50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Meru National Park by Lee Cooper
So far off the beaten track it’s relatively undisturbed and the wildlife are thriving
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Buffalo Springs National Reserve by Lee Cooper
Variety of landscapes
CI
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing journey through Tanzania tresors
With Kiliholidays safari, we went for a 3-day trip in Mikumi and udzungwa. In mikumi, we didn't have the chance to see the lions but seeing the elephant was great. The driver and guide was very nice and welcoming. I definitly recommend Camp Bastian for hosting in the region : great meals, great service and very nice rooms.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The most complete safari experience - ever!
This was our 5th Safari in Kenya and it surpassed all others.
On arrival at Nairobi we were met at the airport and taken to our Nairobi hotel the Ibis Styles Hotel. This was perfect for a short stay, with a good restaurant on the top floor and a buffet dinner on the ground floor.
Early the next morning we were picked up to start our Safari.
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We’ve had the most fantastic Safari experience ever.
A huge factor in that was our hugely knowledgable guide/driver Evans..
he was truly a star!
We visited the amazing Meru National Park - a seldom visited park , in fact we only saw one other group of tourists in 4 days, and yet the variety of wildlife and scenery is truly stunning. We saw Lions , hippos, buffalo, lots of giraffes, many many elephants and large numbers of white rhino. Along with a huge variety of antelope and birds. Amazing!
Of course for us the reason we visited Meru was the connection with the story of Elsa the lioness as told in the film/ book Born Free. The film is the thing that ignited our interest in Kenya. Visiting Elsa’s grave was a very special moment for us.
We stayed at Ikweta Camp just outside the park. This was a relaxing place to refresh between game drives and the staff were lovely. They have limited Wi-fi so be sure to turn off any background apps ( iPhone auto picture uploading to the cloud quickly used up the lot) but apart from that there were no issues- the luxury tents were very nice.
We then travelled on to Buffalo Springs and in to Samburu National Park. We stayed overnight at the Samburu Sopa Lodge - we’ve stayed in a Sopa lodge elsewhere and true to form this one was spectacular and the staff as helpful as ever.
The scenery in Samburu is rugged and beautiful.
We completed the ‘Big 5’ here when we spotted a family of Leopards.
Again the variety of animals was diverse and wonderful.
Along with the family of leopards we saw many lions and some cheetah ..and even more leopards!
Then there was huge numbers of elephants and a wonderful variety of smaller creatures including uncountable numbers of brown mongoose. Again the variety of birds here is huge. From smallest to the mighty ostrich.
After Samburu we moved to Ol Pejeta Conservancy and stopped in Ol Pejeta house.
Ol Pejeta is the most amazing building, our room had fantastic views of sunrise over the majestic Mt Kenya. The catering here is simply the best you’ll find in Kenya. Anywhere.
The Ol Pejeta Conservancy is somewhere we’ve visited before (1998) and was on our list of must visit again for a reason- it’s just amazing. There is a chimpanzee sanctuary here that’s a must see ( founded by Jane Goodhall) and a sanctuary for rhino. We got to meet and hand feed one of these gentle giants close up.
In the wider part of the Conservancy the range of animals was vast ..lions again.. and rhinos, so so many wonderful rhinos. For me a highlight was seeing the very rare striped hyena- something I’ve never seen in the wild before - and spotted hyena.
( I find hyena fascinating and think they deserve a better reputation)
After Ol Pejeta we returned to Nairobi, stopping off on the Equator.
We again arrived at the Ibis Styles Hotel and were sad to end our Safari and our time with Evans.
Next day we visited the David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage on the outskirts of Nairobi National Park before catching the new train from Nairobi to Mombasa. Be aware there are no luggage trolleys within the new stations at all so don’t make our mistake ( we had soft heavy luggage without wheels - ideal in a Safari van not great to carry hundreds of meters across the vast stations) also be ready for the tight security and ensure a lot of time. We traveled 1st class, the seats were comfortable, the staff were plentiful as were the complimentary drinks and snacks.
The views from the train are a Safari in itself- we saw herds of wildebeests not long after leaving Nairobi and as we passed through Tsavo National Park I lost count of the number of elephants at about 40!
We were met on arrival at Mombasa and transferred comfortably to our chosen hotel. Savora Whitesands is a Hotel we’ve visited before , it was lovely to meet up with old friends and make new friends - we will visit again without doubt. At the end of our stay we were picked up bright and early and returned to the station for the train back to Nairobi. This time we traveled in standard class which was interesting but less comfortable - I’m a Railway worker so wanted to experience the full package but I’d stick with first class next time.
On arrival at Nairobi we were met again and as our flight home was late night we visited the Giraffe Centre where we were able to hand feed these beautiful creatures. Then we returned to the airport for our long haul home.
All in all we’ve visited fantastic places and seen so many beautiful creatures, we’ve stopped in delightful places, ate delicious food. We’ve met so many truly wonderful people and made so many fantastic memories.
I’d highly recommend it to anyone!
BE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
We found a agency on Safaribookings and we have been scamed
WE FOUND A SAFARI ON SAFARIBOOKING BUT WE HAVE BEEN SCAMED. SAFARIBOOKING HAS DONE NOTHING TO HELP US AND DIDN'T TOOK THEIR RESPONSIBILITY. WE LOST OUR MONEY AND OUR TRIP TO KENYA. COMPLETE DISASTER!!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
It was real pleasure dealing with San-Mari Maraise at NTN, who was very patience with my
It was real pleasure dealing with San-Mari at NTN, who was very patience with my queries. Will certaintly recommend NTN, for nature lovers.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Efficient and committed to a great customer experience
We booked a Safari tour through Traipsing and the experience was excellent. We dealt with Sandra who was knowledgeable, helpful and efficient. We ended up choosing Safari Plains and enjoyed the most amazing luxury safari experience. I have no hesitation in recommending Traipsing Africa.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Expert organisation of four-day Gorilla Trek in Uganda
Bamboo Ecotours were really great to deal with. Edison was prompt in answering emails and queries. The trip worked out perfectly and met our expectations without exception. We were able to fit everything into a tight schedule. Our guides Joseph and Herbert were very well organised and made sure we had a good time and were always safe and well looked after. The gorilla trek itself was real highlight and was very well coordinated. It only took one hour to get to the spot where our designated family group appeared to be waiting for us to arrive. We were amazed to find the gorillas sitting around going about their daily business and not bothered by our presence. The thrill of being so close to these wonderful creatures and sensing how comfortable they were was truly beautiful. To know that they were not threatened by us, was the most rewarding experience. We were able to observe them for more than an hour and of course took plenty of great photos and videos of the silver backs, mothers, juveniles and a couple of adorable babies. We also hired (our own expense) a porter to assist with our bags and getting us up and down the muddy mountainside. This was agreed to be very worthwhile. During our four-day tour we also travelled through three other parks and saw a variety of wildlife up close. We got to see nearly all of the creatures mentioned in our itinerary. The accommodation booked by Bamboo Ecotours was of a very high standard and did not disappoint. The guides were very punctual and thorough in their organisation of our tour and we felt we received great value for money. I would highly recommend Bamboo Ecotours to anyone wanting to make a similar trek through Uganda and/or Rwanda.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wonderful South African experiences.
Our family just returned from a spectacular set of South African experiences, all superbly organized, implemented, and managed by Melanie Macphail of Pembury Tours We first learned about Pembury Tours from their excellent reviews on the Safari Bookings website. Working around some of our unique family health concerns and schedule constraints, Melanie listened intently and crafted the perfect trip that met all of our stringent criteria – with a grace and understanding that may qualify her for sainthood. Our adventure began in Cape Town, followed by the Idube Game Lodge in the Sabi Sand Game Reserve, then an overnight in Port Elizabeth (where we were privileged to actually meet Melanie), then on to the Pumba Private Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape, and finally a wonderfully educational visit to Johannesburg. That Melanie was able to arrange such a varied and inspiring itinerary, exceeding the expectations of our three-generation family, speaks both to her particular expertise and to the depth of the entire Pembury organization. I would highly recommend Pembury Tours to anyone contemplating vastly more than a cookie-cutter African experience.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great communication, completely seamless trip, tailored to our needs
My friend and I were completely taken care of from our first communications with Tomondo, all the way through to the drop off back in Nairobi. Lisa was awesome with keeping us posted all along the way, from making sure the driver was picking us up at our home in Nairobi, letting us know that he'd arrived, and making sure we were having fun, while we were on safari. My husband initially chose Tomondo because of their prompt response and thorough answers to all of our questions. Travelling, we were two women, so we wanted to feel safe and comfortable all along the way, and we were! Nicholas was a great driver and went above and beyond, answering all of our questions (and then some!). He stopped when we wanted to stop to observe the animals and nature, and let us linger as long as we wanted to. We saw some AMAZING stuff while we were in Amboseli, and he made sure that we got to see everything that we wanted to. I'm vegetarian, and the kitchen staff and Kibo Lodge made sure I was well-fed. Our accommodations were spectacular....we loved the pool, the views, the staff, and the food. I'm definitely going to be returning with my family and will use Tomondo again! I highly recommend using them!