CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
3 days Massai Mara camping safari
We were pleased with the trip. First, our driver was very kind and knowledgeable about this National Park. We went very close to lions, cheetahs, giraffes etc... even a rhino, that is supposed to be very rare. Our camping was great: urge tent with cement floor, real beds, toilet and hot showers (heated by a wood fire) every night. Food was good with a great cook. If you book with Breezy, be sure to contact Jacinta, she will take very good care of you. And, on top of that, it is the cheapest safari you can get.
GR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent Service, Good Planning, Responsive Attitude
After many emails to different companies we finally chose to organise our safari in Tanzania with Zohar.
Our decision was primarily based on the responsiveness of Lilian (the main coordinator at Zohar) who provided us with clear answers to all our questions and good advise, showing flexibility and willingness to cover our needs.
We wanted to fully utilise our time around the safari attractions, and LIlian was able to craft what proved to be a very good schedule for our needs - meaning the right mix of travelling times, lodgings, variety of scenery, maximising animal encounters, blended with experiencing the local culture.
From te moment we stepped out of the airport until our departure we felt we were well taken care of. Lilian met with us upon our arrival at Arusha on our first evening and gave us a short briefing, and was monitoring our every step through communication with our guide.
Here are some words about our safari...
First of all, our guide Tom was wonderful: all our family loved him! He was always polite, warm and approachable but at the same time respectful to our personal family time. He was punctual and proper, the car always clean, his driving safe but not slow. His english was excellent (we had no probelms in communicating), always explaining things and answering all our questions, with many interesting stories to share. Tom tried his best to please us, looking for the best opportunities to see the animals around, fitting the daily timetable after discussions and according to our needs. Tom was a cornerstone of our enjoyable safari.
Lilian's planning was very good. Firstly, the descriptions that she shared with us were a useful basis for planning and proved accurate in practise. We enjoyed the variety in the itinerary that allowed us to see rather alot in the time we had available.
All accommodation was very good (according to the descriptions and prices) and it was the right decision to change accommodation every night as this allowed us to have different scenery every day (and night).
Our stay at the tented camps (Kati Kati camps in two locations) was a unique experience for us (although especially my wife missed some comforts like a hair-dryer!). We really enjoyed the scenery and hearing the night-life of animals around us. I think that the two nights was just right (long enough to experience, but not too long to get tired).
We ended our safari with a higher quality lodge that Lilian proposed - a good ending to a great trip!
We very much enjoyed our visits to the villages and our interactions with the local communities. Our visit to Mto wa Mbu village was very interesting and well worth the time there. The visit was well organised, the time we spent there was informational and entertaining, it gave us the chance to experience parts of the local life and atmosphere. So a very nice highlight to our trip. (TIP: bring some small gifts for the children - e.g. pens, candy, simple toys - we had deflated balls and a pump... very well received with big smiles and hugs by the children).
We had a stop at a Masai village on the way back from Ndutu to Karatu. As you see many of the Masai around the main roads, we were excited to visit them at their home. The Masai were extremely friendly, opened up their village for us, and explained all the details of their culture and way of life. We were greeted by the son of the village chief who spoke decent english. Well worth the stop, and another type of experience compared to Mto wa Mbu. (TIP: save some of the gifts for the Masai !). The choice of Masai village was made on the spot as many of these villages offer an open door policy for tourists (US$ 50 for our family and an expectation to purchase some of their handicraft).
Our visits to the parks was the main highlight. Lilian's suggestion to see the different parks was right.
Starting with Lake Manyara was a good warm-up, very conveniently located on the way to Karatu, and with different life compared to what followed.
Then the Serengeti was as magical as we expected.
The environment around Ndutu was different to Serengeti and interesting to see this difference - but animal life there was less dense compared to the main Serengeti (say around Serengeti's Seronera river).
Finally Ngorongoro was another magical and unique place...
In all the areas we enjoyed the variety of scenery and animal life.
To wrap up - this was a fantastic trip for our family.
After the safari we spent another week in Zanzibar, but the main images and experinces that are spinning around our heads are from the north part of Tanzania: the scenery, animals and people around Serengeti and Ngorongoro.
Thank you Zohar!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Safari with It Started in Africa!!
We had an amazing Kenyan safari with ISIA back in October 2014, just got round to posting now! Patricia was very helpful in arranging the itinerary (and changing it many times as we requested!) and Alex was without a doubt one of the best tour guides and drivers we've ever come across on any tour, anywhere!
We would highly recommend the Rhino Lodge in Tsavo National Park, amazing place and we were lucky enough to spot a leopard! During the safari we also saw the falls in Thompson Park, the wildlife at Naivasha and Lake Nakuru plus Masai Mara, and spent several days at the beach in Mombasa. Thanks to Alex our tour guide we were able to get up close to lions, hyenas, rhinos, cheetahs, elephants, hippos, crocodiles, giraffes, zebras, buffalo and many more! Amazing safari all round, and looking forward to visiting again! Will definitely be booking through ISIA again - amazing value for money and no complaints! (On a general note, please ensure any US Dollars you carry when visiting Kenya are series 2000 or later, as the older ones were not always accepted for exchange we found). Thanks again to Patricia and Alex!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
I love AFRICA
Apart from the initials issues due to the flights delay with KQ all I can say is : Beautiful country, lovely food, friendly people..........Asante sana rafiki.
its a wonderfull combination of nature wildlife hospiltality realxiation. Its paradise lost
The nearness of Gnoe
All right, wildlife does not evoke the same emotions Norah Jones does with her beautiful song but believe it or not, when you’re in the middle of a herd of Gnoes and other wildlife for the first time in your life, tears come to your eyes. It’s an emotional moment.
It’s January, rain and storm rule where we live in Holland. Tanzania is just 9 hours away with its beautiful nature, lovely climate and astounding wildlife.
Our trip in Tanzania knew three stages: relaxing days in and around Moshi, acknowledging the snowy peak of Kilimanjaro every morning, an exciting 11-day safari in Tarangiri National Park, Ngoro Ngoro Crater and Serengeti National Park. Our R. and R. was on Zanzibar, with our feet in the turquoise water of the Indian ocean.
Nothing was standard in those memorable days. Dutch born and raised Selma Kamm and her Tanzanian husband Ngomi Kamm of Moshi based Makasa Tanzanian Safaris excel in tailor-made trips. They had excellent and very practical suggestions on where to go and what to see and still made us feel ‘captain of our ship’.
On the spot, in Tanzania, Makasa service is impeccable and their guides and drivers are out to give you the time of your life.
We grew very much attached to our driver /guide Humphrey. He has an amazing knowledge of both flora and fauna and seems to have bionic eyes. My expensive binoculars are no match for his experience and eyesight when it comes to spotting wildlife. And yes, we saw the big five, and the small five and much more. We walked along thousands and thousands of Flamingo’s in Empakaai Crater, drove through paradise lost Ngoro Ngoro crater and were awed by the vastness of Serengeti. There is so much more to tell.
On safari we stayed in what they call tented lodges: an excellent invention. The cosiness of a tent, the size of a small bungalow, excellent double bed, chairs, and of course your own bathroom and shower. In the morning you wake up at the friendly voice just outside your tented lodge, asking if you want a hot or a cold shower.
Tourism is still relatively small in Tanzania, so when you visit a local family, its just you and the family, and together you prepare a local lunch –very tasty indeed- while they enjoy the way you potter around with their cooking utensils.
To top it all we spent 4 days in guest house Kilima Kidogo, in Paje, Zanzibar: white beaches, warm ocean, beds for an afternoon nap, lovely food and very friendly service.
Karibu indeed.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent Serivce
Everything was great. We had an amazing team on the mountain. Every day the camp was set up by the time we arrived, the food was always hot and delicious, and everyone was incredibly friendly. Our safari was in Serengeti, and we stayed at a beautiful tented camp and saw a ton of animals. Highly recommend going during the Wildebeest migration.
EAV was never late, never forgot anything, and stuck closely to the itinerary but let us make changes as we went and as we wanted. Great trip!
IT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
simply the best! thanks georg and paul
Paul replied to our mails immediately,and gave us a lot of advices in order to complete the planification of our tour.
The payment was done partially by bank and the rest directly to the driver Georg. He is kind, professional trustful,tireless and careful .We land at 3.am and he pick us up soon. The accomodations were amazing, over my expectation. The safaris( we did masai mara, naguru, kilimangiaro)were beautiful, Georg during the driving , informed us regarding enviroment and culture in Kenia,he is competent and permit us to photograph various species of animals.We followed the program, but Georg was always available to satisfy our requests.nevertheless the long distance in order to arrive in the different places, georg seemed tireless, and we felt always safe. At the end of the safari, we spent 4 additional days along the sea... but immediately we contacted again Paul to organize for us also some excursions there, georg was our driver and we met a sailer that spend with us the day in wasini marine park. The kenia expresso tour has a good local network, so your holiday is in good safe hands and doesn t lose the autenticity of the place .
I strongly recommend this serious organization.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Safari with Armadillo!
Chris and his helped Darin were so kind and supportive during our 4 day, 3 night tour. We flew into Jo-burg and Truck Norris came and picked us up right in front of our hostel, then drove us via the panoramic route, per our request. Every day Chris gave us options of what we wanted to do, and even helped us book a night drive with the park provided service. The food was incredible, and Chris took us to get a drink at the visitors centers in every campground. We had difficulty paying on time, but he worked with us and was very flexible and understanding. I highly recommend this service!! It was the highlight of my time in South Africa!
A Very Positive Experience
Having arrived in South Africa on Dec. 26 without anything planned, we needed to move fast. Ute could not have been more responsive or helpful in facilitating delivery of an excellent safari experience. She took our preferences into account in providing myriad options for us to consider and did so in incredibly short order. For that, as well as her recommending Kirkman's Kamp, we could not be more grateful.
Family Beach Holiday and Safari
We just got back from a wonderful trip to Kenya with Safari Joe. We enjoyed a fabulous safari to Tsavo as well as relaxing on the beautiful Diani Beach. One of the many highlights was a visit to the village where our children played football with the local children, memories that will last forever. Thank you