65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Faultless, Seamless and Superior
The Encompass Africa people put together a wonderful package for my wife and I...all done initially over the phone but more by email.... and everything went like clockwork. I soon realised that I could throw away my itinerary, and simply wherever I was a person would appear and we would be taken to our next destination, after having gained the fruits of our current location.
They were recommended to me by a friend who has visited Africa a number of times, and I have no hesitation in sharing that recommendation to all.
The Wilderness Safaris camps especially were superbly run and managed, and the people of Namibia and Botswana stand out as a beacon of the good of Africa and what can be achieved there by the locals.
My wife, who was a little apprehensive about going there, has come be a more passionate ambassador than I, if that is possible.
Well done, Encompass Africa, Jono, Danica, and team.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
One of the most profound experiences of my life was spent with Viva Safaris!
My daughter, who had recently graduated from college, and I spent six wonderful days with Viva Safaris last July. We both were impressed immediately with the correspondence leading up to our trip, the arrangement to be picked up at our hostel in Joburg, and the perfection with our entire trip. The accomodations were clean and comfortable, the grounds were beautiful, the food was great, the guides were friendly and knowledgeable and took great care in making sure we saw as much as possible. We took advantage of every drive offered...even 5am drives that we weren't scheduled to take, if there were extra seats! I loved seeing not only animals, but birds too, and the guides were more than happy to point them out and stop to let me photograph them. On one day in Kruger we saw the Big 5 all before noon! We just can't say enough about the great experience we had and highly recommend it!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Incredible. Anthony is so knowledgable and showed us the best time through Kenya.
Accomodation was great. Tour truck was comfortable. The sights and animals were just incredible. Anthony went over and above to make our holiday memorable.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
These are the people to book with if you want a custom Africa Tour. Look no further
Clyde Beaty and Tailormade Africa are just the best. These are the people you need to book through. Clyde has booked two very different custom trips to Africa for me and they have both been exactly what I wanted. He has an in depth knowledge of many African countries and the hotel or camp facilities as well as the guiding options available. One trip he designed was over a month, covered several countries and many different venues. It was timed perfectly. We were never bored and he booked us at just the right time of year to see what we were looking for. Our most recent trip with him was three weeks long in the fall of 2016 to Ethiopia. This trip was extremely complicated to put together, involved many internal flights and we asked to go not only to the tribal areas, but some other areas that were really "off the grid" and had no hotels or restaurants. We stayed in local huts or camping facilities, had our own cook, food and camping supplies brought in from Addis. The food, camping gear, itinerary and the guides were all great. Not easy to do in Ethiopia. The high end stuff we did was great and so was the way out of the way stuff. Also, I have always felt I got good value from Clyde. None of this kind of thing is cheap, but looking at what we got and what we paid for it, I was very pleased. I also recommended Clyde to my niece who wanted an Africa honeymoon. He did an amazing job and worked within her budget and came up with a truly memorable honeymoon. Clyde is your man.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing tour, amazing guide!
This tour was my first ever safari and my first family holiday since I was a kid. It was a totally unforgettable experience. Antony went out of his way to ensure we saw had the best time - and we did! He was constantly on the radio listening out for where all the animals were and made sure we saw everything possible in the small amount of time we had. When my mum got sick, he went out of his way to make sure she was ok. An unbelievable trip with unforgettable memories. We keep talking about when we'll come back and what we'll do. One thing is for sure, we will contact Antony to guide us again. Thanks a million!!
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Superior travel experience - cities, safaris, culture
Excellent communications when booking--totally delivered on what was promised and exceeded expectations with the local tour companies chosen. Was very fortunate with the Ilios staff (Rory out of Cape Town and N'Doda out of Joburg) for both providing a great experience from the moment the tours began. I have done tours in other parts of Africa and Asia, and I would rank the experience from the time of booking with Encompass and the on-the-ground execution with local companies such as Ilios and (Street Scene in Durban) were totally worth it. Hotels were definitely at a western standard and made the journey that much more enjoyable-whether on safari, in an olive grove, or a city. Major chains, boutique hotels, and SA-based hotels were perfect.
IE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very well organised, with great customer service and a friendly team
From the moment we were picked up at the airport to the moment we were dropped off again, I was very impressed with how well the service ran in Tanzania.
How well a service operates is particularly highlighted when things go wrong. Due to circumstances beyond their control, a hot air balloon ride had to be cancelled. Not only did our guide rearrange his schedule so we could continue the tour (poor Eli lost his lie in on Christmas Day!), but the money for the balloon was refunded back to my PayPal account before we left the country.
The quality of accommodation was first rate, with incredible food and friendly service.
While certainly not the cheapest way to see Africa, I have no reservations about recommending etrip for any safari.
IL
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Punctual, reliable and well organized tour in a paradise like place. Excellent guide. Recommended+++
Everything went as expected: the planning, the car, the boat, the accomodation (could improve a bit maybe).
Even the two short Thunderstorms and heavy rain stopped on time to allow us, with the help of our excellent guide, to climb and meet with the Chimps. Marvelous, thrilling, and upsetting experience!
This Tour is highly recommended.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fantastic tour!
Antony was our tour guide for a 4 days so we could visit Amboselli National Park and the elephant orphanage and also to Giraffe Manor.
Antony was beyond attentive, his attention to detail was amazing, anything we asked for wasn't a problem, he went out of his way to make those days exactly want we wanted - we wish we could have stayed with him longer, but we'd already booked other tours before we left home in Aus.
We look forward to returning to africa one day and plan to use Antony's services again!
JP
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience - smooth arrangements
We spent from 22 Dec to 1 Jan in Tanzania, and Rose took care of our arrangements. Normally we would do logistics ourselves, but given we were moving around camps, and had a strong recommendation from friends to go through Rose, we decided to use Luxury Safari.
Really pleased with the camps they arranged, Sayari and Kusini. Also, we had to change flight arrangements slightly and they organized the accommodation and connections to adjust for this.
It was a great family trip, and we have fantastic memories. Worth the investment!
Regards
Peter