US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great safari!
I did a lot of research and made several inquiries before deciding to go with Grace and Awaken to Africa. It was a great decision. Grace had so much first-hand experience, and she patiently answered our questions and provided recommendations and tips that were spot on! I also liked the fact that the company was jointly owned by Grace in the U.S. who covers the planning, and David, a Tanzanian, who owns the ground operations in Africa. Grace's attention to detail and her communication skills were top notch. I felt very comfortable that she had covered all the bases and prepared us well.
We stayed a night just outside of Arusha, then spent the next 8 nights at 4 different camps across the Northern circuit with our Awaken to Africa naturalist guide, Albert. He was very personable, knowledgeable and a great spotter and tracker of animals. He not only had a keen memory of all the roads but also of all the bumps and dips! Of course we saw both the Big Five and the Mara river crossing a number of times. We also happened to see 2 lion kills in action just a couple of hours apart! Albert was always on top of things, and seemed to be thinking two steps ahead. He was also quick to smile and laugh, and very accommodating. We felt safe and very well taken care of with Albert. He was such an enjoyable person to be around.
The time of the year is very important to picking the optimum locations to visit, and Grace suggested wonderful accommodations for us to choose from. Also important is unlimited mileage to make the most of the safari drives - Awaken to Africa has no limitations. And the overall key factor to a successful safari is the guide, and we were very lucky to have Albert as ours. Our Safari was memorable and even more than we hoped for. A big thank you to Awaken to Africa!
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Endless Summer Tours provide that "special experience" just for you
All our queries were answered patiently. Payment methods were arranged to our satisfaction. Tremendous personal service. We were met at the airport and taken straight to St Lucia & were on a river trip viewing hippo, crocs,Fish eagles and African kingfishers before the end of the evening. Excellent B&B, fantastic food. Then on to Umfolozi - Our indefatigable guide showed us elephant before we even entered the park. Great lodge accommodation (elephant and nyala below our balcony), good food, memorable barbecue by starlight and hours & hours of game viewing and animal photo-opportunities with our skilled, knowledgeable and tireless guide.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Best experience ever
This was an outstanding service who were happy to serve our every need. Changes in schedule and location were handled without issue and the prices were very reasonable for such a great trip.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wow! What a Trip!!
Having been to Mana Pools, ZM (twice) on safari, I was a bit underwhelmed when my sister and sis-in-law invited me to join their intrepid group of safari newbies on a trip to Kruger N.P. The thought of sitting all day in a 4 x 4, without getting out and about on foot made me pessimistic about this trip.
It was with this preconception that I reached Skukuza and made contact with P.K. Safaris – well, Bernhard Bekker, Proprietor….and Hennie, his assistant and younger brother to be exact.
What I experienced over the next 5 days all but blew away the preconceived notions that I had arrived with!
These guys were awesome! They were great guides, knowledgeable about local wildlife and viewing conditions. They knew the areas extremely well, were obviously well connected with other fellow professionals – there was a continuous two-way flow of information re: wildlife sightings – which meant that they were able to rapidly deploy to these specified locations, enabling our group to see and experience some truly memorable moments. Up until this trip, my long standing disappointment had been that I had been unable to see leopards and cheetahs in their natural environment…. whilst the cheetah still remains elusive, the Bekkers (and PK Safaris!) managed to get us to seven different leopard encounters! Truly outstanding moments include:
• a stalking leopard lying in wait in a bush near a waterhole…. for unsuspecting impala to come to the water’s edge…we held our collective breaths for an attack – which unfortunately did not materialise (the wind changed and the spooked impala bolted)! Notwithstanding this, the drama of the situation was rewarding in itself, not to mention the numerous photographs it generated
• a leopard that had dragged a fresh impala kill up a tree…and proceeded to gorge itself in full view of this awestruck group…!
Apart from multiple sightings of small prides of lions, Bernhard and Hennie also contrived to serve us not one, but two encounters with separate pairs of mating lions!
I am an amateur wildlife photographer, with some experience behind me….and it quickly became apparent that Bernhard was an expert photographer himself. He shared his expertise with me, and my less experienced fellows unselfishly, and with equal enthusiasm… If any of us required a different viewing angle – or needed to repeat a botched shot – it was never too much…these guys moved those vehicles to optimal or desired positions….and their Nissan off roaders are fitted with gimbals (GimPro equipment) which long lens enthusiasts will see as a huge bonus!
In addition to the above, we managed a surfeit of giraffe and Kudu, a smattering of sable, nyala and bush buck, blue wildebeest, wonderful trysts with a Variable Sunbird, lilac breasted rollers, saddle billed and marabou storks, fish eagles, a gymnogene, bateleurs, a tawny eagle, and snake eagles….and many elephants (the place was awash with them!) …. not to mention the (black and white) rhino sightings!
Last but not the least, Bernhard and Hennie are great fun! Self-deprecating wit, acerbic humour, and an awfully good thick skin to be the butt of a joke – they had these traits in big dollops, ensuring a hilarious few days! AND…. they serve a great braai!!
I give this outfit 5 Big Stars! I heartily recommend them to any who read this…. You will not regret hiring them for your safari trip and game drives!
Here’s wishing you all Happy Safari Days and Wildlife viewing!!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent 3 week Zanzibar holiday
East Cape Tours organised the most fantastic 3 week self-drive round-trip in Zanzibar.
We were picked up from the airport and transferred to Stone Town, where we spent 3 nights. Then we had a hire car delivered to our hotel and we proceeded to travel all around the coast of this beautiful island for the next 2 and a half weeks.
It is one of the best holidays I've ever had, every detail was planned perfectly. All excursions and trips were booked for us according to our preferences, and their choice of accommodation was brilliant. I can't wait to return.
I would definitely recommend East Cape Tours.
BO
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Marvelous Safari Experience at Kruger
The hotel is placed across the river where you will see wildlife coming to drink in the mornings/evenings. Specialized personnel will take you around the private park and if you have scheduled visits to Kruger, they will take you and guide you through it. I must say my wife and I were really delighted by the attention and the service in every aspect and would gladly return if we have the chance. The agency timely worked out all problems that we experienced, which were not serious anyway (the drive did not show up timely at OR Tambo airport and things like that). Overall, five stars to the experience and to how it was organized.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Good experience
Ryan was very prompt in replying to my emails and very accommodating of our requests to customise our 15 day tour of eastern South Africa. He was very knowledgeable about the wildlife and particularly the birdlife of the areas we visited. The accommodation he booked for us lived up to and sometimes surpassed our expectations. It was a combination of lodges and luxury tents. Overall we had a very memorable and enjoyable safari tour and I would certainly recommend this company.
FI
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
We were very happy with all the arrangements.
The whole tour more than filled our expectations. Our guide Said was very professional and could tell us a lot about the wildlife.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great service, seamless and easy safari
I arranged a 3 day, 2 night safari from Nairobi to the Massai Mara with Joseph simply through email. I only gave him like half a day's notice (honestly we were emailing the night before we had planned to go on safari) and Joseph was able to put us together with a guide and hotel (a specific one we requested, Sarova Mara) in record time. He met us at our hotel at the time we suggested, introduced us to our driver, and was extremely responsive by text messages and emails. I was very impressed that an operation that could be so easily worked with by email could also deliver such great results. The arrangement is that tour operators like Joseph pair you with a driver who goes with you to the lodge and is your main touchpoint for the whole tour. You plan your drive times with the driver, get advice, etc. Ours (whose name I can't remember, sorry!) was funny, helpful, nice, and gave good advice on drive times so that we saw all of the animals we had hoped for. Joseph's office has already booked your hotel rooms etc, so your agreement/arrangements are all through the tour company, not the hotel. This made our lodge stay very comfortable, as we felt totally relaxed and not like we were dealing with money all trip. The lodge (Sarova Mara) was excellent with good buffet food, gorgeous tents, good service, and WIFI. I found our experience to be a great value for money .
Joseph did request that we pay in cash for our stay which made me quite nervous/was a bit of a hassle in Nairobi but we agreed on half up front and the rest after the trip which I appreciated and ended up being just fine. Joseph also went out of his way to get us receipts for our hotel stay which we needed for some accounting issues. I really appreciated his dedication-we had a great time and I would recommend his services to anyone.
BE
I liked the gorilla in Uganda.
I travelled with Africa Uzuri Safaris to see the gorillas in Bwindi. I had a fantastic time. Thank you Edris for responding to my emails promptly and making the arrangements professionally. It was an enjoyable trip.