20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
6-Day Lion Trail - amazing safari experience!
The most amazing experience! Olly, KB and Avaleno were absolutely superstars from the moment we met them...
We were travelling around Africa and went to Maun in Botswana to look for a specific safari through the Okavango Delta and Chobe National Park, ending up in Kasane. We wanted as long as we could get for what we had to spend. Got some quotes from a number of companies and chose the 6-Day Lion Trail with Skytheme Safaris as the best option, and knew we had made the right choice from the very start! We booked it 2 days before we went - Olly came over to meet us in our hostel and took us into town to pick up some last minute supplies, while he spent the rest of the day making the arrangements for us. He even upgraded our tent after seeing how tall my boyfriend is, and gave us comfier beds and upgraded our campsite locations for better animal viewings for the time of year. KB was our guide and Avaleno our chef and both were absolute superstars - it was a real pleasure to spend the week travelling around the national parks with them. KB was incredibly knowledgeable about the animals and their behaviours, so he knew when to stop and watch some interesting things unfold (impala standing to attention looking in one direction - lions around the corner; lions chilling under a tree with elephants nearby - the elephants chased them off!) and Avaleno made a beautiful campsite every single night and kept us delightfully full with absolutely delicious food for every single meal - even when we had lunch on the road we stopped and set up the table complete with table cloth and all the condiments you can think of. He even made bread from scratch on the camp fire, which was so delicious, and a birthday cake! We saw so many animals (all the big 5 and the ugly 5), and felt really lucky to be able to do a longer than the usual safari at 6 days, which meant we got to sit and observe animal behaviours and interactions more, which was wonderful. We have thousands of photos! Thank you Olly, KB and Avaleno - cherished memories for us of our time with you in beautiful Botswana! xx
IN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable and life changing experience ever
We had the most stunning outing this time! They were so kind and educated. We saw the most mind-blowing sights in Tanzania, including the scene and creatures!
His vehicles are clean, fantastic chefs, his staff is helpful & excellent guides. Highly recommended for others to experience too!
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Awesome Adventures with Yellow Zebra!
Yellow Zebra delivered on everything they promised and then some. Antonina Welfing helped with the logistical details. When we landed in Jo-burg, we were met and cared for at every stop of the journey. Every driver from Ilios travel was professional, on-time, and shared their experiences along the way. Amazing! One gentleman could spot a hyena basking in the mud at 2 Km away...we have the picture to prove it! The accommodations were outstanding. But most amazing of all were the safaris and camps that we visited. The staff were excellent at both Simbavati and Madikwe Hills. We give a shout out to our game drivers Caswell at Simbavati and Lucky and Max at Madikwe. They ROCK! You can rely on them to deliver you safely from a charging elephant...which they did. We can't wait to go back!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Safari
Our tour guide was amazing, helped us take great pictures and was non-stop taking pictures on his phone. You could tell he loved his job, the only guide I saw on the trip taking pictures. We saw lots of animals with loads of interesting info.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Kruger National Park by Bert
Kruger seems to be bush (where I was at least), which is more enclosed by vegetations, trees and hilly terrain. If you want the expansive type of visits where you see herds of giraffe galloping across the wide open plain, or the "great migration", my sense is that that is more in Kenya. But Kruger is exactly what it should be, and I was thrilled with my overall experience, and the plethora/variety of animals I saw. NEXT trip (Hopefully), I will go to Kenya, and then also see the gorillas in Rwanda. (I stand to be corrected if other areas of Kruger are more wide open. It's huge). I did NOT go to the public part of Kruger close to Johannesburg, for example, because I wanted to stay away from those crowds, so I can't comment on that area but the Youtube videos are not enticing (crowding, paved roads; undisciplined, "self drivers", etc).
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
My dream safari adventure come true
I decided to go "first class" as it was my trip of a lifetime and I wanted to go to more exclusive areas not open to the hordes of general public and self drivers and dozens of land rovers surrounding a pride of lions.... I was not disappointed. I stayed at "Kings Camp" and Notten's Bush Camp". I cannot recommend those camps highly enough. (Note that Notten's Bush Camp operates by night by candle and lantern light only - which is a bold move and you have to be into that. I found it really a great idea - set up a great, classic safari vibe, exciting and romantic, but I suppose you have to be into that. You were able to recharge electronics in your room at any time)
I especially commend Paperjet Travel - who worked on giving me the exact trip I wanted - and they found camps (in the mid season granted) who would not charge extra for single occupancy. I think I exchanged 35 emails with them over time. They answered every question promptly and generously, even questions about the drought in Cape Town and the potential strike by South Africa Airways (so - they supported me beyond the call). They put me at ease with detailed and accurate information. They tweaked my itinerary several times after giving me numerous options until it was exactly what I wanted. I can't recommend Paperjet highly enough. Ask for Jason. He is THE best.
Guides were every informative, congenial, accommodating - couldn't be better
Wildlife - we saw every conceivable animal. I stayed in two different camps so that I hedged my bets on seeing all animals. That turned out to be a great choice.
Accommodation was truly first class in every aspect. The food, the set up of the camps, design and architecture, amenities, the personnel, the service; I was treated like a king
Transportation was flawless from airports and between camps. Even the drivers acted as guides. They stopped once or twice to show me animals.
I was not at any disadvantage as a result of going "mid season". Animal sightings were excellent and plentiful
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Most of safari was fantastic, but disappointined with Galloping Safari Owner, Walter Tenga.
Our family safari in Ngorogoro and Serengheti with my two young adult children ( 18 and 21) was an incredible experience. Weather, variety and quantity of game viewed, Four Seasons Serengheti Lodge, Balloon ride and our safari tour guide, Kennedy, were all outstanding and lived up to all our expecations and more! I am, however, quite disappointed in Walter Tenga, the owner of Galloping Safaris. Our hotel the first night in Arusha was changed (downgraded) from the hotel documented on our itinerary, without any advance notice of the change. Mr. Tenga described the change as a "mistake". The hotel we stayed at was nice, but not nearly as nice the one stated on our itinerary. During our return from Serengheti to Arusha on the last day, we ran into a problem with our flight. We wer e told a flat tire on our small aircraft would result in over a two hour delay of our flight. I attempted to contact Galloping Safari Tour owner, Walter Tenga, for help. I called his office and cell phone multiple times, but he never answered and I was not able to leave a message. As a result of our delay, we missed a farewell luncheon at beautiful hotel on our last day and shopping time. No alternate lunches were provided, although I had already paid for these meals in our tour package. I contacted Mr. Tenga and requested a refund for our meals, but my request was ignored. Very disappointing. Last but not least, our Galloping Safari driver who took us back to the Killimanjaro airport seemed to misunderstand our flight information. Once I reviewed our departure time with him, he drove at a dangerously high speed to get us there on time. He was stopped by the police because he was driving so fast. When we entered the airport, my kids and I were met by security personnel because of our very late arrival to board our plane. All this made for a very stressful ending to an otherwise wonderful trip.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Phenomenal experience with Trek & Hide
The team at Trek & Hide created an experience we will never forget. We did a 6 day Kilimanjaro hike and a 3 day safari. The team (from the guides to the porters to the safari guide to the drivers) were instrumental in making this trip intimate and special for my group. I cannot recommend the company more.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Value for Private Safari
Our 4 day private safari was great. We really loved our guide, Amos. He was super friendly, enthusiastic, and knowledgeable. We felt the Safari was a great value, and definitely worth every penny. We really enjoyed the Land Cruiser upgrade-I think that makes a huge difference in the comfort and overall experience.
The only thing that could have been improved is if we had spent a bit more time at Lake Nakaru our final morning. It felt a bit short. We didn’t know what to expect but found Nakaru to be very photogenic and filled with great sights.
Also Jarika Lodge in Nakaru was a bit noisy until midnight or so, as they put us on second floor right above noisy lobby and parking lot. We asked to change rooms twice but they refused. It’s also not the best location in Nakaru as there’s nothing to really do around there. But we understand this was the budget option. The food there was good and especially the waiter Ben was one of the friendliest people we encountered.
We really enjoyed Jambo Mara aside from several power outages but understand that it is hard to maintain generators in the remote area. The staff was really friendly and the food was fine.
We will definitely recommend this trip. Thanks for all your help, Magdalene!