US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Another wonderful safari trip
This was our second safari trip and another wonderful experience with Laurette at Pembury Tours. This time we travelled with the whole family, and Laurette planned out all of the details to fit into our schedule, goals, and budget. Everything went very smoothly and we were able to see everything we had hoped on safari and enjoy a relaxing time in Cape Town.
DK
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
One day in Nairobi
I booked a one day trip in Nairobi with KM safaris.
I had a great time visiting the Giraffe center with a forest nature walk.
Karen Blixen museum and Kitengela Hot glass visits were all well planned and a great experience.
I can only recommend KM Safaris.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Hakuna Matata - No Worries
Usually i'm not really into writing reviews but in this case i just have to make an exception. Not only because the guys from Zuri Tours deserve it but because it might save others some trouble that we were up to.
First of all, the facts:
What did we do and how did it work?
We (my girlfriend and me) booked a 5 day joining Safari to Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Lake Manyara. I established the contact via e-mail from germany which worked without any problems. Emmanuel always answered very fast and proficient and gave me all the information i requested.
On the day of our arrival we were picked up at the airport, as planned and were shuttled to our requested hostel. During the next 2 days we went through the last preparations for our trip but 2 big problems occured. On the one hand our joining Safari couldn't take place as planned because the father of the family which was meant to join us got sick so my girlfriend and me decided to switch to a private Safari for an additional extra charge.
The second way bigger problem was money. Not that we didn't have any we just couldn't get to it! Emmanuel had told me in advance to bring enough cash with me but since it was a quite queasy feeling to travel to a foreign country with such a big amount of cash we just didn't. So we only had a fraction of the sum with us but now we had to face the problem that it was quite hard to get any more from our bank account. In the bank you get only 800 USD per day and they charge you a fee of 4%! At the ATM you can only get 1,2 mio TZS (about 500 USD) per day IF it works! And often times they don't or they charge you a fee as well. Paying by credit card didn't work either and probably wouldn't have helped much since the state often charges a quite large fee on that. So there we were. It cost us quite some time and nerves but Emmanuel had great patience and was always there to support and help us and in the end we found a working solution. It would have been way easier to just take enough cash with us but next time we'll know better.
Back to the important part: The Safari!
Actually the description could be done very easy: Perfect!
But i guess the guys deserve it a little more detailed. Our group was set together out of 4 people. My girlfriend, our guide Josephat, our chef Moses and me. To make a long story short: The guys did an incredible job! Our guide not only maneuvred the jeep through the roughest terrain he also always had an eye for event the most hidden animals. But by that i don't wanna say that most of the animals were hidden! It's the other way round, e.g. elephants, leopards, cheetahs and lions were so close to us that we could have touched them. We took a big load of impressions with us and we'll be remembering them for a long time.
But even the greatest impressions are of no use when you are hungry. And that's where our chef Moses came into play. I'm a learned chef myself but i have no idea how he managed to prepare such great meals in these basic "kitchens". Everytime we arrived at a camp he welcomed us in his white chef uniform handing us a cold drink. And afterwards he served us some of the best food we came to taste during our 3 week long trip. We're no vegetarians but we had planned to stay away from meat and fish and keep strictly to "peel it boil it or forget it" but after quite a short time we decided to forget about that and we didn't have any problems at all! I have no idea how he did probably it's some kind of magic.
We slept in tents on camp beds with a mattress and i'd do the exact same thing again. I will always remember lying in our tent in the serengeti listening to the distant sounds of lions and hyenas. Incredible.
And with that i'd like to finish my review. It already sounds like i was paid for it. But i just can't help it the guys deserve it. We will always think back to these 5 incredible days.
Thank you so much Emmanuel (owner and organizer), Josephat (Guide) and Moses (chef).
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Mt Kilimanjaro - 6 Day Marangu Mt. Kili and 4 Day Safari
This awesome experience started with very efficient correspondence from Justin, the CEO and owner of Tanzania Expeditions. My many questions were answered fully and promptly with only one month to plan this important trip... even the last minute panic emails 3 hours before landing.
My driver's patience was tested from the very beginning. He (Vitalis) was a saint! What I couldn't draw from an ATM, he got from a local woman's purse! lol Repeated advice: have $50US with you when you land at the airport. Within an hour of arrival I had my Visa, Passport and off we were to Arusha to get a sim card for my phone and check into the lovely Planet Lodge where I met my new best friend for the next week - my guide Tumaini! He had everything under control - has climbed this 180 times!! He helped me sort and pack for the trip.
Mt. Kili.: The next day I met the Team! and off we went to climb Africa's highest walk-able mountain! My guide Tumaini stuck with me while the porters and cook ran ahead to prepare the camp for me.
There were other groups with solo or group travelers. It became very evident that I was by far the luckiest in all these climbers. I had the most fun team. These guys cheered me on every step of the way. Kasian, the cook, made the best soups, salads and meals. Michael, the server, was always positive and forthcoming. If you don't eat, you have Kasian to answer to. lol Augustino looked after my luggage. He came to join us on Day 2, grabbed Tuma's 100 litre bag and Tuma took my 8 litre bag!! Oh what a relief! Day 3 acclimatization was great! We found our second geocache and planted one at Zebra Rocks. Gerald was at Zebra Rocks waiting for us. The Rangers and staff at the huts are very accommodating. For 10000TZ you can charge your phone overnight. Fabian, the 4th porter was quiet and cheerful. Day 4 we made it to Kibo where you are supposed to sleep and rest but unfortunately I had to share my cabin and maybe got 30 minutes sleep before the final climb. That's where all the angels and saints converge, Gerald had my back and Tuma was on lead. I fell asleep a few times only to find Gerald's hands on my arms putting me back in vertical position!! I bargained and pleaded but there was no turning back. At 9:25AM we reached the summit! I could not have been in better company! Wow!! The team was at Kibo cheering us on when we arrived!! Very memorable trip. Great value for whatever it costs. Please see my album at: https://goo.gl/photos/PPqcyGwW8M1u7JBq9
Safari - My new driver Sammy picked me up at Planet Lodge Hotel and off we went for a wonderful 4 day Safari. Two days in the Serengeti with an added Hot Air Balloon Ride and two days in Ngorogoro. The highlight of my trip was the countless hours of educational conversation I received from Samson about the Masai people and their practices. We stopped at a Masai school on our way back. The Safari was great and all the wildlife. Sammy made sure I got up and close. The food was fine dining, the accommodations were exquisite. I was a little taken aback by the initial sight of the tents but soon felt very safe in these spacious hotel accommodations with double layers of tarp. My last night was at a Sopa Resort - 5 star but with all the same comforts of my previous 2 nights. Please see my album at: https://goo.gl/photos/eKRr5ZTThtW8DCpz5
My 10 day package with Tanzania Expeditions sadly ended with my flight to Zanzibar.
Thank you so much Justin for making this trip possible and stress-free!!
CZ
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great first safari experience
We entirely enjoyed every minute of our 4 days safari experience. Such an arrangement - which also includes travelling from and to Johannesburg (count with good 5 hours per one direction) - will give you enough opportunities to spot nearly all the species you have came for to see. Guided with the experienced empathetic guide - as was Hoppy in our case - you will see a big part of the park and learn a lot of it's ecosystem. Accommodation arranged by the agency was comfortable and food available during safari was more than good. In the camp selected for the accommodation in the park many up to date services - including ATM, wifi & shop - are available.
Again many thanks mainly to Hoppy who provided an excellent service to us.
NL
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Road trip through Zimbabwe, visiting the highlights of this beautiful country
Well organized compact ( 7 days) self drive road trip from Harare to Masvingo, Matopo Hills, Hwange wildlife ending at Vicfalls giving a perfect insight of the highlights of Zimbabwe.
Car is personally delivered and picked-up. All details were documented. Lodges/guesthouses were excellent.
Personal assistance from Nyati by phone if needed.
IT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing tour !
We had a very beautiful time with Mamasavana Staff !
Well organized, amazing locations where we slept in a very cleaned and friendly atmosphere, Safari super with lot of animals ( we saw the all big five!), very good driver (professional, with a lot of experience).
Mamasavana is not only a very good organized agency but overall the best compromise you can choice in order to get safety, kindness and always smiling team.
We had 2 time safaris with them and we can confirm without doubts that Mamasavana is the right agency for you!!!
Thank you friends for your assistance in all our needs or requests.. well done!
Manu&Fabi
ES
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Queen Elizabeth National Park
Nice tree days trip arround southern Uganda and visiting the Queen Elizabeth National Park. We saw lions, elephans and other animal during the game drive in the park and chimps and other primates in a 4 hours walk through the jungle. Green landscapes of Uganda are amazing. The best experience of the trip was going on a boat around the chanel in the same park (chanel between Lake Georges and Lake Edwards). This chanel is really full of wild life: plenty of hippos , elephants, bufalos and birds. Amazing boat safari. The loadge was nice and staff there was kind. Kind guide too.
SS
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent Service
Big Time Safaris was a blast! Lots of fun during their 7-day tour of Lake Nakuru, Hell's Gate NP, Lake Naivasha, Maasai Mara NP and Amboseli NP. Amboseli is a hidden gem with awesome views of Mount Kilimanjaro and seeing an amazing 420 elephants during our first day (we saw an additional 160 on the second morning). 3 with a baby came to eat bushes 20 feet from our van! The service by our driver and the staff in Nairobi was great. The hotels could be better but other than that we saw so many animals, except for Wild Dogs and Leopards.
ES
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A Perfect Holiday!
I contacted several agencies to plan a trip to Southern Africa for our group of 4, and Compass Odyssey stood out from the beginning. All the other agencies offered us a ready-made itinerary from their portfolio and tacked on some of the things I had asked for. Kate and Darren, on the other hand, took my plan as the starting point to create an original tour, while suggesting other opportunities to make it even better. This attention to the particular needs of a specific group was apparent from the time we first contacted them up to the very last day of our tour.
Another strong point of Compass Odyssey is their attention to detail. Everything was planned perfectly and they sent us ample information beforehand to aid in our own personal preparations – we had even been able to work out exactly which adaptors we would need and Darren greeted us on arrival with those adaptors ready for use!
In the end, we agreed on a 14-day tour, and for the first 7 days Darren himself acted as our guide+driver. The accommodation selected was just what we had asked for - simple but comfortable. And Darren was always ready and willing to cater for our personal interests and for our leisurely pace, even though it often meant finishing the day well past the scheduled time. We also saw on several occasions that he is more than ready to go the extra mile to make sure his clients get the best treatment wherever he takes them.
Darren definitely "knows his stuff", and it's obvious that he really enjoys sharing his knowledge of southern Africa, its wildlife and its customs. And his enthusiasm is contagious! All in all, the perfect holiday. Thanks, Kate and Darren!