CH
Best safari experience I can ask for!
Choosing Earthlife is my wisest decision made for my safari trip! Our trip was made so comfortable and memorable thanks to the professional pre-trip planning done by Caudence and the amazing tour done by Aggrey.
Starting with Caudence: She is the most responsive agent among about 10 agents I spoke to in total. The way she communicates is just hyper clear and customer-oriented, which played an inportant part in building my trust for Earthlife. With Caudence I feel my needs and questions were carefully listened to and addressed, unlike how I experienced with some other agencies who apparently was going after my money and everything they do is trying to make me sign asap. I really enjoyed our communication and our efficiency for confirming the whole trip within only 30+ email exchange. In the end I felt totally safe to make the full payment 3 months prior to my trip (I suggest you do the same because it really saves time and Earthlife can be trusted!)
Next is our Super professional guide Aggrey: this guy is a gem stone in the safari field and I am not exaggerating! He told us he has been doing this job for 7 years and that explains where his rich knowlede for animal and the landscape comes from. We have seen all big 5 (including the rare black rhino) and many more (like python, giant lizard) because this guy has hawk eyes to see them all while driving at 100km/h. Aggrey himself is also a animal fan therefore he is self-driven to seek for big cats and rare animals. As his guests we were really lucky to have been to some best location for seeing animals because Aggrey is so much dedicated to his profession (he drove us like right below a giant tree so we can see really close a huge panther taking a nap on the tree). He is an excellent driver (a living GPS) and you can totally trust him and take a nap after a long safari day while he delivers you safely to your camp. When it comes to shopping, he also knows the places to go. I remembered to help us buy the best tanzanite stone at a good price, he drove us between 2 shops back and forth without complaining. Instead he was giving us advices and talking to the owner for bargaining...things like this is enough to prove that he cares about only one thing:give his guest the best experience by showing true knowledge, respecting the guests’ needs and engaging them in each moment of the safari!
Lastly the company: Very reliable and responsible brand that exceeded my expectations. The company took note of our honey moon and did their best to make sure we get special welcome in our hotels. When one hotel forgot to inform us about a site move (which caused us to drive 1 hour more), the company went harsh on them and asked to apologize with action. As a result, we received a bottle of wine as apology on the second day in the next hotel which is about 1.5hrs drive away. It really shows that Earthlife cares! At the end of the trip, the reservation manager came to our hotel to collect our feedback on the trip, a gesture that again approves their customer-oriented business philosophy.
In summary, earthlife is really great... i cannot imagine our trip being any better for the price we paid. If I go back to Tanzania again, I choose Earthlife again without hesitation!!!!
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Great, attentive and knowledgable
Everything was excellent. All went smoothly. Responsive to changes. Very happy.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Quick and committed
I was planning for our second safari (after Serengeti in June) and managed to get contact with Karina of Safari Online. Nonetheless, i cannot deny that I am a bit underwhelm with the choices and etc (there are so many). Karina helped us with ease. She understood my budget, what we want to second and went to extra length in explaining my queries (all regarding the trip to animal sightings). We nearly confirmed our South Africa arrangement with Safari Online if not for an eleventh hour inclusion into a safari photography (which are few in between and fully booked as well as my wife's interest in photography). I apologise to Karina for her hard work and dedication and she understood well and wishing us well. A shame that we can't utilise the tree house that she already booked us for that particular tour but if you are thinking to have a full detailed of arrangement, Karina of safari Online is one of the very best consultants out there.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Exceeded Our Expectations - Seven Day Tour, Rift Valley Lakes and the Masai Mara
My wife and I took a seven day private tour which included Lake Nakuru and Lake Naivasha in the Rift Valley, the Masai Mara, and the Mara Naboisho Conservancy. Our trip spanned the end of June into July. From the outset, Daniel’s (with Transtrek) communications were prompt and helpful. He addressed all our questions and concerns, while offering suggestions without pushing to up-sell. Once in Kenya, we met our main guide, Peter, when he picked us up from the Nairobi airport Hilton. The tour was conducted in a seven seat Toyota Land Cruiser with a pop up canopy for 360 degree viewing. Peter was friendly and professional throughout the trip. He was always more than willing to talk about the country, people, and wildlife, make arrangements, and keep us well stocked with bottled water. Daniel made planning and booking our first trip to Africa as painless as possible and Peter saw to it that the tour went smoothly. We hope to return to Kenya in the future and fully intend to book with Transtrek again.
Parks:
The tour began with a roughly four hour drive from Nairobi hotel to Lake Nakuru National Park. Lake Nakuru National Park is a pretty park consisting mainly of wetlands and forested areas. In contrast to the tan savannah of the Mara, Lake Nakuru was vibrantly green. In addition to many other species, we saw both black and white rhinos. After two nights, we traveled a bit over two hours to Lake Naivasha National Park. At Lake Naivasha, we took a private boat tour to an island which allows bush walks due to its lack of large predators. The lake is home to an impressive array of bird species. For the final three nights of the itinerary, we drove the five plus hours the Masai Mara region. While we enjoyed the Rift lakes, the Mara region was the highlight. The national reserve, with its grand sweeping grasslands and wild abundance of life, is rightly iconic. It can get crowded (particularly around big cats) but it was not nearly as bad as I feared. In early July, it was still possible to find areas with no one else in sight. The Mara Naboisho Conservancy, lacking the vast open spaces of the national reserve, is mainly covered in groups of shrubs and smallish trees. The conservancy offers a different experience in several respects because it is privately operated and visitor numbers are controlled: night game drives and bush walks (with armed guides) are permitted and it does not get crowded. In addition, it has one of highest concentrations of lions in East Africa. The cost to stay in the conservancy is higher than the nearby national reserve; however, once we saw what was offered, we did not regret the expense for a moment.
Accommodation:
We stayed at five properties while in Kenya: Hilton Garden Inn Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Lake Nakuru Sopa Lodge, Lake Naivasha Sopa Resort, Basecamp Explorer Masai Mara, and Basecamp Explorer Eagle View. The Hilton was our airport lodging before and after the tour, which we arranged separately. Daniel did offer to book on our behalf but my wife had Hilton points to burn. The hotel is new, clean, comfortable, operated by friendly and efficient staff, and has a very good restaurant. The two Sopa properties were similar. Both consisted of a restaurant/reception area and chalets with two to four rooms. The rooms were spacious and well appointed. The bathrooms were clean but hot water is limited by design. The food, mainly served buffet style, ranged from fine to good and there was variety. The Nakuru Sopa Lodge is situated on a ridge and has a lovely view over Lake Nakuru. The Naivasha resort has zebra, giraffe, impala, waterbuck, several species of monkeys, and (at night) hippopotamus on the property. The Basecamp Explorer properties are both tented camps, though with electricity and showers in every room. Basecamp Explorer Masai Mara sits in a wooded area just over the Talek River from the Mara, within sight of the national reserve. The tents are a bit spartan but contain what one expects in a hotel room, with two odd exceptions: there are no mirrors or trash cans. Basecamp Explorer Eagle View is arrayed along a ridge with the Naboisho Conservancy. The dining/reception area has a fantastic view over a lightly wooded valley, regularly populated by herds of zebra, wildebeest, water buffalo, and impala. In contrast with Basecamp Explorer Masai Mara, the tents at Eagle View are certainly not spartan. This is a luxury camp. Both Basecamp properties serve excellent food, usually in 3-4 courses. Lunch and dinner typically consisted of soup, bread, entrée, and dessert. There are no options, you receive what they prepare for a given meal but we were never disappointed. I bought head chef’s cookbook.
NL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Excellent and reliable tour operator
Quick and responsive, efficient handling, reliable service
KR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Warm-hearted and leisurely safari
My husband and I went to a private safari tour(lodge) for six days in between June 27 to July 4 with Shemeji Safari. It was a satisfied trip that fits to our expectations to see the wild nature of Tanzania. I recommend Shemeji Safari.
- Communications and services
Froukje kindly consulted and reflected our requirements to the itinerary, which had changed a lot. We exchanged more than 10 mails for about a month. Froukje even struggled to get a room in one lodge that we choose where there was no room for agencies left.
When we had to send the balance, Emma came back from maternity leave to deal with us. She even offered us the transportation to Seronera Airstrip in our final day in Serengeti, saying that the drop service of the lodge was too expensive. I felt very warm consideration. At the end, they gave us a Masai souvenir.
- Safari car and stuff
We rode in a pop-up roof car that can holds six persons. The car had a small fridge and a charging station that we requested. It was very useful. There were cushions and blankets in the car, so I could feel their thoughtfulness. The car looked a little old, but there was no big problem throughout the safari. A binocular was available in the car, but we had our own thing that performs better. There was a animal dictionary with pictures, so it's very helpful to refer to them.
- Guide
Our driver and guide, Edward, had 14 years of experience as a guide and was very friendly and professional. Every day after the safari, he asked us how was the safari and checked that he meets our expectations. He communicated with his guide friends face-to-face or via radio to show us the animals we want to see. And he knows where the animals would move, so we could stop at the best place and see the animals very close. There was even a magic that showed up the animal that I told to want to see that day! We saw Big 5 except the rhinos.
He tried to find rhinos for 2 days, but that's just my luck.
During the six day safari, we became friends.
On the last day, he saw us off to the airstrip and helped to check-in. Thank you so much, Edward. I already miss his smile.
CA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a Lifetime!
Rose planned an absolutely epic city, bush and beach honeymoon for my wife Christina and I. The itinerary included 5 nights in Cape Town, 3 nights at Tanda Tula Safari Camp, 2 nights at Makanyi Private Game Lodge and 6 nights at Constance Le Prince Maurice in Mauritius. The trip was perfectly balanced, seamlessly organized and we felt completely relaxed and spoiled the entire time. All of the accommodations were first class! Thank you so much for planning an unforgettable trip!
CH
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience, great support, great driver, great animals in Maasai Mara
Joyce from CATS Africe answered all our question promptly by e-mail before the booking. The payment by wire transfer to the CATS bank account was completed without problems in one day and Joyce confirmed immediately.
As agreed in the contract, Moses, our guide and driver for the next 3 days, picked us on time with a Landcruiser from Karen little paradise, were we've been pampered by a wonderfull staff for the last 3 days. Moses is a very experienced guide and driver, we never felt unsafe during the trip, neither on the 4.5 hrs way to Maasai Mara nor in the Natl Park itself. Moses answered all our questions very professionally and he found all the spots where we could see hyaenas, lions, cheetahs, hypos and even a leopard and of course elephants and so on. At the mara river we finally witnessed the migration of thousends of animals which was a very magnificient nand unique spectacle. All things considered, we really can recommend CATS Africa, everything was perfect, from the booking until the return to the hotel in Nairobi. Thanks again to Joyce and Moses, we always felt to be in good hands.
GR
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Nomad company has destroyed for me a lifetimes dream of traveling to S. African countries .
I'm an older woman and I had a dream to travel to S. Africa ,Namimbia, Botswana etc , so I flew from Athens to Istanbul and from there 11 hours direct flight to Cape Town . I chose nomad tours to make my dream come true.
After ALL was set and DONE we started our journey with one of their trucks . 2 hours later and while on the road, Nomad called the coach of the tour to say that I had to go back because Namimbia required a visa and there was nothing they could do about it. Can anyone imagine the disappointment??? We were way out of Cape Town and I had to take a taxi to go back. I'm a very experienced traveler and had asked all kinds if questions while we were on the process of booking the tour. On the issue of visas, they had informed me that there was NO need.
Being in business they should have known. Then, I had to struggle to get my money back. They didn't even want to
pay for the taxis fare, plus a very rude attitude. They didn't even offer a solution on their behalf, something to "sweeten" the situation.So,for me there was no choice left. I didn't have another opportunity to take another tour because that would have mean for me to search and stay for another 10 days or so at Cape Town and I couldn't afford to do that as already I had spent so much money waiting for their tour.I had to leave the country very dissapointed. To do all this again , it's not easy at all, " thanks " to NOMAD TOURS.
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Prime Safaris provided an excellent safari experience.
I can’t say enough good things about the 5-day safari organized for me by Prime Safaris. From my initial email exchange with Cate right through until my guide dropped me off at the airport, I felt that their first priority was providing me with exactly the kinds of activities and accommodations that I would most enjoy. My guide, Arshley Brian, was extremely knowledgeable about Uganda’s abundant wildlife. His patient willingness to answer my many questions and his ability to spot birds and animals made the Safari a rich, exciting, unforgettable experience.
