35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
All round great Northern Circuit safari
We went on a 13 day, private, budget camping safari of the Tanzania Northern Circuit in June with Safari Multiways. We were a group of three with rather differing safari experience - one of us had never been to Africa, one of us had been on many safaris previously but not done the NC before, and I had done the NC several times before.
With Romeo's (the owner) help, we organised a partially customised itinerary that suited our previous experiences:
Starting from Arusha with a day trip to Arusha NP,
Manyara NP (one day)
Ngorogoro Crater (three nights with two trips into the crater and a walking safari to Empakai)
Serengeti NP (three nights)
Lake Natron, with waterfall walk
Tarangire NP, staying in Tarangire Safari Lodge
The communication with Romeo before and during the safari was excellent. But the most important factors in the success of our safari were;
1) the skill and adaptability of Amos, our guide. He had a great eye and was very patient, e.g. he spotted a leopard on the prowl and was the only guide to stick with it, and we eventually saw it stalking and hunting Tommies. We are keen birders and he was keen to help us build our list, spotting and stopping for random birds between and within parks (for the birders, we got a list of 329 sp, inc. my highlights of African Broadbill and Grey-Crested Helmetshrike).
2) the guide and the owner were really flexible about our itinerary, allowing us to modify our itinerary mid-trip. I had booked two days in Ngorogoro Crater to maximise chances of seeing Black Rhino, but Amos was the first guide to spot it on our first day and so we were able to move on to Serengeti sooner than planned.
3) the owner puts NO restrictions on mileage. I didn’t even think that this would happen on a safari as you always drive tens of km in a park without noticing. Many companies put a limit of 50-60km per day. This is nothing is the Wildebeest are in the other side of the park. We were able to travel right to the Kenyan border to see the migration – this is rare.
4) Last, but clearly the most important, was the cook, Moses. He was friendly and fun, and consistently produced great food, even in remote places, and even when left on his own for 13 hrs (with only rampaging baboons for company!).
We were a tough group to please since we had such a mix of experiences, and two keen birders and one Big Fiver. But Amos and co managed to please us all. I have done lots of safaris in the past (inc. the NC again the following two weeks) and have never seen so much. Final total 50 mammals (inc. several leopard, serval, cheetah and Bat eared fox) sightings, 329 birds.
I totally recommend this company for all round organisation, great guiding and cook.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
A trip of a lifetime
We planned an African trip of a lifetime to see wildlife. We chose Gondwana Tours & Safaris in Botswana because of their reasonable prices, great reviews, an office based in Botswana and their willingness to customize a tour to suit our needs and budget.
Wow did they deliver! Mark Hathaway worked with us for almost a year, answering our questions with a reply usually within 24 hours. Their itinerary took us to four different safari camps through Botswana, followed by a lovely two-day cruise up the Chobe River by houseboat. The trip ended with a stay at Victoria Falls, which was the perfect way to wind down before heading home. We ended up finding and photographing 41 mammal species and saw hundreds of species of birds. Thanks to Gondwana's planning, everything went off smoothly. The camps were ready and waiting for us, and transport was where it needed to be, and precisely on time. The camps themselves were delightful, with good food, a reasonable number of other guests, and eight hours a day in the field. We did not fully appreciate all the planning Gondwana did until we saw it all in action.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Best Safari in South Africa!
I have been on safari with Crazy Dave twice with groups of about 20+. Both drivers we had were excellent and made the experience so much fun. They were knowledgeable about both the animals and the environment. We saw every thing we were hoping to (outside of a leopard, but what can you do?!) and the drivers were very intentional about locating the ones they could! The safari trucks were comfortable and had blankets to keep us warm if it got cold! They were patient with us while still being great about keeping us on schedule during meal times, bathroom breaks, etc.
I would 100 percent recommend using Kruger Flexi Tours for your safari. I have sent several people Dave's way and they all rave about him. By far the best safari experience I have had! I can confidently say you won't regret booking your safari through them!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
World Class service as always
The hotel that was recommended to me by Oakland exceeded my expectation. The booking was seamless and I enjoyed the experience of having all the billing and booking handled by Oakland. The communication was timely and complete and assisted me in planning my trip.
ES
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic Safari Tour
We highly recommend Flexi Tour and Old Vic Traveller Inn. We had a great safari during two days and we visited the Blyde Canyon also with them. The organization, accommodation and meals were just fantastic, Dave is a great bbq chef!
RO
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
High professional service having as a result a memorable trip to Cape Town and a great safari.
It is a pleasure to recommend Roho Ya Chui for the high professionalism: timely communication, quick response, supply all the necessary information related to the trip ( visa documentation related, health & safety, safari info, trip plan, etc ), overall leading to a high return on the trip cost.
The experience of this trip have exceed our expectations in terms of the touristic guidance provided in Cape Town and surroundings as well as during the safari. The location itself, Kirkman's Camp and the people working there were just great. They know how to make the safari experience a memorable one, going beyond standards with their friendly and caring attitude.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Bucket list adventure
My entire experience was amazing right from the original booking to the actual safari. Mike kept us well informed along the way. For the actual safar, Joseph was our guide and driver and did an amazing job. He gave us some options along the way and let us dictate the flow. Joseph already found us the "big five" on the first day and did his best to give us the best vantage point. By the end of the safari we had seen every animal on my list which was beyond my expectations. I highly recommend Ancient Wild Safaris!!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
9 days in the Tanzanian Safaris - Serengeti, Tarangire and Ngorogoru Crater
Dear Afroriginal,
We are all home and just have the most wonderful memories of the last 9 days in your beautiful country. All the places we visited were truly remarkable. Jennifer and I loved the Tarangire and I can see why this is your favourite place. We loved the swamp area and the elephants and eagle life. The lodge there was rather magnificent. We loved going into the crater and the flamingos and the 22 hyena we highlight. The Sereno lodge was lovely and we did want to spend another night there as the views and atmosphere was calming and spectacular.
I am glad we only had to do the one way trip from the crater to the south of Serengeti, this was very long and bumpy but we were certainly enlightened on the quantity of gazelle on the planes and again hyenas. Next time we come will be in summer when the wildebeest are giving birth and on these planes. The first night at Kati Kati was truly in nature with a heard of buffalo around the tents – and I mean even between the tents. My husband was on the toilet and was scared to make any noises as the buffalo was eating right next to him. He could almost feel its heat. I was in hysterics !!!
The trip to the north Serengeti was long but also nice to see the vast expanses of land we covered and with such a different terrain. We saw some incredible fires on route watched the marabou storks sitting close to the flames having barbeque. It was only in this section where we saw endless Wildebeest and got to appreciate the amount of animals that there are. We even gave up counting carcasses! The Wayo camp was very basic and we were the only people in the camp for both nights, which really made it private. These tents were very basic – as you described, but they could have done a bit to make the linen more warm and cosy even in such a situation. The chef at this camp was the best we had all over. His food and lunch boxes were very good for such a remote place.
The day we spent on the Mara river and driving up to the Kenyan border was again more than I ever expected. I would have loved to spend 3 days in this area, and will definitely next time when we come in July spend more time in the north. It was also very quiet with tourists.
Our trip back to Kati Kati was very good and we spent some time in the central area, and we counted we saw 41 lions in the whole trip, 5 cheetah, and 2 leopards, one with a fresh kill.
But there was one thing that really made this trip absolutely wonderful and has made it close to our families hearts, and that was Francis, our tour guide. There are little words to describe what a wonderful man he was and a tour guide. He has the funniest sense of humour and talked so easily and freely with us. At times when we wanted silence to enjoy the environment, he was quiet. His driving was impeccable and we all laughed as he seems well respected and known amongst the “bush telegraph” guides. His spotting of animals and birds and knowledge was great and sitting over dinner and having conversations with him was so humorous. He is a most pleasant person and next time we come I will only ask for him.
Again it was wonderful to meet you, although for such a short period of time. When the time comes for any recommendations I will most certainly send anyone your details, you were most accommodating to my changes.
Keep well and God Bless
Louise, Mike, Stephanie and Jennifer.
NO
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect in every way - comes highly recommended
I do not usually write reviews, but this time Tanzania Explorer really deserve a great review. Why? Because they are great! Sondre (owner) was following us up and kept all his promises. Everything was according to plan and times were honoured by everyone involved. Simply an excellent partner to take you on a great safari and Zanzibar experience.
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Very helpful and organized a magical safari experience in Bulawayo, Kariba and Wedza. Wonderful.
Our experience was one of good suggestions keeping to our budget in varied safaris across Zimbabwe.
They were very helpful and kept us updated to new ideas.
We had the most wonderful time in Bulaway 'The big Cave' saw a leopard!and lots of other game, then Kariba to Changa which was also
amazing followed by a trip to Wedza 'Imeri' We saw a lot of game and had some great experiences in each of our camps. We also were able to hire a car which was brought to where we were staying.
Our flights to Kariba and back were wonderful way to get there with limited time to drive.
In all, Experience Africa Safaris really worked hard to give us a trouble free and wonderful holiday.
I would recommend them every time.