50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about South Africa by Alan
South African parks are affordable compared to Botswana and Zimbabwe.
The big five look the same any where in Southern Africa so decide why added expense and four extra days of travel with petrol costs make it worth while.
If you are in Gauteng a visit to the Pilanesberg especially during the week will make you feel as though you own the park. It is really a weekend park with often not more than 30 cars in the park during the week.
The Botswana side of the Kgalakadi probably trumps Chobe and Savute for its remoteness from other people minus the very big game. There with the proximity to the South African side there are always supplies of essentials should you need them as well as vehicle support and repair.
IE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent service
We were a couple who joined 4 other travellers for the trip.
This was an amazing trip from start to end. We were picked up on time from the airport and proceeded to Masai Mara. Our driver/guide was very informative and gave us lots of information along the way, pointing out important landmarks and telling stories. When we reached Masai Mara we stayed in Lenchada Camp for two nights. I really enjoyed this. It was classed as budged camping so I wasn't expecting much but it surpassed my expectations. The tent had a full bed and working toilet and shower facilities. The buffet meals were good too. We did an evening safaru drive and a full day safari drive in Masai Mara. Again, Khalifa was excellent. He gave us lots of information about the reserve and the animals. He really worked hard to get us in the best positions to see the animals up close. We also visited a Masai village which was a great experience. Our group then proceeded to Nakure where we stayed in a really nice hotel. We visited the national park and again Khalifa was on hand with excellent information and wonderful photo opportunities. Here we saw rhino, lions, giraffes and flamingos. We then visited Naivisha where we stayed in Dove Nest Lodge. We did a boat trip where we saw lots of hippo. We did a cycle in Hells Gate national part. It was fine but very dusty.
On the final day our group split and it was just the two of us and our driver Khalifa. As we are both teachers we were keen to visit a school as we had brought lots of gifts for children. Khalifa organised for us to visit a local school which was a great experience. We then headed back to Nairobi where our itineary said the trip ended with an airport dropoff at 3PM. We had a late night flight and Khalifa stayed with us until 9PM when he dropped us to the airport. This was very unexpexted and was a real treat as we got to be shown around the city by a Nairobi resident. We visited the Giraffe Centre, local craft shops, got to see the contrasting parts of the city and Khalifa even organised for me to get some high quality coffee to bring home.
An unbeliveable trip made better by an excellent company and guide
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing job organizing our 12 day safari and very responsive to all of our questions!
We had an amazing time on our 12 day Safari to Samburu, Aberdare, Lake Nakuru, Masai Mara, Lake Navaisha, Amboseli and Taita Hills!! Joseph with Mufasa Travels did an awesome job with our booking arrangements and everything was well organized and accommodations were excellent. He was also very responsive with any questions we had. Our safari guide Joe Wanderi with Mufasa Travels was also amazing and made the trip a once in a lifetime experience!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The perfect trip!
I cannot put into words how incredible my trip with Soul of Tanzania was! We had great communication from Sandy throughout the whole planning process. Even with a 1 year delay due to COVID, Sandy never missed a beat and all of our original plans worked out. Our guide, Zebi, was amazing. We learned so much from him and he knew all the best spots to see the animals. He was willing to accommodate anything we wanted to do and made sure we saw plenty of our favorite animals. His guidance and humor made the trip even better than we could've expected. We also really enjoyed our hot lunches with wine. That was one of the reasons we chose this company and they definitely delivered.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Legendary
Excellent from initial contact to arrival and departure - communication was prompt and clear. A terrific experience with this operator and will book with them again. Charles and Edrisa provided great insight into more than just wildlife. These guys are top level guys and went out of their way for me. They even secured and arranged a Nile River whitewater rafting trip for me since I was unable to do so, largely due to inactive operators related to Covid. Finally, the moment I knew I made the right choice is when Charles secured a difficult to find and often unavailable Congolese beer for me. Excellent value and I will be back. Kidepo Valley awaits.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing
Amazing, amazing, amazing! Musa is a spectacular guide! Cordial, attentive, very professional and extremely knowledgeable! Beyond an exceptional Safari experience with Musa, he also provided a very pleasant cultural immersion into Tanzanian life and history. National Geographic you’ve got competition with Musa! David Attenborough should probably call Musa for his next Animal themed documentary. Musa speaks perfect English, German and Swahili.
Lion King Adventures provided great guidance in choosing the Safari that was right for us. Pendo, our contact was very pleasant and accommodating. We must note that even with our last minute changes. Lion King were very flexible and helped in every way (Much due to Pendo who graciously handled all of our requests) .The lodges and camp sites were great and the food delicious! Everyone very eager to make our visit as enjoyable as possible. Lion King Adventure team knows what they are doing. 10/10+
We would definitely recommend you use Lion King Adventures and a definite must ask for Musa, our guide for 7 days. We hope to come back soon!
NL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Better than excellent !!
Many thanks. I did enjoy this Kilimanjaro trip in such an extraordinairy
way. A wish that I made myself 31 years ago when I saw the Kilimanjaro
for the first time in my life has come true most intensely.
This wish to come true was only possible with the snowcap team of guide
Makashi and the porters Micheali, Antoni, Ramadhan, Yohanesi, Suley and
the ever smiling butler Herry.
I will recommend to all my friends and full network Snowcap for the
smooth organisation, the well skilled guide and porters team that
brought me to the top and to the end point of the Kilimanjaro trip
safely and with a life time memory.
To rate Snowcap on a 0-10 scale I would say that a 9,5 is deserved
through the feeling of responsibility within the great atmosphere that
your team has created to me.
Hope to come back to you at least once again in my life.
FR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very Nice Tour
I appreciated the tour with Wildlife Oasis. I went for a 4-days safari.
Louis, the tour guide brang us for 4 days for a safari tour
The cook, Tito, was super helpful and fed us well for the lunch meal.
We saw a lot of wild animals, it was amazing to see them so close.
The Hodges were very welcomed and made sure that everything was good.
Thank you for this lovely Journey.
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
An outstanding experience with Paul Tickner in Zimbabwe...
This safari was our fifth time in Africa but our first experience in Zimbabwe. It was a huge success, due in large part to Paul Tickner's expertise and the efforts he put into planning and execution. There were 10 in our group...some were experienced Africa hands and three were on their first safari. Everyone in our group had a five-star experience.
Each of our four camp locations was unique but each was characterized by outstanding staff, facilities, and food/beverage. Transportation logistics are often slip-shod on safaris, but that was not the case here...our transportation between venues was outstanding, with no negative surprises. Paul's knowledge of the animals and birds made for an educational as well as entertaining experience, and his affable personality and manner were a plus. Our group of Texan travelers appreciated the fact that he mastered our "Howdy, y'all" form of greeting!
All in all, this was a wonderful experience and represented good value for our dollar. We would recommend Paul Tickner to anyone considering travel in Africa.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Nothing short of amazing!
After just returning from 2 weeks in Tanzania, I wanted to share my experience with Savannah Explorers for prospective travelers considering a safari. I apologize for the lengthy review, however my intent is to provide a review with some substance and specificity, since I personally find these kinds of reviews most helpful when planning my trips and adventures.
For perspective, I am a 38 year old female who has lived in 3 continents (including Africa) and has traveled to over 50 countries across 6 continents. I have been on Safari at least a dozen times in Kruger, Maasai Mara, Chobe, Okavango Delta and now the Serengeti. Prior to booking our trip, I spent countless hours researching the internet, reading reviews on multiple sites, networking with locals and reaching out to 20+ tour operators in East Africa before ultimately deciding to move forward booking with Savannah Explorers. Now that our trip has ended and I’ve had a week to marinate on how things went, I am so beyond pleased with my decision for many reasons. To highlight a few:
1. Office staff and Administrative logistics: Albert was exceptional in executing our plans down to every last detail. He didn’t try to encourage me to do an expensive Safari, and even when I asked about a particular group of camps, he was frank that they were very expensive and suggested a few alternatives if we wanted to keep costs down. I got quotes for the exact same itinerary and camps from about 10 other tour operators, and from the start his was lowest, beating some by close to $2000pp! For the brief amount of time Albert was out of the office, Brighton jumped in and didn’t skip a beat. I didn’t have to re-explain my plans, he wasn’t confused about what had/hadn’t been coordinated, and frankly if he hadn’t told me I was talking to him and not Albert, I probably never would have known! Particular room requests, timing and scheduling of a very busy itinerary, matching the perfect guide for our 2 person private tour, arranging internal flights then confirming and re-arranging as needed, every single detail was perfectly planned, and happened exactly as planned and as I hoped. They even helped make local calls during business hours while I was asleep in California to coordinate other parts of our vacation that had nothing to do with Savannah Explorers. Every question I had, every correspondence I sent them, they got back to me within an hour with all of the information I needed, plus some. All of their advice was completely spot on, and since we used all of their advice to guide our packing, planning and timing of the entire vacation, we can honestly say there is nothing we wished we had/hadn’t packed or had done differently in terms of the overall itinerary. Everything was ABSOLUTELY PERFECT.
2. The Guide: I have not met any of the other guides at Savannah Explorers, but we had Abia and I’m not sure we could have had a better one. He was timely, friendly, knowledgeable, attentive, personable, funny and made our entire experience absolutely amazing. We started our Safari with a stranger, and ended it feeling he was like family. Literally we have not a single complaint nor even constructive feedback about his guiding, driving or general presence/demeanor. In my experience, the quality of a guide can either make or break a safari, no matter the location. Abia educated us throughout about the animals and the landscape, spotted animals we never would have seen, listened astutely on the radio for what was going on in the area, and persevered everyday to make sure the day ended with some unique sighting or experience. I told Abia my goal was to be able to spot a leopard during the day, and for the other female traveling with me to see the Big 5 on her first Safari, and he executed by Day 3! He picked perfect locations and set up bush breakfasts and lunches with presentations that would challenge 5 star hotels. When departing from the Kogatende airstrip there were issues with our flight and we were delayed about an hour and a half, and he waited with us the entire time even though I’m sure he would have preferred to start his 8ish hour drive back home. He also let us use his cell phone to coordinate airport transfers in Zanzibar, and when our flight was delayed then re-routed via another airline, he remained in contact with the driver in Zanzibar to keep him in the loop about our arrival time. We love Abia!!
3. The vehicle: Another aspect that can either make or break a Safari in my opinion. Everything was as promised, exceptionally clean and exceeded our expectations. Electric outlets were available and in working condition throughout, which was clutch when needing to recharge camera and phone batteries after 8 hours of pictures. There was more than enough bottled water to last all 6 days, and remained cold in the fully functioning fridge in the jeep. Binoculars were provided and in working condition, and all the door locks worked properly (also clutch when stopping at park entrances for QUICK permits/restroom breaks, and being able to leave all of our luggage and camera equipment safely locked in the car). We got a flat tire, and the jeep had all of the necessary and functioning tools available so that Abia was able to change it out on a slatted dirt road within 20 mins and we were back on our way.
All in all, I cannot say enough about the overwhelmingly amazing and positive experience we had with Savannah Explorers. I don’t consider myself to be a picky person perse, just particular when I know what I want and what I am looking for when planning an (expensive) trip such as this. When booking a lengthy trip to Africa, one has to expect that something is bound to fall through, not deliver as promised, not work, not be available as it should, details and communication get lost in the shuffle, or some other unforeseen random act of nature create some irritating roadblock. With each day that passed on our Safari, I wondered when the bomb would drop…….and it never did. Savannah Explorers delivered on everything they promised, and frankly exceeded my expectations. I would HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend them for anyone planning a Safari, whether you’re a first timer or whether you’re an experienced Safari enthusiast. Feel free to reach out to me privately if you would like any additional info or details! Thank you Albert, Brighton, Abia and Savannah Explorers for making our dream vacation everything we hoped it would be and more!
