TW
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Perfect budget choice, all staff are professional and everything is wonderful
When we searched the internet for the Gorilla trekking tour, Encounter Africa Safaris had the lowest price. We though the staff may be unprofessional, the hotels may be shitty, and the vehicle may let us very uncomfortable on the bump roads. But it turns out everything is perfect ! The 4x4 van we took was quite comfortable, and the hotel was also very nice! More like a resort with independent cabin and a wonderful view with balcony, much better than we expected with the price. For the staff, Chris, the person who contacted us, was responsive and professional, we settled our itinerary in one day. Simon, our driver and guide, was very passionate, not just a guide, but more like a friend, shared everything about Uganda and local culture, we really had a good time with him. So if you are looking for a cheap but reliable and quality tour, I will recommend Encounter Africa Safaris.
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Great tour company to take care of your once-in-a-lifetime safari!
We booked a bespoke 5 day safari to the Masaai Mara with Across the Wild Tours. We had very specific ideas about where we wanted to stay, our game drives, even the vehicle. Fina at Across the Wild was fabulous. She checked it all out for us and, eventually, gave us exactly the package we wanted. She replied to emails, was always reachable on the phone, so everything was very transparent and reliable. I do not take such a great service for granted, especially if I order a costly bespoke holiday package from my desk at home.
On the day of our departure, Fina and Joseph, the driver/guide, picked us up at our hotel, perfectly on time. Joseph was fabulous, too. Over the next 4 days, he went the extra mile to show us all the animals we wanted to see, including a pride of lions hunting buffalo, a cheeta, a leopard with cubs etc etc. The Masaai Mara is such an incredibly rich place. Joseph is not just a very good driver but also an amazingly knowledgeable expert on flora & fauna. There was not he single animal or plant he did not know, he even impressed us with accounts of life inside a termite hill. Apart from all that, he is a great guy and fun to have around.
All in all, there was not a single thing we were not happy about. We are very grateful for the magnificent experience we had. Thank you so much guys. We will definitely book with Across the Wild again, to one of the many destinations you cover in the region.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A very effective and professional tour experience to be commended for others to employ.
Tour guide was professional and efficient and we got to see varied wildlife.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Adventure of a lifetime with people who truly are Amazing!
There are TONS of companies running safaris and we did a lot of research looking for just the right one for our honeymoon. We found Amazing Memories after browsing through Trip Advisor and other travel sites and our search was over. We ended up choosing Amazing Memories over our leading company because of Anne's thorough, quick, and helpful responses. She wasn't once pushy or rushing of us, knowing it was a big decision, and helped us design a unique experience in Kenya and Zanzibar, at a very competitive cost.
We were thrilled to be picked up upon arrival (we arrived a night early) by Joseph and another Anne (we called her little Anne) from our hotel promptly and with enthusiasm. They had an amazing day prepared for us. Little Anne updated us on some changes to our travel itinerary for the whole trip which Anne took care of without even asking. She had made our flights more convenient and had even gotten us an extra flight to make traveling easier, without us even thinking about the complications, and didn't add it to our bill- how thoughtful can you get???
We LOVED our time with Joseph touring Nairobi and were lucky enough to get extra time with him when we traveled back through on our way to Zanzibar. In a, yet again, AMAZING feat, Anne got us on an executive class plane for our trip to Zanzibar and we felt like royalty.
All of our accomodations were worked out in advance between Anne and myself. Being my first safari, she was invaluable in consultations for what to expect at each location, the beneifts of tents vs lodges at each stop, and what advantages of each type of lodging were. She was super patient and answered my questions with ease, even though I asked the same thing multiple times! I'm a worrier and she really made me feel at ease for all the preparations.
Everything from our vehicles to our departure were treated with the utmost care and it's clear that Anne and the staff of Amazing Memories value their customers, their work, and that everyone have a safe, fun experience. We were so lucky to get to see the Wildebeest migration in the Mara and our driver got us up close and personal with a myriad of animals. At each stop we knew Anne and her staff had our back and were doing all they could to ensure an amazing adventure.
Anne was easy to reach whenever I needed, and while I had no issues on my trip, I am confident she would have raced to make anything right for us. When our plans for dropping through Nairobi changed, she was already on top of getting us in touch with Joseph and ensuring a fun extra day.
We can't recommend Amazing Memories enough- they go above and beyond the already fantastic Kenyan hospitality. If you are looking for a company who will take care of you, be flexible, and offer an experience of a lifetime and a competitive cost, look no further!
MY
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Safari & Zanzibar Adventure In Tanzania!
Our group (15 adults and a precocious 4-year-old) spent roughly 10 days on the northern safari circuit (North and South Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater and Tarangire) followed by 4 days in Zanzibar organized by Tanganyika Ancient Routes Ltd.
True to their company’s motto (Travel… Learn… Serve), CEO Charles Mpanda and his team provided exceptional service and genuine, warm hospitality in taking care of the safety, well being and comfort of our group throughout our trip. Every aspect of our trip (travel logistics, accommodation, meals etc.) was carefully planned to ensure that we have the best opportunities to experience the beauty and wonders of the Serengeti and Zanzibar and to learn the local and Maasai culture.
Charles and his team know the Serengeti very well and they are highly skilled in tracking and spotting the wildlife. They would patiently drive us around, making sure to stop where we have the best vantage points and optimal light to take photographs of the animals and whichever scenes that appealed to our eyes. We were able to witness the most spectacular wildebeest crossings at Mara River and got to meet the Big 5 and more within the first couple of days of the trip and managed to take plenty of the famous sunrise and sunset scenes of the Serengeti.
Meal times were always fun as the group caught up with each other on the highlights of their day and shared photos. Food was always good and there were plenty to eat. Dinners were usually followed by drinks and honest conversations around the campfires under the starry African sky.
Zanzibar was a refreshing change of scenery after 10 days of safari. We spent a delightful day walking around the quaint and historic Stone Town, go on the spice tour, eat with the locals at the night food bazaar and local restaurants (I love the grilled octopus and king fish with piri piri sauce!) and relaxing by the captivating azure blue sea and sandy white beach of northern Zanzibar.
We are grateful to Charles and his team for working tirelessly to help us create such wonderful lifetime memories of our trip, and for sharing with us the beauty of their country and the warmth of their people.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Everything we'd hoped for and more
As part of our 3-week honeymoon across three countries in Africa in August 2018, my husband and I chose to do a 9-day tour with CKC Tours and Travel. We did the "CKC 102: 8 Day Flamingos & Diani Sands Kenya" tour, but with an extra day added on to the Masai Mara. We'd never been on safari or to Africa before so we didn't entirely know what to expect, and we were very happy with the outcome.
The planning was very simple: I contacted CKC through Safari Bookings originally, got a quick response, then I continued to communicate with John Muhoho, the manager, after that via email. He always replied swiftly to my messages and was very helpful with tailoring the trip to suit our timetable.
Our trip itinerary was as follows: Day 1, Travel Nairobi to Lake Nakuru, evening game drive (Flamingo Hill Tented Camp), Day 2-4 Masai Mara (Mpata Safari Club), Day 5-8 Chale Island (The Sands at Chale Island), and Day 9 half day at Chale then flight back to Nairobi in the evening.
We were met at our hotel in Nairobi on the first morning of the trip by John. He went through the itinerary with us then introduced us to our driver and guide, Kennedy. We then set off with Kennedy on our trip.
[Recommendation to CKC: don't print things unnecessarily, and if you do have to print, then do it double sided. We had previously been emailed the itinerary so there was no need to print out two copies for us. Save paper where possible :). You could give customers an opt-in option for it to be printed out.]
Kennedy was great. He was friendly and helpful, admirably drove us many many miles for many hours over very rough terrain and still was keen to take us out on a game drive the same evening, he was very receptive to our questions and taught us a lot about Kenya, politics, and the Masai people on our journeys. Of course though one of the best things about Kennedy was his clear passion for his job and for nature. He was most enthusiastic about finding the best wildlife sightings to make our holiday great, and always told us about the animals in great detail, answering our questions informatively. He had the utmost respect for the animals and environment and it was clear he wanted to share this with others.
Our trip was a private tour, and so it was just my husband and I with Kennedy in the vehicle. We had loads of space and it was great this way because we had the freedom to do exactly what we wanted, like go out on an epic 9-hour game drive (well done Kennedy). It also meant that everything was done at our convenience, we could choose what we wanted to see and also always have the best views out the vehicle. The roof was open on the van for game drives so you could stand and look out, which was great fun and the breeze was lovely.
We saw some absolutely incredible sights while we were in Kenya, thanks to our guide Kennedy. We saw lots of lions, including some mating, and a large family with cubs playing with each other. We saw loads of hyenas, and a pack of hyenas with cubs, which were adorable! We saw the huge flock of flamingos as far as the eye can see in Lake Nakuru. And of course the most prized sighting in the Masai Mara: we saw a Wildebeest river crossing of the great migration. An amazing spectacle, not just the nature but also everyone watching and waiting too!!
Some of the most memorable animals we saw in Kenya were baboons, elephants, monitor lizards, Nile crocodiles, Masai giraffes, hippos, impalas, topis, waterbucks, Thomson's gazelles, elands, zebras, flamingos, fish eagles, secretary birds, guineafowl, ostriches, wildebeest, jackals, mongooses, southern white rhinos, hyenas, buffalo, lions, and warthogs.
We really had such a fantastic time with Kennedy on our journey with him to Lake Nakuru and the Masai Mara. It was wonderful just knowing that everything was taken care of for us and already paid, and we had absolutely nothing to concern ourselves with during our trip, except having an amazing time and learning about the beautiful Kenyan wildlife.
For the final part of our trip, we said goodbye to Kennedy and popped on a flight over to Ukunda Airstrip at Diani, from where we were transferred to Chale Island. Everything went very smoothly and we arrived in time for dinner. Chale was amazing (I've written a separate review for the resort) and the perfect peaceful and relaxing end to our honeymoon.
We really had the trip of a lifetime in Kenya thanks to John for his efficient organisation and Kennedy for his dedicated guiding and driving.
IN
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Exotic & amazing holidays ...!
We visited kenya from june 18th to 25th. After Going through many tour operators we found Magical Retreats and adventures tour to suit our requirements. Pamela was our tour advisor. She was prompt and helpful. She briefed us about the tour and provided all the information needed. She was very flexible in giving us the accomodations of our choice and budget. Pamela always remained in touch and made sure that we were well taken care off. She also sure that we get good Indian food of our choice by talking to the chefs at different locations. That was very sweet of her...!
Our tour guide and driver Mr. Peter was very humble and polite person. He was very amazing while spotting the animals. We think he is the best. We enjoyed our tour thoroughly because of Peter.
We would definitely recommend MAGICAL RETREATES AND ADVENTURES TOURS to all those who are keen to visit Kenya.
Once agan thanks to Pamela and Peter. We will definitely want to go with you people again....
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
from beginning (booking) to end (after the safari) I have nothing but positive reviews about LKA.
Communication: I have been most impressed by Anna, the person in charge of bookings, she was most efficient and helpful, very patient when I needed to change many things on our itinerary as we were 4 people traveling from different locations. She was prompt in replying to my emails and cannot commend her highly enough. She came to greet us the day of our arrival in Arusha and again on our last day, she was most gracious.
Lastly I have to add that everything went according to schedule without hiccups, not that we would have objected to some things going wrong, but they didn't and we were left with a wonderful memory of Tanzania.
Expectations: the trip far exceeded our expectations, I went with my family and we found the experience magical and memorable. My kids said it's the most memorable holiday ever!!
Safari tour: First I would like to thank our tour guide and Driver Swalehe, a very exceptional driver, very unassuming and pleasant. Extremely competent and knowledgeable. Very attentive without being overbearing, my family appreciated him a great deal and have wonderful memories of our safari, we did actually see all the animals described in the books plus more events on the way. He was always very patient and willing to do whatever it takes to give us a wonderful experience.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a lifetime!
The trip was amazing! This was our first Safari and it lived up to all our expectations and more! From seeing the Big 5 to the Wildebeest migration and so much more. A cheetah even visited us in the Serengeti and jumped up on the hood of our drivers Landcruiser. Getting to add on the Gorilla trekking was a big plus and worth the extra travel. The only downside was being caught unprepared for the Visas to enter each of the three countries we visited. The visas took up much of cash that we had brought with us and we were not clear upon what type of visa to purchase on arrival. It was also a shock that the lodges in Tanzania do not accept credit cards at the Lodges. I wish that this information had been passed onto us in a more direct manner but other than these small matters this trip was unforgettable!
A side note, most drivers were there to get tourists pictures but Freddy our driver in Tanzania was so knowledgeable about the wildlife and helped educate us on all the wildlife.
Also, be aware that game drives in Kenya take place in two types of vehicles on rough roads. A Toyota van and a Toyota Landcruiser. The Landcruiser is much more comfortable for passengers on the roads but it also costs more. Since the roads are so bad, I believe that all tourists should get the Landcruiser.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very good service and safe driving with reliable drivers.
The communcation before and during the rental services were great. There were no issues and everything ran smoothly.
David our driver was an excellent driver who took at places safely, comfortably and always made sure we are ok. He was really interesting to talk to and understand more about Ugandan life as well as taking us from different spots.
It was a great experience to drive with David and we would highly recommend David for others. Thank you for the amazing experience and we look forward to coming back.