50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
An exceptional place to photograph wildlife and birds
We had a fantastic time on the Pangolin Houseboat in Chobe, at the Pangolin camp in Kwai and at Desolate Valley lodge.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
You’ll never find service as great as this!!
Communication was impeccable. I was going solo to the Serengeti and had many questions throughout the planning phase. I always received a response within 24 hours and was assured my request would be handled appropriately.
Not only that, but I had a nightmare of a commute getting to Africa due to a delayed flight and missing my connection, which would have prohibited me from going on my safari excursion. The tour operator was able to direct me into taking another flight to a nearby city, they rebooked another local flight for me once there, and actually came to sit with me at the airport at 3am until my next flight left at 7am. On top of all that, my luggage was lost for most of my trip and although the tour operator had nothing to do with my initial flights to Africa, they consistently called the airline and the baggage service company to check on my luggage everyday. The tour operator delivered the news of my found luggage on day 5 of my trip and helped coordinate its delivery to my hotel even though I had no other obligations with them for services. I am most grateful for them as they far exceeded my expectations and have service that cannot be matched. They are definitely a service provider I would recommend and use in the future.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
No need to look any further! This should be your Safari company!
I will begin with my main takeaway first, as to not bury the lead. Lion King Adventures IS the safari company you want to book your next safari with. I am giving them 5 stars and would give them 6 if I could. We did the private budget safari (was around $1100/person – 4 in our group) that got us 5 days and 4 nights in Tanzania’s finest parks and conservation areas. We spent time at Tarangire, Serengetti, and Ngorongoro Crater. I would recommend this particular type of safari too if you are looking to not break the bank and are OK with sleeping in a tent for most of the trip.
I will break my review into the below categories for your reading pleasure.
Service – Service was top notch. Lion King had someone drive up to the Kilimanjaro airport to pick us up at 5AM when our flight landed and took us directly to our hostel. The airport is small and cabs were few and far between. Having this arranged as part of our package was extremely helpful and valuable to us. They also took us directly to our flight in Arusha after our safari with plenty of time to spare! Our tour guide Ozzi (who is incredible…James, hopefully Ozzi wins your prizes) met us at our hostel the day before our safari started just to greet us and welcome us to Africa! He then picked us up bright and early on Sunday morning (7:30) to get going. They were able to take all of our bags in the jeep and even packed us a cooler with water, soda, and beer! Phenomenal service from this group…not to mention all of the questions they answered for us via email in the months leading up to the safari.
Transportation – The safari vehicle was perfect for our group and we had plenty of room. It was fun to have the pop top so we could look out into the wild, but the car was not open on the sides like some other cars had (which would have scared me). We only had one hiccup where we broke down for a few hours because of a gear box issue. These breakdowns seems to happen frequently across all companies. Lion King did a fantastic job however of getting us a backup vehicle and guide while our previous car was getting fixed. Ozzi did his best to make up for this breakdown in several ways (took us out very early 2 mornings later, was very apologetic, and bought us a special drink for our last out there…Lay him down!). The roads are pretty bumpy out there…so just be aware of that if you get carsick easily.
Food – The food was incredible and we owe it all to Yousef! Yousef is an incredible chef and everything he made was delicious. He makes you breakfast, lunch, and dinner each day and there is always more than enough food to go around. We looked forward to each meal when Yousef was preparing it. He is also an amazing guy and is fun to talk to and will even teach you some Swahili if you ask!!
Accommodations – 3 out of the 4 nights were spent in a tent and one was spent in a small hut with actual beds and a bathroom. You will be camping in the middle of the Serengetti and right outside the crater and live animals will walk through your camp! I came in close contact with a Buffalo on an evening trip to the restroom, so be careful out there. The tents were always set up for us and there were places to shower at each campsite (I would recommend bringing a towel and some soap). At night it got pretty cold in the tent so I would also recommend warm clothes and possibly a small pillow if you’d rather not rest your head on a pile of t-shirts and shorts. The tents were pretty big and Lion King also provided mats, a sleeping bag, and a few Maasai blankets.
Expertise – Ozzi was extremely knowledgeable about all the wildlife in the parks. He spotted a rhino probably a quarter of a mile away for us! He knew the answer to almost any question and was well connected to the other drivers and found us a lot of action on the safari. Don’t be shy! Ask lots of questions!
Intangibles – Ozzi and Yousef (As well as James and Anna) and the whole Lion King crew made us feel very important, very welcome, and like Kings in our own right. We felt like a small family during our 5 days and we genuinely miss Ozzi and Yousef and were sad to say goodbye. We had a lot of good laughs on the safari with those two and the rapport was something special that I don’t think all safari goers (with other companies) experienced. Some of the people at the campground chose to hang out with us and our guides because we were having so much fun!
I can’t wait to do another Safari with Lion King Adventures and I can’t wait for you to get to do one either! Thank you Lion King!
ES
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing safari experience
We booked a 3 day safari in Maasai Mara for our honeymoon, our first safari. :) The communication and organization was agile and excellent from the very first moment. First we had contact we Charles who provided all of the information what we need for the safari and payment, always answering to our questions.
When we arrived to Nairobi we had 1 day there before to go to Maasai Mara, but one of our baggage stayed at Doha, thanks to Mathew (Head of Customer Care) we got our suitcase at time.
We also had an excellent guide and driver, Anthony, who knows a lot about animals and simply loves his job. We had a a wonderful 3 days safari with a lot of new experiences to remember. We highly recommend Classic Journeys Africa, their service excellence and professional team.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic, well organised and stress free holiday
Our agent Rob, did a fantastic job of crafting an itinerary with us - incorporating what we were excited to do, what we weren’t interested in, and addressing the concerns that we had (as a gay couple this was quite important to us).
There was plenty of communication, with our questions addressed quickly, and lots of information provided.
The tour, facilities, guide, hotels etc all were fantastic. Much more than we were expecting. Everything was super relaxed, but well organised. Staff (including our guide Amani) helping us to feel welcome, relaxed and unhurried.
Overall an amazing experience, and one we hope to repeat again
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A personalized experience with delicious food and comfortable accommodations.
My husband and I's experience with Wild Plant Safari was great! We had a personalized experience as it was just the two of us and our guide. Our guide Gibson really worked to make sure we saw as many animals as possible and we really appreciated his vast knowledge about the animals as well. He was a wizard at spotting the animals through the bush. The food was very good as well and accommodations were comfortable. We enjoyed our jam packed days and would recommend this a safari over a group safari any day.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Magical
My partner and I spent two weeks in Kenya where we visited Nairobi, Masai Mara, Amboseli and Tsavo West. In Nairobi we spent most time in David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and in the Giraffe Manor, whereas in the other locations we were located inside the parks and doing morning and afternoon Safaris or full day Safaris.
While we were preparing our trip Daniel was incredible helpful, giving us all the insights and tips he had from all his experience organizing Safaris, and was super patient and great to communicate with.
When we got to Kenya, Peter, our driver, was waiting for us and he was for the remaining of the two weeks our guide. Peter is a super interesting person, very good communicator and very well informed, and it was a delight to share these two weeks with him and talking over about the Kenyan wildlife and several other topics around Kenyan culture.
We are definitely going to go back (hopefully soon!) and definitely booking again with Transtrek, as the experience could not have been better, totally recommend.
IN
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An awesome experience
We had a wonderful safari, thanks to Pamela who has been so prompt at responding to all our queries and also her warm welcome when we landed in nairobi. The hotels booked were good tho the menu is very limited and repetitive in the sentrim hotels. Our driver and guide Peter was a wonderful person who really made our trip worthwhile. All in all Pamela has made our trip really memorable.
AE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Friendly, helpful service
Our safari was amazing and felt like a once in a lifetime experience. Everyone we met was friendly and helpful, especially our driver and tracker, Mollel and ‘Coach’ Pemba. Food and accommodation were excellent, slept very peacefully until the lions woke us up.
US
Andy made my travel booking swift and enjoyable, catering to exactly what I wanted!
Within minutes of my info request Andy responded, and helped me find an adventure that fit my budget and expectations! He never pushed anything on me and was always available to answer questions. And when my own travel plans fell apart for another portion of the trip, he jumped in and saved the day by helping to find a new place to stay! I’d highly recommend his services to everyone!