IN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Shahrukh Khan of serengity
Everything was managed top well.
From transport to stay to hospitality to drives.
Our guide Elijah was wonderful and knowledgeable. He went lengths to make sure that we have sightings. Very humble, helpful, joyful and an excellent driver.
Till the end we became like family.
Definitely recommend 100 percent.
CH
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent service, looking forward to using Viatu again
Great communication from planning our trip through South Africa (great recommendations, adherence to our expectations, additional tips and insights, flexibility in adjusting multiple times), to preparing for our trip (sending guidebooks, asking for all relevant documentation, communicating with all lodges and sharing our information) to during the trip (concierge service, great app with tailored day by day recommendations).
Specificall Was impressed by the personalized day by day write up from the Viatu Team that made our travel through South Africa very special. Everything went excellent (car rental, logges) and we always knew that if they would be questions, we have someone to talk to.
Thank you Simone and the team, it was fantastic and all the lodges you picked were amazing
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Peaceful 4 days exploring in Tanzania.
4 days with my family safari in Tanzania with a professional Tanzanian local tour organizer Herbivore African Expeditions.
Our starting 4-day luxury lodge safari with a gentle morning drive into Lake Manyara felt like easing into something extraordinary. The park's mix of water, forest, and open areas created a beautiful introduction to the journey. We were thrilled when we spotted flamingos lining the lake's edge and elephants appearing between the trees. That afternoon, we reached our lodge, which offered stunning views and warm hospitality. Relaxing on the terrace before dinner quickly became one of our favorite rituals. The next day took us to the Ngorongoro Crater, where the landscape shifted dramatically. Tarangire provided a completely different feel-wide open landscapes, ancient baobabs, and some of the biggest elephant herds we’ve ever seen. We spent the final evening watching the sun melt into the horizon while animals moved below us. The entire experience blended tranquility, excitement, and luxury beautifully. Really it was the best experience for our kids and they were very satisfied with our very experienced guide Clinton Cliff.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Excellent 6 day safari to Masai Mara
We did a 6 day Masai Mara trip with Beacon Tours in Nov 2025. We had been to Kenya in 2018 during the great migration and visited Amboselli, Lake Nakuru and Mara for over 8 days. Hence, this time we wanted to spend more time only at the Masai Mara.
Booking went smoothly through Robert. We stayed at Mtito Camp outside the Mara on the first night. We then stayed 2 nights at Sarova Mara and 2 at Serena Mara. All accommodation was handled perfectly by Robert.
We arrived mid day at NBO Jomo Kenyatta, after doing Gorilla trekking in Uganda. We were welcomed at arrivals by a smiling Alex. In the first few minutes he had already found out from us what our expectations were and also explained to us the difference in what we would see this time compared to our earlier trip (though we were fully aware that the wildebeest would have largely migrated etc). We thought this was extremely professional of him. We wanted flexible whole day drives starting early. Alex went above and beyond. All 4 days were whole day game drives some starting as early as 6am, as we stayed inside the park. Alex was very knowledgeable and positioned the truck the right way to get awesome pictures. He was constantly looking for game while simultaneously getting information on the radio and from other guides on the location of big cats. We saw 61 lions, 4 leopards, 2 cheetahs, 2 Rinos, countless Elephants. In fact we saw the big 5 on the first day itself.
We would never have been able to experience the wild like how we did without Alex. His knowledge, patience and kindness is very much appreciated. Read on below for an illustration of some of our experience :)
We have done multiple safaris in the past, Kenya in 2018, Tanzania in 2022 and South Africa. This was the first time where we spent hours at many sightings observing animal behavior. We saw lionesses hunt warthog unsuccessfully on 2 occasions. The elaborate spreading out of the lionesses and them taking cover behind ant mounds and even our safari vehicle was enthralling to watch. We had a huge male lion walk up to our jeep and lean against it for shade from the midday sun. Of course Alex immediately moved the vehicle away as he was not supposed to be close to the lion. The lion was not happy to lose his shade. We saw a leopard climb the tree to eat his stashed red buck kill. We saw another drink water. We saw a male ostrich chase out another male from its territory for over 10 minutes before disappearing over a hill in the distance.
The most dramatic experience though, where we spent 4 hours at a lions sighting, when we arrived early one morning to see 3 cubs sitting on the dirt track. We parked at a distance so as to not to scare them. This was by the Talek river. Soon a hippo walked right in the direction of the three cubs as she was returning to the river after her night out grazing. Upon seeing the hippo the 3 cubs scurried and unfortunately 1 cub panicked and got separated and ran into a bush in one direction while the other 2 stayed together in a bush beside our vehicle. Alex advised us that if we were patient we will see the mother come to get the cubs. The next 3 hours were gut wrenching. The mother came and called out and retrieved the 1 cub that got separated and took him back to the ravine where there was another lioness with 3 other cubs. She came back again but would go searching in the other direction. It was dramatic to watch. She kept searching as we sat helplessly watching not able to do a thing. In all this the male lion (they called him Olepolos) catually strolled by and lay under a bush by the river. The mom even went to the talek river and roared loud and got the dominant hippo agitated. She finally went back to the ravine at around noon and we left the 2 cubs who by then were comfortably lounging under the bush oblivious to the danger they were in from Hyenas, buffalo or even Hippo who would kill them without hesitation.
We saw 2 mating lion pairs and another male lion following one of the mating pairs from a distance. This lion had a scar on his face. Alex pointed out to us that he would have fought and lost to the mating male but is still following them.
Alex was a wealth of information, was always before time with a smile on his face, but best of all was that he had an amazing sense of humor and told us stories of his past adventures. He became family while we were in Kenya, which is exactly how he said he intended it to be. We were so happy and content with our safari that we did not do the additional night safari at Serena which we had planned (that was separate from the Beacon package).
HK
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Could not ask for more! Solo-friendly!
During pre-trip planning, Francisco was very responsive and communicative in itinerary planning, was very flexible and patient when I had last minute change of plans. He always gets back to me in no time when I had questions.
For the trip, I had the best time having Simon as the driver and tour guide. I was doing the 7 day safari solo as a female, Simon was very attentive to my needs, very knowledgeable not only in his safari knowledge but also about the country, I learned a lot about Kenya through our conversations. Most importantly, I was able to see the big five in no time! Simon is very experienced, he knows the best spots and shared tons of facts about the animals we see.
I started off a bit anxious not knowing what to expect booking a safari online, but this totally exceeds my expectations!
Highly recommend!
DE
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A safari which we will often remember
Our first visit to Kenia began with an impressive safari to Samburu, Meru and Ol Pejeta. Our high expectations were more than met. Joseph is an excellent car driver and knowledgeable guide during the game drives. Would love to come back soon and can highly recommend The Holiday Dealers very much.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
custom Safari for 7 days, beyond expectations!
We are a family of 4 and wanted to go for a safari in South Africa. I wrote to a few safari tour organizers and Thale was the one who responded with a personalized note. We followed up with her and she organized a customized trip for our family at a very decent price. She sent us all the info we needed to get ready for our experience.
2 guides came to pick us up at the airport and we spend 7 days together. They were just amazing people: professional, kind, funny, knowledgeable. They did everything they could and beyond to make sure we enjoyed our experience. We saw plenty of animals! We are still talking about the amazing chicken curry they cooked for us. Pictures from our trip are covering the walls of our house. We all have beautiful memories. It was beyond expectations.
NZ
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing experience
Easy booking, great communication, flexible, knowledgeable guide, couldn't have asked for a better experience for our family. Would 100% recommend.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Friendly
We had a great time! We booked last minute and Edward and Anthony were great
IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
fantastic experience with the best guide operator
It was a fantastic experience. A special thanks goes to our guide Isaya, who was incredibly helpful and very friendly throughout our journey. Highly recommended!