GI
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great locations, lodges and passionate guide
It was very easy to arrange our tour with Lion King Adventures. They were quick to respond and gave us great options. When we suggested alternative options they accommodated us. Everything was taken care of beautifully and professionally, including transfers, although it would have been useful if they also allowed us to book flights through them rather than separately.
Guide on safari was very knowledgeable and passionate, but was slightly reluctant to take our request for change of itinerary on board (e.g. we wanted to chill one afternoon by the lodge rather than go on safari again) but this was mainly because hew wanted to maximize our safari experience.
Recommended.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing experience and amazing service! Very recommended!
We took a tour of 7 days, it was amazing! The operator is really flexible and fits herself to every wish you have. After finishing our trip we really feel like a family. Tunu taking care of everything in the fastest way and in the best way! We always felt like there’s someone that we can talk to. Always felt safe.
Our tour guide was Alfa, very funny guy! Always knew where the most interesting things and had a lot to tell about.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Great guide + amazing hospitality
I was in Victoria Falls for a full week & Liberty took great care of me throughout my stay from the time he picked me from the airport to departure. He knows Vic Falls like the back of his hand, & I look forward to my next safari with him. I strongly recommend booking with Cocoon Safaris & Tours for a great experience & value for money.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
(An overdue review!) Thank-you Rose for helping us plan and enjoy our dream Safari!
From the outset, Rose was excellent at helping us choose the right destinations, accommodations, timings, etc according to our needs. Having travelled extensively, this exceeded all expectations - the plan was fantastic and it was great 'not to have to think' once we got there. We stayed at Mjembe and Sausage Tree in Zambia and Medjumbe island in Mozambique - and cannot recommend them highly enough. Their team are an absolute credit to what they offer. I would definitely recommend booking with LSC. Thank-you!
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Kalahari Breeze can handle complex travel arrangements
We did the Three River 8-day Safari that starts in Maun (3 nights), Kasane (2 nights), and Victoria Falls (2 nights). This was our first safari so we wanted a trip that exposed us to different environments in Botswana and Zimbabwe in relative comfort.
Kalahari Breeze did an amazing job of coordinating all of the accomodations, game drives, excursions, and transfers. Maria and Chris worked very close with us, coaching us through the registration and payment process. They met us at the start of our safari, and we had the good fortune to visit with them at length at the end of our time in Maun. In Kasane, we met up with Maria's sister Lizzy who also helps out in this family-owned and operated safari business. We liked the various safari offerings that Kalahari Breeze offered for a mid-range cost, and highly recommend their service to first-time safari travelers.
The three lodges that we stayed at were very different: Enviro-Villa, a small lodge with a very laid-back ambience, was on the edge of Maun next to a dry river bed. We thoroughly enjoyed the pavilion next to the pool and the ability to take our meals inside or out while watching the cattle and goats graze nearby. The staff were extremely accomodating and courteous. One night the night watchman built a fire for us to enjoy. While the outside of the lodge looks very authentic with its thatched roof, expect somewhat cramped quarters and uneven floors! Otherwise, a very pleasant place.
In Kasane we stayed at Kwalape Lodge, a larger lodge with forty rooms. We came on a weekend when there was a large birthday party going on poolside. It felt touristy and not quite what we expected for a safari lodge. But the room felt spacious and the grounds were nicely groomed. The breakfast buffet was good, but the first night we waited 1-1/2 hour for dinner. Masuwe Lodge in Zimbabwe was absolutely wonderful. The staff, accomodations, and food were 5-star in our opinion. It is about 7 km outside of Victoria Falls situated in a private game reserve. While we didn't expect to have this level of service on a mid-range safari, it certainly helped make our last two days the very best.
Game drives: The Maun portion of the trip took us to the Moremi Game Reserve where we went overland to the edge of the Okavango Delta and boarded mokoro boats to view the hippos, crocodiles, birds, and even a green mamba! The 2nd day land tour to the Moremi Game Reserve provided views of many impalas, zudus, some steenbok, elephants, giraffes, a pride of lions, baboons, and zebras. Tour guides for both days were excellent and well-versed in the ecology of the delta.
The morning drive in the Chobe Game Park took us along the Chobe River and the afternoon boat ride was on the river. In the morning we didn't see much that we hadn't seen before in the way of wildlife, but watching the lions devour the cape buffalo up close was rewarding. Our tour guide was not very experienced or communicative, and we spent too much time on mechanical difficulties with the battery connection. The evening boat tour was lovely with good views of hippos and cape buffalo.
Victoria Falls turned out to be quite fun for our family. On the second day my husband and I decided to skip the game drive at Masuwe Lodge. They warned us that we would see little else other than impala and a few cape buffalo. We opted to zipline across the gorge, a first for us. Our son opted for the gorge swing, which starts with a 70 metre free fall. Both were exhilarating and a lot of fun for us. This part of the tour was extra and not something Kalahari Breeze provided. In the afternoon Kalahari Breeze had arranged High Tea on Livingstone Island. The high tea part is malarky! You will be taking a dip in the Devil's Pool at the edge of Victoria Falls. If you are scared of heights, fast-running water, and risk-adverse, you will want to avoid this, but our family had the time of our life! Our "high tea" was gin&tonic and beer.
Next to Masuwe Lodge at Victoria Falls is the Stanley and Livingstone Private Game Reserve. We learned that they were involved in black rhino conservation. The Masuwe Lodge manager arranged for us to have an early morning game drive at extra cost before we departed that morning for Johannesburg. It was totally worth it. We say 7 rhino - two mothers and babies in one area, another mother and babe upclose in the bush, and another solitary male. You will also see lots of zebras, baboons, and giraffes as well.
We were very satisfied with our safari overall. It was definitely more "glamping" than camping, but for a first time experience it provided everything we wanted. Chris and Maria can provide a more authentic bush experience for those who want fewer material comforts.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Organisational extraordinaire!
Gail provided us with an exciting itinerary for Africa that did not disappoint. We were blown away by the accommodation, food provided and all-around excellence of everywhere we went. The safari camps were our highlight but we felt that the whole experience surpassed our expectations.
We felt so well looked after and Gail's organisational skills were second to none. We were never left waiting for any transport and we had many pick-ups throughout our holiday. Every time we were somewhere new there was always someone to pick us up and always on time. We had no stresses while away, everything seemed so easy, which made our holiday experience perfect.
We would highly recommend using Gail's expertise and definitely plan to use her services again.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Expert tours with a personal touch
Nothing but good things to say about Gorilla Link Tours - Carol the owner is a real gem and she's built a special tour company in just a few years.
A friend and I did the 3-day gorilla tour in Bwindi departing from Kampala. There was great communication throughout planning, and they easily accommodated some customizations of the standard itinerary to include a day at the Kigali Genocide Memorial in Rwanda. Pickups were always prompt and Carol even met us at the airport herself.
William our guide gave us lots of great context about Uganda and the gorillas which really enriched our experience - it was actually more information about the gorillas than we got from the guides in the park.
I'd love to come back to Uganda and spend more time in the Mutanda Lake region (which is stunning) and see some other parks, and would book again with Gorilla Link without hesitation.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
First time on a safari (10 day) and had a mixed experience
I did the 10 day kenya/tanzania safari tour and went to all the main, big parks...(Maasai mara, Amboseli, Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater)
The 10 day safari tour went to a lot of great locations although you spend a lot of time traveling between destinations....The airport pickup didn't go that smoothly and we got stuck in Nairobi rush hour traffic for a long time....I ended up having 3 or 4 guides during the 6 day Kenyan portion of the tour..(felt like a hot potato).....They were good guides/drivers but it would have been nice to remain with one of them for the duration..(I think the original plan was to have one driver/guide)....Obama was the best driver and pretty knowlegable....
By contrast, the guide/driver for the 3 to 4 days in Tanzania, Sayed, was very hard to understand half of the time and a very poor listener.....(poor english skills overall)....He couldn't find animals on the game drives, had lots of engine problems in the Serengeti and generally complained way too much about a variety of things......To try to compensate for his many inadequacies, he resorted to offering to buy us beer and ganja/marijuana for us in the van ..(which I think is illegal in Tanzania).....I was told that African Habitat safaris wasn't going to use him anymore as a guide....Excellent choice..
Overall, it was a good time... August is a good time to visit Kenya/Tanzania with a large concentrations of animals... But the tour seemed disorganized at times, the accomodations a mixed bag and the quality of guides dropped a lot in Tanzania...
AR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience
We booked a 6 days budget safari to Masai Mara, Nakuru and Amboseli for two. Great price, did all as promised. Food, water, accomodation were very good. The driver, Stanley, was very nice except for the first day in Masai Mara when he was late, half asleep, didn't talk much..but he made it up later in the tour. Mark organised our tickets to continue to Mombasa from Emali, and gave as a free ticket.
We also booked a two days to Hell's gate and mt. Longonot, it was very nice and more than I expected. Good trekking and cicling, a bit of exercise. Mt longonot is not that easy. We had a private driver, Peter, he was really nice.
I had an extra week on my own, so I decided to do a 5 days trekking to mt Kenya. I wanted a group but it ended up to be just me with the guide and cook. It was a great experience! I wasn't very prepared but everything went fine. This last tour wasn't as organised as I wanted. Poor communication between Mark and the guide. Not sure how many days it was going to take, if food was included, if I had a sleeping bag, guiere.. everything at last minute. But everything went smoothly in the end. Charly and Jhon were very nice, great food, great experience!
We also decided to go with them because it's a Kenyan company. Totally recommended !
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Memorable Experience
7 wonders Safari was absolutely hands down the most professional tour company I have ever experienced. Having never stepped in the country of Africa, it was extremely stressful to plan everything to the T. I want to start by giving Eve a shoutout, she was our contact from start to finish. From the very beginning before even asking for a budget, she was SUPER helpful. She was honest and that is what I appreciate the most. She wasn’t trying to make a quick buck, she was extremely diligent in keeping us honest and our expectations realistic. On top of that she gave as amazing price and accommodations for a 12 day trip through Kenya, Tanzania, and Zanzibar. From transportation to hotel (tent at campsites) everything was just easy. Our group consisted of 8, and essentially we just showed up and and followed our schedule with our driver and enjoyed our time. I also think what made our trip valuable were the drivers that Eve paired us with. In Kenya we were with David, he was a young man that has been doing tours for 7 years. Being from the USA, he was extremely relatable. I enjoyed my conversations with him, from geopolitics to the different animals he showed us. It was quite an experience and he made the ride easy, fun and smooth. In Tanzania we were with A driver name George. When I tell you this man was passionate, I am not kidding. He is extremely smart, and just knew where every animal was at any given moment. I saw everything with him, from lions to cheetahs. I loved my time with him, and thought I created a lifelong bond with him. I can’t thank Eve and 7 wonders enough! Zanzibar was very touristy and we were on our own, we were on the coast and I highly recommend staying at tea house and doing the prison island tour. There are turtles that are 150 years old and are huge! Every camp site we went through, from Kenya to Tanzania, every person was professional and accommodating. The food was great and they were all home made meals. I can’t stress enough how enjoyable this trip was! In our preliminary planning stages, our group researched about 20 companies, I am super happy we chose 7 wonders, and recommend anyone giving them a shot to plan out your vacation and safari!