CN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent and reliable service
I booked the safari trip one week before departure through Bison Safaris. Maggie was very effective in her communication - provided options and recommendations and quickly responded to my request to modify the plan. The driver was also punctual, friendly, and helpful. I would feel very comfortable with booking another safari trip with Bison in the future.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An Unforgettable first visit to Africa that will be hard to beat
I have waited an awful long time to go to Africa and thought and chose my trip very carefully. The Wildside Safari Company was to me the logical operator to travel with, especially after talking to Shirli and having received a copy of their book "Africa’s Ultimate Safaris". The trip they ran to the Great Migration and the crossings in Tanzania was another no brainer and what an introduction to Africa! Wildside sorted out everything bar our flights and even then gave good advice and arranged extra accommodation where we required it. Also we chose to travel a day earlier so we could be with the group early on the first day to travel which gave us time to break ourselves into the safari experience gently with a trip to the fabulous Arusha National park, set between Mounts Meru and Kilimanjaro it is a stunning park and was quite different to all of the others that we visited as it allowed us to experience jungle and all of its fabulous sights, sounds and especially smells. Watching colobus and sykes monkeys evacuate the trees as a crested eagle swooped through was an amazing kick start to the trip and if you like birds this park is a must. From here the trip started proper, visiting Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti. I had always wanted to see the infamous Mara river and it did not disappoint. Watching the crossings is quite an experience. Feeling rain in Africa while you are sat in the porch of your personal tent in the tented camp, while watching wildebeest and zebra stream past on the hill opposite for well over 2 hours! Well over a million wildebeest, especially in the Lamai Wedge (my favourite day of the trip), 1000's of zebra, gazelle & buffalo. 100's of ele's, giraffe & lion. 13 cheetah and 9 leopard. Plus the most amazing view of 3 wild dog and seeing them cross the mighty Mara. Seeing a huge croc take a wildebeest..... Plus the birds..... 300+ species. Flamingos as far as both my eye and my scope could see on Lake Manyara........ No review does the trip justice. I cannot recommend it enough and Wildside who arranged the most fantastic guides, accommodation, food and travel. Will look to try and do it again! :)
US
Wonderful Experience- Expectations Surpassed
I summited with E-Trip Africa this summer, and did the 8 day Lemosho route. Our guides were August, Ignus, and Francis, who all proved to be very knowledgeable and encouraging the entire time. August has summited Kili 356 times! Each day when we arrived at our campsite our tents had already been pitched and a meal was already in process. Our food was served in courses, and was delicious and fresh. Talk about glamping!
On summit day, our three guides, as well as two extra porters took our group of five up the mountain. This was a nice notion, as it made you feel comfortable that you were being monitored, and that if anything went haywire, there would be enough people to expertly handle the situation. I noticed that many other companies did not match the number of company employees with the number of hikers. In bigger groups, this resulted in people straggling or being stranded behind the rest of their group.
E-Trip Africa's professionalism was evident throughout every aspect of the trek. I felt very comfortable and taken care of the entire time. E-Trip is also one of the companies that truly cares about the wellbeing of the porters they employ, and is apart of the Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Program.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
The experience with Paul Tickner Safaris was Awesome
We advised Paul of the region in southern Tanzania in which we were interested. Paul suggested various
Safari lodges and the time to spend at each lodge. Although, we are in Texas and Paul is in Tanzania with an eight hour time difference Paul was excellent in his timely communications back and forth to all of our questions even the silly ones from the ladies about hair dryers!
The lodges that Paul selected were each different in a way, but all of the choices were excellent and we enjoyed every Safari lodge. We got to know Paul so well through all of the emails that we asked if he could join us for the entire journey which he did for a certain fee. Paul joining really added to our trip. Paul was with us when viewing animals and he is so knowledgeble, he should be a Safari guide! We arrived in Tanzania at about 3:30 am and Paul was at the airport to greet us with transportation to the hotel which he had selected for us. Besides making sure every detail was perfect getting from lodge to lodge, Paul scheduled our day trips and animal viewing which was superb. The trip was more than my dreams could imagine...luxurious lodging, delicious food, good wine and wonderful animal viewing. And Paul's fun personality really added a sparkle to the trip of a lifetime!!
NL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
South Africa and Tailor Made Safaris are absolutely a marvellous combination for anyone!
Our three generations trip (two adolescents, two medium and two grandparents) to Africa last spring holiday was absolutely the best thing we have done in years. We visited various beautiful wildlifeparks such as Mkhuze Game Reserve, Tembe Elephant Park and Kruger Wildlife Park. Not to forget Milwana Wildlife Santuary in Swaziland.
We had booked a Self Drive Tour package at Tailor Made Safaris (TMS) and we can only say that everything we had previously discussed while planning our personal trip was arranged perfectly. A couple of weeks before we set off to SA we received the very thorough travel book in which our trip was explained from A to Z. It was filled with practical information about SA, beautiful pictures, the GPS coordinates of our accomodations and very useful information about the parks. The GPS navigation System was a blessing in finding our way around and the SA phone and SIM card enabled us to contact TMS if necessary (which was actually never). We loved spending several days at our chosen locations, really experiencing the parks and enjoying our holiday. We went on loads of guided tours as well and saw not just the big five, but an enormous amount of beautiful animals! Truly amazing! The booked accomodations varied from good to absolutely beautiful and were more than up to our standards. We had a great South Africa experience and we will certainly come back! With Tailor Made Safaris!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Communication was excellent and perfect.
Thanks to Annette for a superb Safari experience and booking us in one of the best lodges.
The interaction prior to the trip was fantastic and prompt. She was friendly and quick with her replies.
QA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An amazing experience - better than expected !
We had booked a 3night/4 day safari, where we stayed at Tremisana Lodge the first night and at Katekani Tented Lodge for the last 2 nights.
The information, service, BBQ and guides at Tremisana were nice, but not anything extraordinary. We did see some wildlife but not that much. The food was nothing to write home about, but the BBQ under the tree was magnificent ! and a bit scary, which was great ! The Laba was nice, with a nice view of a man-made watering hole. The service from the kitchen personale wasn't as friendly as one would expect, they seemed a bit stressed/tired. We switched the morning walk with a private safari drive because we had to children under the age of 16. All the guides was very flexible and knowledgeable and sweet.
The stay at Katakana Tented Lodge was amazing ! The hosts was the sweetest couple, the food was out of this world, the camp was so silent, well kept, untouched and secluded - fantastic ! The tents were even more amazing, and they exceed our expectations in every way - they are indescribably unique and amazing ! A must see - and we won't say anymore, they must be experienced ! They stay was so nice, that we extended our stay one day extra :-)
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Zanzibar and Mikumi Holiday
We booked via Faustin after discussing our requirements with him as we required a bespoke solution rather than one of his advertised tours.
I booked the flights to and from Zanzibar independently as it suited our travel plans, Faustin was helpful in providing information to help book.
I arranged the rest of the booking (hotels, transfers, tours etc) with Faustin directly. I paid 50% in advance via transfer and paid the rest when I arrived in Tanzania.
Faustin was very helpful and accommodating in booking the trip and the different parts, and was aware of our requirements as we were travelling around southern Tanzania independantly (especially that we had to be back in Dar Es Salaam for a flight in the afternoon of our final day.
The trip could not have been better, we arrived at Zanzibar airport for the first part of the holiday and were met by Faustin's team in Zanzibar at the airport where they transferred us to the Amaan beach bungalows (as recommended by Faustin) And although it was quite a distance from the airport it was worth it, it was a lovely beach location and a good quality hotel which had a pol as well as access to the beach. The hotel had good food (there were also other hotels close by for food as well). We just relaxed the first day but there are plenty of activities (snorkelling etc) that are available.
Our second day was the spice tour ans stone town tour. The driver was there to meet us at the agreed time and took us to the spice tour which was really good, we then went to Stonetown tour which although interesting was not as good as the spice tour and lasted longer than we wanted. The driver took us back to the hotel and made good time.
The third day was our trip back to Dar (via our own booked flights) for the trip to Mikumi. The driver was there at the hotel to pick us up as agreed to get to the airport in time, and when we arrived in Dar Faustin was there to meet us with the driver to take us to Mikumi. We needed to get some food so Faustin took us to the other terminal to get some food before the long drive to Mikumi.
Although the Land Cruiser did not have Air conditioning it was quite comfortable and with the windows open remained cool for the journey. The drive was long and we got to the game park after about 5 and a half hours - due to the time we could not go into the game park, but we were able to stop (frequently) on the side of the main road through the park to view some of the animals (Impala, giraffe, elephant, zebra) were all seen from the main road. We stayed at the Mikumi Safari Lodge which is about 30 mins from the main road (via an offroad track that requires a four by four!) So we finally got to the hotel about 7 and half hours after setting off from Dar.
The welcome from the hotel staff was great and they were able to get food ready for us quickly, they could not do enough for us. The rooms are all separate buildings and are joined by a path so we were glad we had bought torches with us, as although there are some lights it is quite dark going between the buildings. The rooms were good (large and spacious) with a nice shower with Hot water. The food (dinner, breakfast and the packed lunches) were very good with a good selection available.
The next day was our full day safari at the game park, so we set off early in the morning. We had a knowledgeable guide with us (arranged by Faustin) who accompanied us throughout the day and guided our driver through the park to get the best views. We were lucky as we saw a lot of animals including Lions, Giraffe,Monkeys, Elephants (which we saw very close up), Hippo, Crocodiles, but we did not see the leopards.
During the safari we went to the on site hotel / restaurant to have our lunch (I had the packed lunch but my family preferred to pay for a restaurant lunch!
We finished the safari in the early afternoon having seen loads and returned to the hotel for dinner and an early night as we had agreed an early start with Faustin in order to get back to Dar Es Salaam for our flight home. The hotel staff also got up early to provide us with breakfast before our trip (they could not have been more helpful and friendly at the Mikumi safari Lodge).
We set off on time (I had allowed for contingency in the time as we really needed to get the plane) The trip took us 6 and a half ours in total so we made it in plenty of time , but I was glad we had some contingency as the roads are not great and the speed limit is low, there were also two hold ups on our trip (truck accidents) that held us up 30- 40 mins and could have been more. There also seem to be a lot of punctures so you need to leave plenty of time and not cut it too fine.
Overall we were very pleased with the holiday and with Faustin and his team who were always on time and did what they could to make our holiday great. The Hotels were both good but the Mikumi Safari Lodge deserves a special mention for the Staff and welcome that we had.
Thanks Faustin for helping make a great holiday (although tiring) for my family and I.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Machame 7 Day Kilimanjaro Trek
We had a fantastic experience climbing Kilimanjaro with Mega Adventures. We turned up in Moshi unsure of which tour company to use, and the owner of the Kilimanjaro Grand Hostel (Mandela) sorted it all out and we left the next day. The equipment they use is top notch and was either near or brand new. The food was incredible and they catered for both me (flexitarian) and my partner (vegetarian). The walking was tough but you're encouraged to go pole pole (slow). Our guides were great and very patient with my super pole pole pace. Our assistant guide, Ramadan, carried my bag without complain when I was tired. All of the staff were welcoming and just plain lovely. Special shout out to our assistant chef Izack, who was wonderful (and will be an amazing guide next year). We can't thank Mega Adventures enough for the adventure of a lifetime and a huge highlight of our holiday.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
once in a lifetime experience to see one of the wonders of the world !
The whole package tour was set to our needs and worked out perfectly with consideration to time and budget.
The driver and tour guide were knowledgeable and pleasant, tour bus was not the most comfortable since we were driving most of the day through dusty unpaved bumpy roads. Accommodation at the camp and lodge were comfortable and food was palatable. Early booking is advisable during peak time since we didn't get accommodation North of Serengeti and had a long tiring day driving back to our base camp. Also a last minute price increase for park entrance was not anticipated and we had to pay the extra fees after the package tour was booked. Overall a memorable and an adventurous trip.