US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip Of A Lifetime
My partner and I had a wonderful time with the package put together by Laurette. The communication was always timely and excellent. Laurette worked closely with us to find exactly what we wanted to do within our budget. We would highly recommend Laurette and Pembury to family and friends interested in a visit to Africa. Bravo!
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Communications could have been better
All communication was by email, in English, but did not always address our queries, meaning that sometimes we felt a little unsure of our booking. In the end, all was fine, we made all connections and were met everywhere as arranged. Our first guide, John, was excellent. His ability to spot animals and knowledge about them was superb. The distances travelled were understandably large, but could have been better planned, particularly the first day. We would have been better advised to travel to Arusha/Kilimanjaro the day before the start of the safari, as we didn't arrive at our first lodge until well after dark. The accommodation was excellent everywhere except for Arusha, which was barely 'back-packer' standard. We should have stayed at the previous lodge a second night and just had an early drive to the airport.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful Honeymoon Trip
We went on a 9 day tour with Moriti for our honeymoon, including 1 night in Kruger, 5 nights in private reserves and the rest around the Blyde river canyon. Communication before the trip was excellent. We were fortunate to have William as our guide, he was knowledgeable and friendly, and adept at dodging the occasional pot hole on the road. All the accommodation was comfortable and the food was great. Highlights of the trip include a perfect leopard sighting in Klaserie, great food from our private chef Lindsey, and wonderful views (and not having to worry about anything)!
PT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing experience
Dunas Safari helped us first at distance on how to chose the best itinerary and accommodations. Then in Namibia with their well equipped car, attentive personnel and useful insights.
CH
Thanks for everything!
Generally everything was very good, in all locations:
Lodge, food, service, staff, guides, game drives etc, but sensational was the bush camp!
All the staff were extremely friendly, there were also special "guest managers" who only took care of the guests, but all the staff were very, very well cared for all guests.
Every day we received a surprise as honeymooner, champagne in the room, helicopter flight, picnic for two, special Botswana wedding dinner with theater show etc.
Also the guide "Bee" was by far the best guide during the whole holiday.
Also the guides communicate very well among themselves. We have seen very, very many animals. Luck was certainly also there but it was also the merit of the guide that we have seen in a morning 4 of the Big 5.
The 3 nights per station were very good (many stay only 2 nights, but that is really too short).
The 4 nights at the Elephants Eye were despite relaxing 1 night too much. The guides there were only average in our view. The lodge facilities were very nice and the food along with the food on the ship was the best.
Thanks again for everything!
Daniel Gamma
Switzerland
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Extraordinary...
Well...what can I say...My new wife and I were looking for honeymoon ideas and after much consideration and research we decided that a African Safari and Mauritius would be the best way to celebrate our joining but also get a good mix of adventure and relaxation. After speaking with many different companies on the phone and giving them our budget we were left a little disheartened by their response (and we didn't have a small budget either). We then came across Extraordinary Africa, and spoke to the lovely Alex. From the beginning she was brilliant - from her big bright personality that shine through even over the phone to her fine details and sticking to get promises. I knew from the moment I spoke to her we could absolutely trust her to organise our honeymoon and ensure it was a trip of a lifetime.
There were many times that we were sending emails to each other and I can honestly say that the service that Alex has shown is the best service I have experienced when trying to book a holiday. She is extremely quick at responses and nothing is ever a bother to her. Even after we had decided on an itinerary I went back to ask about another hotel and without even a blink I got a reply with full details on the other hotel with a new price and information about the area.
We were definitely not disappointed by the choices that were made on the camp in South Africa and the hotel in Mauritius. The trip was planned to perfection and I don't believe anyone else would have been able to plan it any better.
Up until the last day before traveling Alex and Extraordinary Afirca have been amazing, we were even called the day of travel to ensure we had everything and even once we got back to see how the trip was.
Without hesitation I would recommend Extraordinary Africa to anyone looking to book a trip to Africa. The knowledge that Alex has about the country is second to none.
We are already looking at doing another Safari in the near future and would definitely ask Alex and Extraordinary Africa to organise it for us.
Mitul and Tash
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Incredible Gorilla Trekking Experience in Rwanda
I thoroughly enjoyed my Tailormade Africa experience in Rwanda. The service was brilliant, and my guide (Aimable) was knowledgeable and friendly. The gorilla trekking experience was a once in a lifetime event that I will remember forever. I couldn't recommend it more!
Very quick at arranging bookings even in a very short time and are well networked
Communication is very efficient, there is comprehensive explanation of the service to be offered with all options available to the client to decide on what best suits them. Brief on expectations is well elaborate and indeed meets what is in the field. Tours are well organized to suit the purpose allowing for time to rest, shop and adequate enough for the enjoying the tour itself.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A safe, memorable and thoroughly enjoyable trip!
I was looking for a reliable and knowledgeable tour leader to take a small group of 6 people on a safari tour and Andrew was extremely good in both these areas. He was able to facilitate a fun, informative, and safe tour and we had a fantastic time, thanks Andrew!
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A Trip of a Lifetime!!
Our trip was with our adult son and daughter-in-law, celebrating her PhD in Psychology - something we had long been anticipating - and Augustine and his team did not disappoint.
We arrived in Arusha very late at night - my only change would have been to have scheduled one additional day at the hotel in Arusha. While Arusha itself is not a wonderful destination, we started out our first morning more tired than we would have liked to have been to begin such a one-in-a-lifetime trip. Our hotel, the Kibo Palace, was very comfortable with a nice restaurant and pool, so it would have been nice to have had a leisurely day there before we started. However, Augustine had nothing to do with this planning - my fault! Just be aware, if you are planning something similar!
Our first camp was the Maramboi Tented Camp in the Tarangire National Park. There were some animals relatively close to the camp so a thrill right away! On our game drives through the park we saw a lot of bird life, wildebeests, and a small herd of elephants. Tanzania is having a drought so Lake Tarangire is very low and the normal flamingo life there is much less than usual - but still impressive. Augustine also arranged a walk with a Masai tribesman that afternoon, so very interesting to hear about his life and culture. The Maramboi Tented Camp was very nice - nothing luxurious, but a good spot for our first safari camp - we felt like we were in Africa and not in a hotel. Beds were comfortable and food was good! Nothing not to like!
We spent two very nice nights at Tarangire - lots of animal sightings and information from Augustine and Casey, our driver. Our next stop was the Tloma Mountain Lodge at Manyara National Park. The area was more lush and green than Tarangire and there is an area where they grow coffee on the grounds of the Lodge. In the park, in addition to the "usual" animals - zebras, wildebeests, giraffes, and warthogs, a sighting highlight was a hippo pod with many hippos lazing in the sun. We enjoyed a massage at the Lodge while we were there, also! The rooms at the Lodge were also very comfortable, and food was very good.
After two nights in Manyara our next stop was the Ngrongoro Crater and the Sopa Lodge. The landscape was again different than our other two stops and the Lodge was lovely. On one of our game drives we saw a rhino and baby - quite a distance away, but a thrill to see one of these elusive creatures! In general, much animal life in the crater! We also spent some time with a small Masai village in the crater learning about their lives and culture. Sopa Lodge was a lovely place to stay - great views of the crater and excellent food.
Two nights in Ngrongoro and off to the Serengeti! On our way there we stopped at the Oldavai Gorge, where the Leaky's discovered many relics of early human life - fascinating! Our first night in the Serengeti was at the Seronera Lodge - lovely setting and dinner there, but our last two nights were at our favorite camp - the Bologonja Undercanvas. Some people may have felt this setting was too rustic and not enjoyed it, but the four of us loved it! No wifi, no TV - other than "Bush TV" - a campfire before dinner, but comfortable tents and beds with ensuite bathrooms and very good food! There are only ten tents so a small group and very international - some Canadians and Italians were there when we were there. My wish was to see the Great Migration so our first full morning there we headed out to the Mara River to see if we could see the Wildebeests attempting to cross. Thank goodness for Augustine and Casey's expertise - we didn't see the hundreds of thousands cross the river en masse, but we did see several hundred of them make the crossing, after finding just the right spot and lots of patience!
Our last morning we made a flight back to Arusha, went to the Shanga River House for lunch - an interesting tour there, seeing how disabled people are trained to make lovely beads and other local products out of recycled bottles and glasses. We also had a delicious lunch there!
We were scheduled to go to a hotel close to the airport in the afternoon before our flights home - but we realized the ticket we had purchased for our son and daughter-in-law on Kenya Airways would not be valid due to a change in my credit card due to fraudulent activity on the card. Augustine took us to the downtown office for Kenya Air and took several hours of his time to help us get the situation resolved so they could fly out that evening.
All-in-all, Augustine was most professional and attentive during our ten days in Tanzania. Everything was stress free - at least for us! Both Augustine and Casey were excellent guides with much knowledge about everything having to do with Tanzania - wildlife, plant life, culture, etc. I would not hesitate to recommend Augustine's Adventure Africa to anyone wanting to plan a safari to Tanzania!