US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The best trip with the best company!
I took the 14 Day Namibia Experience with 7 days in the South and 7 Days in the North. It was an amazing experience and Wild Dog was the best! Whole staff is very friendly, guides are very knowledgeable, & cooks are fantastic when they add their own flair. Camp sites are beautiful (the sunsets!), tents are easy to put up, and the buses are comfortable to spend the long drives on (Namibia is a big country and Wild Dog gives you the whole experience of seeing all the major attractions so you've gotta span the distances to get there -breaks are regular and it's never too much). The organization has clearly taken from their vast experience and listened to what folks feel like has worked in the past so everything is easy and smooth. There's a really nice balance between showing you things you wouldn't be able to get to on your own and/or they have inside knowledge about and letting everyone have free time to relax and explore without being led around. You'll get so much more out of the experience if you participate and want to get to know about the different sights. There were 8 people (including me) on each half and since most people were enthusiastic about and interested in the experience, we formed a great group both weeks!
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing
Our tour guide was Joseph and he was amazing. He was so nice and friendly and stayed with us through the excursions to make sure we ne we got lost and we’re safe. He also got us through the borders quickly and somehow knew the times to beat the crowds. We developed a real friendship in just a few days. I can’t say enough good things about him and our experience with him! I would highly recommend!
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fabulous tour arranged by FABULOUS tour company!
I booked this trip for myself and four friends. Having never been Africa before, I did a lot of research and contacted almost 30 companies to pick one for this once-in-a-lifetime trip. We dealt with Charles at Classic Journeys and were pleasantly surprised by the EXCELLENT service that Classic Journeys provided. We had a 17 day safari / tour, including 4 days in Zanzibar. After a day in Nairobi and the Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage and the Giraffe Center (both were "must do's" if you haven't been here), we went to Amboselli, Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti and the Masa Mara. Highlight was the hot air balloon ride that they arranged. Our guides were ALL exceptional. My travelers are all major animal and bird lovers, and the guides knew each and every species. We saw over 200 different birds, and most of the major animals. Communication was great and we never had to worry, especially about border crossings. I said a "once-in-a-lifetime trip" but we plan on using Classic Journeys again to go to the west coast (Naimibia) within the next two years. I don't need to contact anyone else -- they came through with flying colors, and were reasonable in cost for all that we got. THANK YOU TO CLASSIC JOURNEYS FOR MAKING THIS DREAM TRIP A REALITY!!!
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
BEWARE OF SARDIUS TOURS/FELIX NDUNDA
FELIX NDUNDA and SARDIUS TOURS AND SAFARIS is a business that needs to be avoided. May this serve as a warning for everyone. HE IS DISHONEST AND A PROFESSIONAL SWINDLER. HE IS SCARY AND MISLEADING. If you are looking for a quote for African Tours, please get quotes in safaribookings.com or safarireviews.com. There are hundreds of operators that you can compare with in those 2 websites. Don’t enter into any deal with him if you want to have peace of mind. Here are the reasons based on my experience why you need to stay away from this Felix and Sardius Tours:
1) He didn’t refund our deposit when we requested to cancel our booking due to plan changes even though we are entitled for full refund.
2) If you look at his prices in his website, they all look affordable but they are all inaccurate and unrealistic and will trap you to believe that he offers tours/services at lower prices. The price he quoted us is about 90% higher compared to the prices indicated in his website.
3) When I asked him to revise the itinerary so it will be more affordable, he never emailed a new one therefore he is not willing to accommodate the needs and requests of his clients. Otherwise, majority of the lodges and hotels in Kenya mostly probably is refusing to work/partner with him.
4) Before we gave him money, he will respond to our inquiries/emails after few minutes or few hours of sending the emails. After we paid him, it takes him days and up to longer than a week to respond. There are times he won’t respond at all.
5) It was too late for us to learn, but he was ousted by KATO because of all the dirty job and practices he’s doing with his own employees, lodge-partners, and tourists.
6) It was too late for us to learn, but he has very bad reviews since he started his business. Please review the following links:
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g294207-i9695-k5744405-Sardius_Tours_rip_off-Nairobi.html
http://www.african-safari-journals.com/sardius-tours-review.html
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g294207-i9695-k964770-Anyone_know_about_Sardius_Tours_and_Safaris-Nairobi.html
https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/forums/africa/tanzania/sardius-tours
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g294207-i9695-k4269296-Sardius_tours_or_Skyview_of_Africa-Nairobi.html
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g294207-i9695-k1510372-Sardius_Tours_and_Travels_Con_Tour_Operator-Nairobi.html
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A delight to deal with Dickson from booking to completion, he was always available and ready to help
The 16 day Kenya and Tanzania Safari was first class from start to finish, thanks to the expert drivers knowledge of regions and animals, suitable vehicles, good accommodation and meals.the Safari was beyond expectations, my Son and myself would highly recommend Dickson for his attention to detail,and care of his clients.We would not hesitate to travel with them in the future.
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Etosha National Park by Claire Ryan
A friend recommended we visit Etosha and we were not let down. It lived up to our expectation.
IT
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Tanzania forever
Our sixth trip to Africa, this time in Tanzania. For the organization we used Earthlife Expedition and the choice was right. Thanks to the valuable advice of Caudence we have built a route through the parks of the north that has fully satisfied us.
The variety of the landscapes of Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro and Serengeti has left us open-mouthed on more than one occasion, and the emotions of sleeping in beautiful not fenced tented camps listening to the sounds of the African night can not be described, only experienced . We were able to enjoy the rich fauna thanks to the precious guide of Paul, expert and prodigal of information related to the lifestyles of the various animals in their habitats; Paul was much more than a guide, impeccable in his work, but a beautiful person we will never forget.
One of the experiences that we particularly appreciated was the half day spent visiting the village of Mto wa mbu; we have been able to get an idea of split of authentic daily life. Otherwise it was the visit to the Masai village, which, although there is a concentration of their traditions, is clearly set up to accommodate tourists passing through.
It has been 11 days really special, Earthlife Expeditions has confirmed a valid organizational capacity, asante sana!
IN
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
The best Safaris and lodges to suit all budgets
Just completed an unforgettable 2 week trip to Kenya.
Started off with the Masai Mara, stayed at a camp. Spent some time on the amazing coast at Diani beach. Visited Tsavo, stayed at some amazing lodges.
The game drives at the Mara were spectacular. Tsavo was good too, with an abundance of elephant herds.
Diani beach was stunning, fine white sand, spotless beach, clear waters.
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Our safari in to Namibia was superb
Right from the start our guide George made our trip to Etosha National Park informative and enjoyable. His knowledge of the country and of Etosha was great. The wildlife was wonderful to see and George had obviously spent quite some time in that area, as he knew just where to go for animal spotting. He was a very pleasant man who was attentive to our needs. The accommodation was as advertised, clean and comfortable. We could not fault the meals also. Dealing with Martha at Wild Wind Tours was excellent right from our first enquiry. We would thoroughly recommend this tour company.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing expirience .Splendid.
I am an American elderly gentleman who recently took my very first overseas trip. I went with another family member to Arusha Tanzania Africa. I am an animal lover and I am aware of the declining population of somw of the world's most wonderful animals . It has been on my bucket list to see some of my favorite animals in their natural environment . I am of the old school mentality that believes a Pearson must do their jobs the best they can, and doesn't need praise for doing so. Due to my traditional thinking I have never written a reveiw of any kind. I am not sure exactly how to do this but my expirience with Afrika kukaye tours and Safaris , Remsi and Edwin moved me to share my wonderful expirience. Remsi is the owner and I was impressed right of the bat with his very involvement. I find most of the owners of the company to be faceless people that delegate all the work to Someone else. All of my pre travel contact was directly with Remsi. Not only did he ask questions in order to customise my trip for my desires but he was a wealth of information. I feel like if it were not Remsi, my trip could have gone very wrong. He was born and raised in Tanzania and is very educated on his country but he also travelled and worked in the United States for a year so he was also able to help advice me and give me travel tips and hints.
Prior to my trip he gave me enough information and over view of Tanzania that I knew what to expect and I never felt like I suffered from culture shock. There is so much to know and think about to get me from my home in the country in Michigan to the plains of the Serengeti looking at the animals . Remsi asked a lot of questions and narrowed things down for me but kept me involved in the final decision making from our itinerary to each place we stayed in Tanzania.
At the risk of sounding ignorant I always had the impression that people travelled to Africa to go on safari. Remsi raised awareness of so many other things but what stuck with me was all the cultural expiriences that were available. We stayed focused on my original goal - to go to the Serengeti. He arranged for an amazing guide, a very young man named Edwin. Edwin was so educated on the animals of the Serengeti and seemed to have a command of the terrain as if it were home to him. On the drive from Arusha to our camp in the serengeti edwin explained everything we were seeing on our way. EDWIN had a wonderful sense of humor and could handle this grumpy old man with ease. Edwin never dictated our days in the Serengeti but gave us options with the pros and cons to those options so we could make the best decision for ourselves. It was clearly out of my element at camp but Edwin and Remsi were right there to make us feel at home and answered questions.
Remsi and Edwin were very honest and told us right up front that they could not guarantee any sightings of animals because of course it is natural environment in the wild but they knew what we most wished to see and due to their knowledge of the plains they knew the best places to look and it sure did pay off. We saw lions (tree climbing lions), a cheetah, zebras, wildbeasts, spotted hyenas, jackals, leopard, giraffes and my personal favorite - THE ELEPHANTS.
Edwin ended it with an amazing sighting of a leopard sleeping in a tree.
We were interested in doing some souvenirs shopping and they knew just the right places to stop. They advised on negotiating prices and I always felt satisfied with my purchases and feel I had paid fair prices never underpaid or overpaid. If I had questions on food prep or water, they always advised my travel partner and myself never once suffered from any travel illness. That had been a major concern of mine being in my late 70s and having had 2 heart surgeries. I attribute my trip going well with my health all to Remsi and preparing me and watching out for me and making it easy to talk to him. My bucket list has grown . I want to return to Tanzania and see a few more national parks but also want to add some cultural expiriences to my list. This grumpy old man had an amazing trip with so many unexpected wonderful expirenced expiriences and I attribute it to all Afrika Kukaye tours and safaris , Remsi and Edwin .
