US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a lifetime!
From start to finish, AfricanSafaris was incredible. Kathi Simon was so easy to work with and created an itinerary based upon our wishes. She understood our best hopes and every detail was mapped out perfectly! It took all the stress away for us and allowed for us to just enjoy our experiences. All of the accommodations and expeditions, safaris, etc went above and beyond our expectations. Every question and concern we had was answered on a timely fashion and we felt so comfortable with our itinerary and plans. All of the companies African Safari's contracts with had such friendly and helpful employees. Nothing but positive things to say!
US
Disorganized
The safari was ok. Not the best safari but not the worst.
The problem with the company was they were not organized. There were errors such as in flight details that I pointed out before my itinerary was finalized. The worst of all was they forgot to book one leg of my flights even though they confirmed everything was booked and I realized that I don't have a ticket for the next flight on the plane. Really subpar.
SI
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Namib-Naukluft National Park by s_andreja
Not sure if Namib Naukluft National Park qualifies as a safari destination. However, the scenery is breathtaking beautiful. A definite-must.
SI
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The Lion King scene ... without the lion
Have you seen the Lion King animated movie?
Well, in Etosha you have a feeling you are in that movie, right on the scene.
The sheer vastness of the place and number of animals is amazing. Meaning also that after a few days, a simple oryx is not enough for you to pause, now you are only for the lion. But (fortunately) he did not know that and decided to stay in distance ...
Self-drive makes Etosha not just another (giant) zoo, but rather a self-organized adventure.
'Chasing' animals in a car around the park and waterholes is one thing. However, standing still and observing animals from the camp is entirely different (and much more rewarding) experience.
I would recommend anyone to take the time and spend the night in one of the camps in Etosha. I was not the only one amazed. At sunset and sundown, you could see 50+ people gathered at the fence, watching a couple of animals doing their daily routine. All this without any noise, except for the clicking of cameras (some with 600 mm zoom).
I stayed in Etosha for 3 nights (2 in Okaukuejo, 1 in Namutoni) and can say the following:
o Okaukuejo - a definite must, always full of all sorts of animals and with great position to see the sunset; very busy, so staff did not really try to be friendly
o Halali (did not stayed for the night) looked more pristine, but smaller and without the big animals (when I was there)
o Nakamutoni - friendly staff, but otherwise a dissapointment due to facilities not maintained and pratically no animals (no real waterhole).
Apparently there are now 2 camps also in the western part of Etosha (previously closed for tourists), but have not tried those.
In order to explore Etosha, you do not need a local guide, GPS or a map (available at camps) is enough.
However, there are organized safari trips at night that might be worth trying (you are not allowed to go outside the camp at night on your own).
LK
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Samburu National Reserve by Migara Wijesinghe
Samburu was the hottest park (in terms of weather) and the wildlife, is simply unique to each of the parks.
LK
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Masai Mara National Reserve by Migara Wijesinghe
The cherry on top! We saved the best for the last and the 3 nights in Masai were the best 3 nights. When we were there (mid July), the migration of the animals was full on and there were thousands of animals out in the savanna. The wildebeests and zebras crossing the Mara river was a treat to watch. We were also lucky to see a lion kill and to top it all off, 18 lions in one day.
LK
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Lake Nakuru National Park by Migara Wijesinghe
Lake Nakuru was the place where we ticked off the big five even before going to Masai Mara. The beauty of this park lies in its terrain and is simply breathtaking. Lion hill a must visit and that is where we were lucky enough to spot 4 lions!
LK
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Aberdare National Park by Migara Wijesinghe
Aberdare was quite a chilled out experience. We stayed down at the Ark and that is a really nice place to stay at. Was lucky enough to see 2 leopards during our short one night stay and the experience down at the salt lick was amazing.
LK
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
My first glimpse of African wildlife, extraordinary wildlife and beautiful landscapes
Well, Amboseli was our first stop of our 13 day expedition in Kenya. Something that we read when planning our trip was that most people try to skip Amboseli and Aberdare and spend more time in Maasai Mara, but we decided not to and yes, we were rewarded. You don't get the same type of giraffes in Maasai to begin with, so you'd lose out on that.
Amboseli was simply great, really loved the landscapes which included Mt. Kilimanjaro. We were lucky enough to see herds of elephants, giraffes, zebras and a group of flamingos. The weather was chilly during the day and rather cold in the night (I'm from Sri Lanka and it gets pretty hot here, 34 degrees during the day). My highlight at Amboseli was when we tried taking photographs of the milky way over Mt. Kilimanjaro at about 1AM. It was freezing, but I managed to get a few shots of the night sky in all its glory. (must do, if you're a photographer). One of the travellers in our group (my mother) is a bird watcher and she spotted quite a few number of birds in Amboseli.
We stayed one night and that was at the Amboseli Sopa Lodge. The hotel was good and the food was excellent. A small note to travellers coming in from hot climate countries, you might want to wear winter clothes when you go to bed since it gets very cold during the night. Transportation and guides were brilliant, they were the same two guides we had for the whole stay in Kenya. We travelled about in two safari ready luxury coaches with plenty of space for the eleven us + baggage.
Remember - Do not skip Amboseli :)
SI
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Namibia by s_andreja
My first motivation when coming to Namibia was not to go on a safari, but rather to see the desert - and Deadvlei in particular.
In Namibia, you can see spectacular landscapes and great wildlife, while enyoing almost the same comfort as at home.
By renting a car you have the to plan as you go and make stops at every turn.
Nambia is ideal for desert lovers and everybody that enjoys wide open spaces. It is ideal also for animal lovers who enjoy seeing all kinds of animals and are not only after the big 5. Those will definitely not be dissapointed.
Ideal also for photographers, with varied landscape and nice colours.
Family friendly, for seniors and families with small children alike.