DK
Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fantastic Game Drive in Nairobi National Park
We started out early. Lenny from Tayiai Safaris picked us up at 6am so we could enter the NNP at 6:30am as the first guests on this day. There was a bit of rain in the morning, but right from the gate we started seeing loads of animals.
Lenny is a fantastic guide and we have used him before, and will use him again. His vast knowledge of the local Flora and Fauna is amazing and he takes his time to enlighten us all. Unfortunately we didn't see any big cats this day, but we saw more than 10 different rhinos and a whole lot of Giraffes, Zebras, Antilopes and birds.
Except for the lack of cats, the safari exceeded our expectations, and we got more than our moneys worth. :)
SE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Small and personal company with excellent service.
We went on safari to Serengeti with Stainbok some weeks ago. Their service, briefing, guide etc were all perfect. We've been travelling in East Africa for almost 40 years and have used several different companies. Stainbok is among the best of all of them. Gideon, the manager, held a very good briefing with us the evening before the safariand even though we've been to Serengeti around 15 times before he found some new places to go to. Good, as we saw a kill, a group of hippos blocking the road, lion cubs in a tree and a civet cat with a newly killed lizard.
Perfect safari.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Incredible One Day Private Kruger Safari
Where to begin... Our Private One day Kruger National Park Safari, was absolutely incredible. It began by seeing two lions who had just caught breakfast and were eating it near to the side of the road, and a leopard with a baby cub just a few metres down from the Lions! We saw all of the big five and got so close to a Rhino and Cheetah that words couldn't even describe our excitement at seeing these beautiful animals so up close and personal.
Bernhard our Guide was unbelievable... We honestly couldn't have asked for a better guide, his knowledge of Kruger was impressive and not just of the animals, but the vegetation's and plantation throughout the park. The guides have radios so they are able to communicate and tell each other when they have found certain animals which those on there own drives wouldn't know or be able to see as Bernhard had the most amazing eye for seeing animals that we would never have seen on our own! Bernhard has a huge passion for photography and so does my partner so he really does have the eye for getting those unforgettable pictures and my partner was incredibly grateful for this. Unfortunately our battery ran out after seeing some lions mating and Bernhard offered his camera to my partner to take photos and even SENT us the photos a few days later!! Amazing.
Thank you so much Bernhard for making our first trip to Kruger so unforgettable and allowing us to see all of the big 5 and getting so up close and personal with them, it's a trip we will never ever forget so Thank you, you're doing a great job!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
What an amazing experience
We have travelled with Discover Africa during February 2015 and we were looked after by Carel Verhoef, our safari planning was made easy by the wealth of knowledge and wonderful service, care and attention we received from Discover Africa and our safari to Tanzania was as expected, well planned and got us into areas where few others were. We found the Great Wildebeest migration because of this where many others failed, thanks for a once in a lifetime safari Carel!
IT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Passionate and respectful team, a real African experience which we will never forget
The safari through Serengeti, Arusha, Lake Manyara, Ngoro Ngoro and Tarangire NP, was stunning. An experience beyond our expectations, without the frills of the elegant and trendy expeditions we had the chance to meet on our way. A real touch of Africa, stories told after dinner and human relationships that made the difference. The team was precise, kind, helpful, well organized and expert of wildlife and cultural aspects. I would recommend Ilmaasai Expedition to everyone.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Bwindi Impenetrable National Park by Richard
It was amazing to be out on foot in the jungle, walking for over three hours in search of a gorilla family. Once you find the gorilla family, you know the hard hike through the heat and jungle was worth it.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Lower Zambezi National Park by Wichjon
The Lower Zambezi National Park adds the Zambezi River as another element to safaris. One day was spent floating down a side channel of the river in canoes, bringing a new perspective to seeing hippos in the water and crocodiles on the banks. Others fished for the noted tiger fish. Lunch was taken on boats on the river one day and we had our sundowner one the evening on the river.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Contact with the animals and the people of Zambia caused me to leave a piece of my heart there.
Before leaving home, I told my friends that if after going all that way and spending what it took to go on the trip, if all I saw were impala and other grazing animals, I would be really upset. Ten minutes into the South Luangwa National Park near Mfuwe, we encountered our first elephants, then giraffe, then zebra. Thirty minutes into the park we came across our first lion pride sleeping in the bush. We passed by a tree where a leopard had carried its kill to keep away other predators.
By the end of the day, we had seen nearly all of the animals we were to experience over the next two weeks.
We later came across a leopard that came out of the bush and walked around a companion vehicle on its way to a kill it had stashed in the bush. We followed it and watched as it began eating. We came back on our night ride to find the leopard asleep in a tree near where we had encountered it earlier in the day. We took a tea break along the river and observed a bloat of hippos dozing in the middle of the river with red and yellow billed oxpeckers scrambling over them.
We went back to the park in the evening for a night drive and came across about a dozen elephants or more that appeared to be three separate families. There was tension in the air as they stood around on the bank of the river until two adolescents from two families approached each other and started playfully pushing each other. We watched the interaction of these elephants for about an hour. Just about dusk, they slowly made their way down the embankment to the waters edge. We started to drive away and then heard a mighty elephant trumpet and then sound like something had crashed into the water. We went back to find that the matriarch had signaled with her sound and they all began to wade across the river to start a night of foraging outside the park and safety.
We spent two weeks in Zambia in three different safari camps. Everyday was packed with encounters with animals. Temperatures were mild (60-80 F 16-24 C). Sunshine every day. We slept under mosquito netting, but were never aware that there were any. We ate all our meals in the open air, some under cover of the thatched dining halls, some in the open. We did not experience any insects flying around us. Meals were expertly prepared and managed to handle several with dietary issues with ease.
Perhaps the most surprising aspect that has left a memory that I can't shake is how outstanding the people and guides at each of our camps were. The guides were eerily superb in being able to spot wildlife, from the largest animals to the smallest of insects. On one night drive, the guide stopped at a small bush and began pulling away the branches to point out a chameleon he had spotted from the headlight reflecting off the eye of the creature.
Our interaction with our guides and staff at the camps showed they had great pride in their work and wanted us to have the best experience possible. Saying that they were warm and friendly sounds like a cliché. But I found my wife wanting to hug them all in greeting and saying good bye. As we pulled away from our third camp to begin our journey home, I looked over to find tears running down my wife's cheeks. She said that for all the wildlife and experiences that we had, she was going to miss the people we met the most.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Uganda by Richard
The people of Uganda are very friendly and welcoming of visitors to their country. Come here primarily for the gorillas trekking, but keep in mind that you can also have a traditional safari experience in the same trip. The game viewing is not as good, but combined with the gorilla trekking, Uganda becomes a top destination.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Zambia by Wichjon
We were overwhelmed with the wildlife spotting in the South Luangwa National Park. While there were numerous safari operations with multiple vehicles in the park, the park was large enough, there were enough routes for the guides to pick that kept us from encountering them except on rare occasion.
Four star on the scenic beauty question to advise that the parks are not rain forests. They are flat flood plains where the elephants have decimated the forests. For some, this might be undesirable, but the open grassy plains made spotting animals easier. For one who comes from the central United States that is an open prairie with open sight lines to the horizon of ten to fifteen miles or more, this had a feeling of 'home' and was quite welcoming.
All of our camps fit our group size of 15 perfectly without others.