IN
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about South Africa by sharonpe
The conservation initiatives of the South Africans are well known and respected around the world. I have been in safaris in two other continents and they have not been as well organized and considerate of the wildlife. Everyone knows about the "Big Five", but there is a great respect for many of the other species with a clear objective to minimize animal-human conflict as much as possible while also confronting the very real and dire issue of poaching. The diversity of wildlife, as well, make the safari experience in Kruger a fascinating and amazing experience. Don't forget to bring your camera - you will have ample opportunity to take great shots! In terms of hotels and restaurant services, SA offers very good value for tourists. The standards are very high and the South Africans are very friendly people.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Kenya by Saloni
Safari in Kenya feels authentic, unlike many other safari destinations such as South Africa, India or Thailand. Animals are not tagged, so the search for them feels exciting and real. The parks are designed to protect the animals from overexposure to tourist cars and an effort to preserve the natural feel for their habitat is evident.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best experience ever!
Odyssey Safaris gets my highest recommendation, especially if you have James (Kiarie) as your driver/guide. Booking was easy, thanks to an efficient staff. Mark responded quickly to all our many questions, and Beatrice (in Kenya) was invaluable in helping prepare for the trip. The safari exceeded our highest expectations. Nothing is better than seeing wild animals in their natural habitat! Our driver/guide Kiarie took excellent care of us, making sure that all our needs were met, and was very knowledgeable about the area and wildlife. We appreciated being in a small group of four as it made our experience far better than being in a larger group. The lodges we stayed in were very good, as was the food. We've traveled with tours before and have to say that this was the best of the best. We hope to return to Kenya next year and if we do, we definitely will book with Odyssey and ask for Kiarie! Ten stars all the way around.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Magical Zambia
Many thanks to Rose who organised our trip to Zambia. This was a 50th Birthday holiday and we had never been on safari, so needed lots of guidance. We told Rose roughly what we would like to do and she suggested several options. Every question we emailed was answered the same day. She helped us every step of the way; booking flights, hotels, transfers and also couriers through airports when needed. This was very useful and fast tracked! Rose arranged Tongabezi Camp in Livingstone for three days for the Victoria falls. Then onto Lower Zambezi to Baines and Sausage Tree camp for four days in each. All had lovely staff with professional and knowledgeable guides. We did canoeing, fishing, went on lots of game drives, sunrise/sunset boat cruises and learnt so much about animal life, and Zambia. Everything was magical, luxurious and went very smoothly. We highly recommend Rose and The Luxury Safari Company. Thanks again.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Safari - as we like it!
We booked our "once in a lifetime" trip with Gondwana in October 2015 to celebrate my husband's significant birthday in May 2016 - Botswana being a destination that we have both wanted to visit for years. We researched on line and felt that Gondwana offered the best value for money, took care of all issues eg: transfers and did not pressurise us into doing anything we did not want to. Their knowledge of lodges and game viewing was much better than we could ever have managed; they have sourced suppliers that are not necessarily mainstream and therefore keen to guarantee customer satisfaction. Communication with us was good, very detailed information pack that included inoculations etc. When booking on line there is always the risk of payment without delivery and Gondwanda did not disappoint. All accommodation was of a very high standard, staff friendly, knowledgeable without being patronising and with a good sense of humour. We recommend Gondwana to our friends and would certainly use them again.
SG
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Two-thumbs up!
It took me a while to find the right tour operator to assist in making my African safari dream come true. I am glad that I found Pembury Tours. They are prompt in responding to my first query and from then on everything was a breeze thanks to Tammy. Tammy put together an itinerary that met my budget and expectations. I had many questions of course, which Tammy answered patiently and promptly. Her patience and ability to come up with solutions to my queries were very much appreciated. When we were in Africa, Tammy was always there to respond to our queries - even on weekends! Her dedication and commitment in making sure that my friend and I had a pleasant trip is commendable. We had a magical and amazing time at the safari (Umlani Bush Camp) and Avani at Victoria Falls. An experience that will always have a special place in our heart.
Thank you Tammy and Pembury Tours for making our African dreams come true. When Africa ever calls again, I will be sure to be in touch with them to assist in planning my trip.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A very pleasant experience
Maggie and her team understand what customer service is all about. We booked our safari with them online after reviewing other customer reviews. They did not disappoint . The safari was wonderful and met all of our expectations. From our courteous and flexible driver John to the glorious pool at the lodge, we enjoyed the full safari experience. I highly recommend them if you’re planning on going to Kenya for a Safari.
US
Mt Meru climb and safari tour
We took a 7 day Meru trek and Safari with Trekili in Feburary 2014. We were very happy with the quality of service we received, and would highly recommend them. Trekili was not the cheapest expedition company we looked at, but once you get there you will realize that it is not really possible to be any cheaper without cutting some serious corners, so be very careful with any companies that quote you significantly less!
Joseph was very helpful, being a former guide himself he knows all the details about where to go and what to do at different times of the year. He worked with us the whole time to plan our itinerary together, and during the trip made sure that everything was going well. On top of that, we did everything that was promised in the itinerary, exactly as described. You hear stories about companies that shortchange people after the tour is booked, but Trekili delivered on everything.
Trip:
We hiked Meru in 3 days (beautiful mountain, high quality cabins to stay at, the last day (summit and all the way down) was very difficult, but well worth it), Ngorongoro (amazing! best place to go on a short time budget), Ndutu to see the migration (not really necessary, as the migration was everywhere), and Serengeti (highly recommended, authentic, beautiful views of African plains).
Guides:
Our Meru guide, Dixon is sure footed and nice, somewhat quiet, but knows the mountain well.
Jeff, the cook, was very friendly, has a warm personality and is a great cook. There was always am incredible amount and selection of food. Our safari guide Harry is a great driver. He drove very carefully, and slowed down in the places where the roads got bad. This was really reassuring as we saw some Land Cruisers go barreling out of control over rocky terrain, and there were lots of tour companies broken down on the side. The road quality is bad! so this is really important. He was also very knowledgeable and nice and told us lots of cool things about the animals we saw. In all, all our of crew were great. Maybe their English was not at the same level as some of the other guides we saw from the premium companies, but we had no communication problems the whole time.
Equipment:
Our equipment was superb quality. We had one of the best land cruisers that we saw from any of the Trekking companies! It had a big pop up roof and an electric cooler for water, and the whole thing looked to be in great shape. The hotel in Arusha (the Jacaranda) exceeded expectations. Even though we had the budget/camping tour, Joseph did not cut any corners here. It has nice rooms and a pretty shaded restaurant.
The tents we camped in were great- clean, new looking and a good size for 2 people.
Complaints:
As I said we were very happy with the tour, but here are just some things to be aware of:
Carry at least a couple liters of water for the hikes, it was not made clear to us when we would have access to the water purifier (only at night!) The walking tour was a bit commercial (we were taken to various places to buy souvenirs being made by local people) personally, I would skip that part the next time.
Tipping can be confusing and stressful. There was a lack of communication about the ranger and number of porters that we actually had on the trek (many you never see!), we found that we had no idea what to tip, and the ranger we were assigned was unfortunately quite rude when he felt short changed (even though we tipped the recommended amount on the website). We seemed to be the last to leave in the morning from the campsites. Would have loved to get an earlier start to see the animals. Anyway, these were all minor details that were not specific to our tour company. We had a great trip and highly recommend Trekili!
FR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Simple to arrange, everything went entirely according to plan
Found our safari through Safari bookings and then selected Thorn Bush as the agent to book a mixed Sabi Sands and Kruger experience. The safari itself was with Tydon Safaris. Organisation with Michelle at Thornbush all worked perfectly including some relatively complex logistics on arrival. Safari itself was great - had our big 5 all done within 18 hours of arriving !
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Experience
It was indeed a great experience. Joshua (driver/guide) did a great job showing us many animals at Masai Mara, including 4 of the big 5. John (organizer) was very responsive to my E-mails, accommodated the payment methods I chose, and our last minute reservation.
We took the cheapest option, and the accommodation was not that bad. The tent is elevated, so you're not on the ground; here's an ensuite bathroom; no wifi; electricity is only for a couple hours in the morning and then 6.30-10pm. The tents were clean, bugs free.
Would do it again.