DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect Organisation and very helpful.
Many thanks to luca and david for the great organization and implementation of the hike.
I chose the marangu tour with an acclimatization day.
It was a great experience. Despite that we hiked at the start of the rainy season, we had very good weather conditions and the huts very also not very crowded.
The team was carried out including a cook, three porters and a guide (in German on request). the team gave me very good support and advice. I was particularly amazed at the quality of the food. delicious and varied dishes were prepared (there was always more than enough to eat).
The communication before was very good and easy. I was even able to rent missing equipment from David at fair prices. All in all, I would be happy to recommend the company
Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Joseph Thuo is a great driver and a guide too
Joseph Thuo is a great driver with alot of experience and respect too.He is also a great guide knows about animals and their habbitats.I would recommend this company for the great work they are doing
PL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Overall amazing experience
Overall amazing experience, highly recommended and one of the best trips in my life!! The booking process with Patricia Landau was perfect- she was very helpful and ready to answer all of the questions. I really loved Marc's Treehouse Lodge which was stunning- the lodge was rather an experience than an accomodation, and it was gorgeous! The tents are located near the river, in a game reserve- in the night you can hear hyenas calling, lions roaring and thousands of insects and birds- such an incredible feeling to fall asleep with all these animals around. Tremisana was very good too, but little bit old and basic, nice but not as unusual as Marc's was. The way to the lodge was quite long (>7h) but the landscapes are fantastic and you can take beautiful pics. The first sunset drive was amazing- we have spotted lots of stunning animals and the pictures from my camera came out GREAT. Balule Nature Reserve is very good for animal sightings, its easy to spot the BIG 5 (even though we have not seen the leopard, but it's just a bad luck, because most of the Viva Safari's clients have seen it; although we have seen lots of rhinos which I was very looking forward to, and I loved it!!). The boma BBQ was very nice and we even had a hyena that came to boma looking for some food- astounding experience!! The bushwalks were amazing ), so were the guides (credits to Smiley/Hakuna Matata, Joshua and Quinton)- very informative, you can really experience the bush and get some knowledge about it. Moholoholo Rehab Centre was very interesting, it was shocking to get the knowledge about pouching and poisoning the rhinos. The game drives were usually stunning too, but unfortunately we had no luck in Kruger- no predators at all, but the safari was nice anyway. Although I think the full-day Kruger safari is organised at the wrong part of the day- you leave the lodge at 8:00 and arrive at 10:00 or later so you miss the early morning, where most of the animals are active and easier to spot. Then you are driving around noon and afternoon when its superhot and many animals are just hiding looking for some cooler places. Then around 17:00 starts another very good part of the day to spot animals as the sun goes down, but unfortunately you leave around 16.30-17:00 so you miss another great part of the day when animals are most active. Therefore I think the full-day Kruger isn't really good organised. I've seen many reviews from people complaining about that and Viva Safaris claiming in the answers that in this area of the park, the time you do the game drives is the best part of the day. I find this statement not true, and even our safari guides repeated many times that during our drives (between 10:00-16:30) it is way too hot and it might be hard to spot animals, which in fact was true, as sometimes we were driving an hour without seeing anything. Obviously I am very aware that safari sightings are never guaranteed, Kruger is a HUGE area and you need a lot of luck too, but basing on 2-days safari in Kruger we did, I think it should be organised other way, e.g. to leave the lodge earlier so that you don't miss the morning drive. I think the menagement was little bit hectic too- very often we were waiting for other clients from other lodges and sometimes we were late. Unfurtunately guides at Tremisana were sometimes late too- at one of our game drives we started with a 20min delay, then drove away just to get the information that we need to be back because 2 more clients are left at the lodge and someone needs to take them- eventually the game drive lasted 1h 15min instead of 2h.
I need to mention one more thing which I found bad- on our first day the driver (Salomon the 1st I guess) was stopped by the guardians at the highway gate- it came out that Viva Safaris has not payed some fees (?) and we were stuck there for almost an hour! The driver did not say anything to us, except of that he has a problem and Viva paid the fees but the money were not transfered yet (but he told us about it after an hour of waiting and we were really confused and stressed out as no one knew what was going on). Then he was taken into the car by the guardians and just drove away with them leaving us alone in the middle of nowhere and wihout any explanation. We didn't know if he is arrested or what. Later, to speed up this process one of the clients paid the fees with his own money so that we won't miss our sunset game drive. I find that very unprofessional and whatever Viva Safaris paid or did not pay the client shouldn't be the one to rescue with his own money. It was very bad that the driver did not tell as what was going on for about an hour and left as alone driving away with the guardians. We almost missed our sunset drive and actually we were late for it, starting the game drive when the sun was already gone. Many clients were frustrated and the atmosphere was very tense. After that everything was just perfect and rest of the trip was an amazing experience. Although I suggest changing the pick-up time for earlier during the autumn/winter when the days are quite short- Viva Safaris collect people around 9.15-9.45 from Joburg, the drive to the lodge is about 7 hours, then after coming to the lodge you need to check in and order the drinks for the boma, and the sun (in autumn) goes down at 17:20 which means the schedule is very tight that day and even the small delay may result in missing the sunset and starting the sunsed drive after the sun is already gone. I suggest to collect people earlier, e.g. 8-8:30 to avoid situations like this. I also did not like the way back to Joburg with Salomon the 1st tbh- I told and written down 3 times the drop off location and he actually drove us to the another hotel. Thankfully I was aware of it and quickly recquired the change. Then he made some inapropriate comments (suggesting that I find black people dangerous and he will "take us to a place where we can't see them") when I asked if the area is safe (not only my thought, other clients shared my opinion). I found that improper as I have never said anything about anyone, just asked if the area in which our hotel is located was safe and if we can go out.
Even though I pointed out some disatvantages, overall I think that trip with Viva Safaris was AMAZING, would love to do it again and I will remember it till the end of my life and I highly recommend it. Kruger is a beautiful place, with amazing landscapes, so beautiful and wild, I only regret not seeing any predators. The prices are very good for what they offer, and the quality for that price is great. I especially loved Marc's Camp which was the coolest thing I have ever slept into!!
If you are hesitating about choosing trip with Viva Safaris- you should go for it, especially when you are looking for a budget but still very good safari.
CN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great agency for Tanzania
Great travel agency for Tanzania. It was our first time to Africa and knowing nothing about the Safari, Game drive, etc. But they have very nice guys to be communicated with. They even have a agent based in China called Cindy, who is very kind and helpful. We travelled to Zanzibar and Serengeti, every details can be customized (hotels, car transfer, food...). Most importantly, the safari of serengeti was wonderful, the easy-going and experienced guide William is able to find many different animals in the endless grass plain, and taught us fruitful knowledge with patience. They will even conduct a simple welcome party just after your flight landed. Everything perfect, they made our Tanzaniz trip an unforgettable one.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Absolutely Amazing!!!
Hard to put into words how absolutely unbelievable our safari experience was, but if I had to choose one, it would be: amazing. My husband and I had never been to Africa before, and I can safely say thanks to our wonderful experience with all the Lion King staff, including Kabwe from the tour office, who was incredibly detail-oriented, thorough and patient in answering my many questions leading up to the trip, as well as our incredible tour guide, Ozzie, we will definitely be planning a return trip. We could not have possibly asked for a better guide. Ozzie was caring, kind, funny and personable, in addition to being an awesome driver, incredibly talented at spotting all the wildlife and in addition just an all around great guy. He always took care to make sure we were comfortable each day, found the perfect spot in each of the parks to set up an awesome lunch for us, and took the time to get to know us, and understand what we were most excited about seeing in each of the parks, then made it his mission to find that particular animal so we could get an up close and personal look. We saw just about every animal possible: Lions, elephants, giraffes, cheetas, zebra, buffalo, hippos, monkeys and even a rhino! His dedication, experience and professionalism came through in all our dealings with him throughout, and his great respect for the animals as well as the kindness he showed to the other park workers, drivers, etc. put us immediately at ease. He was instrumental in helping to make our trip absolutely unforgettable, and we have already recommended him to friends of ours going on safari this summer. Truly a once in a lifetime trip, and so glad we trusted Lion King Adventures to help bring it to life!
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Beautiful animals, beautiful scenery and beautiful people!
Kenya exceeded all expectations! From the moment we landed until we came home we were in awe of the people, the scenery and the animals!
EG
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
I am lost for words about its beauty, its people, the hospitality and its nature.
Arriving at the airport I was not harrassed as I waited for my guide to pick me up. The roads were in pretty good condition as we made our way out of Nairobi and towards the Maasai Mari.
Whilst there you had the usual pushy street sellers but they were at a minimum. Hospitality was excellent and I put on so much weight as the food was delicious!!!
Please remember you are doing safari. If you are someone who lives and breathes internet connection 24/7 go elsewhere. I found the tourists there quite irritating with some of them incesantly whining about it.
My kenya trip of 2023 is in my top 3 trips of all time. If safari is something you are considering deffinately go there. If you want to see some of the breathtaking photos I was able to get as a good amature photographer check out..
www.unsplash.com/@starkie_pics
IN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
If its Kenya, it better be Baboon!
After much research, we chose Baboon for our trip to Kenya and they did not disappoint! They had options starting with low $$ all the way upto luxury ones and we chose the mid-range packages
In an unknown land, their drivers+Guides made us feel so comfortable, almost like we were at home! They were there to pick up from the airport, and the transitions from each location to another were super smooth. The guides know Kenya really well and have been doing this for many years, their experience is unmatched!
The guides would go out of their way to give us an authentic experience, showing us all the Big5, and other animals. Highly professional team
Right from the start, Dennis, their team leader helped us pick the right accommodation options, gave us great pricing, and arranged everything just how we liked it.
The two guides we had on our trip were Bonifas and Joseph and they were both the best guides we could have asked for!
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Friendly, willing to think along, fun, organized, relaxed
Alpine arranged our 4 day safari. We booked only shortly in advance. Erick was able to meet with all our requests. We had a very kind, fun and relax guide; Savio. If you have a change, he for sure will make your trip extra nice.
The car we drove was spacious, able to open the roof and all the accommodations were very pretty.
After the trip Erick helped us with some other activities as well. If you need a friend and helping hand in Tanzania, Erick and Savio are great to have on your side.
Thanks a lot :)
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
The tuor operator was efficient, professional and knowledgeable.
Our tour operator was called Hamisi, my friend and I had booked Felins de la plaine Sans to view game in Manyara, Ngorongoro, Ndutu and lastly Serengeti! It was such a memorable experience. All our requests were met fully.The hotels we stayed were excellent, and the service we got was outstanding. What impressed me most was the knowledge that Hamisi had regarding all the animals we saw. He even had a book to show us pictures of different animals and species. I returned much more enlightened and refreshed. My friend and I are planning to visit Tarangire next, and we will without a doubt book with this same tour operator.
