US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Remarkable Safari with Base Camp Tanzania
I have used Base Camp Tanzania for two safaris and believe they are the best in the business. Their expertise ensures you will have the best possible safari experience. My most recent safari was in November 2016 and included days in Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Crater. Thanks to our guide, Thomas, we saw an incredible number of animals. His spotting skills are phenomenal and he was able to anticipate the movements of the animals which led to great positioning for viewing and photos. Highlights included seeing the wildebeest migration, lions on the prowl for water buffalo, and lions mating. A tented camp was recommended and spending three nights in the middle of the Serengeti was nothing short of amazing!
Achmed Phillips, the gregarious company owner, met with us before the safari to review the itinerary and afterward to hear all of our safari stories and share some of his own. Laughs are guaranteed with Achmed!
I highly recommend Base Camp Tanzania!
Excellent Safari !!
Planning our trip with Daniel and African Sermon Safaris was definitely the right choice for us. Having a budget and a time line, they effortlessly planned an Excellent safari that precisely fit our requirements. Communication and attention to detail was very good.
Thanks Daniel and all those who contributed to make this the best safari ever.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
5 Days in Nature
I traveled to Uganda for a five day experience. It was fantastic. We had a private driver to take us across the countryside, he spoke excellent English, was always positive, a safe driver, and informative. Each day had the right mix of adventure and time to relax. Saw the chimps in Kigale, safari'd in Queen Elizabeth National Park, and of course could almost reach out and touch the gorillas in Biwindi. The food and service at each place that we stayed was top notch. Thank you for such a well planned vacation!
SE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Uganda – a wonderful experience
After having visited many of the Southern and East Africa countries we now wanted to visit Uganda. First we consulted some tourist guidebooks and then we got in contact with Harriet at Matoke Tours. She helped us to design a two-week trip for four people aiming for mid-range accommodations. The trip included Munchison Falls NP, Lake Albert, Kibale Forest with chimpanzees, Queen Elizabeth NP, and passed through Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, and ended up at beautiful Lake Bunyoni for a few relaxed days after many miles on bumpy roads. The trip was fabulous, we had a good 4wd vehicle driven by a skilled driver and we visited excellent national parks with exciting animals abundant. The lodges were of mid-range, all very pleasant and all in different styles. We met with a lot of very friendly people. We strongly recommend Matoke Tours and Uganda to anyone interested in exploring new places and wishing to enjoy extremely beautiful nature of Uganda and game driving. An extra bonus was all wonderful fruits and vegetables that we enjoyed during the journey (we almost turned vegetarians during the trip).
CH
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very good Safari, excellent guide!
We enjoyed our private safari from Arusha to Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Serengeti and Ngorongoro in 8 days as a family with two children (10 and 8 years old). We stayed 6 nights mainly in tented lodges.
Overall it was a fantastic and wonderful experience. Our Driver Guide (Hilary) was very knowledgeable about wildlife and good places to spot animals, an excellent driver and a very nice person. He was also very understanding with our children who also liked him very much. When our children were not feeling well, our guide was very flexible and adapted the tour program to accommodate their needs.
The car was in good shape and always in clean condition.
Based on our experience, we would warmly recommend Furahia as a safari tour operator. Furthermore, we appreciated that the company is under local ownership and runs its own social programs.
RU
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good Safari
All in ok. Driver and accommodation is good.
We are happy with everything
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
great trip to Rwanda and Kenya
I booked through African Ubuntu Safaris for my trip to Rwanda and Kenya. Everything went just according to plan. I was met on arrival at Jo'burg by Gerard the local rep who gave me a book and some useful info, then at Kigali by a local representative ( of the local agency who were African primate safaris) and was introduced to my driver for the week, Sam. He was great-took me to the genocide museum then onto Sabinyo lodge at the Vocanoes National Park. This was outstanding accomodation and service and was probably the best of the all (bar one) excellent accomodations. The gorilla trek was hard but rewarding and the staff at Sabinyo go out of their way to look after you. We then went to Lake Kivu which was a beautiful drive(except for the long part where there were roadworks)and I was at Cormorant lodge overnight,. The setting was idyllic but the lodge itself lacked a few things. Next was Nywunge Forest lodge which was gorgeous, and a couple of walks/hikes to see monkeys and chimpanzees as well as a canopy walk high up in the treeetops(dont go if you have a fear of heights!!). Then it was back to Kigali where I stayed at the Serena hotel which was lovely. Then off the following day to the churches where masssacres had occurred, then to Nairobi where I was collected by the local rep. Overnight at the Boma then off to Laikipia where I was at Lewa safari camp. This was lovely and I saw lots of elephants, giraffes, rhinos, zebras and the 2 resident cheetah brothers. The organisation there was terrific and they matched me up on the game drives with 2 women of similar ages with whom I buddied up. This was a great bonus as it meant I had company for dinner and lunch.
The last stop was at Naboisho conservancy which was more "rustic" in the sense that the tents were in the open( Lewa had an electric fence around it) and little wifi. However, the tents were gorgeous(as were lewa's) and the managers outstanding(also at Lewa). Being small there was communal eating which was great as it enabled people to mix. The game drives were solo which was ok but I preferred to have company as at Lewa.
All the guides were excellent and the 2 walks I did with my guide and Masai warrior were really informative. There were quite a few lions there, as well as one leopard(so so beautiful) and 5 cheetah brothers. Also hordes of wildebeest, zebras and various antelope/deer species.
Everything was really well organised, the food at Lewa and in particular Naboisho was outstanding and they catered really well for me (vegetarian).
Diederick was a pleasure to deal with as he answered all emails immediately and gave really good advice about where to do and what to do, types of accommodation etc etc. Having heard some horror stories about internal flights, I was pleasantly surprised that everything worked so well. The lodges and airlines are in contact and the coordination is amazing.
The only downer was the airport in Nairobi which was the worst international airport I have ever seen!!
But that was one thing out of anyone's control!!
ES
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A very good tour
Faustin organized us a tour of 12 days including a safari and a stay in Zanzibar. Everything was organized as wished. The ratio quality/price was excellent comparing with other operators. Our guides were friendly, reliable and resourceful when we faced small issues or setbacks.
I recommend Faustin tour and travel.
TH
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Beautiful safari experience at a reasonable price
Compared to other tour operators, Karibu offers a good safari tour at a reasonable price. I got to see the main animals that I expected to see. The driver, James, made sure we saw everything and stopped for us to take loads of pictures. He also helped me deal with the accommodation manager when I wanted to move to a different room. He drove very skillfully too as our van never got stuck in any mud like a few other vans. He got good relationships with other drivers and communicated with them all the time when they saw animals anywhere so we could go there and see the animals. In addition to this, James gave useful travel advice when I asked him. The accommodation at Rhino Tourist Camp was ok, even though electricity was quite limited but well you are in the nature. The bathroom was okay though there was a bit of dirt. I slept in their tent on the first night and one of the rooms on the second night. The room was a bit more comfortable than the tent. When I was in the tent, I got bothered by bugs and mosquitoes a bit at night, though the tent was well covered. The only socket in the tent was too small for my big plug adapter to fit in. However I didn't have these problems in the room. Overall, I am happy with my safari tour.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Experience beyond expectations
I cannot fully explain how wonderful my experience was with It Started in Africa, especially with our guide Salehe. I was on a 4 day safari with 4 friends and we all agree it significantly exceeded our expectations on all fronts. The lodging was wonderful and worth the money, as well as the food. The star was definitely our guide who was knowledgeable, kind, and helpful. We encountered some rain and he not only made us feel safe, but also stopped to help others who had gotten stuck. I would highly recommend the company and Salehe to anyone looking to explore the parks.