CH
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Our first ever safari…. When can we go back!!
We have nothing to compare it to as it was our first. But we had an amazing time and experience. Emma at Shemeji was quick and took time to respond to our numerous silly questions, and the reply’s were always prompt. Largely gave us a tailored experience to our needs. The price we thought was fair and good value, it was in our budget, others didn’t seem to incorporate as much as our experience did, yet cost much more.
The choice of lodges the company uses are outstanding. Some the lodge itself made the experience, but I know 2 of the lodges we stayed at, were not only amazing, but the staff at the lodges really made that part of the experience stand out, in as much of our memories as the animals. Meeting the local people, being shown their hospitality and service they provided, and the warmth and friendship they showed us, gave a lasting memory.
Now the safari itself. I never think on topics like this its good for people to compare experiences, however, if I must, yes we saw the big 5! I think we just about saw everything. I cant think of an animal we didn’t see. Some were incredibly close, some quite far. Its wildlife, you cant plan it. As a young couple we loved our 5 day safari, in fact if anything we should of done 6 days so we would have had longer in Serengeti. I loved this holiday. I highly recommend firstly a safari, and secondly using Shemeji. The only down side we have, is now having to pick the best photos out of thousands of great photos to post on FB!
Truck unbelievably uncomfortable. Transfer didnt eventuate Joburg & Sunway refused to pay us back!
Wrote a long review to Sunway but they never even replied!
Happy to take your money but no after sales service.
Bus unbelievably uncomfortable, hot & seats terrible.
Food not great.
Wouldnt refund our transfer despite saying they would - waited Joburg airport for an hour & gave up!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
best trip ever
HI,
Thale at Wild Planet Safari was an absolute pleasure to work with as she went way over the top to ensure we were provided with the best trip possible within the time we had. She promptly responded to every inquiry and was able to find a solution to all issues, including difficult dietary requirements.
Our tour guide was Paul and he was assisted by Dion. These guys truly provided us with everything we could imagine on a Kruger safari. We saw the big 5 and we had a couple of very special lion sightings. Their knowledge and patience was greatly appreciated, and nothing was too much to ask. We had extra drives, and extra activities at Hazyview for our daughter, which we all really enjoyed. Dion did a wonderful job setting up camp and cooking us great meals -his chicken stew was something to write home about. He even cleaned up for us which truly showed us that we were on holidays. We experienced two horrendous storms and Dion gracefully protected our tents whilst his and Pauls flooded!
I would recommend Wild Planet Safaris to everyone - i cannot sing them enough praise and we will defiantly be using them again next year when we return.
Thank you Wild Planet safari
JP
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Experience!
We had a great experience. The Guide Allen was great, we were able to see many cats including the Lion, Leopard, Cheetah, Serval Cats.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An amazing adventure where each day brought a new and exciting experience.
Our tour exceeded my wildest expectations in every way. I went for the animals and got them in abundance! But it was so much more, the cultural experiences were fascinating, I learnt so much. The accommodation was beautiful, each place with its own unique character, and wonderful catering everywhere we went. Our trip wouldn't have been the same without our wonderful guide, Dumi. He was such a lovely person, was on top of everything and nothing fazed him or was too much for him. He was very knowledgeable and was also happy to share personal stories which gave us more insight to African life. Overall, a wonderful holiday thats just whet my appetite to see more of Africa.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Stellar service
We very recently did a 3-day safari trip with Grassrootz during our brief stop in Uganda on our East Africa tour. Our main objective was to see the gorillas at Bwindi, but since that's only a one day activity, we were also scheduled to go chimp tracking on our first full day, and on a game drive in Lake Mburo national park (NP) on our last day.
Planning with Grassrootz was quite easy. Sander, the owner, is very responsive and helpful in his suggestions without being pushy. I had actually contacted 8 different companies, all of whom offered fairly similar packages at fairly similar price points, so Sander's responsiveness was the main reason we went with this outfit. It only got better from there.
To be clear, Uganda is still pretty rough around the edges as far as tourism infrastructure. We saw a lot of development in the works, but as of October 2017, we can report that the roads are awful and the hotels low quality. Food was the worst of any East African country we visited. There's a lot of pollution and everything is very very spread out so you're spending hours upon hours bumping and rattling along those terrible roads getting what the locals jokingly refer to as "an African massage."
I say all this bc without David, our local guide, I think the 3 days in these conditions would've been somewhat miserable. But David is a gem of a person and really made our journey one I'll look back on fondly. And here's why. He's deeply knowledgeable - e.g. it was obvious to us that he was more knowledgeable about animals at Lake Mburo than the park ranger who did the game drive with us. He also gave us advice that served us well and left us feeling well prepared before the chimp tracking and gorilla tracking, which we did with the designated rangers at Kalinzu and Bwindi, respectively - e.g. he told us what to look out for with the chimps in terms of safety, how to "slope" (hike downhill) safely, how to ensure the rangers kept our pace etc. The rangers themselves covered none of these subjects.
He's deeply passionate about, and proud of, Uganda and committed to educating the rest of the world about it and East Africa (he also guides in Tanzania and Kenya etc). He's very friendly in a completely disarming and unassuming and tactful way.
And he's beyond resourceful. Uganda had heavy rains both before and during our visit, which made the roads 5x worse by enlarging potholes and causing rockslides. On multiple occasions, David figured out ways to navigate past seemingly impassable roads to keep us on track. Most critically, the morning of our gorilla trek, we found our way blocked by mud and logs. Another truck already stood empty and abandoned at that spot. As far as I understood, they only allow one set of persons to go track gorillas each day at 8 am, and the $600 permit you buy is good only for the specific day. In case of an act of God like the one we were experiencing, I suspect they would have given a partial refund or told us we could come back the next day, but even the latter would not have helped us as we were slated to fly out the next afternoon and still needed to drive all the way back to Entebbe, which was an all day drive again. Without hesitating, David got out of the car and rolled up his sleeves and somehow miraculously got us through by shifting one of the unbelievably heavy logs out of the way (with a little help from me), putting rocks under the tires to provide traction, and some very skillful driving. Had it not been for David's refusal to just throw his hands up and wait for help, and willingness to physically put himself out there to push us through when at least one other driver had given up and just left his truck behind in the middle of the road, we would certainly have missed our opportunity to see the gorillas.
Later that same day, we came across a similar situation where another tour company jeep was waiting by a much larger rockslide, unable to pass. David got out and went to examine the situation on foot, and then came back and said he was going to give it a go. Again, with his skill behind the wheel, he got us through on the first go, which encouraged the other guide to follow. I don't know how long those other tourists were sitting there until we came along, but it was clear their guide was not willing to even try without first seeing David succeed.
Also among David's resources are the relationships he's cultivated with people at the various stops we made, which seemed to be to our advantage as his clients insofar as getting small advantages like assignments to the best gorilla tracking group (our ranger appeared very knowledgeable, spoke excellent English, and we saw gorillas within an hour of setting out).
In short, if you want to see Uganda with a guide who is going to go above and beyond to get you safely everywhere you need to go, then you should book with Grassrootz and ask for David specifically.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Saw it all first class, and at reasonable prices.
Our first African trip. We did not know what to expect. The trip was beyond our wildest dreams. Accomadations were first class. Service was excellent. Itinerary was great. Saw all the big 5 in Kruger Nat’l. then saw volume of animals in Botswana. Lion World does the tours for Costco so we expected them to be reputable. We were not disappointed.
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Private tour Botswana, Vic Falls, South Africa, Kenya
Starting with Royal tree which was a Private booking. Accommodation excellent and here one gets a close look at many herbivores on foot or horseback. Tuskers was good but really just Elephants and no match with Chobe but a handy stop off on the way to the Delta. One night would do. The drive from Tuskers to the Delta was a surprise because while the road is terrible it becomes a game and the game on some lakes and waterways we came onto was wonderful. Okavango not to be missed especially for the birdwatching experience.
Chobe River a highlight. The smaller boat was ideal. Noticed can do land game drives here which would be good as well.
Masai Mara was the best Park experience. Would recommend starting here because one gets to tick off so much wildlife including Lions and Cheethas. Previously we had only seen Lions at Sabi Sand and that was a fluke. Masai Mari plus Samburu is a good combination. Good road to Samburu but terrible to Masai Mari although a new sealed road well advanced. While the driving was tough c/f light aircraft, one only gets to absorb the culture by road. Flamingos on Bogoria not to be missed but one needs to stay there and drive also to the hot springs which are a non-event but to get a better look at Flamingos on the rest of the lake.. Nothing wrong with the Spa Resort. Lovely staff and good accom but terrible food. Due to breakdown and delay stayed 2 nights was perfect. Did a drive to Lake Baringo but Kenya has much more exciting stuff to see. Checked out a boat ride but were surrounded by 20 aggressive locals with boats and the smell of alcohol so our driver got away quickly. Maybe better at the hotels. The Game Drive around Lake Nakuru was a surprise and excellent.
All guides were uncompromising in ensuring we had the best experience. The breakdown in Kenya would be avoidable if they serviced their vehicles. However the company redeemed themselves in sorting it out. Need to make sure windows work, grab handles replaced as well. Otherwise vehicles maliciously cleaned except the Nairobi pickup.
All tourist staff excellent - casual friendly but efficient. (Johannesburg Airport being a clear exception). All accommodation above expectations - even the necessarily rougher camps. Food good but exceptional a Masai Mara.
NZ
Review about Ol Pejeta Conservancy by Julie
There was so much wildlife and it was all just there.
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The animals were amazing (especially the elephant container) and staying at Jozi camp was perfect!
The food for this trip was wonderful. All the staff were so helpful. Gorges Lodge, Bomani Lodge and Jozi camp were perfect! The only thing that was not great was the ride from Gorges to Bomani and Bomain back to Victoria Falls. Suzanne was ssoooooo helpful!