under20 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable experience!
5 day Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara -Camping.
(Two 19 year olds)
Ilmaasia were happy to collect us from our hotel in central Arusha . Our driver (Bryson) greeted us and we were taken to the office to meet Loth and complete the necessary paperwork, he was helpful and reassuring.
Our guide was extremely knowledgeable even on the drive to the first national park he was happy to answer any questions we had about Tanzania and local culture.
We then had the most amazing 5 days exploring Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara we saw all the big 5 and had many unforgettable moments.
Our chef really delivered at no moment we're we left Hungry and the quality of food was surprising due to the basic facilities at some of the campsites.
On 2 of our 4 nights we were put up at the panorama campsite, looking over lake Manyara we had a room and all of the facilities we desired. The other 2 nights were spent camping in the heart of the Serengeti and the top of the Ngorongoro Crator . We were lucky enough to see elephants as they walked through our campsite!!!
After our safari we had 5 days exploring Arusha . Our guide was extremely helpful giving us recommendations on things to do locally.
In the future we would definitely use ilmaasia for our safaris . The good price, amazing experience and great guide and chef highlighted our trips, we were sad to say goodbye!
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Couldn't have been better!
Hadn't been planning on going to Tanzania but all of a sudden a business opportunity appeared. As soon as it was confirmed that i would be going to Tanzania, a friend said it was a once in a lifetime opportunity to take a safari and that i should take my kids with me. Before I knew what was happening, my 23 year old daughter had agreed to accompany her dad although her two older brothers were uninterested. So, we had like three weeks to decide on how we were going to do this over the hectic Christmas vacation into early January..
I started to negotiate with one company but when it came down to making a significant payment, I all of a sudden became concerned about Internet scams and started to look for another company that had more reviews on the SafariBookings website. Although I subsequently was advised that all of the companies listed with SafariBookings are reputable and reliable , my search lead me to East Africa Wild Adventures, primarily because they had an office in Vancouver with a number I could dial and a person I could talk to. That person was Alym Bhanji who picked up the phone right away and made me feel he was a person I could trust. I asked Alym to review an itinerary I had been offered and to give me a quote. He was very knowledgeable about the safari business and quickly offered me a range of itineraries from which to chose. After a bit of mixing and matching and asking Alym for advice with respect to which combination of accommodations was best, we chose to stay two nights at the Sopa and two nights at Serengeti View mobile camp. The Sopa was a wonderful way to start while Alym felt that the mobile camp would provide a more "in Africa" feel to the safari. I felt very comfortable following his suggestions. They seemed to make sense.
Now, these safaris aren't cheap but when you come to realize that the lodges are pretty much 5 star hotels in the middle of nowhere with what must be astronomical provisioning costs, you start to understand, The camps are not as high class although the permanent camps have running water and electricity but all of these have to have everything hauled in over the Serengeti Super Highways which were little more than mud tracks and rivers in many places when my daughter and i were there in January.
Anyway, our itinerary had us flying in from Dar es Salaam where my business meetings took place to Kilimanjaro where we were to be met by our guide Hasan. Never having flown to meet a stranger before, I must admit i was a bit apprehensive but Hasan was standing outside the arrival area with a sign that had our names on it. He smiled and laughed when we met, grabbed our bags and led us to our safari vehicle and we headed towards the Serengeti. Now, it's a bit of a drive from the Kilimanjrao Airport to the Ngorongoro and Serengeti National Parks but you do get a marvelous first hand view of rural African life on the way to and through Arusha and beyond. On this drive we also saw countless zebra, giraffe, wildebeest and buffalo. We were awaken at about 6AM our first day by about eight elephants having breakfast right outside our hotel window. Over the next four days, we saw lions, cheetah and leopard (4 of them!) all with kills. Warthogs, tortoise, crocodile, jackal, impala, dik dik, gazelle and enough hippos to make your head spin along with numerous birds of prey. Our guide, Hasan, had the eyes of a hawk. He noticed all of the leopards up in trees and all about 100 metres away from the road. He would slow and stop and point without the help of binoculars while i would scour the country side for minutes before locating the leopard. Without his keen eyesight, we would have missed an awful lot of animals and without his skillful driving, we may still have been stuck on the serengeti waiting for someone to rescue us!
Before this safari, if you had asked me if i ever planned to go to Africa, I would have answered "Not likely" but now that I have been, i have already told Alym that I want him to help me plan a return visit for next year! When I think of the short period of time I had to plan this safari, I don't know whether there are many operators who could have made it happen. Alym somehow was able to communicate with all the necessary people to make arrangements for what has to be the most interesting vacation i have ever taken. He was also able to make an excellent suggestion for a hotel in downtown Dar es Salaam for the night we returned from safari since our flight out of Dar was scheduled for the next day. It was relatively close to the airport which is a bonus when you take into account the ridiculous traffic jams that are a feature of driving in Dar.
The next most important person is your guide and Hasan was absolutely amazing. When you go, make sure that your guide has a well maintained vehicle and that they know how to drive it 'cause the going can get tough!
AE
ACZ Safaris
I communicated with John via e-mail and from the very beginning he was very responsive, courteous and accommodating to our needs.
Our guide provided a great service allowing us to explore for as long as we wanted. We saw a variety of animals and met some interesting people along the way!
We left Kenya feeling more informed about the country than when we arrived and spent an enjoyable time.
It was a great experience and I would recommend ACZ Safaris!
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
What a wonderful experience
From arrival to departure we feel us as warmly welcomed, esp. Michael did a great Job and much more!
Every wish was fulfilled, the car was perfect for the 2 of us: No better way to visit Uganda!
Thanks a lot and we hope to come back.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Yet another awesome safari expertly organised by Wild Wings.
This was my third safari with Wild Wings. The trip was, as ever, superbly arranged and organised by Madi. We stayed in Skukuza Camp in south Kruger for a few nights and then transferred further north to Elephant Plains in Sabi Sands for the remainder of our holiday. Simon was our guide in Skukuza - his innate knowledge of animals and birds has, in my view, never been surpassed by any other guide I have been on safari with. We had amazing sightings (particularly the wild dog/hyena skirmish) and a lot of fun too. Elephant Plains was also fantastic and the leopard sightings we had there were beyond our expectations.
I honestly don't think we could better the experiences we had on this safari, but are already planning our next safari with Wild Wings - I can't recommend them highly enough. Thank you everyone at Wild Wings for such a fantastic holiday.
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
We had a wonderful time with our driver Nick!
We made a safari in Kenya from 2nd -12th January 2016.
Eleven days are quite a long time, whose success depends substantially on a good driver.
We were happy to be accompanied by Nick from the very first day. He fetched my husband and me from the airport in Nairobi by jeep. Then we started together our safari, We visited the Lake Elementaita, the national park of Nakuru, the Lake Naivasha, we hiked together to the top of Mt Longonot, we spent three days in the Masai Mara and afterwards we experienced the national parks of Amboseli, Tsavo west and Tsavo east.
We experienced fantastic and overwhelming moments, which we will never forget. We never go to any safari in Kenya without Nick.
Nick was our first-class driver and leader. He told us much about the life and the variety of the different types of wild animals. He gave his best to show us as many animals as possible, and we even saw the big five.
Nick drove the jeep over gravel roads, through rivers and in every apparently chaotic traffic situation very safe and he always seemed to be the master of the situation.
We got to know much about the country and its people and inhabitants from Nick and we laughed a lot.
His helpful, friendly, attentive and human character made it easy for us to treat each other openly. In the end we separated from each other as friends. He even helped us to take our Kenya souvenir – a 1.60m large giraffe- on board.
It’s unnecessary to mention we fully can recommend a safari with our Nick. We would spend the days with Nick again and again.
Thanks Nick for this marvelous time, your hospitality in your home and please say thanks to your wife and your son.
Asante sana! Kwaheri.
Bettina und Matthias
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Brilliant Zimbabwe Vacation (facilitated by superb pre and during service from Vayeni)
We arranged a 6 day vacation in Zimbabwe split between a stay at Victoria Falls (Gorges Lodge) and Hwange (Bomani Lodge). The overall recommendation for both locations / accommodation was made to us by Vayeni. The service we received from the company both prior to our vacation and during it was exemplary. We could not have been more impressed. Gorges Lodge was fabulous with spectacular views across / down the Zambesi. We would also strongly recommend the 'Sunset Cruise' aboard the Zambesi Explorer (again arranged via Vayeni). Our stay in Hwangi (Bomani Lodge) was fantastic. All aspects exceeding our expectations. Well done to the team.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best 5 day safari at best price
My group of 6 friends absolutely loved this safari. It was better than we could ever have imagined. The accommodations were good, and the guide was exceptional. You will not find a better safari. We saw almost every animal on the list of the 50 most important animals to spot in Tanzania. And if you are a bird lover, you will be thrilled with the many birds that our guide found for us.
Take this safari. You will be pleased!!!!
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best Vacation Ever!
I cannot say enough good things about Maturaf and Regional Tours and Safaris. We had a group of six people for safari and Zanzibar trip and everything was amazing and easy from the booking of the trip all the way to the end of the trip. We all became friends with our guide, Peter who was absolutely wonderful and found the "Big 5" for us while educating us on the lay of the land. All of the lodging was top notch and in fact every day got better overall. Two thumbs up for Maturaf and our guide Peter. I will be back for another trip next year.
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
A great - once in a lifetime - experience
We have had an amazing time.
Chris was extremely helpful in the booking process.
Tolbert was a great guide with a good sense of humour and great knowledge about this beautiful country.
All of us three can highly recommend travelling with Encounter Africa Safaris.
If you're looking for a responsible company to trust, to adapt to your individual wishes, you are in very good hands with the team of Encounter Africa Safaris!
All choosen places have been wonderful and we loved that the local community have been always involved.
Thank you very much for this unique experiance. Thanks to Encounter Africa Safaris.