US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The Best Wonderful Safari Experience
Trip was amazing. Everything went as advertised, pick-ups from Nairobi and hotels were on time, hotel was fantastic, and service was excellent. Game viewing was also amazing thanks to Paul, who knew all the trails from the back of his hand. Newton from the office was wonderful as well, quick to respond and gave us detailed explanations for all we enquired about.
Overall, fantastic experience and will definitely be using Bateleur Eagle Safaris for future bookings.
CN
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Profesional guides and good for value
i did a 5 days Masai Mara nakuru and 3 days amboseri with Axis safari ,both tour r fantastic,we saw almost all kinds of animals, the guides r all full of knowledge about animals ,very professional! And the foods the camps all the things in the tours r wonderful ! Highly recommend !
SG
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great company, great guide, great experience.
Everything was organized very well - the accommodation, food, guiding and vehicles.
Shaheen is a great guy and a great organizer - and can accommodate all requests, really. I did an extended safari, with two extra days of a private tour. Safari cars they are using are proper, open, elevated trucks so you can expect good views all around. Our guide, Arun, was also a good guy, really trying to get the most of each drive, looking for all the animals - especially the elusive cats.
All in all, we've managed to see the Big 5 and a lot more besides, visiting 3 camps over 7 days. I also did a great extension trip via the Panorama Route on my way back to Joburg. Also recommended!
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Indescribably life altering experience
Lessia, the organizer, was researched, efficient, thorough and thoughtful and very in tune with our expectations and needs for the nine day safari. Communication was immediate, service was exemplary, the safari exceeded our expectations and the tour was AMAAAAAAZING!!!! Our guide Dickson is a rock star! He was so knowledgeable about the animals and their behaviours, the insects, the birds, the plants/trees. He combined facts with anecdotes and real stories which we found entertaining and interesting. Dickson is so passionate about his work and his job; he takes his role of guide and driver very seriously and professionally! He was respectful, engaged, prompt, protective of us all and super friendly. He made the safari even more memorable!!!!!
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Not enough good words to describe it!
We just returned from a 7 day safari planned with Etrip Africa and I could not have been happier with every aspect! From the beginning, Ben and Aurelie did a very thorough job of planning. The reasons I finally decided to book with them was because of the promptness of responses, details of cost breakdown, and route/accomodation choices. There is always apprehension upon finalizing your choice because there are so many options, but I would use them 10/10 times again.
Upon arrival into JRO, we were promptly picked up by our guide Viktor (even tho flight was delayed from Kigali by four hours) and taken to our first hotel. Ben met us at our first stop to meet us and deliver our printed itinerary for the week (very nice touch).
I cannot say enough good things about Viktor either. He was so knowledgeable, patient and a true friend by the end of the trip. If given the chance to request a guide, I would highly recommend asking for him by name. Just an example of how attentive he is- I requested that my water be put in the fridge after a hot day in the Serengeti...since it would take awhile to chill, Viktor stopped every other guide he knew until he found me a cold water. One other time, my hat flew off as we were in a hurry to make it to a lion kill. To keep from missing the action, I said forget about it. Five minutes later, another vehicle pulled up and delivered my hat to me. He doesn't let ANY detail go unnoticed. You could tell he is very respected by other guides and a smile never left his face the entire time we were with him.
We realized very quickly that our route was the perfect combination for us. We started with a day at Lake Manyara, next few nights in Serengeti, night at the Crater, and final night at Tarangire. Our accommodations got better and better as we went along and ended with the most luxurious of all (Lemala Mpingo). We all appreciated different aspects of every park and each of us had a different favorite. I would highly recommend every one of them. We spotted the Big Five, lions mating, tons of chases, and so many animals we couldn't count. I'm so glad that we trusted the recommendations that we were given.
Overall, please do not hesitate to use ETrip. You will be nothing but pleased with the communication, service, vehicles, guides and accommodations. We almost never repeat vacations because there is so much world to see....but I am already trying to find dates to return!
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Look No Further, You Found the Perfect Tour Operator!
Seriously, this was the absolute best experience we could have hoped for! When I first started researching a trip to South Africa for myself, my husband, my parents, and my brother, in honor of his college grdaution, I was considering doing a self-drive tour but my parents requested that I look into having a guided tour. I decided to appease them and do some research. At first, I was astonished at the prices of some of the guided tours I was finding. Then I came across RedAfricaSafaris. The sheer amount of 5 star reviews was enough to make me look into them further, and the quotes for their tours were almost too good to be true. As I started discussing our plans/ideas with Amelia at RedAfricaSafaris, I became more and more convinced that this was the company for us. Amelia was SO incredibly patient while helping us plan the itinerary of our dreams. She answered our questions about the the different locations and activities with thorough, well-informed, and detailed information. We had 5 people on our trip, each with different opinions, tastes, and vastly different ages. Still, Amelia made it easy to pull together a trip that made every single person happy. Upon arrival, our guide Jaco was just the greatest person we could have ever dreamed of. We are not the type of family that usually uses tour guides, and were more than a little apprehensive about this process. However, we couldn't be more glad to have been with Jaco. He was funny, informative, passionate about his job, and an EXCELLENT chef! Seriously, some of our best meals on the trip were the ones he cooked for us. We appreciated him so much. He's a wealth of knowledge about South Africa and a fun conversationalist. We managed to see the Big 5 on our trip, and we learned so much about the landscape, the animals, the birds, the history, the culture, etc. It was the trip of a lifetime. We've already talked about coming back for a safari through Namibia and Botswana and won't consider doing it with anyone but Jaco. I could go on and on, but please have confidence that when you book with RedAfricaSafaris, you're making the best possible choice. The value they provide is out of this world, the people are a delight to work with, and you'll come home extremely satisfied. I almost forgot! Amelia had noticed that my birthday was during the trip and, unbeknownst to me, arranged for the staff of our hotel that night to bake me a birthday cake to celebrate. It was a gesture that was above and beyond. My hat's off to the whole company, and especially to Amelia and Jaco. Thank you all!
FR
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
wonderfull trip in Namibia with Biwakwango,and it very interesting guide Thierry.
We have travelled 3 weeks in Namibia-Botswana with our french guide Thierry from Biwakwango Agency.(recommanded by friends)
A lot of mails to book the program before starting from France.So, all was perfect on place.
Thierry adapted all our wishies during our stay. : trip, timing, accomodations, little treks, ....everything was wonderfull.Moreover, Thierry knows very well the animals and likes sharing his experience and knowledge.
We recommand warmly Thierry ,and why not another trip with him in Zambia.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent, I would use this company again.
We had a great time with this company. Our guide, China, was the best part about it. He was very knowledgeable and answered all of our questions. He made sure that we saw as many animals as possible, and even would call other guides in the area to make sure we got the best experience. The food and our cook were also amazing! He adjusted the menu to our friend who is vegetarian, and made her a few dishes just for her when we had meat for a meal.
My only issue with the experience, was that when we had first signed up for a car, we were told that we would be in a private car for the 4 of us traveling together. When we got to Arusha and were picked up, we were told that we were picking up 2 other people. Luckily the couple turned out to be great and were a great addition to our trip, but having been promised a private car, and then having to share was a little frustrating.
Overall I would travel with this company again. They were helpful in the sign up process, excellent communication the whole time, and the safari was amazing.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Epic 5 day safari in Tanzania
Just back from a thoroughly exhausting but epic trip to Tanzania, a beautiful country that really has everything; stunning beaches, Africa's highest peak, lovely people and some of the world's most impressive wildlife.
I was travelling with a couple of friends in Tanzania and we chose to end our trip with a 5 day safari with Suricata Safaris covering the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara and Tarangire. The trip was impeccably organised from start to finish and we were incredibly well looked after by both our guide and driver, Lewis, and cook, Theophile, who stayed with us for the duration of our trip. And also by Hillary, whose attention to detail and customer service was superb, and so welcome.
Lewis's knowledge, instincts and good humour really contributed to a brilliant time and unforgettable safari experience had by all. Theophile's cooking was also excellent, we couldn't really have asked for better. Our only feedback would be more opportunity for daytime coffee/tea (we're British after all..) and maybe some more variation of vegetarian food options on the menu.
The animals were abundant and amazing, journeys on dirt roads surprisingly comfortable despite the African massage (and weirdly soporific) and camping mostly good apart from the crater which was freezing - advice to anyone travelling that it might be bikini weather on Zanzibar but make sure you pack a jacket, the CRATER GETS COLD. The added touches of hotel in Arusha and airport transfers really were the icing on the cake.
Thanks Suricata - Hillary, Lewis and Theophile - for a truly memorable time, we'll be recommending you to all.
Nic
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great wildlife, friendly driver and chef, bad equipment
We choose the 4-day Safari to Manyara Lake, Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti and the communication, before the Safari started, was good although it was not possible for us to do the online deposit, but it was possible to pay when we arrived Arusha. Our guide/driver Horas and the chef Vitalis cared really good about everything and did a good job. Sometimes we expected more information of the guide spontaneously which was rare, but he could answer all our questions. So we saw a lot of animals an he gave us enough time to observe them- what was great! And the dinners Vitalis cooked for us were really good!
But we also had a few problems: at the gate of the Serengeti we were not allowed to enter the park because Richard hadn't done the cash transfer or something went wrong (we still don't know). So we waited for three hours and one member of our group had to do the payment with his credit card. After the safari he got the money back from Richard but it was annoying that we had to wait for three hours without knowing what's going on. The second thing were the tents. They are okay but because of the age the zipper is bad/ broken and it's not possible to close them properly. One evening was an short rainstorm and all the water came in on every seam. Furthermore the sleeping bags smelled like hell (sweat of a lot of people) and I would recommend to everybody to take their own sleeping bag! Third and last thing: the car broke down on the third day. The driveshaft of the back wheel broke. It was nobodys fault and they were able to find a solution after 40 minutes - so we drove to the next camp with front wheel drive. The guide drove to the next garage and they fixed it during the night.
So all in all it was a good safari with some adventures.