PL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very professional safari operator
We chose Gombe Safari for our 2 night safari in Selous Game Reserve. They picked us up from our hotel and drove to Ngalawa camp, where we had a cute cottage house made of tent material, with electricity, quite big and nice bathroom and a little porch. There is a family of babboons in the camp which made things even better for us. On the same day of our arrival we went on a boat safari, on which we ve seen a lot of hippos, crocodiles and a beautiful sunset. The second day was game drive, which took about 9 hours, we have basically seen all the animals, including lions, giraffes, zebras, elephants. And the whole time it was just us and the driver in the 4x4 jeep, which was amazing! On the last day we went on a walking safari, which was also very interesting. All those days we had meals at our camp, very delicious and in very big amounts. I recommend this safari operator as well as Selous Game Reserve to everyone!
IN
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Positive overall, but some things could be improved.
Our overall experience with Tekko was quite positive.
Ms. Maggie Kariuki was always very response to our questions over email, and when we landed in Nairobi, she went out of her way to make sure we were comfortable. When we asked for a recommendation for a local restaurant (we wanted to try the local cuisine), she went so far as to accompany us there, and even helped us order. She event lent us two pairs of binoculars for our safari. The safari vehicle that we were given was spacious and comfortable, and had superb suspension (which we were grateful for during the long bad patches of road). The safaris in the parks were lovely (despite some disappointment about not seeing too many flamingoes in Nakuru)
A few things could have gone better, though.
1. Tekko could have been a little more forthcoming, and volunteered information that might have been useful. While we knew the drive from Amboseli to Nakuru would be long, we didn't realize how arduous it would be. We took nine hours, despite 'shortcuts' over the most horrendous roads, and got there just in time for a quick safari before it got dark. There were hardly any flamingoes to be seen, which we later learned had been the case for the last few years. If we had been told about these two things, we would probably have changed our itinerary.
2. Our driver/guide Stephen was knowledgeable and skillful, but not particularly friendly. He definitely wasn't rude, but we got the feeling that we were imposing on him by making him drive us around. A word of apology for bouncing us over a particular bad patch of road would have gone a long way. With my 80 year-old mother along, it would have been nice if had seemed a little more concerned over our comfort. Maybe a little guest-relations training is in order?
But we definitely enjoyed ourselves. Thank you, Tekko and Ms. Kariuki for organizing such a nice trip for us. If the two points above could be addressed, I'm sure your future guests will have an even better time.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Victoria Falls to the Okavango Delta: Great guide, AMAZING honeymoon/trip!
This was the most amazing trip I have ever been on. We enjoyed every minute of it and Mthokozisi (Mucho!) was amazing!! (We went on an 8 day, 7 night, safari to: Victoria Falls, Chobe, Elephant Sands, and the Okavango Delta. The only thing we added to the package was a helicopter flight over the Delta.)
We learned so much and saw so many animals. The only thing we knew when planning our trip was that we wanted to go to the Okavango Delta and we were really struggling to find an affordable trip. One safari company told us we needed to double our budget if we wanted to get there. NOT Africa Zim! Their safari packages were affordable, planned out wonderfully, and flexible depending on what you were looking for and how long you had. We went so many amazing places we wouldn't have known about if not for Blessing and his amazing team. It was truly once in a lifetime.
A review wouldn't be complete without a huge shout out to Mthokozisi!!!! Mucho was an AMAZING guide! My husband really wanted to see zebras and it wasn't looking good for a while there, but while we were driving eagle eye Mucho spotted some and immediately (and safely) pulled over, opened the sunroof and made sure we had a moment to look at them. He really cared about what we were there to see and was so knowledgable and professional. Mucho answered EVERY question we asked, from what was happening with the countries politics to different things about his culture, home and family. He was so wonderful.
Thank you Mthokozisi, Blessing, and Africa Zim as a whole for an AMAZING AMAZING adventure and honeymoon. We will never forget it and would/will recommend Africa Zim to anyone and everyone going to Africa.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Highly recommend Africa Zim for your next Safari!
My wife and I took a 7 day Safari lodge tour booked through Blessing from Africa Zim for our honeymoon. He set us up with a local guide from Zimbabwe, Mthokozisi, who was extremely professional, and really fun to talk to and learn from! We basically had a private tour guide who took us to the most recommended attractions from Victoria Falls through Chobe and into the Okavango. Of course the game rides we're in small groups of 4-8 people but Mthokozisi would be available whenever needed, took us from place to place, helped us figure out how to swap some plans last minute since we really wanted to take be a helicopter tour over the Okavango (so worth it!) and wealth of knowledge.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Masai Mara National Reserve by Dan
This is a wonderful park full grand vistas and teeming with wildlife. It can get crowded around certain animals: big cats, mainly. However, even in early July, it was possible to be out of sight of other vehicles, though rarely.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Lake Nakuru National Park by Dan
It is a pretty park with a variety of wildlife. However, there is a good deal of development around the park which is especially evident after dark, when the light pollution is visible.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Exceeded Expectations
My wife and I traveled from the end of June into early July. This was our first trip to Africa and it exceeded all expectations. It will not be our last trip.
Transtrek made booking painless. Daniel was responsive, offered suggestions without being pushy, and handled everything quickly. Our main driver and guide, Peter, was pleasant, knowledgeable, and always helpful. We hope to return to Kenya and will be contacting Transtrek when we do.
Our itinerary included Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha, the Masai Mara National Reserve, and the Naboisho Conservancy. While the Mara and Naboisho were undoubtedly the highlights of the trip, the two lake parks afforded us the opportunity to see very different environments and some species not present in the Mara region. Naivasha is home to scores of bird species, which can be viewed quite closely during guided boat trips. Time in Nakuru allowed us to see both white and black rhinos. The sweeping, wildlife strewn, vistas of the Masai Mara were captivating. We even witnessed a leopard stalking a small group of Thomson's gazelle. The Naboisho Conservancy lacks the wide open spaces of the Mara but more than makes up for it with high wildlife density (notably lions) and the increased privacy found in the conservancies. Private conservancies also allow night drives and Bush walks, experiences not to be found in national parks and reserves.
Concerning our accommodations: we stayed in Sopa properties at Nakuru and Naivasha and Basecamp Explorer properties in the Mara and Naboisho. I would not hesitate to return to any of them. However, the Basecamp were a cut above, Eagle View in particular. Both Sopa properties were comfortable, had pleasant staff, and the food, served in a buffet, ranged from fine to good. The variety was good. Basecamp Explorer Masai Mara and Basecamp Explorer Eagle View are permanent tented eco camps with a strong Bush feeling. Masai Mara (12 tents) sits just over the Talek River from the reserve and Eagle View (9 tents) is arrayed along a ridge line within Naboisho. Both serve excellent meals created by in house chefs. Benson's food at Eagle View made sufficient impression for me to purchase his cook book. This is not something I typically do.
US
Fantastic experience!
We absolutely loved our SA trip! The safaris were amazing and we saw everything we hoped to! The Big Five and more. We spent a day on the Panoramic Route Tour and while it was a bit rushed fitting all the stops in in one day, the experience didn't disappoint.
SK
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
nice / friendly companions providing expert service :-)
I was looking forward to wake up and meet our driver Jolis, who made our days.
We saw serval, gepard, leopard huting, lions, elephants, rhino, ...
+ the kitchen was better than 5 star hotel in Instanbul (where we spent 1 day before going here)
Excellent job!
Thank you, Raimund
IE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Kenya Safari
Alan was excellent and provided a very professional service. He is an honorable person, we found him to be trustworthy and honest. He stood by what he promised. Airport pickup and drop off (and hotel transfer) included as part of the package. We opted for 5 day safari covering 3 parks ( Massai Mara, Lake Nakuru and Amboselli), but in hindsight this is too much for 5 days as it requires a lot of driving every day (6 hours a day). If we were going again, we would recommend 2 parks would suffice (skip Nakuru - long drive for limited wildlife viewing). Driver was very knowledgeable on wildlife/animals, and handled the 4WD very well (had to switch to 4WD on one bad mountain road). Massai village visit included as part of package, but in the village we visited in Amboselli, the village chief's son who guided us around the village, was on a serious sales pitch - far too much. Significant pressure to buy items at extremely inflated prices and to donate money to the local school. This was uncomfortable and took away from the village visit.