IN
50-65 years of age
Amazing 14 day trip to Kenya and Tanzani - must do once in your life !
We were very happy with the professionalism as well as the overall experience on the trip. We had a guide/cook (Amos) and driver (Eddie) and a 22-seater "Boomer" all for just our family (that was us getting lucky as it was a bit early :-). With a 14 day safari where you are with the crew the whole time, there can be issues and problems, but they went out of their way to ensure we had a great time. I hit my 50th birthday and Amos organized a surprise for me right in one of the camps (this included getting a cake, balloons and even paying for all of it). We had a total of 6 game drives and on each drive, it was great. We saw the Big 5 and even the very shy leopard. They knew where to go and when - one our best viewing was a lion couple mating and we were the only game truck - generally at all animal sightings, there are many vehicles watching. They also arranged for the best possible accommodations and in each place would give us a choice. Food was also great - My wife is vegetarian and it was a challenge to keep all meals different. But Amos managed to do that. Some of the other things we wanted to highlight
1) My wife lost her gold/diamond necklace and she was pretty sure she lost it in the truck. We looked for it everywhere we couldn't and almost gave up. We told Amos that it might be in the truck and he looked for it at night and brought it to us the next morning - he found it under one of the rear seats - striking honesty.
2) On the last day, we wanted to do some Tanzanite shopping - Amos figured all of it and arranged for a cab and even came with us for it as the Boomer could not go into the business district
Debbie had warned be about being patient and that things may not always work as expected (This is Africa expression !), but our crew made sure everything worked like a charm even if things had to be improvised a little. Superb trip, Superb company.
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The best!
My travel companion and I have just returned from a trip to Tanzania which included a safari and visit to Zanzibar. I booked this adventure on line with Roy Safaris and it went off without a hitch! Our agent, Riwaida was phenomenal from start to finish. She even booked additional flights to get us across the country to Arusha where our safari began. She really went above and beyond! Our driver guide was Thomas and with 17 years experience, we couldn't have asked for a more informative, courteous and friendly person! He even made arrangements for our lodge rooms to be close to the main dining area to accommodate my travel companion who was a little older. Our Zanzibar leg of the trip was also wonderful and the beach side resort of Sandies Mapenzie Beach was fabulous!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fantastic Lion-Tastic Safari with Travel Explore Africa
This was truly the trip of a lifetime!
Touring Uganda for two weeks with Travel Explore Africa (Wilson Bisaso) is an experience I will never forget. Three days in Murchison with giraffes, lions (including a pride of seven, and finding a lioness resting under a tree after eating their fill), a pregnant hyena, Patas monkeys, and local music; Chimpanzee Habituation Experience at Kibale (12 hours of following the delightful Sebo, second in command); 3 days at Queen Elizabeth National Park, with wonderful lion sightings (including three satisfied males, lounging), a Kazinga Channel boat ride (hippos, crocodiles, elephants), and tracking chimpanzees in Kyambura Gorge (Kejojo, Brutus and Muzungu!); 2 days in Ishasha, seeing a young pride of 5 lions; Bwindi, Kisoro, and finally Lake Mburo, for beautiful zebras, fighting impalas, spotted bushbuck...wow!
Everything was just perfect: the food, the accommodation, the price, and most especially the animals! Wilson made everything run smoothly, was courteous, professional and kind (as well as funny) at all times; could spot any creature for any distance (his eyes are amazing) and navigated Uganda's difficult roads with panache! I can't recommend Travel Explore Africa and Uganda's National Parks enough!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing Ugandan Safari! Beyond Our Wildest Dreams!
I travelled with a group of 3 friends to Uganda this year - best trip of my life! With the help of Wilson Bisaso, we were able to have fantastic wildlife viewings throughout this beautiful country, including chimpanzees, gorillas, lions, elephants, hippo, buffalo, kob, topi, baboons, blue monkeys, black and white colobus, red colobus, red tailed monkey, zebra, giraffes, crocodiles, and more! Wilson was an excellent driver, making long journeys smooth and enjoyable. He was knowledgeable about animals, politics, the land, and shared a vast amount of information with us, which helped us really get a feel for the country. He introduced us to Ugandan food (delicious) and music (wonderful and joyous!). Everything was done completely professionally and within our rather restricted budget. I cannot recommend this company enough! Communications - A+! Price A+! Safari - A+++!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fantastic Ugandan safari - Best ever!
This was the most fantastic trip of our lives! My husband and I had wanted to travel to Uganda for several years, but thought it was out of our budget (especially paying for gorilla permits!). With Wilson Bisaso's help, we were able to design the perfect safari, to maximise wildlife viewing in many of Uganda's amazing parks. Wilson was an excellent driver, navigating the sometimes very bumpy Ugandan roads with ease and speed, always keeping us safe and comfortable (and because I can suffer from car-sickness, this was quite a thing!). Wilson also had the most amazing eyesight - he could spot any animal at any distance (so it seemed), and my husband and I were completely reliant on him to see many of the beautiful creatures, especially lions! Wilson was incredibly attentive, friendly, accommodating and generous, speaking to us about various cultural issues, and always keeping the conversation interesting. We certainly learned a lot on the trip. Both my husband and I were so thrilled with all we saw and did that we could barely sleep - waiting for the next day's adventure! Highlights of the trip were definitely chimpanzee tracking (Kibale), gorilla tracking (Bwindi), and seeing lions in the wild in Queen Elizabeth. We very much hope to come back soon, Wilson, and will definitely be booking with you again - we have to find that leopard!
Communications before, during and after the trip were professional and friendly at all times. The service provided was beyond expectation and at a totally reasonable price. The safari was AMAZING!
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience working with Kenya Walking Survivors!
Otieno (OT) of Kenya Walking Survivors organized a customized 13-day private tour in Kenya and Uganda for safaris and gorilla trekking. OT was very responsive and understanding of our needs and made sure all travel, park, food, and lodging arrangements were in place. He was very upfront about costs so that there were no surprises. Food and lodging were adequate and our driver-guide-cooks (Ochieng/Jacob, Martin/Sam) did their jobs superbly. While he made several changes to our itinerary, they were understandable and communicated to us. Just a caution--there was a lot of driving (unavoidable) and some activities such as the gorilla trek and pygmy village visit were physically demanding. Overall, we had a great time and highly recommend Kenya Walking Survivors for future trips.
CH
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Rwanda + Ouganda in June 2014 with Mapendano : EXCELLENT !
I contacted Mapendano a few months before the departure. They organised everything and all was perfect in the communication (answers to my questions were quick and complete).
During the trip, I visited twice the gorillas and both experiences were different and complementary.
The hotels were excellent, so was the food.
Samuel, guide / driver, couldn't possibly have been nicer or more helpful - he felt like an old friend by the end of the first week. He was perfect during the safari drives in the animals parks.
We only got little problems with the car (2 flat tires and another problem with the transmission), it was just part of the trip and the lost of time was minimal.
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I highly recommend MAPENDANO for any trip in central Africa.
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All the team members I met at the end of the trip were so friendly.
I only hope to go back soon to central Africa (Burundi ?) with Mapendano.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The company provided in depth knowledge about parks and tour guide througn the game drive
We enjoyed the game drive and the tour guides/drivers are all very courteous. The living accommodations are generally good with couple of places exceeding my expectation. Food is also generally good. The cost is very reasonable with no hidden charges for the trip. The owner OT is very much personally involved in the planning and handling of the complete trip. The long travel in some days can be tiring. I would not hesitate recommending KenyaWalking Survivors Safaris to people interested in Safari tours in Africa.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
No effort at all
I was travelling on my own, and thought I may be presented with "sorry, we can no longer do this trip/tour/visit because you are only one person". In stead, I got, "You want to do xyz? No problem at all. Let's get going".
Food was very tasty everywhere, although beer was not necessarily cold.
The tented camp was clean, fresh bedlinen, and best of all, hot water showers, even at 5am in the morning.
Simon, the tourguide, was the right balance of approachable, but not in your face constant information. If I wanted to know something, I could ask, and he explained.
Even the last part to Lake Nakuru, with just me and Simon, it was great to have relaxed conversations on the way there and back.
I was fortunate with a great group of fellow travellers.
The tour vehicle was clean, comfortable, and great for game viewing.
I will recommend the tour, the timing and the company.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Reliable company
We are not the first time in Kenya, so we made a program for our trip and sent it to ten companies. George proposed us the best price at the best conditions. We had a private tour for three persons and luxury lodges in four National parks. Our driver Jakob was a very professional driver and a good guide. He is calm, patient, knows the parks very good. The most important, Jakob knows great the behavior of the animals. He was following all our wishes. He was looking for the animals better than most of the other drivers and we saw a lot of animals first. And he is a real hardwoker - we spend so much time at game drives that we couldn't spend more - thanks to Jacob.
The tour was well organized. Our flight landed at 3 a.m. and Jacob and George met us with a car. So we left early from the airport (around 6 a.m.) directly to safari avoiding Nairobi. The car was a mini-van. It is quite decent, the seats are comfortable and there was no major breaks. Jacob could use the maximum the car can provide! :)) The hotels were booked as agreed. Overall, the program was done completely.
The final conclusion: Right choice tours and safaris is a reliable company that is able to organize for you a good customized safari at the best price. Jacob is a very good drive who tries to make the best for your trip.