PT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Let’s organize 2022 safari trip!
Even during the pandemic, I haven’t given up my vacation in Africa.
I returned to Kenya, with the assistance of my friend Kenneth from Kikwetu Cultural Adventures. Kenneth has organised my safari vacation since the first time I went to Kenya.
I was looking for two smaller lodge that would be located within the nature with no fences. One of them should be near the Mara river and also a place where leopards would be easier to spot
Kenneth organized everything and with Charles’s assistance, my driver and guide, we drove from Nairobi to Maasai Mara during one week.
This was the first time I met Charles but he was super and awesome with me. Very friendly and with a remarkable knowledge of Maasai Mara. I guess Charles has got a map in his head!
Thank you all for the care during my stay.
Let’s organize 2022 safari trip!
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
A Truly Fantastic Adventure
Our trip originally scheduled for May 2020 was halted as the world went into darkness under the threat of COVID. After months of battling with the airlines we received a refund for our flights and with some gentle encouragement from Stacy Redal, owner of Duma Explorer, we rescheduled and did not cancel our trip.
We just returned from our first safari organized by Duma (May 15-28, 2021) with Ebenezer as our guide. With the eyes of an eagle and driving skills on rain-soaked roads that would match any Indy 500 race car driver we were show the best of Tanzania's Northern Circuit. Our party of 3 (hubby, son & I) have forever been marked by the beauty of the Serengeti, the diversity of its plants and animals and most of all by the graciousness of the people.
We were rewarded with beautiful weather, breath taking views from Tarangire Safari Lodge, elephants, cape buffalo, baboons, birds, monkeys, impala and a couple of lions welcomed us on our first day. Unfortunately, the tsetse flies heard that Americans had come to visit and they made sure we would never forget them as well.
Having Ebenezer as our guide was an absolute joy. He was a wealth of information, had a wonderful sense of humor and always manage to answer my many, many, many questions. He promised us we would be able to see part of the migration and the man made good on his promise. A+.
COVID safety precautions were practiced in all the lodges and camps, plenty of hand washing/sanitizing stations and mask worn by staff. We stayed at Four Points Sheraton, Tarangire Safari Lodge, Rhino Lodge, Lemala Ewanjan, Escarpment Luxury Lodge and Ameg Lodge with no problems at all. We also went to markets in Arusha, Mto wa Mbu and Moshi and enjoyed being among the locals.
We would have been lost without the help of Omary, Duma's General Manager, who got us registered for our COVID test and Ebenezer who was right by my side as I navigated the paperwork necessary to pay for our test. Their help was greatly appreciated. As a side note I had more COVID testing done for this trip than I had experienced as a health care worker during the entire pandemic.
I can honestly say I have never taken a trip where I felt more supported, pampered and cared for than with the service provided by Duma. Truly a trip of a lifetime!
PT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing experience
First time on a Safari and one of the best moments of my life! The Big 5 were found in the very first time!
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The perfect way to discover Uganda
Me and my wife were travelling from Germany and were looking for a reliable tour operator in Uganda for a 12 day Uganda Wildlife trip. After a long search, we decided to get in touch with Bamboo Ecotours and we are so happy we did! Our first point of contact was Edison, who is running the communication: he answered our questions with a high reactivity and a perfect English (I stress this point because it has not always been the case for us in the past). We explained in a few sentences what we wanted to do and also were we needed minor adjustments to their displayed trip. In no time, did he get back to us with an amazingly done website where you find all the details: tours, stops, daily activities, accommodations (with pictures), meals provided... etc. That website itself answered 99% of our questions! We then continued our exchange as we needed to adjust a few details (such as the exact lodge names within the accommodation range selected: budget, medium, or luxurious) , and Edison was always very quick to react and advised us along the way with full transparency. Once we agreed on the full trip, with received the invoice that we had to pay. I have to say it was very intimidating for us to pay a couple of thousands of dollars to a bank account in Uganda... but we took a leap of faith and did it. I initially faced some issue with a bank transfer as Uganda uses Swift rather than IBAN, so my bank rejected the transfer at the last minute (although Edison told me other customers had no issues proceeding with their transfer). Luckily, Bamboo Ecotours also provide the possibility to make a credit card payment (Xpresspay) - unfortunately the company is charged some extra fees for that type of payment, but given our last minute transfer rejection, this is the only solution we had left. One reason they need an advance payment is because they have to book the permits (Gorilla, Chimpanzee...) in advance - these are non-refundable. In any case. we did not regret making the payment and booking our tour! Once we arrived at the Entebbe airport, we were received by our driver/guide Godfrey. He took us to our guesthouse in Entebbe and the trip started. I can't go through all the details of our trip, but I will confirm what the other reviews are saying: this is a lifetime experience! Incredibly friendly people, amazing accommodations, tasty food (we were offered a lot of diversity as vegetarians) and of course an unforgettable wildlife - this is truly the adventure we were looking for! Godfrey offered us amazing driving skills (the roads can sometimes be very bumpy!) as well as great knowledge as a local guide (culture, people, wildlife, customs, food...). In particular, when driving through big cities like Kampala, it is really helpful to have a someone that can drive ‘Ugandan style’
AF
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Unforgettable trip with IAA
We climbed Kilimanjaro 7 days Machame route, went on a safari for 5 days to Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngorongoro parks. It was amazing and we ended our Tanzania trip by visiting Zanzibar Island for 3 days which was very unique and lovely, I would definitely recommend this company. We had a good chef a stomach engineer as he calls himself and for sure we enjoyed the food. Our driver/guide was amazing he made sure that we saw the Big Five and beyond our expectations. The jeep was very comfortable and had plugs that not every jeep has this. We stayed in tents during the safari and it was lovely and adventurous, I would recommend this wonderful trip even during raining season. Octavian and his team organized this safari for us, lovely people!
AF
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wonderful safari with IAA
We had a wonderful safari with Incredible Africa Adventures. The people are great, the trip was faultless. We had the best guide ever, Emanuel, was very knowledgeable, funny, and knew where and how to find what we wanted to see. We were group of four adult and two children, we did the northern circuit and visited four national parks. Every day was an adventure, each day featured new sights and animals. We really wished to stay more with these amazing and fun people as they made our safari enjoyable. If you want to travel to Tanzania for unforgettable experience then Incredible Africa Adventures is the best choice for you.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent Safari Tour
My experience with Top Cream Tours and Safaris was top notch. Attention to detail was met from the beginning (my first inquiry), until the end (after I returned home). I really enjoyed that the tour was catered to my requests and all of my wants were met. I had the most amazing driver who was very knowledgeable about the locations, which we visited, and his patience and attentiveness was very much appreciated. I am so happy that I chose Top Cream Tours and Safaris for my safari tour, and I cannot wait to visit Kenya again!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Exceptional experience!
Pre-Arrival: We had a trip planned to Sint Maarten but had to cancel last minute. We decided to go to Kenya instead and got in touch with James from Saunterland Safaris a few days before arrival. James was able to plan our private safari and the booking process was very efficient.
Pickup & Transportation to and from Mara: Our safari guide Gibson met us in the hotel lobby in Nairobi at the mentioned time and was very courteous. He was knowledgeable and even before reaching Masai Mara he took every opportunity to show us relevant and cultural things about Kenya on our way to Mara. We opted for the Safari Land Cruiser and it was spacious, had sockets for phones and anything you need power for, and a pop-off roof which was excellent for game viewing. Alternately, you can ask James to help with tickets if you want to fly into Mara. This is a more comfortable and faster option and that way you can preserve energy for the actual game drives and your trip after/before the actual safari.
Game Drives: Masai Mara is a lovely place and a lot of safari enthusiasts probably know a lot about wildlife and animal behavior. This is where Gibson shone as an experienced safari guide, he was knowledgeable and knew where to find the game. He also educated us about animal behaviors that we were unaware of despite watching many documentaries on the subject and reading the books.
We saw a lot of giraffes, lions, hippos, cheetahs (the famous band of brothers that has appeared on many documentaries), leopards, and a baby leopard which was so lovely. The cherry on the cake was being able to see a Black Rhino mother with a baby Rhino. Gibson knew the hot spots to spot the less spotted game and has observed their behavior so he was able to time our drive and take us to an area where the sighting was much more likely. We had breakfast in the bush on one of the days.
After our Rhino spotting, we had a lovely bottle of wine that Gibson, our guide got us, overlooking the Mara Sunset which was breathtaking. The day our game drive was supposed to be early, Gibson already made sure our lunch boxes were ordered, keeping our dietary preferences in mind and it is these little touches that made it a memorable experience.
Accommodation: We stayed at Ashnil Mara and it was very nice. There is a range of accommodation choices available which James can help you plan. For us, Ashnil was very nice and comfortable and we are used to staying at good hotels (read Ritz-Carlton, St Regis, One&Only, etc). For the price, we were impressed with the service.
Overall: I recommend Saunteralnd for booking your safari experience without reservation. We will use them whenever we travel to the East Africa Region (they also have safaris in Tanzania and Uganda I believe). The price we paid was very reasonable and we think it was a great trip for two people (we paid less than 600$ per person) and honestly, the experience far exceeded what we paid. I am sure prices change with the season and may be different (we traveled in May 2021, so it wasn’t a busy time) We had one spare day in Nairobi and we booked Gibson again to show us around and got a photoshoot done. Highly recommend a day of photography which James can organize for you. The safari car rental for the whole day all-inclusive costs us $180 minus the photographer.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent
We just returned from a 11 day safari and beach with Lion King adventures. From booking our trip on safaribookings, we were taken care of very well. Pendo from Lion King Adventures was prompt in her communication and updated us with new travel changes and airline and country travel requirements due to the pandemic. Once we got to Tanzania, we were picked up by the arranged driver and taken to our first accommodation. We really enjoyed staying at Arusha Travel Lodge and the next morning was picked up by our awesome safari guide, Richard. Richard was so knowledgeable about the animals and he had an eye of a hawk. He was able to spot the animals from so far away. He knew exactly where to go to see the animals. He seemed to be giving directions to other guides around the park who were probably not as experienced. We saw all the big five animals and more. Tanzania exceeded our expectations.
I was worried about encountering lot of insects but there seemed to be less than what we encounter back at home and aside from a couple of mosquito bites and few tsetse flies, we had no issues. Tanzania has done so well in managing the coronavirus, we felt like it did not exist there.
When the hotel we initially booked in Zanzibar was closed for part of our stay, Lion King upgraded us to a 5 star hotel with no charge. We really appreciated that.
I only have fond memories and good things to say about this tour operator.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing and knowledgeable
If you are looking for a company for Safari in Tanzania do not look any further and book Gosheni now!
We did a 7 day safari to include Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorogoro, and Lake Manyara, with William as our guide. The entire experience exceeded all of our expectations. From the very beginning, I could tell Gosheni was the best choice in Tanzania. Upon initial contact, Pendo provided easy and fast communication, accompanied with outstanding customer service and professionalism.
And then there’s William. I truly believe he is the best guide the country has to offer. He is extremely knowledgeable, kind, funny, and caring. He made sure we saw “The big five”, even if that meant driving 30 minutes in the opposite direction of our camp, just so we could see a Jaguar. With William you learn so much and know that you are well taken care of. William always went above and beyond to make our trip memorable. Asante sana William for the amazing memories!
I could not have asked for anything better. The meals are fantastic and definitely stand out compared to other safari companies. All of the lodges were top notch. Gosheni provided the highest level of service and I can not recommend them highly enough.