65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Interesting but tedious. However the staff at Victoria falls and Hwange national park were exception
The wild life and scenery are average. The accomodation at Hwange was superb and rustic . The cook and staff at Hwange looked after us very well. We were lucky to have Liberty as our guide as he was kind and knowledgeable.
We particularly enjoyed the lunch in the bush where the table was laid out to celebrate my friend's birthday.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Addo Elephant National Park by Thierry de Chazal
Nowhere to compare to Kruger or Sabi Sands..very few birds...
FR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Arusha National Park by Stephen Clemenson
After the Serengeti and Ngorogoro Crater, nothing could compare.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Lake Manyara National Park by Stephen Clemenson
Same as above
IE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Kruger National Park by Lidia
Wildlife was hard to spot at times
IN
Safari guide
We had with Otto a very good organized tour to the quit south of Tanzania. Ketulo NP; Ruaha NP; Mikumi NP; Selous and at the end a nice stay at the Indian Ocean in the little town of Kilwa
GR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good for value
Everything was adequately organized ! The staff very friendly and helpful. The accomodation wasn't beyond my expectations. The van wasn't so comfortable.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very good safari, but had problems at start and end of trip
I went on a trip with Adventure Africa Expedition in November 2019 in Tanzania (through the Serengeti and Ngorongoro). Whilst we had a fantastic trip, and I would recommend booking with the company, we did have a few problems on occasions throughout the trip.
Whilst booking, Dickson from Adventure Africa was very communicative, explaining exactly what we were booking. He was very accommodating and willing to change our tour based on what we wanted to experience. Whilst this changed slightly whilst on the trip (only the order of areas visited), we still visited all the places we wanted to.
On departing day, the tour owner was very late (nearly two hours). After he finally arrived, after trying to contact Adventure Africa many times, it was evident that the company that would be taking us on the tour, was different. This company was called Martial Eagle Safaris. This wasn't communicated during booking that.
We still had a small balance to pay upon the tour owners arrival, which we all had the money for (in cash) and had been communicated to us, at the time of booking. However, when paying, the owner of Martial Eagle Safaris was adamant that we had been quoted the incorrect amount and demanded that we paid another $100 USD each to start the tour. Upon managing to speak with Adventure Africa, Dickson told us that they had miscalculated and given us the wrong exchange rate. This meant that we had to fork out. I'm not sure if this was a scam or a genuine mistake, but I was extremely annoyed by this as we spent the morning trying to sort this out and it meant that our trip started badly.
After this, we stated our tour with our safari guide named China and our cook name Wiz. Both of these guys were fantastic and I couldn't fault either of them. China went out of his way throughout the trip to keep us happy and to find animals in the bush. He was an expert and we saw everything with his guidance. Wiz cooked up some brilliant food given the very basic facilities he was using to cook. If I was going on another safari, I'd want these guys to take me.
We had some fantastic days, seeing great wildlife. We camped in some great locations - including two locations that wildlife came through the came. These places were basic (and the bathrooms we not for the faint-hearted) but this is what we were expecting. All of our tents were also made for us upon arrival which was an added bonus.
Unfortunately, despite the amazing time we had on the trip, it ended on a low. On our final day, upon exiting the Serengeti, we were stopped from leaving as the owner of Martial Eagle had failed to pay the park fees. This meant we were stuck at the airport for over 5 hours. After China spent a lot of time negotiating, we managed to get out. This delay meant we arrived back in Arusha at about 10pm (and we were not able to see the town at all). This meant we ended our tour on a low.
Overall we had an amazing time on our trip, as the bulk of it whilst on safari, exceeded expectations. But the problems at start and end had a negative impact and were extremely annoying, putting a downer on our trip. Anyone booking with either of these companies should be aware of this.
Also, if you are planning on visiting the Serengeti area in late November, it's a really good time to go. It wasn't particularly busy and we saw everything!
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Private 16 day Best of Kenya and Tanzania reduced to 15 day for airline covid schedule
Our Tour was a private 16 day Best of Kenya and Tanzania that was modified 2-3 weeks before departure due to Flight being cancelled due to airline Covid schedules.
Twinkle modified itinerary and removed Lake Victoria from safari.
We visited Samburu, Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Lake Nakuru, Masai Mara, Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara, Amboseli National Park.
What Twinkle Star Tours doesn't mention anywhere on there site is that they sub contract Tanzania portion of tour out to a Tanzania company. I would suggest if travelling both countries to do more research. Lucky for us Tanzanian guide from 7 Wonders was Excellent.
We went from Sept 8 to Sept 22 2020, we had booked last year and were uncertain with all the Covid travel bans, Kenya opened up August 1 to international travel and they have done a great job with all the covid protocols.
The driver wore a mask all the time, all the lodges had masks, sanitizer, hand washing stations and plated service.
The Safari itself was really good, lots of wildlife, the lodges were all excellent, the food even with a condensed covid menu was all really good.
I would modify itinerary and remove Lake Nakuru and spend that day in the Mara or Ol Pejeta , the Sweetwater tented camp is amazing there.
I would skip Lake Manyara its flooded and about 4-5 m higher than normal and add a day to the Serengeti due to its sheer size .
The Safari would have been a 4-5 star rating except for some things that detracted from everything that was great overall.
The driver/guide Willie took us to a convenient Masai village near the gate , I think there are better examples of a Masai Village available.
The driver/guide Willie was inconsistent in his driving ability, sometimes too slow on highway and too fast in the park, he also seemed to use same path twice in some parks and struggled with time management. Willie was very friendly and chatty and always pointed out all flora and fauna and birds and all species of animals we passed.
James the Owner/Manager of Twinkle Star promised us a $ 350 refund for dropping Lake Victoria off the Safari which was very nice due to the last minute changes beyond both our control.
Unfortunately he didn't deliver on that promise and gave a bunch of excuses before finally giving us a third of what was promised.
He doesn't understand the way to be successful in a service industry is to Never Over Promise and Under Deliver... Always Always Under Promise and Over Deliver and you will have Happy Customers.
Date of experience: September 2020
