50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An Outstanding 14-Day Safari with John — Highly Recommended!
Our 14-day Kenya safari from July 31 to August 13, 2026, was an unforgettable experience, and a huge part of what made it so special was our guide, John.
John is knowledgeable, professional, conscientious, kind, patient, helpful, and—perhaps just as importantly—has a wonderful sense of humor. After spending 14 days with him, we can honestly say that he is one of the best safari guides we could have hoped for.
Exceptional eyesight and game-driving skills
John has an amazing ability to spot animals that we would never have noticed ourselves and to anticipate where they might move next.
On August 2 at Ol Pejeta, around 11 a.m., he spotted 11 lions resting under the trees that none of us had seen. He quickly positioned our Land Cruiser in an excellent spot so we could take photos and videos.
At Buffalo Springs National Reserve, we watched a very cute young leopard resting in a tree. It repeatedly changed its sleeping positions before eventually climbing down. John patiently repositioned our vehicle several times so we could enjoy the leopard from different angles and capture the best moments.
On August 3, 2026, around 4:30 p.m., at Buffalo Springs National Reserve, we watched a very cute young leopard resting in a tree. It repeatedly changed its sleeping positions before eventually climbing down. John once again demonstrated his excellent positioning and timing skills, allowing us to fully enjoy this special sighting.
We saw the same skill with elephant herds, the sunset at Amboseli, flamingos at Lake Nakuru, and the wildebeest crossing at the Mara River. John seemed to have an incredible sixth sense for wildlife!
He puts wildlife before photographs
One moment particularly demonstrated John’s strong professional ethics.
On August 4, during an evening game drive in Buffalo Springs, John found two cheetahs—a mother and her cub. At first, there were only two or three vehicles, and we were enjoying taking photos.
Within about ten minutes, more than ten vehicles arrived and surrounded the cheetahs. The mother tried several times to escape, but couldn’t, while the cub followed behind her looking frightened.
John asked us whether we had taken enough photos and suggested that we leave. He explained that the number of vehicles was clearly stressing the animals. We couldn’t control what the other drivers did, but at least our departure would reduce the pressure on the cheetahs.
We immediately agreed.
That moment really impressed us. John understands that a safari is not just about getting the perfect photograph—the welfare of the animals comes first.
Kindness goes beyond his guests
On August 6 at Lake Nakuru, around 9:40 a.m., we came across a vehicle that had overturned at a dangerous angle. Several safari vehicles were nearby, but John was the first—and, as far as we saw, the only driver—to immediately get out and help the passengers. He helped them get out safely and assisted with directing the situation.
We witnessed at least four similar occasions during our safari when John stopped to help others.
He also regularly shared our leftover packed lunches with hardworking park rangers. These small gestures showed us that his kindness and generosity extend well beyond his own guests.
A very respectful driver
At the Mara River on August 7, John found us an excellent position for the wildebeest crossing. While we were photographing a wildebeest being caught by a crocodile, another vehicle suddenly rushed in from our left and completely blocked our view.
John didn’t argue or become frustrated. He simply repositioned our vehicle so we could continue watching.
We saw similar situations several times in Maasai Mara and Amboseli. Some drivers drove aggressively through crossing animals, sped around other vehicles, or created huge clouds of dust.
John never drove that way. He was always patient, courteous, and respectful of the animals, other vehicles, and other safari guests.
Knowledge, connections—and a great sense of humor
During our 14 days together, we learned so much from John about Kenya’s wildlife, animal behavior, plants, geography, climate, and local communities. He was always happy to answer our questions and share his knowledge.
He also seemed to know everyone! He was constantly communicating with other guides and park rangers by radio. Whenever he suddenly accelerated, we knew something exciting was probably waiting for us!
And John has a fantastic sense of humor. There were many long drives between the parks, but he made those long-distance journeys feel much shorter and never boring. His jokes and funny comments often had all four of us laughing, even when we were tired after a long day.
He knew when to share his knowledge, when to make us laugh, and when to give us some private time. That balance made traveling with him especially enjoyable.
A guide we will always remember
Today is our last day in Kenya, and tomorrow we fly back to the United States. I have already started missing this beautiful country.
Looking back on these 14 days, John is undoubtedly one of the highlights of our trip.
If you are planning a safari in Kenya, we highly recommend John. His knowledge, sharp eyes, driving skills, professionalism, kindness, humor, respect for wildlife, and genuine passion for his work made our safari an extraordinary experience.
We would also like to sincerely thank Veronica for arranging this wonderful trip for us—everything was perfectly organized, and we truly appreciate her support in making this unforgettable journey possible.
Thank you, John, for giving us 14 days of incredible memories. We will remember this safari—and you—for many years to come!
IN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Careful & Prepared
Our trip will be unforgettable thanks to the sweetest guide and great driver. We saw the Big 5 and so much more, with fantastic hotels and food! We'll definitely ask you if we return to Tanzania.
Thank you very much
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ES
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Life changing experience
The tour has been a relly amazing experience, we booked the 7 days tour. Julius is extremely professional and kind, as well as being very knowlegeable about the nature and the animals. Truly recommended, beautiful aventure!
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Kingfisher listen to client wishes , then provide a safari package to accommodate those wishes .
Kingfisher put together a safari experience exactly as we requested and then their chosen safari partner Pilot Mobile Safaris delivered with a most spoiling service in terms of game seen and hospitality provided .
NZ
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
An amazing safari with Serengeti Smile that exceeded my wildest expectations!!
We selected Serengeti Smile for our Safari based on a number of things but in particular the response we had from Baraka. Numerous emails over a 10 month period always answered promptly and no question was ever too small. Baraka helped us to develop an itinerary that worked perfectly.
We requested Champion as our guide and were so lucky to have him. His knowledge and understanding of the environment and the animals was amazing. We were lucky enough thanks to Champion to have 5 leopard sightings really close, many many lions from tiny cubs to full grown males, elephants from huge bulls to tiny almost newborn and more than one sighting of the remaining two of the big five- buffalo and rhinos. We saw 2 wildebeest Mara river crossings and also an elephant Mara river crossing which is not so common. Champion looked after us very well and we were happy with the accommodations and food provided through our 8 day safari. Serengeti Smile you are truly the best safari operator in my opinion!!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
They made sure we all were taken care of and were able to see all the animals
The day started out raining but that didn’t stop them from showing us all the animals. We got to see so many giraffes up close.
IT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very available
We took a private safari tour in Tanzania and were very satisfied with the experience and organization.
Special thanks to our Italian guide Nelson, our driver Joel, and our chef Prospar, all professional, kind, and always available. Nelson was an excellent guide in Italian, knowledgeable, and passionate. Joel took us to see all the animals we hoped to see, demonstrating his great experience, while Prospar won us over with his cuisine: even at the campsite, he prepared truly excellent dishes.
We had some unexpected issues, including a car problem, which was resolved quickly without us missing a day of safari. Even the issue of camping towels, which we hadn't been told we needed to bring, was resolved by the agency purchasing them for us before departure. We really appreciated their ability to quickly find solutions.
Overall, the itinerary was well-organized. The only thing I'd improve on was the day at Ngorongoro: we started from a point quite far from the crater entrance and wasted a lot of time on the journey, leaving us with little time inside the crater.
The only other small complaint concerns the car: compared to the other jeeps we saw during the safari, ours was dirtier and didn't look like it had been washed before departure or during the safari.
The overnight stays were overall good, except for one very basic one, due to the fact that we had chosen the budget package. One of the campsites, however, was truly beautiful.
Overall, it was a positive experience, with a few areas that could be improved: the team's helpfulness and professionalism were the best thing.
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20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Rudzani was a fantastic driver and very knowledgeable!
Rudzani was a fantastic driver and very knowledgeable about everything along the ride from joburg to Kruger!
FR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Easy communication
An excellent agency for the Kilimanjaro climb; communication via email in English was prompt, and the welcome at the agency on the day of departure was great. The two guides (Ramashani and Toeydi) were perfect—highly experienced and attentive to our needs. The porters and the cook gave us the best possible chance of reaching the summit.
CH
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Competent, caring, and always attentive
We were satisfied with the trip organized by Savana, where we saw everything we wanted to see. Our only comment is to better evaluate the transportation to the lodges, as the journeys are often tiring.
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