20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best Safari in Africa
Kenya is like my home, it's beautiful and the weather here is perfect! There are a lot of wonderful parks in the country.
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wonderful experience! with CKC safaris
Great safari experience with CKC, and John Muhoho the owner, he was supportive from the start as we had to reschedule the safari 3 times due to the various Covid lockdowns.
He helped with the rescheduling of the dates more than once due to Airline changes, met us at the destination and his guides, John and Peter, were very knowledgeable, took us to the National parks where we saw an abundance of Wildlife most of them were with their young babies.
The food was delicious, and made vegan upon our request
The Land cruisers were very clean, and maintained.
Overall, a wonderful experience
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Joshua with JAFRICA is an EXTRAORDINARY guide and host with IMPECCABLE service and knowledge!
Joshua with Joash Africa Wilderness Insight was referred to us by friends who have been to Tanzania multiple times. We did our due diligence and received quotes from Joash and two additional safari outfits who were also referred to us. Joshua responded to our requests very promptly and with thorough questions to help guide us as we planned our safari adventures.
We had never been to Tanzania and he immediately gave us a sense we were in great hands. We spent two nights in Tarangire and four in the Serengeti. His quotes were thorough and straightforward. We worked together on budget and landed on magnificent safari tented lodging that was everything we hoped for. We ended with a fancier lodge in the western Serengeti and it was exciting to mix it up.
His knowledge of the terrain and the animals and their behaviors provided us with an extraordinary experience. We can say it was extraordinary as we "compared" our sightings and activities with friends and family who have been on safari before and they were all in awe of how many sightings we had throughout our travels. The only animal we did not see was the black rhino and that's because we didn't go to the Ngorogoro Crater. Otherwise, we saw them all and up close and enjoyed lingering, unforgettable moments with the elephants, lions and even cheetas and hippos and so much more. He also knew so much about the birds which were stunning and he knew where and when to go for sightings and migration activity. I felt like we were always more than a step ahead of the other travelers. We had so many sightings alone!
Also, the staff that we met upon our return to Arusha airport were nothing short of professional and kind. Everyone from the welcoming to our departure made us feel very safe and comfortable.
Joshua is kind, respectful, funny, curious, spontaneous, smart and a friendly, knowledgeable guide.
I will recommend Joash Africa Wilderness Insight to anyone and everyone I know that is going to Tanzania for a safari. They are the best!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Organized and reliable adventure of a lifetime
We traveled with Gilmag Safaris in Tanzania for our honeymoon. We had the best experience possible working with them! Mary was helpful and responsive right from the start. We did the bush to beach safari where we got to game drive around three different areas before ending with a few relaxing days in Zanzibar. All our accommodations were clean and comfortable with fantastic food. Our guide/driver spoke fluent English (and Italian). He was so knowledgeable about the wild life and local culture. He used his expertise about the area and the radio to make sure we got to see everything we wanted to see! Gilmag Safaris has excellent communication through email and WhatsApp and designs the best trips to the most incredible places.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Sande is very friendly and knowledgeable.
Sande was a really relaxed guide who is able to enjoy all that Uganda has to offer. We enjoyed the Queen Elizabeth National Park tour, the boat tour and chimpanzee tracking. It was nice to be able to support a Ugandan owned tour company. Sande will take good care of you!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Experienced
For the money, this is a 5 star experience. You will get to see all of the animals you hoped for, and more! Arony, our guide, was very experienced and knew exactly the route to take us to maximize our time and experience. We took the 4 day Masai Mara/Lake Nakuru safari - The camp in the Mara is a basic set up with bed/toilet/shower and has a bar you scan purchase alcohol from. The hotel in Nakuru is a bit nicer with free wifi. Overall, great experience and Arony answered all of our questions and was a great host !
AE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An experience of a life time!!
I went to Tsavo with my family and kids and for them it was their first time in Kenya.Source Africa Discoveries (Anthony) made it a trip they they will cherish all their life. Very professional in their arrangements, friendly and ensured we are comfortable at every step.
They went out of the way to ensure we see a Lion in the difficult terrain of Tsavo. They coordinated with other drivers got the location of the last lion spotting and drove us there right in front for the King of the Jungle. Me and my kids are thankful to Source Africa Discoveries for showing us the true Africa and making is fall in love with it
Cheers
AK
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Do it!!
We did the 8 day tour through Naivasha, Nakuru, Maasai Mara and Mombasa extension. We upgraded to the 'luxury accommodations' and also added on the hot air balloon experience.
Overall, this tour was definitely worth the money and we highly recommend to others.
Pros:
- the drivers provided were excellent. at one point, one of our drivers had a migraine and they arranged another driver for us and there was zero wait time and the driver with a migraine was able to get home. both of our drivers were vaccinated.
- Blue Range is quick to respond on the WhatsApp messenger.
- We wired the initial payment, then paid the rest with a travel reward card at his office in Nairobi. There is a transaction fee of 2% (I think!)
- Due to luck, we wound up being the only people in our safari car, so we essentially had a private safari.
- We saw the Big 5, plus many more animals. It was incredible seeing this all in person and hope you have good luck animal spotting as well!
- Do the hot air balloon tour!! This was our favorite thing. It also included a brunch on the bush which we were unaware of, it was really fun and we enjoyed meeting other people.
- the weather was perfect while we were there - light jacket in evenings and pants during the day were fine
- we took malarone just in case, but minimal mosquitos while there so that was a happy surprise
- initially we just upgraded one luxury accommodation, but then 2 others were upgraded for free because the original place was booked.
- everyone we interacted with was overall lovely
Cons:
- a lot of driving is involved. Bring snacks and something to do (i.e., a kindle or books to read when driving city to city). Also, driving and traffic rules are quite different than our experience in the US. We were fine but there were a few moments that felt a bit scary (traffic jam wise).
- there must have been a miscommunication re: our transport the the airport for our flight to the US and the driver charged us. The transport was supposed to be included, it was around $20 US. We had the cash so just paid.
- We weren't clear on a few things - be sure the read the PDF itinerary carefully. Our first itinerary said domestic flights were included, but then later it didn't include this. We had to book the flights. Additionally, due to the time we landed we had to book a hotel in Nairobi for the night. The Hilton Garden Inn was close, but we didn't realize we had to book this until we were en route to the DFW airport. It was momentarily stressful but we did appreciate a hot shower and a few hours of sleep before going off on our journey
- overall the places we stayed were great, the bathrooms at the Nakuru lodge didn't have working hot water, or perhaps we couldn't figure it out, but it was only one night and not a big deal to us
Other:
- bring money to tip your guides, waiters, etc. You can withdraw money upon landing in Nairobi. For the two of us we spent $400 USD (in Kenyan shillings) and it covered all tips, plus small incidentals. We didn't buy any curios or trinkets (just coffee). We overtipped on purpose due to the amazing service and understanding that tourism was really shut down with COVID.
- COVID testing in Mombasa was relatively easy
- Rules with COVID change fast, be sure to check you flight and country rules often. We overprepared with multiple copies of our negative tests and QR traveler code and I would recommend this.
- You'll be eating at buffets or prepared meals at the different resorts, overall food was good and lots of variety
- Our food was all inclusive at each place, at some places alcohol was and others it was not. Check your itinerary or inquire with Willis. The all inclusive at the Voyager Resort in Mombasa was fantastic. Another note - if you order water at dinner it may be charged, but you have plenty of access to water bottles with your driver.
- Read books by Kenyan authors before or while here - Anthony Bourdain's website has a great list to start with
- do the safari boat tour en route to Naivasha
- we skipped the village tour
- in Mombasa we hired a boat to go out to a water reserve, it was really fun
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Knowledgeable and accommodating while also keeping everyone safe!
Aron was wonderful and we got to see many animals in our first two hours. He would let us know when we needed to rush and see another animal he heard about. We got to meet the Mara people and Aron answered all of our questions and taught us about the culture. It was everything we wanted abs just when we thought it couldn’t get better, Lake Naruku was beautiful and we finally got to see Rhinos. I honestly saw Everything I wanted and more. The driving is crazy in Kenya period and Aron does a great job navigating traffic even if it scared me to death.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great!
Many thanks!
Great and fast arranged!
Guide Mody was fantastic.
Asante sana.
