35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Book through Katona!
I really appreciated the open lines of communication with Katona tours both during and after the booking process. Jackie's replies were always quick and it was nice that she called to check in on us during our travels. Richard our driver was very knowledgeable, friendly, and was a highlight of the journey. I think we got very good value for our money. Thank you!
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
1-Day Safari to Ngorongoro National Park in Tanzania
We thoroughly enjoyed a one-day safari into the Ngongoro Crater where we saw wildebeest, zebra, gazelles, impala, jackals, hyena, ostriches, hippos, rhino, eland, and a pride of lions with young cubs feasting on a zebra they had killed. Our guide Aron did an excellent job of sharing his knowledge of the park and animals with us. Nak made booking the trip very easy and he adjusted the trip times to accommodate our needs and desires. The trip was a great experience!
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Everything was perfect- we are so lucky we have found mister atik and his nature-loving employes.
The Guide was brilliant. We could really get an impression of the country's nature and how the nature lives.
The Lodges we stayed at were very cozy and clean. The food was delicious and even if i don't like meat that much, i am happy i have chosen a steak one evening. It was worth to repeat it actually!
We loved the early gamedrives and also coming to the lodge after the sunset.
The whole atmosphere during the safari was very relaxed and i was happy our guide was that spontanious.
If you really would like to go on a safari which is incresibly good- choose mister atik's company.
It is worth it!!! :)
Thank you, MEGA ADVENTURES!!!!!
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing experience and Trip of a Lifetime
We used Tanzania expeditions for the climb up Kili and a 2 day safari and the trip was beyond our wildest imagination. There was four of us total and the guides and porters were just fantastic. Justin set us up with great guides up the mountain. Eric was great at taking care of us throughout the hike, enjoyed all the culture and singing that we brought to the table, and was one of the happiest people I have ever met. We sang, we laughed, the food was incredible. I was a little worried about that, and they blew it out of the water. Mr. Delicious, our cook, made it seem like we were in a 5 star restaurant at every meal. During the hike, you could tell that this group was different than the other companies. The porters seemed much more happy to be there, they weren't loaded down with weight, they sang songs of encouragement as we hiked every day, and each morning we sang songs to get the day started off right. With this company, you get in as much as you put in, saying that if you want to be a hiker, you can be a hiker, but if you want to experience as much culture and meet as many unique and amazing people, this company gives you that opportunity.
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Maasai mara Safari; We had a blast
Communication leading to our booking our safari with Swift Travel was spot on and so was everything else thereafter, a private safari jeep, a knowledgeable guide, a comfortable and well placed camp-the Karen Blixen camp and sharp price just to mention but a few.
The safari was good and we had a blast at the Maasai mara. Not only did we have a great group of people in our camp but also luck was on our side. On our first game drive we had already seen a leopard, a pride of lions, elephants and buffalos and only missed the rhino to complete the “Big five”. We did not spot any rhino on our next 5 game drives though but our guided had indicated that there are very few rhinos within the mara triangle, he has only spotted three over the last four years! We would have had greater chances if we stayed at one of the conservancies and notably at the Porini camps. Our next trip will definitely include that as well as Lake Nakuru or Ol Pejeta Conservacy.
Cannot fault this company as the service was better than average, keep it up guys!
Knowledgeable driver/guide helped make our safari memorable
We were picked up at Kilimanjaro Airport as planned, and taken directly to our Arusha Hotel with no delays. Our driver/guide, Isaac, was there on time to pick us up for the safari and delivered us back to the hotel at the end of the trip with lots of time to spare. So no timeliness issues.
Isaac was very knowledgeable about animals, birds, and vegetation. He was excellent – easygoing and friendly, and I’d recommend him to others. He was also a good driver – necessary given unpredictable traffic and terrible roads in the parks. He had been guiding for about 8 years and was very experienced and knew all the routes in the parks; in all our travels (about 1700 km) he never referred to a map. The competence and personality of the driver/guide are critical to the enjoyment of the trip. We were lucky.
Our safari van was about 15 years old and had about 300,000 km on it. It had been well maintained, I think, since it stood up to the roads, absorbed most of the shocks, and didn’t break down. No problems with it. But dust was incredible. People with breathing issues would want to consider this trip carefully.
Our Arusha hotel, L’Oasis, was comfortable, with a dining room, lounge and pool. Our room was fine, and the food was quite good. No problems with it.
The Maramboi tented camp was also very comfortable, even though our ‘room’ was a large tent with two rooms. Dependable running water and electricity in the tent/room. The main building included a lounge, large dining area (part inside but mostly outside on a large verandah). It even had a swimming pool which was good to cool off in. Very good food, with a large buffet selection at all meals. We also chose our own picnic lunch contents. Interesting to sit by the pool and watch the zebras and wildebeest herds grazing a hundred metres away. The camp, after all, was in a Conservation Area and thus open to whatever wildlife ambled through. It was also well-patronized; most tables were taken at dinner times. In many ways, this camp combined comfort and wildlife authenticity best of all our accommodations.
The Lake Manyara Wildlife Safari Camp was a high end place. Guest rooms were separate buildings (not tents) joined by a garden-bordered walk to the main building. The latter featured a lounge and dining room with an extensive front garden that ended in a swimming pool that overlooked the Great Rift Valley and the Maasai herders who drove their cattle and goats up and down. This was a very luxurious place with an outstanding view. The other thing we noticed was that there was only one other paying guest. The place was empty. So that meant that we had no choice of dinner fare, but ate what the chef had prepared for us. We also accepted the chef’s choices for the contents of our picnic lunches. Fortunately, these choices were very good, although the portions were large.
The three tented camps (N’dutu, Seronera, and Ngorngoro) were all variations on a theme. In each, our accommodation was a two-room tent with wood floors, running water (most of the time) but no electrical capacity to plug in appliances. Each camp had a main dining tent with lounge (the latter equipped with electrical charging capacity). Each camp was staffed by a manager (who may also have been the chef – this wasn’t clear) as well as two or three support staff whose jobs included carrying suitcases, accompanying us after dark from our tent to the dining tent, etc. These were not permanent sites; the N’dutu camp, for example, was due to be taken down and moved to another location a few weeks after we were there.
Again, in each of the three camps we were the only guests! So no choice of meals or picnic basket contents; we ate what the chef prepared. Generally this was quite palatable, though we became a bit tired of the standard side vegetable of sliced carrots and green beans, which we had at almost every dinner. And again, significant to realize that we were in wildlife terrain, so the water buffalo, elephants, zebras and giraffes that moseyed through the camps were in their own environment. We were the outsiders.
Serengeti and Ngorngoro were the highlights. These were the must-sees, in our view, in terms of variety of animals, scenery, etc. (especially the rhinos). On these grounds, Tarangire would rank third, Lake Manyara fourth, and Arusha fifth.
excellent tour
Everything was perfect.communications, transport, the safari, the guide knew where to find the animals. Saw the big 5 and everything else. Very happy
3 day Masai Mara
We had such a good time on this trip. Even though we paid the lowest price for a safari we could find (and were therefore not expecting the best), we couldn't have asked for a better experience.
Everything was included, except for drinks, but since we don't drink much, this didn't bother us. But there is always free coffee, tee and hot cacao.
Our driver/guide was super cool, making sure we would see everything and up close. Since we came during the low season there were very few tourists there, but we got lucky with the weather, which means we had the occasional lion or so to ourselves.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Unforgettable Family Adventure
African Welcome Safaris, and Kathi in particular, made our adventures in Africa amazing. Her communication was immediate and attended to every detail. She sought to understand our goals and matched us with experiences and guides who exceeded our expectations. Our time at Kapama Game Lodge was incredible wihg many animal encounters, great service, and an outstanding guide, Stephan, and tracker, Rogers. Accommodations, food, and spa were excellent. Exploring Cap Town and the surrounding areas with Ryes was really cool. Our experience at Chobe River Lodge was fantastic with a highly attentive staff and RT our great guide. Victoria Falls Lodge provided epic views with vulture feedings and the stunning Victoria Falls. Lesedi Cultural Village was a great place to stay and to enjoy the tour and traditional dancing.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Mega guide, mega safari, mega adventure!
We (3 people from Europe) booked a 3-day safari in April 2015 through Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater and Tarangire. I can say for sure that we are quite sensible and critical, but this trip was a pure sensation in mostly all points. We booked the budget package with sleeping in (stable) tents nearby Lake Manyara. Although we came in the "low season", we experienced three great days we will never forget.
One of the most important reasons for our enthusiasm was Mubarak, our guide and one of the directors of the company. I don't even know where to start the list of his benefits: He was very professional and friendly, was always in a good mood and never got bored by our many questions about animals, nature and general Tanzanian/African things. Since he is a experienced guide with a lot of knowledge, mostly all of our questions were answered and if there was something even he was unsure of, he promised to look it up in the evening because he also was interested in learning new stuff. Because we had rain seasons, we had several critical situations with muddy roads, but he handled the (huge!) car very professionally and was able to show us interesting spots even when other popular viewpoints were blocked. Every morning, the car was cleaned again from mud and trash. And - which is some kind of rare in Tanzania - he spoke English fluently which made it easy to follow his detailed explanations and answers.
Not only Mubarak was one of the reasons we totally recommend this company but also Mohammed, the company's CEO. Even although we only booked a few days before the safari, he made us a very good offer and provided us with all transparency we needed: prices, accomondation, pick-up from our apartment in Moshi, free water bottles, lunch boxes, a meeting before the safari and so on. In the end, we had to care about almost nothing and were able to enjoy the 3 days without any hassle or complications.
Criticism? Well, we booked the walking safari in Tarangire on the last day (2-3 hours walking in the plain nature). Unfortunately Mubarak wasn't allowed by the park management to come with us so we had another guide and armed ranger. He wasn't the best guide, his English was hard to understand and he wasn't well equipped (no binoculars) and able to answer several of our (I think quite basic) questions. The nature of Tarangire and the atmosphere of walking around freely was absolutely worth it, but maybe MegaAdventures finds a way to improve that. Having Mubarak with us during the walk would have been much more better! But even after long thinking about negative points, this is the only one we honestly can think of.
Oh, and about the animals: I think except a Leopard we've seen the most "important" ones. But if herde of 20 elephants crosses your way 2 meters in front of you with no other tourist cars around you, you don't think any longer about Big Fives or such trivial categories. You're just happy to have a professional guide able to lead you to these locations. We'll definitely looking forward to book Mega Adventures for other trips during our long stay in Tanzania.