65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Unbeatable overall experience
This 14-day trip was my fifth safari with Dusty Roads, with Geoff as my guide for each one, and each time is better than the previous. Dusty Roads has “default” accommodations for certain locations that I enjoy, and I trust their suggestions for other locations. They can also suggest a variety of activities (which I have used on other trips) such as hot air balloons (Serengeti), night game drive (Tarangire), aerial walkway (Lake Manyara), and cultural visits (Maasai, Hadzabe, Datoga).
Geoff can spot animals with the naked eye that I have trouble seeing with binoculars, and he knows my interests so well by now that, for instance, he pointed out a sycamore fig tree growing on the trunk of an acacia (just because it is unusual), and will stop for anything from an elephant to a butterfly. The highlights included a hyena den with two very young pups; a serval cat; a hyena struggling to keeps its gazelle carcass away from two jackals and a horde of vultures; and a herd of wildebeest and zebras in eastern Serengeti that was in the tens of thousands. Also MANY lions, several leopards, half a dozen cheetahs, a big Nile monitor lizard, and the expected countless elephants and other animals large and small.
All in all, a wonderful trip. I will be going back for more.
ES
Amazing safari experience
We did the Amboseli NP safari 3D2N. Total price for 2 adults + 1 child (3 yo) was 540 USD inclusive of transportation, accomodations, food, park tickets. The communication during booking process was amazing (300 USD downpayment via Pesapal). On the other hand, the pick up was a little bit messy (it was supposed to be around noon but ended being closer to 1pm). From the hotel we were taken to a tour operator office on Wabera St. where we paid the rest of the trip. After that we were taken by car to Shell gas station south of Nairobi where the safari van with our guide, Maxwell, and the rest of travellers were waiting for us. We started the journey to Nyati safari camp, arriving there right after sunset. We were greeted by the camp staff, assigned rooms and given buffet dinner. (I would like to say the camp is very good, staff is friendly, rooms are comfty and buffet breakfast and dinner are very good).
The day after, early morning (6am) we did the morning walk (10 USD pp, worth it), came back to the camp, had breakfast and started the full day safari around 8am, returning to the camp around 5pm.
The last morning we departed around 6am for a half day safari and we were dropped off back in Nairobi around 4pm.
I would like to thank everything and specially our guide MAXWELL who is just amazing, very knowledgeable and honest. Looking forward to coming back to Kenya and doing Masai Mara with him!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Dream Voyage safari
I booked a 4 Days safari Masai mara in December 2023 for the Christmas holiday, Everything was well organized Ken was our driver for the 4 Days, we missed our first Day game drive because of the heavy traffic jam at the escarpment, we had 2 full Day game drives and 1 last morning game drives on Day 4 to compensate Day 1, we also had the chance to visit a Masai village at Masai mara to learn about the Masai culture before returning to Nairobi arriving in the Evening,
It was an amazing safari experience we loved our guide and highly recommend him, The car also had canvas windows for easy photography and game viewing this was a plus for us,
Highly recommend Dream voyage safaris for Safaris to Masai mara and other destinations in Kenya.
DE
Experience level: over 5 safaris
You get, what they promise!
Our roundtrip in July 23 took 3 weeks. We were 3 photography-loving ladies in a big Jeep. This was very comfortable, because of our extensive camera equipment.
The trip was unbelievable and well organized by Isolde, Jonas and their team. You can feel the love and connection to this wonderful country. Smaller problems, that arise on every trip, were resolved competently, easily and quickly.
Their special knowledge made this trip more special in some places. We were traveling opposite the larger tour groups and had better opportunities for animal observation and photography.
Our driver Vicent, who looks a little bit like Cuba Gooding Jr., drove us save and well and had a lot patient when the photo looks a little longer.
DK
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fantastic!
Amazing safari all around. Best driver ever! Saw alot of animals
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A mediocre experience at best
So the tour started about 1hour and 30 minutes late because the initial driver could not pick us up because the safari car broke down on the way to our hotel. So we got assigned a new driver and this driver was supposed to arrive at our hotel 20 minutes later than the actual pickup time. But he arrived over 1 hour later and the boss of the travel agency promised us to extend the game drive for the amount of the time the driver was delayed. So when the driver arrived he was in not so good of a mood because he had been woken up in his sleep to do the tour instead of the other driver. So his bad mood was understandable to us at first. We continued with the tour and tried to make the best out of the situation. The Safari tour felt rushed and the actual Safari was very underwhelming because we just rushed through the main paths of the national park for about 2 hours and did not get any explanation of the driver whatsoever without us actually asking him specific questions. We did not see many animals and our requests during the drive were not regarded. The Safari was expensive (500$ and more for 2 people) and it was not worth the money at all. We spent 25$ per person for a meal which was just rice and vegetables and the driver even was rude to us when we asked him why he was making us rush through everything when actually we were promised a longer Safari tour because of the delay. We can’t recommend this agency although not everything was bad.
UA
Petris is very good!!! Tell us many interesting things, was very nice and do our trip special
It was an unforgettable trip! Worth its money! It was definitely the most exciting day of our trip in South Africa.
AR
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Petrus is Very charmful
The safari was very good, we saw rhinos, elephants, giraffes, etc. It was a wonderful day!
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UA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
He is the best one👌
This was so wonderful trip
The Petros was perfect guide
I will hope to come back to this plays with my family
CH
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Absolutely Perfect
We just returned from a South Africa trip that included a six-day (five night) safari hosted by Wildlife Safaris (WS). WS normally offers a five-day safari, but I asked whether our safari could be modified to add an extra day. This turned out to be a fantastic decision, and a modification that we would encourage anyone looking into a safari with WS to investigate. WS should ideally offer this as a standard offering since it elevated the experience well beyond what the shorter timeframe could offer.
We arrived at Nelspruit airport and were met by Hoppy, who became our guide, driver, companion, and friend over the six days we were with him. Hoppy was the consummate host, and we could not ask for a better travel companion. His knowledge and insights into everything relating to Kruger National Park and the wildlife we encountered was as valuable as anything we saw. He spotted things (Dung Beetle with its ball-o-dung, beautiful porcupine quills lying on the road, etc.) along our drives that we would never have noticed, all the while keeping his eyes on the road and driving expertly. He knew/sensed that two lions we encountered were about to mate and waited around until they did so, right under our noses! Amazing. Hoppy also seemed to have bionic hearing from the front seat of the van, always noticing when we had questions or wanted to make a stop. He made sure our curiosity was satisfied, asked if we'd like to stay at a particular spot longer, and made sure we had gotten all the photos and videos we wanted. Hoppy's early morning coffee-making skills were also much appreciated since we normally don't do breakfast. His quiet sense of humor was also very welcome. We already miss him.
We saw so many animals from the very moment we entered Kruger that it felt almost staged. We saw a distant leopard as well as two close-by rhinos the very first afternoon. I cannot promise that everyone's safari will be as fruitful (animalful?) as ours was, but a large part of our success was due to Hoppy's sense for what and where to look. Dinners at the Kruger lodges were a great chance to revisit what we had seen, and what the next day's drive might bring. Hoppy seemed bemused by our questions and interest, especially my predilection for various antelope steaks for dinner. If you get the chance to try the Impala and Warthog pie at the Skukuza Station Restaurant, I highly recommend it!
The last two nights were spent at Mohlabetsi Safari Lodge. This included two daily drives in the open safari vehicle with a tracker and a guide from the lodge. Words cannot do justice to what all we encountered on these drives. From more rhinos (3!) and buffalo just meters away from the vehicle to lions feasting on a (stolen) Impala, every drive was an adventure. Our guide, Lucky, and tracker, Enock, were fabulous at finding the animals, but also made sure we felt safe around them. This is not easy when lions are devouring an Impala just meters from the vehicle or when a group of elephants, with young in tow, wander past.
The staff at Mohlabetsi was fabulous, from Kiddy greeting us with iced tea when we arrived, to Sam (another lodge guide) sharing his harrowing experiences living so close to dangerous and unpredictable animals. Prescilla was justifiably proud when announcing her daily creations from the kitchen - we certainly did not suffer from a lack of excellent food. I hate to leave out the rest of the staff, but there were simply so many people making sure that we were indulged throughout.
Staying that second night at Mohlabetsi and developing a familiarity with our lodge guide and tracker really made the difference in our trip. Only one night there would have felt too rushed and overwhelming without that extra time.
Thank you again to everyone, especially Hoppy, who greased the wheels every step of the way and made this a truly stress-free, perfect vacation for us. He is a true professional and the best possible travel companion and guide you could ever ask for.
