35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic trip, local based company
I with My Fiance had really exceptional 12-days safari with Gecko safaris in Uganda and Kenya. We decided on this company because they offered us direct approach from the beginning – they helped us in planning our journey, gave many practical tips and took care of us from the moment we land in Entebbe airport. Our guide was Robert who took us his courtesy and professionalism. He was always smiling and helpful all the time . The time we spend in Bwindi ,kibale, Queen Elizabeth national park Masai Mara and Samburu was unforgettable. Robert could somehow find and show us the animals we wanted to meet the most. Observing all these beautiful animals from so close distance is breathtaking but I am convicted that trip of our dreams would not be so perfect without Gecko safaris. Thank you all very much and see you next time!
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Two Week Luxury Safari by Spirit of Kenya EXCELLENT!
Trip of a lifetime thanks to Spirit of Kenya. I contacted Spirit of Kenya (SOK) in March 2019 to plan a two week Safari for me and my wife. After getting some initial information, and after many comparisons with other recommended Safari Tour agencies, I chose SOK. The communication was quick and efficient with many options for places to visit and accommodations. Vanessa (Happiness Assist. Manager) worked with me via email and telephone and was also my point of contact while in Kenya and Tanzania. She was wonderful. In Essence, SOK helped me build my personalized Safari. We traveled in October and everything ng was perfect. Friendly and Knowledgeable English speaking local guides; Courteous service; Absolutely stunning accommodations; Overall spectacular experience that makes me want to return to Africa to do this again. We travelled to Amboseli near Mt. Kilimanjaro and our guide "George" was a virtual African anthropological and biological expert. He could name plants and animals and then describe, in detail, what they were commonly used for or how they existed. George spoke English fluently and clearly and accompanies us everywhere. We felt safe, secure, and well-informed with George. George made it so we saw and photographed the Big-5 and countless more wildlife. We visited Masai Mara where Spirit of Kenya and George arranged for us to visit a Masai village where I jumped with the Masai warriors while my wife sang and danced with the Masai women. We will never forget that experience. We visited the Great Rift Valley, Hells Gate where the "Lion King" movie was set, and Lake Naivasha where "Out of Africa" was filmed and where we enjoyed a boat ride to view an abundance of wildlife including hippos. Then we had SOK plan our three days in Zanzibar for some relaxing beach time. It was similarly and meticulously planned. Our resort was all-inclusive and we had nothing to worry about. The weather was fabulous and we had a chance (as coordinated by SOK) to explore Stone Town. We returned to Kenya but had an extra 2 days. Not to worry Spirit of Kenya, with no prior coordination, helped me plan an extra day in and around Nairobi to visit the national park, a giraffe feeding park, baby elephant orphanage, and a very famous restaurant. Moses was our guide and he did a fantastic job of keeping us busy and informed. My wife and I wanted to stay but finally we knew we had to come home. THANK YOU Spirit of Kenya. You are a fabulous company; well-run, and you clearly care about your customers and their satisfaction. We will return to Africa and will ONLY consider working with you. Thank you again for a trip of a lifetime.
NZ
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Mindblowingly beyond amazing!!!
This trip far exceeded my expectation. I went in September and visited the river Nile, Queen Elizabeth National Park and Bwindi forest. After that I went and visited the Rwenzori and did gorilla trucking which was insane!!
Our tour guide Alex is very knowledgeable and knows his way around!! I felt safe and well looked after throughout the whole experience! He knows a lot of places and therefore can create a once in a lifetime tailor trip just for you.
I cannot highly recommend him enough. I don't regret anything, in fact, I look forward to another trip in the near future!!
NZ
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Our tour operator Alex was really helpful and knowledgeable and also was a really funny and friendly
Our experience was really good and would highly recommend it.i was not let down in anyway and seeing so many different animals. Our guide for the day was Alex and he was really nice and very knowledgeable. The scenery and landscape was breathtaking. It was Really good value and I will definitely go back and do it again.
IN
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
6 day Tanzania safari
We had recently gone on a 6 day safari with Viola tours and we couldnt have been more satisfied. From the booking stage and customisation to the actual tour, everything was handled without any problem. Violet was prompt on the email and answered any queries that came up.
For the tour itself, we had Frank, an experienced guide whose knowledge of the parks, environment and topography was really great. His spotting ability was also amazing, and often, we were hard pressed to see even with binoculars, what he had spotted with the naked eye. Apart from the animals, his knowledge of birds was also fantastic. From a sparrow to the secretary bird, he knew them all. He also found where the migration was and ensured that we saw a part of it.
The vehicle provided was also good, and we hardly felt the rough roads. Though we had a breakdown once, Frank attended to it promptly, and we were back on schedule in the least possible time.
All in all, a great experience and I would whole heartedly recommend Viola Tours.
PE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing experience for a great price
Great staff, located inside a game reserve with good wildlife
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great fauna and flora on River Chobe and Okavango Delta in spite of the drought.
My wife and I had a really wonderful trip at an easy pace, experiencing good accomodation, friendly and informative hosts, especiallty the bush walks in the delta at Oddballs Camp. The game viewing was excellent, and the bushcraft and skills of our guides was first class.
Whilst staying at Kasane on the River Chobe we watched an elephant frolicking in the river and at times being completely submerged; we saw a pride of lions with some cubs devouring a kill before they came down to the river edge to drink. The following day, we saw the same pride totally relaxed and sleeping off their meal in the shade of the bushes. Fantastic
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Customer and pocket friendly
I happen to have traveled to Uganda on a short business trip and within a short notice Frena Adventures was able to plan a safari for me and my colleagues , excellent customers service both from
Our contact Fred and he’s safari guide.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect experience with my brother
We had a 5 days tour in uganda me and my brother and we really had great time there. Good driver guide, nice car, time management and all other services we need to make the tour perfect we really experienced and i should just say thank you so much for making us happy in our 5 days and we really enjoyed to our fullest so i just recommend anyone who really wish to travel to uganda to just make a tour with this company for the better experience.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Tammy's tour was absolutely fantastic. She was so engaged and made the whole thing a breeze.
We did the 10 Day's Kenya Best Park's tour and it was completely amazing. We had some reservations initially as Tumu didn't have a tripadvisor or that many reviews, but the reviews she did have were all excellent and so we took a chance, and it definitely paid off. Tumu is all over the planning, she replies super quick at all hours of the day, Tumu, when do you sleep!? And she came to meet us on the first day which was a nice touch, we got to put a face to the name. About half of our accomodation was mid range lodges, with the rest permanent tents, see below for a review each. Our driver Alfa was incredibly knowledgeable, super friendly and an excellent driver. We were particularly lucky I think as we managed to see all of the big 5 in the first 2 days which Alfa said hadn't happened to him in years. He knew most of the drivers in the park which was handy as they all radioed each other to tell each other where the animals are. Twice Alfa was the first to find a male lion. His eyes are beyond 20/20. We went in a minivan which to be honest was fine. I'm sure the Land Cruiser 4x4s were a bit more comfy over the bumps but we didn't get stuck once in the mud, whereas several land cruisers did. Driver is more important than the vehicle I would say. Depends what you prioritise, the vehicles are rented so I'm sure it's easy enough to pay extra for the 4x4 if you really want it. There are definitely tours which are cheaper than Tumu's, but if you really want the best experience with some super nice lodges and someone who all over the planning, I would say Tammy tours are really well priced.
Personally, 10 days was a bit too long for us, I think we would have all been happy with 7 and were just pretty knackered by the end. However it was amazing to see such a breath of different environments. Every park was completely different to the last.
In terms of the lodges and parks:
Day 1 - Lake Nakuru Lodge
All I can say is complete luxury. We had a 3 bed twice with a window that overlooked the whole reserve. The pool was lovely and really well kept, also with amazing view over the park. The food was buffet style and it was all so delicious we ate about twice what we should have. Tea and coffee is included with all meals here, as well as water and juices at breakfast. This lodge was my joint second favourite I would say (Tied with Fig Tree). The park itself was simple, a small forest with a large lake. The star attraction here is rhinos but you won't be as blown away by the park as some of the others. A great place to start though.
Day 2&3 - Masai Mara & Fig tree camp
As you can imagine, you can't beat the Masai Mara when it comes to shear size and biodiversity. You will see most, if not all of the big 5 here as well as being blown away by the sheer distance you can see over the rolling hills. If you do nothing else in Kenya, you must visit Masai Mara, I'll say no more. And as for Fig tree camp, as I said before, my joint 2nd favourite lodge. You will stay in permanent tented accommodation, with a proper brick and mortar bathroom attached to each tent. The bathrooms looked brand new, really nicely done up, and the tents are set in the middle of a small forest, effectively in an island with the river surrounding it on 3 sides. Everything from the bridge into the camp, to the delicious buffet food looking into the forest, to the hippos you can see from some tents, was simply idyllic. The one bad thing here was that they did not keep the pool well at all, it was quite dirty, we tried using it and quickly got freaked out and left. That's the only reason it didn't pip Lake nakuru lodge to second place. The pool isn't really why you go there though.
Day 4 - Lake Navaisha Lodge
So this was my least favourite lodge, but was my mums favourite lodge so each to their own. The lodge is set high on a hill so you get some pretty impressive views. And the lodges are furnished with the most incredible carved solid wood furniture. However they are a lot more rough around the edges than fig tree and lake nakuru lodge, with dated facilities which could do with updating. It was quieter and so the menu was a la carte, the food was alright, but it was nothing on the previous buffets we'd had. Despite this I wouldn't take it out of the itinerary though as it's still lovely to see the variety. Also the gift shop here is super cheap, we got most of our souvenirs from here. The lake itself is a real bird watchers paradise and you get pretty close (but not too close) to a large group of hippos. Definitely worth going on the boat ride.
Day 5-6 Lake Ambolesi and Lake Ambolesi semtrim lodge
Lake Ambolesi was amazing. Way up there as one of my favourite parks. Super different to Masai Mara, much more arid and dry, you'll soon learn that the actual lake dried up years ago in a drought. However these incredible springs pop up from nowhere, draining from the not so nearby mount kilimanjaro. Here you will see loads of elephants as well as some lions if you're lucky (we found them right at the end).
The lodge here is also a bit more rough around the edges and we were unhappy to find that they did not have mosquito nets around the beds. Instead the rooms are 'sealed' and for the mosquitoes that do get in they ask you to spray the room with bug spray before bed. We were there in dry season where there weren't that many, but in rainy season I imagine its a bit tricky. Aside from this the rooms were pretty nice and the pool was lovely. The setting was also very lovely with a tropical jungle vibe and there was also a great viewpoint to see Mount Kilimanjaro. The food was another buffet with some delicious options. You'll see a lot of monkeys up close here as they roam through the campsite.
Day 7 - Voyager Ziwani
Here you will do a walking tour with a local guide and we absolutely loved it. We had a guide from a local Masai village and he taught us so much about the local wildlife, as well as masai culture and some of the amazing work they have been doing with international charities to move away from hunting. Very interesting and nice to stretch your legs outside of the car. I really liked this camp where as my cousin wasn't that keen. It's set on the edge of a lake with a nice jetty that juts out into the lake, with some chairs to sit and read or drink a cocktail. It was permanent tents and I thought they were lovely. The food was A la carte, and again it wasn't quite as good as some of the buffets, but was still pretty good.
Day 8 - Lions bluff lodge in lumo sanctuary
Now this was the real deal. Number 1 favourite lodge for all of us. Lions bluff lodge is set on the top edge of a hill range, with panoramic views over the surrounding grasslands. The lodges you actually stay in are perched on the edge of the hill with a view for miles. At night they get a fire going and the atmosphere is just incredible. It was quiet when we stayed with not that many guests, so the buffet was limited, but the chef was happy to whip something different up if you didn't get on with the main course. This lodge should be in every single itinerary in my opinion. We could have spent a whole week here. Lumo sactuary itself is full of lions and is classically what you expect when you think of the African Savannah - roaming grasslands with animals poking out here and there. Super picturesque.
Day 9 - Semtrim Tsavo east lodge
This lodge had a lovely setting right by a watering hole, meaning you could see a whole pride of elephants literally metres from where you ate dinner. The lodges were very well kept and the food was another buffet with altogether great options. The pool was fairly poorly kept again with murky water. By this point we were all pretty knackered and I don't think we really appreciated it as much as we should have. It was a great spot though
Day 10- home
TLDR; Do your trek with Tammy Tours as Tumu is an amazing host and the locations are all incredible. If you can, request to have Alfa as your driver. If you really want to see all the different landscapes do 10 days, if you want to have a bit more time to relax 7 would be plenty too.