20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
1 Day Gorilla Trek - Rwanda
We had a brilliant experience with Katona Tours. Jackie was professional through the booking process and followed up with us after the tour which we thought was a nice touch. Elias was our guide and absolutely lovely. He was punctual, made our day so special and we absolutely loved the actual trek and would recommend to anyone looking to spend some time with mountain Gorillas.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
An Adventure that Exceeded Expectations
Working with Martin Smith of Kingfisher Safaris was a delight. The planning was a joint effort with his expertise and my enthusiasm. He added so much to the planning in the way of knowledge, experience, familiarity, and travel wisdom. Everything he planned happened - we were met on time, drivers were polite and helpful, we were expected at each camp, and every detail was attended to. We were two senior women, traveling alone for eleven days in Namibia. We felt safe and secure, with a back-up in Martin if we needed one. Which we didn't. I will definitely plan my next safari adventure with Kingfisher Safaris!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The Trip of a Lifetime!!
Words can not discribe the unbelievable Safari we had and it's all thanks to Maurice for organising a great itinerary and Jones (Muli) our Guide/Driver for not only meeting, but by far exceeding our wildest expectation of what our first African Safari would be like! We especially went in SEP to witness the great Wilderbeast migration in the Maasai Mara, and what a spectacle it was! What we did not realise was that we would see mating Lions, Cheetahs chasing and killing a Wilderbeast, a lone Waterbuffalo charging 4 Lionesses with their 12 cubs and the list goes on! Driving to several different areas and parks in Kenya was great, as they were all quite different from one another and we got to see the beautiful countryside and got more of a feel for the country and it's people. We fell in love with Africa and hope to be returning in the next few years to explore other parts and will definitely be asking Maurice to once again organise another awesome and epic adventure for us!
BR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very positive experience
The experience positive started before the safari since Lennox always replied to my questions quite instantly. I did the 3-day Maasai Mara. Our guide was John, who was very easygoing and informative. He did very well during the game drive trying to find the big5. The accommodation was beyond my expectations. A high point was the optional visit to a maasai village. I was picked and dropped back to the hotel. This was a really good experience, which I really recommend.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Off2Africa Travel arranged our entire visit to Victoria Falls, which went seamlessly
Off2Africa Travel provided excellent advice and options for our trip to Victoria Falls, as well as keeping us informed and advising of any potential issues we may have encountered on our visit to Zimbabwe.
We thoroughly our time at Victoria Falls. The Safari Lodge was very good, service was excellent, particularly Michele at guest services who assisted my wife with a stomach upset. George at the restaurant was also very good. Rooms were small and lacked a second chair and enough luggage storage space as we did not unpack but apart from that and some minor maintenance they were fine and there was a lot of activity at the waterhole which we overlooked which offset the other issues.
BOMA dinner was OK, however, I think we left early and may have missed some of the performance. This was due in part to my wife's stomach upset, however, also to a lack of a program being provided, and we declined a round of drinks and the waitress asking if we wanted to finalise our bill.
Flight of Angels was a very slick operation and we came off buzzing after a first time in a helicopter for one of us after sitting next to the pilot. Really a must do to get a true appreciation of the falls and geography.
Transfers were excellent, we also did a village tour which was very good and the sunset cruise which was OK, however, I think we had been spoilt be African sunsets and wildlife by then.
Off2Africa Travel provided valuable assistance for what was part of one of the best holidays we have had.
FR
Review about Mikumi National Park by Claude
Beautiful and very close to dar es salaam
FR
Amazing Mikumi
Mikumi is a such wonderful Park. So close to Dar Es Salaam and so rich in wildlife. We spent a night in the Park and it was amazing.
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Vacation of a lifetime
We were actually first introduce to the Kimaro's through the TV show House Hunters International. I wrote down their names and 6 years later decided to call them up. It is the best decision we ever made. There is so much planning to arrange for a trip of this magnitude, and Brenda did a wonderful job of communicating what we needed to do, as well as devloping our itinerary. She is very organized and very detailed in her communications. We really didn't have any idea what to expect from the safari, but from day one when we met Kakasii at the airport we are felt we were great hands. Kakasii and Ezekiel our guides are such wonderful people, we felt like we were part of their family and always felt safe. The safari itself was incredible, day 1 we were 4 feet from a wild elephant eating in a field and 15 feet from lion cubs and its mother, it just got better from there. Through Tarangire National Park, Ngorongoro crater, and the Serengeti, it was all amazing and very different. We were also taken to areas where the crowds were not as bad and both Kakasii and Ezekiel did a great job providing details about annimals, sites and Tanzanian culture. We also had the opportunity to experience Tanzanian culture by spending time at a Masai village and a day at Kakasii's family farm. What a wonderful experience that was, it still resenates in our hearts when we reflect back. Kakasii could also run for mayor, everyone seems to know him no matter where we went. Through this entire safari we were treated like family and felt loved, to the point where it was difficult to say our goodbyes at the end. We highly recommend Tanzanian Choice Safaris as your choice for a safari adventure. Thank you Brenda and Kakasii!
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Most incredible experience - ever!
Just returned home from a 5 day unforgettable Safari experience and can't believe what an amazing time we had. The trip was absolutely incredible and it was one of the greatest experiences of my life as it exceeded every expectation and more. I can't thank Shadows of Africa enough specifically Jake McCormick, Safari Specialist, who helped plan an amazing adventure. Jake was very helpful from the start. He was easy to correspond with, was prompt in response, he pointed out things we overlooked and he made suggestions that he thought were fitting and he constantly updated and emailed detailed descriptions of our trip as we kept amending our itinerary. The best part about Jake was that he never pressured us to do anything as he fully answered all our questions in length and because of his professionalism and knowledge Jake laid the groundwork for an amazing journey so if you are reading this Jake, thank you again for all your help!
While Jake deserves so much credit for handling the logistics and the administrative stuff it was "Dickson" our assigned tour guide who carried out the journey of a lifetime but before meeting Dickson and prior to our arrival I have to admit we were little apprehensive because while everything looked great on paper unfortunately our overall research did reveal a few horror stories such as tourist being denied entry with Visa issues or tour companies ripping off tourist, so, here we were, half way around the world, a few bags in hand, a Tanzania guide book, terrible cell service and all we had was a piece of paper saying we booked a tour with Shadows of Africa and thankfully as promised we were greeted at the airport with a smile and transported to our first destination in Arusha and then the following day we met our tour guide Dickson.
After meeting Dickson we geared up and hit the road. Everything was going as planned. We were very happy. We took lots of pictures along the way and then settled into a 5 hour drive and within an hour we realized that the person driving the vehicle was going to become a very instrumental part of this experience and it turned out we were right. Dickson was a true professional. He's experienced in both game tracking and navigation which is important because you don't want to get lost in the middle of the Serengeti as some guides do. Dickson added his own touch by carefully explaining animals habits and tendencies which was both informative and educational. He was friendly with all the other drivers. All kinds of people took a liking to him which great to see. In the bush, he had a keen eye for spotting Lions and he was always well aware of his surroundings. It was really also great to see that Dickson truly respects the environment and it's habitat and as he is a true conservationist at heart. He's very observant, he's really smart. He takes a lot of pride being from Tanzanian and he really respects when people value and respect his land. Dickson is truly the real deal. Aside from all that the one thing that stands out the most is that Dickson made us feel safe and secure during this adventure because make no mistake a drive to the Serengeti and through the Serengeti is rough, rugged, dirty and raw. The terrain is unforgiving. A true professional is needed. Dickson was a pro. And with that I just want to thank Shadows Of Africa for putting so much responsibility and trust in someone like Dickson as he provided a safe and secure viewing experience. It was the ultimate. Thank you Shadows and thank you Dickson. I just wanna add one last thing, if you're looking for a band new safari vehicle that's air-conditioned and luxury oriented you need not apply but if you're looking for an authentic, vintage, rough around the edges, the real deal experience feel safe to put your faith in Shadows of Africa and request Dickson who's one cool cat.
Passionate, experienced tour operators
Dani and Brandon were extremely hospitable and shared their passion for Kruger with us every day. They tailored the experience to our interests, and every detail was taken care of.