50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
This was our first holiday with Native Escapes and we would recommend them. There was very prop
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The scenery in different parts of Namibia is very dramatic and beautiful, especially Sossusvlei and Damaraland. The lodges are well situated with no fences round the camps so you can just watch the wildlife from your room. We saw a male lion at the water hole just 20 yards away from our porch and while in a night hide saw two rhinos fighting and they were only about 5 yards away. It was also very special going out for the sundowners with our guide singing and playing the guitar while the sun went down - we have come back with some lovely memories
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Be aware that the days are very long (the longest was from 5.30am, spent all day at Etosha National Park, had dinner, went to a night hide and got back to the lodge at midnight). There is a lot of travelling on very uneven, rocky roads. The weather was extremely hot and the vehicle not air-conditioned, which made all the travelling very tiring. I dont think this holiday would be suitable for anyone over about 70 years old
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
All the lodges used employed local people and were all trying hard to reduce environmental impacts. All the people concerned supported conservation
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
It was a brilliant holiday. The guide was great, very knowledgable, very professional and his enthusiasm and love for his country shone through everything he did. He made our time in Namibia very special. All the lodges used were comfortable and clean and the food great and the people there friendly and helpful.
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a Lifetime!!!
My son and I booked a Safari holiday with Big Time Holidays. It was the best experience of our lives! The company's tour manager, Alan, was very helpful in designing our safari to meet our personal needs and interests. He was always extremely prompt in replying to my emails and kept me well-informed of our itinerary as we tweaked it to meet our needs.
Our safari guide, George Odingo, proved to be outstanding. Besides being friendly and accommodating, he was extremely knowledgeable about the animals, birds and flora that we saw. He made our safari an enjoyable as well as great educational experience .
I would not hesitate to recommend BigTime Holidays to anyone for a once-in-a-lifetime safari experience in Kenya!
CH
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
What a stunning journey!
Our 17-day tour combining “Wild West of Zambia” and South Luangwa was a stunning experience, and I just can highly recommend this tour and tour operator. We had the pleasure to be guided and driven by the owner of ‘Adventure Purists’ himself, Jo Stallmann, supported by a trained cook (Emmanuel) and two camp helpers (Biggy and Sims). Everything was very well organized, all logistics were taken care of (transportation, accommodation, food) and the whole team made us feel at ease. They were always very committed, friendly, available, flexible, and ready to help us in case of any needs. I specifically liked their great sense of humour (representative for many other locals we met). Camping was luxury with very spacious tents providing ample room for camping beds and luggage. The meal, often cooked on open fire was always super-yummy and prepared with lots of fresh vegetables and meat. When it came to dessert Emmanuel did outperform himself.
Most importantly the actual safari part was fantastic. Most of the days we had two pretty extended game drives, and sun-downer tours enjoying gorgeous sunsets with cold beer outside the car – sometimes with breath-taking hippo or hyena encounters. The spectacular custom-built vehicle was perfectly adapted to our needs and obviously also to any terrific wet-season off-road conditions we could only roughly imagine during our stay in the dry season (by the way, it’s up to the participants to always be aware of bumpy roads!). Thanks to Jo’s awesome expert knowledge, driving skills, and long-term record in spotting game we had great sightings every day and impressively experienced the variety of wildlife, animal behaviour and botany in a very nice and educational way. Just as one example we were lucky enough to spot the Lion Queen ‘Lady Liuwa’, the sole survivor of massive poaching in the 1990s. Beyond nature he also provided us with an authentic local’s view onto various human-related issues of the country such as daily life, culture, education, history, politics etc. including some touching visits at local villages.
To conclude from my perspective all promises made in the program have been fully achieved if not even partly excelled. At the Liuwa plains wildlife may have been a bit less present than in other regions (I was, nevertheless, fully satisfied) but this was easily compensated by uniquely beautiful scenery. I just can repeat myself in highly recommending this tour operator. If I would do this trip again, I would probably add a day for a white water rafting tour on the Zambesi offered by their sister company ‘Bundu Adventures’. Seems to be a blast, possibly even the ‘Chicken Run’… Thanks ‘Adventure Purists’ and all the best for the future!
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Watkinson School's Service Learning Trip
From the moment I contacted Mamaland Safaris from the United States months before my school's trip to Uganda, Mamaland and Tony in particular, were incredibly helpful. Throughout our journey from Kampala to Kisoro where we worked in several schools, to Queen Elizabeth and Murchison Falls National Parks, the service went far beyond merely driving us to destinations. Tony helped explain the history, culture and society to our group of teenage students. With humor and a beyond encyclopedic knowledge of the birds and wildlife, we fell in love with Uganda's people and wildlife!
Add in some magical moments and surprises like the Pumba Safari Cottages overlooking Queen Elizabeth National Park, it was a transformative experience for me and my students that would not have been possible without Mamaland's personal touches. Logistically, the planning was smooth and clear. My school was more than satisfied with the arrangements. And the problem solving around the minor change of plans we made mid-journey were all handled well.
I cannot recommend Mamaland Safaris more! We will be back in March 2015 with Mamaland leading they way!
Absolutely amazing and the only group to use.
Everything went flawlessly and if there was a change in plans they were flexible. I highly recomend this group. They are extremely friendly and talk to you about Uganda and hands down are the only way to travel around beautiful Uganda.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent experience!
I honestly cannot say enough good things about KWSS. The organisation of my safairi's was exceptional, communication was always timely and appropriate and nothing was too much trouble for OT to sort out very quickly and professionally - including last minute changes to the itinerary (cause by me!).
KWSS played a large part in making my trip to east Africa the trip of a lifetime. Don't hesitate to use them if your planning a trip.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An Amazing Safari
In 2013 my girlfriend and I decided to try something different for Christmas and booked a Safari with Msafiri Travels. It was a fantastic experience - we were flown to the Safari park on a tiny four-seat plane, where we were the only passengers. We were then met by the camp crew at the landing strip and taken to the camp, which was located right on the river shore nearby. The view was beautiful, the staff was friendly, and the accommodation was better than I expected it to be in the middle of nowhere, away from civilization.
There were numerous tours available, on all of which we were the only passengers, so it really felt like a romantic getaway instead of the usual packed-beyond-recognition zoo experience. We were able to see all the animals we wanted and even get very close to some of them.
All in all, it was a very pleasant experience and felt like a real adventure, while still being a great couple's getaway.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Super! Super! Super!
I was fortunate enough to have had a tour by OpenTour Africa during my visit to Cape Town in October 2014. It was undoubtedly the highlight of my two week holiday. The day started with coffee unlike you’ve ever seen or experienced before -expertly brewed in what looked like a science experiment right in front of you. Our tour guide, Ozzy then took us on a graffiti tour of Cape Town. This quickly turned into a much richer and deeper experience than simply appreciating art. Ozzy is incredibly well informed about the history and political landscape of South Africa. We ended the day with a couple of vineyard tours and a wine tasting. It was obvious that a lot of thought had gone into picking the finest wine farms to give us the best experience possible. Best of all was that Ozzy had all the time in the world and even though we overran by nearly two hours, he still had a smile on his face and wanted to show us more. Incredible! OpenTourAfrica, you made my holiday.
This is outstanding company. Charles our safari Guide was amazing, He is well trained.
It was not easy to choose a tour Operator, I and my Husband decided to choose Snow Africa Adventures. We booked through Caroline, She was great lady. She replied our email very soon. We booked 5 days lodge safari. Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Tarangire National parks. Charles our driver guide was perfect. Wonderful knowledge for wildlife and great English. We highly recommend Snow Africa Adventures to any one thinking about safari in Tanzania.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Most Wonderful Girls' Road Trip
With short notice Monika from the Safari Source helped me to organize a fantastic road trip to western Zimbabwe when a friend of mine came to visit me from Germany. She found just the right accomodations for us, always had some useful advice for the overall planning and made our trip become a very special and unforgettable one. Service and communication is just excellent as Monika can be called any time and will take care of your needs immediately.