Review about Ngorongoro Crater by Lisa Haselow
One of my favorites! The beauty of the crater can't be described and we constantly saw wildlife- including the Rhino!!! We also stayed in a luxury tent at the top of the crater where the weather was cold! It was so fun to stay in a place with weather that differed so much from other locations- It was my favorite camp of the trip.
Review about Lake Manyara National Park by Lisa Haselow
This was one of the few places to see flamingos and they were my favorite part. The water almost looked completely pink because there were so many flamingos.
Review about Arusha National Park by Lisa Haselow
Thus park is smaller and heavily forested so it was fun to see in comparison to the parks with more grasses. The trees do make it a bit more difficult to spot wildlife.
Serengeti was my most secluded and scenic experience on Safari.
The accommodations, food and scenery were incredible. I stayed in a luxury tent in the middle of the park- it was very secluded and beautiful. Wildlife surrounded our camp and we could listen to them at night, The food prepared for us was excellent as well. The camp staff was extremely polit.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
I could not imagine a better safari experience than that provided to us at Arathusa - just superb.
Where do I start?
The accommodation was very comfortable and spotlessly clean. We had a hut on the edge of the waterhole, this meant that in the rest periods between game drives we did not get much rest - too many animals visiting the waterhole to keep us entertained !!
The game drives - early morning and late afternoon each day - were well organised. Our guide Rein and Tracker DeBeer really knew their stuff. The wildlife was abundant - we had not realised just how close we got to all of the animals. We had been told that on a 3 day safari, if you saw all of the Big 5, as well as the other numerous animals, you did well. We actually had a 5 day safari, but on day 2 we saw the Big 5 in about 90 minutes !!! There were 3 vehicles leaving the lodge each drive, and all kept in close touch on the two-ways, to ensure that if one group saw a particular sight, the others were informed so they could get there too. On the last day we even saw a pack of African Wild dogs with a kill, which is extremely rare.
The food was excellent - only about 30 guests, with the most enthusiastic chef - Malcolm - announcing full details of each meal before it was served. Other facilities were good as well - pool overlooking the waterhole, good bar, massage and beauty salon (excellent massages by the way). Everything was very well organised and always on time.
Would recommend this resort to anybody without qualification - but definitely get a hut on the edge of the waterhole.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Ngorongoro Crater by Jeremy
The crater is spectacular! I have not seen a comparison yet. The beauty of the park is unparalleled. We saw the rare Black Rhinos in the morning and everything. The animals are habitually close to vehicles so the trucks can get very close without spooking them.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Lake Manyara National Park by Jeremy
Hard to see wildlife at the park. Known for flamingos but I have never seen them here.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great Wildebeest migration
We went late in May to save on cost. This is the tail end of the rainy season, it rained once! We were with the migration the entire time. We got lucky when they were at our lodges! This was the 3rd trip for me and I will only book with BaseCamp, our guide Chris was awesome! He gave us everything we were looking for. He went the extra mile every day with us. The Serengeti has no match, best park in the world.
Rich wildlife viewing
Spent only 3 days on safari at one of the beautiful intimate lodges in the Sabi Sand but was treated to a tremendous number of sightings! Apart from the Big 5 (on least 3 occasions each, elephants on every game drive!), we'd also seen the cheetah (albeit from a distance due to a fire causing the ground to be temporarily restricted) and the highly endangered African Wild Dog. Saw zebra as well even though they are usually rare in this wooded bush. Had also seen lion cubs, leopard cubs, lions mating and a fight over a wildebeest calf. Extremely exciting! The sunsets during the evening sundowners were gorgeous too and there is a real rugged beauty in the bush. You'd need a good and experienced ranger-tracker team though, and we're lucky we had a really good one!
Thouroughly Enjoyable
Stayed at The Bush House for 2 nights and did 4 3 hour safari drives and managed to see most of what we were hoping to see. Missed out on seeing Cheetahs, Leopards and Wild Dogs, although given the size of the park there is no guarantee you will see everything. The Bush House was fantastic and I have no hesitation recommending it. Our guide Tom was OK but have heard JR is the best. August mornings are chilly but the days are beautiful. Safari Bookings were great with all pick ups and bookings done without a hitch.