65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Travel Creations Botswana A++ (David, Machine and the Crew)
We spent 20 days with Travel Creations Botswana...going from Maun north to Kasane. We started communicating with David early (a year in advance), and he was always polite, fast to respond and incorporated all our suggestions (eg., avoid the pans near Maun in the dry/hot season). Along the route, he met us a time or two to deliver supplies we requested (diet ginger soda; toothpaste; soap and a better inverter for the car battery so we had electricity to charge phones/camera batteries etc). We would highly recommend bringing Starlink (and share it with the staff. Since we were in the middle of nowhere for 20 days, being in communication with people back home, or knowing the News - that was essential. And because the staff was away from their families, they could keep in touch with their kids and wives). The cook, MACHINE, is truly amazing - the food was incredible - and varied. We don't know how he did it over an open fire (especially the fresh bread) - it was great...we never went hungry or disappointed...and had desert almost every night was well. Our recommendations: do your research on where you want to go - and how much time to spend in each place We liked Savuti, Moremi...less so Kwhai. The Mokoro (boats) on the water were fun - but for 2 trips only. Finally, we saw others who payed much more for similar trips with similar safari companies - about the only thing the extra money got was a nicer (newer) vehicle. Save your money, and go with Travel Creations Botswana - they are efficient, hard working - will look out for your best interests...and easy to work with. David is great...Machine is the best cook...and bring a headlamp that has a red light setting (so at night you don't attract insects when eating or walking). Robert DeCandido PhD NYC with three other friends in November 2025
TR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Everything was planned and executed perfect from start to finish.You only sit back and enjoy.
We had an unforgettable safari exprience thanks to the best guide Deo.He was very friendly.He always got us to the best spot to take pictures and to see the animals.He is very knowledgeable of the area, the roads and the animals.We felt very safe and we always knew he would do everything to get us to see the animals in the perfect spot.He shared our excitement although he probably saw the animals a million times.We are very thankful to him and to serengeti silence whom made an unforgettable exprience for us.We already want to come back and we definitely would want Deo to be our guide again.
CY
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing!
This is the 2nd time we booked here since we had safari with same company last year. They are simply the best!
ES
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great chimpanzee experience and beautiful stay, despite some logistics to improve
We booked a 3-night package to Gombe including chimpanzee tracking. Overall, it was a very positive and highly recommendable experience, even though we had to deal with some unexpected logistical issues along the way.
First of all, we are very grateful to the company for being understanding of our situation and allowing us to change our travel dates. Communication was generally smooth, except for a few specific moments due to external factors. Also, our itinerary had to be adjusted a few days before departure due to changes in Air Tanzania's internal flights, which the company managed very well.
Our driver, Hussein, was excellent and very professional during both transfers in Kigoma. He was polite and shared interesting information about Kigoma during the drives.
However, we did face some unexpected organization issues. Our assigned guide, Salmin, turned out to be the cook, meaning we traveled without an actual guide. On the positive side, the meals he prepared throughout the trip were very good.
After a 2-hour boat ride from Kigoma, we arrived in Gombe only to find out that our requested accommodation had not been reserved. Fortunately, a very helpful park Ranger contacted the company, and they resolved the issue quickly. The mid-range tented camp was fantastic—located just a meter from the lake shore, with a very comfortable bed and a private bathroom, although it lacked hot water. Be aware that mobile coverage is very limited, which makes communication difficult.
The main downside was missing our first scheduled chimpanzee tracking. The boat captain stated he did not have enough fuel to take us to the starting point and still complete the rest of the 3-day trip. We tried to manage this with Salmin, but since he wasn't a guide, it was not possible. We had to contact the manager, Joshua, directly to ask him to speak with the captain and find a solution. After some discussions, the afternoon was gone and we missed the trek, but Joshua did guarantee the remaining two sessions. Instead of the tracking, we did a nice hike to the waterfall with a Ranger.
The next two days went perfectly. The chimpanzee trackings were a wonderful experience, and we truly enjoyed seeing them in the wild from a very close distance. On the second afternoon, we also walked up to Jane’s Peak with a Ranger. On the third day, we had lunch after the tracking and returned to Kigoma by boat. Upon arrival, Hussein took us to the Livingstone Museum in Ujiji, which was a fine visit. We spent the last night at a hotel, and the driver picked us up early the next morning for our flight.
Summary:
The company adapted well to unforeseen circumstances before the trip. However, the few issues that occurred after our arrival required our direct intervention to be fixed. Out of all the contracted services, we missed the first tracking but thoroughly enjoyed the rest. The accommodation in Gombe is beautiful and seeing the chimps is an unforgettable experience. I would definitely repeat this trip. I would only advise the company to pay more attention to ensuring contracted services are met and to communicate any potential issues beforehand to find solutions together.
BG
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great communication during booking, extremely professional and helpful guide
To start with booking process, which my wife actually carried out: Rachel was extremely helpful, flexible and accommodating during the planning and booking process. They provided great options and made all the necessary adjustments to fit our budget and schedule. The safari itself started with a small "crisis" with missing luggage after our flight, but Ndutu people went above and beyond to make sure our safari started as planned while the luggage was delivered to us along the route when it arrived on the next flight.
Now, here comes our guide Emmanuel. He was polite, knowledgeable, funny, caring. Thanks to him we managed to see pretty much all the animals one could see at that time of the year. Maybe it was because he had a pair of binoculars built into his eyes and could spot everything from miles away or because he knew the phone number of the leopard and called him so he and his friends (cheetahs, lions, rhinos and so on) could come out to our car, but we were amazed by his skills. Jokes aside, our 4-day safari trip was filled with laughter, music, nice food and stunning nature observations. Thank you, Emmanuel, you are the best!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Safari and waterfalls!
Tour summary: 4 days camping safari + 2 days boutique spa hotel in Victoria Falls.
After researching several other companies we decided to go with Cuckoo Safaris not only for their prompt and clear communication while planning the trip but their flexibility and affordability throughout. They took care of all of the logistics and booking all the experiences per the itinerary so the only thing we really needed to worry about was showing up and being prepared for a great adventure! Once the tour started they arranged for all pick-ups and drop-offs and coordinated among the various companies enabling our itinerary. That included the safari itself of course but also other adventures including a sunset safari cruise, dinner cruise (delicious!), private tour of Victoria Falls, helicopter flight, and more!
Given all of the timing and coordination involved to do everything we wanted to do it was very impressive how much they coordinated behind the scenes! We had a small scheduling issue with insufficient time to adequately tour the both sides of Victoria Falls because we personally wanted to pack in so much (including a day on our own to raft on the Zambezi) but they were more than willing to try make it work with our schedule. We also had one late pick-up that was promptly resolved and ultimately added to the adventure. We also had a few pleasant surprises with last minute upgrades to our accommodations that I'd love to elaborate on but do not want set the wrong expectations as we would have been more than satisfied with our original accommodations (though I must say we were very very happy!).
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Efficient
George was incredibly kind, helpful, informative, and hilarious! We all had a wonderful time on our half day safari and visiting the elephant orphanage and giraffe center. George took care of everything, all we had to do was let him know what day and pay him. He got our park passes and reservations and tickets for us. He also knew exactly where to go for some fun animal sightings! I highly recommend.
IT
Excellent organization
We stayed at pinnon lodge in kafue national park . The site is breathtaking the staff very nice and friendly we had a great time there than we moved in Lower Zambezi national Park . Wilderness Horizon staff organized the trip in every detail. Great place great people great food
AE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
An Unforgettable Safari (Huge Thanks to Simba!)
An Unforgettable Safari (Huge Thanks to Simba!)
​We recently booked a Masai Mara and Lake Nakuru safari, and the entire experience was absolutely incredible. The agency did a fantastic job managing everything from end to end—the resort bookings were seamless, and the park entries, vehicle, and guiding were all perfectly coordinated.
​The absolute highlight of our trip, however, was our guide, Simba. Credits to him for making our game drives so successful! Simba was just as adventurous as we were, taking us deep into the territories to find the best viewing spots. He has an amazing ability to predict animal movements and constantly coordinated with other guides in the area to ensure we didn't miss a thing. Thanks to his patience and expertise, we managed to spot the entire Big 5! What we appreciated most was that he never made us feel rushed; he ensured we had a peaceful, immersive game drive experience at every stop.
​The only minor note is that the safari vehicle condition could be improved a bit. That said, given the rugged, intense off-road conditions of the terrain, it's completely understandable that the vehicles take a beating.
​Overall, it was a beautifully organized trip with top-tier guiding. We highly recommend them, and if you get the chance, definitely ask for Simba!
BE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Our operator Jeff did everything he could to give us the experience we wanted.
The hospitality is very nice. Good car, good service. Schedule could be more accurate.