FR
Excellent organisation & communications with Lion King Adventures
I organised my trip privately with Lion King. Extremely good communications, generally by return. They tailor-made my trip for me and listened to what I asked for, they also dealt with last minute (2 days before) alterations - very efficient.
All aspects of the trip were well organised - the transfer at the airport, the choice of hotels, the excellent bilingual (English/French) driver, Khalifa, who as well as being very punctual, discreet but friendly, knows the parks extremely well and is well-experienced (has been doing the Safari circuit for quite some years now) so knew where to find the animals and also how to adjust to difficult conditions (we had quite a lot of rain), so exercised caution when dealing with the difficult roads and driving conditions (unlike some who ended up bogged down). Also the vehicle was in excellent condition (although fridge and electricity recharge outlet not working, but minor details) - so no breakdowns or flat tires -another problem with many outfits (having talked to other tourists).
At the end of our trip, we briefly met up with Pendo from Lion King who checked directly with us to have our feedback - this personal touch was much appreciated.
On our trip we started off with a night's stay in Arusha (Ilboro Lodge - great evening entertainment by the pool to get you into being in Tanzania), then a stay at Eileen's Trees (excellent bungalow and good food), Visiting TARANGIRE National Park (skirting the top of the Ngorongo Crater on the way). Then visited SERENGETI N.P. with 3 nights at Serengeti Heritage Tented Camp ( good quality tented camp - great views, food fairly good) - good to stay several days in one place. Then on to NGOROGORO Crater - wonderful, and staying at N SOpe Lodge - definitely the top of the scale - superb views and rooms - even a hot water bottle on a cold night!). Then lastly we went backto Eileen's Trees and the last day visited LAKE MANYARA N.P. This last N.P. we felt was of less interest, as we had already seen many of the animals, but there are always new ones in each place. (if I were to do this again, would probably start here, or not do). Also driver said that there is certainly enough to visit in Tarangire NP for 2 days and that it was his favourite park - I would certainly believe him.
The Safari days are pretty long - up early and lots of driving around - having rather bad road during our trip, I think that probably we could have spent a little less time on the driving (although you do stop frequently obviously to admire the animals and the picnic lunches are always in a top spot- although the rather monotonous picnic lunches leave a little to be desired, but it appears all the tours do the same lunches provided by the hotels). The driver is certainly happy to follow your requests - so if you want a shorter day, with more blobbing time, then that is certainly an option - we fell into that towards the end. Overall a fantastic trip.
Little note - not to do with the tour - allow some leeway when using "smaller" connecting planes - not always on time, but they did go eventually.
I can thoroughly recommend Lion King tours to anyone.
IN
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
We enjoyed this safari in April to may, with my family and we enjoyed most that place we.
Jerry Tanzania tours company is best company in Tanzania to safri advanture.
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
We had an nice time with driver Leonard. He is a capable driver. They took good care of us.
We booked via an agent, they did the communication for us. But during the safaris everything was communicated well.
Check in was very good, they outlined all the rules and diner times etc. Which was very convenient.
The communication with driver Leonard was good as well. He knew the park very well.
ES
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Danger of robbery, low reliability
We made a one week safari in December 2019 with this agency, 2 adults and 4 children. The quality of the different services was acceptable except for the age of the vehicle and the poor reliability of the information offered by e-mail when making the reservation. In our case, the "peculiarity" of the trip with 4 children and the need to ensure their well-being and safety was emphasized. Although we were repeatedly confirmed that everything was safe and according to the needs of children, the result was that what had to have been a dream trip became a nightmare. This agency does not care or take responsibility for the safety of its clients during the trip and as a result of this lack of responsibility they attacked us at knife point when we were with 4 children. The feeling of insecurity in areas outside the national parks resulted in the fact that we could not enjoy the hired trip. From what we have been able to find out, it is an agency that strives to provide rapid responses in the bidding phase with competitive prices, but once you are on the trip completely neglect the clients and their needs, being the most serious and dangerous the fact that they cannot ensure their safety. I would recommend being very careful with this agency, especially if you intend to make a trip with children. In case you have the trip hired, I would recommend having emergency telephone numbers for the Spanish consulate, as well as contracting private insurance with good coverage.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A Well Organised, fully catered for, money's worth, adventurous safari experience
From the time of enquiring about the booking, to arriving at the pick up destination, the company kept you fully aware of what was needed and required from you from there end and what was to be expected for the duration of your trip. They were polite and prompt and made you feel like everything was taken care of. When we arrived at Vic Falls airport we were greeted by out tour guide Pam. She was very lovely, spoke great english and was super informative.She helped us to book our extra activities we wanted to do like the village tour and made sure we knew what our itinerary was for the coming days. She would usually just pick us up and drop us off at our destinations. She took us all the way into Botswana and helped us check in and book our safari tours but then she had to drive that day all the way back to ZIM which was a bummer. We would of liked it if she stayed there with us for the two nights and we could get to know her more and feel a bit more settled knowing someone was there that we knew or we could ask for help or things. It felt like she was too far away if we had a problem or need advice. I would hope that the company would look into allowing there tour guides to at least stay in Botswana close to the clients just in case of any emergencies or problems. Otherwise this company was 10/10. Thank you for your hospitality and life long memories Pam. We miss you, Amanda and Jenique
NL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Exellent
The 3-days Tour was provided by Kilimanjaroi Vikings. A little scary in the beginning the voyage turned to be very nice on its way further. We started from visit to Kilimanjaro view place. That was good and quality hotel. Personnel was friendly and responsive. That's where we met with manager, reciedved instuctions about upcoming days and paid all cash in advance. Untill morning I was fighting a thought of being played. In the morning next day a driver and the manager showed up and all my worries disappeared. Vehicle was good (Land Cruiser) and the driver looked professional In his credit he'd already prepared water and mealboxes. So, within next 3 days we visited Taranguire NP, Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara NP. We stayed in good hotels with good meals and personnel. Especially good was Ngorongoro Farm House. That place was mindblowing, just must-see one. The driver was just good in giving the tour information organizing meal. despite the drive was quite long we totally forgot about any inconveniance. Bottomline: I totally recommed Kilimnanjaro Vikings for Safari Tours.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The Perfect 4 day Safari - Mufasa took care of us and we can't thank them enough!
A million thank you's to our guide TONY for the epic safari in Masai Mara and Lake Nakuru. He was so knowledgeable about the parks and had great instincts to find animals as well. We had so many incredible moments spotting leopards mating, lion cubs, elephant herds, white rhinos, black rhinos, and more. Safety was never an issue with Tony and he is an incredibly skilled 4x4/off roading driver!
Also, we REALLY appreciate Joseph's help to advise us on our options when trying to book the safari. We came to their office unannounced and wanted to plan a safari to leave the next day. Joseph was able to give us great price ranges for our options with accommodations, vehicle, and short 3 of 4 day itineraries. There was no pressure whatsoever which made booking with him at Mufasa a no brainer for us.
We ultimately opted for a private 4 day safari in the 4x4 Land Cruiser. The accommodations at both Masai Mara and Lake Nakuru were better than we had anticipated! We originally were not going to go to Lake Nakuru but are SO glad we did. It was one of our favorite parts.
5 Stars, guys! I would book with them again in a heartbeat.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Absolutely loved our time in Kenya thanks to Explorer Kenya Tours.
We recently completed a 7 day safari to Amboseli, Lake Nakuru and Maasai Mara. There were 6 of us - myself (aged 57), my husband ( aged 69) and our two adult children and their partners. We had a private vehicle and guide for ourselves and it was amazing. We saw more wildlife experiences than we ever thought possible. We would highly recommend this trip and Explorer Kenya. Our safari guide was David. He was friendly, knowledgeable, flexible and an amazing driver. Due to recent rains, the roads and tracks were muddy and slippery. David managed to keep us safe and on track at all times. We actually helped to pull out other vehicles that were stuck in the mud without ever getting stuck ourselves. Thank you David for keeping my family safe and for showing us some amazing animals and amazing sights while increasing our knowledge of Kenya - it’s wildlife, people and customs. We hope to be able to come back again one day. We still need to find that leopard!
Thanks also to the safari camps we stayed at ( Kibo, Flamingo Hill and Mara Eden) for providing delicious food and catering for our special dietary requirements.
The whole experience with Explorer Kenya was easy to organise thanks to Robert in head office, who also answered my many questions promptly and reliably. Robert also arranged for us to have a vehicle and driver/ guide (Ben) for our 2 days in Nairobi. This was a fantastic way for us to explore Nairobi and its surrounding sights at a reasonable cost.
We are so happy to have found Explorer Kenya Tours for our trip of a lifetime.
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Greater Kruger by Martin James Ledger
It was good but compared to other parks/game reserves it is a little too organised. I knew this would be the case but, as I was with someone who had never been before, I felt it a safe option. I prefer the "wilder" option and will return to South Africa to perhaps re-visit a location appearing less well "controlled". Having said that, where else can you drive among a pride of 19 lions and then park beside the male lion, lying a little way off, walk along a river bank watching a croc on the other bank and hippos in the water, at times be hassled by monkeys and baboons (in the nicest way of course) and drive past herds of zebra, impala and other animals. A fair range of sightings but after four safaris, I have still to see a leopard - next time perhaps!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Addo or Addon’t ?
After several trips to Kruger, Etosha and the KTP, I decided to give Addo a go.
I have to be honest, it was a disappointment . A small park with little real bush vibe due to the da t that you can see the surrounding farms, towns and wind farms from large parts of the park.
The vegetation isn’t the most attractive either, and the large open areas looked more like fields, giving a “safari park” feel.
There is no doubt that the elephant encounters are the highlight, but a day trip is probably enough, with maybe a night at the excellent Addo main camp to give the best chance of an early morning lion encounter.
But it’s not Kruger, a totally different experience and the 30 minute drive and access to boat trips are probably the only reason for choosing it.
