CN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing Safari without any Headache
Starting from the way they handled pre-arrival communications we felt like dealing with a professional agency used to customer service. James for the booking and organization part, Jeff as a driver/guide through Amboseli, Lake Nakuru and Masai Mara dusty roads formed the perfect team to make our first trip to Kenya an unforgettable 1. A part from the luck that comes with spotting all the big 5s and more (predators even several times), it was only during the second self-arranged part of our stay that we understood the importance of getting around with a 20+ years of experience tour guide and an organized trip with ref. contacts answering to accountability standards (do not give that for granted while on your own). Extra care for ladies needs (toilets ain't an option in all parks) and a "24hrs in service" attitude gives us confidence in recommending James & Jeff as Alliance Destination staff to anyone looking for a pleasant and thrilling stay in Kenya's nature without worrying for anything else from spotting wildlife
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Awesome services
They have experienced tour guides. I strongly recommend to other people.
AE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Queen Elizabeth National Park by Mezza
Saw my first leopard in the wild and tree climbing lions - that says it all. There were plenty of big five animals and the safari was fantastic.
AE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Murchison Falls National Park by Mezza
Amazing, there were plenty of big five animals. There were lots of lions, elephants and giraffes. Really beautiful savanna grasslands and plenty of different range lodges for accommodation and to dine.
AE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Lake Mburo National Park by Mezza
Very pretty and serene. The safari is finished off with accommodation right by Lake Edward, and it is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.
AE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Bwindi Impenetrable National Park by Mezza
Silver back gorillas - that says it all!! Once in a lifetime experience. best safari ever!!! would strongly recommend it.
AE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Budongo Forest by Mezza
There is so much to see and learn about the local vegetation. Plenty of chimpanzees and all sorts of monkeys to marvel over.
AE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
The best thing I have ever done, fantastic, great tour company and staff, great service, great time.
We went with "Go Explore Safari" in December 2017 and it was a really good tour company. I travelled with my elderly parents (60 plus) and my daughter (4yrs). They were punctual in picking us up and the cars were clean and in good condition. They were very responsive via email or whatever mode of communication we preferred. The trip was very well organised and we were well informed all the way throughout the trip. The staff were very friendly and extremely helpful all the way throughout the trip. We really had a good time and my family were very happy because we got to see a lot of wild animals, the tour company staff were very patient when we wanted to take photos and were happy to drive round to look for the big five to maximise our safari. Food and accommodation was good, rooms were clean and spacious. Please note that with the three different ranges of accommodation you get what you paid for so don't expect five star service for low budget accommodation.
My family and I had a brilliant safari and were really pleased with the service offered. I would definitely travel with Go Explore Safari and have actually started organising another trip in Northern Uganda with them. I would definitely recommend doing a safari with them.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An amazing first-time experience!
The first thing to say to be as honest as possible is that this was our first Safari experience, so we have no comparison other that what we have heard from other people. The second thing to say is that, although our Safari was booked from "Suricata Safari", our trip was organised by a company called "Mount Meru Safari", who apparently works together with "Suricata".
Maybe it would have been nice to have some clarification about that, in the beginning. Anyway, we must say that the communication with the Suricata company was easy, they answer quickly to the emails and quite precise, compared to other companies we had been writing.
Driver/Guide: we had Frederick, a young and friendly guy. Frederick is a very good driver, he never goes too fast and he takes care that everything in the car is working. It is not easy at all to drive for so many days and so many hours and being a good guide at the same time. Freddie managed to keep the mood happy during most of the times. He has never denied an answer when we asked something. I have never seen him tired or sleepy while he was driving, which is quite amazing. I have got the impression that he knows what he is doing in terms of wildlife, but as I said I have no comparison for that. Sometimes I wished we had waited longer in a place, sometimes the opposite, but Freddie had to deal with 4 of us and he did very well. Surely we had an amazing experience, being our first time. One hears of course of people that have managed to see more or less, but this is probably also a matter of luck.
Food: our cook was Dionise. Not much to say: the food was good and we were never left hungry. The dinners in particular were always different, which is very nice, since breakfast and lunch are always very similar (of course, after all this was a camping safari, not a luxus trip). So a positive mark for Dionise as well.
Wildlife/Scenery: In a 6-day camping safari, one typically visits four national parks. That's really nice, because the sceneries are notably different. Many people are not so impressed by Tarangire, but we loved it, given that you don't get to see Baobab trees and a big river in the other days. Also we did not have problems with tsetse flies, but we saw other people struggling. Maybe also just a matter of luck. We were really surprised to see that it is relatively easy to spot the animals. But we saw some of them only at a distance (cheetah, rhinos).
Accommodation: we slept in tented lodges near Lake Manyara and in the public campings in Serengeti and Ngoro-Ngoro. Our tent was good, but essentially all the tents of any company we saw look the same. In Ngoro-ngoro it can rain, so my suggestion is that the tents should have also a waterproof cover (ours had not, some others had). Finally, it would have been nice to had better chairs to sit for dinner: ours were more like stools. It seems stupid, but it does make the difference after a long day.
Others: I do not recommend stopping to see a Masai village. The experience is very fake and it is all based on money and commerce. We had a quote per person and we were told that we would have been not more than 6 in the car. We were 4 at the end and we think this is really the best number to spare some money and still enjoy. A group of 6 might be a little bit too much, considering the space in the jeep.
Final word: we were really satisfied with our experience with Suricata Safari. We have the impression that the quote we got was ok, compared to what we have heard from other tourists. If you are a first-timer like us in a safari, you will be amazed and you will have no regrets by choosing them and by having Frederick and Dionis as guide/cook.
IL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
worked like a clock and more than we expected
everything worked well, the guide had detailed explanations of nature and animals, lodges were fantastic - as well as Uganda.