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.
PT
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The best safari experience - trustable and experienced guides took us through the secrets of Africa!
The safari was a great experience in all dimensions - the Uganda people were very nice and friendly, the landscape was beautiful and diverse - from the falls at Murchison to the Savannah in Queen Elizabeth National Park or the Victoria lake, and the animals were often in very close contact, from the river and lakes to the Savannah, including Rhinos, elephants, lions, hippos, giraffes, crocodiles, impalas, baboons, etc.
The guide and driver - Mohamad and our host, Jennifer were fantastic - very knowledgeable and committed as well as trustable, they drove us for over 2000 kms in difficult but beautiful roads, very safely and a set of great hotels and resorts have provided all the relax we needed after the long and exciting daily journeys. The 4 wheel drive Toyota took all of us - 6 tourists plus the 2 hosts in all the comfort provided by individual chairs and when opened, the rooftop allowed for great opportunities for photos and videos - fantastic vehicle!
All in all, a great and unforgettable experience! It was an unantecipated journey well worth for unveilling the hidden and amazing natural world of Africa.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
20th anniversary with my wife. One 2 savour
Legends safari provided a memorable experience in djuma Sabi sands for close experience with all big 5. Shaheen and Zaheer were par excellent and the cuisine was delectable. Thanks. Can't wait to see them again
AW
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Exciting and Interesting Experience
We are very happy and satisfied to have chosen Amazing Memories Safari for our safari that we had long planned with many expectations and thanks to them with their good service everything was fulfilled.
Anne was our first contact from the moment we started making inquiries. He always responded very quickly to our concerns even when there was a big difference with us, being midnight or early morning in Nairobi.
We were four people with an eleven-day private safari between Kenya and Tanzania. We had a program at the time of making the contract which they complied to the letter. Despite having this program on the road one can make variations, we did some but always with the good advice of the guides and all at the convenience of us.
In Kenya we had Daniel as a guide and in Lawrence we went to Tanzania. Of them we only have good compliments, attentive, kind, friendly and the best, experts in safaris. They were always on time to start each day. They know where to find the animals that is not always easy but they with their experience were very successful and we were lucky to be many times on the site and at the right time to see moments of much action that you do not always have the fortune to witness.
With Daniel and Lawrence we learned a lot about animals, about plants, nature, about the different villages we pass through, about different cultures, about geography and many more things that they are very well informed about. We were very happy with so much interesting information.
We must also highlight how good drivers are because there are roads that are impassable but they are experts in passing any obstacle making one feel safe and we never had any setbacks.
It was a great experience with many emotions and much learning and all thanks to Amazing Memories Safari that knew how to meet all our expectations and much more.
We would only have one suggestion for Amazing Memories Safari and it is that when hiring the safari they give a little more information about the optional activities and their respective prices. Several activities such as visiting a Masai village and hiking, among others, must be paid in cash at the time of doing them. Knowing this in advance is one prepared with cash because they are really worth it and are not included in the safari.
Thank you very much to all of Amazing Memories Safari for their good service and having made our safari something unforgettable and that we only have pleasant memories and beautiful hats that they gave us with the Amazing Memories Safari logo.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
A nice experience (after the diarrhoea)
More information on the locations can be found on these blogs:
SERENGETI - http://welshmattsmith.blogspot.com/2019/10/tanzania-safari-to-go-on-safari.html
NGORONGORO - http://welshmattsmith.blogspot.com/2019/10/tanzania-creatures-in-crater.html
The pre-trip communication was good, with Evelyn being a quick and helpful responder. This was important as Air Tanzania changed our flight time by 4 hours, which would have resulted in us missing the first day of the tour. Her quick replies helped us make a decision to get a different flight.
The safaris were great - a great number of animals and we saw something interesting each time we got into the car. Having done many safaris, the guide wasn't as enthusiastic or informative as I expected. He also sometimes didn't explain his decisions - we passed a herd of elephants at speed and I hadn't seen any that day - it turned out that he was getting us quickly to see a leopard, but that message wasn't relayed at the time. Nonetheless, he made us feel safe and looked after us the whole time.
The food was reasonable considering the cook only had one hob to use. The cook was very helpful, particularly when I was sick, and I was a bit horrified to find that he had to sleep in the kitchen and didn't have his own tent or share with the guide.
Having had diarrhoea for about 24 hours in the Serengeti, I would recommend that toilet roll is taken in the car. I got lucky that someone else gave me some of theirs.
Overall we had a very nice time.