Encompass Africa
- Located In:
-
Australia
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2009)
- Member Of:
- ATTA, CATO & ATAS
- Tour Types:
- Custom luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $235 to $2,010 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Absolutely Amazing! The best travel experience we've had all thanks to Encompass!
My wife and I went on an Africa safari for our honeymoon booked through Jonathon and Encompass Africa.. From the moment we first made contact with Jonathon to the when we set foot back on Australian land we were looked after perfectly. I could not recommend a travel agent more highly. It was just the absolute immaculate attention to detail and everything possible was looked after. We cannot wait to go again and of course we will be booking through Encompass!!
Email Greg | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A "life changing" holiday.
Jono and the team at Encompass Africa were absolutely awesome from the first meeting right through the whole experience. The service not only by Encompass Africa, but by all the various camp staff, the support staff whilst travelling within country etc, were beyond doubt, first class. We asked for and were treated to the ultimate safari experience within kenya and Tanzania. We have now organised and confirmed our second trip to Africa through Jono and his staff but this time we will be joined by friends and experience South Africa, Zambia and Botswana. An awesome and life changing experience, partly due to the excellent service provided.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful! Everything from beginning to end was perfect.
The whole experiece exceeded my expectations. Encompass were wonderful,even when we lost our luggage! All our bookings went like clockwork.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic "glamping " in Africa
We did a 10 day camping tour to Zambia visiting 5 camps in the South Luangwa NP.
The accommodation and meals were first class and the rangers who took us on tours morning and afternoon were extremely knowledgeable and great people.
Encompass Africa looked after all bookings and travel arrangements for us and did it perfectly.
We will definitely be returning to Africa some time in the future and will contact Encompass Africa to arrange tour for us
Email Ric | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
wildlife safari and food and wine tour
Thee couples who went on Encompass Africa tour found the tour was well organised, lived up to our expectations.
We would recommend to any one interested in a tailor made adventure in Africa.
NZ
Email Nancy and Hugh | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Five stars on most aspects
We chose Encompass to plan our African holiday because it was so highly recommended to us by a couple we met on another trip. We mentioned this on our first contact with Encompass. Unfortunately, they assumed that we wanted the same type of trip as our friends, when in fact we didn't even discuss the trip with the couple at all. The outcome was that we had a month in Africa that was about 2/3 of what we wanted, and 1/3 what we didn't.
We saw some amazing things, stayed at some great places, and had wonderful guides. Most everything went like clockwork. That all deserves 5 stars for the Encompass team, including their attention to my husband's health issues the night before we were to depart for Africa.
So why not 5 stars? We arrived home exhausted, having completed around 25 game drives (and having sat out about 8). We spent 16 nights in total at 5 camps, travelling mostly by safari vehicle between them . We were envious of those who were moving on to other activities and countries for non-safari adventures. Of the 30 nights in Africa, 16 were in camps, 6 were in transit, and one was a day of rest.
When we arrived home, we would have given Encompass 3 stars on this review, but instead we contacted them with our feedback. We have added one star because of the team's sincere response to and disappointment with what we expressed to them. They immediately gathered all the information we gave them along with that from the entire planning process, discussed it, and decided there were some mistakes made. We believe that they learned something from this experience, and that means a lot to us. Although everyone else gave them 5 stars, perhaps now some other couple in the future will not have the problems we experienced and they'll never get below a 5 again.
With over a month having passed since our return, we now look on our African experience in a positive light, enjoying and sharing our photos, talking about the great experiences we did have, and being very pleased with the response from the Encompass team.
We have no hesitation in recommending them to others, with the recommendation that you research Africa yourselves, read review of the places they suggest you stay, have a good understanding of what 3 days in a camp means and how many of these days you are prepared to sign up for, and finding out about all the other activities and adventures there are in Africa.
Email Catherine | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Do your own research
The main lesson I learned having booked a Tanzanian trip with EA is do your own research too.
When we arrived in Arusha, the accommodation was well below average. We have traveled all over India and are familiar with accommodation in an under developed country, however, this was quite shocking. We managed to upgrade to a nicer room at no extra charge, courtesy of the hotel.
We decided to travel by road throughout our trip so we could see the countryside, however, the vehicle was a rust bucket. The air con didn’t work and we were unable to close our windows for protection against the elements, mud and tsetseflies. The car seats had no cushioning left which, given that most of the trip was off road, made for an extremely uncomfortable ride. It also felt like the shock absorbers were shot too. The vehicle had done in excess of 380,000km all of which were off road. We all ended up with sore backs as a result. Just to note, some of the game drives took over 6 hours with no toilets around. It’s ok for guys, but I wasn’t comfortable going behind a bush for rest stops. It’s not something you are told prior.
A big part of our trip was to see the migration of the wildebeest. We had been warned by other travelers that the migration was delayed and all the animals were still at the Wester Corridor, so we should tell our driver so he could make alternate arrangements. He was very reluctant to do so. By the time we got to camp, the wildebeest has just started to arrive, but the other big animals had not. We spent hours and hours each day for nearly three days searching for signs of lions, elephants and other large animals. We finally insisted that we move to where other travelers had advised us to go. Reluctantly our guide agreed. We managed to see leopards, lions (many), hippos, crocodiles, wildebeest, zebras, hyenas many different antelope, all in one day. However, because of this earlier reluctance to move, we only managed to stay overnight. It was wonderful and we wanted to stay longer, agreeing to pay the additional costs associated with it. It was refused and we ended up moving very early the next day to stay at a hotel, which was not ideal. Another 10 hour drive in a sub standard vehicle.
Our driver could not be contacted the next day so we missed out on the morning game drive. So we spent over 24 hours in a hotel room. Not what you want when you pay big $$ to see wild life.
After missing out on seeing the migration, it was extremely disappointing that we were forced to leave the one place that had all the action we were searching for.
There were many enjoyable moments and the guide was extremely knowledgeable and a superb driver. Just make sure you do your own research. Check hotel reviews. Ask about the age and condition of the vehicle you will be traveling in. It will make all the difference when traveling through this stunning country. Africa is amazing. The people are warm and welcoming and the animals are breathtaking. It truly is an experience of a lifetime.
Email Will | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Lack of flexibility , poor quality vehicles, sub-standard accommodation
We chose Encompass Africa to assist us with our African safari as they espoused flexibility, ensuring they were up to date with migratory patterns and were able to change their plans, itineraries and accommodation locations to cater for the unexpected and unpredictable nature of the environment. This was not the case. We spent three full days searching for the elusive big 5. Only a few wildebeest could be found. The great migration was delayed due to unseasonal weather patterns. There were very few animals. We were told this prior to traveling to the Serengeti by other travelers who had already experienced this. When we relayed this information to Encompass Africa, they refused to change the itinerary and relocate us to where the action was - central Serengeti. After the third day and only after we strongly insisted, did they move us from one camp to the other. Both of which, by the way, were well under capacity. We finally saw what we came for - animals in abundance - lions, leopards, hippos, many buffalo and of course wildebeest and antelope.
The vehicle we had was very old and run down. Roofs either did not open, or closed unexpectedly - luckily escaping serious injury. The seats were bereft of cushioning and the air conditioning did not work. Very disappointing.
Part of our trip was to visit a Maasai school at a local Maasai village. When we arrived, there were no children. They claimed it was school holidays, however, after seeing the empty classroom, it appeared the school had not been in operation for many months. Rat droppings covered all the children’s desks and the teaching materials looked ‘staged’ leading us to question the purpose of this visit.
We were told that tipping at the village was not expected, however, we were lead to their ‘jewelry’ market, where the Maasai women made and sold bracelets , earrings etc. We felt obligated to purchase many of their items, as we were lead around the area several times. The Maasai women continually appealed to us to buy their beads. We felt very uncomfortable, almost believing we may have been rude or offensive if we refused their products, leaving us in a very awkward position. It appeared we visited the village under the ruse of seeing the children in the school, when really it appeared to be all about selling Maasai beads for exorbitant prices.
I would not recommend this tour operator. We need to be honest with our reviews so that others are not left disappointed as we were.