peter. From the outset, it was obvious that he wanted my business much more than the other companies I contacted. He gave me very comprehensive and honest answers to my numerous questions, and made recommendations which helped me to decide on which safari to book.
Peter really went above and beyond the call of duty, keeping in regular contact with me even after I had paid the deposit on the safari, as well as during my trip and upon my return to the UK. He genuinely seemed to display a personal interest in making sure I had a great trip, which indeed I did.
The safari itself was everything I had hoped for. I opted for a budget safari so the accommodation was fairly basic, though perfectly adequate for my needs and still came with en-suite bathroom facilities. The drive from Nairobi to Masai Mara is quite long and on some bumpy roads, but the final destination is well worth the effort as there can be few places on earth which offer the variety of wildlife species to be found in the Masai Mara. The guide was brilliant and we had our own chef who prepared some fantastic meals for us.
There were two optional activities offered; a balloon flight which for me personally was too expensive at USD 420, and a boat trip on Lake Naivasha for USD 20 which I did, and which I thought was a great experience. I was quite glad that I didn't opt to spend an extra night at Naivasha as I saw a lot of the lake during the boat ride. The game drives at Masai Mara and Lake Nakuru were really good, and the Mara was a lot more scenically beautiful than I expected. It is a fairly popular park so expect there to be numerous vehicles surrounding big wildlife sightings, though this didn't really detract from the enjoyment of seeing the animals up close.
Peter also arranged the airport transfers and even contacted me to make sure I had been picked up both ways.
All in all, it was a wonderful experience and I really feel like I made the right choice in booking this safari.
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Superb hardly describes the efficiency and congeniality of Compass Oddesssy
Every aspect of our African safari organised by Compass Oddessy was perfect. At all times we had communication and contact with the staff who were there to assist. The preparation for our holiday was managed expertly an professionally and with a great deal of involvement to ensure that everything was planned right down to the last detail. Accommodation chosen was fantastic, as were the drivers and guides at every stop. Thank you Crusty and team for everything.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Safari club make it happen but also listen to what the customer wants.
We have used Safari Club to arrange the last four safari's we have done. Paul and Ellie take the initial idea from us then put together a bespoke itinerary which then is sent to us. If there are any parts that are not what we are looking for they look at alternatives after finding out from us which part we do not like. Safari Club set out to deliver the dream that you have and come pretty close to exceeding it throughout the trip. The communications and service are always first rate, detailed information is sent out as part of the planning and confirmed after the booking. They also visit and check the camps that they recommend so the first hand knowledge they have enables them to deliver the best results. The safari we have just done to South Africa involved seven different locations around the country using both air and road transport all of which were well planned and executed.
IL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It was just perfect
At the last minute, we were struggling to organize our Tanzania trip, we had no clue, where, and what and how much!!!
We accidentally found the luxury safari company online and started chatting with Rose, we immediately knew we reached the right address. Rose tailored a trip including Zanzibar and the safari for us, based on our needs and budget
Everything thing went exactly according to the plan, not even one little delay, the flights, pickup , the hotels were superb. Xanadu at Zanzibar and Azura lodge in Selous safari, both were amazing, clean, delicious, and great service (7 stars)
Rose was alway there for us, responded almost immediately to hour emails.
We travel a lot, but this one was of our unforgettable trips
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Willing and able to go off the beaten path
I contacted 6 safari operators looking for a trip to Lake Turkana. I was grateful that Alfahama responded. The other operators either didn’t respond or offered packages that did not go where & when I wanted to go.
Alfahama sent a very capable guide, Mr. Juma, and an exceptional driver Mr Faruk. There were a couple of unexpected challenges - a heavy rainstorm closed the normal road and some tribal fighting created a bit of local tension. However these capable guys smoothly navigated both literal and figurative bumps in the road and got me to Lake Turkana. It was well
worth the effort.
If I were to fault Alfahama it’s in one primary area - communications. Fault was at least part mine. I didn’t communicate my minimum standards and they didn’t communicate how poorly Loiyangalani (the town I visited) is set up for tourism. They themselves were not entirely prepared, taking me on an 8 hour drive over unsealed roads & tracks with only water and no food prepared for the ride. Still I would do the trip again with Alfahama and thank them for accommodating me.
AT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Why Lion King?
There are 500+ operators listed here operating out of Tanzania. By and large, they all have rave reviews. What are you paying for? Why should you choose one over another? What differentiates LK (or for that matter, any operator)?
No operators holds exclusivity to any parks or routes. More or less the same goes to the accomodation. All of the listed safari 'packages' or 'tours' are just a template. You can request any sort of routing staying in any kind of place (budget, luxury, tent, lodge, etc) you want, provided it makes logistical sense.
Essentially, you are paying for a guide and a vehicle. The costs of lodging and entrance fees and etc are baked into the price.
Our GUIDE Mr GOODLUCK was a very professional and affable man. We spent 4 days with him and found him to be a person who is *genuinely* conscious and caring about conservation, his community, etc etc etc. In terms of tracking skills, it seems to me that pretty much all guides are experienced and good at their job. They also share tips via the radio, and speaking to one another along the road. So you're probably gonna see what you want to see. We were pleased with our "finds". He was knowledgeable when we asked questions. And he was also very sensitive/conscious to when we wanted to view or photograph stuff, so he was able to properly dictate the pace of the safari even without our asking so.
The VEHICLE we had was more or less the same as everyone else. Everyone operates a Landcruiser. None looked substantially better than others. But there were a few that looked in worse shape. Also, some were the short-wheel base version, and also with only 3 doors. As a party of 2 in a 5 door, we were happy to have the free space to ourselves. I suggest going for a similar private tour, as being lumped together in a packed vehicle driving for 3-4-5+ days must not be comfortable. Our vehicle had extra customization for additional storage (to hold sunglasses, cameras, accessories, snacks, binoculars, etc) + power strip. I observe other vehicles did not have this luxury. Lastly, we had a huge roll-down window, whereas most everyone else had a sliding window where only half of the aperture was open to stick a camera out.
To summarize, we were very happy with our experience with our guide and our vehicle. The last part of the equation was the BOOKING. Many companies I contacted were slow to respond, or really just unsatisfactory and not-reassuring in their response. PRICING was all very competitive and similar. For us, it was down to SHADOWS OF AFRICA and LION KING, and we were very happy having gone with L.K.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Moments into Memories!
Excellent service, organisation and customer care. Great communication, went above and beyond and in turn provided an excellent customer experience.
Wonderful trip, Kenya certainly has a way of getting under your skin.
We are already planning our next trip and would certainly use Safari Club and no other actually.