NZ
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Wonderful experience - loved every moment
We had nervous expectations of travel in Zimbabwe. However, from our arrival in Victoria Falls to the day we departed we
had nothing but positive experiences. This was largely based on the friendly, helpful and kind people we met along the way.
Zimbabweans are resilient. Despite the tough economic hardships they are experiencing they continue to find ways to keep their lives and their businesses operating and they do it with a sense of humour and a smile. We were encouraged by their endurance.
The weather was very hot on the Zambezi and rain was desperately needed. Our guide was a natural bush man - passionate about the flora, animals and birds. He kept us well informed on what we were seeing along the way and helped to educate us on the interactions of the wildlife in the ecosystem. We had plenty of bottled water, good healthy food and comfortable accommodations with warm water for showers and morning washes. Safety was a high priority with the guides and we felt safe both on land and in the canoes.
The highlight of the trip was sitting around the dinner table and to have the guide say 'don't move anyone' - as an elephant walked right past our table.
Our only concern was to see plastic waste on the river banks and to hear powerboats and generators - ruining the pristine nature of this beautiful wilderness area.
DK
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
An unforgetable trip
The accomodations were too budget, with a rat running between our legs while we were eating dinner.
Also too late dinner.
The scenery was perfect.
Transportation fine. The guide new a lot about the animals and places. He was kind and funny. A good guy!
Breakfast should have been served every day, and not at 1.30 in the afternoon. We needed more clearly what time to eat lunch and dinner. Lunch could have been served in bags on our trip.
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Sandra Nicols Many thanks for your service ..wonderful experience! At Imbali
Everything was perfect
Sandra help us to find a safari on mesure!
Wonderful
I ask few question and instead the hours ...from Canada ...she respond quickly
Also help me a lot for the transportation....and the agency who she work with...send me a guide.....and experience man with a lot to give..for the love of his country , respect for animals ......his name Allen White ...a gift!
I will refer this agency anytime who someone want à Buckley list experience
Ntanda Ventures gave us excellent advice and organised a tour which ran seamlessly.
I exchanged numerous emails with Kerry and Christina, presenting my complex desires which needed to be executed in one short week! And they managed it perfectly. It all worked perfectly and seamlessly. The highlight was 3 days at Thornicroft Lodge near the Mfuwe reserve. Kelvin, our guide, had amazing knowledge of the game and the reserve. And Nadja and Dylan, the managers, were most helpful and caring. Thank you to you all - you made my " down memory lane' trip home to Zambia such a memorable time.
HU
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A good start with a terrible end game...
In the beginning everything was good with this company. I have spoken with Jimmy and he was so nice. I paid half part of the money in the summer. Then he told me my reservation is guaranteed. A few months later in September I got an other message and he wanted the other half of the price because my reservation was not guaranteed anymore. I didn’t want to pay everything in advance but finally I just accepted his argument and we wanted to go there.
After everything was ok. In the first few days our safari was amazing with our guide (Christopher). But after when we were going to back Arusha our experience has become terrible. John (Christopher’s boss) called us because something was wrong with the money and fees on the border of Ngorongoro. So we had to pay more 430 dollar. It was the only one way to go back Arusha. Finally John promised us we will meet in Arusha and he will give back our money in cash. Of course it wasn’t true. John just disappeared and when we arrived to Arusha Christopher got out of the car and ran away.
After this experience we realized these guys weren’t from Swahili directly. It was a no and company and Swahili just gave us for them. So I can’t understand what happened exactly that day. But we have a really bad experience with this safari so be careful and don’t pay in advance!!!
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An amazing adventure.
We were well cared for from working with Benson to book the tour to our driver Rashid. Rashid was very attentive and made sure we were well informed and comfortable. I would recommend Happy Moments Tours to anyone looking for an experience of a lifetime. Only wish we had more time to spend. They definitely packed a lot of adventure into a short trip. Thanks for such a positive experience!!!
QA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Our first African safari: An amazing experience.
Based on our experiences, Flash Safari proved to be a capable and competent organization whom did not disappoint in regards to our first foray into the African bush (we chose the Northern Circuit Safari). Not everything went perfectly smooth, but these hiccups had nothing to do with Flash Safari itself. And, sure, there are a couple things I would do differently in the future. But none of these things proved to be deal-breakers. Remember: you are in Africa and, moreso, in the middle of the African bush. But the greatest deal-maker for us was our blessed luck to have an amazing guide - Loi Kipuyo. Loi was the icing on the cake. He proved to be an extremely knowledgeable, patient and affable guy. I have absolutely no complaints about his driving skills and talents and my family and I all felt very safe while getting "African massaged" along the roads of Tanzania (my accompanying family's ages ranged from 11 to 65). His uncanny knack for spotting creatures left us all amazed and his knowledge of these animals (and insects and flora) was demonstrated over and over. Honestly, the guy knew his way around every town, park and backroad as if he had a GPS system in his own brain. Going into this trip, I was ignorantly unaware that our guide would be with us throughout the bulk of our sojourn. All day together - breakfast to supper. Loi felt like an extended family member by the time he dropped of us at the airport.
Overall, tremendous experience. My family would recommend Flash Safari, just as it was recommended to us by an acquaintance. If you can get Loi to escort you on your adventure, all the better.
IN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Exceeded expectations on all counts!
All communications clear and on time. All facilities better than expected. Does not feel like a budget safari given the level of comfort provided. Very very reasonable prices. Just ask for Khalifa as your guide and he'll ensure that your trip is fun, filled with wildlife and convenient!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Drive Botswana go above and beyond!!
We just completed a 3 month bespoke trip around South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Namibia all organised by Drive Botswana with amazing efficiency, expertise from start to finish. Before we left they worked with us to design a route that would suit our plans sharing expert knowledge of the best places to stay (both camping and lodges), how long to get between places and how long to stay in each location and what roads would be safe to travel in different conditions during wet and dry season. Drive Botswana organised everything from car hire with satellite phone, GPS and all the camping equipment, booked all the accommodation, provided maps and books about each country and the wildlife as well as providing information about visas, border crossings, anti-malarials and any other questions we asked! And they were available throughout the trip as well via WhatsApp or phone call to help with anything we needed!
The trip was unbelievable and some of our highlights were the places Drive Botswana organised which were not on the usual tourist route which we would never have found ourselves.
In no particular order our favourite campsites included Baines Baobab with its spectacular views over the salt pans, Senyati Safari Camp with a bar overlooking a waterhole with hundreds of elephants, BBC Campsite at Mana Pools which had incredible wildlife including elephants standing on their back legs to reach the tree tops and big packs of wild dogs, Mucheni View at Chizarira with the most spectacular views, Savuti Campsite where we saw the most incredible number of predators in a single day (20 lions and 1 leopard), Olifantsrus Campsite in Etosha which is smaller than the larger campsites with great facilities and a great hide to sit and watch the waterhole and Purros Campsite with its leafy shelters along the riverbed and giraffes that wander through.
Again in no particular order our favourite lodges were Moremi Gorge with spectacular views in private chalets with a gorgeous infinity pool, Rhino Safari Camp with beautiful facilities on the banks of Lake Kariba and the friendliest hospitality accommodating to our every need, Pangolin Chobe Hotel with the most incredible photo safari tours providing professional level equipment and tips on how to take the perfect picture, Tshima Bush Camp with the most delicious food and Etambura Camp with spectacular views across the Kaokoveld in Namibia, owned and run by the local conservancy.
Drive Botswana also booked or made recommendations about the best activities throughout the trip including a quad bike tour and sleep out in Makgadikgadi Pan, a mokoro trip in the Okavango Delta and Little 5 desert tours in the Namibian deserts.
The service provided by Drive Botswana was cost effective, saved us hundreds of hours of organisation and provided us with the inside knowledge of the area. It truly was the trip of a lifetime!!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Extremely well organized and tailor to exactly what we needed; added flexibility during the trip.
Right from the planning, our travel agent was very responsive. She took all our considerations and requests into mind and prepared an itinerary that fit perfectly. We had a lot of requirements when it came to food, time on road. Everything was accounted for during the trip. We unfortunately had a family emergency for which 2 family members could not travel and our travel agent did everything in her power to ensure she got refund for us. We did have a little back and forth regarding the paperwork which we pushed hard to get from doctors which was not used in the end but we appreciated the fact that effort was made and we were able to get a refund back.
During the trip the family and meal preferences were taken care of. We had a last minute request for a driver switch was accommodated for as well. The hotels associated with the company are very well maintained with hospitality levels above and beyond what we expected. Our travel agent and local teams across the main hubs always kept contact to ensure our trip was going well and all our expectations were met.
We would highly recommend using Karibu for bookings as they provide everything, are always on top of things and will get you exactly what you want as long as you set your expectations clearly from the beginning.
Special thanks to Tasneem who took great care of us and always answered our calls whilst planning the trip and during the trip as well!