65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful safari with a young motivated family team providing a personalised adventure.
Our group of 6 mature Australians really enjoyed our peronalised 5 day Kruger and Panorama Route Safari with the owners and now our great friends, Ryan and Thale together with their delightful young African assistant Langi. All booking communication was prompt, easy and helpful. The personalised service, expert cultural and environmental commentary on the safari from start to finish was enthusiastic and informative. We really enjoyed the personalised bush catering and mid level camp accomodation. I highly recommend this family based company to all age groups who want value for money, without fancy frills, but who want to experience and learn about Africa to the maximum in the time available. Kruger is awesome!
JP
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
very kind staff.thanks for very important time.
very nice staff.
very good Schedule.
thank you so much.
I appreciate your company.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent safe, personalised tour with a very experienced and knowledgeable crew.
We travelled as a group of 6 friends for 45 days from Namibia to Kenya with Pole Pole safaris. I could not think of a better way to experience all that Africa has to offer. We had home cooked meals, knowledgeable guides and good company. Things can and do go wrong in Africa- flooded roads etc but such issues were handled by Chris with good humour and a reassuring calm. We were able to request stops and have input to the itinerary. If you prefer individualised touring I would 100% recommend Chris and Pole Pole safaris.
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A Memorable Experience
We booked a private 2 week luxurious Gorilla Tour. With our prior extensive travel experiences, we would classify our tour with Gorilla Tours in Uganda, as less than luxurious.
Our communication with Virgo and the organized itinerary was great.
The accommodations were clean and the Nature Lodges were wonderful. The ambiance created with evening campfires and the ability to hear the sounds of the local wildlife close by, we enjoyed immensely. The convenience of having an ensuite shower(sometimes outdoors!) and bathroom facilities gave us the feeling of “glamping”. A four course meal was served every evening and we found the servings generous. We would have felt better to have the option of a smaller serving size, with an offer of more, if needed.
On the Gorilla Tours web site they advertise: Drive around in the best 4WD Toyota Land Cruisers......
The vehicle breakdowns and tire repairs totalling 6 events disappointed us. We would recommend the company develop a protocol prior to sending a vehicle out to ensure it is road worthy and has the necessary equipment to change a tire. A jack that is too small and nothing flat to put the jack on, when on a bumpy dirt road, requires creative interventions.
In our opinion, it is imperative to have protocols in place that allow drivers to function well, especially to stay awake while driving. When sending a mechanic to repair our broken vehicle it resulted in unsafe driving the following day, due to the driver being responsible for picking up the mechanic at 3am. We appreciate the efforts to not interfere with our itinerary, however a replacement driver would have been safer.
We’d recommend requesting the drivers mentioned in other people’s 5 star reviews, as we had challenges with communication with our driver and there appeared to be a lack of knowledge pertaining to what we saw. We appreciated his knowledge of birds.
Overall our amazing adventure of seeing the rare and awesome mountain gorillas and many other animals and birds in beautiful scenery, resulted in a memorable experience in Uganda that we would highly recommend to others.
BR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
We just gave our budget and they prepare everything that we need, it was perfect
The safari exceed my expectations in all ways. It was something really new to us and we understand a lot about wild life and had an amazing experience!
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic 10-day safari trip with Sunny Safaris
We went on a private 10-day North circuit Tanzania safari trip with Sunny Safaris. Parks visited - Arusha, Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater, Ndutu (Ngorongoro) and central Serengeti. We stayed at a mix of midrange tented camps and lodges.
The trip was fantastic. I contacted 8 companies and chose Sunny Safari as the tour organizer Jessica was the most responsive and the most competitive price including balloon ride and flight to Zanzibar. She accommodated our specific requests including, experienced driver/guide, newer vehicle, 3L of water pp/day, flying doctor insurance, etc.
Our driver/guide Sid Mohamed was a gem. His experience and hospitality really made our experience beyond expectations. Ability to spot animals is expected for all drivers/guides. Sid is definitely in the top tier. In a race to get close once a cheetah caught a prey, Sid was the fastest and picked the best spot among 15+ vehicles following the hunt. He took the short-cut between Tarangire to Lake Manyara for a glimpse of village life; he knows where to park for good light for photography. He kept the vehicle immaculate even in extremely dusty conditions in Ndutu, other drivers borrowed his brush to clean. He keeps a couple beanbags for clients to use and they were better than the travel size we have. And the list goes on. I highly recommend requesting Sid if you book with Sunny.
DK
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
One of the best in a life time
It was a wonderfull experience...Beautifull places The Ngorongoro, Serengeti..One of the beautifull places in the planet..Thank you TOMODACHI..
ES
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Ripped-off consumers
For us this trip was very important, we have a job with normal salary and Kenya and Tanzania is very expensive for us.. We were going saving enough time.
The first day we pay all money, 3000$ for 16 days and half. Land Rover Defender with roof tent and camping equipment.
We take the vehicle in Nairobi.
They gave us the damaged vehicle.
We warn the same day that the turbo charger was not working.
For the highway the car was going very very slowly.
Neither the air conditioning was going. We were in time of great heat and we spent it very badly.
The first day in Ngare Ndare there came a few mechanics to be looked of arranging it, but not at all.
We could come to Samburu but they were following the problems.
In Nakuru one day we were in two workshops and on the following day in three. Was fustrating….
Finally, after several discussions, Winny said us that she was obtaining a van for take us to Masai Mara and there they would bring to us the Defender two days later, arranged. Windy say : Am paying for 3 days from today.and paying the driver.You will only pay for fuel and park fee for the car.
They brought to us a horrible van, without air, without usb to load mobiles and cameras, with the most uncomfortable seats, with the battered lights, and the driver with expired license as said to us a police officer who stopped us on the following day.
Well, the next day to arrive to Mara suprise !! the driver say us that he must to go away the next day, because his chief had not given him any more money.
We call to flight and safaris and Windy did not make sure us either that they were going to bring to us the vehicle.
We turned to Nairobi ready to speak with Windy.
And when we think that they returned all money because we had problems with the vehicle since the first day… no, they only return us a part..
Incredible… We pay for 3 days land rover damaged, 3 days 140 $ day for a horrible van..150$ for a cross border documentation when we dont cross any border, and one night at Mara Sidai camp.
Well, after that, we had other problems because we were not finding other companies that were renting a car to us, there were holidays, etc, etc… but this is another history, jajajaja
I have whatsapps, pictures, bills, etc…
Our experience was very very bad.
CA
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Tammy helped me plan an amazing 3 week trip to South Africa for 9 travellers.
Tammy replied quickly and professionaly to all my enquiries from Canada as this complicated trip evolved. She gave excellent advice regarding choosing accommodations and safaris. There was not a single hitch and we all have had a trip of a lifetime. Thanks, Tammy
NL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent safari! Highly recommended.
In February we made a safari with Makasa. From the beginning till the end it was fantastic. The safari itself, but also the service, the equipment, the communication and the organisation were beyond our expectations. In planning the trip they were very sensitive to our expectations and possibilities. Our guide Frederick taught us a lot about the annimals and the ecosystem and he managed the trip in an excellent way, so we have tremendously enjoyed the wildlife.