65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
The Trek of a Lifetime
Our Eco-Africa experience of trekking/climbing Kilimanjaro started even before we arrived with the complete, detailed instructions given us about everything we needed to bring and the answering of our many questions by Fredrick. They were waiting to pick us up from JRO airport when we arrived the night before our trek started, and they transported us to a beautiful and clean hotel that welcomed us for the nights stay with hibiscus tea. After an included tasty hotel breakfast, at 8:00am the following morning, our trek guides arrived and did a thorough check of our gear to make sure we were ready. We were able to store our extra luggage and even our extra money for secure keeping with the attentive, friendly staff at the Panama Garden hotel during the 9 days and 8 nights of our northern route climb.
We were then driven with our guides to the Eco Africa headquarters where we were treated to a fresh tropical fruit snack and regaled and welcomed with the "Kilimanjaro songs" sung for us by our entire team, including our guides, our cook and our porters. Then we settled in for about a 3 hour drive to the Kilimanjaro northern park entrance, where the guides took care of getting our paper work done for the National Park, and our cook prepared us a sumptuous hot lunch before we started the hike to Mti Mkubwa, our first campsite.
I can't say enough how much I appreciated the team that supported us for our climb and their abilities, and I reflected many times during our 9 days of trekking how I never could have made it to the summit without their daily assistance. Each day after arriving at a new camp, we were treated with a wash basin with spiced hot water and washcloth to wipe the dust off our faces and hands, and our tents were already set up with the thick sleeping pads provided by Eco Africa in place in the tents along with our duffel bags. Every day at every spot on the mountain we had a hot breakfast, lunch and dinner prepared for us by the amazing King, our cook, and served for us in the dining tent! One of our excellent guides always came in during a meal and was available for us to ask questions about our upcoming itinerary, or just to share conversation. There was always more food than we could eat, and not once did we have a "box lunch" or sandwiches.
Special appreciation is due our guides, Abu, Israel and our lead guide Rafael. Their leadership, experience and knowledge made me feel safe and secure. We learned daily from them many practical and interesting things during the trek.
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Joseph was informed, alert, a great spotter, comfortable driver (considering the road conditions).
Tanzania Choice Safaris gave us a full and exciting adventure in the Ngorogoro Crater and on The Serengeti. We were comfortably lodged and dined, able to connect w the internet and enjoy the wildlife and scenery. They even managed to fit in a bit of luxury accommodation on a day we didn’t fill w lions, elephants, leopards, water buffalo, rhinos, giraffe, cheetah, hyenas, fantastic birds ….., the list goes on ….. Our five days were filled with a true African adventure. Joseph was able to get us up to the Mara River to witness wildebeests crossing in great numbers! Truly exciting. Better than Disney or Nation’l Geo. A vacation priced w/i my allowable budget. I look forward to having Tanzanian Choice Safaris take me to more of the parks when I can again get to East Africa.
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Amboseli National Park by Ben Krug
I'm not sure what Bush Vibe is, but there were significant parts of the park without trees or bushes. Visiting just before the rainy season was probably the reason. As a smaller park, it was not surprising to see numerous animals no matter where we were in the park. And while I'm not a bird watching person, there were numerous types and my guide seemed to know every single one, which was impressive.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Lake Nakuru National Park by Whitney van Arsdale
This park felt like jurassic park. Leopards, giraffes, lions, and rhinos in a surprisingly lush world
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Amboseli National Park by Whitney van Arsdale
This park was amazing. Cheetahs, elephants, life, and death. So much in one place. Absolutely beautiful.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
We found Kenya a friendly welcoming country with incredible geographical diversity.
Our experience was incredible, we went from a vibrant cosmopolitan city to plains ravaged by drought to lush mountains and brilliant lakes. The people we encountered were very friendly and welcoming.
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
It was a wonderful experience, just what we were looking for.
I searched the internet for a tour that would give the best chance of seeing all African Big 5 animals. After contacting several tour groups in Tanzania, African Big Cats Safaris responded promptly with a private, 14-day tour plan, modified to fit our specific needs, that would visit 5 National Parks, including multiple days on the Serengeti. We were amazed at the abundance of animals, including all Big 5: lions, elephants, buffalo, leopards, and black rhinos. We saw countless zebras and wildebeests in migration, plus baboons, impalas, gazelles, even cheetahs pursuing zebras, and a host of birds. It was a wonderful sight to behold. Our accommodations were very good, including several days in a tent sided lodge allowing us to hear sounds of the animals at night. African food was good with abundant fresh fruit and vegetables. Our tour guide was the best. He was able to spot the more elusive animals that we would have missed by ourselves, and answered all our questions. We were always allowed ample time to take pictures and enjoy observing the animals in their native setting. We also visited several native tribes to get a feel of their culture and how they had survived from ancient times. We participated in nature walks and hunting expeditions with native guides who displayed remarkable skill with spears and bow and arrows. Overall, it was a wonderful experience that I would recommend to anyone who loves adventure and would like to see exotic animals in their native habitat. African Big Cats safari did a great job in providing our trip.
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Significant variety of animals and birds
I'd always associated Kenya with African Safari's, and Kenya did not disappoint. This was my first Safari, so I used SafariBookings.com to filter through the hundreds of options and safari companies. The organization and detail made it significantly easier to research than had I just searched for safari companies in Kenya. Ended up in Amboseli National Park using Beacon Safaris. What amazed me was the number of animals visible at almost any time. The park is small, by Kenya standards, which may have helped the concentration. But for folks like me, it was great. Some of the roads and traffic around Nairobi were not the best, but I wasn't there to inspect the transportation system. For viewing animals, it was great. The trip did nothing to change my opinion that Kenya is a great place for a successful safari!
CA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The staff is amazing and the food is very good.
I have been to this destination on a Royal African safari, we spent six days in Kenya and in addition to the Masai Mara and Amboseli we also spent two days at Lake Naivasha and the Naivasha House which is a wonderful place to relax before or after your safari. We stayed in the Amboseli Serena Hotel and found it to be an excellent place to stay. The staff is amazing and the food is very good.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Kenya is everything you thought it was and more
Kenya Safari Tour Info:
First off, YES! This is your sign to book that trip you have been hesitating on. I was originally doing this trip solo but my bestie came through and provided some peace of mind. This was my 6thcontinent (Antarctica 2023, I’m comin for ya!) so I have quite a bit travel experience under my belt.
Food: AMAZING. It was all like home cooking, but by that friends mom that makes the best food! Also, very vegan friendly.
Accommodations: I expected to literally be camping in the dirt, so our “tent” had a full bathroom in it and I was not disappointed.
Weather: Went in last October. 75°F for the high, mid-50°F for the low, almost no humidity. I live in South Florida and this weather was heaven. I saw a total of one mosquito – but trust me, take your malaria prophylaxis, malaria is no joke! [epidemiologist here so I know what I’m talking about].
Our Safari: We did a 6 day safari with Lenchada Safaris, a locally owned and operator tour company. And from start to finish, this was the trip of a lifetime. We did the 6 day private tour of Amboseli NP, Nakuru NP, and Masai Mara. Everything was above and beyond anything I expected. I thought, surely there is no way this was a private tour for the price being so much lower than other companies I looked at, but it was! I thought surely we will get the most basic of accommodations, but we didn't! Surely we won't see all of the animals, but we most definitely did! Okay, that last one really isn't 100% in the tour guide's control, but Joshua's 20+ years of tour guide experience allowed him to help put us in the right place at the right time. Joshua was keen enough to pick up on subtle things too, like a growing interest in birding and was able to help me grow and develop in that field. We never felt once felt unsafe or uncomfortable or like we were being fed into the tourist souvenir traps at the rest stop.
Final Tip(s): Invest in a good camera (or borrow one from your photography friends) so you can fill your home with beautiful art when you get back from your real-life NatGeo experience.
