HR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Pearl of Afrika
Thank you for an unforgettable experience and all the wonderful memories that we will carry in our hearts for the rest of our lives. Special thanks to Herb and Ash who put up with us twelve women with a smile on their faces and fulfilled our every crazy wish. Every recommendation for the agency if you want to experience Uganda as it is.... a pearl.
CH
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent driver and tour guide, always attentive and helpful, speaks good German
Reliable attentive tour guide, careful driver, patient when required to discover interesting places, always good choice of route, takes care of the environment. We would always choose Doctari Reisen again!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Professional, easy to communicate with and expert tour guide. A great experience!
From the outset, Ibrahim was very easy to communicate with to arrange our tour. He was prompt in his responses and was able to arrange the safari to accommodate our wishes. Airport transfers were smooth and well organised both at the Zanzibar and Arusha end. We were able to leave our main luggage securely at the airport whilst going on the safari. Our tour guide Alen was excellent. He was very professional, knowledgeable and very experienced and kept us safe (even when having lunch with lions in the area!). We were lucky enough to see the big 5 (despite going in the wet season) which made the holiday extra special. The safari jeep was well equipped for all our needs with cold drinks during the day and even being able to charge our phones whilst on the safari. Our lunches were homecooked hot meals which were very good. We stayed at the Farm of Dreams Lodge which was like staying in luxury and we made use of their swimming pool in the evenings! We had the opportunity to stop and do some shopping for souvenirs. Overall this was an incredible and unforgettable experience which was well organised and very professional. 10/10 I would recommend luitours to everyone and will be recommending to friends and family wishing to do a safari!
KW
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A lifetime holiday experience
My wife and I had an amazing holiday in Tanzania with the help of Kibena Africa. I encountered with Kibena Africa when searching for the tour operator to lead our trip to Africa. Thanks to the team for organizing the best package for us.
Our wildlife adventure started by exploring Tarangire where we saw big elephants and buffaloes. We are still can't forget about the Serengeti, I thought have seen it all but Africa is the land of wonders. Big thank to the owner Mr. Dennis for being so kind and always make a follow to check if everything is going well.
We will be back soon
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Ultra Responsive and Uber Knowledgeable!
Oh my goodness! I don't know what my expectations of a safari should have been, But Matt and his crew of highly experienced safari guides (Sammie, George and Albert) far exceeded any expectations I could have had. From Matts nearly immediate, personal responses to my booking questions until the last hyena disappearing into the Savannah , I knew that I had chosen the right tour.
We visited;
Nairobi National Park where we saw rhinoceros 🦏, lions, hippos and 🐊.
Sheldrick Wildlife Trust where we interacted personally with rescued baby elephants 🐘!
Giraffe Center where we learned about the 3 different types of giraffe 🦒 and got to feed them by hand.
Kobe Bead Center in Nairobi where we saw women making beautiful beads by hand and singing welcoming songs.
And that was the first day!
We then spent several days performing humanitarian work with Dental Outreach Relief Foundation. This was an amazing experience and I could go on and on about that.
Then we continued our safaris by going to Amboseli National Park where we were treated to exceptional views of animals with Mount Kilamonjaro as a backdrop. We saw hundreds of elephants 🐘 🐘 🐘 🐘, Buffalo, giraffes🦒, zebras 🦓, many species of birds, and two cheetah 🐆 🐆 eating a very fresh kill and and napping with full bellys.
We spent the night at the beautiful Amboseli Sopa Lodge with its beautiful pool, amazing food and excellent customer service.
From there it was on to Tsavo West and Chyulu Hilla National Park. An exilerating ride in the Toyota Land cruiser with George at the wheel. We saw an expansive and beautifulava flow that was millions of years old. More animals, wildebeest, hartebeest, elephants and many many more....
We spent the nights at Taita Hills Wildlife Sanctuary and went on a nighttime game drive. We saw a few nocturnal animals, enjoyed the coold night air and unmatched startgazing. This place has the best pool of all pools ever built with breathtaking views from its infinity edge, with the potential to view many animals depending on time of day and animal behavior, we watched a male waterbuck and his harem drink from a nearby watering hole.
The next day it was on to Tsavo East national Park. More elephants which were now red elephants 🐘 More zebra, and more animals that I have never even heard of before. Have you ever seen a geranuk? I have. And I don't think I could ever get tired of watching wild elephants. They are amazing creatures.
We spent the night at Ashnil Aruba Lodge, good food and nice rooms. But the best part was swimming in their pool while watching wild elephants just a few hundred feet away.
We woke up early for the last couple hours of our adventure and took a morning game drive. We saw elephants swimming in a large pool and two male elephants fighting for dominance. Also, many more animals who were coming for a morning splash and a drink of water. Then too cap it all off a pride of lions in search of their next meal.
Unfortunately our time in Africa was close to its end. But on the way out of the park we caught one last glimpse of a hyena sneeking off into the beautiful landscape.
We ened our journey by catching a ride on the the SGR. An comfortable train that took us from the gates of Tsavo East on a scenic 4 hour journey back to Nairobi where we met our ride that would show us a few last minute sights in Nairobi before dropping us at the airport.
I have already talked to Tapestry about booking more Safaris next year. I don't know how other Safari operators work, but I can tell you that none of them will work as hard for your enjoyment as Matt and his crew at Tapestry of Africa.
FYI, here is a partial list of all of the animals we saw.
Rhinos, hippos, buffalo, impalas, crocodile, lions, Thompsons gazelles
Wildebeast, turtles, warthogs, hyenas
Elephants, Kori busterd,cheeta , superb starling, breasted lilac, Klipspringer , oryx,
secretary bird, ostrich , pygmy mongoose, mongoose,Monkeys, baboons, giraffes, gerenuk, red billed hornbill, grand gazelle, lizards, bush bucks, water bucks and soooooo much more.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A once-in-a-lifetime trip we won't soon forget!
What can I say in a review that will really get someone to book with this company? For us, it was pricing and customization. I reached out and immediately started a dialogue with Issa. He was attentive to what I wanted for our first safari ever (hopefully not our last!), and was determined to fit it into our price range. I had conversations with MANY other tour operators, but they didn't seem to be able to cater to my wants within my budget like Destiny!
And I am SOOOO glad I booked with them. We were even a little under budget for what our top line was. Amazing! Issa and the Destiny team made our entire safari incredible. We were offered a few "side events" like an air balloon ride and a bush walk with a ranger. We opted in for both. Let me tell you that the hefty price of the balloon ride was absolutely worth it. I was super hesitant to do it, but when my husband told me off-handedly that he would like to do a hot air balloon ride someday, I HAD to do it. I kept it a surprise from him for MONTHS, and Destiny helped me keep the secret literally until we were pulling up in front of the hot air balloon! I told Issa to keep it a secret, and Issa told Daudi (our guide) to keep it a secret, and everything went off without a hitch. My husband was THRILLED. Thank you, Destiny, for helping to keep that secret!
Speaking of Daudi (David)... a better guide we could not ask for! He was attentive to our needs, and always made sure we had enough water every single day, that we saw everything we wanted to see, and that we were comfortable. He made sure we always got a box lunch if we didn't have a chance to pack one ourselves.
He knew the names of every single animal and it seemed like every bird as well, and even humored me in speaking a little Swahili with me so I could practice.
He was an incredibly safe driver, and even in some rough terrain, I never felt worried. Our car had a minor trouble (it didn't break down, but we had to stop at a mechanic for a few short minutes in the Serengeti for a solder job). He stopped at a lodge with a mechanic and the lodge welcomed us so nicely and gave us WiFi and tea and cookies while we waited for the mechanic to finish working.
We were able to go to Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro, and Lake Eyasi to visit the Hadzabe (a MUST).
Tarangire was elephant heaven. It was a fantastic first day.
Lake Manyara was a bird-watchers paradise. We saw so many unique birds and animals! We didn't get to see the tree-climbing lions, but...!
Serengeti we did! Daudi said he had never seen them there before and we were the only tourists around, so we spent about an hour observing the Serengeti tree-climbing lions!! We also had an up close and personal visit with a pack of juvenile lions who took naps under our vehicle on a hot day!
Ngorongoro was awesome. A small-ish area for so many animals! We got to see rhinos, and TONS of hyenas.
Lake Eyasi was an awesome day as we did a cultural tour among the Hadzabe tribe. We got to go on a hunt with them, shoot their bows, make fire, and so much more! I felt some "cultural" 'tours' can get a little kitchy and touristy, but this felt very legit and like we were the only visitors they'd hung out with. Very welcoming and a very personal experience. Lovely souvenirs from them as well!
We are SO GLAD we chose Destiny Explorers- and you will be, too!
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great safari experience
We had a wonderful safari experience with Eddie at Kruger national park. Eddie is a great guide, he takes the time to explain what we are seeing with a great sense of humor. We never thought that we could learn that much about nature and wildlife. In addition, we got the best experience at the best price available. We recommend as a driver/guide to anyone wishing to live something beyond imagination. Thanks. Pascal and Annie
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
For the money I expected more
I did a mid-range safari and the other people in the group were camping. We saw many animals and we all got along well, but we were always the last people to leave camp each morning. I feel like we missed a lot of the best viewing. We all wished we could've gone out early in the morning and then come back to break camp down. There were also some communication issues with our guide and cook. I felt bad. I overall had a decent trip, but the other people in my group had a terrible time (no pillows, not warm enough blankets at night, etc).
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Quality Safari Operator
We were on a 4 day safari to Lake Nakuru and the Masai Mara. I had arranged for this via email and whatsapp by reviewing and confirming the itinerary with Albert (owner). He was responsive and always available. He organized the trip to my liking and at the lodges I preferred. My wife and I had a private land-cruiser with a knowledgeable and delightful driver/guide Tom. We had a wonderful time, saw the "Big 5" and more. I had not been able to see a leopard in the previous trips to this area and had 2 sightings this time. The lodges were very comfortable and the food very good. The game drives while 'bumpy' allowed us to experience the reserve. I recommend this operator highly and without any reservations. Thank you Albert and Tom.
CA
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
AMAZING! Efficient, kind, caring, extremely knowledgeable
We did a12 Day Safari tour in Kenya and Tanzania. Karen Maki was on top of everything! Plus she had the patience of a Saint - we had so many questions!! She also found us tickets to the Sheldrick Elephant Sanctuary - a miracle as we should have booked them months in advance.
The Safari vehicles were clean and in great working order, no breakdowns at all.
our Safari guides we James, Alex, and Adam. They knew everything and answered so many questions on the animals, their behavior, eating habits etc etc. The well being of the animals were very important to them. the food was good, the accommodation was excellent and everyone was very friendly and accommodating.
I HIGHLY recommend The Shadow of Africa tour company
