CH
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Exceeded our expectations!
Wyclef took excellent care of us (my boyfriend and me) from the beginning until the end of our trip. We felt in good hands the whole time. He always made sure we were comfortable. Everywhere we went he would brief the rangers or the staff to ensure we had the best experience.
Uganda is a beautiful country, with lots of variety in terms of landscapes, animals, birds, plants... And visiting it with Wyclef was definitely a big plus. We loved our conversations with him as he is very knowledgeable about wildlife and his country in general. In addition to that, we had a great time exchanging about our respecting lives and cracking jokes all the time.
We have definitely come to consider Wyclef a friend and miss him already!
All in all, we would recommend Gorillas and Beyond Safaris Ltd without second thoughts. Whatever your needs and wants for your trip, Wyclef is flexible and will surely make it happen.
RU
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Our Amazing 4 Day Tour Experience
2020 deprived us of several promising trips, but we did not give up and decided to go to Africa! Africa is a very old dream. During the period of closings of many countries, we decided, why not?! I’m not going to tell you the details of the whole trip, but I will tell you about our safari trip with Okoa Africa Tours. A few months before departure, we contacted 10-15 safari companies. We settled on the most attractive one for us with the lowest offered price and the fastest and most comprehensive answer to our questions. We transferred $ 100 in advance and waited patiently. It is worth noting that we flew by Egyptian Airlines, which shortly before our trip decided to change the schedule and our connection was reduced to 45 minutes. Realizing that this time was not enough for a transfer, we contacted the airline and rescheduled the flight one day ahead with a 20-hour transfer in Cairo. Since we were supposed to go on a safari immediately upon arrival in Nairobi, we immediately contacted Okoa Africa Tours, told about the transfer of the flight, and the guys postponed our safari for several days without any penalties. At the agreed 4.45 am we were met at the airport by the driver and taken to the office, where we paid for our safari. Then we were escorted to our safari car, after about 20 minutes another couple from Spain came up and soon we set off, taking water, lunch boxes on the way and drove in for two more members of our team from the USA. 6-7 hours we got to Masai Mara Park, taking a break for lunch at a roadside cafe. By 17.00 we finally got to our camp. The camping turned out to be very cozy and comfortable. Tents are like army tents, inside there are 4 beds under mosquito nets, shower and toilet. We left our things in the tents and went to our first game drive. It was incredible! Despite the tiredness after the night flight and the long journey, we could not take our eyes off the zebras, elephants, giraffes, warthogs, buffaloes, hyenas and various birds we meet. By 19.00 we returned to the camp for a quick dinner and sleep. The morning rise was scheduled for 5.00, breakfast at 5.30 and immediately start for a full-day safari! On this day, we met a huge number of the most charming animals. Met the lions three times! First, they watched an elderly lonely lion with a huge mane, then they met a young male lion by the river and finally caught a young pair of lions, engaged in the continuation of the lion's race. We watched for a long time as the lion climbed onto his lady again and again, roaring bravely at the same time. The lions did not pay any attention to us and it was incredibly interesting to watch them. After walking a little more in the park, we met cheetahs, watched their dinner feast with a gazelle after a successful hunt. By our arrival, the gazelle was almost eaten and contented bloody cheetah's muzzles were looking at us)). And on the nearest acacia a large group of vultures was already awaiting their feast. The warthogs, moving quickly on their short legs, were very amused, and simply conquered the grace of Thomson's gazelles, amusingly waving their charming black tails.))) At the beginning of the game drive, they drove alone, by 10 am they united with two more cars and then rolled a caravan, alternately pulling each other out of the river, when they got stuck in an attempt to wade it, then they got stuck with all three cars in a flooded and soggy meadow, apparently which looked absolutely safe, but turned out to be very insidious for our cars. We dined in the park, stopping for a picnic under a spreading tree. Cars were placed in a circle for the safety of dining people, surrounded by wild African nature. After lunch we headed towards the Mara river. We saw a place where seasonal migration of animals usually takes place. Now it looked quite peaceful, only a couple of sleepy crocodiles basking in the sun on the shallows and hippos snorting and grunting in the river, showing with all their appearance that the animal that dared to cross the river would not be in good health for the first time. On the way back, overcoming another ford, we broke through the gas tank. Fuel began to flow out. And of course there are no gas stations in the savannah.))) Our driver Ali said that the leak was not big and we finished the game drive without any problems, having safely returned to the camp. In the evening, our already friendly international team gathered for dinner and sat in the bar of the campsite until the evening, sipping beer and chatting. In the morning we got up later, at about 7 we went on foot to the nearest Masai village. Everything there is according to the classical scenario - dancing, jumping, making a fire. We visited the house, got acquainted with the way of life. A traditional attempt at divorce for expensive souvenirs)). Returning to the camp, we had breakfast with pleasure, plunged into the car and set off on a long journey to Naivasha. We explored Lake Naivasha by boat. We rode for about 1.5 hours. What wonderful birds live on the shores of this lake, teeming with hippos and crocodiles. They are divinely beautiful in their diversity!!! Then there was again a rather long drive to Nakuru, where we spent the night in an inexpensive hotel. After spending the night and a quick breakfast, we went to Nakuru National Park for game drive. What a beautiful and picturesque nature here! The landscape is very different from the Masai Mara, many trees, a river with many flamingos and hippos. Monkeys are running through the forest. And it was here that we met a cheetah for the only time. Unfortunately, it was not possible to take a picture - at our approach, he jumped off a branch and disappeared into the thick, tall grass. Then a ranger with a gun got into the car, and we went to watch the rhinos graze. We watched them from 500 meters, it is dangerous to approach close. Rhinos, unlike other animals we have met, perceive the car as a danger and attack when approaching. Then there was a long road to Nairobi with a stop on the way at a local cafe, where we first tasted the national dish Ugali: cassava mass with fried beef and some greens. This dish is eaten with hands and it was soooooooooooooooo delicious !!! Nairobi met us with traffic jams. On the way, we stopped at the hospital so that part of our team could take a PCR test to continue trip to Tanzania. We were transferred to another car and taken to the station, from where the train was expected to depart to Mombasa. This adventure has given us memories of a lifetime! Many thanks to our international team, our guide Ali, Mika from Okoa Africa Tours! It was very cool with you, you are all great fellows! Thank you everybody!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Kihindo Tours and Safaris is the most creative, professional, and cool tour operator in Tanzania.
No right words can explain my Selous Game reserve Safari that was organized by Kihindo Tours. I had the most amazing time doing the game drive at Selous.
I submitted some initial information on Safari Bookings website, not knowing really much of anything other than that I wanted the best safari experience, and promptly were set up with three experienced travel agencies in Tanzania. Within 10 minutes, Kihindo Tours called me and he spoke so friendly. I went with this cordial as he was good at communicating and very open to meeting my specific requests. He’s a very experienced travel expert and has been coming up with Selous Game Reserve travel plans for a while. Based on the initial information I submitted, he drew up an initial general outline itinerary for me. Kihindo Tours is very flexible – adjusting things here and there (activities, accommodations, you name it) before we came to a finalized itinerary that I was very happy about. And my oh my, when the day for my Safari finally arrived, I was not disappointed.
There are so many memorable parts of the trip- the most amazing Boat Safari in Rufiji River, the accommodation where I slept, not forgetting the full day game drive in the National park. I saw elephants, lions, hippos, giraffe etc - you name it. It was such a good safari experience.
If you could take the trip again, I would you do nothing differently. Throughout the trip, I kept saying that this is my first safari experience that I was treated like a queen. Kihindo Tours really set up the trip in a way that I just showed up, relaxed and had fun, because everything was taken care of. Asante sana Kihindo Tours and Safaris.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Experience!!
We could not of picked a better safari company!! Our guide Peter truly loves what he does and is extremely knowledgeable about the wildlife, geological formation of the land, and the culture. Peter was very transparent with us which we greatly appreciated. He told us on day one, which animals we will be able to see versus which animals are harder to locate. We understood that with nature, no one can predict the animal patterns. Lucky for us... we saw the BIG 5 !!! The guide will maximize your time out there in order to see all the animals, so do not expect a lot of down time, but in the end it’s worth it. In spite of all the crazy goings-on with COVID, and the constant changes in governmental regulations, testing requirements,and other related obstacles, our trip went off without a problem. Having never traveled to Africa before, such a trip can be fairly daunting, but Lion King Adventures was always available to answer all the questions we had, no matter how small or insignificant. The entire itinerary is customizable when you do a private tour. Every concern or problem we had was immediately addressed and resolved, and the trip was amazing to say the least. My wife has dietary restrictions, which Lion King went above and beyond by notifying all the lodges ahead of time, which was extremely helpful and didn’t cause any confusion when it came to breakfast,lunch or dinner. My wife and I would both highly recommend Lion King Adventures and would not hesitate to use them again for our next trip to Africa.
SA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Hit the nail on the head.
Had a great time on the 3 Day Maasai Mara tour, I was fortunate enough to have Moses as my tour guide who made my trip really enjoyable with his positive attitude!
The food at the camp we stayed at was fantastic and had a really good time speaking with the locals in the area.
The transportation vehicle was great and was very pleased I opted for the land cruiser.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very good service
The safari was great. Our driver was able to help us spot 4 of the big 5. The ride was smooth and comfortable in general. Would definitely choose the operator for our next safari as well. My only minor comment is that the additional cost for the Masai village visit that is in the programme but we had to pay to the villagers 10 dollars, and coerced to buy some souvenirs, donate to a primary school (the last one is not a complaint). This should have been clearly indicated beforehand. Otherwise very nice trip.
HU
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Completely satisfied with the guide, Simba. He is a well-prepared, funny guy. Highly recommend
We are beyond a great safari experience, we have been on a 2 day tour of the Ngorongoro and Tarangire National Parks. We were completely satisfied with our guide, Simba. He is a well-prepared, funny guy, he described in detail the behavior of all animals! Luckily we could see the "Big 5" of Africa. The food received during the tour was delicious, the accommodation was satisfactory in this price category.
Regardless, I can't give 5 stars because the airport pick-up time wasn't kept by the company despite what was agreed. After arrival to Arusha Airport on Day 0, we waited for about 30 mins for the driver, but he didn’t come, the company was unreachable both by phone and Whatsapp! We were forced to catch a taxi, the price of which was later at least compensted by the company...
AE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The tour was organised in a right manner
We contacted robert. He cooperated starting from booking till end. When we went to the office at nairobi, he talked positively, solved all our confusions. Introduced a very good driver mr. JAMES. He is a man of good character having lot of human values. He is not only a driver but also an ornithologist. He made our tour a great success
TR
Great Guidance & Trip
Everything went according to the plan and we completed the whole schedule without any problems.
Our guide CASTRO was super helpful and caring for us with a great guidance and tracking on the field. His commucation was so clear and made all things understanble and net for us.
The hotels and camp were not bad and didn’t lack for any issue but the standarts and quality is low as directly proportional for the price.
The food was good for all 3-meals and delicious enough.
Every tourist in the jungle is having the same trip with same route, with same experiences (animals&events) but with different standarts. The expensive tours have better cars with more comfort and visual angle and stay at more luxury places but everyone totally live the same experience!
According to your budget; the tour is satisfying enough for the standarts and i again gotta say, Castro our guide is a super guide.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best guys.
The trip with Hight flying tours was an excellent experience. They offered us a few options of tours and they adjusted it to our requirements. We saw equator experience, gorilla tracking, batwa experience, amazing experiences in Murchison falls n.p.which excited me so much that I would like to become a ranger. And after all that they took us rhino trekking. They chose the best accomodations and restaurants.
Thank you for everything. I cant imagine it better.
