35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Complete fraudsters.
We paid 4 months in advance because otherwise Solaris couldn’t pay Ngorongoro Farmhouse for our accommodation (apparently). We arrived in Tanzania and had an email to say we had been ‘upgraded’ to a tent in a place called Mosquito River. We were then parked in a hot vehicle for 4 hours in the middle of Arusha because the company had no money to pay for the game parks. The vehicle had broken seats and windows and all the seatbelts were broken. Amazingly we all survived long enough to get malaria !
Many emails since and 5 months later not a dollar back for the poor accommodation (the farmhouse had a pool, electricity, food and mosquito nets), missing game drives and spending hours in a dangerous truck because the tent was nowhere the Crater !
They are crooks, stay away
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Fantastic
Our Safari was well planned and structured. From the pickup in the morning, the drive to the park and stops to the park for viewing and sightseeing. Our driver constantly communicated with us and suggested ideas based on our needs and what we hoped to accomplish. We managed to view all the animals that we wanted to see and we were accommodated at every step during the safari. Our driver/guide was easygoing and went out of his way to ensure that we were comfortable and satisfied with our game drives.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
We had a fabulous time in Serengeti and Ngorongoro and Manyara
The communication from Hamadi was prompt. Our guides Shaffie and Muta were very knowledgeable and found some incredible animals and birds for us!
I would highly recommend Hamadi and his company to my friends traveling to Africa.
FI
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
4 days Gorilla safari
I cant say much on our previous safari but but how amazingly Brian is at his job he organized everything as stated in the our itinerary and he was very punctual in picking us up at the airport we stayed in a very nice hotel in kampala later the following morning drove to bwindi forest for the gorillas passing through beautiful highlands of the country Uganda is so beautiful and the people are so friendly we don't think this was going to be much fun. we tracked the gorillas in bwindi and these were so good we saw the young ones play as well and they were the best highlight of the safari our lodges were so good even depending on the amount we paid goexplore we never expected this kind of services but everything went well as we were on our safari thank you so much Brian for the great gorilla holiday me and my wife shall definitely recommend you to colleagues
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Unforgettable trip adventure!
Bernard of Africa Anziza Odysseys is simple the best! From pre-planning until the last day of the trip, he was always there to help and in contact (even went out of his way to tour us around Kampala even late at night). He was easy to work with in planning our trip and had many suggestions and recommendations for us to have a unique experience. He was very organized and everything was well thought of. On our last day, despite being a LONG day, he still accommodated and prepared an excellent dinner for me and my friends at his home.
Sam, our driver and guide, was excellent as well. When I got sick during the trip, he made sure I will be alright and ready for the Gorilla Trek (the highlight of the trip!).
We can’t wait to plan our next trip with them.
Thank you again to the Bernard and his staff!
ES
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unpaid tour and guide that did not explain anything
They work slowly, many unnecessary waits. They took us from Lake Nakuru to Amboseli, to then return to Naibasha, obviously we lost the last day, because it was horrible to do 9h to see a lake again. They did not return any money, they only paid us a bus for 10 euros, instead of a minimum 150e. The guide driver did not explain anything to us. It was very monotonous and boring. Neither warned us where there was wifi or not. Excellent Masai Mara, of course, regardless of the safari company. I would not repeat.
Experience level: over 5 safaris
Designed a perfect schedule to fit our itinerary and in two days saw masses of animals.
Excellent. Our guide was experienced and brilliant at locating and then spotting animals no matter how well camouflaged.
MY
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing and spectacular view of animals and landscape
Wilson the best! My family and I did enjoy very much along the trip. Thank you and hope to see you again!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Better than the First
This was our second safari with Eastco we had our first safari with this company in May 2014.
That trip was excellent but this, our second safari was better.
After only one safari you love everything, wildlife, guide, lodges and camps. I guess seeing your first lion in the wild will make any trip seem perfect.
My wife and I again stayed at Boundary Hill Lodge in Tarangire, and the view was perfect, this stay was better than last time, some of the little things you look for were perfect. hot water, a new camp manager, food superb.
After Tarangire we went to Ngorongoro and stayed at the wildlife lodge, we liked the view from a previous visit, so decided to stay again. We were not disappointed. One night here was enough as we were keen to get to the Serengeti again. Our first Serengeti camp was at Ndutu, we spend three nights here and followed the wildebeest. They were everywhere, calves and lions, jackals and vultures. Hyenas of course. The tented camp was clean well set up with really decent food. It is nice to sit around the campfire at night and talk about the days events.
After Ndutu we went to Seronera Valley and stayed 2 nights there in another tented camp. It was quiet except for the lions at night. Both these camps are perfect for a safari.
We flew back to Arusha from Seronera and it then spent a night there on our own.
The next day we met David the new manager of Eastco before we went to Kilimanjaro airport. Meeting David was one of the best parts of the trip, he was born in Tanzania but had only been managing Eastco since Janurary this year. I guess it was because of him that we noticed the little things were better than last time. Communications between him and us before the trip and even after we arrived home could not have been better.
All in all it was a perfect safari and I would recommend Eastco to any potential safari goer.
Professional wildlife safari with a good dose of adventure
My wife and I arrived mid-morning at Skakusa Airport unaware that our travel consultant had made an error in not having us fly to Hoedspruit given our destination was Arathusa Safari Lodge, part of the Sabi Sands Game Reserve annexed to Kruger National Park.
This error made little difference to our activities for the day. We were met at Skakusa by our pre-booked driver who alerted us to the apparent error but decided that he'd turn the situation to our advantage and take us for a drive through the southern end of Kruger National Park.
We quickly encountered elephant, giraffe, impala and zebra.
Our departure from the park was through Paul Kruger Gate where we were met by a small band of vervet monkeys who kept an eye on what we were doing but perhaps looking for an opportunity for a 'grab and run' easy feed, not that we were eating anything at the time.
Leaving Paul Kruger Gate, we crossed the fast flowing Sabi River observing a couple of jousting hippopotamus then stumbling upon a cunning 2.5 metre Nile crocodile waiting patiently below the bridge for unwitting (or perhaps already drowned) prey to be swept past.
We traveled west to Hazyview in Mpumalanga province then turned north towards Acornhoek where along the way we saw the impressive rise of the Drakensberg Range. We took in the sights of busy townships and even busier local markets. Leaving Acornhoek, we traveled east along a sealed road that we thought was in worse condition than some of the dirt roads we'd be travelling and then south to Gowrie Gate and onto Arathusa Safari Lodge.
We'd just made lunch and there was a commotion on the other side of the waterhole ... a pack of a dozen or so African wild dogs had pulled down an impala so it was quickly into the 4WDs armed with cameras to witness this hectic episode. The wild dogs didn't waste any time and ripped the impala apart within minutes. It all came and went very quickly with our guides telling us that hunts of this size happen a couple of times a day as there is simply not enough in an impala to sustain a pack of this size.
And so started 3 days of evening and morning safaris. We were allocated the same driver and spotter for our time at Arathusa so it was possible to build a rapport with these guys and have a bit of fun along the way. Be warned, the early morning starts and evening safaris are quite cold this time of year so take plenty of warm clothing. The 4WDs also have woollen blankets available.
This was our first trip to South Africa and it became clear early on that certain wildlife was easier to find than others. Considerable effort was put into locating leopards and after talking with other guests and continuing our travels through Botswana and Zimbabwe, our total of 5 at Arathusa was special. Even better, two of these allowed us to get some very special pictures early one morning - a female and her well-advanced cub. Our driver was also acutely aware of where to stop the vehicle so as to get the best possible photographs.
The accommodation, food and beverages were first class and the staff were polite and made our stay very comfortable. We wanted for nothing other than perhaps better light for taking photos.
On to Hoedspruit (not Skakusa) Airport to continue our journey.