20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
EXCELLENT ADVENTURE
I went with Amko Safaris to Masai Mara for 3Days. Peter organized a safari for me to suit specific dates and this was very satisfactory. Jones our guide and driver was very obliging and was able to locate all the game I wanted to see including the wildebeest and leopard in Masai Mara.Communication from start to finish was excellent.Accommodation at Mara Sopa Lodge was excellent.Staffs were friendly & food was great
Altogether a very enjoyable experience.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Memorable, wonderful experience
We had the pleasure of visiting Tanzania several years back, long before Mussa had his own safari company. It was one of the most memorable trips we have taken. It wasn't just the safari that we still remember, but our time spent with our safari guides was unforgettable. Mussa was one of two guides assigned to our group of 10. He was wonderful- very knowledgeable, respectful, trustable, and very concerned about our well-being, especially that of the young children and elders in our group. He taught and showed us a lot- life on the Serengeti, life and culture in Tanzania, and his own personal life. We even had the pleasure of meeting his wife! We couldn't have been happier with our interactions with Mussa and our experience in Tanzania. We highly recommend Mussa; we would love to visit again!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Camping with the wildlife
What an experience, surrounded by game, camping in the midst of a reserve, morning visits by Elephants and afternoon by Zebra's. The light of the early morning 4WD rides, the afternoons by the water, the evenings by the campfire. The animal's all around - Lions, Leopards, Hippopotamus, Giraffe, Impala. We toured in open 4WD, and camped in comfortable tents with beds, hot showers and portable toilets. Campfire breakfasts and dinners, knowledgeable, friendly local guides. We couldn't have ask for more
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Simon of EastCo still owes us more than $9,000 after three years. DO NOT BOOK.
It is absolutely criminal that Simon and EastCo are still taking bookings. I should have written this review earlier, but every time I think about it I get a terrible pit in my stomach. My husband and I organized a 30 day safari with Simon in July 2015. The reviews were all good, so we felt okay about it. But then the first day, no one came to pick us up at our hotel, which should have been the first sign of trouble. The next week and a half was probably some of the most stressful travel I've ever experienced. I won't get into the nitty gritty, but I will give one detail: our safari vehicle got repossessed in the middle of the night when we were at a remote safari camp, because Simon hadn't paid the bills. At every turn we were asked to pay out of pocket or held behind, because Simon and Eastco hadn't paid. Finally, we cut our trip short. We ended with a copy of Simon's passport and a statement, in writing, and signed, that he would repay us for services not rendered. He's paid us back only $900 of over $10,000 owed. We're still waiting. DO NOT BOOK WITH EASTCO. You will have your money stolen. I would be happy to discuss more with anyone who has questions, and to share the written document of Simon's promising us our money back (you can email me using the link above this review). This company should be flagged as fraudulent on all safari sites. Terrible. Just terrible.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a Lifetime
I've always wanted to go on an African Safari - and that came true for my 30th birthday celebration. After months of research and back and forth with several agencies, my husband and I decided to work with African Qingshan - and couldn’t be more pleased! The whole experience went beyond our expectations. The planning was led by Thompson (based out of Arusha), who was very responsive, giving us recommendations and being receptive to our feedback. He took into consideration everything we wanted to see and gave us several options to choose from. Planning a trip from afar can make some feel skeptical, but Thompson made us feel very comfortable. Upon arriving in Tanzania we were welcomed by Thompson, who talked us through our itinerary once again. We did our first game drive at the Serengeti. Chicho was our driver, and he was amazing! He clearly knew his way around the parks, knew about the animals and the local Masai tribes. Chicho was extremely patient and had such great energy - making our experience truly special. We saw SO many animals, it was awesome. During our trip we visited the Serengeti, Ngorongoro (Ndutu and Ngorongoro Crater), Manyara and Tarangire. Our accommodations varied from luxury tents, to lodges, to hotels - all selected based on preference and budget. None of them disappointed - we had wonderful stays and the hospitality was incredible! We had a chance to meet one of the African Qingshan partners, Danny, who wanted to make sure we’re having a good time. After our Safari adventure, the journey continued to Zanzibar - which was beautiful. Thompson also helped set up a guide for a tour of Stone Town, and a boat trip to Mnemba island. Overall, this trip was even better than anticipated. We can’t stop looking at pictures and bragging about it to our friends! We recommend African Qingshan, they were very attentive and went above and beyond to make sure we were having an unforgettable trip!
DO
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Incredible Africa!
It was not our first African adventure but probably the best. We mostly stayed in small comfortable lodges right in the national parks or very close to them. The guides were very friendly and professional and we had an overall feeling of being taken care of. Their knowledge of where and when to go was incredible. We have never seen so many lions, leopards, cheetahs, hippos, elephants, you name it ever! And one more thing - buy from the locals! They are an African company - you don't pay to intermediaries, all the money goes to those who deliver and you also save because you pay less and get a better price/value ratio. Highly recommended! If we ever decide to get back to this part of Africa we will use the services of the same company. Thank you guys!
IT
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Greater Kruger by Laura Carletti
Beautiful nature. The lodges are very nice and organized facilities. Very easy to organize a safari and have all the necessary information.
Enchanting views of the bush. (Sorry, no speak english)
IT
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The Kruger National Park safari was a very intense adventure full of exciting moments.
I was lucky because I could observe and photograph many animals and birds. I stayed very well at a lodge at Marlot Park, near the Crocodile Bridge Rest Camp. The safari guide was very competent and gave me all the information about the animals encountered. The park is very vast and the camps are very well organized.
The Gem of South Africa
Took me two days to find the big 5 and saw a abundance of other wildlife including beautiful birds at the different hides throughout the park. Some places have amazing scenery like the Most Southern Baobab and the Fever Tree forest up in the north of the park. Weather was sunny with high temperature, had a few days of rain aswell but mostly clear sky’s. Chalets were clean and cleaned while driving for the day. Food is great in Skukuza and Lower Sabie but other camps like Satara was not the standard you would expect but still decent enough. We drove with our own vehicle and it was fruitful. Most leopards were spotted in the south of the park. I would recommend going to Kruger if your native to South Africa or from abroad, I can guarantee you won’t be disappointed.
IT
Really amazing experience
This has been my 2nd safari experience. Everything went in a woderfull way. We (couple) organized all by ourselves, booking via the official website of the park. We spent three whole days driving our car in the southern part of the Kruger. We had the chance to see a lot of animals (4 out of the 5 big, we missed the lion). We spent our nights in the camps (Lower Sabie and Skukuza): both are really nice, well organized and clean, even if we preferred the LS. We had two organized safari, one in the afternoon/night (good experience) and one by walk early in the morning (not really a interesting experience). We also had dinner into the camps (good). We were in South Africa two weeks before Christmas so we didn't find a lot of tourist and we had the opportunity to maximize our Kruger's experience.