IN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very professional and Good rapport with everyone
Good trip and lovely places, mind refreshing with places like fort portal, semuliki national park, nayare waterfalls. Must visit once in a life time!
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Simply Beautiful !
A country with Beautiful & Friendly people! They care about your safety, they are so helpful and happy to have you visiting.
A great mix of culture, history, scenery & interesting animals !
Between two major cities, beaches, vineyards, mountains, a hidden country in the middle, multiple safaris & where two oceans meet !!! So much beauty & a lot to see..
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Destination of Beauty and Despair
We travelled as a group of 3 generations- the oldest 81 years old and the youngest 17.
Cape Town has the stunning backdrop of Table Mountain against the blue sky, the beautiful Company Gardens and Kirstenbosch Botannical Gardens. The new V&A Waterfront is a pleasant and safe place to dine but could be anywhere.
The Robben Island tour left a lasting impression but could have been more dynamic
On the streets, the poverty and despair of the poor is plain to see. The highway out to the winery areas of Stellenbosch and Franschhoek is flanked by huge townships and morning and evening becomes a “snake” of overfilled minibuses as the residents commute to work.
The wineries area then feels obscenely decadent. The towns and surrounding area is charming. The tastings are great value and each winery normally has more than just wine on offer e.g gardens to explore, art exhibitions
We went on a 3 day quickie safari in the Kruger National Park. Surpassed all our expectations, in part due to our Wild Wings guide’s superb knowledge of the animal/bird habitats and habits.
We would love to return to South Africa again in the future to do another safari and explore the Garden Route. The people we met everywhere were delightful, food and wine were always delicious and great value for money. The weather and flowers were beautiful in October
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Good organized tour operator
Communication during booking procedure was great, fast answers and our individuel wishes were considered.
Our guide is a nice and friendly person. During the tour the communication was ok but regularly he made a lot of phone calls. If it happens during the long transfers between the locations we accepted it but he also made a lot of calls during our time in the different nationalparks during the game drives. This was not what we expect from a professional guide. This was also the reason why often the guide did not spot all posible animals during our trip.
The different accomodations were all nice and the different meals were delicious. The lunch boxes were also good.
Our favorite accomodation was the Ruaha Hilltop lodge, because the lodge is located in a quite area with a great view and not to far from Ruaha N.P.
All in all the tour was nice and good organized, the value of money was fair but maybe for our next trip we would like to have another tour guide.
AR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very good
At the beginning of our trip, we realized we had made a significant mistake with the start date when booking our safari. Fortunately, Ibra from the agency responded to our messages late at 10 p.m. and went above and beyond to reorganize the entire trip. This ensured we didn't lose any money and could proceed as planned the very next day. The accommodations were excellent and exceeded our expectations. Our driver Steven made a great effort to help us spot the Big Five and was very friendly, which made our days enjoyable.
One minor point to consider was a few issues we experienced with the car's engine. However, this did not impact our overall experience, which turned out to be one of the best of our lives!
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
A safari is a must when in South Africa
We visited Cape Town first and stayed close to the new V&A development. Lots to see and do and lots of restaurants with superb mall. Moved to Hermanus and watched the whales frolicking in the sea just off the shoreline. No boat trip required. Then off to Kruger National Park. Private reserve in north of park called TOMORROW. Fantastic experience. Only 8 individual luxury units so only 2 tour cars. They share safaris with neighbouring private reserves and they all radio each other to get everyone the best experience. Our guide Gareth was unbelievable. He was friendly knowledgeable and spotted a lioness in the dark at over 30m away. How? No idea!! We saw all of the top 5 except Rhino. We saw a pride of lions just after they had hunted down a buffalo. Leopard being chased by a lioness who just climbed to the very top of the tree until she gave up. Gin and tonic out in the bush at sundown perfect. Food was gourmet level. Staff were outstanding. Thoroughly recommend this reserve for a fantastic time. We stayed 3 days 2 nights which was enough perhaps because Gareth enabled us to see the elephants leopards buffalo lions and cubs giraffes jackals hippos impala’s masses of different bird species and most importantly we did not have to queue at any time to watch the animals in their natural environment. Gareth was also very mindful of the environment we were in and took care not to intrude on the animals
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Responsive and good service
We did two safaris in Kenya with Morning Star Tours. One was a four day experience in Tsavo East and West. The other was a seven day experience in Amboseli, Nakuru, and Masai Mara. When planning this safari, I spoke with Dennis. He was very polite, helpful, and responsive. With his help I was able to curate a safari experience that included everything that we were interested in. Huge shoutout to our first driver Julius for making our experience unforgettable. He was kind and tried to help us spot as many animals as possible. I felt like Julius went out of his way to make it an amazing time. Our second driver Alex was very knowledgable about the parks and answered all our questions about Kenya. He also knew how to navigate the parks very well. I do have to say that the drivers are more focused on driving rather than being a guide, so keep that in mind. We did a private tour with the 4x4 land cruiser, which I recommend over a van. The vans get stuck sometimes and we even had to pull one out of the mud. There was a lot of driving involved because we saw so many parks so plan accordingly. We enjoyed the food as all the places offer a buffet style meal, so there are plenty of options to find something you enjoy. One important thing to note about the airport is that we thought we could arrive early and stay until it was time for our flight to leave. However, they will only let you in the airport about 2-3 hours before your flight. There is a cafe outside the airport that you can sit at, but it is uncomfortable and the wifi did not work well. Unfortunately, we did not know this ahead of time so we could plan accordingly. Overall, our experience was great, we got to see most of the animals we wanted and for a competitive price.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Beautiful country with quality hospitality
We visited Tanzania in the first week of October. The weather was great. We had one day of light rain, but otherwise it was sunny and warm (not too hot). We visited Tarangire (so many elephants!), Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater, and the Serengeti (of course). We were in Northern Serengeti and witnessed a river crossing -- spectacular! In retrospect, I probably could have skipped Tarangire. I wanted to make sure I saw elephants, but there were plenty in Central Serengeti. The roads in the parks are dusty! Be prepared.
We loved our guide, but we had some issues with our tour operator, who is based in Tanzania. I wanted to use a local operator, but I think that led to some issues regarding the payment process. I might stick with a domestic (for me) operator so I don't have to deal with international transactions the next time around.
The hospitality at all of our lodgings was excellent. Service was top-notch. Tanzania, specifically the Serengeti (in my opinion), is a must-visit at least once in your lifetime.
IN
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Organised reasonably well but should have given more safari time in Serengeti and ngorongoro
The tour started with Tarangire safari which is a decent experience, with some large herds of elephants and buffaloes. We did see lions and giraffes. The stay at a resort on the way to Serengeti was ok. Serengeti was wonderful and the guide made every effort to take us wherever there were interesting sightings. The camp site at Serengeti was bearable at most and we spent just one night there. We could hear hyenas and a lion roar at night, which was quite exciting. The next half day is all we got at Serengeti though we did see a lion hunting a zebra. After a quick lunch we headed back towards ngorongoro. Considering the distance we had to cover both ways, the stay at Serengeti was far too short (you require at least 3 nights and 3 days for a relaxing Serengeti safari) . We reached ngorongoro before sunset. The tents, stay and the weather were very comfortable. The next half day is all we got (again too short) at ngorongoro. The park though small still requires a full day if you wish to relax and go around at your pace. There again it was found wanting as we just completed everything hurriedly. I feel the guide stopped at too many places on the way to the parks and we spent unnecessary time at stops. The operator (Makini) who organised the tour tried to squeeze in too many things in a short span. We could easily have skipped Tarangire and added another day to Serengeti. The food was great at times and mediocre at times. The guide and chef I would say did their best but as I said we moved too often from one place to the other leaving very little time for them to do their job properly and for us to relax. In the end we did cover a lot of distance which could have been avoided giving us more time for safari.
IN
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great wildlife experts who provide all services for safaris
We toured Kenya - Amboseli, Naivasha, Nakuru and Mara with Dens of Africa, as Africa and its wildlife were on our wishlist for a long time. Charles, Sam and John were great guides and really good at spotting animals, predicting how they would behave and tireless in looking for different experiences in the bush. The resorts were top class, the experience totally amazing.
We exceeded our expectations and have lifetime memories to cherish.
