US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda
We went with Umubano Tours for our Rwanda Gorilla Trek. They were absolutely wonderful! Our guide, John Bosco was a delight - as was the owner, Herbert.
They came highly recommended from a friend who used them a year earlier. I would definitely use them again and recommend them to others without hesitation.
CA
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great company to work with.
The planning and execution of our trip to Botswana, Zimbabwe and Namibia was first class. There was very good communication with Madelein and she listened to our thoughts and ideas. It made for a trip of a lifetime ( and also gave us the dream of more African sojourns ).
IT
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Was a wonderfull esperience!!!
Location, service, safari tour and so on Was everything ok! Thank you Phillip
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A Mixed Experience
I booked with Charles from Mwema Africa Safaris since his response time was great and he was easy to communicate with. He answered all my questions and was upfront what was included and what was excluded. I did a 3 day safari to Masai Mara with a visit to a Masai community and then onward to Lake Naivasha instead of returning to Nairobi.
Since I booked on short notice Charles met me at my hotel on time and took me to his office to complete our paperwork seamlessly and then onward to meet the Safari van. The van was old and a little worn but appeared serviceable. Charles had me join a group that various agents had booked and assured me that we were all staying at the Sopa Hotel in Masai Mara. We ended up going all over Nairobi to pick up various people which was fine since we were getting an early start. We ended up leaving one couple who were not ready on time and they joined us later.
The road into the Mara is terrible and unfortunately the safari van had holes in the floor boards so the dust just wallowed into the van which was worse than when It rained and the water ran down the windows and doors inside the van. It was pretty miserable since we kept the windows rolled up and no AC. When we got into the Mara there was a huge dispute since half the group had been unknowingly booked into a backpackers tent camp while the rest of us were staying at the Sopa Hotel. We all felt bad and while we were together during game drives it was a bit uncomfortable to have part of us staying at a different place. Our evening game drive was delayed while sorting out the accommodations, so some of us were not able to wipe the dust off or get a cold drink prior to the evening drive but the vote was to go on the evening game drive and it was well worth it. Amazing variety of animals and a magnificent sunset. We got back to the Sopa after dark and were greeted with hot towel and a glass of juice as we checked in. Nice accommodations with plenty of hot water, great buffet dinner and staff were wonderful.
The next morning we were to leave at 7:30 AM for an early all day game drive. Our driver was picking up the other group first and was 1 hour and 20 minutes late picking us up. Evidently one of the couples was not ready on time. Not OK and while his apology was sincere it was a loss of our only early morning time out in the Mara. I called Charles who apologized but frankly not much he could do. While our driver was fine he did not know any of the animals and really didn't know his way around the Mara. Since the drivers all have shortwave radios they are in constant communication and can get to where the animals are fairly quickly. We saw cheetahs hunting and a pride of female lions going out for the hunt . It was an amazing day with a picnic lunch under a tree while zebras and giraffes grazed nearby. It was surreal, animals everywhere! the wildebeest migration was just starting and from the overlook we could imagine what it must be like during the main part of the migration.
The next day I was to trade vehicles and meet up with a group going onto Lake Naivasha while the van I had been riding in returned to Nairobi. Unfortunately the van to Naivasha had brake problems so we waited a few hours while they were fixed and off we went over the hills and again with brake problems and another long delay. Finally arrived at Lake Naivasha Sopa hours late, just before sundown. The cottage at Lake Naivasha was great, staff were friendly and the hippos on the grounds in the evening and early morning hours were unreal. Who knew hippos make noises.
If I had to do it again. I would make sure that the agent owns their own van and employs the driver. While Charles was great once I was in the van he had no control . Being placed in a group is the luck of the draw, in regards to driver knowledge and van condition. While Charles assured me we were all staying at the Sopa hotel the other agents who booked clients on our van had obviously lied and told their clients they were staying at the Sopa hotel and when we arrived were told they were actually booked at a backpackers tent camp. I would skip the visit to the Masai community, very uncomfortable and certainly not culturally appropriate. Also our driver dropped two of us off in the village and told us we would be walking back with the Masai, when I protested he said it would be fine. I didn't feel unsafe and was tired of arguing. Unfortunately no one wanted to walk us back until we had bought the required amount of goods from community members.
Overall an amazing experience and I would go again. Hope someone else can benefit from my experience.
DK
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Well-planned, comfortable and personal safari at a very reasonable price
I was travelling with two other lovely ladies, my mum and aunt, who weren't very used to Kenyan roads and traffic. We were very impressed by how we always felt in safe hands, the hotels were well-picked , and all the staff members we met during our journey always did their best to take care of us. They were also very flexible , e.g. when the weather turned out to be colder than expected in Mara, we got accomodation inside instead of in tents. We also appreciated very much staying in sustainable lodging.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Super Tour Company, A Real African experience.
I was a little skeptical at first as there are so many tour operators and options, but I can say that after the whole tour and everything, that it was an awesome experience and I wouldn't trade my time spent for anything. In terms of the actual tour operator I can't say that there were any problems, the owners and staff were super friendly and the food (really important to me) was first class. A great job overall and I would use them again. Thanks for the Tour!
BE
Great experience with Makasa Tanzanian Safaris
Everything was very good organized: The transport from and to the airport, the accommodation, the safari... We have seen the real African life very closely: we went on a coffee tour with local farmers, we visited a school for girls next to our guest house and we made a tour through Moshi Town.
Further we went on safari to Lake Manyara, Serengeti and Ngorongoro. These parks are totally different from each other, every park has its own characteristics which you can enjoy. Thanks to our experienced guide we've seen many beautiful things, animals and landscapes. We saw all the animals of the big 5: lots of lions and elephants, buffalos, leopards and rhinos. Many times the animals came very close to our car: lions sitting in the shade of our car, a leopard crossing the road behind our car, a mother elephant with her baby passing our car... We've seen a group of hundreds of zebras on the run; we've seen a female lion chasing zebras (without success); we've seen a brave (or stupid) buffalo chasing away 2 lions, but then he got chased himself by the lions, with success. Luckily for this buffalo the other buffalos came to rescue him. This was the most spectacular thing we've seen. It was really amazing to see that the whole group of buffalos (appr. 100) came closer and closer to chase the lions away. The lions ran away behind the cars, all looking to this spectacle.
All these beautiful things were made possible by our guide. He also drove us safely from one beautiful place to another. He shared his experiences and knowledge with us.
We ended our vacation with a stay at Zanzibar: Sun, sea and beach!
IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
An exciting trip through the Namib Desert and all its amazing locations.
All accomodations were above my expectations. Philip has been an excellent guide,
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Fantastic experience in every way!
We decided less than a month before departure to do a southern Africa trip. I researched about fifteen tour operators that had good reviews and contacted seven. Nature Travel Namibia quickly rose to the top and responded almost immediately—hours and days before anyone else. They offer a wide variety of established tours or will create a personal one that meets all your needs. The owner, Nick Buys, was able to arrange all within days and got the desired bookings for a 15 day tour of Namibia, Botswana, and Zambia. Everything worked perfectly!
A native of Namibia, he is a wildlife expert, especially birds. He also runs birding trips to a number of places. He can spot one on the wing from a hundred yards away and tell you exactly what it is, describe its habits, relationship to other birds, etc. His knowledge is absolutely amazing. He’s equally good with all wildlife. He’d say, “There’s a zebra,” long before I could see it even with him pointing. This isn’t just a job for him. You can tell he truly loves what he’s doing. His goal is to create the greatest trip possible. He’s very flexible and put our interests and comfort above all else. What sets him apart even further from others is his wonderful sense of humor and genuine, passionate enthusiasm. It’s very infectious. So beware! You may never want to leave and will be determined to return many times. I’ve traveled to 40 countries and this was my third trip to Africa. Never have I had such a fulfilling and exciting experience. Five plus stars. Highly recommended.
KW
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
AmazZzing
We went full day for 2 days it was really amazing experience
We will come back again