35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic
Service was good and well planned. Communication is the most critical part in the tour and they ensure that should be the best all things.
TR
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
High quality responsive service
We just returned from a wonderful Tanzania safari trip to Serengeti, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro and Tarangiri with great and beautiful memories thanks to Mwangazasafaris and Mwajabu Sultan.
I would like to express my thanks to the whole team especially to Mwajabu, she did a great job. I want to mention her high quality, prompt, responsive service for customer satisfaction. She can be reached anytime with email and WhatsApp.
I strongly recommend Mwangazasafaris for their highly professional and warm attitude, I really enjoyed working with them.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent service, great accommodation.
Everything was great about this experience, communication leading up to the tour was good, any queries I had were answered quickly. As soon as we were picked up at the airport we were wanting for nothing, our guide Bakkies was friendly, funny and informative.
The safari was great, we had quite a few morning and evening safaris and they lived up to our expectations. The accomodation and food in each of the places we stayed at was exceptional, as was the service.
Thanks Go Touchdown Travel for helping us achieve one of our dream holidays.
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Did not deliver on promises despite our constant concerns
We have just returned from a safari in Kenya and Tanzania. The accommodation was as expected as we checked the lodges online prior to booking to check the level. However the vehicles in both countries weren’t even road/safety worthy and did not look like the picture we received from Abdallah, the owner, prior to booking. To add insult to injury, we paid extra to ensure we had a comfortable vehicle. In both countries we had by far the worst vehicle seen anywhere. One was over 20 years old with lots of safety and comfort issues. When we complained we were told lies after lies and were strung along. Eventually they said all they’re required to do is give us a vehicle that works! I would strongly suggest you do not deal with this company as they’re not trustworthy.
PH
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Dream Safari
We just got back from a 9 day safari tour covering Amboseli, Lake Nakuru, Lake Bogoria and Masai Mara with Africa Flash McTours. Due to some problems with the original tour operator we got, we were able to book very last minute (like 3 days before arriving Kenya) with Africa Flash McTours.
My friend was the one who interacted with Peter for the booking of our tour. I met Peter when we arrived in Nairobi and on our last day in Nairobi. He is very accommodating with our requests. On our last day, we spent some time with him before flying back. He eagerly listened to our feedback on our hotels/lodges, meals, etc
.
Edward was our driver/guide for the entire 9 days. I believe having a good guide makes a whole lot of difference in the safari experience. I think that what you’ll get to see in your safari tours depends pretty much on the following: experience of guide, his network/connections (link to other guides) and luck.
Experience - You need an experienced guide to know where to go inside the parks. The parks are huge! Like Masai Mara is around 1,500+ km2. This is not Disneyland where there is a Lion Kingdom, Elephant Land or Giraffe Center. There are no street names inside. It’s all grass, bushes and trees inside. Every morning, we would joke Edward on our wish list. But he makes it so easy to show us stuff on our wish list that we tried to make it harder and harder. I wanted more than just spotting the animals. I wanted to see more of animal behavior (like hunting, mating, playing, etc) and Edward did not disappoint.
Network/Connections – I think Edward can run for mayor of Masai Mara National Reserve! Lol. It looks like he knows everyone inside the park. He does this hand raising wave whenever he recognizes the driver/guide of the vehicle across us. Sometimes he stops briefly and shakes the hand of the other driver/guide and have a quick chit chat. He would call friends and I know when the other person on the line tells him something interesting (they speak in Swahili so I don’t understand what they were talking about) coz he drives faster. Hahaha. One time, there was another van who got stucked on the mud and our 4x4 Land Cruiser was the one who helped pull the other van. Small things like this show that Edward is a good person and always helps other guides out. I think it is important to have that network so everyone can share what they see while on the road.
On our 9 days with Edward, the Top 10 things we saw:
1. Big 5
2. Migration of wildebeest and zebras in Mara River
3. Lioness carrying its cub and hiding them (there were 2 cubs!) in the bush
4. Lioness hauling its kill (zebra) and hiding it in the bush
5. Fighting buffalo (this is so intense I was afraid 1 of the buffalo would die)
6. Leopard up on a tree with his kill (wildebeest)
7. Mating baboons (they were too quick for our cameras!). Edward saw the behind of one female baboon and said it’s a bit reddish so it’s possible they would mate soon. True enough they did after about 5 minutes of waiting.
8. Zebras playing
9. Breastfeeding zebras and elephants
10. Family (dad, mom, baby) of hyenas going for a walk. Edward says it is rare to see a baby hyena outside. They are usually kept inside the hyena den.
I truly enjoyed our safari experience with Africa Flash McTours. I will definitely recommend them to family and friends and will book with them again when I go back to Kenya.
IT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
GREAT EXPERIENCE with this tour operator
The people of this tour operator were very very nice, available and kindl with us.They were always on time for the appointments.
The safari tour was a great experience with Abedi (the driver, very nice person) and BOB, the guide within the safari which explained us all things about the nature, the animals and the culture. Communications ok with this tour operator and all service required by us also.
We are very satisfied.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful experience, would recommend Mama Savana
Alex was very responsive and accommodating. We wanted to add another day so Alex modified our itinerary such that we spent a day in the Northern Serengeti, not just in Central. Because of this we ended up seeing a herd of about '1000 wildebeest cross the Mara River which was a highlight of the trip.
All of the accommodations that Alex arranged (Four Points in Arusha, Burunge Tented Lodge, Ngorongoro Coffee Lodge, Tanganyika Wilderness Camps, and Tloma Lodge were great. The tented camps were very fun (we saw zebra and elephants right outside our tent) but also had some surprising comforts: hot showers, toilets, Wi-Fi, good food, etc.
Our guide Allen was great. Funny, informative, good driver, accommodating, and knowledgeable.
At the end of our second to last day our trusty Toyota Land Cruiser was having trouble shifting gears. While we relaxed, slept, and ate breakfast at Tloma Lodge, Alex and Allen worked to get a new car sent from Arusha (2.5 hours away) rather than risk the car breaking down on our last day. The car itself was nice, we had a fridge in back with cold water and juice, as well as the ability to charge our devices the entire trip.
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wonderful Safari in Tanzania
My husband and I went on safari to celebrate our tenth anniversary. We went on a 6 day safari with Kilimanjaro Wonders Expedition Safaris and had the best time of our lives. The tour operator took care of our every need and saw to it that all our demands were met.
With the amazing help of our guide, Goodluck, we explored the Tarangire, Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti where we saw all the animals that we had hoped to see. We also visited the Hadzabe and Datoga tribes that have very fascinating approaches to life.
We had so much fun on the trip that it was sad to say goodbye. We had bonded with Goodluck.
I recommend this company with five stars!
ID
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
We will be back
The whole thing was amazing, since the booking process, and corresponding. Karanja was very responsive and fairly flexible in the way he accommodate our request regarding, scheduling, wildlife interests, photography questions.
Masai Maara in general is Amazing and I think i can write all the superlative words here to describe how great it was. We practically seen and photograph what we wanted to see there and more !
Our guide george was very very knowledgeable about the region, areas and animal behaviour that he really helped maximise our chance in getting a great pics of the animals.
To spend the last part our trip between baringo, bogoria, Nakuru and Naivasha was great, as our bird photography days was quite relaxing after 7 full of action days in Masai Maara. Our guide James was also great with good knowledge about birds and animal around these parts and very attentive to our need. (I was a bit sick for a couple of days). I also would like to mention a special praise for Karanja and his team, as we REALLY appreciate when he offered to have one free bonus trip of photo hunting of the African Fish Eagle in Lake Naivasha, as we did not see them when we where in Baringo. I know they mentioned this was because we cancelled our morning drive to Lake Bogoria, but ultimately because it was our decision, he did not have to do this. The fact that he did anyway we really appreciate it !
So there, Thank you again for this.
All in all, it was an amazing experience for our first trip to africa, and we are glad that we choose 'Features Africa Journey' , now we are sure we will come back, and we know we will be in a very capable hands.
Thank you Karanja and Features Africa Journey.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Safari with problems
We did a 7 (8) day safari on Wild Root. The track and the accommodations were put together in advance by Wild Root and offered as a finished trip.
Overall, it was a nice safari, but there were three serious problems from my point of view.
1. Booking the accommodations for the wrong month
When we arrived after our first day of safari at the first TWC accomodation booked by Wild Root, we were told after a long wait that the accomodation was overbooked. All other accommodations on our safari belonging to the TWC group are booked for the wrong month. We were then taken that same evening to another (45 minutes) away TWC accommodation that was still vacant in the room. This of course was not the class of our booking and at the actual accommodation included morning guided hike to Lake Manyara we also could not attend. In addition, we did not know at this time if and how our safari goes on at all, which absolutely destroys a relaxing holiday! To top it off, there were problems with the Rangers the next morning because we were not registered for the passage to the property. After much discussion with our rangers about the ranger, we had to turn around and return to the accommodation, where we had to pay another 64 dollars out of our own pocket to drive the way. After over an hour, we finally went on with the safari. The $ 64 did not matter, I was much more annoyed by the renewed stress and lost time. We paid almost 1,000 a day for the safari, so I expect that such problems will not occur.
2. Planning error
Another of my serious and avoidable mistakes was planning the location of one of the accommodations. For two days of safari the Mara River Crossing was scheduled. For this one must necessarily drive north to the Mara River in the north of the Serengeti. Man then waits at the river for a possible crossing by the animals waiting on the other side. Unfortunately we had to leave our position early because our accommodation (Lobo Lodge) was 3 hours drive from the Mara River. So we went when others arrived. From our oncoming drivers, our driver was asked several times, why we leave the river already. The next day we have renounced a return trip to the Mara, because then a total of 6 hours drive to the relatively short time at the Mara are out of proportion. I do not understand why no accommodation was chosen near the Mara. In my view, a planning error that you could have avoided. In addition, the immigration had left the area Lobo and accordingly were found few animals.
3. Unreliability and dangerous ride to the airport
At the end of the safari actually (so it was planned from the beginning) a final meeting with the leader Phil in Arusha should be done. Since our jeep was no longer safe driving, because this lost brake fluid due to a defect, the car should be replaced for the trip to the airport (about 1 hour). Unfortunately, Phil did not show up at the rendezvous, as agreed with our driver and us. We waited about 30 minutes for Phil who did not show up, then had to go to the airport with the broken Jeep not to miss our flight. Not to appear to the meeting is one thing, not to put us a replacement car and so to force our driver to continue the ride on a train with braking problems is in my view an absolute "no-go"!
I will book another company for the next safari and in my experience would not recommend Wild - Root.