US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Chimpanzees - Up close and personal
My trip to Gombe National Park was a dream come true and even then, exceeded my expectations. A longtime fan of Jane Goodall's work, I was overjoyed to be in the very park where she and many others worked and lived with the Chimpanzee community. The luxury tented camp at the park is just that - a luxury with running water, toilet and shower as well as a full bed and couch all on a raised platform right off Lake Tanganyika's beach. My park guide was very knowledgeable about the Chimpanzees but also about other local fauna and flora, including traditionally used and medicinal plants that abound in Gombe forest. Two well-experienced chimp trackers worked over radio to locate the troops for viewing and I was lucky enough to spend time with two separate chimp families. One curious chimp came quite close! The experience of Gombe is unforgettable and well worth the trip.
BE
Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Kruger National Park by HHM
A large natural park, with rich wildlife, excellent infrastructure
BE
Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great safari for starters
Pilanesberg is a great game reserve option if you are in Johannesburg and a limited time for a safari (1-3 days), with rich variety of wildlife. In a 5-6h tour, we spotted giraffes, elephants, wildebeests, antelopes, zebras, boars, ostriches and jackals.
Although relatively small, Pilanesberg is in a transition area, so the landscape, vegetation and wildlife quickly changes from one part to another of the park.
I only visited the park, in a 1-day trip from Johannesburg, arriving early morning and leaving by late afternoon, it was a still an enjoyable experience, though a weekend would be certainly better. It is possible to visit the park with a private car and a guide, roads were excellent.
The tour with the park truck is probably a better option to view the wildlife - just be aware that there are limited rides (especially during the low season).
US
Review about Kafue National Park by David
I visited Kafue National park during the green season. I loved the remote feel of the park, but it would have been a more satisfying experience later in the dry season. The birding was very good, though, and made up for the absence of animals.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Tanzania by Katie
Accommodating and friendly locals, amazing sights, easy flights and tour booking.
BE
Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about South Africa by HHM
Excellent natural parks, great landscape, good infrastructure to support tourism, relatively well connected, reasonable prices and wide range of options for hotels and restaurants.
US
A stunning introduction to Africa
This was my first trip to southern Africa after years of journeying around South America, North America, Europe and Asia. I was looking for a unique experience that would encompass affordability, adventure, wildlife, scenic beauty and a uniquely African experience . Zambia seemed to fit the bill and fulfilled my expectations. I chose to go during the green season when crowds were lower. Although animals were not as easy to view in parks such as Kafue, the birding made up for it. My itinerary went from Victoria Falls, with a side trip to Chobe National Park in Botswana, to the Lower Zambezi River for 2 days of canoeing and finally to South Luangwa. I was impressed with the professionalism of the guides, especially on the Lower Zambezi River and in South Luangua National Park. I had many highlights on this trip, but I would choose the Microlight flight over Victoria Falls , the canoeing trip on the Zambezi River and my time in South Luangwa National Park. The canoeing offered me close proximity to hippos, elephants and the peaceful tranquility of camping on the Lower Zambezi River. South Luangwa gave me all the cat sightings I was hoping for. The birding was simply incredible, rivaling the animal sightings. As a modest traveler, the lodging was to my liking, mostly in tents. Marula Lodge, outside of South Luangwa National Park, was very welcoming. I loved camping next to the river and the outdoor showers. The restaurant had tasty food and guiding was exceptionally professional. The country is very scenic, especially along the rivers. Big sky unsets were very memorable. I guess that if I were to alter anything on the itinerary during the green season, it would have be increased time on the Zabesi River and at South Luangwa National park at the expense of Kafue National Park. Although I felt like Kafue National Park to myself, the grass was too high for wildlife viewing during green season. Overall the trip was terrific and made for a satisfying 1st experience in Africa. Finally, I would like to thank Denver of Denssafari for organizing a superb itinerary at an affordable price. I look forward to my return to the region in the next year or two.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
airport to airport excellence
Elvice did a great job organizing our safari by email so we felt pretty good before we left that it was going to be a great trip.
Although we had people arriving on different days, our guide Laizer (pronounced Liza, like Liza Manelli) picked us up from the airport and everything went smoothly. Kenyan airlines lost my wife and my checked luggage, but the Safari Supremacy team worked with the airlines to find our bags and get them delivered to our hotel. They went out of their way to make sure we had a great trip.
We went in the "off-season" which meant that we saw the same animals, paid less, and stayed in fabulous hotels instead of bush camps. I personally would have preferred the bush camps, but I got out voted by the rest of my party.
We had 5 days and saw everything we wanted to see, including all of the big five. I didn't understand what that was until we got there, but it's s big deal to the safaris. I'm glad we got a chance to see leopards and rhinos as they are scarce and we might not have seen them otherwise except that they are in the big five and worth the effort to track them down.
Everyone we met from Tanzania was very pleasant. Our guide spoke English and taught us a few words in Swahili. The hotel staff were multilingual and spoke English Spanish German and I think I heard Japanese or Korean as well. I was impressed it was so multi National. We could tell the cars of Japanese by the huge zoom lenses on all their cameras. HUGE. FYI, I had a small point and shoot that I kept in my pocket and was fine. The animals are so close that you don't need a huge zoom.
It was amazing and we would definitely go again. We are already planning to go back and climb Kilimanjaro. We would use this safari operator again without hesitation.
US
Perfect visit to Tanzania
Perfect saferi trips with the best guide ever Deu :). Loved every hour of our trip as well as my family and my 2 year old son. Thanks!
CA
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Awesome trip
I had a fabulous time on this safari. My contact Peter Rujabuka took care of all the requirements.He is a great guy with considerable knowledge of this business. I have no hesitations in recommending him to any prospective visitor.He went the extra mile for me. My guide on the tour by the name of Amos was brilliant. He has a neck for spotting the big five!Thank you Kibale tours...you did an awesome job.