DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Impressive Safari with a perfect guide
Even the safari started one day after our arrival, our guide picked us up at the airport. While and after the tour everything was organized to our interest.
The guide knows the park and the animals very well and knows the places, wehre you can often see leopards, lions etc.
All in all we are deeply contented with everything.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent Safari Experience, catered to your budget
We spent 5 days, 4 nights touring the Serengeti, Ngorogoro Crater, and Tarangire parks. If you are strapped for time go directly to Ngorogoro because it offers the most bang for your buck, there are animals everywhere and it's a small area to cover compared to Serengeti.
Romeo was easy to work with over email to discuss options in setting up lodging and dates. Piuc our tour guide was a super cool and cheerful guy and very knowledgable about the animals and parks - he was able to bring us to the Big 5 PLUS leopards, cerval cats, and too many exotic birds to remember. Our food was better than expected from Dogo our mild mannered chef. If I had one call out it would be the sleeping arrangement. We thought we would stay on elevated cots like the website pictures, but actually had something more a long the lines of mattress pads. Not a big deal since we went the budget route, but after 4 nights it can be rough on the hips/back. All in all an amazing experience and was flexible enough to be within our price range. Serengeti shall never die!
**** BEWARE MBUGANI ARE SCAMMERS****
If I could give zero stars I would!! Dont be fooled with their website. In December 2018 I booked a safari from the UK with Mbugani Safaris and our contact Peter was very helpful and prompt in his replies via email. Even providing detailed itineraries and seemingly providing advice. We then paid in full prior to our 5 day safari (Mt Kenya, Nakuru and Mara) due in January 2019. However, on the day we were supposed to be picked for the safari the driver did not show up. When we tried to make contact with Peter via email or mobile there was no response. We then tried the company landlines and these were for a private residence. I contacted the lodges and they advised that no bookings had been made. Fortunately as I had paid via paypal I was able to make a claim for services not received. I then received an email 10 days after the no show from Peter claiming he had been involved in an accident and would also refund the balance which was paid via a credit card - to date we have still not received this refund. We are now pursuing this matter through the Kenyan police and courts. If you are looking for a genuine tour company then book with another company. On the day Mbugani safaris did not turn up and we realised we had been scammed I contacted Anthony at bonfire in Nairobi and he was able to replicate the safari that Mbugani had quoted within a couple of hours and did it cheaper!! In essence we realised we had been scammed by Mbugani by 8am and by midday we were travelling to our safari destination all thanks to Anthony at bonfire adventures.
CN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Experience
I booked the 6-day Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru and Amboseli tour with them and I couldn't be happier with their service. Although it was a budget tour, their service was professional through and through. The communication before the trip was always prompt and detailed. The drivers/guides are experienced and patient. You can easily pay 3 times more money for a more luxurious trip and you'll see exactly the same animals. I would 100% recommend them to someone travelling on a budget and wants value for their money.
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful experience!! Just need more clear communication with the company/tour operators
Beautiful scenery, parks and accommodation. The accommodation was very beautiful and had warm showers and amazing views. We felt like royalty. We saw elephants, lions hippos, lots of birds, lots of monkeys etc. The food was delicious and you get ALOT of delicious food.
I would recommend better communication with the tour operators and the clients. Our itinerary was changed a couple of times without our knowledge and we were a little upset with this. One of the hotels was not available and they wanted to put us in a place that had bad reviews. We did get a nice place in the end but it was a little stressful. We also felt a little pressured to tip every single guide on the gorilla trek, chimp trek and multiple community walks we went on. We spent over $4500 for the tour and didn't think we would need to tip every single person we encountered. I would suggest the tour include tips if this is necessary for Ugandan customs and cultural norms. We didn't mind tipping here and there but every single hotel staff, trekkers, boat crews and cultural guides would have cost us over $1500 USD.
Overall, we had a wonderful time and Uganda is a very beautiful and friendly country.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The highest standard of commitment and professionalism paired with deep local knowledge and passion
I was incredibly impressed with the standard and attention to detail of the service we received from Clare in setting up the trip.
We were able to customise the trip completely and get door to door pick ups and drop offs that were many hours drive away.
Our guide Lenny was highly professional and knowledgeable, while also having a great sense of humour and being a pleasure to spend time with.
Lenny's passion for the wildlife and the areas we visited really brought the trip to life. The one time there was a slight accommodation issue (not due to Kiboko) he went well beyond the line of duty to get it sorted quickly.
Finally I thought the trip was excellent value, given we had a 4x4 for just the two of us and complete service throughout the 4.5 days.
Kiboko Kenya Safaris are a class act.
NL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Beyond expectation. We had a 21 day tour through Uganda. It was a once in a lifetime experience.
Small scale accomodations were very good. Nathan is a perfect guide because of his love for the nature and wildlife.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Awesome 11-Days Safari Trip
The communication with the Company was very good. Answers always came in a few hours and all information we needed was given.
At the beginning of the tour the friendly guide and driver picked us up at the hotel in Johannesbourg and explaines everything very good.
We choosed the camping oportunity and this was very nice. We got tents and mattresses from Jobovic and the team showed us how to built it and gave us always important information about the place and for what we have to pay attention.
The whole tour was very interesting and we saw a lot of animals and we had a very nice time. The food was very nice. It was simple cooked breakfast/lunch/dinner but for a caomping side it was very good.
All in all I can really recommend this company and If I want to join a sfari again I'll choose this company again!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing experience with an exceptional guide.
We had an amazing experience with Mama Savana. In the lead up to our safari, they were very prompt and responsive to all our queries. We were fortunate to have Harun as our safari guide. I'd say what made our safari special was 50% the animals and 50% Harun. He had the eyes of a hawk and the brain of David Attenborough. His love of animals was contagious. We got to see three lion hunt fails and on the last day, we saw a pride of lions take down a buffalo. We saw a lazy leopard barely notice a family of warthogs graze beneath his branch. We saw a herd of 50 beautiful elephants emerge from nowhere. We were expecting much more primitive accommodation, but the lodges were as comfortable and welcoming as any high end hotel. If I could have my time again, I'd spend a 3 days (instead of 2) in the Serengetti, but the safari itself was about as close to perfect as you could get.
Professional and friendly staff
Daily Expeditions Limited provided a great service from our first contact until the goodbye in the airport. Contacting, negotiating and paying for our reservation was smooth. Our guide and cooker were very professional and friendly. The food was great! We had a problem with our flight in our arrival and Frank provided all the support needed and he was very flexible. Thank you so much, Daily Expeditions Limited, we highly recommend this company.