35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
We all made it to the top of Kili!
Kilisa Tours organized a 6 days hike to the top of Kilimanjaro for us. It was a private hike for a group of 4 friends. Below are a few reasons why I would recommend this company.
1) All 4 of us made it to the top of the mountain.
2) It was very easy to communicate with the owner - Naick. I sent probably over 40 emails with requests, questions and clarifications. He was always supportive and answered within a day or two.
3) The original tour packages can be customized to your preference. It was my second attempt to get to the top. Based on my first unsuccessful experience 3 years ago I had a lot of customizations to the official program. All my requests were taking into account and Naick created an adjusted just for us hiking package.
4) We had very experienced guides. They had much advice to make sure we all get to the top. The food from the chef was also good.
5) Everyone in the group had a different level of physical preparation. One of the guys spent just 4 hours in total walking around London when he was "preparing" for the hike. And he made it to the top. To be honest, I'm not sure what kind of stronger arguments could be to show the level of Kilisa Tours even if a guy with 4 hours training made it to the top with them.
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fantastic and unforgettable game drives with car and boat
The game drives and tours offered and conducted by Africa Beast Safaris were simply wonderful and remain unforgettable. From the very good service to the very experienced and knowledgeable tour guide (Simon).
We would do these tours again and again with them and can recommend them without reservation.
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic Safari- & Tanzania-Family-Experience: Couldn't be any better!
As a family of six (2 adults, 4 children aged 7 to 16), we have spent three weeks in Tanzania in July/August 2019, two of these we have been on safari with Cahbo Africa. Our tour got us from Selous via Mikumi to Ruaha National Park and was followed by a trekking tour in the Udzungwa mountains. In the parks we stayed in tents on the so-called "public" campingsites. We were accompanied by Sam, our guide and driver, and Salim who took charge of the cooking as our "doctor of the stomach" (as Sam put it - I'd have preferred "magician" though). In Chabo office Hilda was in charge of all organisation details.
The trip was in all aspects optimal and surplussed our expectations by far. From the first email contact and the first programme draft to the final version everything went just fine and on a high professional level. Any question arising before or during the trip were answered at once by Hilda.
Sam was simply perfect and awesome as a guide - being a very charismatic and empathic person, he looked very carefully after every member of our family group. He managed to meet all expectations and needs (and they were quite different with regard to the wide range of age!) and was able to answer all our questions concerning animals, plants and wildlife. Sam turned out to know all the locations we visited thoroughly by heart and led us along many paths way beyond the "standard routes". Meeting all kind of different animals (sometimes as close as elephants actually touching the Landcruiser with their trunks) was fascinating but never terrifying.
Samil was also amazing. We had expected some simple meals but were met in the mornings, at lunchtime and in the evening with meals that consisted of several courses every time. He even took up our special requests as for cooking bananas or the traditional Tanazian ugali which we had asked to try: He took us to the local market and at times even prepared the meals together with us - both adults and children! Samil even baked a birthday cake for our daughter on the open campfire! Amazing.
The tents were in excellent condition and very spacious. Chabo Africa provided matrasses and sheets, we had brought our own sleeping bags as nights can get quite chilly in Ruaha during July/August. Folding chairs and tables were stored in the Landrcuiser in big boxes, the "public" campsites were also well-equipped and very clean. - At nights we were as close to the wildlife as to hear the sounds of hippos and hyanae.
To finish off these crammed two safari weeks and to come up to all our experiences we spent some final days in Zanzibar's northern tip. This also was organized by Chabo Africa: the resort booked was just perfect for our family - quite quite, very friendly. And again all organisation was terrific.
Should we ever come back to Tanzania, we for sure will book again with Chabo Africa - and ask for Sam and Samil!
CA
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Benjamin Wilson and Siya Phambile have provided a wonderful, unforgettable, made-to-measure trip.
Dear Benjamin, this review is in the form of a letter to you. When we left home in Quebec, we didn’t know exactly what to expect, having never traveled in South Africa before. But from the get-go your emails in response to our many questions were always prompt, clear, complete and friendly. This gave us confidence that Siya Phambile was a good, trustworthy company and that we would be taken good care of. We were.
The 14-day expedition which Diane (59) and I (70 ) went on with you in Zulu Land was so much more than we could ever have dreamed. So full of discoveries, marvels and laughs! It is one thing to go on game drives 6 hours a day in a group, it is quite another to be accompanied at every step by a guide who is passionate about his work and so able to share his knowledge of wild animals, birds and people. AND what a good cook you are! Those wonderful omelets in the morning outside our tents were a great way to start the day.
Thanks to your caring and personal attention to every detail of this amazing trip, our experience in the African bush will remain with us forever. We thank you and Siya Phambile with all our hearts. Who knows, we might write to you again soon...
Michele
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent experience working with Safari Specialists!
I worked with Joanne at Safari Specialists, and everything turned out great, exceeding my expectations. My husband and I went on a safari in Botswana. Joanne offered some suggested itineraries and worked with me to tailor it to what we were looking for. She was very nice to work with, responding to all emails, questions, etc. The safari itself was nothing short of amazing! We stayed in three different places, each one better than the one before it! The number and types of animals we saw were incredible -- lions, cheetahs, elephants, wild dogs, owls, giraffes, you name it. The people who worked at the places we stayed were incredible, including the guides who have so much knowledge. I am on a special diet, and they were all very accommodating. Overall, highly recommended!
ES
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing service and experience
We booked a 9 day tour including Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro, Serengeti, Great Migration and Tarangire with Kiliholidays early in April. Communications with Mack and his team were fluent by email and WhatsApp, patiently answering all our questions until we fully understood the options. Prices were very competitive compared to the other three agencies we compared with so we went for Kiliholidays.
The tour was perfect. We were a group of 8 in 2 Land Rovers. Drivers, Eduard and Thomas, were extremely professional, informed, patient, friendly and helpful. They spotted many animals for us and made sure we were at the right time and place for the incredible Wildebeest crossing of the Mara river.
We chose budget hotels and still they were great; staff was always very kind, rooms were clean and food was excellent. The tented camps in Serengetti were just amazing in comfort and service.
All in all, we had a great tour and we would recommend it to anyone wanting to have a Tanzanian experience.
BE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
They need to improve certain areas
I did a 7 day tour with Karumuna Safaris as solo traveller. The good points:
- The cost was much lower compared to other agencies... But be aware that you get what you pay for. They delivered, but the accommodation was quite basic most of the times, and the guide and driver quite young and unexperienced
- They managed to organize everything in a very short notice. Richard went the extra mile to make sure I did not miss a thing, even though a lot of the attractions were fully booked. I missed the chimps during the chimpanzee tracking, but it's not their fault
- Flexibility with payment methods
The bad points:
- Henry, the guide, was quite unexperienced and he lacks customer service skills. There was a constant lack of communication, he was late (90min late on one ocassion) and disaorganized quite often (not even aware of the plan for next day). I communicated with him to find a solution together and he simply did not care and became even more aloof. He even got quite arrogant, i.e. I asked him why we were stopping so often when actually we were late to reach our destination, and he said "all the stops are strictly necessary". Truth is, some of the stops were for them to buy food for their families... Should not be a problem if you communicate it in a different way.
- Driving issues: we were driving quite fast in many occasions, to the point that we run once into a bumper without braking off and I literally went flying towards the front. They were stopped by the police and got a fine (not sure why) and also the van had mechanical issues which forced us to stop to get it repaired
- Trying to save money on silly things: for example, refusing to use the A/C in the car when it was quite hot and opening windows instead (so you are breathing fumes be getting dust inside) saying that the airco consumes too much petrol, or stopping to get bananas as a snack and asking you to pay 1000 ugx out of total cost of 2000, when 7 out of the 10 bananas were eaten by the guide and the driver
I personally found the experience a bit unfortunate, because with little effort it could have been much better... But I got the impression that they did not care anymore at some point (I haven't heard again from anyone in the agency, even though I'm still around in Kampala). The trip was quite ok but those small things sometimes can make a big difference... You might think I may sound picky, but I have worked and travelled in many countries in Africa, so my standards are quite low compared to the classic Western tourist. To summarize, go for them if you are in a very low budget but if you can pay more, I recommend you look for other options
SE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Private safari in three conservatives- big five + 1 spotted, excellent lodging in the wilderness.
We had a private safari, me and my two kids, ten and fourteen. We felt safe all the time. The guide Willy was excellent- with lot of of knowledge and respect for the nature and animals he guided us through Amboseli, Nakuru lake and Masai Mara national parks. We saw loads of wild animals including the big five plus a cheeta. As a bonus we saw a lot of the country of Kenya during the long drives between conservatives. Met so many nice and friendly people. Super tent lodges - clean, fresh and well equipped and perfect service.
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
3-day safari; Tarangire, Ngorongo crater, Lake Manyara
We enjoyed the safari very much, and we had a great experience with Bujo Tours! Excellent services!!
NG
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing!!!
Upon arrival my husband and I were warmly welcomed by Paul and Janet , and with such a friendly atmosphere we had a fantastic start! The guide and tour was extremely good, very flexible (appreciate this!) and for that Motto Tours and Travel deserves a special thanks. They are such a warm personality and highly motivated guide (recommendable!).