50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Fantastic holiday, excellent service from Wayfairer
I used Wayfairer to book a 2 week self-drive holiday in Namibia. We are UK citizens living in South Africa currently and when I started looking at accommodation and travel options for Namibia realised fairly quickly that, as we wanted to visit a number of destinations (8 over 2 weeks), it would be better to use an agent, so I contacted a number of tours companies via the Safari Bookings website. Most companies responded with generic offerings. Wayfairer were the only company that contacted me to ask questions about the type of holiday and experience we were looking for and after some initial email contact, arranged for one of their agents to call me so we could discuss further. We explored some options and in a fairly short time they had come back to me with a truly tailor-made itinerary, based on our personal preferences. Although they are a UK-based firm, they use a local agent in Namibia (ATI) who were also excellent.
We kept in regular contact from booking to the trip itself and they assisted with lots of queries and additional services like restaurant bookings.
The trip itself was a fantastic experience. We were provided with everything we needed on arrival, from airport collection, to having our hire vehicle delivered to our B&B, a personalised map and itinerary and helpful extras like a cooler box and ice-packs for our long road trips and a pre-paid cell phone, programmed with the numbers of all the places we were staying.
All of the accommodation was superb and the whole trip was smooth sailing. Namibia is truly an amazing country and I wouldn't hesitate to use Wayfairer again.
PH
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Quote was different with the actual service
The quotation says free bottled mineral water but I did not receive any bottled water during meals and on game drives. Also, it says there will be a hotel pick up and drop-off which didn't happen as well. When I booked, I already mentioned the hotel that I am staying and Peter said he will pick me up. The night before the safari, he emailed and said he can't pick me up because my hotel is far which is unfair because when I reserved a slot, I already mentioned the hotel name. He should have told me when I reserved that he can't pick me. Lastly, they are using a van so it's 3-2-3, a total of eight plus a seat beside the driver which make it really cramped. I noticed the other groups have 2-2-2 plus one beside the driver which make it an ideal set-up.
PL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Everything as expected
Great, fast communication. We started quoting for safari just 2 weeks before the safari and there were no problems. Despite low season there were many animals (lucky especially with lions and cheetahs).
We were a little bit dissapointed with food at Rhino camp but it is not the fault of the tour operator. Everything was as in itinerary.
AE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
All according to expectations and as agreed.
We arranged a personalized safari which was all that we expected and more. The places recommended by the agency were fantastic. We did not encounter any problems with what was promised and all went according to plan. We even saw a place which was not in their recommended list but they still arranged to book it for us without hesitation. Again, all was as promised.
Newton was our contact at Bateleur Eagle Safaris and he always answered promptly to our questions. There were some minor changes to the timing of our flights booked with Bateleur Eagle Safaris and we were informed immediately.
The safari itself was an incredible experience that I would definitely recommend this tour operator!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Reliable, friendly, knowledgable and accommodating
We used Vacay for day trip experiences in and around Nairobi. We had a big group and Vacay catered for all needs. Having David on board added an extra level of professionalism, confidence and reassurance. When our plans changed, Vacay was flexible, all questions were answered in a knowledgable way, advice freely given and I can honesty say their support added a great deal to our visit in Nairobi. Thank you.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
It was a fun beautiful experience. It’s was so relaxing, enjoyable and breath taking .
Oikos Safari provided me with an excellent service. The tour guide was well experience, kind and he knew the names of different animals species and the historical sites . I loved my time with Oikos because I was treated like a first class guest. Their attention to details was just incredible. They really do know and understand the art and craft of the tour business.
BG
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Chobe National Park by Nikolay Landzhev
Beautiful park with many scenic view next to the Chobe river. Great for animal watching.
BG
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Chobe National Park is a spectacular place that is a must.
We had a wonderful day trip to Chobe National Park. We saw many animals on the shore and in the Chobe river. From the early morning to late in the evening we saw: Elephants, Giraffes, Hippos, Buffalos, Antelopes, Warthogs, African Wild Dogs, Squirrels, and many many birds.
Our guide and all the local people that we met were very polite.
FR
Hassan Hussein Hassan only wants money
Hassan Hussein Hassan is a good guide: BUT after holidays he'll ask you for your phone number. Ok, we are stupid, we gave it to him. Then his family is in trouble (mom falls down and have to go to hospital, children must go to school, need money for water or electric, etc.) We were very stupid... But even when I told him to fuck off, de didn't stop, so told him that I'll call Leopard Tours. No way. Last time he called me in Spring this year. Now he's on the black list. "Nice"memories of Tanzania...
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Beware of what you are getting into!
We were very disappointed in this tour. Starting out with being picked up late at the airport. We arrived in the pouring rain with no cell phone service and the driver was 15 minutes late in picking us up, which would not have been a big deal if we had a way of getting ahold of someone to see if they were coming or had forgotten us.
Secondly, the driver was drunk from the impression I got. He drove those roads at 120kph which I finally had to tell him to slow down. These are dirt/ clay roads! There was a man on a bicycle carrying long wooden sticks which the driver hit as he drove by the man! I know I'm in a different country but is this a normal occurrence? He proceeded to tell us we would be in the car for 6 hours...? Now, I'm confused because the itinerary I was sent said:
"Transfer to Sigunga village where you will take a boat to Mahale mountain national park. Have a picnic lunch at Sigunga village before boating to Mahale. The boat will take approximately 3 to 4 hours"
As we drove at top speeds we came to a village where we were told he had forgotten dinner and would be right back. 30 minutes later he returns with a chicken and throws him in the back of the car. After driving for 3 hours I ask about lunch because it's now 3pm. He hands me a box lunch which was not vegetarian like I had said several times that I was. I could not eat! I had a banana. At 630pm we arrive at this boat in the middle of nowhere. There is 1 man waiting to take us to Mahale. This is scary for 2 women traveling alone, especially with my sister who has anxiety. If we had been informed ahead of time what was going to be going on we would have felt more comfortable. Especially since it took 7+ hours to get there when we were thinking it was a 3hr boat ride. We get on the boat and it is now getting dark. I'm in a strange place in the middle of this huge lake on this boat not knowing where we are going. We arrive at dark, can not see anything. We ate dinner at 9pm! This is not acceptable, especially since we had no lunch!
If it wasn't for our guide Huessein it would have been a horrible experience. Luckily he made it amazing for us.
Last thing, when we left and stayed in Kigoma town, we were dropped at the hotel with NO information. Nothing about lunch, dinner or the museum tour. Food was terrible. The staff didn't understand what I was talking about. So I messaged Joshua with whom I had been speaking with, very little information again. I got ahold of the driver to ask him about the museum and he said Oh, we will go tomorrow before the airport. Again, he could not tell me how far the airport was and said he would pick us up at 8 for the tour to the museum. He then said the airport was 2 hours away. I told him we left at 1230. The next morning after our tour we realized the airport was 5 minutes from us! We spent 3 hrs at that little airport waiting.
I just don't understand why the itinerary I received was not followed nor was I ever given correct information. Mahale was such a special place and I would love to return. I'm not trying to be mean, I just want to inform anyone traveling here the situation.