PL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Unusual holidays in Africa
We have been very lucky to spend our holiday in Namibia and Botswana organised by Safpol Safaris. This was our second time we travelled with them. Last year Safpol organised for us a fantastic round tour of South Africa.
First of all we would like to emphasize the competence of our tour guide Peter, his knowledge about the visited countries, warmth and willingness to take care of all of our whims. Not to mention the ability to cope with any situation. Peter surprised us with his driving skills, driving mainly on the dirt and bumpy roads in Namibia and Botswana. It was surprising also to other tourists that we met on the road. We felt absolutely safe with Peter. He also shared with us his knowledge about wild animals and their behaviour, as well as the flora of this interesting Southern African region.
I would like also to mention a great selection of hotels and lodges where we stayed and where we had delicious dinners and breakfasts. Fantastic ideas for picnics on the road. Cold drinks were always available on our way: water, coke or beer.
To sum up, the tour has exceeded our expectations. We received a fantastic service for a very affordable price. That is what we consider a really good value for money! Everything was perfect and well prepared, and wherever we arrived, transport, pickup, transfers always worked perfectly. Safpol Safaris is a trustworthy company, always responsive in communications and very understanding of our needs.
We would recommend Safpol Safaris to anyone wishing to go to Africa, in fact we have already done so.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fantastic efficient personal service, brilliant local knowledge and advice. Great holiday!
Allison was fantastic. She helped put together the most amazing holiday we have ever had. She responded to all our queries so quickly and made suggestions and down to earth advice which was invaluable when planning a holiday in an unknown country. She seemed to know all the lodges personally and the map and road distances provided were so useful. We felt very confident in Allison's arrangements which enabled us to have a stress free holiday
We were also very pleased that Allison is based in Namibia. When we had a damaged hire car - which the hire company dealt with very efficiently - Allison was able to contact the hire company and get back to us with an update in a matter of minutes; it is hard to see how a company based in the UK could do that however good they are.
The website was extremely useful and easy to use. The information on accommodation and alternatives with reviews was brilliant.
We cannot thank her enough.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent in every way
Excellent service. Prior to departure there was a lot of useful advice which made our trip go much more smoothly. All of the arrangements were faultless, from start to finish we were well looked after and made to feel like royalty with the attention to detail.
Very impressed with the extra special detail of arranging a surprise birthday cake which the trip was celebrating. I would recommend Plant Africa and I would definitely use them again.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Safari experience, very well organised. I would use again!
I had a really great time during my safari to the Queen Elizabeth National Park with Gorilla Link Tours. Prior to my arrival I was in contact by email with Carol at Gorilla Link Tours, who offered me a lot of options in terms of parks to visit, length of the visit, budget and accommodation.
Richard Tayebwa was my guide, and I couldn't be happier with him. He is a great guide, very kind and knowledgeable about Uganda's fauna (especially birds!), flora and History, and he takes safety very seriously (especially when driving, which seems to be quite risky in some Ugandan roads!). He was always looking after my needs and very keen to please me.
I went to the Queen Elizabeth National park where I spent some time on a game drive during which I got to see lots of animals (elephants, baboons, different types of antelopes, buffalos, warthogs, eagles, vultures, cranes...). That day the lions were far away from the park because it was mating season, but Richard didn't rest until we found them, very last minute, and it was amazing to see them. I also enjoyed the boat trip over the Kazinga channel, where you can see literally hundreds of animals on the shore, and very close. Lots of hippos, elephants, buffalos, some crocodiles, kingfishers, cormorants, pelicans, spoonbills, storks... Within the park, I stayed 2 nights at the Marafiki Safari lodge. The views over the lake while having breakfast and dinner were amazing, the food was excellent and the staff very kind.
On our way to the QENP, Richard took me to the outside of the Lake Mburo NP where, without actually entering the park, we saw zebras and impalas, which you can't see in the QENP.
I definitively recommend Gorilla Link Tours for a Safari Tour in Uganda.
LV
Very good experience
We chose Lion King Adventures for our trip and were very pleased we did. We had a great trip and a great guide at a good price. If you are going on safari, the best would be to have a driver-guide and not just a driver who know nothing or less of the places you will be visiting including flora and fauna. Whatever you choose to do, though- you're almost certainly going to fall in love with the country and its wildlife.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great value for money and first class service
We did a three day safari round Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara and Manyara reserve. Top quality jeep with friendly and knowledgeable guide called John. He was a good and safe driver which was good as there are some nutters out there!! We had a number of requests to stop at various shops etc. and it was no trouble at all. John spent lots of time driving round the parks to spot animals and communicated with other guides to find good areas to head to.
Our accommodation was upgraded to luxury tents which was a real treat as had proper beds and a shower room & toilet out back.. All food and water provided. Quality hot meal for breakfast and dinner. Lunch was a pack up that was traditional African food so not amazing yet enough to get us by with a juice. On the last day John also arranged for us to have a tour of a Masai village so we got to see their huts and way of life.
Overall a great experience and one I would recommend. The hotel in Arusha the night before/after was of a good standard yet probably only a 2* in the U.K. so don't set expectations high. It was called Arusha tourist inn and food was poor so perhaps get a taxi to a local restaurant if you want to eat out when there - we went to Fifi's coffee house and it was great. I didn't feel safe walking in darkness in arusha so taxi a must. Enjoy!!
IN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
nice experience .. but not without glitches
we went 3 nights 4 days trip .. tarangire serengetti and ngorongoro..
first the company was very quick to respond to the queries .. owner was very polite
the glitch .. we had booked luxury tented camps but by mistake they booked lodges and the owner said in confirmation email he had mentioned lodges .. when they changed luxury tents into lodges in their email i never knew and hence had no option but to go forward with them ( though it turned into a blessing as lodges were very nice and with 2 small kids tented camps would be too wild an experience)
we had booked lake manyara also but as i tweaked itinery as per my convenience they dropped lake manyara entrance fees and when i reached my lodge near lake manyara and we had enough time to go inside the park driver said the fees hasnt been paid so we cant go inside so we just saw lake manyara from our lodge which had a great view
all the lodges were great .. service was superb .. food great .. rooms clean and spacious with a bath tub.. and with great views over lake manyara and ngorongoro crater .. the lodge in serengetti (lobo) was very far inside the park but it was a great game drive deep into serengetti while reaching the lodge
the chefs and managers were very welcoming and polite .. food was awesome
driver abu salim was fantastic in spotting animals .. we spotted around 40 lions ( a pride of 15 lions together) in serengetti and ngorongoro .. we saw a cheetah hunt .. leopards on trees .. all big 5 were spotted ( though rhino was seen from a distance in ngorongoro).. only issue with driver was he looked to cut short the game drive hours and reach lodges early though he was unbeatable on spotting animals..
the vehicle provided was 1st class .. a long vehicle 8 seater land cruiser was provided for us 2 adults 2 kids and as kids had their space the journey was very comfortable
over all the experience was great .. the safari was one of the most undorgettable experience of my life ..
i am taking 2 stars away from bobby tours for 2 reasons .. 1 for booking lodges without informing me and 2 for not paying entry fees of lake manyara otherwise their service was alright.
so you can book with them but reconfirm what you are getting before doing any payments
Probably the best Safari I have ever had
My wife and I had the best time I would highly recommend classic journeys Africa it was more than we expected all our needs were catered for our drive had the best knowledge ,the vehicle was always clean and reliable the driver Mathew was always helpful and tended to our needs and the tour itself was beyond expectations
IN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
not living upto the promise
we booked selous game reserve 3 days tour with them .. 7 adults 4 kids ..
first thing .. leina was very quick to respond to any queiries .. she collected the payments from me from my place and was swift with responses ..
but from the start of safari the service looked glitched.. first day one vehicle arrived and we had to wait one hour for the second vehicle
after reaching the camp we had booked 3 rooms 3rd tent wasnt ready even after 3 hours of arriving and when the tent was given it was clearly a makeshift arrangement as the camp looked overbooked.. a tent of 2 was turned into tent of 4 with extra beds cramped in it with no mosquito nets.. they gave us a better tent next day but out of 2 nights one night was wasted and our mood spoiled
on 3rd morning we didnt want a walking safari instead an extra game drive but drivers werent informed about it so we had to inform drivers on our own and then they rechecked with the company.. it was all messy
on whole 3 days or even after the safari the tour operator didnt call even once to ask how were we doing or were the arrangements fine..
on last day she called me and asked for an extra 40 usd .. she said my wife ( who is tanzanian) didnt present her ppt on the park gate so she had to pay her full fees .. i told her nobody asked me for any documents and my wife was carrying her passport with her all the time .. if asked to present the passports it was on hand .. it was a communication mistake between them and the drivers which she was trying to put on me and extract money ..
last day the drivers were told not to give us lunch .. i said the lunch is included in package .. so the drivers arranged a lunch in completely horrible place where none of us could manage to eat.. we had carried foodstuffs with us that came handy
so with msafiri travels the experience was horrible.. i wouldnt advise anyone to go with them .. i have been on safari before and some people provide much better service
on the positive side Butembo selous camp was very cosy .. it gives u a great feel of jungle .. and the walk from restaurant to tents is like walking in real jungle .. ameneties are nice .. tents are good .. exceptionally clean hygenic and in great shape .. its real luxurious..though in summers a fan would be handy in tents as it gets very hot during summers..
the staff was super polite and saw to every demands of us..
food was average .. but in a camp which has only 7 tents u cant expect a buffet .. they had limited menu in dinners but it was fine ..
the drivers peter and ramdani were fabulous .. specially peter was so fearless .. they werent at all tired of driving whole day to try and spot animals .. they really went out of the way and made this trip memorable .. were also very polite and friendly
over all we had great time due to the camp and drivers .. hence 2 stars to msafiri for providing us this camp and drivers .. or else there isnt much about msafiri to recommend
IT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Kilimajaro Climb and a wonderful safari!!!
A very good service from all the team of It Started in Africa. They helped me to plan this wonderful journey and they customized everything according to my demands, always fast in answering. Everything was all right! Kilimanjaro climb: simply great! Good gears, good tents, good and plentiful meals! And the safari simply amazing!!! The guides were nice and prepared and were able to answer to all of my questions.