ES
Lake Navaisha Sopa Lodge
Lake Navaisha Sopa Lodge is a great place to stay. The accommodation was all right but the triple bed was not comfortable at all. Plus the swimming pool was closed and we were not told in advance.
CH
The experience was good but could be more knowledgeable
Going to the Masai Mara at the end of March was a great idea, the landscape is green, beautiful and few tourists are there.
The tour I booked with Safari Line was worth the price. Food was good, the place where we sleep was okay, otherwise I thought the guide could have told us more about the wildlife and also stop a bit more on the way to see other animals than the big five. This probably depends also on the group you are with.
In general, I think we should be careful not going too close to the wildlife so that we do not disturb them, but it was clearly not the case in Masai Mara, that's also why tourists are happy at the end of the day...
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Arusha National Park by Eleanore Avery
Arusha is a lovely half day spent before starting safari. This is only park in Tanzania to see the beautiful bkack and white Colobus Monkey.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
driving through to hippo hill we didn't see much wildlife only a young bull elephant checking us out
We stayed at Hippo Hill campsite, it was very rustic could do with an upgrade on washing facilities. The views from camp were beautiful up close to hippo's in the evening , flamingos on the salt lake in the day. We also went on an amazing boat trip that was organised through one of the parks lodges, it was great for birds with elephants on the banks of the river.
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Nxai Pan National Park by Ian
Arriving at the Nxai Pan gate, we were greeted by another track masquerading as a river and informed that we could only be admitted at our own risk. This was a no-brainer as our camp was already set up in there and there was no alternative. As it was getting fairly late, we did a short game drive and repaired to camp for dinner and bed.
Next morning all was well and we set off to see what Nxai Pan had to offer. It was to turn out to be a day mainly consisting of bird sightings, apart from hundreds of Zebras, which was the reason we were there anyway. They were even more plentiful than the Oryx had been in Central Kalahari and our guide estimated we saw between three and five thousand in Nxai Pan. However, the vast amount of rain and the affect it had on the vegetation meant the Zebras didn’t need to migrate so far as in most years. Had it been a normal year he estimated we would have seen three to four times that number.
My first impression of Nxai Pan was how big and open the area is, although only a fraction of the area covered by Central Kalahari. It is classic Cheetah territory and that was what I was hoping to see. I didn’t have to wait long on our second day and we found a female with two young cubs, probably about nine months old. We spent best part of an hour with them as they slowly moved around their range and the cubs played happily with each other, before they moved into cover and we left them.
Next up was another herd (dazzle) of Zebras, and another brief Cheetah sighting, but much of the day was spent looking for Lions. After lunch, we were successful, even witnessing a (distant) mating session. There was a torrential thunderstorm later on in the afternoon, but once this moved through we had another Cheetah sighting, which turned out to be the brother of the female we had seen in the morning.
That brought us to the end of our two full days in Nxai Pan and just left us with a game drive to the gate next morning. We had been trying, unsuccessfully, to photograph a European Bee-eater since we arrived, but every time our guide killed the engine, the bird would fly. Finally we were successful as we found one in an Acacia bush and it didn’t move. Also added a Bradfield’s Hornbill to our list as it posed beautifully beside the track.
My overall impression of Nxai Pan is somewhat mixed. Certainly we saw exactly what we went there for, so we have no complaints on that score. But there are vast areas of the reserve that are inaccessible due to the no off-roading policy. I understand the reasons for this policy and agree with it, but it only works if there are adequate roads to use and that is where Nxai Pan suffers.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Encounters with gorillas a must
Our tour which covered both Uganda and Rwanda, was quite big - 14 days which dragged on with little to do. The highlights were definitely the gorilla and chimpanzee encounters. I wouldn't recommend the national parks in Uganda as very little to see. Make sure your tour guide is experienced and has knowledge of the area and animal tracking.
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Disappointed. The setting is stunning, and the room was lovely - except for the bathroom
The setting is stunning, and the room was lovely - except for the bathroom. It had a very high bath which was difficult to climb in and out of. To have a shower was also dangerously slippery.
There is also a tiny step into the bathroom that one cannot see because of the black tiles. No sign or marking about the step - so I nearly tripped.
Then there are two rugs next to the bed. When you step on them they slip - I nearly fell. Unfortunately my husband did slip when he got out of bed during the night and had a very nasty fall. Thank goodness he didn’t break anything and is only bruised.
The food was good but not exceptional. The dinner on Saturday evening was a disaster because the hotel catered for a big group that had arrived, and the Lodge catered for them and ignored the remaining couples. We had no service or anybody telling what was happening re dinner.
But the biggest disappointment of our stay at the lodge were the game drives. The game driver was very nice, competent and knowledgeable. Only on the first drive did we see game close by. I realise that seeing game is a case of some luck - but one cannot see anything if there aren’t many animals in the park. To go into Kruger was totally out for me as it would have meant a 45 minute drive to the gate of Kruger. On Saturday afternoon they gave us an old, dirty vehicle that was so uncomfortable that I was in a lot of pain after the drive. It was really not a nice experience.
BY
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
But the animals was not many
Over 4 days our group (6 people) visited 3 national parks of Tanzania: Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Tarangire. I spent the night at the Lodge, and others in tents. I recommend to spend the night at the Lodge is slightly more expensive, but very convenient. More just like Ngorongoro. Tarangire is between Ngorongoro and the Serengeti. In Tarangire a lot of elephants. In the Serengeti the animals were not much. 4 day Safari for me was worth 900$. It is expensive. The driver was not very good: the road was driving not very confident, Not always stayed near the animals, he said himself the amount that I should give tips for him. Couldn't care less about tourists. The food was good. The accommodation was good. But a whole tour like 4. But the animals was not many.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Mikumi Safari and Udzungwa Tracking
Staff service is good, but I got some inconveniences due to some communication errors between Hello Tanzania & the Hotel
IT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
It was OK
I booked my tour with Dan from Kisoro Tours Uganda. The safari itself was good, I enjoyed the trekking and the gorillas, however, I did not like how at the last moment before our arrival Dan tried to raise the prices of our safari (250 USD extra per person, because he had to organize additional car - rental of additional car with the driver for 3 days is less than 200 USD in Uganda), which did not happen, but still the move left bad aftertaste in my mouth... I also was severely disappointed with the Broadbill Forest Camp - truly a terrible accommodation! Still not completed - 6 years after initiation, old tents, water trickling from the shower, no water in the toilet the last day, personnel without any idea about how to manage the camp and not familiar with the hospitality concept whatsoever, electricity only until 10 PM and then overwhelming darkness, microscopic food portions, on the trekking day we were served rice and vegetables as it was raining so nobody in the camp felt like going down to the village to buy some much needed proteins etc. Initially we were thinking we should have stayed in the forest longer than just 2 nights, but after seeing and experiencing the camp, we were glad that we didn't cater for longer stay. 2 other persons from our group were staying in a different location, which judging from their descriptions was much more liveable. Maybe Broadbill Forest Camp is comparatively cheaper to the organizers... My advise: go for Kisoro tours, but avoid the Broadbill Forest Camp!