MY
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Value for money
Four of us went on a 8 day private safari to Kenya and Tanzania with Wilderbeest safari. From the start the service provided by Noah was excellent and professional. What was even better was that the cost was very reasonable when compared with that offered by other agents. The lodges/tented camps were all very good and comfortable and were beyond our expectations. The driver/guides were also all very knowledgable and professional and the vehicles clean and comfortable. Based on my experience I would recommend highly Wilderbeest safari.
US
Linked me to the perfect safari!
They were helpful and responsive, but most importantly they set me up with the safari company that was ideal for my situation!
US
Excellent
Antelope Safaris was the best choice we made. The whole safari experience went as planned. The staff was professional and efficient. We highly recommend their service. Thank you for making dream trip memorable. Hopefully we will have a chance to use your services again.
DE
big five in five days with five-star-James
...fantastic trip through massai mara, lake nakuru and lake naivasha. Have seen so many with the flexible, experienced and friendly driver James.
And all for just a fair price.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Bucket list trip
What a wonderful experience. I went to East Africa with a little trepidation as I'm not really an outdoor bush kind of person. Ian from Wildside Safari really put me at ease and was happy to meet before the trip to explain what we could expect and talk us through the itinerary. The trip was well organised with knowledgable and friendly guides who made the experience very special. The hotels and camps we stayed at were luxurious, the food delicious and the company excellent. I thoroughly enjoyed the campfire chats, the magical balloon ride at the North Camp and listening to the animals at night while lying in my tent. I would recommend this rip to everyone!
AR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An incredible and very comfortable tour
It was an amazing experience, we saw all the animals we could see,including lions hunting a buffalo.
Chris is a very nice person, always concerned that we are comfortable and prepares excellent food!
The truck is well equipped with books on mammals, birds, insects, etc. I proved very useful and it has binoculars if you do not remember to take them.
The organization was very good, Chris plan everything to the last detail.
The tour with Chris is highly recommended.
NL
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great way to discover Africa
From the very beginning Severin Travel Africa provided us an excellent service, during the quote and booking period, the staff was friendly and accurate. During the actual safari, the quality of the lodges and local tours was above expectation making our first safari an unforgettable experience, having been able to see the big five and much more. The local operators/guides took care of every single detail in such way that we were totally relaxed and just enjoyed the trip. This is a great way to discover Africa.
CA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing experience
I did a 5-day safari with my mother in June in Taranguire, Ngonrongonro, and Serengeti. We went for a private tour just for the 2 of us. We had such a great time ! Stephen, our safari guide was so dedicated, we saw everything we could dream of. He took time to give us tons of very interesting information about animals, Maasai culture and so much more. I was really impressed by his kindness and his generosity. I strongly recommend the experience.
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Beyond Expectations of a Tour Operator
By the time Mark had discussed our options, made the bookings and sent us his background information and FAQs, we felt supremely confident that we had booked with the right organisation and that all would work well. Now we are back in the "real world" (??) we can say that it was a wonderful experience from start to finish. We had one hiccough at the last lodge but that was outside his control and he is following up.
Thanks Mark. It was great!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
#JoelTheGenius
Right. On with the improvements so I can get to how perfect our experience was thanks to Joel. The company, It Started in Africa, was communicative and offered options at reasonable prices (we wrote to 15 companies and had two weeks to plan this). They helped us secure some great accommodation within our budget and were quick to respond. Overall, really easy doing business with them. That said, there are a few areas of improvement:
1. Although we confirmed our arrival time multiple times via email, there was some mix up with the operations teams and the person meant to pick us up didn't have our names or details. Getting into an unmarked car with an unknown driver who's identity we could not confirm at 10PM was nothing something my friend I were okay doing, which added an hour to our transit time. However, once we started our journey to our hotel in Arusha and got to know the driver, we shared some laughs with him and he shared lots of interesting snippets of what to expect from our first safari. We also received an email from the company apologizing and explaining the cause of the mix up.
2. The safari vehicle seemed like it needed to be serviced properly. Although Joel cleaned it everyday and did his best to maintain it, there were a number of mechanical issues we encountered during the course of our trip, including a couple of stops at mechanic shops for repairs. The company really ought to ensure that the vehicle tourists are being sent out in are road worthy and not in need of constant repairs.
3. The interiors could do with a face lift - the cold box needs repair and it would be great if the company could arrange for dry ice to keep the drinks cold. The dusty and sunny climes of the national parks meant we ended up with luke warm water every afternoon. Just some small suggestions to improve the overall quality of the experience.
On to Joel. He is an incredibly gifted guide and was truly invested in ensuring that we had the best safari, given our time constraints. Not only did he make every effort to show us the Big 5, which we managed (hurrah!), he was genuinely excited every time we saw a big cat or a herd of elephants or even zebras. He was patient with all our picture taking and just wanting to stand and stare endlessly at the animals; even took some great shots of his own with our camera. So we didn't miss a big sighting, he listened to the "ranger" radio station intently and passed all exciting discoveries we made on to other groups as well.
In three and a half days, we witnessed a cheetah hunt an antelope, several prides of lions, a pregnant lioness going off to give birth, several herds of tusked elephants (some raising their trunks to smell, to grab leaves off of trees, which is relatively uncommon), schools of hippos, a rhino, hyenas, two leopards in trees and a countless number of gazelles, giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, hartebeest, dik-diks, mongoose and flamingos. He even knew birds' names just by our (rather inaccurate) descriptions and showed us the differences between them in his trusty book.
As this was our first safari, we had a number of questions (sometimes inane), all of which he answered enthusiastically. Honestly, this safari would not have been half as interesting without Joel. He made it a trip of a lifetime for us, going so far as to wake up at 3AM so he could collect a park entry card from a colleague (there was some mix up owing to the last minute increases the government made to park fees) to make sure we didn't miss our early morning drive in the crater. Joel went above and beyond all expectations and I recommend him unequivocally to anyone looking for a trusty guide with a fantastic sense of direction and humor.
Finally, thank you to all the people who recommended Joel in their reviews - we got really lucky and are trying to pay it forward!