US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect customer service
I sent requests for safari to a few companies. Simon replied right away. All the rest took between 1 and 5 days to reply. Also the price was the best. Every question I had was answered within minutes. Very professional, reliable with good English and very patient. Our safari guide was amazing. Great experience. I highly recommend Simon and his company Mwema Safaris.
US
Responsive, efficient, as promised
We hired Encounter Africa for a gorilla habituation trek in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. The trek was a relatively new offering from Uganda--a 4-hour experience accompanying rangers as they continue the process of habituating a gorilla troop to tourists--and Encounter Africa explained this alternative appropriately when we were deciding what to purchase. Additionally, the transportation and lodging arrangements made through Encounter Africa were just as we had agreed, no surprises. Good responsiveness to email inquires both before and after we had agreed (and paid) for their services.
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Exceptional first family trip to Africa -well-designed itinerary and every detail looked after.
Michael's responsiveness and attention to detail gave us great confidence as we planned a first time African (Kenya and Tanzania) trip for 4 - 2 adults/2 young adults. From the itinerary and lodges recommended, to transfers and logistics Micheal created a superb experience- better than those we met who had dealt directly with on the ground operators in Africa. . All of our expectations were exceeded - we recommend Michael whole-heartedly and will call on Safari & Company again.
FR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Greatest trip of our life thanks to Aardvark Expeditions
After many searches of local safari operators, we chose Aardvark Expeditions Limited because of the good reviews on the internet. Let me tell you that we have been able to verify this and that we are extremely satisfied with our choice.
Philemon has been a great help in organizing our tailor-made private safari. Thanks to our rare kindness guide Masewa, we had the pleasure of discovering the Tarangire, the Ngorongoro conservation area, the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater. We were able to admire at our own pace and with the precious advices of Masewa, landscapes, animals and people as wonderful as each other. The hotels and lodges chosen by Philemon were just perfect. The service? irreproachable. To sum up, we had the most beautiful trip of our life, thanks to Aardvark, which we highly recommend without hesitation.
BR
Joseph is the best tour guide one could have
We had a great time with the gorillas and Encounter. Joseph went out of his way to make sure me and the other 3 girls travelling together had the best experience one could have! All of our wishes came true. He is very kind and helpful, I'd recommend him to my entire family if I could!
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
6 Day Joining Safari (Masai Mara, Nakuru, Amboseli)
Our trip itinerary included 6 days and covered Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru, and Amboseli parks. First off, I want to say what a pleasure it was dealing with Peter, the manager. He not only responded promptly to all of my emails but was able to answer all of my questions and made me feel very secure in my decision to book with him. There are literally thousands of booking companies, many of which that will overcharge you for essentially the same things as budget safaris. Our $950/person budget safari came to about $160/day/person which is standard and fair when you factor in qualified drivers, 3 meals a day, and good accommodation. You can always stay somewhere nicer but I feel like the budget tented camps are all you need, you are on a safari after all!
Our guides were Peter (different gentleman than the manager) and John. We spent the first few days with Peter who was quite knowledgeable and the second part with John. What you may not realize about Group Joining Safaris is that you'll likely be with different people at different times of your trip, the booking companies do this to maximize the amount of people in the fewest cars, and like air traffic control, make sure everyone has a ride to the next part of their itinerary. Peter was able to make all of this happen seamlessly and even helped ferry people to different parks himself in his personal car. He really wants you to have a great time and it shows.
I won't comment on the different parks, just assume they are amazing because they are.
I only have two small critiques. First, on the Africa Flash MC website (which is one of the more organized websites I looked at), the explanation of which camps you would be staying in for which price was a little off. We thought that we would be spending our Amboseli nights at Kibu luxury camp as it was listed under the "budget" safari we chose. We were a little disappointed to find out that once we had paid and Peter sent us the itinerary that Kibu was not listed and another place was. However, halfway through the safari Peter called us to tell us that we were going to be "upgraded" to Kibu for our final two nights as a way to make our trip special, which was very nice of him because it really did. Whether this is a sales tactic for getting a good review or just an honest mistake on one of our parts really doesn't matter, although the website could be clearer Peter still made the experience memorable and magical. Perhaps they could update the site to be a bit clearer, or, just clarify your accommodation with Peter via email so you don't leave somewhere you want to stay up to chance. He'll get back to you right away.
The second critique were the vans. Most companies in Kenya seem to run these converted minivans with the standard safari car pop-top. These are different from the Toyota Landrovers you see more often in Tanzania. While you can still operate well enough in them they are cramped when full, especially when they have a three-seater row which some do. That makes it harder to stand because the aisle is occupied by an extra seat. The first van we were in had this and it was rough, especially because in Masai Mara you go off-road and it was VERY bumpy. That same van had a lot of sharp edges in it that tore at my clothes and left me wondering if I should put on my gloves to not cut my hands. Finally, as a 6'1" man this van's roof was too short for me to stand in, not so with other vans I have been in on safari. Bumped my head A LOT. The second van was much better, it didn't have the middle seat in the front row so there was more room to stand and the padding was better. No sharp edges, and a higher head clearance. And yet, not perfect, half of the windows were stuck closed. If I were Peter I would retire that first van or at least give it an interior overhaul.
That's it! A long winded way to say how much I enjoyed this safari with Peter. He's trustworthy, fair, honest, and very easy to work with. The company operates smoothly and he makes sure everyone gets to where they are going and has the best experience possible. Highly recommend, can't go wrong with Africa Flash MC.
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Just great, completely reliable
From the first meeting with the Downhills I had confidence the holiday would be great. Their choices of accommodation, itinerary and Safari were exceptional and the little things they thought of to make things easier for us( not their youngest clients ) turned out to be perfect and made the holiday. Loved Capetown, and So glad we chose (on your advice )an Eastern cape Safari. Shamwari was superb. Very special hotels in winelands something we will never forget. Thank you. Recommend you every time.
US
Kilimanjaro 6-day Machame
Castro Capello knows what he doing--will set you up with a great guide (mine was Noah) and will also give you a discounted ride to the airport if you need it. Also, he makes sure you are happy with your hotel room (first and last night) - asks you to inspect it before he leaves you there. Great prices, great service. The guide was awesome, the cook (Gudrak) awesome. The porters also did fine. Probably my best travel ever!
NZ
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
One of our most memorable experiences, which we will never forget.
Would like to commend Kerry Ririe for the amazing package she put together for us. Despite a big time difference, she responded to emails very promptly and made any necessary adjustments to suit or requirements. We would certainly recommend her to any of our friends planning Botswana safaris. The safari itself all ran like clockwork, with all transport arrangements arriving and leaving on time. The lodges were superb, with super friendly staff and amazing food. The driver / guides were all very knowledgeable and made every effort to show us as much animal life as was possible. The Safari booklet given to us at the start will become a valuable souvenir of our holiday.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Most Amazing Experience Ever.
This was the most beautiful and wonderful holiday ever.
I was in the company of my two daughters Hilda and Stella. We had Joseph as our driver. Joseph is the best tour guide ever. He was communicating effectively to us and was explaining all about the animals in Masai Mara. He was right on the spot my daughters adored him. Ours lunch was packed even without our knowledge. He tailored our safari so well that we managed to go for early, mid , evening and also whole day safari. He knew all the routes to take. Joseph made us to enjoy the whole safari. On our way back he took us to Naivasha for a boat trip. We had a very very memorable safari. We managed to take so many photos. We can't thank Africa Celebrity Tours for such unforgettable Safari. I would recommend you anytime.