20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Kenya by glynis2
The beauty of the landscape and the variety of wildlife left me breathless. I have never been on safari in another country to compare, but in Kenya they really value the tourism industry and they work hard to make sure you have the best experience possible. The tour guides are well trained and very knowledgeable about all the wildlife and the parks/reserves. The staff at all the lodges also worked hard to provide a high level of service. Safety is also the highest priority. Also, in my opinion, no safari trip is complete without a trip to the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust which raises baby elephant orphans. It's located just outside Nairobi and is the perfect way to either begin or end your safari experience. I will be going back to Kenya for sure!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Safari Destination!
My entire safari tour took me to 3 different reserves/parks in Kenya, but overall I think I enjoyed Samburu National Reserve the most. The landscape is beautiful and we saw a wide variety of wildlife; lots of elephants, many types of antelopes, giraffes, buffalo, warthogs, crocodiles, lions, cheetahs, ostriches, grevy's zebra (different from a regular zebra, and this type is only found on Samburu if I remember my safari guide correctly). Samburu is particularly great for elephant viewing (they are my favorite animals). We saw many herds on our game drives and my personal highlight was the morning they took us to watch all the elephants trek to the river for their morning drink/bath. We parked our jeep and watched as an endless number of elephants (including some adorable little babies) passed in front of us probably less than 20 yards from our vehicle! Our safari guide was fantastic; incredibly knowledgeable about all the wildlife and had reference books to consult when unsure of the names of some of the many types of antelope or birds we saw. The lodges we stayed in were wonderful. I was really expecting to "rough it" so I was pleasantly surprised by the lovely upscale tents on raised wooden floors we got to stay in complete with all the amenities of a nice hotel room. There were lots of baboons wandering around the camp and just outside our tents, which provided fun viewing from the decks. The food provided was pretty good and all the bottled water we needed was always available. The dirt roads throughout the park were in much better condition than I was expecting, but the roads throughout Kenya which you need to drive on to reach the reserve are pretty bad (important to note if you get motion sick like I do- make sure to bring motion sickness remedy with you.) The weather in March was fantastic, being the end of the dry/hot season and just before the cold/rainy season. It was sunny and 80-90F the entire time! Not very many mosquitos at that time either. The entire experience exceeded my expectations. I highly recommend making Samburu National Reserve a stop on your safari!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Uganda, The ultimate "off the beaten track" destiantion in Africa!
Uganda is often linked with gorillas and chimpanzees. The apes are the countries main attraction and adds something extra compared to other more traditional safari destinations. However, Uganda has so much more to offer with some great game parks, unique boat safari's in 3 different national parks, huge forest areas, waterfalls, matoke (bananas) everywhere, mountains with snow, stunning lakes, volcanoes and the friendliest people in the world! On top of that you can venture off the beaten track by going to unspoiled game parks like Kidepo Valley NP. What about visiting unspoiled tribes in the east of the country (karamajong) or hike the Rwenzori Mountains. For real travelers Uganda is a MUST!
Review about South Africa by Ken A.
Perfect for a first safari. All of the wildlife I was hoping to see, and more, with accessible and luxurious accommodations.
Spectacular Game Viewing and Experience
Not enough superlatives to describe the experience. The wildlife was varied, active and spectacular. Great viewing of many types of animals (lions, buffalo, elephants, hippos, rhino, giraffes, etc.) but the stars were the many leopards. Having stayed at the Rattrays lodge, there were only 4 guest per vehicle. Never more than 2 vehicles at a sighting. Impossible to imagine a more knowledgeable or friendly guide and of great assistance in positioning me to get the best photographic lighting. Service could not have been more attentive. Accommodations were world class. Food was quite good, with dinners eaten outdoors in a communal setting. A special experience.
SE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Lekker
This was a great adventure in the wild... We saw everything you could ask for, all from birds, hippos, lions, leopards and wild dogs and of course amazing scenery!!
Next time I am going back to Southern Africa for safari i will definitely go with Wild Planet Safaris again. The staff has very good knowledge about every animal and the surroundings where we were and was very friendly and helpfull. You feel that these people live to be in the wild.
The food everynight was always very good and tasty.. We had elephant sausage and other good tasting steaks from animals we could see in the parks..
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
A beautiful country which offers visitors a wide variety of bush experiences.
Most people who travel to South Africa have two key destinations on their itinerary: Cape Town, and Kruger National Park. While both are fantastic holiday options, there is so much more to the country than that, and if you’re contemplating a visit to South Africa, you really should consider travelling to other areas too. South Africa offers such varied bush experiences and while many of the parks pale in comparison to the size of Kruger, when it comes to gorgeous landscapes and game-viewing opportunities, they certainly give Kruger a run for its money.
The province of KwaZulu-Natal, for example, has outstanding parks in its northern regions. Up here, in the land that once was ruled over by Shaka Zulu, it is classic rhino country and there are a number of parks, such as Hluhluwe-Imfolozi and Phinda, where you’re likely to see the Big Five. Many parks up here also offer the chance to go on walking safaris – guaranteed to give you a totally different perspective of life in the bush.
The landscape varies vastly across the country, and if you’re a keen photographer, parks like Golden Gate, Camdeboo, Pilanesburg, Karoo and the Kgalagadi will be an absolute delight. In these parks, the sheer scale of vast open spaces will almost dwarf the wildlife, and shooting during the golden hours will be an absolute treat.
It is very easy to self-drive in South Africa – in fact, it’s recommended. The quality of the roads is good, especially between the major cities, and taking a road trip through this country will reveal some of its quirks and hidden corners. If you are going to do the classic Kruger/Cape Town holiday, consider taking a week or so to drive between the two, and stop off at parks like Golden Gate, Addo Elephant Park, Mountain Zebra National Park. You’ll be so glad you did.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Where you’re guaranteed to have the classic African safari experience
It’s very easy to fall completely in love with Kenya: it is here that you’ll get to experience the classic African safari, and where, often, you can feel like you and your travel companions are the only people in the world. Of course, the more popular parks like Masai Mara (which offers some of the best game-viewing in the world) and Amboseli (where you’ll get classic postcard views of Kilimanjaro) have well-travelled roads, but go further off the beaten track to parks like Tsavo West and into the heart of Laikepia Plateau, and often you’ll not see another vehicle for days.
The most common way to get around in Kenya, if you’re on safari, is by light airplane – and your flights will usually be arranged by the lodges and camps you stay at. Only a handful of visitors seem to travel independently by road; it’s often very slow going between the parks because of the sheer distances, and the poor quality of some of the roads can turn what should be a two-hour journey into at least double that. Information on camping can be hard to come by and you’ll need to be self-sufficient as there are often no amenities in many of the parks’ campsites. Having said that, little compares to the joy and sense of freedom that comes with exploring and setting up camp in some of the wildest parts of Kenya’s remotest parks.
What Kenya is less known for is its beaches – surprising, because they really are beautiful. Long, sandy stretches and pretty blue bays watched over by both baobabs and palm trees make for truly memorable holidays, and it’s well worth taking a few days after your safari to unwind further along the Indian Ocean.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Great game viewing in a very accessible park
Straddling the highway between Nairobi and Mombasa, Tsavo East and West together form the biggest park in Kenya. At over 20,000 square kilometres, the Tsavos cover four percent of the country’s land, and together are larger than Israel.
Tsavo East is the busier of the two parks in terms of visitor numbers, and is especially popular with day visitors who’re staying in Mombasa or along the coast. Voi Gate is the best place to enter, and the areas around here offer fantastic game viewing. There is a plain around Aruba Dam that is teeming with wildlife; when I was there, I saw a herd of elephants, buffalo, zebra, impala and a troop of baboons – at the same time – as well as a very shy jackal.
Tsavo East is neatly divided into north and south by the Galana River. Two-thirds of the park lies north of the Galana, but this area is essentially off-limits to visitors. South of the Galana, however, there is plenty of wildlife and most animals seem to be used to vehicles, so you have some fantastic opportunities to get good wildlife photographs.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Where the "wild west" takes on new meaning
The smaller and quieter of the two Tsavo parks, Tsavo West fits that old cliché: it really is an undiscovered gem. “Undiscovered” because, although together with Tsavo East it forms part of Kenya’s biggest park, Tsavo West seems to enjoy far fewer visitors than its larger cousin, and a drive through the park, particularly the further west you go, will have you believing you’re the only people for hundreds and hundreds of kilometres.
If you head to the far south-eastern border of the park, where Kenya meets Tanzania, you’ll find yourself in a very remote area on the shore of Lake Jipe. There is an abundance of wildlife in this area, and we saw huge herds of waterbuck, eland, gemsbok, elephants, and troops of baboons.
There is a camp site and bandas on the shore of the lake. We camped alongside a large herd of waterbuck; had hippo grazing past our tent in the evening, and woke in the morning to views of Kilimanjaro. A short drive along the lake, where we breakfasted on top of our Land Cruiser, we spent more than an hour watching a herd of elephants moving over to an island in the lake.
Within an hour, this park had become one of my favourites in all of Africa.