US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Incredible Animal Encounters In A Wild and Wonderful Country
In April of this year my 76 year old mother and I vacationed in Namibia for three weeks. I chose Namibia because I am a hobbyist photographer and wanted to visit the Namib desert and the Himba tribal lands. Mom came along because she wanted to see African wildlife in their natural habitat.
April was a wonderful time to visit Etosha, because there were many baby animals out and about (we saw baby lion, zebra, giraffe, elephant, warthog, wildebeest, kudu, hartebeest, springbok, impala). The grasses and vegetation were still green, but just turning into gold (the "blonde" season for Namibia) so the beauty of the landscape and the vistas was truly breathtaking at every turn. If you'd like to see some of the photographs, please feel free to visit this site: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jillscoby/
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about South Africa by Kanikoski
As first-time safari-goers, South Africa was an excellent choice of destination for us. We got a taste of both luxury lodges and more 'earthy' accommodation, always with up-close wildlife experiences. We were treated to top-class hospitality all the way through. We booked and travelled with On Track Safaris and felt good about being in touch with local conservation efforts.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Namibia by Jill Scoby
An incredible wild, rugged country. It felt like it was not particularly well known to American, European or Asian tourists (except Germans!), so each of our experiences was blessed by a lack of crowds, groups, tour buses, etc. The country is huge, so three weeks seemed like almost too short of a time to see all that we had on our itinerary -- I would LOVE to return and spend more time at each one of the places we visited. I will say that Etosha National Park and the San Bushman immersion experience at Fiume Bush Camp were truly the pinnacle of a trip that had nothing but highlights!
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
So much fun!!!
Picking Benson Safaris was the perfect way to start our trip. First of all, Benson never sleeps. He is very on top of his business, which instantly attracted us to this company. We booked our safari only a few weeks before we were to arrive and still Benson worked with our last minute plans and crafted an amazing package for us. He answered all of my questions but gently reminded me that I needed to get moving on my booking to reserve some of the lodges that we preferred. He came to say hi and meet us before we took off for our first day on safari, which was so nice to meet the man behind the emails. Benson even stored my wedding dress and husband's suit in his office so we wouldn't have to worry about transporting them during our safari
Our guide, Max, was so much fun and very knowledgeable about everything. He really loves birds and kept trying to get us interested in them too. It didn't quite work, but his attempts were really funny. Max is the social butterfly of the safari world. The man knows everyone. We really enjoyed riding with him. We laughed the whole 5 days. Max was dedicated to ensuring we saw the Big 5 and he did not disappoint (although I still question whether we saw a rhino or a big rock far in the distance painted with a horn). The car was stocked with wine, beer, water and sodas. They really ensured we were comfortable and well cared for. I could not sing enough praises about this company. I love that they are a local Tanzanian company and just really down to earth people. We had the time of our lives. We will definitely be back and will book again with Benson.
US
My july trip
We enjoyed the diversity of the facilities, locations and animal viewing during the trip. Safarihub was very helpful in the development of the itinerary and choose the camps to suit our interest and budget.
Coordination of our transfers went very well during the trip. We moved from one camp to the next seamlessly.
One point of communications that cause some confusing with our group as the ability to arrange trips to the crater floor from the Crater Lodge. We were told by safarihub that the lodge would make only one trip to the crater per day but we later found out the the Crater Lodge would accommodate any request that was made including morning, afternoon or all day trips to the crater floor. This simple clarification would have eliminated some anxiety by people in our group that wanted to maximize their time at the crater floor.
PL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Professional and very friendly
Everything was ok. People from this company are excellent. Everything was perfect. They want to get my satisfaction.
CH
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very great experience
I did the 12-days safari tour with wild discoveries safaris and had an great experience with our guide Blackie. In Murchison falls we had a boat trip to see the impressing fall and the permanent rainbow which was extraordinary. We also did a game drive where we saw a lot of animals and visited the hippos. We also visited the crater lakes and did a chimpanzee tracking in Kwambura. In Bwindi NP we saw gorillas and in Queen Elizabeth NP the big 5 which was amazing. All together the tour was perfect. This especially because of our very nice tour guide Blackie. He is an experienced local guide with a lot knowledge about the wildlife and nature in Uganda and always there a joke. Blackie ensured that we had a great experience and good service all the time. We are very grateful for the trip and want to recommend this safari company to everyone.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
4 day safari - Serengetti/Tarangire/Ngorongoro national parks
Excellent safari - highlight of our trip to Tanzania. The guide was fantastic, we saw all the big five and camping in the Serengetti and on the edge of the Ngorongoro crater was brilliant. The scenery in the national parks was unbelievable, as was watching sunrise on the morning safari in the Serengetti.
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Don't use this agency!
I booked via internet a 3-day-safari with Amani Tours and Travel for me and my two daughters. One month before the trip starts I transfered 50% of the payment as deposit and the rest of the payment I payed cash when we arrived Tanzania.
On the evening before the trip should starts I got an email that the safari is cancelled... From this moment I couldn't reach Daniel/Donald??? and I'm still waiting for my money...
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing knowledge, professionalism, service, and accommodations while viewing incredible animals.
I had a wonderful experience with Beacon Safari and have already recommended them to several close friends planning trips to Kenya/Tanzania. The staff, led by Robert, was very knowledgeable, professional and flexible with my schedule and interests. By very prompt emails, Robert worked with to me design a safari that fit my wishes for the trip and my budget. After some discussion, I ended up doing a private safari so that I could be sure to see and do exactly what I wanted. Josh, my guide on the safari, was very friendly and fun to be around and had an extensive knowledge of the animals in the Maasai Mara. He never rushed or pressured me and was very accommodating to what I wanted to see and do in the park. At my request, he took me to visit a Maasai tribe village which was incredibly interesting and not touristy like I expected. The mid-range priced lodge (Mara Sopa Lodge) I stayed in was also very nice. I was very surprised by how luxurious it was and it had great food, a pool, entertainment, etc. I really was so pleased with the entire experience and amazed by all the animals we were able to see in just a 3 day safari. My safari was during the migration so, we literally saw thousands of zebra, wildebeest, impala, water buffalo, etc. We also saw giraffes, lions, hippos, crocodiles. I was amazed by how close our Jeep got to the animals. It was a life changing experience.
Josh and Robert were two of the kindest and most fun people I met in Kenya. I cannot recommend Beacon Safaris more highly!