20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
10 day private safari over Kenya & Tanzania - Fantastic experience from start to finish!
My brother and I (25 and 30 year old males) did a lot of looking around as to what safari operator to go with (there's a reason it's all grey nomads on safari - it's not cheap). In the end, it was a no brainer - Kenneth from Kikwetu replied promptly to our email inquiries (don't know when the guy sleeps), understood what we were after and easily provided the necessary information (we had lots of questions) all with a great price. We opted for budget camping and were more than impressed with the standard of accommodation provided. Airport pick ups and drop off were included. I think a big part of the safari adventure is the driver - as you spend the most time with this person. We were extremely lucky with our driver Livingstone in Kenya who is a genuinely great bloke and has the eye of an eagle with his ability to spot animals. Thanks for getting the baboon out of the car for us! The standard of food prepared for us by our cooks was also great, we were never left hungry and in fact - always felt bad that we could not finish the food put in front of us! Travelling in Feb/March was a great time to safari - we saw loads of wildebeest giving birth to newborns and watching them take their first steps within 10 minutes of life, saw plenty of big cats - lions, leopards and cheetahs and of course saw the big 5 many times. Our safari covered the following - Lake Nakuru, Masai Mara, Amboseli, Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater.
Highly recommend Ken and his team at Kikwetu!
Thanks for making our safari to East Africa a memory of a lifetime
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
You hear about all the Safari excursions in Kenya, but this is by far thee best of them all!!
The service not only lived up to, but surpassed my expectations by a long shot. the tour guide was very knowledgeable as made the experience definitely one to remember. I am now planning my second trip there and of course this will be on the list of attractions for my family and I. I have also recommended this safari to a few other who have already travelled this year.
US
about safarihub
everything was really nice, went here wit my fiancee , Our driver Mabu was really knowledgeable and pleasant to talk to , Thanks for everything
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Yet another magnificent experience!
Saif and Clevers have taken my group out twice now. Incredible experience (like seeing the big five in one day in January). These guys are very friendly and accommodating. They will work to suite your budget, high or low. My trip allowed one day safari for the last two years. Both times were incredible and I strongly recommend these guys.
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing! Good service, perfect guides and just the right choice of lodging!
We are a group of 7 French Canadians that have travelled around the world and we booked our trip to Tanzania with East Africa Voyage for 3 weeks during the month of January 2017. Now that we are back from this amazing trip, we can say that we are all of us thrilled with our experience with East African Voyage. Julie, the Director, has been very helpful with us from the start, answering our many questions for the Kilimandjaro part of our trip (which was a bit scary for us... but it turned out just perfect!), providing us with many choices of itinaries and lodging for the safari and facilitating our numerous requests during our stay in beautiful Tanzania! On top of that, Julie provided us with the best guides and team ever for both the Kili and the safari (Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Taranguire, Lake Manyara and Lake Eyassi). Everyone paid attention to all of our smallest needs (and even beyond our expectations!!!) and the guides, who were very knowledgeable, didn't hesitate to share with us their personal life experience including interesting tales about their culture and traditions. In short, the whole trip was a lifetime experience for all of us! Merci to Julie and all of her team! :-)
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing Rwanda trip!
We booked a safari to Rwanda with Bella Africa at the last minute due to an unexpected change in plans. Everything was set up so easily and smoothly I wondered if it was really going to happen as it seemed too good to be true! From the moment we met our guide Lilian everything was fantastic! We had a wonderful experience and would highly recommend this company. We stayed a few extra days and they found another guide Kenneth for us who also was a delight. Very knowledgeable staff and a great tour.
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Trip
We had an excellent trip with Bella Africa Safaris, our Ugandan guide Lillian was knowledgeable about each location we visited whether it was Gorilla trekking, golden Monkey watching or the city of Kigali. She took great care of us and anticipated our needs every step of the tour. Lillian spent time explaining Rwandan history and culture to us. She was friendly and interested and funny, we'd book with her anytime!
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Jackson - The guide that can find the Dodo bird
We just got back from a 9 day safari followed by 3 days in Zanzibar. We had a group of four, two couples in our 30’s. We worked through Matoka Tours. I found them online. They had the best reviews by far. Most importantly everyone raved about their guides. This was a huge sell for me. Connecting with you guide can make or break your trip.
I started out with emailing Ilse van Agtmaal, Sales Manager for Tanzania. I was worried at first but let me tell you….IIse has to be the most patient person there is. She put up with a least 75 emails from me (our group went back and forth on time of year and locations). Every email was answered with grace and kindness. By the time we paid for the trip I had zero worries about sending money.
When we got to Arusha we were greeting by one of the kindest people I have ever meet. Jackson H. (or action Jackson). He has two beautiful children, his baby was born SIX days before our tour. And is basically a walking animal/bird encyclopedia.
He/they took care of everything, all lodges/camps were always happily awaiting us. We never had to do anything in regards to park registration/fees. He even found me clean and tidy restrooms whenever I needed, except the Serengeti, which is too beautiful to pollute with structures and buildings. (Hey! This is a big deal for a lady).
On the second day it became very apparently that Jackson was truly listening to everything we said. He knew all the special things we each wanted to see and was very determined to find them for us. He saw stuff that other guides drove past without noticing, and knew how to position us so we always got our own private viewings. Like the morning he found us an entire pride of Lions in the Serengeti. There were 12 of them, from babies to full grown males. We watch them lay and play, then we followed them as slowly got up, one by one and drifted back into the trees and fog like a dream.
We ended up seeing over 50 lions, the Big 5? No Problem, we saw 4 in one day. I am fascinated by little cats in the wild....he found me a Serval at Sunset! We have movies of baby elephants playing in mud puddles, and a Cheetah teaching her cubs how to hunt. We sat near a leopard in a tree for what had to be 30 mins...time stood still as I gazed upon it and sketched its spots. I saw a baby wildebeest take its first drink of milk, followed by its first steps. Our grouped dubbed him as….”Jackson, the guide that can find the Dodo bird”.
Since this is getting to be such a long review i’ll sum it up and say:
Every meal was amazing, I never imaged we would eat as well as we did. I had planned on dropping a few pounds on the trip...nope! I gained some.
We always had hot showers, the cleanest of rooms and the best service. We had booked a comfort tour, but it was a luxuries and extravagant to us.
So many clean bathrooms..Everywhere!
The vehicle was always in perfect condition. We saw some people with a broken jeep in the Serengeti. Not us, we rode in style.
Clean water was never an issue
Travel sickness - One of the gentlemen in our group fell very sick. One night he couldn’t make it down for dinner, Jackson had the lodge cook him a special meal of tomato soup, rice and bread. He had them take it to his room/hut/tent and wouldn’t leave until he tried to eat. (now that's caring for your fellow human)
Zanzibar - not so much for me. Not to be a silly America, but oh my goodness hot in summer. We should have sprung for a lodge with A/C. Personally I felt more at home in the Serengeti. I connected with the park people better. Zanzibar felt a bit icy.
To conclude, I am so blessed to have taken this trip. I thank Makote Tours for making it the trip of our lives. (well, actually….we might go back, it was too good to stay away). And for always making us feel safe and comfortable, for treating us as good friends, not just clients.
US
Well planned and executed!
Ute did an excellent job of choosing the places we stayed and the safaris we took. Our driver for 2 days was excellent and we were able to see 3 of the big 5. The last day was in Sabi Sands. We hit the jackpot. On the first night drive, we saw 4 out of 5. We enjoyed the day in Sabi Sands the best because we didn't have to travel for almost 2 days to see the big five. Both accommodations were good and the food was excellent.
US
Queen Elizabeth National Park
Communicated well (Daniel) with us before the trip via email. Our driver/guide Moses was very knowledgeable and friendly about the wildlife and Uganda culture. An extremely satisfying experience.