20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect Safari Experience (and more)
Quite simply faultless, from start to end.
Michael was an absolute delight to deal with, not only organising a terrific safari, but also buses from Nairobi and to Dar, as well as additional nights' accommodation as needed.
The safari itself was incredible. Everyone on the tour (a terrific group of six well-matched people in a very spacious jeep) asked the same questions: Why on earth do people pay for fancy dan safaris? And how on earth do fancy dan safaris cost so much more? We had a similar jeep to the posh people; everyone had a great view; we had a wonderful driver; good food; and we saw all the animals we could have wanted (the exception being a leopard that came down from its tree while we were beetling along the road to find where it had been spotted).
For those wondering (as I was): the accommodation was great. Not what I'd call budget. The first two nights were in a permanent campsite, which meant it was pretty close to a hotel. Private tent with shower/loo under a permanent wooden roof (it looked awesome), plus food cooked in the restaurant there. The other nights were tented under the stars, but with a nice mattress and pillow provided. We had help putting the tent up (took a grand total of about five minutes) and everything was taken down and packed up for us while we were out on a game drive. I much preferred the tented experience to what I assume a lodge is like: felt a lot more adventurous, but was comfy enough. No spiders/snakes/scorpions etc.
I half-assumed the reviews of Northern Circuit Adventure were too good to be true, and that I'd have my girlfriend shouting at me for booking us on a cramped bus ride through jam-packed roads somewhere near the Serengeti with someone on a megaphone shouting that there was a lion somewhere in the distance.
But nope, we had an absolutely perfect time. Honestly could have expected or asked for more. I would highly highly hiiiighly recommend to anyone else. Save yourself a lot of stress, and just go with Michael's operation. They offer the 'standard' park itineraries that you'll see in tons of places, and they provided a faultless safari experience. I really can't expect that anyone else is better.
Thank you to Michael, Elias and Musa.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Highly Recommend
What I really liked about Transtrek is their willingness to create a personalized and tailored experience. Daniel spent lots of time accommodating our every need and listening to our concerns. This company really does go out of their way to put clients first. We stayed in amazing lodges with great service and our guide was experienced and knowledgeable. I enjoyed the big variety of activities and scenery that Transtrek had planned for us- game drives, hikes, boat rides, beaches etc. I look forward to recommending Daniel and his team to anyone wishing to embark on a fabulous journey to Africa!
DE
It was a very nice tour with beautiful nature and animals and a friendly guide
It was a very good organisation. The guide was friendly and told us a lot about the animals and the nature. We saw by our accommodation a very was nice sunset. I can recommend to drive with this organisation.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
4 Day Tanzania Safari
Hi - I was on a Safari Tour with Northern Masailand Safaris in and around Arusha recently. The tour was outstanding and we enjoyed some very special memories. Our driver, Emily was a total animal and wildlife expert!! He knew everything about every animal and went off the beaten track to ensure we got the best views of as many animals as we could! We headed to the Serengeti, Tarangire and Ngorongoro and saw hundreds of animals! The food was plentiful and tasty and accommodation was also excellent. A great experience and if you get a chance visit the orphanage (Maasai Children Education).
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great experience
Everything was well organised from the pick up at the airport to the tour itself. They were always available to answer any inquiry I had before coming and also customised the tour how i wanted. My tour gide was experienced and had a lot of information about the animals and their habitat. I wanted to visit Maasai tribe so that was arranged for me as well. Accomodation in all parts of the tour was very nice and comfortable.
LK
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
A well arranged 8 days of safari with friendly and experienced guides.
We were two families of 8 members with a 11 year old and two teenagers. We toured the main 4 northern circuit parks in Tanzania ie Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Tarangire and Lake Manyara. We asked for middle range accommodation and were very pleased with the choices made for us by Savannah Explorers. Katikati tented camp and the Tarangire Safari Lodge requires special mention as they were excellent. Both guides (Abdul and Nixon) spoke English well and were committed to giving us the best safari experience possible. They were sensitive to our interests and accommodated our requests willingly.
I would highly recommend Savannah Explorers as tour organisers and would also like to mention the very prompt replies I received to all my queries, however mundane, by Roberto ( managing partner of Savannah Explorers).
NZ
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Safari Experience.
December 2015 will remain memorable for many years to come as this was our first time in Africa and our first animal safari. Right from the initial contact with Ryan and his wife Thale through to the safari itself we were super impressed with communications and organisation. On Safari with Ryan and his co worker was the most amazing experience. Ryan has a wealth of knowledge and passion about Africa and the wildlife. We were a party of 6 and spent 4 days in the Kruger National Park having lots of fun and seeing more wildlife than we could have wished for. Thanks Ryan we will be back in 5 years and will be in contact to do another safari.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
I sincerely doubt you could find a better tour company than Matoke.
This review is long overdue, and for that I apologize. I’ll skip to the conclusion first and then fill in some details: Matoke Tours is wonderful!
My wife and I cannot recommend Matoke more highly. In cooperation with Tanzania’s Easy Travel company, Matoke Tours took us on a 24-day private safari (mid-range accommodations) in Tanzania in October, 2015. We went through eight national parks/wildlife/conservation areas: Selous, Mikumi, Ruaha, Saadani, Arusha, Tarangire, Ngorongoro and Serengeti.
When making arrangements to book the tour, we had told Matoke that we were amateur birders. To our delight, they made sure to provide us with guides (two of them; one for the southern and one for the northern parks) who were themselves accomplished birders— and not all guides are. They study terrestrial flora and fauna in college, but not birds.
Both of our guides, Herman Kiriama and Hubert Ngoty, were fabulous! Hawk-eyed, they spot wildlife at amazing distances, even in tall grasses or shrubbery. Both are well-educated professionals, very personable and a pleasure to be with.
Herman and Hubert were always attentive to our needs, our comfort and our safety. Importantly, both always obeyed the speed limits on roadways, whereas many vehicles operated by other tour companies sped past us. In Tanzania roads are populated by other vehicles (including large trucks), bicycles, motorbikes (often overloaded), mini-taxis— and lots of pedestrians. We appreciated our Matoke guides’ expert driving skills and constant attention to safety on the roads.
Herman and Hubert were very knowledgeable not only about flora, fauna and terrain, but also about the peoples and cultures of Tanzania. (There are 123 tribes in Tanzania— living in harmony!) Our guides already had cordial relationships with the staff of the places we slept at, so they were able to make sure that those folks took good care of us. Hubert even made sure to arrange for one park ranger in particular to give us a 2-hour guided tour in Arusha NP, because he felt that ranger was the best explainer— and he was right! That park ranger was super-knowledgable and wonderfully good-natured.
I could go on, but you should get the point by now. If you’re going to Tanzania (and you should; the people are wonderful and the terrain and wildlife are magnificent), I honestly don't think you can do better than Matoke Tours.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Sabi Sands Is Everything You Want For A Honeymoon Safari
My husband and I decided to take a six day trip to Sabi Sands Game Reserve for our honeymoon. We stayed at andBeyond Exeter River Lodge. It's one of the many five-star lodges that share Sabi Sands Game Reserve. First, the reserve and Kruger National Park do not share a fence. Therefore, all the animals migrate from Kruger to Sabi Sands and back. This allows for some amazing viewing. We saw all the big five, more than one. Yes, Lions, Leopards (even leopard cubs!), African Buffalo, Elephants, and Rhinos. Because we were on a private reserve, we did not have to deal with traffic from normal cars. We took two drives everyday, once in the early morning and one in the afternoon to sunset. All he drives are conducted in open large green jeeps with a professional tracker and a knowledgeable ranger. They share information on the location of animals with all the rangers so no matter where you are, you can see the animal you came to see!
What I also loved, is that the animals are very use to the green jeeps. Lions, Leopards, Rhinos, Wildebeest, Buffalo, they will all come very close to the jeep. That gives for an amazingly spiritual experience and if you are a photographer, great photos. You can even take private drives. The Bush itself if beautiful. You rarely see another jeep unless on the main road and you can enjoy the silence of nature. The rangers and trackers know exactly where to place the jeep for optimal viewing.
The animals! What can I say about the animals. They are beautiful. People often come to see the "Big Five" but end up falling in love with all the animals in the Bush. There were a few bird watchers on the safari and they also saw tons of birds. Especially migration birds. I even saw an owl! The rangers also made sure to conduct all business in a way that was not harmful to the animals. Their love for nature was clear. It made me confident I was "doing no harm" to the best of our ability!
The particular place we stayed at andBeyond Exeter River Lodge was a dream come true. We had a personal butler, Positive, who made us feel like family. Our Ranger, Mark, and Tracker, Chris, were true professionals. Knowledgeable in every way. Because our lodge did not have a fence, I often spent lunch and breakfast watching herd of elephants drink water from the river in front of us and antelope play. We had a few run ins with monkeys, but they were even a joy! In our room, we had a private plunge pool and I spent hours watching birds, drinking gin and tonics, and looking at the wildlife in front of me. It was an absolutely wonderful experience that I feel could not be replicated anywhere else.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about South Africa by Jasmine
South Africa is amazing because you can combine a visit in nature with one in the city. We have friends in Cape Town, so we spent a few days there before taking a two hour flight to Sabi Sands. It's also a one hour flight (plus two hour drive) to Johannesburg. Or, if you want a beach, it's about a 40 minute charter flight to Mozambique. A lot of other couples on their Honeymoon finished their adventure there. There are many reserves that one can visit.