SE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A nicely arranged trip where everything worked as expected.
I think it will be difficult to find an equally well-arranged safari for a lower price. For 300 USD (or 30.000 KSh, in our case), we got transport, accommodation, meals, and three days of guided safari (evening + full day + morning). The arrangements are not luxurious, but absolutely fine. Simple beds, Kenyan foods and bumpy roads are just perfect to me.
While some people in our group (who had booked through another company) were annoyed that their itinerary did not correspond with what they actually got, everything in ours was spot-on. They even managed to handle our weird food preferences with only a little confusion (vegan, gluten-free). Rose at the Safariline Defenders is very accommodating and helped answering all our questions before the trip.
When it comes to the safari, a lot depends on luck, but the guides communicate via radio and will make a good effort to show you what there is for the day. We saw lions, elephants, buffalos, hippos and giraffes up close, plus all the beautiful gazelles and other stuff. We were also lucky to have very nice company in our car!
Super advice from Fika-safaris on safari with small kids!
Where do you go with a tiny baby and two small children when you want to go on safari?
Robert and Ester from Fika-safaris gave us several locations and options to choose from. They were very patient and listened to our needs. Thanks to them we had a marvellous safari in Samburu with great wildlife-viewing and a child friendly lodge with enough space for the whole family!
IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Safari Experience!
We were extremely happy with our safari. Itinerary was great and we were kept busy while still having some down time. Guide was very knowledgeable and friendly and adjusted the plan based on weather. He also kept us very optimistic considering we had two days of rain!
Tents were clean and dry. Bathroom facilities were fine for us who are non campers and kept clean throughout our stay.
Food was delicious and lots of variety. the chef was also very accommodating with people's various dietary restrictions.
Sharing stories around the campfire with a glass of wine in the evenings was also a highlight.
Thank you!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
It was a splendid reaching the hike of murchion falls
It's very good organised campany; you took us in all amazing places and to the origins of nature
PL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Friendly staff, professional service
They offered the cheapest price for Safari and the price was worth the experience. The communication was really good with the staff and they were really friendly. We just regretted that we only had 1 night 2 days safari because we realized that safari without a whole day game drive doesn't make much sense. We could only see 2 of the big five because we only had afternoon and a morning game drive. Anyway, it's another reason to come back.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Family Safari
Our deepest gratitude to Sylvester and Nick for organizing and executing the perfect family vacation. Slyvesters personalized approach in listening to our needs and creating the schedule ensured the trip was engaging and paced perfectly for the entire family, and Nick our guide and conservation expert took excellent care of us the 10 days on safari. It also seemed that our vehicle was better equipped than other tours to handle the African terrain and Nick always seemed to secure us the best possible animal sightings while keeping us safe - which just speaks to the thorough details this company considers when providing their service. We would highly recommend them for anyone seeking a truely once in a lifetime vacation experience.
CN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wonderful experience in Tanzania
Lens Trekking and Safaris arranged Kilimanjaro Machame route and 2Nights/3Days Safari for my husband and I.I found several travel agencies on Internet when we started to plan this Africa trip.But only Ngolly replied fast and comprehensive.So we trust him.Our Safari drive/guide have superb driving skill and knowledge,also amazing eyesight.We have a wonderful experience in Tanzania and we recommend Lens Trekking and Safaris to
everyone.
EE
Time well spent!
We really liked our safaritrip to Masai Mara. Everything was well organized, both our guides were super friendly and generally cool guys to talk with. It's amazing how much they know about the nature and animals, we would never have spotted those magnifecent creatures on our own. We wish you all the best with Tropical Vacations and hope to see you again someday. Maybe doing Amboseli next time??
Definitely recommend :)
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Excellent safari to Tsavo east and west
I arranged this safari right before I left the U.S. Once I left, I was out of further communication. I really appreciate Mwema coming through as they had stated before I left the States--it was a month until the actual safari, but they met me as expected. I highly recommend my safari guide, Edward. Besides being patient, knowledgeable, and kind, he had eagle eyes and was incredible at spotting game. The lodges were very nice, with loads of game right outside my window at both places. I highly recommend Mwema for trustworthiness, and for providing an excellent safari.
CA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing 8 day Ugandan safari, highly recommend!
My husband and I booked our trip (aka our honeymoon) with Engagi Safaris after seeing really good TripAdvisor reviews about the company and after reading recommendations for a budget/mid-range safari from online forums. At first we were a little unsure about booking directly with a local safari company (opposed to a well known international company) but after meeting our guide and the owner of the company, Basiima (Robert), we quickly realized that any doubts we had were completely unfounded.
We had an amazing 8 days with Basiima and we couldn't have asked for a better tour guide for Uganda. We had corresponded with Basiima by email prior to arriving about what we were hoping to see (primarily the gorillas, but we also wanted to go white water rafting and go on a small safari before we headed off to Tanzania) and Basiima suggested the perfect flexible itinerary that was within our budget. When we arrived everything had been pre-arranged by Basiima and went off without a hitch. The accommodations (a combination of budget and mid-range) were great - our favourite actually being Basiima's lodge (Lake Bunyoni Rock Resort) which is a beautiful, modern and small lodge (with large rooms) set in a tranquil spot away from the chaos of other resorts on the lake. The staff at his resort were so friendly and accommodating. However, all the places we stayed at were really good including the Haven (set on the banks of the Nile River), the Bush Lodge and the Chimpanzee Guest House (where Basiima had told the staff it was our honeymoon and they had decorated our room with flowers everywhere).
We got along really well with Basiima, who was always on time and went out of his way to make sure we saw and experienced everything we had wanted to see and do (including finding us leopards and tree-climbing lions in Queen Elizabeth National Park which took some effort). When it came time for arranging our groups for tracking gorillas (your guide is the one who'll negotiate your group for you) Basiima told us he had set us up with one of the best guides and I can say with confidence that our guide for the gorilla tracking was so knowledgeable and made our experience with the gorillas that much more amazing. Basiima is also well known in his community (around Kabale) and although it may sound odd, one of our funniest experiences on our trip involved going to the car wash with the locals who knew Basiima. I couldn't stop laughing as they were blasting music, dancing and cleaning the car at lightening speed. Basiima is also extremely knowledgeable about the history, people and wildlife of Uganda so if you're the kind of person who asks about every question that pops into your head, you're in luck!
After experiencing various other guides in Tanzania (on safari, while climbing and while exploring cities), I can honestly say that Basiima was definitely our favourite in terms of personality, punctuality, professionalism AND value. If you're looking for an amazing (and affordable) guide for Uganda (and/or Rwanda) then look no further!