Owners Ines & Christopher
Indigo Safaris
- Located In:
-
United Kingdom
United States
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2010)
- Member Of:
- ASTA, APTA, FGASA & DEMA
- Tour Types:
- Customizable private tours and fixed group tours
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $60 to $500 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Unbeatable value for money
I went with Christopher on a safari in Botswana last September. I'd wanted to see the Okavango Delta for, oh at least 15 years, but could never afford the 'better known' travel agency prices... especially with a single supplement on top. Christopher, however, managed to design a fabulous itinerary taking in several national parks and included 3 nights in the much anticipated Delta. The camping on Chief Island in Moremi was very basic to be fair but it still felt awesome to BE there at looong last... there was no one else at all on that island and it made everything more intense.
The game drives were good fun too - like treasure hunts really. I'm an avid photographer, have travelled extensively all over Eastern & Southern Africa but it was refreshing this time to travel with someone who understood that lighting is everything in photography and knew where to position the jeep to avoid shadows or back-lit subjects (if at all possible of course as wildlife is unpredictable).
The Backpackers place he'd booked us in Maun was an absolute gem, with a en-suite permanent tent. The owner knew him well and it could be why we secured one of the very best tents, right by the river. When you think of what the top luxury lodges charge in this part of the world... the whole trip was amazing value for money.
I enjoyed it so much in fact that I'll be doing another TWO safaris with Christopher in 2014. The first one in Zambia over Easter. I'd mentioned when we were in Botswana that I'd always wanted to go to South Luangwa and within weeks he came back to me saying he would organise something there ! Can't beat that kind of service ;) He really listens and is a Maker of Dreams Come True as far as I'm concerned... after that I'll join his South Tanzania tour in Selous & Ruaha early Nov 2014... and I'm also hoping to go to Papua New Guinea with Indigo Safari, probably in 2015...
Too many places, too little time, too little money... but at least with Christopher one can easily get "4 trips for the price of 1.5" elsewhere ! For those of us who have more sense than money Indigo Safari is a real godsend...
Thanks again for everything Christopher and for all the thorough & well illustrated notes before we go away too. Keep on living your life to the full.... 'Travel like there's no tomorrow'....
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Absolutely fabulous trip!
I've been on one safari before (Tanzania), which was organised locally and was so so. The trip with Indigo Safaris however completely lived up to my expectations. I intentionally didn't want a "mass market" trip and that's exactly what i got. Christopher paid a lot of attention to making sure all seven of his guest's requirements were catered for before and during the trip and that we got on together (in a small group this could have been a real problem). The trip was organised to a very high standard, using excellent equipment and wasn't at all mass market: our itinerary fitted in an excellent selection of game spotting opportunities, some cultural moments (with a real sense of a relationship between Indigo and the tribes we met) and a lot of fun! I will certainly be going on other trips organised by Indigo and i'm telling all my friends about them, if only so other people can share Christopher's recipe for "plains game bolognese" :D. Overall a fabulous trip and one i'll remember for many years to come!
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The Wisdom of Animals
Christopher Bartlett with 7 passengers in 2 4WD's drove to excellent spots for viewing animals in their natural habitat, the amazing arid zones of the Namib. At night we often camped in wondrous solitude with stars and sort animal sounds for company. His cooking was superb and photography tips forever of value.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Ruaha, Rufiji and Mafia Island Tanzania with Indigo Safaris
Having looked into a family safari holiday using large travel agencies we were troubled by the cost, lack of specific knowledge and inflexibility. We turned to Indigo Safaris, I had met Chris Bartlett on a diving holiday in Raja Ampat and was impressed by his first hand knowledge of the diving and safari world. Chris simply tries out the resorts himself and knows what he is talking about from personal experience.
He very quickly came back to us with suggestions for a tailor made 3 centre holiday at a very reasonable price. He supplied excellent and accurate information and pictures of each resort, what we would expect to find and see, and the logistics of travel.
The holiday was a great success in no small part due to Chris' organisational skills. The staff at the resorts and even the owners of the Safari Camps knew Chris personally which is a testament to his larger than life no nonsense personality and the fact that he has actually visited the places he recommends.
We would definitely use Chris again for another safari (or even a diving) holiday/s.
US
Email Kimberly Decker | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Just sit back and let Indigo Safaris take care of--and surprise--you.
I take only one vacation per year, so when I go, I go big and I go far. That makes it imperative that I find a travel advisor who WON'T "screw up," technically speaking, my sole annual chance for adventure.
Fortunately, that's just what I found in Indigo Safaris, which helped me build my last two vacations from start to finish.
That's no mean feat considering that those holidays took me to Papua New Guinea in 2012 and Namibia and South Africa in 2013. The former destination is something of a challenge to navigate even for seasoned travelers, but Christopher Bartlett--the nerve center of Indigo Safaris--knows it inside out. He can rattle off flight schedules as if they were multiplication tables, set you up for scuba certification, send you on cultural adventures, find you a mountain to climb and even direct you to the dive resort with the best margarita--all while nabbing you a great deal in the bargain.
So pleased was I with my PNG vacation--not to mention Christopher's attentiveness and skill in orchestrating it--that I put my adventure in his hands the following year, letting him arrange and guide my two weeks in Namibia and a subsequent two weeks of game driving, backpacking and hiking in South Africa.
The Namibia portion was particularly striking, fully living up to its billing as Christopher's "Hidden Secrets Tour." I can't even begin to tell you all we saw and did during our 14-odd days in country other than to assure you that we covered more than 3,500 km in one of the most rugged, friendly and breathtaking places on earth. Christopher gave us peeks into aspects of Namibian life, history and geography that I don't think are possible to get any other way short of moving there.
And did I say he can cook? Chocolate-covered bananas? Over a fire pit? That was indeed a treat, but not the only one.
Which is why I'm already setting my sites on Uganda and the gorillas in a few years. Or maybe Zimbabwe. Or the Galapagos...In any case, I'll be pounding down Christopher and Indigo Safari's inbox for help. Don't say I didn't warn him.