US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Adventure of a lifetime!
In September of 2014 my wife Claire and I went to South Africa for three weeks. We spent nine days in Kruger National Park. We flew from Gainesville, Florida, USA to Johannesburg and the next day we flew to Phalaborwa, just outside Kruger, where we rented a car from Avis (a Honda CRV). We did all our bookings online from car rentals to the places where we stayed in Kruger. At Kruger we stayed at the rest camps run by the South African park service (Sanspark). WE did our own drive and the only game drive we went on was a night drive (you can't drive at night so that was the only option to look for animals at night). We entered Kruger through Phalaborwa Gate after getting supplies at a local supermarket (great wine for about US$5 !). We first stayed at the Letaba Rest Camp then moved on to Talamati Bush Camp and then to the Lower Sabie Rest Camp. Wildlife and birds are abundant throughout the areas we visited and birding is particularly good at the camps because of the abundance of trees and water. The park is beautiful and the scenery is surprisingly varied with different types of vegetation, rivers, hills and even mountains. In early September it was still the southern hemisphere winter and even though it was quite warm during day the evenings were very pleasant and mosquitos were absent from the camps. In the Talamati Bush Camp you have to cook your own meals and the cottages have equipped kitchens. At the Rest Camps there were restaurants but the food was not great, not bad either, just unremarkable, thus we preferred to cook our own meals since we are vegetarians. In both Letaba and Lower Sabie the restaurant had river views (great at Lower Sabie with a fabulous deck overlooking the Sabie river) making it a great place for an early evening drink! Kruger is so beautiful and with so much going on that even if you are the worst photographer in the world you will come back with some great photos and videos. A visit to Kruger is a must for anybody interested in nature!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Birdwatching In Murchison Falls
We visited Murchison falls as part of a 12 day bird trek with a firm "Avian Safaris" Overall this was an excellent safari and we both enjoyed ourselves immensely. Crammy was an excellent bird guide and taught us a lot.
We stayed 2 nights in the Paraa Safari lodge.
On the way into the park we visited the top of the Murchison waterfall. The power of the water as it plunges down the narrow gorge is breath taking. As I was gazing down the abyss a black and white colobus monkey was gazing at me from the other side.
We caught the ferry over the river at around sunset to arrive at the lodge in the evening. The accommodation was comfortable and the buffet style meals, including a range of traditional East African dishes, were filling.
The following morning we did a game drive through the park. Crammy was stopping continually for birds. The other drivers drove straight past, showing no interest, looking for the big five. I can't believe that there are only 5 animals to see in Africa! In the end we saw a heap of birds, plus a lion, Rothshild's giraffe, Elephants, Buffalo, various buck and antelope, wart hogs, a monkey. The sighting board at the lodge did not indicate any other sightings for that day. We had seen it all and the birds as well. Perhaps the birding highlights were a Griffon vulture that alighted in a tree right above our heads, the African Grey and ground hornbills, 3 species of bee-eater, and various Goshawks and Kestrels.
In the afternoon we took the boat ride to the falls. We were treated to a feast of hippos, including babys that would fit in our bathtub at home. In the earthen embankments of the river were nesting holes for bee-eaters and the pied kingfishers. Elephants were grazing on the floodplains as were a lot of the larger animals from the park. Crocodiles rested on sandbanks with their wide yellow mouths open. Purple and Goliath Herons waded in the shallows. The passage up the river to the falls is blocked by a small island which the boat berths against. The boat operator motioned me forward to photograph a pair of rack pratincoles on the rock before the other passengers climbed off to take photos with the falls in the background.
We were sorry to leave the following day. On the trip out of the park we spotted a couple of saddle billed stork in a small road side swamp.
I would thoroughly recommend a stay at Murchison Falls. (Not to mention that it is the historic meeting place of Stanley and Livingston).
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about South Africa by Dalcio
South Africa has a great variety of landscapes and is a truly beautiful country. Some great national parks with Kruger being the star as it is the largest park in Africa and one of the largest in the world with a mind boggling variety and abundance of wildlife. Besides Kruger we also visited Cape Town and surrounding areas and Wilderness at the middle of the Garden Route along the Indian Ocean. Everywhere our expectations were easily exceeded!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best Tour Operator for Kilimanjaro!!
My brother and I successfully completed a 6-day trek with Popote to Kili summit via Macahame route in Feb 2017. We honestly could not have asked for a better crew than Popote. The business owner, Sabino, will stop at nothing to ensure your trip is perfectly executed. In fact, Sabino was once a porter himself so his company culture very much ensures that his employees are treated very fairly and with a great deal of respect. Our guides during the trip, Jerry & Stanly, were fantastically knowledgable and clearly had won the trust and respect of all other guides we encountered on our journey. And the support crew, including cook and porters, were always so accomodating, kind and fun to be around. We loved the flexibility of changing a 7-day hike to 6-days en route, giving us an extra rest day back in Moshi. All in all we really felt so fortunate to trek with this amazing crew. I would not hesitate to totally recommend Popote Africa Adventures!!
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great service and trip!
Peter and the guides/drivers he works with have been great. Peter helped a lot in planning our itinerary, was very responsive and reliable. The trips offered are good value for money
With the help of Peter we planned quite an ambitious trip: climbing Mount Kenya, safari in Masai Mara, Lake Naivasha, Amboseli and then to the coast/Diani all within one week.
We travelled as a couple. The guide we had on Mount Kenya was very nice and fun. Unfortunately, we had to head back halfway due to altitude sickness. Although we didn't ask for it, Peter was kind enough to offer us compensation for this set back both with a hotel upgrade later on during our trip and a financial reimbursement.
After the Mount Kenya, we went to Masai Mara. We were fortunate enough to share our van with other nice people. Martin's van was of good quality and he's a good driver. We didn't get stuck, like others did. We stayed just outside of the park in a semi-tent, which was a nice place with basic, but good food. We managed to spot the big fives throughout our drives, which is apparently quite unique. Although I was a little reluctant to visit a Masai Mara village, it was very interesting.
After quite some time in the van, also during the safari, the drive to Lake Naivasha was quite lengthy. Looking back, it would have been better to skip that park and head directly to Amboseli.
We changed driver after Lake Naivasha. Edward drove us to Amboseli and Diani, with one of the vehicules of Flash MC tours. Edward was very kind and polite and the van well maintained. Amboseli was beautiful. Traffic between Amboseli and Diani was horribe, and it took us ages to get to the beach for some needed relaxation. But overall, we were very happy with our trip and the service Peter/Flash MC Tours provided.
So book with Africa MC if your looking for a reliable agent, who responds well, and thinks along with your wishes. Do not expect luxury, but just a good budget option.
Take into account that traffic in Kenya is bad and that actual travel times are often much longer than listed travel times. Nairobi is the hub, so you need to pass through every time.
Looking back, we would have skipt Lake Naivasha, and would have started with Amboseli or Masai Mara and flown from Nairobi to Mombasa.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
14 day safari
From the first time I contacted Mr OT about our tour the communication was very professional & response time was extremely quick. I have been to Kenya several times & this tour lived up to all my expectations. The price we paid was very reasonable compared to other companies I looked at. Our guide/driver John was very knowledgeable & friendly with a good sense of humour. We are already planning to book another tour with this company. I would highly recommend them.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Exceedingly helpful and reliable
I found SS (Erica Wilson) on line and after a few email exchanges decided to have her arrange our trip. She was extremely responsive, forthcoming with her opinions (as I requested) and negotiated an excellent rate with the camps we selected. But for her relationship with camp management, I think the cost would have been at least 25% higher. At the end of the trip, she met our flight in Maun and we had a chance to visit in person for an hour or so. In summary, working with Erica was a wonderful experience.
SE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent experience
I have been on a few safaris before, in Tanzania, Botswana and also in Borneo. What was different this time was that I did not have my family with me but was going alone with a complete focus on wildlife and bird photography. The focus was therefore not on luxury accommodation, gourmet food or relax time by the pool, but rather finding a company and a guide that was willing to put in the extra effort to help me find and identify the mammals and birds I was hoping to see for a reasonable price. And KWSS delivered more than that, which I am very grateful for. They even took it upon themselves to suggest last minute changes to the itinerary to accommodate my interest in birds, and hosted me in accommodation nicer than the one in the itinerary we originally had agreed upon. Otieno always responded quickly when I had questions at the planning stage and my guide Kennedy went out of his way to make my trip unforgettable, a very knowledgeable and friendly guide and an excellent driver. The accommodation generally exceeded my expectations, the food was perfectly fine (it's a safari, you cannot expect too much) and everything worked without any glitches from pick up to drop off. I can warmly recommend KWSS and would not hesitate to use them again.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Knowledgeable guide, great intinerary and excellentlevels of service equals a safari to remember,
We have used Range Land Safaris on a number of occasions, and always found them to be reliable, knowledgeable and most importantly for our needs, adaptable.
Ronnie and the Range Land guys are always willing to go the extra mile to ensure we get the tour we really want, but also honest enough to keep our expectations realistic and safe.
I would not want to tour Uganda with anyone else.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Once in a lifetime experience
My daughter and I took the 14 day discover Uganda trip and what an amazing experience it was. I did have a few initial concerns about booking and sending large sums of money to an unknown company in Uganda. I needn't have worried. Richard was extremely professional in all aspects, answering my emails straight away, confirming receipt of the funds immediately and generally reassuring me that everything was in hand. Richard works very hard to ensure everything goes to plan. He had changed some of our accommodation prior to our arrival as he had had some bad reports about the lodges where we were initially supposed to stay. The trip itself could not have gone better. Richard met us at the airport and transferred us to our guest house where our guide for the trip met us the next day. Ashadu was the perfect companion, extremely knowledgeable about the wildlife and Uganda in general. Most importantly we felt completely safe and well looked after throughout the trip which was a perfect mix of wildlife, culture and relaxation. Ashadu was a very competent driver, important as we spent many hours driving over very rough roads. The accommodation exceeded our expectations. Uganda is a beautiful diverse country with relatively few tourists. Ashadu went out of his way to ensure we saw as much wildlife as possible. Particular favourites were the elephants seen from the boat trip in Queen Elizabeth National Park, and of course the chimps and gorillas which we genuinely felt privileged to see. Thank you Richard and Ashadu for giving us such a wonderful unforgettable trip.