CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Kenya by Christopher Haslett
Kenya can still pull it off, at least when it comes to safaris. But I have to subtract one star because of the seemingly unstoppable loss of habitat, especially forest, and the poaching of elephants and rhinos. I also feel less hospitality from the people these days, though this may be inevitable given the steady decline in living conditions and the fed-up mood of Kenyans toward their leaders and institutions.
The police never used to be a problem for foreign visitors, but I have noticed them getting bolder with their schemes to extract money. If you are male, ignore any young women who try to talk you up in a big town - they are undercover cops and you could be stopped and hassled even if you appear to merely notice her. Do not speak to a plain-clothes cop unless picture ID is shown. You are not obliged to have your passport with you if you are running short errands. They cannot arrest you for that.
As part of "terrorism prevention", hotels and even supermarkets are searching people coming in. It seems like a thoughtful measure until you have to endure it a dozen times in a day.
Kenyan safaris are still cheaper than those in Uganda and Tanzania, and you will experience less problems getting to the parks. Roads can be dodgy in places, but they are still better than in the rest of East Africa.
A special advisory: Kenya has experienced heavy rain and serious flooding in April-May 2012, and some land routes may be affected. Be particularly mindful of this in the north, where road repairs get the least priority.
Review about Tanzania by DaktariPaula
Awesome Parks and sceneries, lovely people, beautiful country.
Shimba Hills:Unassuming, Yet Full of Life
The drive to Shimba was fairly easy from Mombassa. Most travelers try to get their as early as possible to maximize their time in the park. The first thing I noticed was the calm, peacefulness of the reserve. While it was relatively easy to spot wildlife, the park was not overrun by hoards of tourists slamming into each other for a photo op. My driver showed me spots to take the perfect pictures outside of the vehicle. A calm demeanor and willing spirit certainly go a long way in the wild. His only advice, no sudden moves and definitely don't try to get too close to the young animals. Glad I stumbled upon Shimba Hills. Most guide books champion it as a lesser known wildlife reserve. Trust me, it's not because the sights are any less beautiful than the others.
FR
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Hard work but worth the effort (you have not seen everything until you have seen Gorillas)
Bwindi Impenetrable forrest is not the easiest plave to get too but that is part of the adventure. Accomodation can be from very basic to 4 star if you want it to be.
Trecking to find gorillas is hard work (they are mountain Gorillas after all) but you are pretty much certain to find them and it is a very special time.
The Park guides are excellent trackers and you are looked after very well (if offered a porter then take one carrying all you stuff is harder then you imagine).
We went mid year and the weather was fine although the jungle is damp most of the time.
The scenery is stunning although travelling around is an adventure of its own wil only mud roads to use.
Some great bird watching opportunities with some really good guides.
Would I do it again Yes in a heartbeat, worth all the effort.
Review about Kenya by Lisa F.
Kenya has it all. Cosmopolitan cities, beautiful wildlife reserves, friendly people, and a host of wonderful accommodations. I look forward to returning to the area one day soon.
FR
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Uganda by TC0241
some very "out of the way" places to visit so if you want adventure then this could be the place for you
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Big, flat, tan, and wonderful
My 3-day stay at Mikumi National park was a wonderful break between two sections of intensive training in community-based healthcare. I was dead tired when I showed up after a six-hour drive through dusty roads, and I collapsed on my bed (thick mattress on top of raised stone dais) in the little banda that I shared with some teammates. I soon grew restless and walked through the common area onto our unenclosed "porch".
Our hut was situated in a long line of such buildings, named after various wild beasts of the savannah (I think that we were the cheetah), with the main lodge, dining area, pool, and shops at the far end. We could look over at our neighbors on their porch about fifteen meters away. I was in a team of ten people, so it was wonderful to be together.
The lodge is surrounded by park. We were totally cut off - the only electricity was to the main building for refrigeration (and the pool, of course). Even our huts had no lights. The savannah stretched out forever, a long distance of brown and tan with green splotches here and there. It was then that I noticed that we weren't just "at" the park, we were "in" the park.
Fifty meters in front of the porch where I sat, a group of zebras were rolling around like mad in a dustbowl. Further afield, a small herd of water buffalo milled around a watering hole. There were no fences. We were sitting in a safari.
A late lunch was served at the main lodge. We ate outside at a long table and dined well. I'm a vegetarian, and every effort was made to accommodate me, which was well-received. As we ate, a large grey elephant made his way to the watering hole just a short walk from where we sat. It was majestic. Here I was sipping fruit juice while this monster mammal sipped water right next to me.
After a lazy afternoon spent reading and talking on our porch, we returned to the lodge for a magnificent candlelit dinner. There's something very exciting about sleeping in a place surrounded by wild animals. Their noises helped me off to sleep.
The next day, we took off in two Land Cruisers on our safari. It was a wonderful way to settle the breakfast that we'd just finished. It seemed that we had driven forever when we spotted our first group of elephants, animals that until the previous afternoon I had only seen in zoos. But here they were, and plenty of them!
We found zebras, wildebeests, and plenty of very strange-looking birds. A group of giraffes proved too far a drive around some very steep-sided creek beds, so we watched from afar. For all of its flatness, Mikumi National Park boasts an impressive hidden landscape that you have to be inside to appreciate. Small trenches and treestands provide vantage points, and an easily-accessible, though terribly bumpy network of paths provides plenty of freedom to approach animals from a variety of directions. We even found ourselves a sleeping lioness, although she was clearly too tired to do anything "interesting" for us. :)
The last (and by far most fascinating) stop on our LONG drive through Mikumi was the accidental discovery of a hippopotamus-filled lake. We were driving along and suddenly found ourselves at the edge looking down. After a short drive along the edge, we came to a place where we could park the trucks just a few meters from the water. Hippos are outstanding animals, and we hadn't expected to see them, so it was a real treat. Lucky for us, they stayed in the water, swimming about quite lazily and not destroying us.
We returned to the lodge to eat and sleep, and followed up the next day with another short game drive on our way out of the park.
Although it is a bit of a drive, the hidden treasures of Mikumi National Park are not to be missed!
MF NP is breath taking, with beautiful and stunning nature with abundance of wild life
In 2007 during Easter period we rented a guide together with 4x4 vehicle. We started our trip from Kampala and on our way to the Murchison Falls NP we had lunch in Masindi. Our guide Ronnie King was really good, reliable and ready to fulfill our requests at the same time following prescribed safety measures. Actually we were planning our game drive together with him.
Firstly we were accommodated in Paraa Lodge and afterwards we spent 2-3 beautiful nights in Red Chili camp under the tents. Inside of the camp numerous warthogs, our first neighbors, were knelling while grazing grass. Sometimes even during night hours they were sneaking around and checking our tents like a frisky kids.
One of the highlights of our trip was Victoria Nile cruising towards Murchison Falls gorge. We saw numerous birds, lizards but mostly hypos and crocs.
Weather was calm, nights bright and often full of stars. During night time we could hear distant roaring and other sounds coming from animals. All in all it wasn't disturbing or reason for a sleepless night. From time to time it was pleasant to hear silence and experience not polluted part of the world.
Upon our arrival back to Kampala we spent one night in Speke Hotel and next day we were boarded on a plane to Sudan. Some of my photos dedicated to this safari were posted in Panoramio and Google Earth.
On this occasion I fell in love with African colors, especially with red and orange, present in soil and stunning sunsets.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Kruger National Park by JohnMacdonald
Kruger is top class but gets a lot of people visiting. The facilities are excellent (almost too good).