NL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Another great experience with Tailor Made Safaris!
For the second time we booked a tour in the Northern part of South Africa. Together with friends, we decided to go this time for the 'Kruger Tour'. Two years ago, we did the tour in the north-eastern area (Durban region to Mozambique). Like two years ago everything went smooth; we had some extra requests in our trip and Claire took care of that in a wonderful way. We are very grateful for that. In almost three weeks we've been to nine different places and lodges or tents and they all were fantastic. We had a great time!
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Great safari off the beaten track
Having had safaris in several other African countries this was our first safari to Kenya and it compared very favourably. Daniel arranged a luxury safari off the beaten track exactly as we requested. Rather than following the more common tourist routes, our safari was based around the central Kenyan parks covering lakes, highlands and semi-arid areas. A diverse range of habitats with an equally diverse range of mammals (which included the big 5) and birds.
Accommodation ranged from lodges to hotels to tents and all were very good to excellent. Peter was our driver/guide. He was extremely capable both as a guide and a driver, and very patient when we struggled to see the animals.
Overall an excellent, well organised safari. I would use Transtrek again if we visit Kenya in the future.
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
An amazing experience in Uganda
I took a 10 day Safari in July.
Firstly our guide - Patrick. What a lovely man. His knowledge of the animals, environment and the park rangers was remarkable and seemingly never ending! His experience as a ranger enabled us to meet more people and have a continuously engaging journey
Accommodation. I selected mid-range. This was fine. I usually do 4 or 5 stars and it was not at that level, but I was happy and had only a few minor, very minor issues. Don't forget you are staying in the middle of National parks!
Transport. We did have a few issues with the vehicle, but Patrick dealt with them really well. We did not miss out on any part of the itinerary.
Wildlife. So many animals to see! We were so lucky to see so many. Certainly, Patrick's knowledge was a great help. of course, the animals roam as they choose! the gorilla's are incredible.
Achieve as a company. My contact was Jolie. She is so patient and answered all my questions promptly and nicely.
A good company all round!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Superb - Knowledgeable, safe experienced guides. Natural wonderland. Comfortable. Great food. Fun
Anita and I did the same 3 night canoe safari 22 years ago with Shearwater, and enjoyed it so much that we returned with our children - Sam(21), Lucy(19), Tom (16). We did the Tamarind safari with Zera and Manu, both incredible guides - so well informed about the river and its flora and fauna, and we felt safe and well looked after in a wild environment. Both are lovely people who are a pleasure to spend time with. The natural beauty of this part of the river is astounding, and canoeing through the river/island channels is an extraordinary experience. We were very pleased to be active in our camping role, tents very adequate, though a main zip problem with one. Manu created simple but delicious meals. We saw lots, learnt lots, and as a family had a terrific experience. Sad to finish it - would like to do safari further downstream another time. Hornbill lodge is lovely and thank you for your great cooking Sunny and hospitality. Our 2 days at Mana Zambezi camp were Excellent - nice drives and walks and lovely to be on the river. Mark van Z great value. Thank you for a lovely 6 days, its a very professionally run operation - would love to come back.
CN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Superb Experience with Animals!
The communication with Lion King is smooth and efficient. They provides very good service in terms of transportation, accommodation and everything. The journey is totally up to our expectations. The safari tour is amazing, Especially with the help of our wonderful guide Petro who is an extremely interesting and learned fellow. We have learned so much about the ecosystem of the national parks and conservative areas, thanks to the diligent introduction and effort made by Petro. He did a wonderful job as a driver, a guide and even a friend to us. We are thoroughly touched by his hospitality.
IN
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
great
very good service, the guide was very helpful. they meet our expectations.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent trip, very thoughtful service, nice people.
Everything was fantastic. I went on a solo trip( except the driver), the trip was very safe and pleasant.
DK
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Kenyan Safari!
Visiting Africa and going on a Safari for the first time, you really don’t know what to expect. Through Safaribookings.com we quickly zoomed in on Beacon Safaris as they offered the locations we were looking for and they had amazing reviews. Robert, the owner of Beacon, was quick to respond and very flexible in accommodating our special requests: we started out with an 8-Day Best of Kenya Safari and ended up with 9 fantastic days through which we feel we got a good understanding of the true Kenya.
In the morning of our first safari day we were picked up at the hotel by our guide Daniel. We were going to spend the majority of the next 9 days with him, so no wonder we were a little anxious to meet him: what if we didn’t get along - that would make it 9 very long days... Now, Daniel turned out to be one of the nicest persons we have ever met; very knowledgeable about his country, it’s parks and animals, and it’s customs and politics (when spending so much time together you do get to speak about topics other than the Big Five). Make no mistake about it, your guide is the most essential part of a successful safari and Daniel is the best ambassador his company and his country could ever ask for.
And how did our safari go? We saw everything we came for - and several times. We saw big families of elephants and giraffes grassing the savannah and crossing rivers. We saw a leopard with her cub chilling in an old tree top. We saw lions hunting and eating a wildebeest. We saw a huge group of hippos hanging out in a mud pool. We saw lots of black and white rhinos (in Ol Pejeta we even got to feed sugar canes to the old and blind black rhino Baraka). We saw thousands and thousands of wildebeest migrating from the Serengeti through the Masai Mara - including their spectacular crossing of the Mara river. And we saw cheetahs, buffalos, gazelles, crocodiles, hyeanas and many, many other animals. Daniel made sure we were always at the right spot at the right time!
Finally, a few pieces of advice:
Make sure you go for the Land Cruiser; is does cost a little extra but it is money well spend (regardless, however, you will be aching all over after the long and bumpy drives).
Make sure you pick a least a few tented camp; it’s a unique experience to hear the sounds of the savannah at night and you feel as if you’re almost sleeping with the wild animals (which is a good thing on a safari...).
Be aware that the roads in Kenya can be as bad as you can possibly imagine. As a consequence, getting from one park to another will be quite time consuming.
And make sure you ask for Daniel to be your guide and everything will be just fine!
IN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Professional, caring and highly recommended operators
We reached out to several tour operators for our Tanzania safari, and Lion King was impressive right from the beginning in the detail of its itinerary and willingness to quickly customize it to our needs. The safari itself was quite literally the best experience we had ever had together as a family. Gilbert, our guide and driver, was an extremely calm, knowledgeable and diligent host, who took care of all our requests with a smile on his face. The accommodation arranged for us was pricey but entirely worth it and we would not change a thing about our whole experience. Kudos to the team at Lion King and Gilbert, our incredible guide.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Awesome Transportation and Safari for a Family of 12
In our previous two visits to Tanzania, Fresh Mood Treks provided our transportation and safari needs. On this trip, our third, we had no hesitation to contact them again for airport pickup, coaster transportation to destination, safari, and return transportation to the airport. The team is conscious, knowledgeable, friendly, punctual and always looking out for our best interests. They don't disappoint, have reasonable rates, and care about you as a traveler. I highly recommend Fresh Mood Treks.