CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The Safari Partners were amazing from our first contact until we had completed our trip!
A safari trip is costly and for many is a once in a lifetime trip. Researching safari companies can be overwhelming. There are many and they offer many options. I can save you some time and grief - contact The Safari Partners from Vancouver, Canada! My wife and I recently completed a "Gorillas, Game, and Beaches" trip with The Safari Partners to East Africa. Right from our initial e-mails to Chris Ronneseth at The Safari Partners everything was handled in a very professional manner. Chris patiently responded to all of our concerns in a respectful and informative manner, often only minutes after we sent the e-mail.
While we were in Africa everything went as planned. All of the companies that The Safari Partners use in Africa are top notch. The guides and drivers went out of their way to ensure that we had the best experience possible. We saw the big five in our first day in the Maasai Mara. The accommodations and meals were amazing. We had high expectations for our trip and it surpassed them in every way!
We had a flight from Kigali to Nairobi on Super Bowl Sunday. Our flight was cancelled and I e-mailed Chris from the Kigali airport. He responded in minutes, reassured us, and contacted the folks in Nairobi to let them know our situation. When we arrived in Nairobi several hours later, Chris had arranged everything and our trip was right back on track. Incredible!
We have no hesitation in recommending The Safari Partners!
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfectly Planned and Executed
USE THIS OUTFITTER if you are planning to visit East Africa - Everything we planned went perfect and Alym Bhanji (native of Kenya, owner, and trip coordinator for East Africa Wild) did an incredible job of talking to and learning about my wife and I and then putting together an itinerary that fit us perfectly and then took care of every detail so that it was truly the trip of a lifetime.
Three and a half weeks, four countries (Tanzania - Rwanda - Kenya - Seychelles) , twelve flights, six airport pickups, ten lodges, six parks with permits, and thousands of animals - all without a single glitch.
Alym is headquartered in Vancouver BC so it was very easy to coordinate all the planning without worrying about time changes. He has staff in East Africa that catered to our unique trip and were very accommodating to any and all requests. We took over 9,000 photographs and never felt rushed. Every lodge was incredible (Nature One was a life changing experience), the vehicles were in great shape and every driver was safe, considerate, knowledgeable, and a lot of fun (at one of the camps we stayed in, the camp coordinator went out of his way to tell us our driver/guide Selemani was the best he had seen based on reports from his staff). With no one to compare Selemani with, I can only say that we saw every animal (except an Aardvark which became a running joke) and most birds in the Guide Book including over 70 Lions, 9 Cheetah, 8 Leopards, 3 Rhino, 19 Gorilla, 100s of Hippos - Warthogs - Giraffe - Monkeys - Baboon - ++++, and 1000s of Elephants, -Antelope - Zebra - Wildebeest - Gazelle - and Impala. Selemani was able to spot a Rhino from the top of the Ngorongoro crater over a mile a way without binoculars (we could barely confirm using binoculars). He knew every dirt road in all the parks we visited - it actually seemed like he had made appointments with the animals so they were nearly always where he thought they would be. I guess that comes from doing your job for over twenty years and still loving it. They also arranged six dives and a snorkel trip to see Whale Sharks.
Karim was our guide in Rwanda and was the perfect host setting us up with the best guides for the Gorilla trek. John was our guide in Kenya and was masterful at shuttling us to the different sites - the best being Sheldricks elephant orphanage where Alym had arranged for my wife to adopt a baby elephant so that we were able to get a private tour and spend time with the orphaned baby elephants. I can't say enough about how well the trip was executed, we are veteran travelers and there are always a few things that go sideways but not this time. The biggest hiccup was the room we reserved in the Seychelles was supposed to be ocean view and they showed us a garden view - a quick call to Alym and we given a ocean view room, a bottle of champagne, an apology from the management, and a free dinner. Alym had immediately called the hotel (5:30am his time) and straightened everything out in less than 30 minutes from my call.
The trip came with a cellphone app that detailed out every day and activity of our trip that made the trip easy to track and was great to show friends. We spent about a month soliciting and reviewing bids from twelve different tour companies prior to picking East Africa Wild. Alym submitted a letter of interest within 24 hours and gave us an initial bid within 3days and then spent about three weeks putting the trip together, adjusting the itinerary and confirming all the details. During this time the bid didn't change. From the time we requested a bid until we returned home, Alym would return calls, texts, and emails within a couple of hours.
I can't imagine how our trip could have been any better and it was all due to East Africa Wild.
CN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A tour to remember
It was my best tour ever, it was a nice and an amazing trip which
I never experienced before. Luitours and Safaris did a perfect job. The service was perfect and the guide Fareed was really good and very knowledgeable with wild animals. He knew where to spot animals and where to take nice pictures, Once in Tanzania, the organization was simply perfect, we didn’t have a single issue during our trip there and back or our stay.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A 16 day tour of camps in Kenya and Tanzanea with daily drives with driver/guides not to be missed.
We set up our own safari with Wildebeest Safaris after trying 5 other safari companies and not being able to have the safari company provide us with the tour requested. Noah worked with us to provide the places, times and drives we wanted. his efforts resulted in a safari of complete satisfaction and experiences beyond our expectations. We had 2 driver/guides who were attentive to our requests and wants. there was never a moment we were in danger or without animal/bird contacts that disappointed us. The camps chosen were exceptional in comfort, safety, food quality, quantity and care by the staff. We would recommend Wildebeeste Safaris with great enthusiasm.
IT
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wonderful safari and awesome relax in Zanzibar !
SIMPLY PERFECT. We have been on the 7-Days-Private-Safari in February 2018 and 7-days of pleasant relaxation in Zanzibar with Savannah Explorers. We went around Tarangire NP, Lake Manyara NP, Serengeti NP and Ngorongoro NP. The safari was from the beginning until the end an awesome experience. Roberto, who organized our safari, always responded very quickly to my requests and everything on our two weeks trip. During the 7 days safari we enjoyed the company of Isaac a perfect driver with a lot of experience. He was able to find many good places to spot animals and last but not least he spoke a perfect italian language. The lodges and tented camps, where we stayed in, (Lake Burunge Tented Camp, Tloma Lodge and Kati Kati Tented Camp) were wonderful, clean, excellent locations, excellent food and very kind staff. Everything for the transfer to Zanzibar was perfectly organized and we enjoyed a beautiful stay.
Thank you so much to Roberto, Floriana, Greyson and Isaac for this beautiful trip.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great company, outstanding client service and attention
When we were first planning our trip to South Africa from our home in the USA we did not know much about the attractions and accommodations, other than there were a lot of safari options and operators available. With our Internet searching we stumbled upon the highly rated Pembury Tours out of Port Elizabeth, and its representative, Laurette McKinnon.
Over numerous email exchanges from afar she was able to sort out our desires, budget, and concerns (e.g., Cape Town's drought) to arrange our itinerary to include 4 event-packed days in Cape Town and 5 days on safari at a game reserve in southeast South Africa, away from the crowds and commercialization in the northern Krueger areas most visited by tourists. Even with the 9 hour time zone differences, it seemed like her replies were immediate to our numerous queries.
They were wise choices on her part. We did almost everything we wanted to do in Cape Town and environs, given our short stay, and our safari out of the recommended Lalibela Game Reserve exceeded our expectations. The proximity to the game animals, the splendid accommodations at Lentaba Lodge, and the knowledgeable ranger guides made our visit all the more memorable. Every transportation option we needed was arranged by Laurette and there were no glitches - airport pickups, local area tours, internal SA flight connections, special requests, etc.
It is difficult to plan an extended trip like we had when you are doing it from 8,000 miles away with an agent you had never met. It takes a lot of trust and patience on both sides. We went through frequent changes and revisions to our travel plan. And it all had to fit in the budget constraints we had.
So we were very fortunate that our search took us to Pembury Tours and its representative, Laurette McKinnon. We highly recommend them to others, knowing they will make your trip as memorable as ours.
CA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Customized safari with impeccable service, exceeding expectations.
Fortes Safaris wildly exceeded any expectations I had. You know how you build up most vacations and experiences based on movies and expectations, then have the reality be close but not quite live up that standard? This was one of those rare times when everything was right on the money. Communication with Sophie was prompt and professional, she was very accommodating to our changing schedule and timeline; the owner, Lucas, was attentive and followed up with us along the way to ensure everything was perfect; and our driver Kapama had better eyes than eagle, drove safely and sanely all day long, and was wonderfully knowledgeable about the creatures we saw along the way. We did a 4 day safari through Serengeti - Ngorongoro - Tarangire. We were taken through a maze of roads through the park and hardly saw another vehicle along the way but did see the big 5 and a recently fed python crossing the road. 10/10 would recommend Fortes ltd.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Flawless trip organisation with excellent service throughout!
Just visited Uganda to take my wife to see the gorillas (and chimps) as a birthday treat. A little apprehensive when first booking with these guys as I knew nothing of them. All correspondence was answered instantly with suggestions on how I could improve my proposed itinerary which only made our experience better. Desire dealt with all trip administration in a very efficient manner. Payment was made using a secure method which built my confidence with balance on arrival. Moses was our guide; friendly, safe, knowledgeable and keen to ensure we gained the most from our visit - even met his dad in passing!! Lodges were of a high standard. Views were amazing and time with the gorillas and chimps is impossible to describe - just amazing! The chimps even came to see us on the track after failing to find them in the forest during our 3-hour trek which meant we had return with the ranger - no questions or quibbles, Moses an£ the ranger were just as excited as we were! Overall an outstanding experience with a very well run company. If in doubt, drop them an e-mail and take a holiday of a lifetim3 to a country you will simply adore. I will do it all again with these guys next year!
UA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
What a great care and support I got
My trip couldn't have been better
They have experienced workers
The hospitality, the accommodation, the food, the environment .... i just love everything
I had a lot of fun
US
7-day Serengeti Safari
The drivers were great. The accommodations were very nice. The safari was amazing. Given that my only complaints are a so-so sack lunch on a couple of days and the unfilled desire (rightly unfulfilled) to safari drive into the night, I think it is safe to say that I HIGHLY recommend E-Trip.