Great Safaris
- Located In:
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United States
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2009)
- Member Of:
- IATA, ASTA, APTA, USTOA, ASTA TOPS & ARC
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $130 to $850 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
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Email Bob P. | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The best - we're going to do it again
I've been to South Africa and Zimbabwe twice, and my wife and I are already planning our 3rd trip. Both of our trips were planned for us by Great Safaris, and both were exceptional.
For both trips, we spent a few days in Cape Town, visiting the Cape, going into the wine region; then we flew to Victoria Falls, spent a few nights there, before flying on a private plane to the wonderful tent camp of Somalisa, which was absolutely spectacular. Our guide for both trips was Mike Padiwa; he showed us the best of Hwange on both trips, and we returned with some amazing stories.
We then flew out of Hwange and spent a few days at Makalali in Kruger National Park in South Africa; it too was luxurious and couldn't have been better.
If you're thinking about photo safaris in South Africa or nearby countries, Great Safaris is the way to go; they took such great care of us.
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Email Christ and Maureen Troupis | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Most incredible trip we have ever taken - perfect in every detail, travel, lodging, guides, cuisine.
We started working with Great Safaris a year and a half ago through GeorgAnn, our travel agent at Global Travel here in Boise. They helped us maneuver through cancellations due to Covid 19 and rescheduling our Private Sky Safari by Elewana Collection in Kenya and Tanzania. We arrived in Nairobi on July 14, 2021 and were met right at our gate by a local representative for Great Safaris and Sky Safari, who guided us through the airport and into a waiting van to our first destination, The Hemingway. We thought it couldn't get any better when we saw our sumptuous suite and lovely view. But every place we travelled to exceeded the one before. All of them were very special. By booking a Private Sky Safari, Maureen and I were whisked on 8 private charter flights to tented camps in Kenya and Tanzania as well as the Manor at Ngorongo Crater and Arusha Coffee Lodge. We were the only passengers on each flight (except for one when we were asked if two others could share our flight). We were also the only persons in our Land Rover or Land Cruiser (depending on the location) with a professional local guide with extensive guiding experience in the specific area. Our guides were all incredible; extremely personable, knowledgeable, and flexible. We were able to spend time looking for the animals we wanted to see, and to spend the time necessary to watch their behaviors and interactions with each other.
Our first stop was Tortillis Camp in Amboseli National Park, Kenya. It is home to the largest elephant herd in Kenya and many Super Tuskers. I checked a bucket list item - lying down on the savannah in front of an 8000 lb Super Tusker Elephant to take a photo looking straight up at it. Graeme and Candy were the managers - wonderful folks, and the accomodations and meals were superb. Service was beyond all of our expectations.
We flew up to the Loisaba Conservancy and stayed at Loisaba Lodo, a gorgeous tented camp overlooking an elephant watering hole. Again, the food, our suite with its incredible views, our Samburu guide, Lemayen (whose nickname is "Brown"), and Phoebe, the manager, made our visit very special and memorable. We saw the reticulated giraffe and Grevy's zebra as well as elephants testing each other's strength. But the highlight was when our guide got us within 7 feet of a gorgeous leopard who had just killed an antelope and was resting beneath a tree.
Then we flew down to Sand River Masai Mara Camp and had our first view of the Great Migration. Dickson, our Masai guide, got us up early the first morning and located a pride of lions while we still had the "Golden Hour" sun. The photos were magnificent. Then he managed to find a black rhinoceros and positioned our vehicle right where he said he expected the rhino to come out of the bush. True enough, he came right to us and I got a head on beautiful photo to remember him by. Because we were travelling to Tanzania, we had to be covid tested. Stephen and Linda, the co-managers at Sand River, arranged for covid testing at the airstrip when we arrived, and they followed up to make sure we got the results, and helped us complete all the necessary paperwork. They made what could have been extremely frustrating so seamless.
We had three charter flights to get out of Kenya and into Tanzania. Because we booked Sky Safari, our pilots handled the interactions with the various border agents and walked us through the whole process - exiting Kenya at one airport; flying to Tanzania to take a rapid covid test and then go through immigration, and the third flight out to Serengeti Migration Camp.
Our three days in the Serengeti were spectacular. We booked the entire East Africa Private Sky Safari by Elewana and stayed only at Elewana properties. The itinerary they provided us through Great Safaris gave us plenty of time in every location. In stark contrast, we saw a number of people arrive as part of groups with other high end safari companies. They didn't get nearly as much time. They sat together at meals and went out together on safari. We always had a private table, often under the stars, and romantic dinners every night. And we spent safari days with only the two of us and our guide. In the Serengeti, that meant we had time to drive the 3 hours cross country each way to get a chance to see the Great Migration -- and John Kitia, our superb guide, knew just where he had to take us to give us the best opportunity to do just that. As a result, we saw two crossings of at least 10,000 wildebeest. By far, the most amazing natural wonder we have every witnessed. And of course we saw lions, cheetahs, and leopards as well.
We travelled to the Manor at Ngorongo Crater. The suites and grounds are magnificent and Salim and Margareth are consummate hosts. When one of the large groups from another tour operator were making a lot of noise in the dining room, they relocated our dining to the wine cellar, where John, our butler and steward, placed 150 rose petals around the edge of the table with a coffee bean in each one, a heart shaped by coffee beans and the words Long Life in coffee beans on the table, and the entire display edged in fuschia stamens. It must have taken him hours, but it made our 5 course East African dinner an evening we will never forget. Bachu Gandi, our wonderful guide, showed us the majesty of the Crater, and we had the opportunity to photograph hippos walking and lounging on the beach.
We concluded our trip at the Arusha Coffee Lodge, an incredibly beautiful place, and we visited Shanga, a nonprofit entity that employs handicapped persons in making beautiful handicrafts.
Our entire experience, with Great Safaris, Elewana, Sky Safari, and of course, Global Travel, so far exceeded our very high expectations that it is hard to describe the trip adequately. We were treated like royalty, quite literally. We have never felt so wonderfully spoiled and pampered. And the skill and knowledge of the staff and guides at each camp as well as our pilots was beyond compare.
After researching safari options for several years, and observing the other high end safari operators using the Elewana facilities, I can say without possibility of contradiction that the Great East Africa Private Sky Safari by Elewana is the only way to see East Africa on Safari. It has our highest possible recommendation, without reservation. Thank you Great Safaris, Sky Safari, Elewana, and Global Travel.
We finished our trip at
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Email Hallie | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great
I think anytime you decides to adventure out great safaries is the way to go I will be calling for their services again and I highly recommend them way to go Anne I really enjoyed my trip thanks Hallie Malachi
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Email Mary Russom | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A Truly Wonderful African Experience
My daughter is a Peace Corps volunteer in Malawi, Africa. When I decided to visit her in Africa during her assignment, I had no idea how to piece a two week vacation together. I contacted Anne Bellamy of Great Safaris who put an amazing trip together for us. Anne made arrangements for us to meet in CapeTown, South Africa where we spent a wonderful week touring this beautiful and fascinating city, as well as the Cape of Good Hope. We then flew to Sabi Sands Game Reserve, a part of greater Kruger National Park, and went on safari for 5 days. The arrangements made for our trip were flawless. The flights were well planned out, the ground transports were professional and on time, the companies they contracted with in South Africa were wonderful, and the facilities that were booked for us were perfect. Anne tailored a vacation package that suited our needs, which included tours we were interested in but also included enough free time for us to spend time together and explore on our own. I could not have done this on my own, and I cannot thank Great Safaris enough for putting together this worry free vacation that has given my daughter and I memories that will last a lifetime.
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Email Dave and France from Mission Viejo CA | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Safari camps in South Africa and Botswana and explored the Cape Town region.
Travel with comfort, great food, safety and wonderful game viewing experiences. First time trip to Africa for my wife and I. All the guides and boat and safari camp staff were proessional and fun. The transfers and connections were seamless. The home hosted dinner near Cape Town gave fascinating perspectives on life in South Africa.
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Email Carol and Steve Schneider | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best Trip EVER!!
My husband and I contacted Dave Herbert at Great Safaris after our friend (who is an experienced travel agent) highly recommended him. She has traveled to Africa numerous times and has always relied on Dave to make her arrangements. Not once has she ever been disappointed. So, following her lead, we gave him a call and told him what our budget was as well as what we wanted to see for our first time there. He recommended that we go for 19 days and go on safari to Kenya and Tanzania. He then put together an incredible itinerary that included Samburu National Park, the Masai Mara, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara, and the Serengeti. We stayed in deluxe accommodations throughout.
Every detail was attended to throughout our trip. Roundtrip transfers were included from small, dirt air strips to and from our lodges; private or semi-private drivers/guides took us on safari twice a day for a minimum of 7 hours per day; the food at each lodge was above average or outstanding, depending on where we were and often was included in the price of our tour; all inter-Africa flights were booked with excellent airlines (sometimes we were the only 2 passengers in the plane!); round trip flights from Los Angeles to Nairobi with a stopover in Dubai were also included in the price (we traveled on Emirates Airlines per Dave's recommendation--definitely a good call); and we received outstanding service wherever we stayed.
We highly recommend Great Safaris and Dave Herbert if you are planning your first trip to Africa or your fiftieth! He knows the continent like the back of his hand because he goes there and sends his staff there continually to ensure that what they're selling to their clients meets their high standards. You cannot go wrong with Great Safaris!!!
Amazing experience!
All written and oral communications was outstanding! The properties we stayed in were over the top.
Reputable and reliable
Dave was calm and confident. Knowledgable and attentive to my travel needs. He assured the planning was thorough and follow up calls were completed during the trip to be sure I was well taken care of. I experienced integrity and genuine care with Great Safaris from the beginning to end of my trip.
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Email Herb | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Experienced, first rate service, guidance and care.
We just returned from 3 weeks in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana. I did my research on destinations we wanted to visit and then interviewed 4 different African tour agencies. 'Great Safaris' by far had more information, contacts and insightful suggestions for our trip. They were less expensive than the others for the same or better hotels, safari facilities and tours, and they took care of all our intra-African flights. We had to stay an additioal day in Johannesburg and they took care of the arrangements when I called their local agent (at 6AM). I even received follow up calls to be sure my wife was feeling better.
Since our return, I have recommended 'Great Safaris' to numerous friends and neighbors. They are a first class outfit for the vacation of a life time. Dave Herbert at 'Great Safaris' is the man to speak with.
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Email Mike | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Spectacular Trip
We feel that this is the ideal African trip. Started with a visit to Nairobi then progressed through Tanzania with each day progressing to the Great Migration. We have been to Africa several times but nothing can top seeing the Great Migration. Second to seeing the migration was climbing to see the Silverback Gorillas in Rwanda. Great Safaris did an outstanding job picking our guides and the lodges. Everything was first class. Amazing, how good the dinners were in the middle of the Serengeti. We highly recommend Great Safaris.