65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Abdullah was great!
We did the 4-day, 3-night Maasai Mara Safari. It was my first safari ever. I booked with Axis is because a) they responded quickly with a transparent quote, b) the pricing was fair and c) I did not even have to pay upfront. I paid the day of the safari before we left Nairobi.
Other operators pricing was nebulous and in my opinion excessive for what they offered, compared with Axis.
Abdullah was very friendly and knowledgeable. He has a very good eye spotting animals that I would not have seen. He gave us time to take photos and experience the moments. He is a fun guy who knows his stuff.
The only thing I would suggest that for certain stops the operators will tell people how long we are there. Not to be harsh and enforcing the time limits to the minute but it would help if the operator told people how much time they have to take photos, selfies, whatever so that they do not go on forever taking selfies.
I heard that at times baboons or even cheetahs may jump on the safari van. No such thing happened. But we had two couples who took endless photos, selfies, up on the Safari van, behind it, at the waterfall, all kinds of different poses ... and then the next one jumped on top of the safari van, followed by his wife or vice versa to pose differently. It would have been much more fun seeing baboons doing this rather than what appeared to me to be a bunch of selfabsorbed people, totally oblivious that they were wasting other people's time that would have been much better spent looking for more animals.
Telling people upfront when a stop is reached would help.
But that is a policy that management has to set.
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Friendly & professional rental 4wd operator, good value, going extra mile to accommodate requests
I rented a Land Rover with driver for 1 month in May and June 2021; Western Uganda, Eastern Uganda, Kenya.
Individual set-up of the route by me, including off-the-beaten-track destinations. Accommodation booking done by me along the way.
Party of 1 German, 1 Kenyan, and up to 3 Ugandan friends.
Owner/manager Tim was very attentive and provided timely and valuable feedback before the trip, including flexibility in the light of ever changing Covid related rules.
The vehicle (1993 Land Rover, 6 seater incl driver) was reasonably spacious, comfortable, and very reliable; a few technical issues occuring along the route (several 1000 kilometers) were quickly resolved by the knowledgeable driver, accepting a little assistance by my Kenyan companion while we were in Kenya. Expect real go-anywhere 4wd capability and a roof that can be opened for game viewing, but no modern-age luxury like AC or radio. Dysfunctional fuel gauge meant that we refueled more frequently, which was no problem.
No extra costs incurred along the way apart from diesel fuel, and national park fees for the driver (while in Kenya) and the vehicle, and mandatory border-crossing Covid test expenses for the driver.
Driver Ronald, called "Emma", was very professional and doubled as a guide, especially in Uganda where he knew most of the places we visited. Friendly, courteous, very good English, safe driving style, excellent knowledge of the vehicle and how to fix it. I would certainly request to go with him again during my next trip.
After the end of the original 1 month rental and our trip extension by air to the Kenyan coast (the driver drove the car back to Uganda alone), my Ugandan friend had to return home during a newly declared tight lockdown with cessation of all public and most private transport in Uganda. Tim professionally arranged for a transfer from Entebbe airport to my friend's village, going the extra mile to get him home safely. Very good job, other operators may not have been able to accomplish this.
Overall: Professional and friendly operator, good value for money, accommodating individual requests; I would certainly book with them again.
JP
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Kilimanjaro Rongai Route
Lappet Faced Safaris took care of everything! They were responsive and helpful from the beginning as we planned our trip and took care of everything we could've needed from beginning to end.
We had Eric and David as our head guides and Isa and Charles as our other guides. Ask for them! They were friendly, knowledgeable, and so much fun! They ensured that all of us got all the way to the top, even helping one of our group members through some tough altitude sickness. Their expertise at high altitude was amazing.
Lappet Faced Safaris took amazing care of us at every step of the way and gave us the experience of a lifetime on Kilimanjaro.
CI
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
service oriented .
I have dreamt of going on a Safari , most of my life . Finally happened,little did I know that we would be so well accompanied, by our guide william david who was there for all of our needs (Such personalized service). Other than his patience , with our daily late departures, we managed to cover more than we could imagine. Not to memention his well behaved manors towards us, his colleagues and respect for Nature.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful
My experience with gosheni was amazing I would recommend this company to looking to do a safari. The lodge and service was a special experience and our guide Wiliam made it even more special by showing us more than we expected. Thank you
SI
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very nice and responsive!
Very nice experience. We have booked safari half a year in advance sicne we didn't know how busy will they be in June. Our communication was with Hillary, which welcome us at the hotel. Everything was organsied from begging, from pickup from airport with crazy driver Ally (he is very nice!), to checkin in hotel and the whole Safari.
On safari we went with Lewis and cook master Action. Regarding food, each day we ate as a king and you do not need worry about to take any food with you. Safari itself was amazing. First of all you need to take in thinking, that this is nature and not animal planet. Therefore you need to look always for the animals and when you find something, this makes you a really special moment. We see all big fives, Lewis tried his best to went sometimes offroad to see some animal on close.
We took 5 days Safari, despite we have seen most of the animals in one afternoon in Serengetti and almost nothing last day in Tarangire (some friends 2days before saw a lot of Lions). But as aforementioned, this is nature and sometimes you can not see Lion in 5 days (I heard some stories), so therefore I would definatelly recommend longer safari!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing trip courtesy of Wilber Safari Holidays
I was really looking forward to spending some quality time with my wife on our wedding anniversary preferably out in the wild on a safari expedition since she loves nature tours and wildlife. As we were looking for a tours and travel agency online, we came across Wilber Safari Holidays, we called in and enquired about the rates and available tours and finally settled with The Maasai Mara Tour.
Mr Wilber and his team were very friendly and professional, He explained every detail to us and organized our pick up and drop of in a very friendly and professional manner. We enjoyed the adventurers drive to Masai mara. Our overnight stay and food was excellent and memorable.
As a Kenyan and a local tourist, I highly recommend Wilber Tours & Travel for anyone who would like quality, affordable and a memorable Tours & Travel expedition.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Maasai Mara
Had an excellent time at the Maasai Mara. Spotted the Big 5. Would recommend them anytime.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A diamond in Safari Planning
I really can't say enough about the service Gilmag Safaris provided to us on this outstanding adventure. The scheduling, arrangements and the safari itself went like clockwise. My friends and I booked a private tour with Gilmag Safaris at the beginning of June, and had an absolutely incredible time! We planned on doing the northern circuit of Tanzania and Zanzibar for 15 days/14 nights, spending time at Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro National Park, and Tarangire National Park during our trip. Communication with Mary prior to the actual trip was faultless, and pick up from the airport and Gran Melia was on time.
Our guide, Ally was truly remarkable, with a great sense of humour and an uncanny ability to predict animal behaviour. We saw all the top attractive places. Everywhere we drove we were surrounded by huge numbers of everything you would expect to see in the Serengeti. We saw lions every day we were in the bush. Wildebeests in their millions!!! It was like being in the middle of a "National Geographic" wildlife adventure.
The people were friendly and always ready to give a smile. I left a piece of my heart in Tanzania, and I hope I get the chance to go back there and if I do, I will definitely use Gilmag Safaris again.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent Safari
This was the vacation of a lifetime. Lion King provided an amazing safari with many animals seen. Gilbert is an excellent guide and I recommend him highly. He was exceptional at spotting many animals. By the end of the trip, he fit with the namesake of Lion King as we saw 74 lions during our trip. Ms. Pendo was always on top of setting up everything and quick to respond to any questions we had.
