US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Aberdare National Park by Rich Vliet
In Aberdare, we stayed at the Ark lodge. The ark is unlike anywhere else we went to - once you arrive, you are locked in until the next day. The lodge is surrounded by wildlife, and there are several viewing decks from which to see them. I'm glad this was the first location we went to - I think it would not compare to the parks we went to later on in the safari, but for a first night outside of Nairobi it was a lot of fun. The food and drinks were very good, and the wildlife viewing was very good as well - you can get very close to the animals on the lower level of the lodge. A good first night - I would recommend it as a way to start a safari.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Lots of elephants and views of Mt. Kilimanjaro at Amboseli National Park
Amboseli had a very large number of elephant herds in addition to the scenic backdrop of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Fortunately, the mountain was clearly visible each afternoon we were there, providing some great photo-ops with the wildlife in the foreground. While not the largest park we encountered in Kenya, it was still very big and provided a fairly diverse range of wildlife (from elephants, hippos, zebra, hyenas and lions) as well as topography. We hiked up Observation Hill for a very nice view of Kilimanjaro. Our accommodations were at Amboseli Sentrim Camp which was very nice for both our room and food. Our Kenyan driver was fantastic (provided by Vintage Africa Tours), and his knowledge of the area was extensive.
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
3 days and 2 nights Masai Mara
Although the beginning of the safari was not as we had discussed (more people in the 4x4 van than was promised), the overall experience was good. The driver knew what he was doing and the itinerary was as discussed. After the safari Esther from the office was waiting for us at the drop off point and apologized for the problems at the start of the safari. She explained that it was due to the high season that there were too many bookings and not enough van so some groups had to be combined. We really appreciated that she took the time to hear our complaints and explained her side of the story in person.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Tarangire NP
My daughter and I didn't want to do a long safari. We wanted to do two or three days in Northern Tanzania. A friend recommended Dahlia Tours. We communicated with Aron and Brian by email before arriving in Tanzania. Aron provided us with a lot of information on short safaris. A lifetime dream of mine was to see Baobob trees. We decided on Tarangire. We had a marvelous time. Our guide Bryce was very knowledgeable and entertaining. Our second day was spent at Mt. Kilimanjaro's NP. We spent the day with our guide Paschal wading at the bottom of waterfalls, participating in roasting and grinding coffee beans which we brewed and enjoyed. We are looking forward to our next trip to Tanzania. The guys at Dahlia Tours took very good care of us like we were family.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
2 Weeks in Kenya and Tanzania!
We just returned from a 2-week trip to Kenya and Tanzania organized by Beatus from Chels Travels! While planning the trip, Beatus was patient and informative. We had limited time and we wanted to make the most of it and Beatus made that possible.
The trip itself was definitely memorable and we had a great time in both countries! In Kenya, we had Tony as our guide and he was absolutely wonderful and I can't recommend him enough! We had multiple guides in Tanzania and Beatus to make sure we were taken care of during our stay. Beatus was an excellent guide---he was really informative about the animals, the various sites, and the local culture! We did have some minor issues in Tanzania but, as soon as we spoke to Beatus, he did his best to address them right away and made sure we were happy.
All in all, it was a wonderful experience and the quality of service and attention that we received from Beatus was more than what we expected and it was greatly appreciated!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a life time
This was a trip of a lifetime. Mr OT's communication via email was fantastic from day one. He replied to all my questions and concerns. The driver was waiting for us at the airport even though our plane was over an hour late. All of the drivers were more than helpful. The accommodation was great. I would definitely book with them again for my next African safari.
ES
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Just stunning
Kruger is a piece of Africa's heart. There are a lot of wild animals that are easy to spot, including mammals, birds and reptiles. I saw at least once a day lions, leopards, elephants, kudu, rhino, hippo, cebra, wildebeest and plenty of different species of bird. In addition, the landscape is awesome, specially the sunset, you can take amazing pictures.
The accomodations, shops and restaurants are really good.
I recommend to avoid weekends because there are too many people.
ES
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about South Africa by MªCarmen Hernández
The only negative thing it's sometimes there are too many people watching the same animal and it could be stressing for him.
US
Business trip support while in Tanzania for a few days
My colleague and I had a very productive and positive experience while in Tanzania, and our guide was VERY attentive and accommodating. Be it for business or personal travel, will certainly use them again!
IN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good service and great value for money!
When i was doing my initial search for a safari operator it wasn't easy to zero in on one. After researching quite a bit on the internet I decided to go with Big Time for my 12 day safari in Kenya and Tanzania. My contact person Martha was amazingly responsive to all my queries/suggestions/changes in plans etc... She accommodated all my requests to ensure I got what I asked for. Though there was a problem with too many people in the group at one time (9 in the vehicle for our game drive at Lake Nakuru), it was handled reasonably well to ensure the safari went on well from there on. Here is my take on safaris with Big Time.
The Good:
- Very efficient and customer focused team at Nairobi.
- One could trust them to ensure all logistics are taken care of - right from the moment I landed, to transfers of all kinds, right till I was dropped at the airport, all I had to do was text/call Martha and she would have something arranged for me. Very efficient and makes things simple for a newbie in Africa.
- The price is very competitive. There are very few operators who offer safaris at this price. Though it's imperative that this is a 'budget' safari and you get more than what you pay for.
- Animal sightings - well, this shouldn't be a problem if you are in the right place at right time. There was no dearth of animals at Masai Mara at this time of the year and the drives were just awesome.
The Bad:
- The safari vehicles weren't the best of conditions.
- The drivers (all the 3 i dealt with) weren't interested in spending much time in the parks. Despite the whole of our group insisting that we wanted to continue with the game drive, our driver at Amboseli was adamant about getting back to the camp a good 1.5 hrs before the park closing time.
- My plan in Tanzania was altered so that I could be accommodated as a part of a group (a day in Serengeti was replaced by a day in Tarangire). Though I was indifferent to the change, I would have preferred being consulted before deciding what I should be doing than telling me what I would be doing!
Tips:
- Ask as many questions as possible before you agree on your safari - how many days? what time do you start and spend at every park? how many people in the van? is water included? will the vehicle be in good condition? It's good to have these things in writing before you embark on your safari with any operator.
- On your day one, before you start on your safari it is a good idea to sit with the driver and your contact person at the office to confirm all that was agreed on in your communications, so as to ensure everyone is on the same platform.
- Keep in touch with your contact person when on safari (if you happen to have local phone number or whenever there if Wi-Fi access). This could help the office handle any problems that could pop up.
- And, enjoy your days in the wild... At the end of the day, that's what we take all this fuss for! :)
All said and done, if i were to go on a safari again, I know who to get in touch with!