CA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent service through the entire process
We could not be happier with the service that Maggie provided us with creating and revising our itinerary to our personal needs until it was perfect. William, our guide during the safari, did all he could to ensure we saw as many of the animals as possible including of course the big Five. Definitely recommend this company to anyone else.
CZ
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Kenya and Tanzania safari
We booked an 11-day continuous safari trip in Kenya (Masai Mara, Nakuru, Naivasha) and Tanzania (Tarangire, Manyara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro) from Ancient Wild Safari. Our guides (Patrick in Kenya and Estomi in Tanzania) followed the plan exactly as it was was agreed before, they were very friendly, had a good knowledge about wildlife, and did their best to show us as much as possible. We saw probably all big mammals that are living in these areas and many different species of birds, some small mammals and some reptiles. A visit in a Masai village was also very interesting. Accommodation and catering was in camps and hotels, relatively modest but reasonable given the price. If you go there, you have to be prepared that some roads can be very dusty, not everything is really clean and you will be camping in field conditions, but it is what the camping safari is about. The guides do care about our safety. Actually we felt much safer among lions and hyenas than in downtown Nairobi. I would recommend to take your own sleeping bag with you even if you receive an information that you do not need it, to prevent a disappointment from being given a small or not totally clean local sleeping bag. If you camp at Ngorongoro, be prepared that nights can be very cold because of the high altitude. In August mosquitoes are very few, but there are some. At the accommodations sites beds had mosquito nets or tents could be closed with no gap left for mosquitoes to enter. There were hardly any mosquitoes during the daytime. We were taking antimalarics to be on the safe side, but looking back, I think it was probably not necessary. Vaccination against yellow fever is necessary and officers at the Kenya-Tanzania border require this to be confirmed in you Vaccination Certificate. In general, this trip was a great experience: I would recommend it to everybody who is interested in nature and likes camping. And I can also recommend Ancient Wild Safaris - they are reliable and do a good job.
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Terrible experience, Seka gave us a lot of trouble
Do not book with this company! We had a terrible experience with Taste of Afrika for our five day safari in Tanzania. First of all they mixed the dates up. When we arrived and called they knew nothing about our booking, even though we had paid a deposit. Then on the morning of our safari they told us we weren't going that day, but the day after. Instead the offered us a coffee tour, which was very boring. Then they were going to send us to the wrong national park. When we told them that we booked for another park they send us with very last minute with a different guide. We had to join our original guide later that day, but our guide refused to bring us there initially. When we insisted he became very angry and unpleasant. We tried to bargain for a discount for the inconvenience and after a long discussion we were promised a discount of 400USD. But then later that day they denied this promise and threatened to skip our last day if we didn't pay up. Especially Seka, the owner, was very unpleasant to deal with and made a lot of mistakes in communicating with us.
US
Awesome first time Safari Experience
We had a lot of fun on our first Safari all thanks to Compass Odyssey, Darrren Humphrys and his excellent guides . He had a detailed itinerary so we knew exactly what activities we had for each day. He also kept in touch with us during and after the trip to make sure everything went smoothly. The accommodations were excellent. Highly recommend Compass Odyssey.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Absolutely fantastic once-in-a-lifetime safari experience
Our safari was an amazing experience and Awaken to Africa played a big role in this. I spoke to Grace exhaustively while in the planning phases of the trip, not knowing anything about safaris or having any experience in it whatsoever, and she answered every question promptly and extensively, displaying an impressive wealth of knowledge in any subject we asked about. She was able to suggest an itinerary for us that worked with what we wanted, after many back and forths and changing our minds multiple times about many things (initially the trip was to include climbing Kili also). All the communications were top-notch.
The information package she provided for us prior to the trip was very helpful also. We followed it pretty closely and I didn't feel that anything was left out or that we were ill-prepared. If anything, we overdid it a bit on the electronics (brought extra batteries, even a solar charger thinking there might not be places to charge the equipment -- although it's good to be prepared).
David, our guide, was magnificent -- had extensive knowledge of everything from animals to culture and was a pleasure to be around. I maintain that he was the best wildlife spotter on the trail -- he saw things that no one else found and often we were the first on the scene. One of the things he mentioned that I really liked was that the animal is never "just there" -- they are always there for a reason, doing something. There is a story behind everything you see. One afternoon I offhandedly suggested that we might try to go find the black rhino that was supposed to be about -- and lo and behold, about 90 minutes later we actually found it! I don't know if we were just extremely lucky or what but we saw two black rhinos, so many lions, leopards, cheetah -- even a serval hunting! Absolutely amazing.
All the camps Grace suggested for us were top notch, clean, providing great service, and had excellent food. I highly recommend the tented camps where you can hear the animals outside your tent in the night. We stayed with several Asilia properties (Olivers, Dunia, and Sayari, all of which were amazing), the Ang'ata camp on the rim of the crater, which was a excellent suggestion as it enabled us to get down into the crater at sunrise, before everyone else, and Kisimi Ngeda, which had an excellent location and just was a lovely place all around.
I highly recommend Awaken to Africa for your safari needs.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Easy-going, laid back, relaxed and knowledgable
The actual experience was better than my expectations.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Incredible 1st time safari and honeymoon all in one!
From booking to actually arriving in South Africa, Darren was always accessible, helpful and accommodating. All of the tour guides in Cape Town, Kruger Park, and Johannesburg were amazing and knew their stuff! Every hotel/lodge was very welcoming and comfortable. Food was great, and we met a lot of awesome people along the way! We got to see the Big 5 at Kruger Park all in day 1! It was fantastic. This was definitely the best honeymoon ever! The best trip in lifetime, my husband and I will definitely be coming back!
FR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful experience
Amazing 4 day safari with the African Bush lovers team. There were very kind with us and willing to do their best to make our trip very special and unforgettable. Thank you very much for making our dream come true :)
CH
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Explore the animals at Mana Pools from a different perspective and always feel safe!
We had a warm welcome with a great team (staff and guides) and always felt very comfortable. The guides (Mark and Manu) were very experienced, they had humor too and we learned a lot about nature and animals. Sometimes we were lucky spotting the animals, sometimes we just enjoyed nature with hidden animals. It was a great pleasure to walk around and be face to face with the animals!
Of course the living was different than in other lodges, but more wild life!
Thanks a lot and see you again!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
1st class service from start to finish !
Never visiting Kenya before or been on Safari , we had huge expectations for this special trip .On speaking with Rose she" got us" straight away and advised on which lodges would suit us for luxury and great viewing ..... each one was different in landscapes , the game we saw and service .All were equally stunning but for different reasons .
We then finished at a beach resort near Diani , just for sheer relaxation . Rose couldn't have chose better for us .Best holiday ever !