FI
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing tourguide Samuel and big five
Quick service by the tour company and good value for the money. We had great time! This budget safari tour was better we could ever have expected. We saw so many animals including big 5 and animals were so close. Right next to our car. Our guide Samuel said that it is all about luck and good timing but we believe that with his 9 year of experience we had even better chance to see all what we saw. Samuel also know so much about all animals and we loved to hear the stories and facts. Big thanks to Samuel, we can highly recommend him to be your tour guide!
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing time!
Our drivers were awesome! They were on time, extremely nice and helpful! We had extra time on one of the trips so they drove us around the city and gave us a tour. They were very knowledgeable about the areas we went to and we always felt safe!!
NL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Kili Slope did it!
We were in between two companies that offer budget safaris with visits to (1) Tarangire National Park, (2) Serengeti National Park, (3) Ngorongoro Conservation Area, as well as (3) Lake Manyara. Eventually, we opted for Kili Slopes, for multiple reasons. Firstly, Kili Slopes promised a slightly more varied tour than its direct competitor. Secondly, the reviews here were very (very!) positive. Thirdly, the Kili Slope staff always responded promptly to any questions we had, and were always very clear about what to expect, for example what was included in the price (lunch, dinner, drinking water, transport from and to hotels, tents, and sleeping bags, etc.) and what wasn’t (e.g. towels). Perhaps relevant to know for potential future customers: As westerners (Europeans), we were quite hesitant to transfer a deposit to an account that – at first sight – appeared to be a personal account rather than a business account. However, the payment went safely and smoothly. So no worries (we would encourage to develop alternative payment methods though, e.g. through a secured website).
While in Tanzania, we had a little bit of a false start, because we needed more than an hour for our pick up from our hotel, despite the assurances of the chauffeur that he was near. We became a bit anxious. The delay turned out to be due to road constructions, so in the end that story made sense. We were more than compensated, though. Every other arrangement was carried out perfectly and with top service. David Maro, the owner of Kili Slopes, turned out to be a warm and cooperative person who listens well to the whishes of his customers. He also has a large social network with many connections throughout the country (and beyond), of which we made use in Zanzibar where we went after our safari. Taxis are crazy expensive there. David also takes good care of his personnel, which we found important. No wonder, because our driver, Francis, and cook, Khalid, were the best hosts we could ever imagine! Apart from Tanzia’s great wilderness, it was the staff and the employees of Kili Slope, who made our safari trip so unforgettable!
As they promised, we saw the big five - and many more species. From close distance we saw them migrating, grazing, resting, feeding, yawning, pooing, peeing etc. This may not come across as very spectacular, but realize… where do you see that in their natural habitat, this spectacular surroundings? Occasionally there was more action we spotted a lion about to attack a herd of antilopes, one going after an baby elephant, while mother elephant was warning the rest group; hyenas walking next to the car, acting as if we didn’t exist, lions eating from the carcass of an hippo, and the like. Francis showed immense respect towards the animals and the nature in general. He told about them and their behaviors with true passion. He was always full of stories and knowledge and often triggered our curiosity by giving us some kind of puzzle or riddle we had to solve, which made the long days traveling very entertaining. On the mountain road from Lake Manyara to Serengeti, for example, he would point to the many holes in the steep walls next to the road. How would ask how come – we think – did they arise. We had no clue of course, so he would and tell us elephants are; they dig them with their trunks. Next, our job was to come up with a reason why they would do such a thing (after which he would tell us this reason, of course, which I won’t tell here. Ask Francis!).
Almost always we had the best spot to capture the animals on film or photo. Either we were first to arrive or Francis knew some kind of alternative spot away from the many other tourist vehicles that could block our view.
Camping was a real adventure. From the first night on, we slept in tents. The first camping site and test can be called luxurious - at least if compared to the other camps and tents. We had a private shower with warm water directly next to our tent, for instance, and light (yes light!). Camping in the desert was a different story. We slept literally next to the hyenas, whose eyes we could see lighting up in the darkness and that were following every single one of us if we would leave the tent. And those who didn’t dare to go out could still notice their presence, either by their smell or by the fact that the garbage bags were torn. We were warned not leave our shoes outside the tent unless we wanted to get them stolen by those animals. Generally, there was no electricity in the desert camping sites, hence no light, and no true kitchen. But, like every other chef, Khalid used a flashlight on his head and fixed a menu on a single gas fire pit (which he needed to bring himself). Despite these ‘handicapping’ circumstances, Khalid was always able to prepare a fantastic meal, often better than the dinners we had in the restaurants in Moshi and Arusha.
One might think that a near $1000 for just a few nights camping under such conditions is much, crazy even, but then please do not forget that a major part is formed by the entrance fees to the national parks (already hundreds of dollars). Actually, it is quite amazing that Kili Slope can offer such a varied tour for such a price!
Tips for future tourists: (1) be prepared; it can be freezing cold at night, for instance! (2) Be realistic; don’t expect you’ll see as much hunting as in those documentaries on National Geographic or Discovery Channel (chances are great you don’t see any kill or even an attempt). A film crew stays there for three months, and often during the great migration, when food is plenty, so that attacks are also plenty. In addition, hours and hours of film material condensed to an hour or two that only shows the highlights, which are thus rare. Realize you are there for 5 days, so expect maybe a few minutes comparable to that documentary material. If more, consider yourself very lucky. The most important thing about safari, we found, is that you’re there, in Africa, surrounded by wild animals, by the exotic smell of the desert, by beautiful colors, by !@# heat !@# and cold!. The experience is that you’re part of that nature (not watching your t.v. with the remote control and pizza slice within reach), (3) realize you’re a guest. I would be curious to read some reviews of guests by safari tour operators, but I expect ratings of people who take budget tours to be more positive (on average) than ratings of people who take luxury tours. Perhaps that can be even considered an additional reason take a budget tour, like the one we took with Kili Slopes. In this regard, the company deserves another compliment. They dealt well with the very … how to say … different personalities on board. Partly as a result of this, we enjoyed our company to the last minute. We hope Francis and Khalid did so too. We thank them, as well as David.
DK
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Murchison Falls National Park by Mette Lund Hougaard
So many beautiful anunals
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
made me glad i was there to experience another life of beauty and authenticity
Our trip was much more than gorilla trekking (which was awesome.) Traveling the roads of Uganda and Rwanda with our guide (Tolbert G), seeing miles of villages, animals and daily life was truly a "spiritual" experience in that life is lived in culture, and US culture is driven much differently. Without American "comforts" and physical abundance, life seems refreshing and honest. I loved it there.
DK
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A big experience
Uganda is a very beautiful and safe contry. Wildlife is a very big experience. We saw elefanter. Giraf. Krokodiller. Leons and many other animals. Also many very beautiful births.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Amazing Adventure
First of all can I say how lovely and helpful everyone was from the beginning to the end. A big thank you to Esther for helping me with all the booking!
I started your joining safari on the 14th October, 2016. Joseph, was our driver/guide. He was amazing, obviously loves his job and went out of his way to make our time enjoyable. I will always remember our day in the Massai Mara where Joseph went to great efforts to find us the big five. He was very knowledgeable about the animals, culture and places. In general everything went smoothly. The swapping of vehicles and tour members was a bit confusing at times but we got used to it. I think I was probably lucky staying with the one driver/car the whole time. I was impressed with all the destinations. The Mara and Amboseli being the highlights. The accommodation was great, I was pleasantly surprised as I had assumed the accommodation would be more basic considering how reasonably priced the trip. I had an amazing time so much so I wanted to keep going and that was organised smoothly for me (thanks again Esther). I would definitely recommend this trip to my friends. If I am ever back in Kenya I would love to do a trip with this company again to other areas.
US
Best Guides on Killi
Everyone at this company is great from the porters to the guides. Herman the company owner and head guide is unbelievable. I felt like he could guide us up the mountain blindfolded that is how many times he has personally reached the summit. They do everything for you but carry you up the mountain. Tents and meals are prepared before you reach camp and they are flexible with pace to ensure safe and the most successful trip possible. I can't say enough about Herman and his guys. They were reccomened to me from a Tanzanian friend and they did not disappoint!!! Go with they guys and have an amazing experience on the way to the top of Africa!!!
IL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A week in a National Geographic movie
Everything worked out perfectly from the first email we've sent until the drop off to the airport on the last morning. Everyone was very nice in every place we went to.
Our guide, Deogratius was a wonderful. Kind, patient and very knowledgeable with eyes of an eagle! He spotted so many animals before any other guides! Thanks to him we were the first jeep seeing two cheetahs, later seeing elephants drinking in a pond and so on. And were so lucky to see a rhino mother with her baby! Incredible.
CA
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
the trip of a lifetime
Our trip exceeded all of our expectations. Our destinations as selected by Kathi ( Capetown/Stellenbosch/Victoria Falls/Botswana) were all extraordinarily interesting and beautiful. Our guides, to a man, were knowledgable/accommodating and obviously loved their work. If I ever return to South Africa I would only patronise African Welcome Safaris !