35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Overall great tour… our guide John was awesome!
Communication was great, good value for your money (Masai Mara tour). Our guide John was fantastic! He’s like our adopted brother now.
Safari honestly was the best part of our Kenya vacation.
Only negative was the actual Safari vehicle. Thought we were getting a land cruiser, but apparently that’s an up grade.
BG
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent
In April this Year Rupia adventure organized for me four days Mount Meru trekking and Lake Manjara, Ngorongoro and Tarangire safari. I decided to come back Tanzania in August and this time Rupia adventure organized for me Ol Doinyo Lengai trekking, Kikuletwa hot springs and Usambara mountain. Everything was excellent organized. Highly recommend Ol Doinyo Lengai trekking and Usambara mountain. This is really Tanzania .Thanks Rupia adventure
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Budget should not mean poor quality....
We read many reviews of various companies and chose Karibu because they seemed to offer a very professional service, they guaranteed maximum 6 people maximum per van (so everyone has a window seat) and apparently had good guides (so many reviews said the driver/guides were excellent!). We chose a 7 day safari to Maasai Marai, Lake Naivasha, Hell’s Gate, Lake Nakuru and Amboseli. Unfortunately, we were somewhat disappointed.
Booking, communication with Robert, payment and initial pick-up all went smoothly! Yay! But then…things started taking a downward turn…first, we were told that the planned itinerary was changing because we had 4 people joining us later…no worries. This change ultimately meant we spent more time in the car (so less time doing activities) and almost 2 hours waiting for the people to join. During that first day’s amended agenda, we went to Hell’s Gate park. Our driver/guide Castro kept telling us we needed to rent bikes and that he could not drive in the park…he pretty much dropped us off to negotiate bike prices on our own, it was a rather uncomfortable situation (which quite honestly should have pre-arranged or the negotiating done by him…the guide). Being new to Kenya we had no idea what would have been a reasonable price. Anyhow, we took bikes and rode into the park with a different guide who was assigned to us without any previous explanation. We did love the experience of riding the bikes, but it became obvious that our driver had not been fully honest with us as there were many groups driving through the park and disembarking for photo opportunities. Let’s just say that this first bit of “dishonesty” did not set us up for a relationship of confidence with our guide. Many little things like this kept happening along the way and it just made us uncomfortable and even frustrated at times. In fact, on more than one occasion, so-called “optional” activities were assigned to us without choice nor with any prior information and then the person providing that activity would expect some sort of extra payment, which we were never made aware of before.
That first night we were driven to a hotel that was not in the planning that was sent to us by Robert and when we asked about it, Castro said that the other hotel had called him to say they were fully booked and that we should go to this one. Again…seemed strange but, whatever, we went with the flow. A similar thing happened to us in Maasai Mara when we arrived at a different camp than what was on the planning. Since there were now 6 in our group at this point, everyone questioned the situation and Castro just seemed annoyed with us. He did not exhibit any sort of patience and eventually, in a huff, drove us off to the other camp at which apparently no reservation had been made and we were again put in an uncomfortable situation….we were told by the camp staff that the only tents available were “luxury” tents and that we would have to pay extra. Of course we refused, and after waiting for about 20 minutes…we were all assigned regular tents, although one couple (newlyweds) had to sleep in separate single beds. Just another awkward strange situation. Something similar again happened when we arrived at our assigned camp in Amboseli. Upon arrival, we were told that the reservation for our group had never been confirmed so that they did not really have the correct number of tents for us. So as a group, we ensured the newlyweds had the best accommodation, but that meant that the other two couples ended up with subpar, lower quality rooms (not tents) for their stay there. Don’t get me wrong, the staff at this camp were outstanding and they really did everything they could to make us comfortable (thank you Henry), the problem here lies with Karibu.
We did fully enjoy the game drives though and I must say, Castro was an excellent driver. He got us close to the animals and did everything possible to find them. That being said, he was really not a good guide. I realize this was a budget safari but basic guiding is not hard to provide (having worked in the tourism industry I feel I am well placed to say so). Simple basic information about the animals, people and places would have been appreciated. Common courtesies such as saying “Good morning, how are you?’’ or smiling on occasion do not cost the company or the guide any more and they make a big difference in the client’s experience. On some days Castro barely spoke to us and getting simple information about our day’s itinerary was at times like pulling teeth. We had to ask for water on many occasions and it felt like it was an inconvenience for Castro to give it to us, when it was supposed to be provided. Some days we got a small bottle each, some days we didn’t even get any. On one day, when we mentioned this, we got a snarky response from Castro of “well…did you ask for it?’’. Unfortunately, his attitude made us feel unwelcome and more of a burden to him than anything. We eventually all just pretty much stopped asking questions and tried to enjoy our game drives as much as possible.
There are probably another half dozen situations I could describe here that made our experience much less enjoyable than it could have been (not to mention the vehicle break-down which ended up having us wait for 5 hours for a replacement vehicle….these things happen of course, but it was the poor communication of it all and the lack of apology or any sense of compassion that made it a bad situation or the fact that there ended up being 7 of us in the van and we had to argue to ensure we remained at 6) , but I will limit myself to these.
Again, we saw some amazing animals. The game drives were excellent. But the guiding, organization and communication were very disappointing and quite below even a budget safari standards.
I would think twice before booking with Karibu.
AT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable experience
Our Uganda experience was unforgettable! Derrick, our guide, took great care of us and took us to the most beautiful places through half of whole country. The accomodations were always beautiful and we were treated exceptionally. The safaris and trekking were amazing, the nature incredible. We saw so many things, so many animals, we will not forget this trip. Derrick introduced himself to us as the best guide and he definitely lived up to that!
BE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
9 days of safari in Tanzania + 5 days in Zanzibar all in
At 58, I was finally able to make my dream come true with Safari Avventura that my daughter found on the internet after a lot of research. We went as a family (4 people) for 9 days of Safari in Tanzania (à la carte program) + 5 days of rest in Zanzibar all in full board with the same tour operator (Safari Avventura)
The organization of the stay (lodges + 2 nights in a camp in the middle of nature) was perfect, impossible not to marvel at all these wild animals that we used to see on television and which are there right in front of us In the flesh .
We were able to see the big five (Elephants, rhinos (from afar), buffaloes, lions and leopards) and many other animals.
We had great guides:
Calvin (French-speaking) who, through his great knowledge of animals, taught us a lot about their behavior and Richard, also a guide (English-speaking) who served as our driver because he knows every nook and cranny of the various nature reserves we have traveled through (Arusha - Tarangire - Ngorongoro-Serengeti-Lake Manyara). They allowed us to see many species very closely as well as breathtaking landscapes.
The comfortable and private 4x4 was fully equipped (fridge with unlimited drinks - sockets for charging devices - snacks)
The days were busy, departure around 8h-8h30, lunch in the middle of nature around 12h30-13h return around 18h-19h without forgetting the pee poses of course (impeccable toilets everywhere).
A very big thank you to Calvin and Richard who, through their knowledge, their good humor, their humor and their availability, made this Safari a wonderful, unforgettable stay.
Many thanks to Francis and Gianluca for the excellent choice of lodges and camp as well as for the perfect organization of the whole stay.
Aisha & Eric
(automatic translation from French)
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best safari experience!
These guys are the best. Everything as agreed in the contract. Due to flight cancelation we arrived late in the night and they picked us up at the airport. Communication was always very professional and fast by mail.
But the best of our safari was our driver Evans. He knew all the animals and how they behave. We saw the BIG 5 and many more. Evans was always very patient and kind. Thanks for making this safari an unforgetable experience!
IL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
5 Star Safari Guide, William Augustine, organized, professional
William, from Gosheni Safari, is an outstanding guide. It’s the second time that William guided us on safari. He goes the extra mile to make sure we are 100% satisfied. He is personable, knowledgeable and has a great sense of humor. I highly recommend William, you’ll love your time with him.
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Dickson Mutaiti was a great guide!
Today 12-09-2022 I went on a great gamedrive with my driver Mr Dickson. Mr Dickson did his best to show us all the animals we wished to see! On 11-09-2022 we were first pickedup by the company who brought us to the safari camp, it was a long but fun ride, the driver Mr Dickson did his best to make us all comfortable as possible and asked regularly if we are comfortable. The night I stayed in Lenchadacamp, a basic camp for safari's. On 12-09-2022 we started our great safari trip with Mr Dickson, the first thing he asked was which animals we wanted to see, I answered Lions! And another girl in my group answerd Hippo, Mr Dickson did his best to show us all the animals. It was a long but lovely day and we felt very comfortable, our guide/driver knew everything about the animals we saw and answered all our questions, we even went to the border stone between Tanzania and Kenya, which was a great experiance. The animals I saw were Giraffe, Lion (2 times!), Hippo, gazelle, impala, buffalo, eland and many more! I really enjoyed my day with Mr Wilson, I think he was a great driver and would for sure book with him again if I come here!
PT
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Highly professionals loving their very unique Country yet committed to share It with us/clients
From Responsible travel, I was given Ann´s contact, with whom it became my pleasure to organize our trip. Communications were soon very easy and information provided always clear and up to the point regarding my questions/requests. After many mails back and forth we agreed on a trip plan and budget (I am very picky but Ann is extremely nice).
I must say that the whole trip was an awe inspiring experience, more than I ever expected. Arusha, Tarangire and Central Serengeti National Park are stunning both in what concerns the diverse scenery, even inside the parks and the richness of animal life. The later Parks are huge and deserve longer stays; I wish I had that previous knowledge when I did the planning, although I made the right decision in staying 3 nights inside Serengeti. Not at all enough, I guess that 6 nights at least in 2 different lodges might be a better option. However I never asked Ann, because she always answered honestly and straightforward.
All lodges had different levels of good service/food and facilities, yet one of the treasured unexpected experiences is that Tanzanian people are naturally friendly with an unassuming disposition to fulfill our requests or expectations; everything is very clean, in or outside the lodges.
Hence preparation/information were reliable and what we finally experienced was worth every penny.
BUT, it was the Human factor which raised the whole trip to a much higher, impossible to describe level. This refers to the drivers/Guides we had. Nathan only 1 day for Arusha, afterwards ABU; both are excellent in knowledge of everything, from animals to those devious twisting unpaved roads. Of course ABU took care of us for a much longer period and we became very attached to ABU, always in good mood, sweet, caring, attentive with (in his words) an "intuition to suspect were less common animals would be". Just imagine a full list of good, positive characteristics to ascertain to ABU; of course we became friends, impossible not to; we miss him.
In short, I am well traveled thus I recognize a great trip; I am certain that I will return for a longer, less rushed tour with the same TEAM: Ann+ her terrific Guides, ABU if at all possible.
THIS WAS A GREAT TRIP! THANKS.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Reliable Service and Responsive throughout the process
We had a wonderful Safari experience throughout our trip. Wayne has been very helpful and responsive since the start of the planning. He inquired the availability of various private lodges based on our travel dates and was able to find us Chitwa Chitwa and had one of the best experiences ever. They were able to accomodate a free night deal as well. The transportation from Joburg to Sabi Sands and the return was also taken care of by the local representative. We highly recommend the Kruger Safari Co for planing the Safari trips and getting advices on the accommodation options.