US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent service all around
We decided to visit South Africa for our honeymoon and really wanted to go on safari. Chelse at East Cape Tours helped us decide on Pumba and made the booking process so easy. We had the best experience, everything was well organized and Chelse even helped make the trip extra special by letting Pumba know it was our honeymoon and my husband's 30th birthday while we were there! We will definitely recommend ECT to anyone we know visiting SA!
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Above our expectations!
I would absolutely choose Makasa again and recommend them to my friends and family! Choosing a company can be very overwhelming. I chose Mikasa because they were located in Tanzania, I liked their family pictures and easy website, they had strong reviews, and there budget was affordable! From the beginning the communication was very easy. Selma quickly e-mailed me with a potential detailed itinerary including lodging links so I could see where we would stay. I had many questions and she answered every one with a personal e-mail within 24 hours. Mikasa gave me options and adjusted the itinerary based on my needs for timing of travel and desires for destinations. We booked rather late and she worked very hard to find us excellent options for family accommodations. We were met at the airport in Kilimanjaro by their company driver and transported to our first accomodation. We felt reassured and safe with this arrangement as we arrived at night. The next morning we met our guide, Tom, before breakfast. He was very friendly and happy to meet us. He told us "You come as friends but you will leave as family." We had no idea what to expect and did not realize that your guide is your ticket to a successful, happy and safe safari! Tom was amazing! He talked to us easily in excellent English and made us comfortable. He anticipated our needs and arranged everything for us at our lodges and camps. He was respectful of our privacy but was always there ready to answer questions. He was enjoyable to be around and was great with our kids (8 and 13 years) and worked very hard. And he was very excited to show us the amazing animals. He went out of his way to search for treasures and communicated with other drivers to discover locations of lions and leapards and cheetahs, etc. He was very knowledgable and new every bird by name that we pointed out. We saw everything with him including the ellusive nocturnal caracal cats and African wild dogs and serval cats! My kids counted over 70 lions up close in the Serengetti alone! We almost broke 100 overall. Tom used to drive for another company but he said now he only drives for Makasa "because they take care of their people." And this shows. He was happy with his job, engaged and invested to make it the most amazing experience we could have. He even took us by a Maasai village, with a pre-school where the kids sang to us, on the way to the Serengetti. He was familiar with this particular village and knew we would enjoy the school. This stop was a bonus for us since we had opted out of the Maasai tour day to go to Lake Manyara (a must see by the way!). You could tell the other Makasa drivers were happy as well. We saw several as we toured around. I was impressed that each of the other drivers for Makasa came up to us and introduced themselves, and asked us how we were doing and wished us a great safari experience. The Makasa vehicles were in good condition as well. VERY important on the bumpy safari roads. We saw several vehicles from other companies broken down on the side of the road waiting for parts to repair them (including broken axels and burnt out clutches). Our vehicle held up well under extreme off roading conditions. Tom says the Makasa vehicles are sent in after every safari tour to be examined and tuned up for the next trip by excellent mechanics. The lodges and tent camps chosen by Makasa were superb. They were more than we had expected! Excellent facilities, friendly staff, amazing food. Two of our lodges had humanitarian interest. One was connected to and supported a girls boarding school (Mama Clementine) that we were able to tour, and another supported an orphanage (Rhotia Valley) that we also toured with the founder. This added to our family cultural experience and was a high light for us and our children. We were very impressed and would highly recommend Makasa for your safari experience. We really felt we got high value for the money we paid and that they worked hard to keep our costs reasonable without sacrificing quality or experience. There were no hidden expenses either. We know we could have paid much more and gotten much less through other safari companies. They really provided us with a quality Tanzanian safari experience far and above our expectations. Thank you Makasa!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The most friendly staff.
The staffs are very friend made my experience more comfortable and lovely.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
This was the first time i used vacay and the experience was smooth all through.
Very excellent .I was dealing with David and LeoNorah who were an excellent team, always communicated and ready to help. i will definetely be coming back for another booking
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great experience in Uganda and Ruanda
We had a great time and lots of interesting and amazing animal encounters in both countries. The tour plan is super. We have never been so close to Rhinos like in Ziwa. Murchison Falls is a must - especially the walk up the falls is amazing. Queen Elisabeth NP also had some surprise – a herd of elephants at Kazinga channel and tree climbing lions very close. Our first Chimp trekking in Kibale was not successful, but we got a second chance and the encounter was amazing. We also had good luck in two Gorilla trekkings. Although the first one in Bwindi was quite hard (7 hours and very steep slopes) but impressive. Contrary, in Volcanoes it was like a Sunday afternoon stroll. We met the gorillas in a clearing playing and eating all the time – amazing to observe!
Due to our local guide who spoke excellent German we had the possibility to get in contact with local people and their culture and traditions easily. So we learnt a lot about the daily life in Uganda.
Both countries are a great spot for safaris and not so crowed. They can easily compete with Kenia, Tansania and other hot spots. I prefer these smaller places!
We had a great time and lots of interesting and amazing animal encounters in both countries. The tour plan is super. We have never been so close to Rhinos like in Ziwa. Murchison Falls is a must - especially the walk up the falls is amazing. Queen Elisabeth NP also had some surprise – a herd of elephants at Kazinga channel and tree climbing lions very close. Our first Chimp trekking in Kibale was not successful, but we got a second chance and the encounter was amazing. We also had good luck in two Gorilla trekkings. Although the first one in Bwindi was quite hard (7 hours and very steep slopes) but impressive. Contrary, in Volcanoes it was like a Sunday afternoon stroll. We met the gorillas in a clearing playing and eating all the time – amazing to observe!
Due to our local guide who spoke excellent German we had the possibility to get in contact with local people and their culture and traditions easily. So we learnt a lot about the daily life in Uganda. The organization by Speke Uganda Holidays was great. They even supported me to send donations to one of the schools we visited in Buhoma.
Both countries are a great spot for safaris and not so crowed. They can easily compete with Kenia, Tansania and other hot spots. I prefer these smaller places!
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Making Dreams Come True
The logistics of travelling for 16 days to 6 different camps in Botswana (5) and Zimbabwe (1) via small aircraft and road transfers were perfectly handled. It was the magical trip we envisioned and I can’t thank Natasha Allan of Sun Safaris enough for all her help in making our dream come true. The animals we saw each day made us feel as if we were extras in a National Geographic movie. Each camp we stayed in surpassed my imagination for beauty, service and comfort. Botswana is really spectacular. The trip was a success in no small part due to the planning Natasha put into it.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great safari experience
I took two safari tours with Yala (Murchison and Queen Elizabeth). One in May with friends and one in July with my partner. Both times Godwin, our guide, was very friendly and helpful. He organised everything from our meals (some of my friends had allergy issues or were vegetarians) to visits to the local communities. He also would adjust the plans as we asked him, without any further charges. Moreover, he would do whatever it took for us to see the best animals, from talking to other guides he knew to trying to find traces of hunting so we would be able to see our favorite animals. In the end, we managed to see elephants, hippos, giraffes, pumba, hyenas and even zebras from a distance. I had a great time and I hope I will be able to go back to Uganda soon.
SG
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
excellence in service
for the second time, rose hipwood managed to put together at short notice an amazing holiday for the whole family. from the time we arrived in Kenya to the time we left it was clockwork efficiency all the way. her choice of 2 lodges - sasaab in samburu and angama in the Maasai mara exceeded expectations. apart from the lodge staff which papered us so well, the game experience was awesome - with crocodiles snapping at the heels of zebras crossing the masai river, the wildebeest crossings and herds of the animals scattering from a charging lion. hiccups like a cancelled international flight (!) posed no issue with the luxury safari company handling it with aplomb. highly highly recommended.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Safe and Competent Guide
The safari company answered our questions before arrival quickly and throughly. Our guide Ken was extremely knowledgable and an expert on the area. He asked us our expectations and was able to deliver a great safari experience.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
African comfort zone safaris provided the perfect safari in the Maasai Mara for us for a good price!
Originally I chose African comfort zone safaris because me and my friends were all quite young and looking for a reasonably budget safari to suit our limited funds. The company itself were brilliant and Joshua Atsiangi was outstanding at replying to my e-mails when I had queries regarding the booking process and, closer to the time, when organising a pick up location and time. The safari itself was outstanding, our guide Sami was brilliant and was always quickly onto the scene when animals were spotted, he knew a lot of interesting information about everything we saw and we were really fortunate to see lots of rare things such a cheetahs multiple times!
Overall this safari was absolutely perfect for me and my friends as it was well priced, the accommodation we stayed in was perfectly comfortable and warm, our guide Sami was brilliant and we felt like we saw everything the Maasai Mara had to offer in a 4 day 3 night tour!