BE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Guarantee for a great holiday
Via a Dutch travel agency, we (a Belgian family of 5) have been brought in contact with Caracal Tours & Safaris. Based on some trip examples, I made my own proposal of an exploration of North Tanzania with more safari and less beach. Marion of Caracal Tours & Safaris then returned with a great trip schedule taking my wishes into account and by adding some very promising extras (a.o. seeing the great wildebeest migration and the possibility to climb the Ol Doinyo Lengai volcano). Also the reservations of lodges must not have been easy because we were quite late (end of May for the trip in July) to plan this travel. It was so good to be in contact with such an experienced person.
Ben, co-owner of Caracal Tours & Safaris, was our driver and guide. A really kind man with great knowledge of the wildlife. Travelling with him gave us a holiday without any worries. Beside the common visited national parks, he was also familiar with the less known areas. Thanks to his experience and good eye for spotting animals, we have seen more kinds of animals than we ever expected to be able to see! I especially also appreciated his respect for the animals and nature in general.
So, I certainly recommend Caracal Tours & Safaris for its good experience, flexibility, and kind people.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Look no further for the perfect African Safari Tour!
Amazing, beautiful and breath-taking 3 day tour of Amboseli National Park in Kenya. Joseph Mwangi was our guide. He was knowledgable, insightful, passionate, reliable and a delight as a tour guide. He made sure the entire trip went smoothly and was very flexible with our time schedules. Amboseli was all that and more - vast plains of wildlife from playful hyena pups to the majesty of lions after a kill. Would recommend Nature's Wonderland Safaris without hesitation.
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
In a word, empathetic. Gama our tour operator was outstanding in guiding us throughout our Safari.
Navigating a different culture from one that you are familiar is always a challenge. Losing your luggage in a foreign country is especially challenging.
Lion King Adventures stepped-in with phone calls, transportation and paper work to solve our problem.
The serve that we received was impeccable.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Highly Recommended
I highly recommend Kudu Hills Safaris, it was exactly what I was looking for.
Benard is the owner and he was an excellent guide. He was responsive to feedback, looking to provide all requested (and unrequested) accommodations.
One real bonus was his prowess as a photographer. He took hundreds of pictures and shared them with us. A real added bonus since the only pictures I get of myself are usually posed or selfies, and they don't capture the moment.
He selected comfortable accommodations, and the whole group was pleased.
We went to Maasai Mara, and it is a magical place, and you will certainly enjoy the magic.
I recommend people who really want to experience the wildlife to get a high quality guide like Benard. We saw two prides of lions, cheetahs, and hundreds of elephants and etc. but, not everyone sees lions or cheetahs. Knowledgable guides will give you better chances of seeing the animals you are hoping to see in the wild, and more information about all of the animals you see and what you may be able to expect.
There are no guarantees that can be made, you may be get lucky, but a good guide increases your luck.
Safari means journey, make it an enjoyable one!
AT
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fabulous Safari with FAAS and Best Guide NELSON
Thanks to our great guide Nelson, the safari has become a real experience, we have thanks to him
2x the migration of the wildebeest and the Big Five
get to see. If you also want to experience this safari, you should definitely do it with Guide Nelson.
CH
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It was an unforgettable experience!
It was very well organised from start to finish. We were picked up at 4am from our resort in Zanzibar and taken to the airport. After checking in and boarding we arrived at Nyerere National park at 07.30 to start the safari. Our guide was waiting for us and asked us which animals we would like to see. Lucky for us, we saw them all - elephants, lions, hippos, giraffes, crocs, monkeys, zebra, water buffalo (dead and alive!) and more!
We stopped for lunch at around midday and started to make our way back to the airport around 14.30. We were back in Zanzibar around 16.00.
As the 1 day Nyerere National Park trip starts very early, I would ask Shammah Wonders to think about providing a quick coffee/tea and some pastries in the morning when guests arrive at the park. This would be highly appreciated because it was long morning to not have eaten since 3.30am (when we woke up and got ready). Other than that, the trip was super and our safari guide Fide was brilliant!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Nice and beautiful
It was really a great experience. Our guide Mandela was a knower of all the places an all the kinds of animals. We have seen all. He his really the best.
The only think was the food inveje night. Good but it can be better.
I highly recommend.
RU
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent, guys provide max quality service on Kilimanjaro (Machame route).
Stephen and his Team are professionals in all aspects, if you want to be sure in summit achievement you ought to deal with Adventure Makers!!!
CH
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Lovely and great time with Samuel
I joined a 4-days/3-nights camping safari to Serengeti/Ngorongoro/Tarangire. I was already in Arusha, so I didn't book online but through an intermediary. I paid in the office of Inn safari Hotel, they work together with some safari companies.
I can highly recommend this tour, espacially with our guide and chef.
Samuel, the guide, was very much engaged to make us happy. He was a bit calmer than other countryman which I really enjoyed! I felt very safe in his car. He has a good eye and acknowledge for the nature and a big love for his job.
Also we were so lucky with Gadi our chef. In these 4 days I ate more different things than in the rest of the two months in Tanzania :D and it was always very tasty - chakula kizuri!
Asante sana Gadi and Samuel for the time with you!
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge and Nkuringo Safaris in Uganda were a great combination
Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge is located high on a ridge in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Uganda, with Nkuringo village a short distance away. We flew from Entebbe to Kisoro, the nearest airport to our lodge which was then a 1.5 hour drive up into the mountains on a bumpy track! Water is not available on the ridge for either the villagers or the lodge. Tankers bring it for the lodge from Kisoro; there was no lack of it at the lodge. The villagers use rain water or have to carry it up from the valley during the dry season. The lodge’s location provides fantastic views of the mountains and valleys. Our garden cottage, Garinga 7, may have had the best view of all, looking down over the stepped gardens and the valley and mountains beyond, and up to the main part of the lodge. The latter was a huge, high-ceilinged room with a bar and seating in one corner, a large restaurant area and a comfortable seating part for relaxation. There was also a terrace running round 2 sides with tables and chairs, all with great views. Wi-fi was available here.
Our room and bathroom were large and decorated with a superb, large, brightly coloured multimedia picture above the bed and other African artifacts around. There was a fireplace where a charcoal fire was lit by our house-keeper every night while we were at dinner; she also put hot water bottles in the bed! At the time we were there, early August, it was mostly cloudy and became quite chilly in the evenings, so these were very welcome.
Given the remote location and lack of water, availability of food items was inevitably limited but everything was beautifully presented and the service throughout could not be faulted. One of the tiers in the gardens was used for the cultivation of vegetables in tiny plots, separated by empty wine bottles stuck upside down in the soil to prevent erosion. All the staff were very friendly and helpful. South African wines were available and local beer, of course!
Each evening, we were entertained by groups of local boys, women and children dancing and singing. This felt really authentic, not least because all those performing so clearly enjoyed themselves. The local people were poor and the ladies made attractive local woven items such as baskets, mats, trays and plant pots to sell. The local economy was very dependent on tourism.
I would highly recommend staying at the Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge for gorilla tracking in this area of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.
We had booked two 1 hour viewings of the gorillas. Tourists were taken to one of the entrances to the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park where they were divided into groups of 8 each with a guide. Porters gathered to offer their services. They would carry items not immediately needed, such as spare water, rainwear etc. They also provided assistance where the track was steep, slippery or just difficult. Some people felt they were not required but they supported their families and communities in their villages and we hired one each, each day, for this reason. My husband didn’t really need his, but I did! The cost was US$15 pp per day. This went to a central association, so we gave the porters extra for themselves and their families. If anyone starts their trek and find that they are unable to complete it, it is possible for the guides to radio for an “African Helicopter”. This was a stretcher carried by a group of 8 men who would carry the individual to see the gorillas and then back to the lodge. It cost US£380. One couple that we met had budgeted for this!
Trackers stay with each gorilla family, one male silverback and his females and babies, from about 6.00 to 18.00 when they had settled down for the night. In this way, they could tell the guides the following morning approximately where they would be. On our first tracking experience, we drove for about 1.5 hours to the Rushaga Sector. It seemed that tourists were allocated to groups by the HQ in Kampala with no consideration of age, gender or fitness! Our own guide had managed to arrange for us to meet the Mishaya family in this sector where the going was relatively flat, easy and short. He knew that I was concerned that, although I was quite fit, I was 76!
Our second tracking experience was from our own Nkuringo sector and the entrance was only a short drive from the lodge. However, the trek was very different! We started down the long, steep side of the valley on one side of the ridge. After a while, the front of my thighs turned to jelly! On the lower slopes there were tea plantations and there were paths that zig-zagged across rather than straight down the side of the valley. After this, we crossed the border into the National Park and the forest. Happily, our family, Christmas, was not far from the edge of the Park. Christmas was the name of the silverback and had been born on Christmas Day. The previous day, Christmas had led them down to the bottom of the valley and up the other side!
The guides, trackers and porters were all excellent, friendly and efficient. I would certainly recommend Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Safaris as well as the lodge.