IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
An incredible experience, with great service, great people, and great sights.
When I first read the reviews for Suricata I didn’t think they could be true - over 1,000 5-star reviews just seemed impossible. After spending 5 days on safari which took us through Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro, and Manyara, and seeing all of the big 5 as well as cheetah and lion cubs and a baby rhino, I understand. Our driver, Rocky, was amazing, funny, talkative and extremely knowledgeable, giving in-depth facts about Tanzania, the animals, and the parks, as well as answering every single question I had. The accommodation was also excellent, with every hotel or tent having a private bathroom and a large bed. The food prepared for us was great and the flexibility offered by Suricata was great (for example, my flight was early in the morning after the final day of safari, so Suricata booked a hotel room and a driver for no additional cost. The 5-day tour provides great value for money, and I especially recommend staying at the Boma lodge, the brand new hotel built by Suricata that rivals some of the best hotels I have stayed at with its private bungalows and great food. Overall, this has been an amazing experience and I highly recommend Suricata to anyone thinking of doing a safari.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Affordable, high value experience - highly recommend!
The entire team was incredibly friendly and prioritized our safety and experience. We were happily surprised by the quality of the three warm meals per day - they were well balanced nutritionally and absolutely delicious! The crew who did camp setup and takedown were a well oiled machine. Aside from setting up our sleeping bags and packing our day packs, they took care of the rest. On the trails, we felt like we were led by guides who had years of experience and were true experts of the terrain. During difficult sections, they quite literally would hold your hand if you needed some extra support. Overall, we were very impressed by the service of the crew. Specifically, there was one member assigned to serving our meals and filling our water bottles - he actively anticipated our needs and went above and beyond to fulfill them. Despite various levels of English, many crew members made an effort to interact with us and enhance our trip. We would recommend this group if you are looking for an affordable, yet high-value experience.
CH
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
impressive, well-organized tour in the wilderness
Charles, our guide always made sure we got the best of our tour. He told about the life of the wild animals and tried to show us the version of their diversity which he did very well. We've all seen the big 5 and a lot more .
The accommodations were always clean and the food was delicious.
There would be better solutions for the water supply. We had the small 500ml water bottles. Over 5 days there is a lot of plastic waste. Maybe larger bottles like 1.5l and stations in the accommodations where the water can be refilled.
Many thanks for the unforgettable days, I can recommend this organization with a clear conscience.
IL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Respectful and honest , did their best to make sure we have a great experience
We are a family of 5 , went on a safari trip of 4 days with deeper Serengeti safari, went to Arusha national park, tarangiri, ngorongoro crater , lake manyara, and lake Ayasi tribes.
It was easy to book, we got a clear itinerary and pricing and we got exactly was booked. Sadati the oner came to great us at the air port and made sure we have every thing we need at all time. Richard our driver was very kind, experienced and went out of his way to make sure we have great animal viewings but keeping us safe all the time. We had a great time!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Jaypee adventures is an exceptional tour operator that seamlessly combines expertise, passion,
I recently had the pleasure of embarking on a remarkable journey with Jaypee adventures during my visit to Nairobi, and I must say that it was an experience that surpassed all expectations. From start to finish, their impeccable service, attention to detail, and passion for showcasing the best of Nairobi made it a trip of a lifetime.
under20 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Truly once in a lifetime--Moses is the best guide in all of Uganda
I am lucky enough to have been on two incredible trips with Moses and group of fellow students to Queen Elizabeth National Park and the Bwindi Impenetrable National Forest to see Mountain Gorillas. Not only was Moses extremely knowledgeable on the wildlife and surrounding environment, he made sure everyone always felt comfortable, safe, and had everything we needed. He gave very clear agendas and instructions that led us to have some extraordinary experiences in Uganda. I am thankful for Moses for creating these once in a lifetime memories.
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Masai Mara National Reserve by Mark Hale
Just spectacular!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Saw all kinds of animals on private safari in Kruger
We saw most of the "Big 5" animals and so many more just on our drive into Kruger National Park to Skukuza Camp. Our guide, Eric, was great a spotting animals while safely driving us. We are not true birders, but we saw many beautiful birds. Our guide was excited to point out some that were somewhat rare to see. We stayed in a "rondavel" or round, thatch roofed private building at camp. Clean, comfortable, a little spartan with a private bath, refrigerator, and some kitchen items. Our tour included meals cooked at the camp by our guide which were wonderful. Skukuza Camp is on the Sabie river with a bar & restaurant overlooking it. Large gift shop with snack foods, beer, and wine. Morning and evening safari rides in an open vehicle were cool, but with blankets from our room we were fine. We felt we saw more wildlife in Kruger with much less driving around a previous safari in Kenya. Safari vehicles are restricted to driving on the roads in Kruger which we preferred verses Kenya. Guides seemed to be friendly with each other offering siting information to each other. It was about 5 hours by van from Johannesburg Airport to Kruger NP entrance
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Tongesai Mutematsaka was very reliable, concientous and accommodating.
Our 9 day tour which included Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, Chobe Park and Okavango Delta, Botswana went very smoothly. The local guides who lead expeditions and game rides were all knowledgeable and excellent. We enjoyed seeing elephants up close at the water hole at Elephant Sands, the meerkat tour at Planet Baobab, two sunset cruises and walking safaris, one viewing rhinos, helicoptor rides over Victoria Falls and Okovango Delta, the Mokoro dug-out canoe experience viewing hippos and crocodiles along with many birds and, of course, the game drives and animals were amazing. The accommodations and food were all very good and the Boma restaurant with local food and entertainment was a fun experience. I had a minor health issue in Maun on a Sunday night and Tongesai was very thoughtful and drove my daughter to the local hospital pharmacy to get a medication. My daughter made all the financial arrangements and found Cultural Vibes to be very competitive for the services offered. If you are looking for a locally owned family run business, check out Cultural Vibes Travel & Tours.
Unforgettable
We came to Uganda for our honeymoon and did an 8 day trip to Kampala, Murchison, Queen Elizabeth NP, Kibale, Bwindi and Lake Bunyonyi. Rahim’s family is from Tanzania, and I was a Peace Corps volunteer in Tanzania, so we were very excited to come to Uganda - and learn some of the languages (Luganda, Tooro, Runyankore - all with help from Stanley!!).
Before coming to Uganda, we started off by having great communication with Sedrick! He was able to answer all questions we had, and made us feel at ease knowing that we did not have to do much planning besides picking out the tour that works best for us. He came with his associate, Jolly (who is absolutely lovely!), to the airport at 3AM to pick us up and offered a full tour day for us in Kampala our first day (we were exhausted since we came from another jam-packed day before landing here so opted to relax instead). Sedrick was so willing to help us with anything we might need, it was amazing to meet him. He even went above and beyond when one of our flights was canceled the day before we were supposed to leave to help us rebook.
After our day in Kampala, we were ready at 0700 the next morning to meet our driver/tour guide extraordinaire - Stanley. We cannot say enough great things about Stanley. He is the absolute BEST and we are grateful we were fortunate to luck into having him as our driver/tour guide. He is incredibly knowledgeable, is an amazing driver, is kind, courteous, willing to have fun with us and joke around, and all around an awesome human we are glad to call our friend now. He made sure we had the sweetest pineapples, the best bananas, and always made us feel cared for. Our drives were absolutely beautiful! Somehow, the lodges knew it was our honeymoon (I'm thinking Sedrick may have something to do with that!) and every place we stayed had a special surprise for us, which was so nice.
We were very fortunate to see lions, hyenas, so so many hippos, crocs, warthogs, cobs, waterbucks, Jacksons, giraffes, elephants, zebras, chimpanzees, baboons, gorillas, rhinos, and the ever elusive leopard. We did have one game drive where all we saw were some cobs/warthogs (we kept joking the animals went on vacation to the Congo that day!) - it STILL was such a fun time being in the open jeep and soaking in the landscape. The tour guides at every place we stopped at were amazing! Stanley had told us a lot too, so it was good information reinforcement (and he made us look a bit smarter!). The community walk in Kibale is so wonderful - we met a lot of great people there (learned to make baskets, coffee, banana juice/beer/gin, and talked with the village witch doctor). The chimpanzee walk was unforgettable, as was the gorilla trek. We ended up on a medium difficulty trek, mainly because we ran into 2 jungle elephants and had to divert our path. One of our favorite times was when Stanley taught us some card games back at the lodge after dinner whilst it rained - similar to Uno! We had so many awesome adventures, and our trip was doubly amazing because we had such a great driver and new friend in Stanley. He made sure we could see everything we wanted to when places became a bit crowded (eg lions, leopards sightings) and adapted quickly to our sense of humor and adventure.
If you're comparing different companies and hemming and hawing about price/experiences/etc. - look no further. Ngoni Safaris is absolutely the way to go!