FR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful Machame Trek with a Great Crew
My wife and I did the 7 day Machame route on our Kilimanjaro trek. We booked the trek with Kilimanjaro Wonders Expedition Safari. Booking the trip was very easy because Edward the contact was person was easy to work with.
Our guides William and Morris were incredible. They were highly experienced and were helpful on every step of the way. They were also very knowledgeable about the mountain. They shared a lot of facts with us about the beautiful scenery that was along the path. Morris was great with my wife. She struggled a bit but Morris was there to help her. They strategized with each other every night as we had dinner and then briefed us on the next day’s climb. They worked closely with us to ensure that we were in good health. They constantly monitored our oxygen levels and health status. On summit day, we left the camp at midnight. The guides had us going at a comfortable slow pace. The pace was perfect because we arrived at the Uhuru peak just as the sun was beginning to rise. The sunrise was magnificent and absolutely spectacular. It was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.
We had a wonderful trek and I recommend!
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Gabon -- Unique Country, Unforgettable Trip, Great Travel Company
I just returned from two of the most remarkable weeks I have ever had in Africa. Chalo Africa put together their first two Gabon Safaris in July and August (2019) and I was on the second trip. It wasn't a safari for the inexperienced traveler; internal transportation in Gabon is a mess so traveling between three amazing national parks (Lope, Ivindo, Loango) was very time consuming. But the experience in each park was unique and worth the effort. And Chalo did a fine job of arranging the best transport possible, given the challenges.
One of Chalo Africa's owners, Sangeeta Prasad, accompanied six of us on this journey in order to get some first-hand experience
in Gabon. The whole group, including Sangeeta, was a fun collection of unique individuals. We laughed a lot.
Among our outstanding experiences were:
-- seeing members of the world's largest mandrill troupe (Lope Park),
-- spending several days viewing forest elephants, red river hogs and gorillas at Langoué Baï in Ivindo Park,
-- and cruising the lagoons and waterways of Loango National Park.
Loango was the overall wildlife highlight. There, we trekked through rainforest following habituated lowland gorillas (less than 30 yards away), had an amazing guide, Dmitri, who wandered into the mangroves in pitch darkness and came back to the boat with a 4 foot Dwarf Crocodile (fairly rare), and we saw large numbers of elephants, extraordinary birds, red river hogs, hippos and much more. Note: we weren't at Loango in the correct season to see surfing hippos and elephants on the beach, but the stay at Loango Lodge was very comfortable and our two nights at their Akaka bush camp was a great experience.
Chalo Africa put together a unique trip to little-visited places. Their entire staff (including in-country operator Guillermo) could not have been nicer. This trip had logistic challenges (i.e. catching trains in the middle of the night); but it was full of good times. I recommend it to other experienced travelers .
NL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful Adventures in Africa
My 2 brothers and I have just returned home from our 7 days safari adventure with Wild Secrets Safaris and it has exceeded all our expectations. Everything went perfectly from our communication with Rashid, timely transfers, the actual trip, our experienced guide, wonderful accommodations, comfortable and spacious vehicle..... even the weather was great.
Our itinerary took us to Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Serengeti and Ngorongoro with Nathan as our driver and guide. The number of animals that we saw on tour was insane. Nathan knew the parks like the back of his hand and every where we turned there was something wonderful to see. By the end of our safari we had seen hundreds of elephants, more than 5 prides of lions including some that were mating in the Serengeti, lots antelopes, wildebeest, zebras, giraffes, warthogs, numerous birds and beautiful African landscape. Our balloon ride over the Serengeti was a great experience too watching the animals from above.
We are very grateful to Rashid and your team at Wild Secrets Safaris for the wonderful adventure in Africa.
IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent tour
Recommend operator for a life time experience! Our guide was very expert and professional. We have seen every animal existing inside parks. Great job rajatour
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A dream vacation!
The communication from the time of booking until we returned was great. The accommodations, transportation and tour guide was outstanding! We had a fantastic time everyday and Humala was the best! The staff, food, luxury tents and safari drives was an experience we will never forget. The best part of this tour is that is limited to six people which makes it more personal. We had 4 other people that are now friends because we created great memories like having drinks at sundown watching Rhinos! The only negative thing to say is the at the Lion park and Pilanesberg we were not in groups of 6 but in buses with 20 plus other people and lost that personal touch we had the rest of the tour. It was crowded and it catered to people in front of the bus next to the driver, not everyone. We also wished we had more time in Pilanesberg, wished we got there earlier and stayed after lunch not just half a day. Other than those two things the vacation was a dream come true! The food was great and the wine even better (alcohol is not included but very affordable, something like 2 bucks a glass, same for beer bottles). We have so many great pictures of animals and the beautiful scenery of Africa. Thank you Touch Down for a great time! Improvement in Lion park and Pilanesberg vehicles to a group of 6 will make this a five star rating. I give it a 4 1/2 out of 5!
IN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Mesmerizing Masai Mara
It's hard to pinpoint one moment because the entire trip was so full on. Me with my 3 friends came on the trip expecting to be excited about seeing the wildbeest migration at the end, but there was so much other stuff to marvel at that I didn't even think about the migration. The nature was incredible, seeing lions, cheetah, groups of hippos, a family of rhinos getting close to us, and not to mention the incredible natural landscape. This was an African adventure that fully surpassed my expectations and is one that I implore everyone else to consider booking.
The safaris were great right from the beginning to the end.
This was a budget safari, accommodation at comfortable tented camp rooms with private toilets and bathrooms. Lydia Boso was a great host and helped us through the entire journey. Cheers to her!
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Better than ever imagined - personalized safari experience
I spent over a year planning my trip to Africa which included a 2 week safari experience in Kenya for myself and my two teenage sons. I used safari bookings to research many of the options available, and was able to get an idea of prices and where we wanted to go. However, none of the ready-made options was exactly what I was looking for and several companies indicated that they were prepared to tailor a safari experience. I picked 7 with 5 star reviews and wrote each of them a (long) email about my goals for the safari and what I wanted, as well as my (fairly low) budget. 2 responded indicating that they were unable to fit with my budget, 2 didn't respond at all, and 2 referred me back to their web page to see options. Denis of Africa Vacation Safaris was different however - he responded immediately to say he had received my email but needed time to respond properly. He then got back to me within a few days with a very detailed email, identifying all of my "wants" and making suggestions for various options. He also made the (excellent) suggestion that based on what I wanted that probably a group tour would not meet our needs and that we could use more budget accommodations and have a private driver/guide for the duration of the safari. This proved to be exactly the right choice. Denis was responsive to all my inquiries and we exchanged hundreds of emails to get all the details right. I arrived for the safari expecting quite a lot....
I was not disapppointed. In fact, the safari exceeded all of our expectations and was the experience of a lifetime. Denis and our drive/guide Joseph were both exceptional. They had clearly taken a lot of time to plan a route that made sense logistically, gave us a huge variety of experiences, and highlighted all of the key things we had wanted to see (including some involvement directly with the park rangers in tracking a lion, visiting conservation facilities, exploring the diversity of Kenya's landscapes, and combined hiking, history, culture, and lots of wildlife. Each day was better than the last, and Joseph was a wonderful guide for us, sharing his knowledge and adapting each day to our preferences. My son is very interested in photography and Joseph helped him get some fantastic photos, moving the vehicle for a better angle or better light, being patient when we stopped for ages to get the perfect shot, and seeking out opportunities to get interesting and unique photos.
The cost of a safari is high - park fees for non residents are a non-negotiable area and even budget safari accommodations with food for 3 people ends up being a lot. However, this was well worth the money and the experiences we had are unforgettable and a highlight of our summer. Throughout the safari, Denis checked in regularly via whatsapp to make sure all our expectations were being met, and he met with me afterward for almost 2 hours to hear feedback on all the places we stayed and what we liked best, etc.
Budget accommodations are budget - but they were all (except one) clean, the food was excellent (recommend vegetarian options in these camps), and they were just a place to sleep for the most part as our days were full. Wifi was not great in some of these (buy a cheap safaricom card with data, for 10USD) and be prepared for a cold shower occasionally, but for the most part, they were more than adequate. Having a private driver/guide, especially one of Joseph's calibre, more than made up for this and I highly recomment Joseph, Denis and Africa Vacation Safaris if you are looking for exceptional service, a safari geared to you and your group, and a reasonable price.
I could not have asked for a better experience and have no hesitations about recommending this company. From the very beginning, Denis set a tone of professionalism and competence, which was only reinforced by all my other interactions. THANK YOU!!!
LU
under20 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A pleasant adventure in the wild with balloon flight
The communications, services were on the top. The safari tour was something unforgettable. Very many emotions and very nice experience.
The organizer Stephen of the tour is a very kindly person and very helpful. He also helped us to get the tickets for the train (not included in safari).
The drivers are professional, they know all about their job, the cars were always clean.
NL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great safari!
Our safari with Uhuru travels was great! We had a super guide/driver and saw a lot of animals; big four and more! Communication with Margaret was quick and easy. The campsites were nice, it's an exciting experience to sleep surrounded by animals (even though the matrasses were not very comfortabel- but it was a budget
camping safari, so expected). When we had an issue with our itinerary, that was dealt with fast and good. We would definitely recommend Uhuru travels!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Good value
It was a good tour (we went masaai mara, lake Nakuru and amboseli). We opted for budget and luxury on the last 2 nights which was great. Overall it was great value as you saw a lot at a good price. If you don’t have much time I recommend just the masaai mara as that was by far the best! I really recommend Geoffrey the driver if you have the choice - he is so experienced, very friendly and seems to know everyone!! We were in a mini van as it was cheaper and it was very comfortable and did not feel as though we needed to pay more for the car! I will warn... There is a huge amount of driving so be prepared (again maybe a reason to just do masaai mara) and at times it was a bit disorganised - having to drive into Nairobi at the end when we stayed outside meaning we had an extra 2 hours in the traffic. So perhaps try and make other arrangements in advance or if you can make plans for pick up and drop off to avoid this. Seth is friendly and trustworthy - just be clear on exactly what you want.