Unequalled for getting up close with the naturally-real Africa, without crowds, and with top service
Moriti Private Safaris deliver it all, the environment passion, the service, the safety, the amazing wildlife access, the tailoring to suit you, the up and beyond attention to detail, the unequalled 'what more can we do' attitude to every part of every day. Our group of 6 spent day after day, away from other tourists for the most part, enjoying time to just quietly observe everything, photograph what we wished, be explained to, and understand the nature of life for each species. Africa does get under your skin ! This is our second visit, and we have already given our commitment to Shaun, Owner/Guide, that we want to book him again within the next two years. Every one we know who is interested in visiting the REAL Africa, will be hearing about him and his service. You can trust everything about how he operates... from the heart... from a lifetime of giving back to the people and environment of the real Africa. Thank you Shaun and Moriti from the bottom of our heart, and from the top of our wishlist for an adventure lived to the maxiumum for sure wonder, excitement, and respect. 100 out of 100 - higher marks if possible :)
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Magical Kenya truly lived up to its reputation thanks to Beacon
My family and I went on a 6 Day 5 Night safari in Kenya in June 2017. This was the most amazing family trip we have been on from start to finish. Our guide/driver Anthony picked us up from our hotel in Nairobi and we were off on an exciting adventure. He welcomed us with a beautiful song and went over our itinerary so we were ready and prepared for our adventure. He was incredibly knowledgeable, able to answer all of our questions about the parks/animals/Kenya/etc. And our expectations of the trip were met and then some. We were so excited to see all the animals, and we did: elephants, lions, black rhinos, giraffes, cheetahs, leopards, hippos, zebra, etc. Anthony did his absolute best to make sure each game drive was eventful, always keeping his eyes and ears out for animals. We checked the Big 5 off our list within the first day and a half! And the accommodations recommended by Beacon were great. They were luxurious, the rooms were roomy and comfortable, unique decor that was true to the environment, the views incredible, the food very good, and the staff very welcoming and gracious. Our SUV was also a great ride, comfortable, spacious, and affording great views on our game rides. Even in between parks and reserves, Anthony was really great at sticking to his schedule but also building in the appropriate stops. We could not have been happier with our trip and with the services provided by Beacon and Anthony. I'm using so many superlatives because they really are warranted. This was an amazing trip. Choose Beacon Safaris, and ask for Anthony if he's available, you will not be disappointed.
US
Amazing! Everything we were looking for
Our trip was amazing! It was so easy working with Emma to book the trip. We went for our honeymoon, and they tried hard to make it special for us. Our guide was great and informative, and knew where to take us to see what we wanted to see. We had such a good time. We saw so much and learned so much, and the food was great! We’re recommending Shemeji to everyone we know! :)
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Highly Recommended - 20 day Southern African Safari trip from African Coast Travel
If you are looking for a great, multi-country overview of the highlights of Southern Africa, definitely consider African Coast Travel and Tours based in Zimbabwe. The trip includes South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana and Namibia. Here is a link describing this 20 day, 5 country trip: http://www.africancoasttravel.com/southern-africa-explorer-safari-package.html.
My husband and I had the pleasure of making this wonderful trip recently. It is a perfect way of seeing many different countries in Southern Africa in a fairly short time frame. One would always like to say longer in certain areas, but for an overview of the 5 countries included, it’s a perfect introduction. There is so much diversity in this trip, from exploring sophisticated cities like Cape Town and Johannesburg, to breathtaking game drives and miracles of nature , to cultural and historical artifacts and interactions with warm, wonderful people.
African Coast Travel takes care of all of the details, from initial airport pick up to all hotels, most activities and meals, internal and inter-Africa flights. We compared the services and amenities of African Coast to numerous other travel group options. We specifically wanted to support local African tour groups and researched many, but also explored group travel packages from the USA, UK, Australia and more. One of the major benefits of the 20 Day African Explorer Safari from African coast was that the pricing was per person and the trip was available for 2 people – thus, it was basically a private tour throughout. Prices of large tour groups were often as much, if not more as African coast, but they would have meant a bus load of 20-40 other people. The benefits of a private tour are innumerable.
Many people still think of Africa as being unsafe and are concerned about traveling there. We certainly didn’t know what to expect, but felt totally safe throughout our tour. We stayed in Cape Town for 5 days before our official tour, and then in Johannesburg for 5 days at the end – thus were on our own, walking the streets, shopping, visiting attractions, etc. We were, naturally careful about going out alone at night (as one would be in most large, unknown cities). But in general we were never concerned about our safety – in fact people went out of their way to ask if we needed help when we were at the subway or bus stops or carrying our luggage around.
So, if you are thinking about visiting Africa, and are looking for a diverse, multi-dimensional experience, definitely contact Joseph at African Coast and start a dialogue. He and the team are flexible and able to customize this 20 day package or many of the other trips they offer. We are already talking about where we want to revisit or other possible African countries to experience and will, of course, contact African Coast Travel.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
3 Days Gombe Stream Safari
After trying to arrange travel on my own to Gombe Stream, I am so glad that I decided to work with Gombe Track for what turned out to be a once in a lifetime trip to the Reserve for chimpanzee viewing. Here are a few of what I found to be the biggest challenges to arranging my own travel: 1) there is one flight to Kigoma every Sun, Mon, Weds and Fri only, 2) Gombe is accessible by boat only and catching a public boat or hiring your own on the spot is not guaranteed, 3) you may only visit Gombe on a 24 hour maximum permit. Joshua with Gombe Track was responsive in multiple e-mail communications about the 3 day itinerary. I was all set to travel to Gombe followed by another safari elsewhere in Tanzania when Joshua let me know that the flight times had changed. Fortunately, although I lost some money, I was able to re-book my subsequent flight and shift my subsequent safari schedule one day ahead. Despite this uncontrollable change in flights, my experiences with Gombe Track Safari were excellent. All the drivers provided were on time to meet me at the hotel and airport. James (driver) was especially helpful in explaining local sites and culture. Hotel accommodations in Kigoma included a private room with bathroom. Hotel staff, however, did not seem to be aware of my affiliation with Gombe Track Safari and tried to charge me for diner that was actually included with the safari package. The boat booked for transport to Gombe Stream was on time, well equipped with new safety equipment, and the captain (Baraka) well experienced with the route and lake conditions. The safari chef, Amos, was very accommodating and prepared more food than I could eat, including fresh caught lake fish. The “Luxury Tented Camp” in Gombe Reserve was by far the nicest platform tent accommodation I have even seen. It was fully equipped with a shower, toilet, and large bed! The park guides are very experienced and mine worked with two trackers to locate a large Chimp troops, which I was lucky enough to watch for quite some time. Although Gombe is off the beaten tourist track, it is worth a visit for anyone interested in Jane Goodall’s work or the Lake Tanganyika area.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Do not use Bramwel Tours, William Amon, or Meru Treks. Awful experience and they owe me $382
In August 2016, I signed up for a 6 day camping safari with Bramwel tours, operated by William Amon in Arusha. The cost was $1,200 and the itinerary that William sent me included all transfers and one night stay at a hotel after the tour was over. I was traveling alone so I asked William if I could join another tour. He said yes. I chose William because he was responsive and helpful over email. He answered all my questions in a professional manner.
Two days before the tour started, William emailed me to tell me that the tourists I was supposed to join had cancelled. He found another tour operator with a 5 day tour the same days and I could join them. I was disappointed, especially because the shorter tour meant I wouldn't be able to see the great migration (the primary reason I wanted to go on Safari), but I understood that happens when you join other tourists. William suggested they would find a local activity in Arusha to fill my sixth day.
The tour operator William put me on (Meru Treks) was awful! We lost a lot of time because the jeep kept breaking down, and we started so late one day that we missed half the day. Another day, when we went to Ngorongoro crater, the driver told us we would only have half a day, even though the itinerary told us we'd have a full day. We had to argue with our driver to get a full day.
The driver was in a bad mood some of the time and explained very little to us. The cook was nice and did the best with the food he had, but some nights there wasn't enough food for the group.
Everything about the tour suggested Meru was trying to spend as little as possible. For example, we found out that the driver and cook had nowhere to sleep! The driver was sleeping in the car (no wonder he was in a bad mood and no wonder that some mornings we started late).
Along with me on my tour were five other people, all of whom told me they were very unhappy. Two of them paid $680 for four days. One paid $640 for four days. Two other tourists paid $900 for five days. They all purchased their tickets directly through Meru.
The night before I returned, I emailed William to tell him how awful Meru was. I told him I don't want to hire him for my sixth day, and I'd like a refund for the difference between the price of the Meru Trek tour and the tour I paid for. He agreed, told me he would meet me in Arusha and pay me the difference.
When I arrived in Arusha, the hotel that was supposed to be included in the cost of my trek told me that William had paid part of the room cost and I would have to pay the remaining $32.
I emailed William to tell him I thought the Meru Trek should have cost $850 (the tourists who paid $680 for a four day trip paid $170 per day; my five day trip should have cost $850). I told William I thought he owed me $382 ($1,200 - $850 + $32). He responded that he only owed $230. He tried to charge me $50 for airport transfers and $20 for the night in the hotel, even though both of these were listed as 'included' in the itinerary he sent me. After some arguing, he agreed to refund me $382.
On my last day in Arusha, William emailed me to apologize that he would not be able to meet me to refund my money. He said he would wire me the difference.
For the last ten months, we have been emailing back and forth. William keeps promising he will refund my money, but he never does. He once told me he sent it but the money did not arrive in my account.
Altogether, I am very upset at Bramwel, William, and at Meru Treks. The trek I went on was a big disappointment. William pushed me off onto a bad operator, and then tried to charge me extra for items that should have been included. While he has agreed to pay me $382, he has not refunded my money.
I strongly agree with all the other negative reviews posted on SafariBookings. I recommend you stay away from Bramwel Tours, William Amon, and Meru Treks. I have emailed the Tanzania Tourism Board to recommend that they take away Bramwel's license.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
My first time on a Safari and my family and I had a wonderful experience with sana Safaris.
We all had a good time. The tour met my expectation. The staff at the Mara Sopa was wonderful and very friendly and I hope they continue their good work. That is a place I would visit again. The food was awesome and the food presentation was good. The tour driver was knowledgeable and communicated very well. Such an awesome tour guide. Wonderful experience.
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic Experience
My wife and I have nothing but praise for James and his team. They did absolutely everything that they could to make our time in Kenya memorable and comfortable. Excluding travel time, we were with the team for 14 days and we enjoyed every day! The accommodations that they booked for us were top-notch; clean, comfortable with good food and service. Our drivers (Dan & John) were more like friends that we had known for years than tour guides that we had just met. We cannot thank them enough for their willingness to do everything that they could to ensure that we saw and did everything that we wished to.
Our group from Canada was divided into two vehicles while on the "game drives" in the Masai Mara preserve and both drivers (John and Evans) did phenomenal work to make sure that we saw all the animals on our wish lists (the two leopards were particularly spectacular) and they were very knowledgeable.
I would like to list all the sights that they made available to us but it's too long...highlights only: Bike ride through Hell's Gate National Park, two nights and boat ride on Lake Naivasha, hike at the Menengai Crater, visit to Ol Pejeta Animal Conservancy and, of course, game drives in the Masai Mara.
Many thanks to James, Joan, Evans, Dan and John!
I've reviewed a lot of places on TripAdvisor and have never given a 5-star rating for anything; this trip was deserving.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Mmilo tours was very accommodating, professional and fun! The whole Safari experience was amazing
everything went smoothly and the itinerary was followed perfectly
ES
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing experience
The safari experience was unbelievable. Stephen made the communication really easy from the beginning and even after the trip he was helping us all the time.
I would recommend this company to everyone heading to Africa.
Thanks a lot agsin for the good service