PH
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
They made all efforts to get the booking that we wanted at a very reasonable price.
Communication-- our consultant, Madi was always quick to respond to our queries
She was also very patient in booking us in the accommodation that was suitable for our party
Transfers- very efficient; always on time
Safari-- GOMO GOMO was a very cozy & idyll lodge as it was very private & had a watering hole to boast.
Even in between game drives, we were treated to hippos in the lodge by the watering hole.
Staff was very friendly & accommodating! Food was good & plentiful. Special mention to our ranger , Werner and tracker, Dominic, who made sure we saw the BIG 5 even if we only had 5 game drives!
NL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Game Reserve by Hans van der Boom
The terrain here gives you more of that bush vibe. Travelling up and down the hills gives you vistas and beautiful scenery. Wildlife is great and varied but maybe not as easy to spot as in Kruger.
NL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Golden Gate Highlands National Park by Hans van der Boom
Breathtaking scenery and rock formations.
NL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Camdeboo National Park by Hans van der Boom
At Camdeboo we especially loved the scenery. Did not see many birds there.
NL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A very special and exhilarating experience in one of the great parks of Africa!
Sometimes photographing birds and wildlife just seems too easy. It's stunning how close you can get to the animals in their natural surroundings and the amount of wildlife you get to see is unbelievable. Having breakfast in the park (because you need and want to start your safari very early) is an extra bonus and was very well organized. We did more than one safari (recommended!) and all our guides were thorough professionals and very knowledgeable. Transportation in the safari vehicles was great; they are built so that everyone in the car has an excellent view which is, of course, very important.
US
6 day Safari in Uganda/Rwanda.
Amazing Buhoma cottages in Bwindi, & le Bambou Gorilla lodge in Volcanoe were all fantastic with thrilling reception worth value for our Mid-Range expectation. The experience of tracking a Gorilla family in Bwindi rainforest park & in Volcanoe will last a lifetime, Truly African.
NL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about South Africa by Hans van der Boom
We've visited several parks in South Africa and Swaziland and they were all great. The scenery is amazing and forever changing. Of course you need a little bit of luck but a knowledgeable guide is worth a lot. The people in general are great and cooperation between guides helps you to see what you want to see. The birds and birding were a revelation. I knew about the wildlife and was expecting to photograph that but did not expect so many beautiful and different birds in front of my lens that I did. Simply amazing.
US
Staff is incredibly experienced, friendly, knowledgeable, lighthearted, and creative.
Usambara provided fantastic services over the course of 3 months to our group of 25 college students. They offered travel plans and guides for a variety of day and overnight trips in Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar, Serengeti, Bagamoyo, and Arusha. Safari drivers were incredibly experienced, friendly, knowledgeable, lighthearted, and creative regarding routes and problem solving along the way. Alex and Zacharia were particularly relatable, genuine, and caring.
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fabulous accommodations, amazing excursions, well-budgeted, very professional and fun.. Five stars.
From the first correspondence to our last goodbye at the airport, James and Alliance Destinations delivered amazing service. They were extremely personable and very flexible when we needed to change our itinerary. The attention to our needs was constant. The accommodations James arranged exceeded our expectations and the guide Evans, who accompanied our safari was fun, knowledgeable and always made us feel very secure. Our itinerary was perfectly planned and we saw and learned so much of Kenya. I highly recommend Alliance Destinations to anyone who wants the trip of a lifetime to live up to all your expectations. Assante James and Evans!
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Good Value But With A Few Problems
We just returned from a 5D/4N safari at Tremisana Lodge. The pre-trip communication was very good. It was easy to make the reservation 6 months ago and reconfirm it just before we left. We were on another safari in South Africa before meeting up with Viva Safaris and so had asked them to arrange a hotel for us, near JNB airpirt, on the night before starting this part of our trip. Even though we provided the with our domestic flight number, they were confused and went to the international terminal instead. The accommodations at Tremisana look as pictured. The Lodge is nore rustic than you might guess. All meals were served outside and there was only one meal time. The food was okay at best but we did not go there for the food anyway. The AC in our room shorted out and we were placed in a similar room. We felt it was odd that no other people on safari stayed at Tremisana more than one night but us. They all went on to other places, mostly Marcs Treehouse. This gave the Lodge the feeling of a halfway point instead of a social place to discuss what we had seen on safari that day. The game drives were always great. We did see the Big 5. We got close up to the animals and the experience was wonderful. All game drive leaders were not the same, however. One in particular (Alias - Smiley) was very good in explaining animal behavior. The game drives always occurred on schedule and lasted 2-4 hours. Transportation that was provided to/from the lodge from JNB airport was not at all what we expected. The drive from JNB to Tremisana Lodge is very long and takes about 5 hours! The minibus used to transport us from JNB to the Lodge broke down 45 min into the trip. The water pump gave out and we had to wait at a rest stop for 3 hours before a replacement minivan came to pick us up. Then, as came time for different guests to be dropped off at different lodges, a tactic of having other mini vans stationed along the route, where you and your luggage were transferred was used. This meant that we had to change mini busses several times, each time transferring our luggage as well. This was not expected, never communicated, resulted in one persons luggage being misplaced and left most people feeling the need to keep tipping drivers. On our trip back from Tremisana to JNB we were the last ones to be picked up and found ourselves crammed ito the last row of a small minibus that held 14 passengers. Again, we had to transfer to another mini bus three times before we got back to JNB airport.