US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Transportation and communication was efficient and tour guides were friendly and informative.
The safari tour was exactly as expected and all involved went out of their way to make our stay comfortable, enjoyable, and entertaining.
ES
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very good balance of price and quality
Everything was perfect. The only thing I would improve is to comunicate to the guests any change before starting the trip.
The safari and the driver were amazing, the accomodation not bad, and the communication can be improved a little bit.
We want to make an special mention to our driver Arony. He was the best guide we could have.
PE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A good guide makes the difference. Some days were absolutely great!
We had two great guides, who were knowledgable, took the time to explain things, stopped when we wanted to, etc. And we had two guides that were quite terrible, pretty much making what could have been an excellent day, quite a frustrated one.
Please take the time to evaluate guides, train them, etc.
Overall our experience was quite good, with all the other apects of the trip.
NL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent safari, nice guide and wonderful experience
The staff at Furahia are wonderful. They were recommended to me by a friend and did not disappoint. The driver guide was knowledgeable and easy going. He knew when to explain and also when not to be too present. He was very nice and a good travel companion during our safari.
Where Furahia stood out was at problem solving. On encountering the unexpected, it really matters what company you chose. Furahia was excellent at solving problems that we encountered during our safari and at Zanzibar. They were easily contacted, good in communication and they solved our problems right away.
I would definitely recommend Furahia as your safari organiser.
DK
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
One of the best in a life time
It was a wonderfull experience...Beautifull places The Ngorongoro, Serengeti..One of the beautifull places in the planet..Thank you TOMODACHI..
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A Memorable Experience
We booked a private 2 week luxurious Gorilla Tour. With our prior extensive travel experiences, we would classify our tour with Gorilla Tours in Uganda, as less than luxurious.
Our communication with Virgo and the organized itinerary was great.
The accommodations were clean and the Nature Lodges were wonderful. The ambiance created with evening campfires and the ability to hear the sounds of the local wildlife close by, we enjoyed immensely. The convenience of having an ensuite shower(sometimes outdoors!) and bathroom facilities gave us the feeling of “glamping”. A four course meal was served every evening and we found the servings generous. We would have felt better to have the option of a smaller serving size, with an offer of more, if needed.
On the Gorilla Tours web site they advertise: Drive around in the best 4WD Toyota Land Cruisers......
The vehicle breakdowns and tire repairs totalling 6 events disappointed us. We would recommend the company develop a protocol prior to sending a vehicle out to ensure it is road worthy and has the necessary equipment to change a tire. A jack that is too small and nothing flat to put the jack on, when on a bumpy dirt road, requires creative interventions.
In our opinion, it is imperative to have protocols in place that allow drivers to function well, especially to stay awake while driving. When sending a mechanic to repair our broken vehicle it resulted in unsafe driving the following day, due to the driver being responsible for picking up the mechanic at 3am. We appreciate the efforts to not interfere with our itinerary, however a replacement driver would have been safer.
We’d recommend requesting the drivers mentioned in other people’s 5 star reviews, as we had challenges with communication with our driver and there appeared to be a lack of knowledge pertaining to what we saw. We appreciated his knowledge of birds.
Overall our amazing adventure of seeing the rare and awesome mountain gorillas and many other animals and birds in beautiful scenery, resulted in a memorable experience in Uganda that we would highly recommend to others.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Overall we had an amazing experience on safari, also our driver was very knowledgeable and friendly
Good points:
Food – it was always hot and cooked fresh, there were always options for veg and non veg
Additional add on’s such as Lake Nakuru were worthwhile paying for as they added an extra experience and sometimes gave us a break from being the van
Campsite – all 3 were very decent, bed linen, towels and hot water. Always had a bed and mosquito net and there were areas to hang out after meals
Scenery! The views were amazing, regardless of whether this was in the parks or driving across the country!
Driver – Ambrose was excellent, very knowledgeable and always knew the places to find the animals with the best views
Points to note:
Generator – power only for certain amount of time, always check before going to sleep what the timing will be
There is a possibly of having ‘outdoor’ toilet and shower
You will need your passport to get into Masi Mara Park
The distance of driving was more than expected, especially from Lake Nakuru to Amboselli
It would be good to have a map to understand distances covered and the different areas
Be prepared to be sold merchandise at each stop/break
Collection at the airport was confusing. Had to call and text Dennis (an international call!)
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
It was a wonderful introduction to many aspects of South Africa and South African life.
Benjamin was excellent at communicating with us and devised an itinerary that matched our wishes. Transport was exactly equipped for the journey and the vehicle provided a comfortable ride on all terrains. The trip surpassed our expectations. Our driver/guide, Veld, was companionable, calm and good company.
Professional wildlife safari with a good dose of adventure
My wife and I arrived mid-morning at Skakusa Airport unaware that our travel consultant had made an error in not having us fly to Hoedspruit given our destination was Arathusa Safari Lodge, part of the Sabi Sands Game Reserve annexed to Kruger National Park.
This error made little difference to our activities for the day. We were met at Skakusa by our pre-booked driver who alerted us to the apparent error but decided that he'd turn the situation to our advantage and take us for a drive through the southern end of Kruger National Park.
We quickly encountered elephant, giraffe, impala and zebra.
Our departure from the park was through Paul Kruger Gate where we were met by a small band of vervet monkeys who kept an eye on what we were doing but perhaps looking for an opportunity for a 'grab and run' easy feed, not that we were eating anything at the time.
Leaving Paul Kruger Gate, we crossed the fast flowing Sabi River observing a couple of jousting hippopotamus then stumbling upon a cunning 2.5 metre Nile crocodile waiting patiently below the bridge for unwitting (or perhaps already drowned) prey to be swept past.
We traveled west to Hazyview in Mpumalanga province then turned north towards Acornhoek where along the way we saw the impressive rise of the Drakensberg Range. We took in the sights of busy townships and even busier local markets. Leaving Acornhoek, we traveled east along a sealed road that we thought was in worse condition than some of the dirt roads we'd be travelling and then south to Gowrie Gate and onto Arathusa Safari Lodge.
We'd just made lunch and there was a commotion on the other side of the waterhole ... a pack of a dozen or so African wild dogs had pulled down an impala so it was quickly into the 4WDs armed with cameras to witness this hectic episode. The wild dogs didn't waste any time and ripped the impala apart within minutes. It all came and went very quickly with our guides telling us that hunts of this size happen a couple of times a day as there is simply not enough in an impala to sustain a pack of this size.
And so started 3 days of evening and morning safaris. We were allocated the same driver and spotter for our time at Arathusa so it was possible to build a rapport with these guys and have a bit of fun along the way. Be warned, the early morning starts and evening safaris are quite cold this time of year so take plenty of warm clothing. The 4WDs also have woollen blankets available.
This was our first trip to South Africa and it became clear early on that certain wildlife was easier to find than others. Considerable effort was put into locating leopards and after talking with other guests and continuing our travels through Botswana and Zimbabwe, our total of 5 at Arathusa was special. Even better, two of these allowed us to get some very special pictures early one morning - a female and her well-advanced cub. Our driver was also acutely aware of where to stop the vehicle so as to get the best possible photographs.
The accommodation, food and beverages were first class and the staff were polite and made our stay very comfortable. We wanted for nothing other than perhaps better light for taking photos.
On to Hoedspruit (not Skakusa) Airport to continue our journey.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
very professional
Very professional !! They fulfilled our wishes and even more! The guide was well informed and very friendly, we had an amazing time!