US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable Safari Experience with Africa Zim
I rarely write reviews, but my recent safari with Africa Zim was so extraordinary that I felt compelled to share my experience. Planning a safari can be overwhelming—tedious, nerve-wracking, and expensive—but Africa Zim made it seamless. I highly recommend them for your next adventure.
Booking Process
After extensive research via Reddit and Lonely Planet's Southern Africa guidebooks, I decided on a safari itinerary that included Moremi GR, Chobe NP, a night in the Delta, a Mokoro excursion, and a full day at Victoria Falls to visit Devil’s Pool and enjoy an additional excursion. With a budget of around $2200 USD per person for a 9-day safari, I initially planned for three people, eventually expanding to five (all mid-20s females).
I contacted over 10 safari companies through Safaribookings.com with my dream itinerary. Africa Zim stood out for their pricing, itinerary customization, and ease of communication. They perfectly tailored our itinerary and efficiently accommodated additional travelers. While there were minor issues with the itinerary PDFs (such as incorrect day counts), Africa Zim assured me of accuracy and handled updates promptly. Their guidance on what to do, when, and how many nights to spend in each location was invaluable.
Itinerary
Our safari included: Fly into Maun, Moremi (2 nights camping), Okavango Delta (1 night camping), Elephant Sands Lodge (1 night), Chobe NP Lodge (2 nights), and Victoria Falls Lodge (2 nights), departing from Victoria Falls airport.
The Trip
We were warmly greeted by Julius (from Go Bold) and Muto (from Africa Zim) at Maun airport in an open-air safari vehicle. Go Bold was subcontracted by Africa Zim for the Botswana portion of our trip. Julius, our fantastic guide for the first three nights, drove us to our Moremi campsite, where Chef G and Trey welcomed us. Chef G prepared incredible meals, and Trey’s presence added great fun to our experience.
The two days in Moremi were filled with exciting game drives and wildlife sightings. On the third day, we transferred to the Delta, where we camped on an island, enjoyed Chef G's meals, and participated in bush walks with our knowledgeable guides, Double K and Bathusi. Their expertise and enthusiasm greatly enhanced our Delta experience.
After our Delta adventure, we said heartfelt goodbyes to Julius, Trey, and Chef G, who had made our time unforgettable. Muto took over, driving us to Elephant Sands, a pleasant halfway point with elephants visiting the watering hole near our lodgings.
In Chobe, we stayed at Kwalape Lodge, where we enjoyed game drives and a river cruise. Special thanks to our guide Lops for his outstanding guiding skills and positive energy.
Crossing into Zimbabwe, we added a thrilling Zambezi white-water rafting adventure to our itinerary (Shoutout Martin “Sugar” Impala for being an awesome raft guide), visited a local market, and enjoyed lunch at one of Muto’s favorite spots. At Nguni Lodge, we took a sunset booze cruise on the Zambezi and experienced the Livingstone Island/Devil’s Pool tour—an absolute highlight! Muto’s local knowledge and warmth made our time in Victoria Falls even more special. We treated Muto and his family to a traditional dinner at The Boma, where we celebrated birthdays and enjoyed a drumming session with the entire restaurant.
Final Thoughts
Muto drove us to the airport the next morning, and we bade farewell. The hospitality and joy of every guide, chef, and helper were remarkable. Africa Zim's motto to “Pack a sense of humor… It’s Africa!” truly resonated with us. Every person we met was eager to share jokes and ensure we had a memorable time.
Takeaways:
* Moremi GR: Camping in the reserve was extraordinary, surrounded by constant wildlife. Facilities were well-maintained with dedicated bathrooms and delicious meals.
* Chobe NP: Staying outside the park required a short drive to the entrance but offered fantastic wildlife viewing.
* Guided vs. Self-Drive: I highly recommend guided tours. Guides communicate via radio to update each other on sightings, enhancing the experience significantly.
* Tipping: While Africa Zim recommended $10/person per guide per day, it’s challenging to predict the exact amount needed due to varying numbers of guides. Ensure you have access to ATMs.
* Food: Delicious and accommodating to dietary needs with many Western options available.
I cannot recommend Africa Zim, Julius, Chef G, Trey, Double K, Bathusi, Lops, Muto, and his family enough. Thank you for making our safari the trip of a lifetime.
JP
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
I fully enjoyed the best of Uganda.
I participated in a tour of gorillas and national parks. There were no issues, everything went smoothly, and it was an intensely packed five days. The hotel was clean, and the food was delicious.
My guide, Nathan, was very kind and flexible with any small changes. He was also knowledgeable about birds and explained every species we observed. Above all, he was a funny guy, and it's no exaggeration to say that he made the trip more enjoyable.
The days spent traveling around Uganda in a Land Cruiser remain a vivid memory for me.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Cearl Marney planned the perfect vacation for us!
We started with only a vague idea of what we wanted out of our vacation: a safari. Cearl was absolutely amazing in helping us decide between various lodges and quickly getting prices and availability. When we had a change of plans and wanted another day she went out of her way to help us get another night at the lodge we were already at. All travel, from drivers to flights were taken care of and everything worked flawlessly. Cearl was truly fantastic throughout the entire planning process!
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Safari Experience with Turkana Wildlife Safaris
We had an unforgettable safari experience with Turkana Wildlife Safaris at Queen Elizabeth National Park. From the moment we started planning our trip, Joel and his team handled everything with professionalism and attention to detail, making the entire process smooth and stress-free.
Our guide, Sun, was incredible! He was not only knowledgeable about the wildlife and the park but also genuinely kind and personable. He truly went above and beyond to ensure we had a memorable time, showing us everything we hoped to see – and more!
The entire trip exceeded our expectations, and we couldn’t be happier with the service and the fantastic memories we created. We highly recommend Turkana Wildlife Safaris for anyone looking for an exceptional safari experience.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
five stars for the big five!
Such a great experience! Our guide, Brown, was friendly and knowledgeable. He picked us up for our 2-day Safari early in the morning and we spent the whole day cruising the reserve for lions, wildebeast, giraffes, cape buffalo, elephants, and even managed to locate a Cheetah for us! Such a thrill being up close to these beautiful wild creatures!!! The roads are extremely bumpy, but the open-air vehicle and big windows make it a great adventure. Cold refrigerated drinks are available at any time, and there are portable charger outlets to plug in devices. Brown was an excellent photographer, offering to take pictures of us at various stops. We stayed overnight at the safari camp. Food was delicious, bedroom canvas tent was comfortable, and there was hot water for showers. Such a wonderful trip, felt it was a good value for the price, we are glad we went through Professional Safaris, thank you for making our time in Africa so memorable!
IT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Wonderful trip to Kenya, but bad experience with driver
We spent 11 days in August with Amazing Memories Safari between Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru and Amboseli, after spending 6 days in Tanzania with a very good guide (Karim) from an excellent tour operator (Amazing Memories Safaris).
The trip in Kenya was overall very nice, the parks visited were undoubtedly amazing.
Coming to talk about the organization of the trip, it is fair to mention some positive aspects:
- the tour operator was always prompt in responding to emails;
- the accommodations where we stayed were very nice (even if very expensive, but of course we knew that);
- the 4x4 car was in good condition.
The strongly negative aspects, on the other hand, concern the driver/guide. Indeed:
- he spoke difficult-to-understand English;
- he had a fair knowledge of the parks, but still a not acceptable level for a guide (e.g., at the first lodge in the Masai Mara he arrived using Google Maps; he struggled to locate the locations indicated by other guides where sightings were taking place, with the result that sometimes we were late and almost missed important moments of the sightings);
- he had just an elementary knowledge of animals (e.g., he struggled to distinguish different types of birds or even antelopes from each other, and gave us systematically wrong information about animal behavior);
- he had no strategy for exploring the parks and looking for animals. On the second day we realized that we had to organize our tour independently (we have a fair knowledge of African nature, having traveled a lot, watched for documentaries, "Wild Earth" and read books) and, in fact, we managed to make excellent sightings (but always struggling to get the guide to go to the best places possible);
- he did not know how to position himself in the best ways for sightings (which is certainly complex in Kenya due to the large number of vehicles, but which should still be a prerogative of a good guide);
- we never managed to start the game drive at dawn because he needed at least 30 minutes to eat breakfast.
We did game drives in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Argentina, USA, Norway, Poland, Italy, India, Indonesia, Australia: we never saw such a low level of guiding, especially if compared to the high cost of the trip. In conclusion, our substantially negative opinion of the tour operator is conditioned by the guide (for the rest, we have no particular complaints). However, we believe that in a trip of this type the real added value is the guide and, therefore, as said before, we can only express a negative opinion on the tour operator as well.
NO
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Living up to their name, truly remarkable!
This was our second time going on safari with these great people. We were so happy with our first safari and it made the choice very easy for our second trip! And we do not regret it. Yet again, we had the most amazing experience and their level of service is exceptional. Everything from the planning, to the safari itself, as well as the follow up is done with great communication and the planning is executed to perfection.
We went on a two day safari in Tarangire and Ngorongoro, staying the night in Baobab tented lodge inside of Tarangire National Park. This was our first time staying inside the park and it was an amazing experience. The sunset was the most beautiful I have ever seen, and it was quite an experience sitting by the bonfire watching and hearing hyenas close by, and waking up and enjoying our morning coffee with giraffes roaming around.
The first day we had the most delicious lunch with a perfectly set table beside the car in the wilderness. Food and the drinks provided on the trip were excellent and we didn’t miss anything.
Our driver and guide was great. He had a lot of knowledge and experience, and in addition to being a very good driver, he thought us everything we wanted to know with interest and excitement.
I am more than happy to give Emanuel and his team the very best recommendation and they are definitely our first choice for our next safari!
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Safari of a lifetime
It all started with the first email contact. All our intentions got put together in a very personal way into a perfect safari. All details of our safari exceeded our expectations. The guide, his knowledge and his humor made the safari memorable to us. The accommodations all had been on top level. We highly recommend this company to anyone!
IT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Moses guide made the difference
I booked a 6-day budget tour with Lenchada Safaris:
Mara-Nakuru-Amboseli.
At the last minute they made me change to go in the Jocky Tours Jeep since they were all in pairs and I was alone: there was a free seat next to the driver.
Here, my new companions had paid $50 less.
In addition, the manager of Lenchada Safaris wanted to charge me another $50 more than the price agreed months before.
We had agreed that I would pay in € in cash at the right conversion rate compared to $, but when I got there he wanted to charge me €20 more than the right rate.
I'm sorry because I should have given this extra money to my guide.
However,
apart from this, I was very lucky to experience my safari with Jocky Tours.
I give 5 stars thanks to my guide Moses, who made the difference.
He tried in every way to show us the best he could, on the first full day at the Masai Mara I had already seen the Big Five, + much more.
He is an excellent driver, multitasking, knows the animals well and shares everything he knows about them.
He has the eyesight of an eagle and often manages to spot animals before anyone else and anticipate their behavior, placing the Jeep in the best spot to make the participants take the best photos.
In fact, many times it was him who opened our eyes on what to photograph, for example with the trees as a background, the sunset etc.
he is very patient, he always asked before leaving if it was ok for everyone, what we preferred to do etc.
Always with a smile.
Lenchada tourist camp is beautiful, excellent staff and the food is good.
The Masai village costs $15, it is optional, be aware that you will be asked for donations for the village, they will try to sell you things insistently, even at high prices; in + you will visit the school and enter the classroom with the children, here too a donation is requested at the end.
Powerful experience.
Live these things consciously and serenely trying to understand the context.
The hotel near Lake Nakuru was ok, it also had a swimming pool and a gym.
the Nyati Camp Amboseli was ok, in my room however there were many cockroaches, only in mine, not in my companions'...
They asked me if I wanted to change my room but I let it go.
I recommend it.
Thanks Moses, I wish you the best.
Ciao!!
CA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Lion King did an incredible job with this tour - it truly was a once in a lifetime trip!
Lion King did an incredible job with this tour - it truly was a once in a lifetime trip and an experience I will never forget. The logistics of the trip were managed impressively, from the airport pickups to accommodations to game drives.
Highlights of the trip include game drives through the Serengeti, exploring the Ngongoro Crater, the stay at Nyota luxury tents which was phenomenal, the hot air balloon operated by Serengeti Hot Air Balloon tours and most of all our incredible guide/driver Freddie. Freddie made sure my wife and I were safe, comfortable, and most importantly having fun! I would highly recommend requesting Freddie if you’re booking a trip with Lion King.
Two areas for improvement:
1/ The stay at Eileen’s Tree House was a step down from the other accommodations in terms of quality of room, food and service.
2/ I believe there is an opportunity to increase education within the tour. While our guide was great at answering questions, he rightfully needed to stay focused on driving (and finding animals!), thus couldn't proactively give us info about the various parks, culture, history, animals, etc. Finding a way to weave more education into these tours would be a great way to improve!