50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good value for money.
Pre trip planning was excellent. Josero contact person/s gave very good choices and guidance. Though there were few hiccups like last minute change of accomodation (but it turned out to be better) and in prompt communication ( they can have someone in the office to make sure customer requests, queries are addressed on time ) , largely the service was reliable.
They had on the ground crew to great us at the hotel, make sure we board the flight to the reserve etc in Nairobi. (Because of some logistics issues at their end, we arrived the Wilson airport just in time.).
Game reserve experience was the highlight. The assigned guide Mr.David was very kind, with excellent interpersonal skills and his proficiency in English was very good.
He guided us very nicely and even suggested few other places and activities that infact turned out to be memorable.
Even the other guide Julius who replaced David just for a day, did a wonderful job.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Highly recommended Josero tours and safaris!!!
We had an amazing experience with Josero Tours and Safaris. The company was exceptionally accommodating throughout the entire process, seamlessly customizing our itinerary and adding extra attractions whenever we requested.
A special thank you to David, who went above and beyond to ensure our comfort throughout the journey. His ability to make real-time adjustments to our itinerary truly maximized our experience.
The only area for minor improvement would be pre-trip communication. Being a bit more proactive right before the tour specifically by sharing the pickup driver’s name and exact timing in advance would help ease guest anxiety prior to departure.
Overall, it was a fantastic safari, and we highly recommend their services!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Though the tour started off with us having to constantly call the tour rep, the trip was good.
The safari itself went well. The game rides were amazing. Our guide, David, was a wonderful person. He went out of his way to make the trip memorable. I would definitely recommend this company.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Reliable and highly customizable safari experience
Henry was the primary point of contact for our family of four. He was very polite and addressed all our expectations and concerns as he drafted our safari itinerary. There were over 45 emails back and forth to make sure we received the ideal itinerary and accommodations during our safari. I found the safari itself to be highly customizable, both during the planning stage and during our safari. They made sure we got everything we wanted for our ideal safari: sunrises, sunsets, hot air balloon rides, bush breakfasts, Maasai village visits, custom game drives, and, of course, a plethora of wildlife that was the stuff of dreams.
The only glitch was during the planning period, when we lost our accommodation due to a double-booking error on Mara Serena Safari Camp’s part. We had reserved our accommodation back in December of last year but ended up staying at PrideInn Mara Camp instead. Both are 5-star accommodations, but the incident caused a lot of anxiety for the group, which Henry handled promptly. We ended up falling in love with PrideInn Mara. The service and quality of the lodging were excellent. Choose a Deluxe King Suite with a view of the Talek River so you can enjoy watching wildlife from your room. We saw a water buffalo and a family of warthogs, along with plenty of monkeys, right outside our door!
David, our driver and on-the-ground guide, went above and beyond to make sure my elderly parents were very comfortable every single day, while never compromising the exhilarating quality of our game drives. He was incredibly patient and knowledgeable. He made sure everyone got to see even rare animals such as black and white rhinos, serval cats, black-backed jackals, and plenty more. We also lost track of how many species of birds we saw!
Julius, who stepped in for a day to take us back to our accommodation after our hot air balloon ride and bush breakfast, was the “Lion Man”! We witnessed incredible hunts involving lions, cheetahs, hyenas, elephants, and zebras galore. We easily saw more than 30 lions during our 5-day safari. We had a few near-misses with leopards, but they are the most elusive, after all.
Both David and Julius would go out of their way to make sure we got the right angles for our photography, and, man, did it pay off! I would highly recommend doing the one-hour hot air balloon ride if you truly want to understand life in the Mara all at once. This is a trip that calls for a DSLR!
A huge shoutout to David again for changing our itinerary to include Lake Naivasha—take it when he offers! Seeing the hippos up close while boating so close to them, and walking among the giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, and other animals, are totally worth the excursion. He also modified our individual morning and evening game drives on some days into full-day game drives so we wouldn’t miss the action. BTW, he says July is the best season to see the Great Migration.
We were very thankful for the pop-up Land Cruiser, which they used not just for the safari but also to transport us from the Mara to Lake Naivasha, Lake Nakuru, and Nairobi. This was incredible for uninterrupted wildlife viewing, while also helping to keep the dust at bay when necessary. Having said that, expect a lot of dust and bumps on your game drives—that is just typical of any game drive in the region.
Kenya overwhelms you from every angle: the people are incredibly beautiful and hospitable, the wildlife is stunning, and their craftsmanship is stellar.
BR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Kenya 8 day Safari
I booked an 8 day safari with pavillion and i had an amazing time! It was a great safari experiencie! Dont let yourself lose some optional activities, they are 100% worth it (i loved the walking safari!). Easy communication, fast to reply in the case of doubts and very decent acommodation. Remember you are near a national reserve so dont expect too much of hotles, but they are decent with good, spacious and with healthy food. I cant wait to come back and to a Tanzania safari and when this happens, Pavillion will for sure be my choice. Special thanks for Tim and John, my drivers during the safari
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Exceptional Safari Experience with MeruSlope!
I highly recommend MeruSlope Tours and Safari! I initially found our tour itinerary on Safaribookings.com and was connected with our travel coordinator, Gift Tambo. Gift was incredibly accommodating throughout the planning process. When we requested to add a night in the Northern Serengeti to our original itinerary, he arranged it immediately. He even managed a last-minute request for an Arusha City Tour on short notice.
Our guide, Patrick, was exceptionally professional and brought over 10 years of experience to our trip. His eagle eyes spotted so many animals along the way. We saw a huge variety of wildlife, including the Big Five, many types of birds and three different species of mongooses! To top it off, we got to witness the Great Migration in the Northern Serengeti, which was an absolute highlight.
Huge thanks to Gift and Patrick for an incredible, stress-free adventure. Don't hesitate to book with MeruSlopes!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Blown away by Botswana
We booked our 2026 Zimbabwe (Victoria Falls) and Botswana safari with Off2Africa.
We were very pleased by the experience. The pre-safari communication and attention to detail by Off2Safari staff was excellent. This ensured that we were well prepared for the excursion and the holiday itself ran like clockwork.
Our travel consultant, Robyn Seager, was simply amazing, putting together an itinerary that met our needs and always being on hand to answer our queries.
The payment process initially was a bit daunting – sending money to foreign accounts can be challenging but even that was comparatively easy in the end.
Robyn also provided us with the Travel Key app which provided an on-hand itinerary. This smoothed the whole process and kept us up to date with expectations.
The accommodation provided in the package was of a very high standard with the game lodges in Botswana being particular stand-outs -(Muchjenje Safari Lodge at Chobe and Setari Lodge in the Okavango delta take a bow).
Highlights from the trip included:
• The dinner cruise at Victoria Falls – an optional add-on but well worth the experience.
• The game drives at Chobe including the night drive – simply stunning. We were fortunate to see wild dogs on the hunt and jackals chasing guinea fowl, lions, buffalo, hundreds of elephants and crocodiles as well as the usual fare of grazing animals
• The water-borne drives in the Okavango delta with hippos, elephants and crocodiles and wonderful birdlife. We also saw sitatunga and a Pell’s fish owl.
Would simply go again in a heartbeat. Thank you Robyn and the team for enabling these wonderful memories.
JP
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An unforgettable safari with an excellent guide
My wife and I had a wonderful safari with Lion King Adventures. The highlight was watching the wildebeest cross the river—a moment we had dreamed of seeing. We were also fortunate to see both black and white rhinos.
Our guide, Murshid, took great care of us throughout the trip and made every game drive enjoyable. We also appreciated the help we received from Elia and Naurey. Thank you to the whole team for an unforgettable experience in Tanzania!
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Exceptional Masai Mara Safari with Bushtop Kenya Safaris!
We had an incredible experience on our Masai Mara safari with Bushtop and highly recommend them to anyone planning a trip!
Denis, who coordinated and offered us the tour, was fantastic—always available, super responsive, and extremely knowledgeable, making the planning seamless.
A huge special thanks to our guide, who made the trip truly unforgettable. He is a skilled driver, punctual, and has such a warm and pleasant personality. His passion and deep knowledge of the Masai Mara were evident every step of the way. Even though we were in a van, he provided us with the exact same high-quality service as a 4x4 Jeep—and at times, he was even quicker at positioning us in the best spots to view the animals!
If you want a top-tier safari experience in the Masai Mara, book with Bushtop!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Deceptive marketing, systemic bait & switch, and fraudulent bank reporting: A Safari Nightmare
Do not book with Mountain Warriors in a shared safari ever. We had booked a 5 days 4 nights safari for 2 people (including Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Manyara and Tarangire) by contacting them through SafariBookings.com. We paid $1,840 USD + undisclosed credit card fees for a 2-person budget safari explicitly guaranteeing 7 game drives (full day Tarangire (2) + half day Manyara (1) + 2 game drives Serengeti + 2 in Ngorongoro). They failed to deliver on multiple game drives for the most expensive segments of the trip: the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater. They run a calculated operation designed to promise high-end premium itineraries compared to their competitors, cut the services short once you have paid in full, and you end up with a half-baked tour.
To start with, after full payment on Day 0, we were told within 4 hours that our itinerary was changed but will cover every parks as advertised. But I insisted on Mary sending me the revised itinerary, which ofcourse came after the safari had started on Day 1. Guess what: game drives previously advertised were omitted from the "new one".
Next, on Day 1 they suffered internal logistical breakdowns that left us entirely missing a scheduled 3.5-hour afternoon game drive at Serengeti (They tried to pack the vehicle with 7 people by getting people from other companies, leading to long waits to pick them up; further their sales person Mary messed up and we ended up picking the wrong person and then exchanging him for the correct person; basically long delays and waits). Thanks to all that, we missed the dusk game drive, when especially predators come out to hunt!!
Second, they explicitly advertised a dual "morning and evening crater drive" in Ngorongoro in the itinerary we paid for. We chose Mountain Warriors specifically for this reason over their competitors. Anyone familiar with Tanzanian park rules knows that NCAA permits are single-entry. Providing an evening drive requires the operator to buy a second $295 USD vehicle descent permit. They cut our morning drive short to only 4.5 hours to get 1 person out of the crater for her flight, and to avoid paying this fee twice, canceled the evening drive entirely, and probably pocketed the rest.
When confronted with all of these at the conclusion of our vacation, they admitted fault by sending a partial refund of $190 USD. However, this was way below even the amount for 2 people, we had estimated, considering the amount of government fees they had saved by not delivering the evening game drive for Ngorongoro alone.
To protect their cash, they lied to our credit card processor during the dispute process (the card company shared this evidence), claiming we "only lost one total hour of safari" because "we had to catch a flight". They falsely claimed to the bank that our tour was cut short due to a flight delay caused by my party. My official flight tickets prove we landed exactly on time, and departed Arusha days after the safari; the delay they cited belonged to a completely separate, third passenger who had no connection to our booking party. They submitted the secondary, unapproved, modified itinerary to the bank rather than the original contract we actually paid for, attempting to retroactively shrink the scope of their unfulfilled obligations. They selectively deleted the entire message thread from their representative, Mary, which explicitly documented their internal stalling and operational delays.
Upon looking at this fabrication, I was extremely appalled, disgusted, and I will leave people to make a decision for themselves.
Finally, upon confronting Gasto & Mary about this deception, they promised (around August 28) to send an official bank resolution (refund another $110, which we accepted to end the dispute) and contact us on September 24, 2026. That date has now passed with no further response.
Book elsewhere with an honest company that doesn't shortchange your vacation hours to inflate their profit margins and ensures a smoother experience. Note, we booked tours and safaris at other places as well before & after, and never experienced this kind of behavior.
However, I will be fair and give a shout out for Victor, our guide. He is a remarkable guide, very knowledgeable and knows details about animals to the letter. He ensured our drive experience was atleast smooth and our once in a life experience has bright spots to remember.