IL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
An unforgettable Southern Tanzania Expereince
I took my family on a trip to Southern Tanzania with Kilimanjaro Wonders Expedition Safari on a 12 days safari package to Selous, Mikumi, Ruaha, and Udzungwa.
Our guide Goodluck was amazing. He was friendly with the 5 of us and by the end of the safari he had become like family. He was also very professional and knowledgeable about birds. I thought that no one knew more things about birds than my wife, but Goodluck did. The southern parks were very different from the Northern ones with low traffic and different habitats.
We stayed at wonderful hotels and lodges that had great service and staff was wonderful.
Thanks to Kilimanjaro Wonders Expedition Safari for the amazing experience.
AE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A near perfect experience!
I stumbled across this tour provider through a google search and was intrigued by their halal safari offering, as we were a family of four travelling with 2 kids. From the outset, the tour administrator (Rashid) was very professional and answered all our queries. Certain accommodation that we requested was sold out but Rashid made suitable alternate arrangements.
When we arrived in Kilimanjaro, Mussa our Tour guide and driver, was there to greet us as arranged, early in the morning at 5am. From there on, it was a near perfect experience. Mussa made sure all our requirements were taken care of, from personally handling all our luggage, making sure all our accommodation was ready for us, dropping us off at the end of each day and being there ready and waiting for us in the morning.
The safari experience was excellent and we covered three main attractions over three days - Tarangire, Ngorongoro and Lake Manyara. We saw quite a few animals at Tarangire including lions, zebras and elephant but Lake Manyara was a bit disappointing since barely any animals were out that day - I think the trick is to be there at around 630 am or just after sunrise so find a lodge as close to each reserve (or within the reserve) to minimise travel time.
Saying that, the accommodation that was arranged for us was excellent. Osupuko Lodge being a sublime and beautiful lodge with warm and welcoming staff in the middle of the wilderness. We were escorted to and from our rooms by the Masai after dark which was an experience in itself. Our room's patio was overlooking the wilderness where we could see animals crossing while having breakfast outside.
The other two lodges (Farm of Dreams and the Airport Planet Lodge) were excellent as well. The quality of food was good throughout where we got to sample local cuisine (halal beef and chicken).
We seemed to be the only group on the safari that had hot packed lunches. Mussa laid out a neat and beautiful picnic table each day, with cutlery, at the designated picnic spots in the park. We had chicken curry, fresh cut fruits, steamed veggies, rice, noodles, pasta, fries, beef curry over the duration of our three-day safari whilst the other tour groups seemed to have simple cold sandwich boxes!
Mussa's driving was smooth and the jeep itself was good enough, being a customised old school Landcruiser fitted with an opening top and padded around so you could stand up and stick your head out of the room and get fresh air in your face during the rides in the parks. Especially awesome on the climb to Ngorongoro and of course the drives in the park. There was a power socket extension the vehicle as well where we could charge our mobile phones and cameras (don’t forget to bring your 3 pin multiplug). Mussa gave us interesting informational tidbits about each animal that we saw in the parks, which added to the depth of our experience. He was flexible in us stopping on the way to and from the parks, for coffee breaks in local coffee spots or pharmacies etc.; however, it's recommended that you try and get to the parks as early as possible.
We highly recommend this company and plan on using Wild Secret Safaris and hopefully the same team on our next trip (for the Serengity) - if you have the budget and can book early, aim for accommodation within the reserves themselves or as close as possible so that you can minimise travel time and aim to be there after sunrise.
IT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing experience
I had the pleasure to travel with Gorilla booking on a 3 days trip making Gorilla trekking and a relaxing boat trip on Bunyonyi Lake in Uganda. Everything was perfectly organized, the trekking has been amazing, and the lake has astonishing views. Andrew was the perfect driver and guide of our journey. Highly recommended
PT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Best safari crew
- the team (Jacob, Emanuel and Daniel) was really professional and also fun
- the car was really confortable we didn't had any mechanical problem (we saw some cars with
problems, specially flat tyres)
- the tour was really well planed
- everytime we need water we had it
- Emanuel was a excelent chef and very attentive to our requests
- Bryson is super professional, efficient and helpful. He also prepare us a bag with towels, toilet paper and also some drinks and snacks. By the way he helped us even after the safari with some honest transfers
ES
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic experience
Everything was a fantastic experience, with many amazing situations that describe the real life of Africa and specially Kenya.
CA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing time with Shemeji
We had an amazing time on our 6 day camping safari. Our chef Rasheed prepared delicious food and even accommodated my spouse’s lactose intolerance. Our guide Michael truly made our trip unforgettable. His eye for seeing animals and making sure we had the best experience possible were what ultimately made the trip for us. Emma at Shemeji responded to emails very quickly and was so helpful answering my many questions. Our safari experience has been our favourite trip to date and I would absolutely recommend Shemeji to anyone who is looking for the trip of a lifetime.
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
A great Safari marred by a VERY poor quality vehicles - no satisfaction in getting replacements
Uhuru Travel regarding the vehicles provided for our recent safari with that company.
The vehicles advertised by Uhuru Travel were not provided and very inferior old vehicles were used despite our requests for replacements. We expected a vehicle similar to that in the pictures sent to us in an email but were transported in the sub-standard vehicles.
Apart from the age of the vehicle (manufactured in 1999, hence 20 years old), it had many unsafe features, namely:-
1. We were unable to open the one passenger door from inside the cabin - see pic 4 - jammed up against the seat and difficult to use
2. The seatbelts were difficult to attach and impossible to tighten
3. There was no left-hand rearview mirror - see pic 9
4. The seals were in a poor state
5. The bull-bar was dragging and had to be tied up - see pic 10
6. The seats were extremely uncomfortable - the backs were leaning uncomfortably too far whilst the seats all sloped making for a VERY uncomfortable ride
7. There was only one panic handle with considering the uneven and very bumpy roads further exacerbated the uncomfortable ride
8. The driver had to push up and down his window which was unsafe
9. Limited visibility through the windows
Finally, we paid extra for an upgrade of a vehicle which was not forthcoming.
We were given several promises to replace the vehicle with a better version followed by a number of excuses as to why we had to wait another day for one to be sent. No replacement vehicle was provided. Quote from a director "You don't need a Ferrari for a Safari".
We feel that this company has not been honest with us and has made what should have been a holiday to remember with pleasure and amazement to one of disappointment. We also feel that they have let you (Safari Booking Company) down. We can hardly recommend you or them as reliable sources for safaris in the future.
You may have noted our comments regarding our safari experience on TripAdvisor. I hope the above confirms our poor rating as being far from unfair.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
It was an unforgettable adventure with very experienced tour guides who made made us enjoy our trip
The communication was good, all our questions were answered to our satisfaction and the customer care was on point.
It was lovely seeing all those beautiful animals especially the Gorilla trek at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park which gave us an experience to remember and the beautiful Flamingos at Queen Elizabeth National Park. Try Tristar Africa Skimmer Safaris for your next trip and you will not regret.
IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
GREAT EXPERIENCE WITH ORONGAI
Our Safari with Orongai in Kenya was a wonderful experience.
We planned it and organized it in less than 10 days together with Martha, who was always very quick in answering our emails.
We picked the “7 days Safari” in Amboseli, Naivasha, Nakuru and Masai Mara; then we made a little modification on the accommodation for the last 2 nights, because we wanted to spend them in a tented camp (with an extra cost); this changing in the program caused a little problem at first: Ann did not quite understand well what we wanted and there was a problem with payment balance; Ann was not reachable and We could not get any answer, so We started our trip from Italy wondering if everything would have gone well; everything was fixed when we arrived in Nairobi with Martha (she waited for us at the hotel even if it was late in the night), who gave us back the money that we paid for our 2 nights in the tented camp, which Ann did not managed to organize.
The Safari tour is organized perfectly and in the most smart way, letting you discover the marvel of Masai Mara at the end of the trip, so that also the other National Reserves (which are wonderful itself) can be fully appreciated.
All the accommodations are very nice, clean and in proper order, giving you the sense of the African atmosphere.
(Maybe the first lodge in Amboseli was on a lower level compared to all the others, but still fair)
Last but not least, our guide: Kevin.
He has been the greatest guide!! Always on time, always ready to explain us something, whether it was about animals, nature or African culture.
Great animal spotter and a very nice guy.
We really enjoyed our experience with Orongai Africa Safari and we would recommend it to whoever wanted to make a Safari tour in Kenya.
Asante Sana Orongai!!
AE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing experience..
The best thing with Esther was that she was the first one to respond to my queries on Safaribookings. All the responses were prompt & clear and she made sure that everything is taken care of. It was a complete package (unlike quoted by few others)- right from pickup to drop off at Nairobi airport. The selection of lodges were also good. Her quick responses were indeed the game changer.. all requests were taken care of promptly which was great since we were travelling with kids (including 2 yr old).
The driver/guide was Tom - another fantastic guy.. knowledgeable and friendly.
I highly recommend trying Estleon at least once. This was one of an amazing and memorable tour we had.. thanks to Esther & Co.