50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Incredible Family Journey
I found Pius and Gundua on Safaribookings.com as well as a few other companies and contacted them all with a rough outline of what we wanted from our trip which was a family trip for 2ad and 2ch (13/10) for my 50th.
I met with Pius on Zoom and then chose Gundua as our operator as he was efficient, provided good advice, responded quickly to enquiries and adjusted accommodation to accommodate our budget.
We started in Kenya, travelled to Masai Mara, across into Tanzania to experience Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Tarangire. Our guides (1 in K and 1 in Tanz) were outstanding, made us feel comfortable and were able to provide invaluable information in response to our many questions on culture, politics and of course animals.
The accommodation Pius arranged was fantastic, I would recommend staying in the parks or just outside as we lost valuable time in the Crater by staying further away. The meals and packed lunches were really good quality and varied enough, without exception. I would have happily stayed longer everywhere, especially Serengeti and Lake Manyara, to enjoy the surroundings at a more leisurely pace.
The game viewing was completely nuts, I have done this before a few times in Southern Africa but K&Tanz were another level. I had warned my family not to expect any cats… Masai Mara offered up lioness, cheetahs galore, leopard but sadly no migration crossing as I think we were too waylaid en route to the river…so disappointing but I guess we have to have a reason to return one day. The shrieks of the children (& my husband!) as they first encountered giraffe, zebra and elephants were unforgettable and worth all the work for the trip in those moments! Serengeti was my birthday and the quality of up close and personal viewings that day were incredible, quite moving. Osinon Camp was just a beautiful place to wake up on a special day. Ngorongoro, a place I had learned about 25yrs ago, was worth waiting for, the geography of being in a caldera rather than the plains of the Serengeti, was unforgettable, and we were rewarded with male lion and a rhino! So lucky. Elephants galore in Tarangire and beautiful baobab trees, watering holes providing wonderful interaction between animals after a night on the shores of Lake Manyara with wildebeest and zebra accompanying us to breakfast at sunrise.
The trucks are comfortable and well maintained, given the super challenging terrain they cover, our guides were professional, well informed and did everything they could to help us see whatever was willing to be spotted that day! The roads are tracks and the timings not always accurate, so add 30-50% to have realistic drive times and allow for the fact that between parks they drive fast on tracks meaning a bone shattering experience! If you have more time, or are happy to just experience one park, that’s the way to reduce travel times.
It’s not a trip we could keep affording to do every year but if we could then I would book every time with Pius and Gundua. Excellent comms, excellent advice, excellent value all made a superb week. We then travelled on to Kili and Zanzibar independently but felt Pius would have been available had we encountered any issues whilst in Tanzania.
Thank you Gundua and Pius!
MX
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Masai Mara National Reserve by Valentina
Just amazing.
MX
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Lake Nakuru National Park by Valentina
It is a beautiful place. Although it has been severely affected by the flooding, I find it very enlightening to witness the impacts of natural phenomena both in the wildlife and human lives.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Murchison Falls National Park by Deanne Mahoney
Fantastic to see animals right next to the road.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Kibale National Park by Deanne Mahoney
Chimpanzees were amazing, fantastic experience, and we were lucky enough to see babies.
IT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wonderful experience
All is Wonderful!!!! Landscape, wildlife and peoples…one of the best experience of my life.From savanah to jungle, where we saw the big five, gorilla and chimpanzees, I don’t think there are other places like this in Africa.The trip was perfectly organized bu Africa Adventure Vacation, Robert it’s was kind and caring, Frank it was a fantastic person and guide.
MX
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Jaw-dropping.
Kenya is an amazing country. From the natural beauty to its people, it is totally worth visiting. I witnessed some of the most impressing things I've seen in my life and I will cherish the whole experience forever.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Opulent
Uganda is everything you expect to see in Africa, from the beautiful friendly people, to the charismatic animals, and the wild and picturesque scenery. My husband and I had only a short time to see all we could, and Jennifer at Peak Cruise Safaris ensured we got to see what we asked for, and more. Loved it.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing
The Safari was everything i expected and more. As a birder, Tanzania is a birders paradise. We, myself and the wife) must have seen more than 50 new birds. We saw the and took pictures of the big 5, and the ugly 5. So many Loins.
AE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic experience and excellent service!
Overall a fantastic experience! The program was designed in a very thoughtful way. The food was great, the activities were fun, the staff were very friendly. Our driver Max was not the most talkative kind but friendly, approachable, flexible and knowledgeable about animals! We covered some of the most important spots in Tanzania wildlife conservation areas and it was a blast! The manager Ally would even meet and greet before and after the program to get suggestions, requirements and is always available for anything in Arusha / during the program! Talking about hospitality!
Will recommend to other friends of mine!