US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Kenyan Safari made easy
Exploring unknown lands can be so incredible but it's often intimidating. CKC Tours made this adventure so easy and enjoyable. From the moment we were picked up from the airport to the moment they dropped us off, they made every part of the trip effortless. We saw the sunrise flight of flamingos on Lake Nakuru, drove next to Rhino's, came across a lion pouncing on a pair of cheetahs in Masai Mara and even enjoyed an impromptu motor boat encounter with some up close hippos on Lake Navasio that our driver Simon made happen. We had limited time and they worked so hard to make sure we saw everything and they did it with a smile. The hardest part of our days was waking up to make sure we saw everything!
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Safari with a knowledgeable and friendly guide!
Our trip with Encounter Africa Safaris was amazing! From the beginning, the communication with Chris was great. He always responded within 24 hours and answered all of the questions we had. We decided to go with Encounter Africa because we felt it was the best value and they had great customer service. Once we decided to book with them, we were give the option to pay via credit card, which would adds a 5% fee or wire the money through our banks. We wired the money and while it may make people nervous, the process was easy and Chris confirmed for us when payment was received.
When we arrived at Entebbe airport, our guide Tolbert was waiting to pick us up! Tolbert was great throughout the entire journey! He was very nice and was able to explain so much to us about the animals, Ugandan culture and more! He stayed with us the entire journey and drove us all over the country! We even decided to change our itinerary last minute to include white water rafting and Jinja and he was more than accommodating, handling all of the necessary hotel and rafting reservations for us!
During the trip we went gorilla tracking in Bwindi, did game drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park, and chimp walking in Kibale forest! It was an unforgettable trip and Encounter Africa Safaris exceeded our expectations! All of the accommodations they arranged for us were amazing as well! We paid for budget accommodations but they were very nice and each unique in their own way!
I would highly recommend Encounter to anyone looking to experience all that Uganda has to offer!
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing safari
James was the best driver imaginable. He always make sure we had a great time. He was very professional in his approach, an amazing animal spotter. Also great: The organization and the comfortable car. We are from Germany. We were thunderstruck about his almost perfectly German-speaking. It was not only a journey, it was a adventure of our lifetime.
We say to enchanting safaris and "Sunnyboy" James in heartfelt gratitude: Thank you very much for this time
IE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing experience
An amazing trip over the 4 days. Excellent guide in David with excellent accommodation across the few days. Only blemish being our airport hotel accommodation in Nairobi before setting out on safari - wasn't up to scratch but as far as the safari goes, could not have a single complaint.
Would definitely recommend Transtrek for anyone looking to book a safari.
CH
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A great experience
Our 3 day tour from Kigali to Lake Mutanda, gorilla tracking and back to Kigali was amazing!
The gorilla experience was fantastic, we really didn't expect to be able to be so close to them, the Mutanda Lake Resort was really good, we enjoyed every second of our stay there. The new managers of the place are very nice and helpful. And our driver Ronald was a great company, we enjoyed talking to him and felt safe and well taken care of all the time.
The email communication and assistance from the moment of sending my first query to the email detailing recommended packing list were of high quality, professional and always timely.
I highly recommend booking with Matoke.
CN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Trustworthy, Professional and frindly nice guy , wondful trip
Travel there with Cheno's BMW, Helped us a a lot. Really enjoy the view and experience, and somethings can never forget . hope to go there one more time, and also to meet my friend Cheno there.
IE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable experience to last a lifetime
Communication was excellent Mwajabu contacted straight away with any queries we had through what's app. She meet us on arrival so everything was smooth. Our driver Asman and guide Gilbert were extremely friendly and have plenty of knowledge about the animals
We managed to see every animal in Mikumi on our first day. On our second day we managed to get up close and personal with the lions, an experience I will never forget. Our Third day we went to see the massai tribe which was a wonderful experience. Camp Bastian was as good as any hotel I've ever stayed in if not better. We stayed in Duma Cottage which is quite large and luxurious. The food and staff are amazing. Mwajabu had also supplied snacks and water for during game. Overall a wonderful experience. I highly recommend Hello Tanzania.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Do not book at this cheater agency!!
We confirm the comment of Dawn Clark. We travelled with this "company" two weeks ago and have been cheated too. Our plan was totally changed. We never slept in a lodge which was planned. The tour to the Serengeti was cancelled, because there was allegedly no car us. In Lake Manyara National Park we were the only onces who visited it with a Toyota van with dirty unopenable windows instead of an offroad vehicle with open roof (which was booked).
We paid 166$ more than we agreed and never got any money back. Although Victor (the agent) told us that we get this money back and also a refund because of the cancelled Serengeti tour there was nothing but excuses. Every day there was at least one anoying phone call from him with bad news for us like "We have no car", "we cannot pay the driver", "you must stay here one night more (again)". This was wasted holiday time and very unpleasant. Cars, drivers and guides changed almost daily.
This company seems to be no real safari company and we think that all the persons who allegedly work there are the same guy called Victor. This guy is something between incapable of planning and criminal. He is unfriendly and dishonest.
Tansania was beautiful but this company/guy destroyed our holiday. In the end my wife was afraid of his criminal aura. For sure all good comments for this company are fake. If we have not met such nice people who cared about us and have not paid more than we agreed we would have been probably lost in Tansania.
Do not book at this cheater agency!!
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Dedicated and personalized service and exceeding expectations
Our honeymoon through Kenya was full of exiting experiences and romantic places. From the outstanding wildlife in the Massai Mara with our friendly guide Kiema to the extreamely relaxing and welcomming surounding at Diani Beach. We also very much apriciated the preparation of our honeymoon. During a Skype conversation we explained what kind of feeling we would like to experience during our holliday and what we wanted to see. We did not know where to go, but Fika Safaris managed to give us everything we dreamed of! A very romantic honeymoon we wil never forget! And there is not a thing we would have changed. Thank you!
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Our safari was the trip of a lifetime!
There are no words to describe how absolutely perfect our Amazing Memories safari was! If you are considering planning a trip to Kenya and/or Tanzania, don’t wait any longer and just go!
My husband and I weren’t sure exactly what we wanted from our trip in our first email to Anne, but she responded so quickly and was able to guide us through the planning process seamlessly. Her communications were clear, and she asked all of the right questions to plan the most incredible 12 days in Kenya and Tanzania for us. When we landed in Kenya, we felt as though we had a friend there already.
Anne was also proactive about changing one of our hotels (in Nairobi) because she had been tracking the reviews and saw that they weren’t great. She switched our hotel to the Sarova Panafric, which turned out to be an awesome place. Doing this proactively shows how much the Amazing Memories team truly wants you to have the perfect trip.
Our trip took us to Nairobi, Lake Nakuru, Masai Mara, Serengeti, Ngorogoro Crater, Amboseli, and ended with an all inclusive stay in Diani Beach. We even took an impromptu stop at Lake Navaisha for a boat trip to see hippos from the water. Each place was fantastic in its own unique way.
We would be remiss if we didn’t point out our guides, Daniel (in Kenya) and Charles (in Tanzania), who were pivotal in making our safari one to remember. With our trip spent mostly in Kenya, most of our time was with Daniel. He is a true professional and is passionate about the animals. It’s so refreshing to be around someone who loves his job as much as Daniel - the excitement is contagious. He is a wealth of knowledge, and we learned so much from him. Daniel is also friends with many of the other guides and talks to them over the radio to get you to the best animal sightings. On our very first day in the Masai Mara, we saw all of the Big 5... before lunch!
We saw so many animals - hundreds of elephants, giraffes, thousands of wildebeests and zebras, lions (including a sighting of 18 lionesses and cubs at once!), both black and white rhinos, cheetahs, hyenas, vultures, baboons, hundreds of hippos, tons of different kinds of birds, a tortoise, crocodiles, etc! We were even talking to a woman at breakfast who was in another tour group on her fourth safari, and she hadn’t ever seen a leopard on safari - we saw THREE during our trip with Amazing Memories!
I could go on and on about how breathtaking these two countries were and how awesome the people are with Amazing Memories and the camps that they partner with! Amazing Memories isn’t just a catchy name. It’s what you leave Africa with!