US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Trip Perfect in all Ways
We just returned from a 15 day trip to Tanzania, Kenya and Cape Town all arranged by Born Free Safaris. The sights and animals were unbelievable. Alana and her team put together the perfect trip. All arrangements were spot on and we were met everywhere by personable and helpful guides.There was not one hiccup on the entire trip. They took time to listen to our goals and tailored the trip to us. Would use them again in a flash.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wonderful trip in Kenya
We just came back from 6 days safari game drive in Kenya. This is our second time doing game drive there and we had a wonderful time. John organized the tour for us. The accommodations were great. Kennedy was our driver. He was excellent. We saw a lot of animals (big 5 in one trip) which was amazing. This is our 4th safari trip and the only time we got to see big 5 in one trip. Kennedy suggested us to do boat safari in the lake on our way to Masai mara and that was great. We saw so many hippos. We had great experiences with this tour company and we would use it again for our next safari trip in Tanzania. Thanks John and Kennedy!!!!
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
September 2017 Delta and Dunes
Note: silly web site won't permit me to write in Caps, so some items (i.e. Deet) will read strangely, and it's not due to illiteracy.
My wife and I went in September 2017. Temps were high 60s to ~100F in the desert, and 50s-60s around Swakopmund. We had 10 people on our team, to include guide and cook. Any more than this and you're going to be very cramped in the bus. If you're near the 15-person capacity in the back, your trip will be a sardine can. Your experience may vary considerably from our own, so review weather trends beforehand and use careful judgment when packing. I reiterate - below is a short archive of my own experiences. If your own views and experience vary from ours, we're entitled to our own perspectives. I’ve broken this review out into 3 sections: packing list, suggestions (emphatic ones are identified with asterisks), and an abbreviated breakdown of our trip experience.
The asterisks denotes critical packing items.
Packing list:
*2L water bottle, ideally with easy means to carry it. Ensure its mouth is small enough to drink from when on very bumpy roads, or when walking
D-rings/carabiners of various sizes
Fleece sweater
Thermal top and bottom
*Hiking shoes
Water shoes
*Flip-flops
*1 large cans of Deet per person (don't have a percentage concentration that will ruin artificial fabric).
Malaria meds for Okavango and Etosha
*Pepto or Imodium
*2 rolls of Toilet paper
*Sun block
*Small flashlight or headlamp w extra batteries
Swimsuit
Packable camping pillow
50' of 550 cord (aka parachute cord)
If you bring your phone along, bring your charger with applicable international adapter (ensure it has USB plug as well, since it's universal)
I brought 2 fully-charged Dizual 5000 mAh solar cells to charge batteries for my phone and camera
Camera with enough batteries & memory (some of us took a few hundred photos, I took 3500).
Camera cleaning equipment to remove dust and sand particles
Band-Aids and mole skin
Swiss Army knife w/ scissors
*Baby wipes
Small container of laundry detergent
Laundry bag
Scarf/large bandana (for cold weather or soaking in water/ice water to wear on your neck when it's really hot)
Several 1-gallon zip lock bags
Notebook and several pens
Poncho/raincoat that's packable and can be worn as wind breaker in cold temps
Shirts, pants/shorts that dry quickly
*Small towel (consider camp towel or sham-wow)
Sunglasses
*Broad fabric floppy hat
Lighter
Sewing kit
Plastic shopping bags from grocery store for dirty laundry or storing dirty shoes among clothes
Antihistamine cream
Benadryl
Sting reliever
*Standard toiletry kit
*Sleeping bag, or you can rent one from Wild-Dog for 350 Namib Dollars (ND) (~$25 USD)
Sun shade with suction cups (to stick to windows)
Reading material adequate for 2-weeks
$300 USD-worth of ND or South African Rand (Rand is usable in both Namibia and Botswana) to buy beer, wine, water, and other incidentals along the way
$800-1000 USD
Tip: You'll want to buy at least two 5L water bottles (per person) at any grocery store stop early in your trip and keep them at camp or on the bus. It costs about 7.5 ND to refill, or 19 ND for a new bottle. Water quality was 100%, nobody got sick or had questionable water at any time. The refilling point in grocery stores looked like a tall, pretty aquarium. When brushing teeth, water at camp sites was usually potable, but it's advisable to ask every time. Do not drink water out of the Okavango, even if you see the locals do it.
Tip: **Expect to set up your own tent (with help), and to help around the camp in general. This is a courtesy to your peers, and permits your cook/guide to set up the common area and begin cooking sooner. If you don't contribute, you're going to understandably earn some frustration from your team, whom you often rely on. Avoid this mistake, and get your hands a bit dirty like everybody else. You're on a safari...not Club Med. If you're unwilling to work a bit, this safari isn't for you...you'll need to hit the Accommodated safari option instead. After a few days we were all able to set and break down the tent mostly by ourselves within about 5 minutes, then moved on to help others. So I humbly ask that you suck it up and do what you've got to do. This camaraderie added to the fun of the experience.**
Tip: I had one large hiking pack, a day pack, and a sleeping pack, the latter of which was shared with my wife. Large hiking pack contained everything clothes related, with underwear and socks at one side, shirts in the middle, and pants/shorts at the other end. I also carried a dirty laundry bag in this. This permitted me to see at a glance to see what I was short on and could do laundry. I could also grab clothes in the dark if necessary. Day pack will hold your book, camera and lenses, binoculars, notebook, money, essential toiletries, and water. Sleeping pack contained everything I needed to sleep to include pillow, stolen airline blanket, etc. Afterward it began carrying gifts I'd bought.
Tip: There are some people along the way that will help your group for the short term, as noted below. From my standpoint, one of the reasons for my tourism to Namibia is to help with the local economy a bit. That's not to say I had out money freely...BuT...when people helped our group out, the only viable reciprocation for their work was money. I'll state below when/where we tipped, and how much was given.
Tip: The safari company provided ~2” sleeping pads free of charge, labeled with our names using masking tape. After a few days the tape came off and the pads were fair game between us. Some I used were good, others somewhat useless. If you have a bad back, request that Wild-Dog provide you a second one as well.
Tip: Food options are plenty. For each safari meal, we had bread, meat, coffee/tea, vegetables, etc. We had two folks in our group that were vegetarians and they were accommodated as well. Breakfasts are usually cereal (muesli-style) with yogurt or milk, sometimes eggs, etc. Lunch on the go was usually cold-meat sandwiches, salad, and fruit. I'm borderline hypoglycemic and I did just fine for food the entire time. You can supplement your meals by buying chips, snacks, etc at grocery stores that we hit frequently.
Day 1, they picked us up from the hotel and took us to Wild-Dog to introduce us to our guide (Gabriel) and cook (Abby). I've been told by a friend that Milner and Matthew are a fabulous crew, too. They pointed out coffee/tea area, bathrooms and the vehicle. Some vehicles apparently have A/C. Ours did not, so windows were actively used. We were briefed that morning on the overall route. Every evening after dinner you're briefed on the following day's activities and the route. Pay attention on what direction you're driving for the next day because it'll give you the edge on seat selection. The good seats are away from the sun. I liked the back row because I could stretch my legs out, and had a bit more storage space. Alternative here is the sun shade mentioned above. Anyhow, get accustomed to using the bathroom when you can, and if you're able to adjust your toilet cycle, try shooting for first thing in the morning, or immediately after breakfast, as it gets it out of the way before activities begin. This especially applies during game drives. First day's destination is pretty far, (550 km) and in the middle of the Kalahari (middle of nowhere) but interesting vegetation and fauna are around.
Day 2, in the morning we packed, broke down tents, then were guided by two Bushmen into the bush for a brief introduction to indigenous learnings. I was skeptical in the beginning but came away very impressed. He discussed how they thrived before "developed man" came along. Fascinating to see how adapted they are. We tipped him 150 ND, because we felt it was appropriate. Then back into the bus and we crossed into Botswana (remember your pen for filling out the form repeatedly) and reached Guma Lodge on the Okavango. Keep Deet handy. Set tents, unpacked. Generally regarded as the favorite camp site for the whole trip. Opportunity for laundry (detergent and 550 cord). Terrific view of the sun set. Plenty of beer here, good people. ****If you decide to take a flight on the helicopter, I urge you to avoid low-altitude flying, even going so far as asking the pilot to be at least 100 feet above ground level, especially if you have more than one passenger flying. Trust me on this one – there’s precedent here.****
Day 3, break camp, pack, load 3-days’ worth of your gear onto a boat. The rest stays behind safely at the lodge. They boat you a good distance into the lagoon then transload everything into mokoros (canoes). Keep camera, hat and water handy. Using poles they push the mokoros into channels (formed by hippos) in the papyrus. After a good while you reach the island you'll be staying, unpack and set camp. You wander while lunch is prepared. In the afternoon you relax, watch birds, and read. Sleep at 9.
****Do not drink too much of anything during or after dinner****.
Wife had to use the bathroom at 2am and we had hippo and elephant very close: two animal species you don't want to surprise in the dark. Hippo kill more humans than any other mammal on the continent. By the way, bathroom was a metal tube frame with a toilet seat attached, and a hole dug in the ground about 50' from camp. It's primitive, but effective. Through dumb luck and poor judgment she managed to pee without issue, but as soon as we zipped the tent, had 3 hippo within 50-75' snort loudly. It felt like a reminder that we're on their turf, and needed to be mindful of potential risks.
Day 4, took mokoros into bush for a 2 hour walk. At one point we heard deep grunts very close through the papyrus, rounded the corner and saw a group of 12 hippo. The bull was huge. They were ~50 yards from us. After the walk, on the way back to camp, went into an area that was very tangled with papyrus, so we backtracked 50 yards and rerouted. Suddenly we saw a solitary bull elephant from behind at about 200 yards. He casually walked onto the nearby island and disappeared. We dug into thick papyrus, opened into a lagoon and the elephant was right there again, this time eating palm. Pleasant evening mokoro ride to see the sunset. You wouldn't think so, but the gentlemen handling the mokoros worked incredibly hard for 3 days straight. The group agreed to chip in some money as a Thank You for their terrific work. **Advice on how to do this: get 1 person out of your group to agree to handle the money. When everybody (who wants to) chips in, as soon as you get to the lodge and you're parting company, shaking hands with the gentlemen who helped with the mokoros, the money should be handed to the senior mokoro guy, and letting him decide how to divide the sums. Tell the whole group of mokoro people that this is a token of thanks for their terrific help. Anything else risks making things very awkward among the mokoro folks. I believe we paid $5/person. This got divided by an estimated 10-12 people.
Day 5, pack, break camp, return to Guma lodge. Unpack, set camp. Several hours to collect all belongings left behind and organize, bird watch, etc. After dark did boat ride to see wildlife - bring a fleece. Expect crocs, birds.
Day 6, pack, break camp, head north to Nkwazi Camp on the Angolan border. I missed an opportunity to cross the river into Angola by 20 minutes. If you want to go, be decisive. It's just for bragging rights and nothing more. You can set your tent a bit later, since there's down-time. The bar attendants will ask whether you want to see the locals dance in their indigenous style, for a fee, and we agreed. Had very nice dinner (we had to pay for it), saw a beautiful spotted genet within 3' of me (fed on small plate of food scraps). After dinner we were led to the dance pit. There were two bongo players and about 10-12 dancers. It was an enjoyable experience. There was ambiguity on who to pay after the dance, so after the routine was completed we paid the dancer who appeared to have the most experience, and provided a bit extra since work is sparse out there - they rely on this method of making an income and I wasn't going to impinge on that.
Day 7, pack, break camp, drove W to east side of Etosha Park, to a camp site named Namutoni. We immediately noticed ~10 foot fence all around the compound. After registering for a camp site, we set camp, unpacked, then headed out on a game drive. We saw many zebra, sable in the distance, kudu, many impala, and hippo. Saw one black rhino very close. Return to camp for lunch and a swim in the pool.
Day 8, 3 different game drives, with varying degrees of success. There was one that was a long drive which had incredible numbers of animals out there. We were all so mesmerized that we stayed probably 2.5 hours. Remember to use the bathroom prior to these game drives.
Day 9, pack, break camp, drove W to the W side of Etosha Park, to a camp site named Okaukuejo. Camp here is decent, and the perk is a fantastic water hole in your backyard. You can view it from approx. 400 yards from the camp. They have lights situated so you can view the hole throughout the night. We saw 6 black rhino, many elephants, giraffe, lion, etc. Amazing experience.
Day 10, pack, break camp, drove W toward Twyfelfontein. Hit a petrified forest, where they had big fallen trees. Beautiful specimens here. Arrived to Twyfelfontein and viewed the petroglyphs of hunt maps, dating back to 2000-6000 years. Twyfelfontein was beautiful, arid, and left an unusual foreboding feeling. Like something out of Tatoine (Star Wars). The location it was set in had a heavy, strange feel to it. Drove WSW to Cape Cross. Temps dropped to the 50's here. Have your fleece and maybe wind breaker available. Big seal colony, smelled very bad. After an hour, drove on to Swakopmund. Checked into apartments called Lifestyle Apartments. The apartment for a couple is fabulous, has a loft on the second floor, fully accommodated. The team went out for dinner each night. Kuki's Pub had pretty good food, but accuracy in service was a minor challenge given their work load. I'd read that The Tug was good, but it's a mess; it's packed with patrons. Your guides will need to set a reservation ahead of time for this place. Alternative that wife and I liked a lot was Welwitschia Restaurant - a Portuguese place on Libertina Amathila Ave, within walking distance from the apartments. One of the best T-bones I've ever had. Decent wines, too. The chef actually came out to introduce himself to patrons.
Day 11, plenty of opportunities for excursions, from parachuting to surfing, dune surfing, quad running, etc. Wife and I did the Living Desert tour which lasted from 8:30am to noon. I believe it was 600 ND. A bit steep money-wise, but we enjoyed it. Saw snakes, spiders, scorpion, insects, lizards, birds (landed on the hand, actually), etc. Very cool. Afterward my wife then hit the spa while Brit friends and I hit the bar. There's a walkway near the Brauhaus that's upper scale and very pretty. From here, if you cross Tobias Hainyeko St to the west, you'll see a small alley where locals sell art. Four of us bought (our opinion) fantastic paintings and drawings here. Explore a bit. The area is quite safe.
Day 12, early breakfast, pack, and back on the bus. This time we head to a camp site outside of Solitaire, rustically reminiscent of Sedona, Arizona. They have a bar/restaurant here, and a big rock formation you can go see the sunset at. Beware that power goes out at 9pm prompt. I was in the middle of a shower when I found this out.
Day 13, pack, break camp, head to Solitaire for diesel and apple pie. Then on to a camp right 45 minutes outside of Sossusvlei. Set camp, unpack, and if inclined, go for a late afternoon hike to watch the sunset. Oryx can be seen on the dune - we got to within 50 yards. Don't go barefoot; we saw many insect and snake tracks.
Day 14, get up very early to hike Dune 45 to watch the sunrise with many other tourists. Take note of your surroundings on the drive out here. The dunes are massive, ancient, and beautiful. After this, breakfast at the foot of the dune. Then drive on to Deadvlei/Sossusvlei, hike here for several hours. Water here is a must. Anticipate sand in your shoes. We were also taken to a fascinating canyon that presented nice photo ops. Saw a falcon up close, as well as indicators that a troop of baboons lived here. Tonight we (safari group) got together and compiled the tip money for the guide and cook. For folks whose GDP is about $11,000 USD/year, considering the level of effort they put into making our experience as fabulous as it's been, not to mention they never put us in awkward/unpleasant situations, all of us were more than happy to contribute to them. To cover my wife and me, for the guide, I put in $100USD. Others put in 600ND per person. For the cook, we put in about 450 ND/person. They earned every cent of it. **Advice on how to do this: it's inadvisable to let both parties know the amount you gave their peer. We got paper bags, wrote the individual's name on it, and placed the amount we felt was fair into there. During dinner, we handed the bags over with a big Thank You from the whole group.**
Day 15, pack, break camp, and drive to Windhoek, where they'll drop you off at your hotel. I advise you have a map handy (and follow your progress so as to help your guide find your hotel) or GPS on your phone to assist in the effort.
I genuinely hope you enjoy your experience as much as we did, and that this entry will give you some semi-useful insight toward what to expect. It felt like nearly every little excursion was magical in its own right. For me personally, it was a profound, humbling experience that I’m grateful for. A huge Thank You to the Wild-Dog folks for refining the experience so effectively, for treating their customers like family, and for hiring such great people. I'll recommend Wild-Dog to anybody interested in a great safari, and I’m currently making distant plans to return for another Wild-Dog safari with a brother or two.
KR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Such a lovely 7 days
I wanted to see Masai Mara, Hell's Gate, and Amboseli and I found this item. I actually contacted several other agencies but Budget Holiday Safaris was most kind, so I decided to go with this.
Every day was so wonderful, each day had its own surprises, crews were nice, and group members were young and cheerful. (I am young and I was expecting people of my age) At the end at Amboseli, I almost disappointed, of course, you have already seen all the animals and nature on your previous 5 days, but on my last day sky was clear enough to see Mountain Kilimanjaro very clearly so I was satisfied.
Everything is as described, well.. wonderful driver/guide was not on description. Our guide 'Papa' made our trip even more great.
Hotels in Nakuru and Naivasha are really nice, although in Masai Mara and Amboseli it's difficult, of course it is budget range and it's campsite. If you are not up for tent accommodation, I think you can always ask for upgrade.
I definitely recommend Budget Holiday Safaris. Thank you Rose!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very friendly, knowledgeable and efficient Tour Operator
We have recently returned from a two week tailor made holiday organised by Susan Paterson Wait of Pembury Tours. Susan provided suggestions and options of accommodation during the various sectors of our holiday along with providing the necessary immigration and entry visa requirements to the various countries visited.
Subsequently all our accommodation, transfers and tours during our whole holiday were organised by Pembury Tours & all went like clockwork.
Our holiday initially comprised of three nights in Ilala Lodge, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe and included a day trip to Chobe National Park in Botswana.
From Victoria Falls we flew to Nelspruit, Mpumalanga, and stayed one night at the wonderful Oliver's Restaurant & Lodge where we met by the manager Amanda who allocated us a wonderful spacious room. The friendly greeting from Amanda was extended to us by all the staff we met. The food in the Restaurant was amazing and was of excellent quality and value.
Our Holiday continued with a transfer and a 3 night stay at Arathusa Safari Lodge in Sabi Sands. We were given a freindly greeting by the always helpful reception staff and showed to our delightful lodge. Once again all the staff we met were so friendly, the food was really good, the bar had a decent selection and was good and the Safari Drives were excellent. Thanks to Sebastian our Ranger and Solley our tracker for giving us a wonderful wildlife experience with lots of stories, memories, photographs and appreciation for the beautiful wildlife. A big thanks also to all the staff at Arathusa.
The final leg of our holiday was a transfer, flight and then a 6 night stay at the Table Bay Hotel, Cape Town. What a wonderful hotel on the V&A waterfront and what a wonderful city. Lots to do in Cape Town and plenty of good quality dining restaurants for a relaxing meal or a quick bite to eat. The 6 days we visited, Cape Point, Robben Is., City Tour including history of S.A. & Cape Town, Table Mountain, Wine tasting tour to mention just a few. A great city to visit.
Finally we would highly recommend Pembury Tours and a special mention to Susan for arranging this holiday for us and having the patience with us. Thanks for providing such a memorable experience of Africa, the wildlife on Safari and the people we met at the Lodges, Hotels, Tour Guides and Transfer Drivers.
Sandra & Adrian.
Experience level: first safari
That visit to amboseli was one of it's kind.....awesome with African Wildbreaks Safaris
It's amazing ....Thanks for all the efforts
That trip to Amboseli via that African Wildbreak Safari was great....I highly recommend Wildbreak safaris.
My experience was unforgettable... The journey and the whole trip was just awesome.
The service was amazing...I couldn't believe it...
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Masai Mara 3 day (but only 2)
Simba Oryx lodge and Mara itself are superb. Bonfire are either dishonest or incompetent. We paid for three days safari but, on the third day, the driver just took us home. We also gave the driver park fees to cover the third day. We are following this up with the company so will update this site if we get a refund, apology etc.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Trip of a Lifetime!
Ute helped my friends and I plan our dream trip to Southern Africa - Victoria Falls, safari in Botswana, and Cape Town. The trip was exactly what we wanted and more! We stayed in lovely accommodations with the most incredible staff. We were made to feel like VIPs everywhere we stayed. The safari was amazing - we would never have thought we'd see as many animals or have the type of experience we did. We did several of the excursions in Cape Town and felt like we saw it all in a very short time. It was truly the trip of a lifetime.
Ute was amazing and planned everything perfectly. We didn't experience any hiccups at all on the trip - all of our pickups occurred without problems, all the lodges were expecting us, and all of the excursions went off without a hitch. Ute went above and beyond to accommodate us when we decided to cancel one of our activities at the last minute. I would not hesitate to use Roho Ya Chui for a trip in the future.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Perfect from start to finish
From the moment we showed interest in booking our trip to the minute we were dropped off at the airport at the end of our amazing two weeks in Uganda, Matoke Tours were superb, dealing with everything via email in a highly efficient way. We did the 12-day Nature Only tour and Edwin was a brilliant, knowledgeable and considerate guide. The whole trip was exactly as described and fully lived up to expectations. We added a couple of extras and they were probably not necessary given the breadth of the tour's itinerary. It also reduced the 'down time' that would have allowed us to the opportunity to enjoy the facilities at a couple of the lodges. You have to be prepared for some long days on the road, as while some of the distances may not be huge, some of the holes in the road are!