MX
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
I only use "Gorilla Tours"
I have been working with Gorilla Tours now for 13 years and have done at least that many tours with them as well. I guess the fact that I have used them so many times says it all, I think they are great. The owner has worked with me every time to create the experience I want as I have travel with different friends each time.
The driver I use has now become my good friend, as has the owner!!
You will have a wonderful time, be with an experienced driver and see every thing you came to see, it will be the best trip of your life!!
Diane (Mexico| USA)
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
SO much better than I expected, Hluhluwe-Imfolozi is an animal viewing paradise
All of our connections were seamless, including airport drop off. The personal attention by Stephen, our guide, was fun and informative with several very up close lucky sightings. We were feed well and our lodgings were perfect for our more adventurous wants, with lots of animals roaming through the grounds of the delightful cabins. A perfect end to our wonderful month in South Africa.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent, responsive, on time, polite and extremely knowledgeable guides.
Communication was perfect. They responded positively to a number of last minute changes we had to make. Introduced our group to the wonders of wild life in Uganda. Every member loved our guides: Paul and Abdul.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The best trip we ever had
We just returned from a Safari with Augustine, and his field guides, that was hosted by the former Director and his wife, of the Santa Ana Zoo in Santa Ana California. Augustine's Adventure Africa was the tour operator, and did the entire coordination of the trip. We travel twice a year, and this trip was by far our most rewarding trip. Augustine selected first class lodges, and destinations, and we saw animals abundant. Augustine, and his two field guides Casey, and Emmanuel were very knowledgeable, and quick at spotting game wildlife, that it amazed me they had such sharp eyes, to spot the animals, birds, and also the terrain of Africa, including trees, plants, and the ecological system of Tanzania.
We saw animals including many lions, wilder beasts, zebras, buffalo, a rhino, hippos, crocodiles, wart hogs, gazelles, and a caracal and her baby.
We also visited a village in Africa, and a school and experienced the native culture of Africa's people, including a visit to a Massai tribe. Augustine also took us to a wood carving place in a small village, where you could purchase and witness the talent of it's experienced artisans. The prices were so incredibly cheap for the work of art that we purchased.
We also visited the Arusha Cultural Center, which is a wonder in itself, with art from all over Africa. It's tantamount to a museum, and if you are looking for special piece that is the place to go.
Augustine is very personable, and a lot of fun to be with. Our daughter enjoyed him and he made her laugh, and gave her an experience into the Great Migration that very few people have the opportunity to see.
Also, for concerned travelers, Augustine kept us safe, and the land rovers, were in excellent condition, and I highly recommend his tour operation. It surpassed my expectations truly.
Lisa Andric
Irvine, California
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great safari
After obtaining various itineraries from different companies, Safari Trackers had proposed one of the more appealing ones. I was a bit hesitating due to the few reviews and the one bad review, but after having talked to Charles over the phone and hear his side of the story, I decided to go with Safari Trackers.
At the beginning of the safari it became clear that some miscommunication had occurred, but Charles immediately came with a good solution for it. Next we went to Manyara, Serengeti and Ngorongoro for 5 days and saw so many animals, including massive elephants, lions, lionesses and their cubs, cheetahs and cubs, leopards and many more (unfortunately no rhino). Our guide Elli spotted so many animals from far away, had a lot of knowledge about the animals' behaviour and was very sociable and funny. The cook Amidi prepared us some great meals and I especially liked our breakfasts. A few items of the lunchboxes were a bit less tasty in my opinion. But it included 7 or 8 items each time, so enough to choose from. And there was so much food each time, so you'll definitely not be hungry during the safari.
Overall I thought the safari was good, mainly do to the amount of wildlife we saw, our guide Elli and the great food served by Amidi. I would also recommend to spend enough time on the Serengeti, as the area is massive and it is a 4 to 5 hours drive to the park and back. We drove up there in the morning, did a afternoon game, next a full day game and a morning game, before heading to Ngorongoro in the afternoon. I think you'll need this time to also see the uncommon animals, like the cheetahs, the leopards and the cubs.
Unequalled for getting up close with the naturally-real Africa, without crowds, and with top service
Moriti Private Safaris deliver it all, the environment passion, the service, the safety, the amazing wildlife access, the tailoring to suit you, the up and beyond attention to detail, the unequalled 'what more can we do' attitude to every part of every day. Our group of 6 spent day after day, away from other tourists for the most part, enjoying time to just quietly observe everything, photograph what we wished, be explained to, and understand the nature of life for each species. Africa does get under your skin ! This is our second visit, and we have already given our commitment to Shaun, Owner/Guide, that we want to book him again within the next two years. Every one we know who is interested in visiting the REAL Africa, will be hearing about him and his service. You can trust everything about how he operates... from the heart... from a lifetime of giving back to the people and environment of the real Africa. Thank you Shaun and Moriti from the bottom of our heart, and from the top of our wishlist for an adventure lived to the maxiumum for sure wonder, excitement, and respect. 100 out of 100 - higher marks if possible :)
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Magical Kenya truly lived up to its reputation thanks to Beacon
My family and I went on a 6 Day 5 Night safari in Kenya in June 2017. This was the most amazing family trip we have been on from start to finish. Our guide/driver Anthony picked us up from our hotel in Nairobi and we were off on an exciting adventure. He welcomed us with a beautiful song and went over our itinerary so we were ready and prepared for our adventure. He was incredibly knowledgeable, able to answer all of our questions about the parks/animals/Kenya/etc. And our expectations of the trip were met and then some. We were so excited to see all the animals, and we did: elephants, lions, black rhinos, giraffes, cheetahs, leopards, hippos, zebra, etc. Anthony did his absolute best to make sure each game drive was eventful, always keeping his eyes and ears out for animals. We checked the Big 5 off our list within the first day and a half! And the accommodations recommended by Beacon were great. They were luxurious, the rooms were roomy and comfortable, unique decor that was true to the environment, the views incredible, the food very good, and the staff very welcoming and gracious. Our SUV was also a great ride, comfortable, spacious, and affording great views on our game rides. Even in between parks and reserves, Anthony was really great at sticking to his schedule but also building in the appropriate stops. We could not have been happier with our trip and with the services provided by Beacon and Anthony. I'm using so many superlatives because they really are warranted. This was an amazing trip. Choose Beacon Safaris, and ask for Anthony if he's available, you will not be disappointed.
US
Amazing! Everything we were looking for
Our trip was amazing! It was so easy working with Emma to book the trip. We went for our honeymoon, and they tried hard to make it special for us. Our guide was great and informative, and knew where to take us to see what we wanted to see. We had such a good time. We saw so much and learned so much, and the food was great! We’re recommending Shemeji to everyone we know! :)
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Highly Recommended - 20 day Southern African Safari trip from African Coast Travel
If you are looking for a great, multi-country overview of the highlights of Southern Africa, definitely consider African Coast Travel and Tours based in Zimbabwe. The trip includes South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana and Namibia. Here is a link describing this 20 day, 5 country trip: http://www.africancoasttravel.com/southern-africa-explorer-safari-package.html.
My husband and I had the pleasure of making this wonderful trip recently. It is a perfect way of seeing many different countries in Southern Africa in a fairly short time frame. One would always like to say longer in certain areas, but for an overview of the 5 countries included, it’s a perfect introduction. There is so much diversity in this trip, from exploring sophisticated cities like Cape Town and Johannesburg, to breathtaking game drives and miracles of nature , to cultural and historical artifacts and interactions with warm, wonderful people.
African Coast Travel takes care of all of the details, from initial airport pick up to all hotels, most activities and meals, internal and inter-Africa flights. We compared the services and amenities of African Coast to numerous other travel group options. We specifically wanted to support local African tour groups and researched many, but also explored group travel packages from the USA, UK, Australia and more. One of the major benefits of the 20 Day African Explorer Safari from African coast was that the pricing was per person and the trip was available for 2 people – thus, it was basically a private tour throughout. Prices of large tour groups were often as much, if not more as African coast, but they would have meant a bus load of 20-40 other people. The benefits of a private tour are innumerable.
Many people still think of Africa as being unsafe and are concerned about traveling there. We certainly didn’t know what to expect, but felt totally safe throughout our tour. We stayed in Cape Town for 5 days before our official tour, and then in Johannesburg for 5 days at the end – thus were on our own, walking the streets, shopping, visiting attractions, etc. We were, naturally careful about going out alone at night (as one would be in most large, unknown cities). But in general we were never concerned about our safety – in fact people went out of their way to ask if we needed help when we were at the subway or bus stops or carrying our luggage around.
So, if you are thinking about visiting Africa, and are looking for a diverse, multi-dimensional experience, definitely contact Joseph at African Coast and start a dialogue. He and the team are flexible and able to customize this 20 day package or many of the other trips they offer. We are already talking about where we want to revisit or other possible African countries to experience and will, of course, contact African Coast Travel.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
3 Days Gombe Stream Safari
After trying to arrange travel on my own to Gombe Stream, I am so glad that I decided to work with Gombe Track for what turned out to be a once in a lifetime trip to the Reserve for chimpanzee viewing. Here are a few of what I found to be the biggest challenges to arranging my own travel: 1) there is one flight to Kigoma every Sun, Mon, Weds and Fri only, 2) Gombe is accessible by boat only and catching a public boat or hiring your own on the spot is not guaranteed, 3) you may only visit Gombe on a 24 hour maximum permit. Joshua with Gombe Track was responsive in multiple e-mail communications about the 3 day itinerary. I was all set to travel to Gombe followed by another safari elsewhere in Tanzania when Joshua let me know that the flight times had changed. Fortunately, although I lost some money, I was able to re-book my subsequent flight and shift my subsequent safari schedule one day ahead. Despite this uncontrollable change in flights, my experiences with Gombe Track Safari were excellent. All the drivers provided were on time to meet me at the hotel and airport. James (driver) was especially helpful in explaining local sites and culture. Hotel accommodations in Kigoma included a private room with bathroom. Hotel staff, however, did not seem to be aware of my affiliation with Gombe Track Safari and tried to charge me for diner that was actually included with the safari package. The boat booked for transport to Gombe Stream was on time, well equipped with new safety equipment, and the captain (Baraka) well experienced with the route and lake conditions. The safari chef, Amos, was very accommodating and prepared more food than I could eat, including fresh caught lake fish. The “Luxury Tented Camp” in Gombe Reserve was by far the nicest platform tent accommodation I have even seen. It was fully equipped with a shower, toilet, and large bed! The park guides are very experienced and mine worked with two trackers to locate a large Chimp troops, which I was lucky enough to watch for quite some time. Although Gombe is off the beaten tourist track, it is worth a visit for anyone interested in Jane Goodall’s work or the Lake Tanganyika area.