50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Lots to see but too many people
We spent two nights near the park at Chobe Bush Lodge which was excellent. We went on a early morning safari drive and an afternoon boat cruise. Others from our group did an afternoon drive as well.
Even though we saw lots of excellent wildlife including two lions stalking some warthogs, it was way too crowded during both the morning drive and the boat cruise. There were often dozens of safari vehicles/boats around a good animal sighting with some vehicles hogging the best spot for ages and we often had to wait. This was mainly for lions (we didn't see anything else really special). And when it came to the sunset part of the cruise, lots of small boats sat in front of our bigger boats spoiling our view - there was plenty of room for them elsewhere. Our boat moved somewhere else to avoid these boats. These experiences spoilt the park for us. We actually saw much more in Kruger and it was less crowded.
However, friends who did the afternoon safari drive said there weren't so many other groups and they had some excellent sightings including the rare wild dog.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Botswana by Julian
I visited the Delta and Chobe; both a great destinations. For my experience Chobe was much better for wildlife but the bush vibe was extraordinary in the delta. Both parks offer very beautiful scenery and are excellent fit bird watching.
CA
A beautiful country with magnificent wildlife.
The wildlife was spectacular.
The quality of the accommodations was highly variable but all were clean.
The roads leading into masai marathon and samburu national parks were extremely bumpy and axle breaking. Very hard on the small van we were driving in.
My guide was a Masai and he was excellent. Very knowledgeable about the wild animals and where to find them.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Botswana by Janette
There is a huge variety of places to visit such as the Okavango Delta and Makgadikgadi Pans.
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Brilliant communication, service, best holiday ever AND they give back to the underprivileged! LOVE
Africa had been on my radar for some time but overwhelming once I started looking for a tour, as there were so many companies to choose and not knowing where to start or who to trust, it all became too hard so I gave up.
A friend told me about an ad she saw from Trailblazers Travel so I sent an enquiry off.
Belinda was extremely helpful, we felt completely confident and we signed up. Never having done a group tour I wasn't sure how I'd go, but as friends travelling together to Africa, we thought it would be better travelling with a small group.
From the moment we met with the other people from the group, we knew we had made the right decision. The ages ranged from 40-70 and everyone got on so well, and from the first celebratory wine at the before takeoff, we knew we were in for a treat!
Wow, Africa - what can I say. So many thoughts race to mind and all my expectations were so far exceeded! It was refreshing to come from a place where we have so much, where we are so consumed with every day routines and where most people are losing the ability to think past ourselves, to land in Africa and see and feel the community and the coming together to mend old wounds. Africans are happy, smiling people with music and rhythm deep in their souls.
Africa is romantic but it’s also challenging. It’s compelling, it’s inspirational, it’s confronting and emotive but it is also life changing and beyond this, Africa will inspire you on all sorts of levels.
It’s something you don’t expect when embarking on a holiday but a new, positive outlook on life takes over you and consumes you in a way you didn’t know possible.
What I love about Africa is your eyes will be opened to new ways. Your body quiets and your mind settles. You relax, you see and you listen. But there are no words. It is in the behaviour of the animals that you will hear the unspoken word of forgiveness, family, self sacrifice, grace and justice.
Africa is enriching on so many levels and above all, the animals become the teachers and we become the student of life. Africa is a reconnection back to the land, to your ancestors, to yourself and to all the possibilities you have. It calls you in, it enriches your life and inspires you to greatness.
You must go at least once in your life. You won’t regret it!
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
For Gorillas, Chimpanzees and more - Range Land Safaris has it all!
This was our fourth trip to Africa and second trip to Uganda with Morris. Range Land recommended different options for our custom tour and organized our trip just as we expected, communicated to us from Uganda to Los Angeles as needed, and arranged all of the details just as we had hoped for. This was our best trip by far - chimps, gorillas, tree climbing lions and babies of every species from hippos, elephants and giraffe to chimps, gorillas and leopards. Our visits with the Gorillas Doctors, a local school and safari with a park researcher added depth to an amazing trip. The camps were excellent and Range Land took care of all the details. Can't say enough good things about the Range Land team.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A Wonderful Adventure without the Planning Hassles!
Breakdown Safaris did an Amazing job of creating a customized trip for our group of 8 friends, a task that I could not imagine doing ourselves! Breakdown Safaris coordinated all the details of transportation, pickups, lodging, etc. In addition, they provided a wealth of information to help us plan what we needed to bring or not bring and what to expect during our trip. The variety of locations we went to – including Selous Game Reserve, Ruaha National Park, Gombe National Park, Iringa, Zanzibar and more was just what we wanted. We enjoyed multiple safari vehicle game drives, river safaris, walking safaris, chimpanzee tracking and even snorkeling . During all of these activities our guides, Fanuel and Kathy and Rashid, were always a Wealth of knowledge and understanding about the flora and fauna, as well as about the culture and traditions of the Tanzanian people. We always seemed to find the animals up close and the most exciting adventures! I would Highly recommend Breakdown Safaris and hope to do another adventure with them in the future. Thank you Fanuel and Kathy,
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent execution by team Chris! The package at Pride inn paradise Mombasa was amazing!
I would not trust anyone else with my holidays other than the 'dealers'themselves!
NL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Perfectly organised safari in Uganda with excellent guide
We looked for a tailor-made trip to Uganda at a reasonable price. During the booking process, Able safari's was very responsive and came with creative solutions in planning the trip to reflect our (specific) wishes. We thought the price to be very reasonable. The actual trip exceeded our expectations as it was perfectly organised. The accommodations were well-chosen, the full-board package was generous, the driver/guide Abdul was very knowledgeable and friendly, and all ran smoothly. I wholeheartedly recommend Able safaris.
Good safari experience slightly damaged at the end
+Good contact with safari organiser prior to the safari who gave us plenty of useful information and answered promptly all the questions
+Good organisation during the safari, in line with the description
+ We were shown a great deal of game during the safari, good skills of the driver
-Our driver Richard was not extremely talkative, he could improve by speaking more about what we see during the safari and adding his own stories, experiences.
- The trunk of our minivan broke when we returned to Nairobi after the safari (it may happen to everyone) and although it was agreed that all the participants will be transported to their hotels within the agreed price for the entire safari, the driver stopped the van by the market in Nairobi and told everyone that they will be transported to their hotels by taxi for which they will need to pay themselves(!) - finally after a bit of discussion we did not have to pay, however it left us with a bit of a sour feeling - this behaviour is clearly not professional and in case of fault, it is still company responsibility to provide services which were agreed a priori