Martin Smith, Managing Director
Kingfisher Safaris
- Located In:
-
United Kingdom
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2012)
- Member Of:
- Botswana Guides Association
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $100 to $1,500 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Highly recommended
We approached Kingfisher online somewhat at the last minute to help us plan a two-part safari in Zimbabwe and Botswana, and were extremely satisfied with the service we received. From the very beginning Martin was always available via email or phone to answer any questions we had or make suggestions. He helped walk us though a number of logistical snags early on and was patient and accommodating. We were very happy at the lodges he booked us in within Zimbabwe (Kanga and The Hide) and even when we were in Zimbabwe he was always immediately reachable to answer questions on his phone. At one point a family member back at home was worried about us and contacted him to reach us, and he immediately helped her find us and put her mind at ease. She was so impressed by him and said that if I did ever write a review, I needed to mention that she thought it was the best customer service she had ever received.
We also asked Martin to put together a mobile camp safari for us in Botswana for the second half and really enjoyed that as a change from the luxury lodges. Although there were a few snags (late arrival for our pick-up at the border, things taking longer than expected), Martin was always available via phone and once we experienced the roads in Botswana everything made sense! Our mobile camp was a great time, and we especially recommend our guide Pilot to anyone going to Botswana - he really made the trip there for us. It's definitely not luxurious, but plenty nice for people used to tent camping and really special to be out in the bush surrounded only by nature! We heard animal noises all night and woke to lion and hyena paw prints by the campfire! The food was good and the staff worked hard to make sure that our desires were met. Our kids (ages 13, 11, and 9) had a blast, were very comfortable, and felt like they were on a real adventure.
All-in-all I would say don't hesitate to use Kingfisher to help you plan and execute whatever you're looking for in your dream safari.
Email Paul | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Thoughtfully planned giving different experiences of Desert, Delta and Salt Pans. Brilliant trip!
Excellent service with careful planning to meet our needs. The choice of Camps meant we saw different parts of Botswana, each special and very worthwhile. Expectations were exceeded and we met very knowledgeable guides and staff in the 3 Camps. Seamless transfers by light aircraft ensured trouble free travel. We will certainly return and trust our tour to Kingfisher who clearly have used their on the ground experience to best advantage, definitely hitting the spot for us! Thank you for a relaxing and rewarding holiday.
DE
Email Daniela | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Very mixed experience with a lot of downsides
It took me very long to write this review, but I think it´s just fair not to write only positive reviews which is of course much nicer. But we would like to let others know what we have experienced. We have been many times to Africa on all kind of safaris from budget to high-end luxury, but never left with this unhappy feeling. So lets start...
I found kingfisher safaris on this website announcing a "private" mobile camping safari operating in Botsuana. Meanwhile they changed the announcement in "shared", thats what we ended up but expecting a private safari . I still have got a screen shot of the original advertisement to proof it.
But already the beginning was difficult. We were picked up late, Pilot arrived than eventually in a hurry, the car packed up with food, equipment up to the roof etc. There was no excuse. Instead he told us, that due to a late arrival of the trip the day before he had to pack new. At this time we were still fine. But as he stopped a little later at the main road offloading us with two chairs and a cooler box, he drove quickly away. My bag with everything like passports, money was still at the backseat and could have fallen off easily from the safari vehicle. We had no idea how long it would take and where he drove to. This was the first time I felt very unhappy. The rest I will write in keywords.
First the positive aspects:
- The staff was extremely nice and welcoming. Pauline the chef did a wonderful job. Elena the host, was such a warmly and attentive person and Collin did everything that the campsite was in a perfect condition.
-The locations of the campsites were magical.
-All the equipment was good.
- Our unexpected co-travelers turned out to be very lovely persons and we appreciated their company a lot.
Now the negative aspects:
- Guiding was less than mediocre. (here I have to be more detailed) I'm pretty sure that Pilot knows his stuff, but didn't show it to us. At Khwai Privat Concession he was only at the radio and driving us from sighting to sighting which others told him. He never was reading any animal tracks, always the windows closed never listening to alarm calls etc. At Moremi as there were just a few vehicles he had to work a bit harder. We wished he would have explained us more about the unique ecosystem of the Okavango Delta and all the connections between fauna and flora. Pilot almost never stoped for birds, mangooses etc. We felt racing from lion sighting to lion sighting, but none of us four was so extremely interested in them. Once I asked Pilot to stop at the zebras which have been in a wonderful light (we are photographers) but instead he was driving to the next lions. He never really attended to our requests. Maybe the worst was, that he was teasing animals , which is an absolutely unethical behavior. For example he provoked a male hippo to attack the car several times. Another example was playing hyena calls from the mobile to a lion family with tiny cubs.
- Logistic is not the strong side of Pilot. We tried to help and let him know before what kind of beverages we like to avoid buying useless drinks. Didn't work. The first evening we were offered an already open bottle of Merlot and I did write before that the only the wine we don't like is Merlot. After half of the time he run out of gin, and to mention we are not heavy drinkers. In the end no tonic water, no Coca Cola, no white wine, no red wine..... and no excuse.
- Driving style of Pilot was fast, sometimes reckless. We had to use the seatbelts first time on a safari. Pilot general did not respond well to criticism or suggestions. In this case when we asked to drive more carefully, he reacted grumpy and kept driving almost the whole afternoon without stopping and talking to us.
Summarising this was unfortunately our worst safari experience so far even though the magical nature of Botsuana and the wonderful staff of Pilot were hard to beat.
Reply from Kingfisher Safaris
Posted on Mar 28, 2023I'm really sorry to hear you had a poor time on safari, it is certainly not the result we would like. Firstly this client did NOT book through the Safari Bookings website and at no point during the booking process did they tell us that they had seen Safari Bookings or that they were expecting a private trip and nowhere on our website does it say that our Mobile Safaris are private where it says there can be up to 6 people on each trip, as it does on Safari Bookings too and always has and we had no way of knowing this was their expectation, they simply did not tell us. It is very tricky for us to convey this message if it has not been read correctly as they booked directly with us, through our website where the description is clear, so for that we have learnt from the experience and now make sure this is 100% known before any trip begins that we have up to 6 on any one trip and to be sure they have read the terms of the trip before committing.
Sadly I believe their mistake has tainted this review and their reaction to this did not engender them well to the guide from the start as it seems they were unaware until they arrived and were thus not happy with the guide who it was that told them after i spoke to him when he collected them from the airport. To be clear they had 3 nights to themselves at the start of the mobile safari plus two nights prior to the trip in a lodge. They were joined by another two on this itinerary for the remaining 6 nights who had a different experience and are already planning a second trip with us, although they haven't booked yet.
We even offered them a private vehicle which was the one they were already using so that the other clients who joined them could have a different guide and vehicle but they refused for an unknown reason, so they could still have had a private trip, so I am really confused about some of these comments as we did everything we could to offer them the private experience despite us not knowing beforehand this is what they wanted and this would have been at our own expense, they would have paid nothing extra.
It is not my experience or the experience of our clients that our Guide, Pilot, will not stop at any sighting where he is asked to do so and with over 35 years of experience with lots of happy clients, it may just be that there was a language barrier as his first language is not English and sometimes he may struggle with accents that he is not familiar with.
It is normal for all guides in any lodge, super high end or basic, to use the radio for sightings from other guides as most people travelling on safari want to see the predators in particular and I would disagree that his driving style is reckless, he holds all the requisite permits and licenses for driving clients in Botswana and undergoes annual tests, I do not believe he would drive like this, as you can see from all our other reviews. I've known and worked with him for over 15 years and i know he will do everything within his power to make sure clients have the best possible time.
Once again I'm sorry to hear you had a poor experience but to reiterate the other clients who joined this itinerary for the last 6 nights had a very different experience and thoroughly enjoyed their safari. We did offer you an extra, private vehicle and I believe we did everything we could to accommodate you but you decided against our offer. We have implemented changes because of your comments to us privately and I thought because of that we had resolved the issue as I made it clear last year that you had never told us of your need or expectation of a private trip so I am disappointed to see this poor review some 6 months later. We will keep trying to improve our service.
Email Bob and Ei | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Superb planning - we have holidayed all over the world but never felt so 'looked after' before.
We had never travelled to South Africa before so wanted to experience a safari but also to visit other parts of the country. We picked Kingfisher Safaris as we would be dealing with people who had actually lived and worked there. Our experience was was extremely positive from beginning to end, with Martin's suggestions and planning producing a well balanced trip that not only appeared exciting, but in the event exceeded all our expectations. All our accommodation was first class and arrangements fell into place like clockwork.
We have holdayed allover the world but never felt so 'looked after' before, with Martin even contacting us during the trip to ensure all was going to plan.
We visited ancient forests, national parks, intriguing villages and beautiful coastline but the highlight must be the safari section. Superb facilities were matched by an absolutely excellent guide with an encyclopaedic knowledge of his subject. Game viewing was brilliant and even included a successful lion hunt - apparently seen by very few.
Would we recommend Kingfisher Safaris? Absolutely. The thought and planning that went into our trip surpassed anything we have previously encountered. There's no doubt that real local experience and knowledge pays off, and in our case resulted in the best trip we have ever taken
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
South Africa - A luxury trip
We asked Martin at Kingfisher to put together a trip for 4 of us travelling from Cape Town, along the garden route & to include a visit to a Game Reserve. We let Martin make suggestions based on his knowledge of the area & of us & did not need to make any changes to his suggested itinerary. Our booking was handled efficiently & we were kept advised of everything at all times. The choice of places to stay & the accommodation arranged for us was beyond my expectations. They were diverse enabling us to enjoy a lot of what the Cape & Garden route has to offer, & all accommodation was top quality. This is the 3rd time I have used Kingfisher Safaris for my travels to Africa & I would have no hesitation in using them again.
Email Paul | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
An excellent tailor made Safari in Botswana covering desert, salt pans and delta, brilliant!
Well planned, understanding what we wanted and delivering.
Email Anuradha and Rajesh | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent customised service
We worked with Martin at Kingfisher to plan and book our customised tour /itinerary and then on the ground in Botswana, Pilot Manga was our tour leader and safari guide. Martin is very knowledgeable about Botswana having spent several years there and was able to hit just the right spot for us in terms of both luxury and adventure. He was always responsive and worked through all of our questions patiently and gave us good information and advice throughout.
On the ground, Pilot was absolutely brilliant. He one of Botswana's great guides (Every camp we were at, the staff in the camp knew/had heard about Pilot.) He was able to make our trip an absolute delight with his incredible intuition and tracking skills in the bush. We had fantastic sightings and opportunities to watch the behaviours of several of the Big 5 at close quarters and a lot of this we owe to Pilot's great skills. But more critically, Pilot is a humble individual despite his enormous abilities and his sense of humor and storytelling kept us regaled throughout our 13 day trip.
As and when we plan our next Botswana trip , we will reach out to Kingfisher Safaris again.
US
Email Marta Chase | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
What an amazing visit to Zimbabwe, Zambia and Botswana!!
We worked with Martin to organize a 4 week trip for us to Zimbabwe (Hwange and Mana Pools), Zambia (South Luangwa) and Botswana (Savuti, Khwai and Moremi). It was a trip of a lifetime.
We started with a lovely boutique guest house in Victoria Falls and headed off to three African Bushcamp sites in Zimbabwe. They were all lovely and the wildlife amazing.
We then headed to Zambia to South Luangwa and spent 8 nights split between two amazingly beautiful Sanctuary camp/lodges. We returned to many of the same spots on our daily drives but each day was a new one when it came to the wildlife. We felt like we knew the area by the time we left.
We finished with a 10 day mobile camping safari in Botswana with Pilot and his excellent staff (Maikano and Brighton). Pilot has the ability to find so many different animals in very difficult to see spots. This part of the trip was the highlight.
Martin did a wonderful job of providing the connections between all our different adventure. Everything went seamlessly. His choice of lodges was excellent.
We hope to return again and use his excellent services.
Thanks for a wonderful trip of a lifetime!!
Email Judith and Barry | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An excellent, well researched, well supported, bespoke safari tour in Botswana
This was the first time that we had been on safari in Africa. Martin at Kingfisher Safaris offers bespoke tours and he has first hand knowledge of the area. He discussed various options in detail so we could easily select an itinerary that suited us. We chose to visit 3 camps in Botswana over a period of 12 days. Communications from Martin were timely and appropriate. Martin provided an excellent service and was always available to answer any questions, offering support as required. Both the safari tour and accommodation at the camps were way beyond our expectations. We would definitely use this company again.
US
Email Robert | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The guide was knowledgeable and the camping was comfortable.
Charles gave us a very enjoyable and informative safari. He keeps animal guidebooks in the car for the benefit of his customers, but he never had to refer to them. He could identify every mammal and bird species that we saw. He was very good at locating game animals. In one case he saw fresh tire tracks turning off of the road into the bush. He told us, “There is something interesting here,” and followed the tracks to a family of leopards. He single-handedly chased away an enormous male elephant that was eating acacia seed pods in our camp (but not until after we took pictures). Charles is also very personable, and told us stories about growing up in Botswana (his father wanted him to raise cattle).
The tents were comfortable and the food was great. A very nice "glamping" experience.