US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Best Safari Experience with Kevin Mlay and Natural Life Experience Safari's
This review may take some time. I first met Kevin Mlay on Safari in 2015. He was what made our first 10 days in Tanzania so special. At the time he was working for another company in Tanzania, but I could tell right from the start he was a special person. We kept in touch for the last 4 years and when I wanted to go back with a group of 6, I contacted him and discovered he had set out on his own and started Natural Life Experience. I had not one bit of hesitation booking a 10 trip with him just this month, and we have just returned to the US on the 8th of August and here is our review, and his first review as an owner operator.
First there are a lot of choices out there for one to book a Safari to Tanzania. After 3 trips there over the past 6 years, I can say that the guide and the services they offer are the most important pieces of making it both enjoyable and educational. Kevin put the 6 of us in first rate lodges in Arusha, Ngorongoro, Serengeti and Ruaha State parks. They were beautiful lodges, with exceptional service and food and amenities. There was not one detail left to worry about, from the minute he picked us up at the Kilimanjaro airport to the time he saw us on our plane ride back home, he was there at every step of the way. There was not one detail left for us to worry about. Everything was handled with care and professionalism. 4 of our travelers were visiting for the first time, and all are making plans for a return trip in the future. I can't say enough about the Duluti Lake Lodge in Arusha, Neptune Lodge in Karatu, Lemala Kuria Hills in the Serengeti, and the best of them all, Jabali Ridge in Ruaha. All 5 star properties, with 5 star meals, service, game viewing, and amenities.
But it was Kevin's expertise in the game and the birds that made it all worthwhile. This was a private tour, so we could do whatever we wanted when we wanted, and he was there all the time to see we had a great time and enjoyed Tanzania in the traditional way. We were the envy of many others as they stopped him numerous times asking for info and getting some advice on best game viewing. We saw the big 5 in the first 3 days, and then came the birds, and had the pleasure of seeing the Migration at its best. All in all, we had high expectations for this trip, and they were met and exceeded.
If you are looking for the traditional Bespoke Safari to Tanzania Kevin and Natural Life Experience Safari's is your place to go for personalized individual service. Great care to detail, great knowledge of the areas and the properties, and a great Safari vehicle. We come to find out that the real difference is the guide, and the second most important is the reliability and comfort of the Safari vehicle. Kevin had both! If you want to work directly with the person you are going to be with on Safari versus a broker or agent in London or Boston or far away location, then I suggest you give Kevin and Natural Life Experience a look.
I recommend Natural Life Experience without reservation, and I am happy to converse or correspond with anyone who is looking to have a trip of a lifetime!Show less
BE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A MOVED BUT BEAUTIFUL JOURNEY
For the first time with this agency on a trip through Kenya. Everything was arranged nicely, although due to circumstances that the agency could not really do much about, we had bad luck with the guide. But you make your own journey and we have had wonderful moments. the lodges were beautiful! The communication with the agency was very smooth and open and if there were any problems they were solved quickly and efficiently. We are also planning a next trip with Bushtop! We saw many animals, visited DSWT in Nairobi and Tsavo. Our trip ended in Mombasa to wash all the dust off and rest. We Love Kenya!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Safe, interesting and very well prepared safari
We as a family are very satisfied with Shadows of Africa prepared safari. Everything was perfect, well organized, we had influence on what we do, our driver Dickson was great :) and we saw a Big 5... And we was quite ecological and not produced unnecessary trash... not like the many others we saw
DK
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a life time
The service is from another world! These are where competent people and they know, whatthat they are doing. The trip it self was amazing and the guide was all in on giving us the best experience.
IE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent service, knowledgeable and really nice tour guide!
Can't fault mega wild safaris, the communication before hand was excellent, they were happy to oblige any queries or problems we had. Onan our tour guide was lovely, really friendly and helpful. The accommodation was great, especially twiga tails, such a peaceful place and really good food.
The safari itself was brilliant, saw almost all of the big five (the leopards evaded us, we'll just have to go back!!)
Over all I had a great trip and would recommend the service to a friend
IE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent tour. Our guide was brilliant and catered for everyone very well.
Very impressed with Mega Wild Safaris. Very easy to book and keep in contact with coming up to the tour, as well as our guide being excellent and very attentive through out the duration of our tour. We had a brilliant game drive and both of our accommodations were superb. Couldn't fault it.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful Experience!
We recently returned from a 5 day safari with Wildways visiting tarangire, lake Manyara, ngororogoro crater and the Serengeti.
Where do I start?! From the very beginning, alpha was a pleasure to deal with, always responding quickly to my emails and providing amazing tailor made itineraries based on what we were looking for. When we arrived, everything was so seamless and professional. Our safari was magical. Marikis knowledge of the animals is incredible, we had front row seats to everything and not only saw the wildlife but saw their behaviours in the wild. The truck was clean, tidy and stocked full of water and anything you would need.
Mariki and Alpha are so passionate about what they do and will do everything to make sure you have the best experience. I have worked in travel for 8 years and have used many tour companies all over the world and can confirm that Wildways are one of the best. I will recommend them to everyone and anyone thinking of doing a safari in Tanzania - look no further, the adventure truly never stops!
IN
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It was awesome.
We had good communications with Mr. Kassim. Mr. Ally, Driver cum Guide had good knowledge of the Park, Animals and Games. He was disciplined, but need smiles on his face. The Lodges where we stayed are nice and comfortable properties, the great thing for our family was that the GMs of both the Lodges are Indian and know me as I am also from Hotel Industry. I suggest to get complete details of the package sothat there is no conflict later on.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A trip of a lifetime with every objective overachieved!
From the communication before departure through to the final farewells, African Tours Adventure exceeded our expectations (which were high). The tour was well thought out and the gorilla and chimpanzee trekking were truly unbelievable. The lodges chosen were perfect as was the transportation and vehicle. A special mention must go to our driver and now friend Kaye. His knowledge, attention to our requirements, flexibility and sense of humour were awesome. If you chose to do a trip with ATA, then ask for Kaye and you will very happy you did!
From my families experience, ATA are highly recommended and we will not hesitate to book with them again next time in Africa.
IN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Lifetime Trip Kenya & Tanzania
Words cannot describe the level of service provided by Tanzania Exclusive Journeys.I just returned from my trip to Kenya&Tanzania, and it was truly a trip of a lifetime.
Every single detail was executed with perfection. The pre-trip documentation was superb, the guides/drivers in each location were so knowledgable and professional, and our accommodations as well as the service provided at the accommodations was beyond First Class. Most of all, our guide was remarkable! Tony was with us from start to finish, and he made our whole journey even more perfect than we could have ever imagined. He was so attentive, professional, knowledgeable, sweet, caring, thoughtful, patient, accommodating, smart, funny, and MORE!! Anyone traveling to Kenya or Tanzania should request that Tony be their guide. You will not regret it!
Thank you for an incredible vacation. It was utter perfection from the moment we booked the trip to the moment we arrived back home.