East Africa Wild Adventures
- Located In:
-
Canada
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2008)
- Member Of:
- ATTA, APTA & Consumer Protection BC
- Tour Types:
- Custom luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $480 to $1,200 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Tanzania is the best place to see large numbers of large, African animals
Our safari was great! We were met at each airport as expected and all the logistics were done correctly. The accommodations and food were excellent. The weather couldn't have been better. I highly recommend Bushbuck Safaris. Our driver/guide, Usiah Mlyuka, was fantastic. He has a great eye and spotted a lot of game. We saw all of the big 5, lots of lions, elephants, and buffalo, 4 leopards, a rhino and a cheetah. In addition, lots of hippos, giraffes, zebras, antelopes, gazelles, warthogs, hyenas, and jackals. What was really interesting was watching animals interact in their natural environments. We got to see a pair of crowned cranes and a pair of ostriches go through their mating dances, and we watched a bull buffalo drive off a pair of female lions that were threatening his herd. The herds of wildebeests in the Ngorongoro crater were amazing. Stops at the visitor center at Olduvai Gorge and a Masai village were very interesting.
The one thing that I would change in our itinerary was the first night in Arusha. We arrived early enough that we could have driven straight to Lake Manyara and had an extra day of game viewing or could have shortened the trip by one day.
CA
Email Russell | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A Huge Leap of Faith on a Company That Really Delivered
I had been researching safaris for many years and when we finally decided the time was right, I found a customisable Kenya safari through East Africa Wild Adventure on the Safaribookings.com website. What appealed was the fact that the company had an office in our home city, Vancouver. I asked for a quote and received a very prompt response from the owner of the company, Alym. After some discussions he came up with a nine-night safari for us, and we completed the booking in April 2015. Alym was very helpful. He was prompt in responding to our questions, and assured us that everything was booked and confirmed. A seasoned traveller, I was used to booking things myself: getting receipts, vouchers and confirmations etc, so leaving everything in the hands of someone else was totally alien. It was reassuring to meet up with Alym although it was a huge leap of faith to part with so much money and have only verbal assurances and a printed itinerary to take with us on our travels. So, it was with some trepidation that we set off. After a thirty-hour journey we exited JKIA arrivals hall to be met by a man holding a placard with our names on it, although he was from a different tour operator, Big Five Africa. It transpired that they were the ones East Africa Wild Adventures had arranged to carry out the day-to-day operation of our safari. We hadn’t been told that, nor expected it, but no harm done.
This was our first safari, so we were unsure of what to expect. Fortunately, we had our own vehicle and driver throughout which made huge difference. Our driver, Mr John Waweru, was exceptional. He regularly went above and beyond: making sure we had a constant supply of drinking water; ensuring the vehicle was properly maintained and clean before each drive, and much, much more. We cannot speak highly enough of him. There was one aspect of the safari that we hadn't truly been prepared for: the amount of travelling. I stress that this is not a criticism of the tour operators. I fully understand the notion of trying to cram in as much as possible to see as much as you can to avoid disappointment, but we were "on the road" for at least eight hours each day, either driving to the next location and/or being on a game drive. Couple that with the appalling condition of some roads, and all the access routes to the various conservancies/National Parks, and you have a very uncomfortable ride. If you have a bad back, then beware!
Accommodation and meals were obviously a significant part of the package, but ultimately we were there for the wildlife. Nevertheless, we were amazed at the high standard of accommodation. Tented camps were luxurious, all with en-suite bathrooms. We even had hot-water bottles waiting for us in our king-size beds! It is worth noting that they were needed too as the temperature really drops after sunset. With one exception, food was wonderful: varied, plentiful, and of a very high quality.
From experience (whale watching etc) looking for wildlife can be very hit or miss, so it would be very naive to judge the overall safari experience on that. Fortunately, what we did see was beyond our expectations. This was largely down to our driver/guide. His knowledge of the areas, the wildlife, and not just blindly following the crowd, meant that we saw so much. For that, we will be eternally grateful.
Overall, East Africa Wild Adventures (and Big Five Africa) came up trumps. For those, like us, who usually book everything themselves, rest assured that Alym, and the team on the ground in Kenya, will have everything in place for you. As the title of this review suggests, it did require a tremendous leap of faith on our part, but we were not disappointed.
CA
Email Alyza Raithatha | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
An amazing Safari Adventure
After having been on a couple of Safari's in East Africa I had some fairly high expectations and this time I was going with people who were safari virgins and I was eager to show them the beauty of East Africa.
From the planning to the implementing Alym was knowledgeable and pleasant to deal with. He was able to answer all our questions and was able to package an experience that none of us will ever forget.
We went to Ngorongoro, Serengeti, and Lake Manyara. All of which are beautiful places in themselves, however having been paired with drivers/guides who were knowledgeable and able to add so much to such an amazing experience, made it that much better. Our driver "Fabien" knew all the places to go to see the most animals and was able to maneuver quickly so we were able to see the most of everything.
During this Safari We got to see something we will forever talk about. We were fortunate enough to see the wilderbaest migration (hundreds and thousands of wilderbeast crossing to greener pastures), a pride of lions chasing a buffalo, an amazing Kill by 2 lionesses and the Serengeti super pride feeding on their kill from up close. What a way to experience everything a safari has to offer.
As far as accommodation was concerned we told Alym that as much as we wanted the safari experience we wanted it in a luxury setting, he again did not disappoint. We stayed at the Serena Lodges all the way through which was an amazing 5* experience in every way possible.
During the course of the Safari, Alym checked in often to see if he was able to assist and add to our experience in any way which made us all feel very comfortable.
I would highly recommend allowing East Africa Wild to plan your amazing Safari Adventure, you will not be disappointed. He exceeded all my very high expectations.
CA
Email Vern & Family | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Dream family vacation to East Africa!!
Alym did a fantastic job co-ordinating our dream family vacation to Kenya, Tanzania & Uganda. I had been wanting to take my family back to where i was born for years and I was fortunate enough to be put in touch with Alym well in advance of our trip. During the planning stages, Alym was very attentive, listening to our "wish list" and followed through on every one of our queries. He arranged calls on Skype with us and went over every detail to ensure we were completely satisfied. We changed our plans very often & the whole time Alym remained supportive and very patient. He put together an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime trip that we all will never forget. My daughters fondly often talk about our trip. So much so that we'd love go back again! We'd gladly recommend Alym & East Africa Wild Adventures to anyone looking to plan a stress-free trip of a lifetime to East Africa!!
CA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An Amazing, Unforgettable Experience
I was very happy with the overall planning process. I wanted to combine three excursions in one trip - a camping safari, Mt Kilimanjaro climb and Zanzibar beach time. East Africa Wild Adventures was great to provide me with several options varying in experience and price range involving the three excursions to ensure I could appropriately assess the best experience for me. The staff went so far as to inquire and find me a volunteer position for a week as I wanted to include that as part of my trip as well. Every request I had was accommodated with enthusiasm.
The logistics of the trip were very smooth. Most importantly, I felt safe and cared for every step of the way. As a solo female traveller, this was of utmost importance. I had a dedicated team for every excursion who was very helpful and attentive.
The safari was one of the best experiences of my life. My guide was very good at spotting wildlife and driving our car! You could tell he had lots of experience and loved what he did. He made sure I was comfortable and I had complete discretion as to how much time I wanted to spend in any one place.
I really appreciated my tailored experience in Tanzania and would gladly work with East Africa Wild Adventures for my future travels in Africa.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best vacation ever! Highly recommend East Africa Wild Adventures.
I recently returned on a trip from Tanzania that was planned by Alym from East Africa Wild Adventures and it was one of the best and smoothest trips that I have had. From the very beginning of the planning process, I was impressed by the thoughtfulness that Alym put into planning our trip. We had corresponded via email and telephone multiple times. He gave me multitude of quotes for the different trip options that I was looking for. He made sure that the trip was planned entirely based on my specifications and within my price range. Also having grown up in Tanzania and visited these sites and hotels, he was able to provide personalized recommendations. I spent a month in Africa prior to the safari and everyone that I had spoken to said that I had gotten a great deal on the trip which included all meals, my airfare to Zanzibar, 4-5 star hotels and personal car with a awesome driver for our safari. All the accommodations were top notch including a few days in a luxury tent facility with Serena Hotel which was a great experience. He called us on the first day of our arrival to make sure that everything was arranged. He even went as for as to introduce us to his friends in Arusha who offered to show us the city because we would be spending some time there before the safari started. Overall I was very impressed by his professionalism, his enthusiasm for planning our trip and introducing us to Tanzania and his patience in handling all of my many requests. I highly recommend him and would definitely plan another trip with East Africa Wild Adventures when I return to Africa!
CA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Easy, Fun, Friendly and Well-Priced
East Africa Wild Adventures was a pleasure to work with, and truly took care of our every need. We would have had no idea where to start when booking this vacation ourselves, but the combination of a knowledgeable agent in Canada, and amazing operators and guides in Africa made this vacation a smooth and unforgettable one. From the moment that we arrived in Killiminjaro Airport, to the moment we departed in Arusha, we was taken care of by our guide (and whisked around Tanzania without problem or delay). The hotels we stayed in were great, and they were even able to get us some upgrades! Also, and perhaps most importantly,our guide found us EVERY species of wildlife that we hoped to see (the Big 5), including Rhinos and a Leopard dragging its prey up a tree.
The prices were very fair as well - and we DID shop around. I highly recommend Alym and his partners, and will definitely use them again when I go to Africa next.
CH
Email Caitlin | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
I wish Alym was a travel agent for the rest of the world!
Working with Alym is the best experience I've ever had working with a travel agent. He started by having a phone call with us and discussing a plethora of options, and then giving us his opinion on what he thought we would like based on our ideas for the trip. He hit it spot on. And the best part of the whole thing was the ease of communication. He always answers within 24 hours, which I've always had problems with previous travel agents answering when they felt like it. We had an amazing time in Kenya at the Giraffe Manor, and safari in Lake Nakuru and Masai Mara. We liked our accomodations in Masai Mara better than Lake Nakuru, but Alym set our expectations going in that it was not quite as nice due to the budget restrictions we had set. We know now that we should have been more lenient with our budget but we will know for next time. After safari, Alym found us a great beach resort in Zanzibar where we relaxed for a week. We are already thinking about where to next in Africa and in the meantime, letting all of our friends know that they need to go too.
CA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing safari and beach holiday in Zanzibar!
We booked a safari and beach stay in Zanzibar with East Africa Wild Adventures, and it was the best vacation we could imagine!
East Africa did an incredible job with the organization of our vacation. They prepared a great itinerary, and they made a great selection of accommodations. When we arrived in Tanzania, we were very well welcomed by the local team. Our guide was very nice, friendly, very knowledgeable on animals and wildlife, and he was speaking English very well. We were really impressed and really liked him!
We visited Lake Manyara, Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater. We saw a lot of animals (including the big five, giraffe, zebras, monkeys, etc.), and our guide did all he could to find the animals and get closer to them. The accommodations that East Africa had recommended (Serena and Kati Kati tented camp) for our stay were simply beyond our expectations!
East Africa had also arranged our stay to Zanzibar after the safari. They had prepared our return to the airport, our flight to Zanzibar, our transfers on the island and our stay at the Royal Zanzibar Resort. We had absolutely nothing else to book or do, they had already taken care of everything! Everything went smoothly, and we were really happy that everything had been arranged and that we did not have to mind anything except to enjoy our vacations!
Overall, we were extremely satisfied with East Africa! Always available, very knowledgeable, and the price was very competitive! We would recommend it to everyone who wants to travel to Tanzania for a safari or beach stay!
US
Email Honeymooners | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent experience with no hassle made it very easy to book from the U.S. without worry!
Not only was this a honeymoon trip, but it was also our first trip to Africa so we wanted it to be perfect. We were recommended to East Africa Wild Adventures by a friend and we're so thankful we used them. They were incredibly helpful in setting up the trip and providing suggestions. They were also very knowledgeable and quick to answer questions and make us feel comfortable with the different travel options, which was really important to us since we'd never been to Africa and we were booking the trip from the U.S. They also customized our trip and were able to work with our interests to create a more personal and private experience. Once we arrived in Africa we were taken care of from the time the plane landed to the time we departed. Everything was already arranged so we didn't have to worry about anything which was perfect. We did a private 6 day hike up Mt. Kilimanjaro which is when we really knew that East Africa Wild Adventures uses the best tour guides and really made our trip special. Our guide was really interested in helping us and learning from us, and he spoke perfect English, not just the basics like most of the other guides which made the trip even better because we could joke and understand each other rather than having to translate everything or walk in silence. We met a lot of other tour guides who either didn't really speak English or didn't really want to be there so they weren't as friendly as our guide. Our guide was always smiling and I can honestly say that I would not have made it to the summit without him. After our hike we spent a few days on the beach relaxing at a beautiful all inclusive resort in Zanzibar, where East Africa Wild Adventures arranged for us to get a free honeymoon upgrade. Overall, we had a great experience and would highly recommend using East Africa Wild Adventures as they made everything so easy and we had such a wonderful time.