20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Northern Circuit and Mt. Meru trek with Safaricare
We did a 5 day camping safari through Tarangire, Ngorongoro and the Serengeti followed by a four day Mt. Meru trek organized by Safari Care, and both were fantastic. For the safari our guide Wilson was a good driver, extremely knowledgeable, and great at spotting wildlife. Our cook, Moshi, made us some great Tanzania food out in the bush. Both were lovely, and we managed to see every animal on our list across the 5 days, and I've been annoying jealous colleagues with constant stories since we got back.
The Mt. Meru trek came after. There was some confusion about our packing list and what was carried by porters that put a bit of stress on at this point, but once we got going it was smooth sailing. For the weaker hikers in our group (me), our guide Sauly was an absolute lifesaver, there's no way I would have made it without him. We all successfully summited before dawn on the last day with his help - the mountain itself is spectacular, and although it pushed me to my absolute limit, I'd strongly recommend it. Now looking for another mountain to climb!
Only complaints could be that we were surprised by the number of porters (and thus the tipping) we took, some of the gear we needed (that led to a last minute rental), and that the packed lunches and breakfasts got a bit repetitive by the end of 9 days (though dinners remained diverse and delicious). These were small things though, and although we did budget safari we didn't have a budget experience. We had a fabulous time with Safari Care, easily one of the coolest things I've ever done, and I'd recommend them to anyone looking for a safari experience.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wonderful Safari Experience!
We just returned from a 14 day safari booked through Transtrek Safaris. They are one of many, many companies to choose from when booking a safari to Kenya. I sent a few emails to several companies, and Transtrek ended up being the one we felt most comfortable with. Daniel, the owner, replied quickly and professionally, making our choice easy. He laid out a plan for our itinerary, including suggested lodges and tents. After several changes and upgrades, we were booked. It was very helpful and comforting to be able to pay via credit card, rather than sending a cashier's check half-way around the world!
We spent one full day in Nairobi, during which we visited the David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage.....so worthwhile! The safari itself included Amboseli, Tsavo West, Tsavo East, Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha, and Masai Mara. Each park had it's own flavor and uniqueness. Our accommodations were perfect; mid-range to high-end, with the small tented camps being our preference over the lodges. We saw everything we were hoping to, even though unseasonably wet weather made some animals move to other areas. The bonus of traveling in February is the uncrowded roads and accommodations. There was not a game drive that something unexpected and marvelous did not happen!
Our driver, Peter, was there for us every minute. From our 11:30pm pickup in Nairboi, to dropoff at the airstrip in Masai Mara 14 days later, he never let us down. He was always ready with suggestions but entirely open to ideas from us. He is an extremely safe driver both in traffic and on rutted park roads. He knows them like the back of his hand. He also knows the game patterns and what can be found where, while also staying in touch with other drivers to make the experience the best it can be. Not only did we see the big 5, but more unusual game such as bat-earred fox and oryx kept us interested and engaged. Easy to talk to with a nice sense of humor, we were very happy with Peter as our driver/companion!
Daniel was in touch with Peter on and off during our safari to be sure all was going well, and even spoke with us on the last morning to suggest activities in Nairobi before our 8:30pm departure. We felt safe, secure, and taken care of! Transtrek did an outstanding job for us, and we would not hesitate recommending them. Thank you, Daniel!
JE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Highly recommended
We hired a Rav4 from Self Drive Uganda and would highly recommend using them! The email support was fantastic before we left for our trip and Moses was very helpful and patient with me and all the questions I asked! He also helped me plan our route and recommended places we hadn't thought to go to.
We hired the Rav4 for 3 weeks and the car was perfect for Ugandan roads! We brought our own tent and bought camp cooking gear when we got there - Moses took us to a well-stocked supermarket in Kampala, and then we set off and visited Murchison Falls NP, Jinja, Queens Elizabeth NP, Ishasha, Izizi Falls, Bwindi, Lake Buyoni, Lake Mburo NP and Mabamba Swamp.
We loved Uganda and felt very safe. People are so friendly! The roads were a mixture of good tarmac, bad tarmac and potholes, mud roads and gravel roads. Beautiful scenery along the way so the drives are not dull at all!
The car was also great for game driving because it was quiet for geting close to wildlife, and it had a sunroof so you can pop up and get a better view!
On the way to do our gorliia trek, we had to drive through some crazy boggy roads, and the Rav4 managed it with ease (also my Husbands good 4x4 driving skills!!), whereas a huge 4x4 behind us got stuck!!!
Highly recommend using Self Drive Uganda for your car hire!
AE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Good Company to deal with .
We were a group of 4 people and out of which 3 of us were on photography trip. The team of David an Fadhili from the company were very good and very understanding . We had a great time through their guidance . We will for sure visit TZ through them again . If you are looking to see the wild side of TZ then Kilislope is a company which can always be considered for sure . We wish them all the very best and looking forward to coming back again and again .....:)
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Excellent costumer service and detail
I can´t describe how excelent the safari we arranged was. We organised a safari to Masai Mara and 1 more week of travelling with a 20 months baby in Kenya and it was just perfect. Kenneth and Livingstone (excellent driver) were all the time considering our necessities (even more the ones of the baby) and listening to our requests. It´s always hard to send money in advance to someone you don´t know to Africa as everyone has listened about scams. No worries. Kikwetu is 100% trustable. Don´t doubt it and contract them
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
My Experience with Porge Square Luxury
Being served by Porge Square Luxury Safari Ltd is a ultimate experience I have ever seen.Their Tour guide are very chaming and very supportive. Serengeti National Park is beatiful place to be on earth
NL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great, friendly and professional afternoon game run Nairobi National Park
I had a great afternoon game run at the Nairobi National Park with Kibera Holiday Safaris. Peter, the guide and driver was genuinely friendly and seemed very knowledgeable on the wildlife itself as well as the challenges faced as a consequence of human encroachment and poaching. We had quite a long drive over a large stretch of the park, seeing a large variety of wildlife in the different types of environment there are at the park. I was especially thrilled seeing several rhino at two different spots, which was a first for me after earlier safaris in the Mara and Tsavo. I definitely recommend Kibera Holiday Safaris.
FR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very knowledgable
Chantelle was brilliant. She replied to our emails very quickly and answered our numerous questions thoroughly. She also knew the lodges & country very well so could advise according to our budget.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
worth my cash
communication Perfect, Service professional and what i can say they honor their words.
had a lot of fun and enjoyed everything as i had planned
US
Incredible South Africa Honeymoon With the Help of Wildlife Safaris
My wife and I were celebrating our honeymoon in South Africa, and wanted to cap it off with a 4 day safari in Kruger. We selected Wildlife Safaris, and were not disappointed. We spent 4 weeks in Tanzania prior to South Africa, and went on several shorter safaris, so our expectations were rather high. We made our reservations pretty far in advance, and there was occasionally delays in getting responses to our questions, but everything went without a hitch. Our guide was Nik, and he's been going to Kruger for his entire life, and spent most of those years as a guide with Wildlife Safaris. We were picked up promptly at our hotel when communicated, and made the 5+ hour drive to Kruger, though there were a couple breaks built in, so it wasn't a bad drive. It was actually quite interesting to see the terrain changes throughout the drive.
We arrived to the park around 1:30 pm, and an afternoon game drive revealed lions and a leopard; not bad for the first few hours. It should be said that February is possibly the worst time to go to Kruger, as it is very hot, rainy, and the grass is high. A drought made conditions the opposite, so we were able to see lots of wildlife. In fact, we saw all of the Big 5 on our second day, all before lunch! (Warning: Results not necessarily normal and guides can't make animals appear, even if clients wish it, though Nik seemingly had Superman powers and could see through trees to spot game). We did the safari in an air conditioned minivan. At first I was skeptical, and worried it would constrict views, but that was not the case at all and the AC was a nice bonus (Nik said something about larger groups using the traditional open trucks). Just open the window to take a picture, and then close it after. An evening game drive was included in the price for the second day, which is put together and operated by Kruger staff with 20 or so passengers. It was ok, though we didn't really see anything new, and the night viewing was mostly a bust (a few passengers were given a spotlight to find animals, but it's hard).
The schedule was typically a very early morning game drive for 2-3 hours (we started at 5:30 am, though it can start as early as 4:30 am, or as late as 6:30 am, depending on when the front gates open), breakfast at a camp restaurant, a game drive until lunch, a "siesta" for a couple hours, then an evening game drive for a couple hours before the gates closed at 6:30 pm. Dinner together followed at around 7 with the group at the camp restaurant.
We stayed two nights at the Skakuza camp and one at Berg-en-dal. Skakuza was larger with more amenities, including free Wifi at the restaurant. It is also very centrally located and lots of drives can start from there. Berg-en-Dal was at the far Southern end and more remote, but the bungalows were larger and made the drive back to the airport quicker. But, it had no Wifi. Both places had AC and en suite bathrooms. Overall, the food and the accommodation was better than expected, and we were both very pleased. From what I gathered, Skakuza is often utilized, with the second site more variable, though it's all based on park availability. Staying inside the park was key, since we got such an early start and beat everyone coming in from outside the park. Our favorite early morning moment was coming across a pack of wild dogs in the middle of the road and watching them play with each other for 10 minutes, without another car in sight.
On the last day, we left the park around 9:30 after an early game drive and breakfast, and got to airport pretty quickly, no later than 3 pm. They advertise a 4-4:30 arrival, but we had no problem with the early arrival. So, no worries if you have a flight to catch in the evening.
Nik was a fantastic guide; a true animal lover who had great information, not only about the animals and the park, but anything else about South Africa we had questions on. We had a nice small group for the 4 days, and had some fun and enjoyable meals and conversations together. We can't speak highly enough of Nik and the whole team at Wildlife Safaris, and want to thank them all for helping create a wonderful finale to our honeymoon in South Africa. We'll be passing their name along to anyone we know that heads to Kruger, which was by the way, the best and our favorite park we saw in our journeys across Tanzania and South Africa.