We'd rather take your smile to the bank!
Lush Africa Safaris
- Offices In:
-
United States
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2004)
- Member Of:
- Association of Uganda Tour Operators
- Tour Types:
- Customizable private tours and fixed group tours
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $100 to $1,000 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
for a custom tour
Your request will be sent directly to the operator
If preferred, you can contact the operator directly
Reviews
US
Email Spencer Coleman | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Top tier
I started looking at various tour operators about a year ago but was constantly running into the issue of not being able to do everything I wanted with one operator. I had just about given up when I found Lush African Safaris. Abbey was able to organize a trip that had every destination and activity (some less common than others) I was looking for, without going outside of my budget. We went back and forth for a couple of weeks discussing locations and accommodations before we built the perfect adventure. Can’t thank Abbey enough for all of the time he spent on this.
Fast forward several months and I arrive in Kigali and meet Yves. He was kind, punctual and knowledgeable on every topic I could think of asking about. He was also able to fit a few activities that I wanted to do but weren’t discussed prior to my arrival to Rwanda. Once we got to the lodge Yves was also able to negotiate a larger room with a better view and a balcony without any extra charge. I can’t recommend Yves enough.
Next up, I fly to Nairobi and meet my Kenya guide, Jackson. He is a super cool dude who waited without complaint an extra few hours outside of the airport for me while the airline looked for the walking stick I used while gorilla trekking in Rwanda. The airline wasn’t able to find the walking stick (they did after we left- so we went back later on). Upon finding out that they lost my walking stick, Jackson gifted me his- very cool, I know. He was able to accommodate everything that I wanted to do (including a request he had never been asked before). Jackson loves animals so he wanted to see everything at least as much as I did which meant he was willing to stay in the park from opening to close and never tried to waste any time. At the lodges I would regularly speak to others that were on safari that had only seen 1/10th of what I had.
Last but certainly not least, I meet my Tanzania guide Lordlugard or Lordie for short. Lordie is basically a scientist working as a guide who could tell me the binomial nomenclature for just about everything we encountered. We talked a lot about animal behavior and it didn’t take long to see the value in this. We would do things like go to the opposite side as other safari vehicles of a rock outcrop and at first not be able to see anything but suddenly we’d have the best seat in the house as the lion or leopard moved right in front of us for a better view of its surroundings. Lordie was also happy to stay in the park from opening to close which was exactly what I wanted.
A safari is only as good as your guides and all 3 of mine exceeded all expectations and left me thankful for the adventure of a lifetime!
US
Email Paul Fulcher | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great overall experience and an amazing trip.
We really enjoyed our time and overall experience with Lush Africa Safaris. We did a 12-day Rwanda/Uganda Trek to see the Mountain Gorillas (Uganda) and Golden Monkeys (Rwanda) followed by a Safari in Nairobi National Park --> Maasai Mara --> Serengeti --> Ngorongoro Crater --> Amboseli. The only thing is I wish we would've added just one more day onto Serengeti, but the overall trip was amazing. Our guides Yves, Julius and Daniel were amazing. We got all of the Big 5, entire Prides of Lions, Kilimanjaro views one morning, and true upclose and amazing experiences with the gorillas and monkeys. We did the Hot Air Balloon in northern Serengeti (well worth it).
Also -- don't get too hung up on bringing a camera -- we used our iPhone / Samsung Galaxy and the pics were AMAZING. Didn't use our camera at all actually.