NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Smooth operation from begin to finish
I liked my experience with Axis Safari, the operation was smooth from begin to finish. I compared some companies for this trip and got some good information about the program when i visited the Axis office in Nairobi. I had my tour with Steve as a guide and six other people in the car. Steve was a real good driver and had a youthful energy. He knew some trivia about almost all animals we saw (and we saw a lot). He was helpful when needed and remained patient on the long gamedrive (9 hours!) on the second day. I think Steve's vibe works the best with a younger crowd. If you would like a more serene, Attenborough-like vibe you might want to ask for another guide.
The food in the camp was nutritious and the host was friendly. Yes, the entrance fee is high. But its worth the money if you want to see the place once in your life.
IT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good overall experience
Me and my wife have been travelling with Destiny explorers on a 5D/4N safari at the end of september across 4 national parks in Tanzania (Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Lake Manyara): I won't mention here how fantastic and adventurous the whole trip was...!
We booked plenty in advance (in January '23) but due to the company being quite small and the low season we would have probably found a seat also a few weeks before (but maybe not flights and accomodations).
We choose it because it was one of the cheapest company providing the tour we wanted and the accomodation (mid range) and the tour proposed were perfectly fitting our needs: to be honest we were a bit apprehensive about the reliability of the company and the personnel until we got to Tanzania and met the staff; being such a small, possibly unknown company and having paid such a lot of money in advance from the other side of the world made us feel a little worried until the last moment: the same feeling would have applied for any other safari company probably.
In one word we have no regrets in our choice!
PROS:
- being a small company we managed to keep the whole cost within our budget compared to the thousands of companies on this site
- the accomodations were absolutely gorgeous (2N in "Ngorongoro Forest tented Lodge" + 2N in " Serengeti baobab camp") and we couldn't ask for more despite them being cathegorized as "middle range". The food was also perfect, both for the buffet/restaurant dinners and for the packet lunches.
- this was a private safari, only the two of us on the jeep, deciding times and movements according to the guide: this was a huge pro compared to other companies providing group safari (we've seen even 8 people on a single car) at an higher cost.
- despite the low price we did absolutely everything else that all the company did; we went in any place and saw everything was possible to see and more; infact we kept meeting the same cars from all the different companies in every stops we made.
- Peter, our driver and guide was exactly the person we were aiming to have with us in the tour: he was extremly serious and professional, few words but the right ones at the right moment! His english was very good, he was listening to the radio to bring us to see the rarest animals when spotted.
- the car had 2 UK sockets with a 220 inverter to charge your phone or camera, an old fridge to keep your water cold (free bottles of water were provided), pop up roof, no AC, manual windows, lots of space.
CONS:
- main negative (or less positive) point would be attributed to the car and overall safety: on our last day in Serengeti we stopped at a gas station to get one tire fixed and one, that was completely worned out, replaced and we found out both spare tires on the back of the car were punctured and would have not be possible to use them in case of a flat tire during the trip until that moment; on our last day the morning pick up was delayed becase the car wasn't starting at all: our guide went above and beyond his duty to get it fixed fast. Car stopped suddenly due to an harsh brake and we had to be pushed by another car to start it. Seat belt wasn't properly latching. Fridge was old and little dirty inside. To summarize: a very very old car that definitively requires big maintenance that should be done BEFORE starting the tour and not left to the driver to fix it as an emergency. We were lucky that nothing major happened (we have seen other companies with very big issues on their cars that fully compromised the whole safari), but this shouldn't be left to luck: a break down in the middle of Serengeti would have cost us a couple of days to get a new car delivered.
- the food the accomodations provided for our packed lunches were good and appetizing yet little basic for somebodies needs: we were absolutely happy with our choices and to spend less than an hour for the pick nick (we were there to see animals, not to waste time in lunch and getting drunk!), but this might be a little disappointing for somebody: we've seen tables prepared with proper hot food (rice, chicken, soups etc) and even with beers and wines served in glass chalices... not what we were looking for, but just an heads up if you fancy that kind of "high standard" comfort.
- last but not least was a little/big misunderstanding at the very end of the journey that left us with a bitter feeling: I calculated and prepared a very decent tip for the driver based on what I read online being a fair amount and on our experience with the car damages and overall comfort. There was a moment of embarassment with the driver as I handed the money to him and he counted... he asked for more in a very polite way, 20 USD per person per day, total 200 USD! We got to find out we were actually paying his own salary as he was not receiving any money from the company. This was very disappointing from many point of views: we were not aware of this fixed price we had to pay, it could have been communicated from the very beginning (I just had enough cash to cover this but I was left without a dollar for the rest of my trip). Why was not this a fixed price per car but it was per person if this was the driver's salary? Tip should be a free choice in quality and quantity and not a fixed imposed price... we would have been happy to know and pay this from the beginning as part of the safari cost.
OVERALL CONSIDERATIONS:
All went fine and we had an awesome experience.
Destiny exporers was exactly what we were expecting in terms of costs, quality, services so for us it was a 9/10 choice, but it could not be for everybody if you wish to pay slightly more and have a better comfort and safety.
BE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Friendly
It was cold in the morning, hence why we saw only few animals. The afternoon was hotter, thus we saw more animals then. Overall good experience.
PT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The safari and the operator were very good
The safari was very good. During the planning, Issa responded promptly, making the entire process smooth, and even throughout the trip, communication with him was easy whenever needed.
David was our guide on the safari, and he drove us safely the entire time, always offering assistance when required. He paid close attention to our preferences, allowing us to spend extra time observing the animals we enjoyed most and moving on quickly from others. And we were able to see/find the Big Five.
Overall, it was a fantastic experience, with a minor issue at the end due to a lack of clarity in the quote and the last dinner being missed.
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great weekend!
Our ranger really tried to help us see the big five! Which we managed to see in only two days safari😍
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing safari
Denis our tour guide was great, he enabled us to see every single animal that we wanted to before arriving in Africa. All of the big 5 and many many more amazing animals. He had a good eye for spotting them and gave us plenty of time to watch the animals.
He is a good, and safe driver. Also kind and helpful.
Food was mainly okay, just the same every day gets a bit boring.
Few mishaps with accommodation, but the tour company resolved this.
Communication could be better.
We felt safe and well fed throughout.
Would recommend if you want to discover Kenya but stay on a budget, with basic, but clean accommodation.
IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
We saw every single animal we wanted, on a budget
Denis our tour guide was great, he enabled us to see every single animal that we wanted to before arriving in Africa. All of the big 5 and many many more amazing animals. He had a good eye for spotting them and gave us plenty of time to watch the animals.
He is a good, and safe driver. Also kind and helpful.
Food was mainly okay, just the same every day gets a bit boring.
Few mishaps with accommodation, but the tour company resolved this.
Communication could be better.
We felt safe and well fed throughout.
Would recommend if you want to discover Kenya but stay on a budget, with basic, but clean accommodation.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great Tour
Great Programm with a reliable tour operator. Unfortunately our car wasn't very well mentioned which made us worried about our safety at the end of the tour. Tour operator promised to give the car a detailed check up.
BE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
A must do on the bucket list.
Despite the wife being extremely ill(2days in bed), it was an experience worth listing in our bucket list.
Ngorongoro was definitely the highlight
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Would recommend!
Great value for money. Even though we booked a budget safari, it didn't feel like that at all. We had great guides, everyone was super friendly and helpful. We got to see all the animals and the beautiful nature. We definitely enjoyed the campsites in Serengeti and Ngorongoro.
Only feedback we have: on a few occasions, we started our game drive 30-45 minutes later than planned. We didn't really know why, so it would have been nice to be informed of why we were delayed.