US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fantastic Reserve: Full of Animals, Not Full of People
Selous Game Reserve is a real jewel, full of wildlife and birds and intriguing flora with the added bonus of very few visitors. I stayed at Asilia Africa's Roho Ya Selous and it could not have been better. As a solo traveler, I look for places which allow me to be on my own (for meals or individual safari vehicles) and Roho was very accommodating. I could do as I pleased.
Selous' geography, with its river, plains, and abundant flora was a completely different experience than the Serengeti. I saw many hippos, giraffes, lions, and baboons there, along with the always-charming impalas. You will see almost all the great predators (if luck is on your side!).
The Northern Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater are fantastic to see; but if you are looking for a safari that does not resemble a drive-through 'zoo', with countless other vehicles surrounding a beautiful animal, Selous is worth visiting.
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Masai Mara National Reserve by Juergen Fichtenau
Just AMAZING
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Lake Nakuru National Park by Juergen Fichtenau
Plenty of Buffaloes and Rhinos, Flamingos nearly all gone
IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A fantastic experience
The wildlife and the landscapes were amazing, the weather was colder than we expected, the accommodation was fine. Our guide and cooker were so kind and they knew a lot of things. The food was so good!
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A must see once in your life
This was my second time to Kenya, after a 23 year break, and the wildlife experience was terrific and amazing as experienced already in 1996. The Masai Mara is a life time experience, I cannot imagine a better place for such an experience. The flamingos though have moved away from Lake Nakuru, most to be found at Lake Bogoria now, another life time experience. My first trip to Kenya did not include the beaches, this time we spent a week at Diani beach south of Mombasa, another amazing experience........such a long stretch of white sandy beach along the Indian Ocean (it must be around 80 km) is amazing. Downside in Kenya are safety issues (one is advised not walk around after dark), lots of traffic jams in Nairobi and Mombasa, lots of bad roads in dire repair and the precautions for diseases like Yellow Fever, Malaria and such. Bottom line however is, that Kenya truly is a wonderful and unique destination.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Absolutely fantastic! The trip meets and exceeds our expectation. Highly recommended.
Our guide from Bee Eater Safari was excellent. First class driving skills and sharp eyes to find wild animals. We were lucky to see several dozens of lions, two sightings of leopard and cheetah and wildebeast crossing the Masa Mara, although we did not manage to see any Rhino. The lodges and camps we stayed in the national parks were very comfortable with good food and services. The weather was also very kind to us. All in all, an excellent safari trip!
AT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great safari, but be careful with tipping in Zanzibar
Wildlife in Tanzania was incredible: we saw a lot of animals (lions, giraffes, hippos, zebras, leopards, etc.) and beautiful landscape like the plains of Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater. We did a safari with "Bestday Safari" and made great experiences with them: delicious food, awesome guide, game drive in a great car. Overall it's a safe country with nice people, although on Zanzibar you have to pay attention to the people selling all kinds of stuff (from snorkeling tours to marihuana): they are sometimes a bit annoying, although you probably have people wanting to sell you stuff all over the world. What we really didn't like was the thing about tipping: no one is going to do anything for you without wanting to be tipped. We arrived for example at the airport in Zanzibar, went out of the building and got asked by a guy in safety vest what we were looking for. And just thinking that someone in safety vest working for the airport was probably trying to help us was a mistake. Of course he wanted to have money from us afterwards, like a lot of people do. So pay attention if someone really wants to help you or is actually just looking for your money.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An unforgettable experience with a company that plans everything well.
From the first communication I had with Shemeji, I was impressed. I asked so many questions and was never pressured into purchasing from them. They answered each one pleasantly and thoroughly. After deciding to book with them, Emma took over all preparations. She was thorough, very polite, and extremely timely with her responses.
My wife and I went for our honeymoon, and Shemeji was very kind in providing us flower petaled bed spreads, a bottle of wine, private dinners, and more special treatment. We didn't expect any of that and were very pleasantly surprised.
The Safari itself was exceptional. Our guide, Elemesi, was extremely knowledgeable about the area, and we let him truly guide us. We let him do his job, which I highly recommend. I guarantee he is a better driver than I would have been, knew the landscape, and was able to communicate with different parties to give us the best experience. We LOVED our time with him. We were very fortunate to see what we saw, and there's no guarantee anyone may see the amount we did -- baby lions, lions eating, lions hunting, cheetahs actually making a live kill, multiple leopards (and cubs), cheetah cubs, and of course, elephants, giraffes, and grazing animals galore.
After the safari, Shemeji arranged a Zanzibar getaway for us as well. We loved the resort and appreciated the relaxation time there as well as the excursions to prison island, the spice tour, swimming with dolphins, etc.
This was truly a memorable trip, the perfect honeymoon, and I'd recommend this to anyone who wants to experience true thrills.
P.S. We saw literally one single mosquito between the two of us and never, ever, felt unsafe. The people were extremely professional, kind, and respectful to us both.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Awesome 15 days in Uganda, Rwanda and the DRC with Trevor!!
WOW! Over the course of 15 days, we had an AMAZING experience exploring Uganda, Rwanda and the DRC, trekking mountain gorillas, eastern lowland gorillas, chimpanzees, black / white colobus monkeys, golden monkeys and more!
In the past, we would typically take care of booking our own safari (lodging / activities / etc). Since this particular trip involved so many different countries and activities, we decided it would be best to leave the planning to the professionals. So glad we did! Our safari was arranged through Prime Safaris. Cate was incredibly easy to work with, guiding us through the booking process and presenting us with several itineraries, each ensuring we would see as much as possible.
Our final choice was the 15 day gorilla / chimp / primate / wildlife safari and we were both so happy we chose that option.
Trevor was a fantastic guide and we thoroughly enjoyed his company as we traveled through the various countries. Professional, personable, knowledgeable, fun to be around... we spent quite a bit of time traveling from one destination to another and Trevor made the entire journey interesting! Both he and Gabi (our guide in the DRC) made the somewhat chaotic transition at the Rwanda / Congo border stress free.
The 15 day trip included visits to various national parks — Murchison Falls, Queen Elizabeth, Volcanoes, Kibale, Kahuzi-Biega, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and Nyungwe. Also visits to Lake Kivu, Lake Bunyonyi, the Ruboni Community (on the slopes of Rwenzori Mountain) and so much more.
Every activity was incredible and everyone we met along the way (guides, rangers, trackers, porters, lodge / hotel staff) were super friendly and accommodating. Shouts out especially to Lambert in Kahuzi-Biega National Park for an awesome eastern lowland gorilla trek, Jessica in Kibale National Forest for a great Chimpanzee trek and Patience in Volcanoes National Park for a memorable Golden Monkey trek.
We had an absolutely awesome experience and would highly recommend Trevor as your guide and Prime Safaris for your next safari.
CZ
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Brilliant organization and realy skilled guides
Almost everything was prepared and in case of problem was always flexible reaction.