NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful time
This safari was very nice, I had a wonderful time! We saw the big five and lot of other animals. The guide/driver was a very nice guy and he knew a lot about the animals. Even when there was a problem with the car one evening, he did an excellent job. The next morning everything was all right again, ready to bring us to the next game drive. I had a very nice experience!
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Campsite
The campsite is simple but fine. We were not welcomed in a friendly way (not allowed to select our own spot while there were no other campers), but the owner came to do this. Each day a nice fire was lighted next to our tent. During payment the rate was different than stated in the reservation but after some discussion this was also solved.
NO
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic country, wonderful trip!
First of all: go to safari in Uganda. What a beautiful country! So incredibly many animals, an amazing and very varied nature, and last but not least - the chance to go gorilla and chimp tracking.
Both those are qualities of Uganda, and not Matoke per se. The good thing is that Matoke is specialized on Uganda, and the program they had put together was excellent. Very varied and perfect pace. Enough stuff happening but also enough time to relax.
Our guide, Mike, was excellent. He is very knowledgeable, and you can really tell that he too loves the animals and the nature. He is easy-going and relaxed, and I really liked that he also told us a lot about local culture, food, etc.
We went for Matoke's 13 day Best of Uganda Budget Trip. What made it budget was mostly the fact that we were staying in tents - but these were permanent tents on very nice safari lodges, and all these lodges had communal toilets and showers in good condition. Food was also good. Only thing I was a little bit disappointed about was the car, it had definitely seen better days (several minor malfunctions), so I would enquire about this before booking.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Game Reserve by lem888
The highlight of Hluhluwe was watching a pack of wild dogs playing in the grass as the sun rose - that was actually likely the rarest animal that we saw in visiting Hluhluwe and Kruger. We also saw quite a few rhinos, giraffe and Cape Buffalo while there as well. We did not see elephants or lions, other than from quite a distance. Nonetheless, it was a great experience and we had a terrific guide on the drive. I would definitely go back, but if I had to choose between Hluhluwe and Kruger, Kruger would win hands down.
IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful piece of Tanzania. Must see!
During our safari, Lake Manyara NP was our 1st destination. We heard about lions on trees, thousands flamingos over the lake, but nobody told us that it contains wonderful landscapes! We were sad we cannot visit the lake from near, our guide said it is forbidden to go outside streets and go closer to the lake.
We were happy there weren't too many tourits around there, it was really quiet and peaceful.
Absolutely recommended!
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
I never regret choosing Blue Ocean Safaris for my trip
The trip I took with my family in 2014 was amazing! It was extremely easy to plan with Blue Ocean Safaris' help. They were very knowledgeable about everything to see and do in the great parks of Serengeti and beyond. We loved our driver-guide and all the hotels and lodges matched our preferences and needs. The next time I want to book a Safari, I will happily choose Blue Ocean Safaris again!
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Our awesome guide made the most of our time on safari.
Going with 7 Wonders Safari was a great decision. When comparing prices with other operators, the price at 7 Wonders were much lower and I am sure our service was on par with any other operator on the savannah. Evelyn, who helped us organize via email was helpful with all our requests and inquiries right up to the moment we arrived in Arusha. Very flexible, understanding and easy to work with.
Our guide George was 1st rate and had a plethora of knowledge about the flora and fauna we encountered. He definitely took our experience to another level with his experience and confidence. He also made sure we got to see the Big 5 safari sightings (Lion, Leopard, Rhino, Elephant and Cape Buffalo).
The vehicle was reliable and comfortable. The lodges which we stayed were 1st rate was well.
If we were to safari in this region again, our search would start with 7 Wonders Safari.
EG
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Mukumi National Park
We visit Mukumi National Park from Dar Es Salam (300 Km away) as a day trip , it was nice trip but it needs to be two day trip as a minimum (Hellow Tanzania should to recommend that but they did not) , the communication is very good with hellow Tanzania from day one , the driver is very good , we ask Hellow tanzania for another service but they give me a high prices & they dosn't responce after we finished our trip
Well planned
We used Sunset Africa for transport from Moushi to Mwanza (for a meeting) and back againg and everything went well
Best
Peter
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great safari to Ngorongoro, Serengeti & Tarangire
Overall we had a fantastic experience with just a few things that could have been improved upon. Our group of 8 people (ages 14 - 75) booked a 6-day / 5-night safari with EASTCO. First day/night to Ngorongoro, then to Serengeti (2 nights / 2-3 days) and 2 nights / 1 day at Tarangire. I know that numbering is a little confusing, but one blocked-road delay and the transiting between parks makes the "bookkeeping" difficult.
Itinerary: The itinerary was great in many ways, but in the end I wonder if we tried to cram in too much in the amount of time we had. There ended up being a lot of time driving. If I were going to do it again, I would try and stay in each lodging for 2 or more nights. We also had two walks scheduled into our safari. The one ended up being canceled because a stuck water truck blocked our way into the Crater on our first afternoon, so we went the following morning and skipped that hike, but putting in some walks is a really nice way to break up all the driving.
Accommodations: Mostly excellent. Ngorongoro Rhino Lodge - very cool with lovely rooms and an outstanding dining room / loungey area with fireplaces. Turner Camp in Serengeti - Nice tented camp, though apparently the camp had screwed up our reservation. When we arrived they told our guides that they could only host us for one night although we had been booked for two. The guides scrambled and found us a place for the following night in the Serengeti Savannah Camps, one of the Sera campsites. Since the Savannah Camp did not have much warning that we were coming, they were not very prepared for us and many of the staff had gone on holiday. (One of the tents we got was quite below-average compared to the others). But the few staff who were there worked really hard to accommodate us. Both tented camps had showers and flush toilets in the rooms, though limited water as would be expected out there. That seemed very luxurious given the location. The last two nights we were at Boundary Hill Lodge near Tarangire. This place is exceptional with beautiful and interesting rooms (all separate from one another with balconies overlooking the a valley). The staff were excellent. We were supposed to have been at Ol Tukai Manyara for one of the nights but after lots of heavy rain a part of the roof had collapsed and wasn't yet repaired. Though we don't know what we missed, we were very happy to spend two nights at Boundary Hill.
Guides: Our guides both had very sharp eyes and were very informative. Melk was very funny and chatty. Kessy was mostly quiet, though if we asked questions he was more than happy to answer them. Both spent a lot of time on their mobile phones, which, well, it detracted a bit from the experience. Kessy had a radio in his car, which he used a lot as well, though he turned it down when we asked. I realize the guides use the radios to help find game for the clients, but... I don't know, it's a mix. Both were good drivers, although we thought Melk drove way too fast at times (not while on game drives, but during transits between parks). I'm quite certain he could get a job as a stunt driver in the movies! It didn't even make sense since he would then have to stop and wait for Kessy. In any case, I finally requested he slow down, which he did.
Communications:
Pre-trip - Simon mostly responded to our pre-trip emails very promptly, though sometimes it would take a while. I had been on a trip with EASTCO in 2009 and I know there are often internet and phone problems, so I didn't worry too much when this happened. It never happened at any critical, time-sensitive moment. Simon is very friendly and also gave us a LOT of help organizing some pre- and post-safari travel for which he didn't request any compensation. He came out to our hotel to chat and never seemed to be in a hurry. I'm sure his schedule varies throughout the year, but we got a lot of his time and advice for nothing extra.
En route - At times the guides should have been more forthcoming with information. E.g. one day we stopped at a Maasai camp after leaving the Serengeti. Melk had arranged a hike for us to go on there because we had missed our Ngorongoro hike. We should have seen this coming, but after the hike (which was cool and interesting) the Maasai invited us to watch one of their traditional dances, visit the village, see their huts, etc. It was $50/car and we decided, "What the hell, we're here". So it was fun and we learned a lot and got the hard sell to buy some beaded products. We ended up with the Maasai for probably 3 hours. Fine. What we didn't know was that we were 5+ hours from our next lodge and it was already after 3pm. Had we known, we probably would have just skipped this or at least left directly after the hike. As it turned out, we were driving the last part of our day in the dark, we got lost for a while on the last stretch to the lodge and didn't arrive until late. They had been waiting to make dinner so it would be fresh, which was nice, but it meant we had to wait a while. It got to be a very long day.
In general: I have been on two EASTCO safaris now and I am impressed with what Simon delivers, especially at the cost. The park fees make up such a large part of a safari that it seems a really good value to get the fees plus the vehicle, guide/driver, unlimited miles, really nice accommodation, all your food and bottled water. And we saw so much cool stuff! All the "Big 5", including heaps of lions and a mother cheetah & 4 cubs. It was awesome. Good guides will know where to look for what you want to see, and we had that. No guarantees, of course, but we had a less experienced guide at a park in Kenya and it really showed.
People all want different things when they travel, but I would recommend thinking about how much time you want to spend driving and ask those questions when arranging a safari. The nice thing with EASTCO is that you are not on a pre-packaged tour. You can choose your own adventure. Simon will certainly help you choose a good itinerary, but you can weigh in with your preferences of what you'd like to see and do along the way. And then keep in mind that this is kind of the Wild West (or the Wild East). Things will happen along the way that are not really anyone's fault and your trip will likely have some glitches; if you can roll with it the misadventures sometimes make the best stories later on. If I decided to go on a third safari in East Africa, I would certainly go with EASTCO again!