US
Best Trip
We have been longing to visit Africa and East Africa to be precise. After a lot of searches we settled for Kenya Walking Safaris. We wanted to witness the world’s famous wildebeest migration which happens in Masaki Mara. We were four photographers and we were much interested in taking photos rather than the comfort. It was a great experience to see the beasts migrate to other side of Tanzania. As our program had Serengeti included, we asked Mr. Otieno to cancel it and instead take us to Samburu N R. There is a group of tourist that told as what was in Masai Mara was more or less the same, so there we no need to travel to Serengeti through the bad road just for continuation of what is Masai Mara. In Samburu, we were not disappointed as there were plenty of different animals. Our driver Peter was the best and he had a lot of information. He was fluent and also very mature. Our Cook Jacob also was great. He took care of us for those days in the parks. My testimony is endless but would advise anyone wishing to visit East Africa to book with KWSS. Great job guys, you deserve so many stars.
EE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Superb safari experience
My families safari was the best. Lots of animals, good service and excellent food. Would recommend Africa Travel Waves to my friends.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Heartfelt thanks for an amazing holiday, superbly organised and executed by Rose
This was a superb holiday thoroughly enjoyed by all four of us. Everything was just marvellously organised and went like clockwork, even in the most remote reaches of Botswana. The properties Rose chose were very special and so diverse. Nanette at Ghoha Hills in the Savuti was a standout for her truly caring manner. The appointments at Madikwe Hills Game Lodge were six star!!
We would thoroughly recommend The Luxury Safari Company to anyone looking for a wonderful holiday full of special moments and lasting memories. Rose is an absolute professional you can trust. She listens closely to your wish list, is always prompt in her replies and she knows her stuff.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Day out in Pilansberg
I had a weekend in Pretoria on a business trip and at short notice sought out a trip to Pilansberg, which was recommended by colleagues. I have done a fair amount of safari travel in South Africa, but not to Pilansberg. I sought quotes from 3 agencies. One couldn't help, one had a complicated booking system, but Jason Pollard at Deeprift Ventours answered promptly and after a short email chat we had settled on a day trip, leaving at 0400 at my request.
Jason arrived promptly and we made it to Pilansberg at park opening. The temperature poked 40c later in the day, so we had the benefit of several hours of warm but not hot game viewing. Jason was extremely knowledgeable, but not a "pushy" guide. We chatted about the flora and fauna in the reserve and managed to get good sightings of all the big 5 less buffalo. The bird life was very good as well, and the hides at the various dams offered views of a variety of avian species.
We stopped at a game lodge for a very good lunch, and then gently made our way out of the Park (it was now very hot and most of the animals had sought out shade out of view). We were back in Pretoria by 1630.
An excellent day with a professional and generous guide. Highly recommended. I travelled on my own with Jason in a car, but I presume for larger groups Deeprift would provide a minibus or larger vehicle.
US
The Armadillo Safari & Adventure Tour far exceeded my expectations!!
The Armadillo Safari & Adventure Tours did an excellent job hosting our safari experience. The safari vehicle was clean, air conditioned ,and comfortable. The food, natural habitat, the animals: "The Big Five and more..... were over the top. How precious to see the baby elephants move along with the adult herd! we saw rhinos: A rare black rhino prancing down the field! The weather was beautiful and rather cooled down a little bit at night. I recommend The Armadillo Safari & Adventure Tour in Kruger National Park, South Africa! You wont be disappointed!!
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fantastic Uganda birding trip focussing on the Albertine Rift Endemics
The trip was my second birding adventure with Jungle Safaris. From the minute I approached Paul about going birding in Uganda again, he was very enthusiastic about it and proposed an itinerary where we could find birds that we missed out the last time. I wanted to see more of the Albertine Rift Endemics and also get a first impression of the Guinea-Congo Forests biome endemics in Semliki National Park. The trip was very well organized from the beginning to the end, from carefully selected accommodations to visiting birding hot spots en route while travelling to the next destination, also using local guides to get the most out of it. As a birding guide and person, I can highly recommend Paul – he is reliable and friendly as well as extremely good at spotting birds not only while driving or in the open, but also in the forest by recognizing faint movements in the vines or by hearing distant bird songs in the canopy. With his guidance, I was able to see many rare forest and woodland species. The birding highlight of the trip was seeing Chapin’s Flycatcher in the Buhoma area of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park where we had a wonderful day walking in the rain forest. Overall, the trip was very memorable – it was the kind of experience that you want to get again and again. I love birding – and Paul has the knowledge and the passion to show his customers his beautiful country and its birds, always going the extra mile. I can’t wait to go to Uganda again with Jungle Safaris.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Cannot imagine exploring Kruger in any other way
The tour was absolutely amazing. Chris was so great and made us feel comfortable. The vehicle was incredible, the food was so much better than expected, the tents were high quality and we had an amazing time. Highly recommend.
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing journey, African dream coming true
Our trip to south Africa with Tailor Made Safaris was simply amazing.
Everything is so well organized Your holiday starts at home when you receive your personal pre-departure pack (GPS navigation system, South African cell phone and a tailor made book providing all the day-to-day information with beautiful photos).
We had a 3 week self drive journey in drakensberg and kwazulu natal.
Our first 2 accommodations were Tendele camp en Didima camp in drakensberg. Both chalets had great views of mountain ranges form their terraces. We had some amazing walks in the mountains, which started from the parks, so driving needed. And in the evening bbq with a view
Next we went to kwazulu natal, there we visited different safari parks: mkuze, ithala, Pongola, Hluhluwe, isimangoliso wetlandpark and leopard mountain logde.
Ithala is beautiful park ranging from mountains to grassland and some nice walking trails with great views, en new very nice chalets.
In the isimangoliso wetlandpark we stayed in S lucia wich next to the park. It’s great as a in between stop from the safari parks, there are some great restaurants we recommend braza. And also some shops; outdoor- and camera- shop if you forgot something.
Our highlight was leopard mountain lodge. A great landscape, great rangers and guides who do their upper most to find the animals you would like to see (with success). And delicious meals and a very nice atmosphere. And rooms with a great view over the park form the top of a hill. Special thanks to Alden the best guide so far.
We would surely book again with tailor made safari’s next time we go to South Africa
Thanks Geert, Freya and Angela
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
CKC Tours – Safari to Amboseli and Masai Mara
This was out first safari and we were delighted to have chosen CKC Tours to organise it for us. We wanted to fly to avoid long tiring road transfers, and stay in quality but sensibly priced hotels and the package put together satisfied our requirements at a cost significantly less than some international luxury operators.
John met us personally at the airport and was very friendly, thorough and professional. Our private transfer to the Serena Nairobi was an opportunity to find out a little more. He gave us our detailed arrangements the following morning with flight and hotel vouchers and advice regarding the trip. He safely stored out excess luggage for our onward trip to Zanzibar as the strict 15kg weight limit applies for the light aircraft transfers and met us again at Wilson airport at the end of our trip.
The flights to Amboseli and later Masai Mara were an enjoyable experience with some fantastic views, but the small aircraft may not suit some. We saw herds of animals around the swamp in Amboseli and tracks of animals heading toward the Mara River from the windows.
The hotels were perfect, relaxing with good but not gourmet food and lovely views. The views from the Masai Mara Serena Game Lodge are amazing- you don’t need to go on safari, just look out the window as the animals pass having crossed the river.
We enjoyed the BBQ bush dinner at Amboseli and the breakfast with the hippos on the Mara River – would highly recommend both.
The game drives were fantastic, we were in 4*4 pop up vehicles. In Serena were had 3 of 4 game drives with no other passengers and had completely private tours in Masai Mara (we did not chose private tours, just got lucky as the season was coming to an end – late September).
Our drivers were fantastic – as first time safari goers we kept asking to stop and look at zebras initially! We saw the amazing Elephants in Amboseli, the crossing of the wildebeest on the Mara river , lions, hippos, and everything else including a leopard. The sceneries in the two locations are excellent and going to Amboseli then Masai Mara is the best order to enjoy these two locations.
Overall I would highly recommend this safari and would happily go with CKC tours again. We’ll be back!
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great budget safari company with very helpful staff
We stayed in Kenya and Tanzania last October and we have had an amazing safari experience with Baboon. Though we first planned to visit some tour operators in Nairobi recommended by the Lonely Planet, we soon found out they were a bit too expensive for our budget. Then we asked the hotel where we stayed to contact a safari company they would recommend and they came up with Baboon Safaris. One of their staff, Michael, a great guy, came to visit us, sat down with us and explained us all the options on the table.
Our price included transport, accommodation, food & water, game drives of course, and driver guides. We stayed in a tented camp, a cottage, and at decent hotels in both Kenya and Tanzania. On our last day in Kenya we wanted to change our trip somewhat and this was easily arranged for. The people at Baboon would not stop saying how much they wanted us to enjoy this once in a lifetime experience and they repeated again and again how much they appreciated the fact that we had chosen them to deliver it. This really gave us the feeling we were cared for from start to finish.
In the end we only suffered one inconvenience in Tanzania. Since we flew back from Nairobi, the manager took some time to pay us a visit at our hotel to discuss what had went wrong. We were offered our money back or they would arrange an activity for us on our last day. We chose the latter and we were very happy with it! This again shows their commitment to treat us as their guests. We were very satisfied with how they handled this situation.
In short, budget travellers should definitely go for Baboon! You won't regret it!