US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Ngorongoro Crater by Glenn Fisher
Ngorogoro crater is a gorgeous park with a unique feel all of its own due to its higher altitude and location at the bottom of a crater (technically a caldera - collapsed volcano). There were lots of wildlife everywhere in a relatively concentrated area. We saw a few lions, lots of buffalo, hippos, wildebeasts, zebras and birds. The downside is the park was much more crowded with safari vehicles than any other park we visited. There were at least 30 jeeps watching the lions we saw with us which is nothing like the relative privacy we experienced in the Serengheti or Tarangire where there were rarely more than 3 or 4 jeeps around at any time and often we were the only jeep viewing animals we came across.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Great service
We're really happy about choosing Nature Connect for our trip. Sorting out the details and booking was a breeze, thanks to Francis who was super quick in getting back to us and making sure we were in the loop. All our hotels were amazing.
Richard, our tour guide, was an absolute rock star. He filled us in on everything we wanted to know about Uganda and its culture, had the lowdown on all the landmarks and wildlife (even the birds!). If you are vegan, don't worry, Richard made sure that each hotel knew ahead of time our requirements. We mainly opted for local dishes, it's so good that you won't want to leave the country!
The only thing that held us back from a full 5 stars was the vehicle itself. We ended up spending quite a chunk of time in there and ran into a few minor hiccups. Still, on the whole, I'd totally give a thumbs up to this company.
FR
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
everything was very well organized ;except the additional proposals which were very expensive
very good organization and standards corresponding to our expectation ;
The guide /driver was very professional ; the pedestrian tour with the ranger was a very good experience
But , the proposal for additional activities in arusha are extremely expensive and of no interest ( except the market )
The night safary was very interesting but far too expensive
The scuba diving was not exiting , not possible to dive with the safety jacket ; far too much people ; and therefore no security to follow the diver
FI
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent service
I send a message to several operator, but Netherken was only one who really read and answer my question and gave personalized answer. It was easy choice for me. Our co-operation worked very well but unfortunately there was 2 quite big things what I'm not pleased.
1. I choose traveling to the Fig Tree camp by airplane. When I was returning back to Nairobi, plane didn't come at all and there was nobody on the airstrip who knows anything what to do. Mombasa air didn't inform us anyhow to the hotel or there was not anybody answering for us what we should do. Netherken's number didn't answer. I still don't know how, but we got 2 pilot's who bring we back to Nairobi just 1,5 hours late.
It's not so big thing, but somehow they should inform customers if there is technical problems and delays.
2. Don't by any extras beforehand!
I bought also Hot balloon safari many months before. It was mistake.
I get ill there (stomach ailment from the first lunch). Cause I couldn't... Read more leave bathroom at all, I couldn't go to the flight.
I was not happy when I heard that they will not return my money even they were selling those hot balloon flights there in Fig Tree Camp all the time for next morning every day. I mean, they didn't have to say anybody that all flights are sold out, and that way they didn't loose any new customer because of my illness. I feel it was not fair.
I didn't get it even from travel insurance cause I didn't understand that I should get doctor. Reception said that it's in Nairobi so I didn't think it's necessary after 1,5 days yet.
So don't buy any extras beforehand, you can get them later on the camp as well!
The Fifth Tree Camp is beautiful and very nice place and 1 game drive I had possible to join was amazing!
I can recommend that even my 2 deplorable experiences.
As well I can recommend Netherken as well. I'm sure they will develop communication between Mosambik air, The Fig Tree Camp and Netherken itself.
LU
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Professional and experienced safari operation
Very professionally run safari operation. Right from the start we were very impressed by the responsiveness of Silas who somehow managed to respond to any and all of our requests literally within minutes. Nelson was our guide on the safari and he did a great job finding and maneuvering us in the best positions to view all animals up close. We travelled in a well maintained Toyota Landcruiser and Nelson was also very accommodating to last minute changes we requested to our itinerary. Unfortunately he was not able to finish the safari with us as he had to attend to a family emergency and Apodiformes clearly struggled to find a replacement for him on short notice for the last day of our safari (1 day hike in Mt Kenya Nationalpark). We ended up travelling a distance of 3 hours (1 way) in a worn out and unsafe (e.g. Seat belts and lights only partially working) beaten up salon car. Our driver Samuel was very attentive and nice but the last day of our safari unfortunately was not up to our expectations.... Read more Generally a 1-day visit to Mt Kenya we found is not worth it especially when travelling all the way from Nairobi. Overall we had a great time though and would like to thank Apodiformes for the nice experience!
IN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent safari exp. But don't deal with noah
I booked the safari experience from Wildebeest from aug 11 to aug 15th. Nairobi airport pickup - amboseli - Nakuru - mara and back to nairobi.
Our guide was dennis.
I had an amazing time, thanks to Dennis , the vehicle we were in was very good and Dennis made sure we felt safe. He made sure we had a great safari experience and we were lucky to see the migration crossing as well.
I would recommend the experience with Dennis to everyone.
The 2nd part of our journey to diani was riddled with troubles and we had to waste an entire day of our expensive trip because of Noah the owner/manager. Noah is the unprofessional manager who left us high and dry on 3 occassions -
1. He messed up our train tickets and we ended up wasting an entire beach day because of an early bus (our last resort) because of his unprofessionalism.
2. He messed up our mara hotel itinerary and we had to travel 3 hours extra late in the night and had the audacity to blame us for... Read more his goof up.
3. He tried to charge us extra park fees - 160$ for his own mistakes.
Notably, we got really bad seats in the train that he did book, his delay in payments for the park fees made sure we waited 20 mins min each time outside the safari gates.
Never once did he ever make an apology that was genuine.
Although my experience with widlebeest was amazing, I have a sour taste because of noah, would strongly urge folks who deal with Noah to document everything on email as proof.
5/5 for Dennis our guide.
10/5 for Kenya and the experience
-5/5 for Noah the owner/ manager.
3.5 for wildebeest, still one of the best experiences of my life minus the issues we had to deal with because of noah.
Go for it but be careful and document everything.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Lake Manyara National Park by Lyndsey Deane
A small park and so condensed wildlife, we had amazing up-close baboon and elephant encounters here. A day is enough to see the best of what it has to offer.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The best.
I had an incredible experience with Leisureway Adventure a Kenya Safari Tours, and I wanted to take a moment to express my appreciation for their outstanding service. Our guide, Sylus, was truly exceptional. He demonstrated an immense passion for his job and went above and beyond to ensure we had the best wildlife experience possible. Sylus' expertise and enthusiasm in locating various animals were truly remarkable, and his knowledge of the Kenyan wilderness added an extra layer of excitement to our safari adventure.
NZ
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Highly recommend. Professional, helpful and accessible.
A once in a lifetime trip for us creating lasting memories. The camps and hotels were excellent, the staff friendly and helpful and the food excellent. We were very well looked after. The animal life was abundant and we were able to view the great 5 within a few days. All of the safaris exceeded our expectations.
Some of the internal flights and hotels are linked and we did experience a couple of airline representatives that were not helpful and lacked good communication skills. At one point we were unable to find our representative at Entebbe airport. She was at the wrong part of the airport. We were taken through to departures with instructions to stay put and that she would not be lone. We waited approx. 3 hours past our scheduled departure time. Airport staff were unable to help as it was a charted flight. It turned out she was waiting for a couple of more passengers. However the pilots were sitting in the aircraft and were also unaware and had been sitting on the aircraft... Read more for 3 hours waiting for us. We had a long overnight flight from the Serengeti to Johannesburg and then had to wait another 2 hours to be flown to our camp as the airline was waiting further passengers to fill the plane. our itinerary stated our flight time and the airline were not helpful in accommodating us. Were were eventually put on a hot plane and waited a further 45 mins till the pilot arrived. We felt they were trying to maximize their seating and felt it was not conducive to a good holiday.
We still had a great time during our two and a half weeks in Africa and would recommend this excellent company but feel the situations we found ourselves in should be addressed.
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Good value for money
Safari
Initially me and my friend wanted to do a gorilla trekking only in Uganda but later on decided to extend our trip with a safari. We knew the price of a weekend gorilla trekking would be at least $1000, because the permits are expensive and since we were gonna be in the country anyway, we decided to extend the trip with other activities as well.
We chose this operator because it included all the activities we wanted to do at the lowest price. Other operators were at least $500-$1000 more expensive. The value for money is good. The accommodation you will be staying in will not be luxury, but that’s also not what you payed for. You are able alter the itinerary yourself and we did so with one of the accommodations. We felt as though our guide did not like the accommodation we chose as much as his initial pick, but we were very pleased with our change. It’s therefore good to know you can alter it, but the guide may have a few bad comments regarding your pick.
Peter... Read more is a very friendly guide. Especially in the preparation phase, he would respond to messages very quickly. My friend celebrated her birthday during the trip and Peter made sure a (gluten free) birthday cake was prepared and even bought a few gifts for her, which was very thoughtful.
The safari itself was great. We did not expect we had to wake up at 5-6 am so many times, so that was a bit of a shock and resulted in us being exhausted by the end of the trip. That’s why we do recommend to alter the itinerary slightly and have a few more relaxing mornings or afternoons in the schedule, because it’s currently fully packed with activities. We did not expect it to be this tiring, otherwise we would have put a few relaxing moments in beforehand. Additionally otherwise you are together with your tour guide 24/7 (all the activities + meals) and you feel as though you have no quality time with your travel partner able to relax.
The only disappointment activity wise were the lions at Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park. One of the reasons why we chose this operator (besides the price) was because it included the famous tree climbing lions where others didn’t. Well during the trip we found out there was a reason other operators did not include the lions, it’s because they are no longer alive unfortunately. We were very shocked to hear this news and even more so because we did not think it was fair that it was included in our itinerary, when they are no longer there. When we expressed this disappointment to our guide, he did not understand. So be prepared that the famous tree climbing lions are no longer there. The park you visit to supposedly look for them, is great to visit anyway! They should however write down in the itinerary that the famous lions are no longer there.
Overall it definitely was a once in a lifetime trip and we were very happy we traveled with Buyaga. The tour it private so you don’t have to share your bus/car with anybody else, which means you always have the best seat to spot animals. Peter made sure he always hired rangers to join us in the car, who were very knowledgable on the area and the animal whereabouts. They even made us go off track sometimes to see lions up close, which was great.
Would definitely recommend this tour and operator!
