LV
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Beautiful experience and perfectly organized a littlebit complicated tour.
We started plan our tour 1 year ago.The communication was exelent and very qick.We and Bebjamin finded the best decisions,how to see the Cape Town,winerys,Victoria falls,Botsvana safari and Kruger national park.We saw a lot of animals,big five and the leopard too.In these days national avio company was on strike,but Benjamin solved all the problems.Beautiful safari,beautiful excursions and great time whith Siya Phambile Expeditions.
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Experience with helinassafaris during trip to amboseli national park
Booked for the tour for dec 2019. Owner gladys very polite n arranged the tour. Tour guide took us to amboseli park.
Was very good driver n knowledgeable. Enjoyed the wildlife viewing.
Booked at sentrim amboseli lodge. Road to kimana gate n lodge very uncomfortable. The lodge needs a proper road.
Problems started when it stated raining heavily. Roads got flooded n so park flooded n v could nt go wildlife viewing.
The day v had to leave roads became impassible. Had a bad experience. It became lunch hr. The owner of this tour companydid nt want to take
Responsibility to our safety or provide us with lunch. The van got struck in the muddy, broken washed road.
V were stuck in the hot van with flies, while the guide or driver would go n help others vans or their driver get out of the mess they were in.
He did this several times all the way home.
V reached late at night feeling very sick n had nothing to eat after breakfast. V will nt take a tour with this company again.
They need to know their priority is to first serve the clients by taking them home instead of helping other vans to get out of the mess they were
In. Therefore v had a bad experience n felt ill the next day.
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Very varied journey in original Malawi
The service and accomodations were good. Malawi is not that touristic as other African countries.
Unfortunately one of our interpreters (Andreas) was not very helpful.
However the second interpreter (Patrick) did a great job and we had some nice conversations.
Guide Saidi was very experienced and well known in the country and the people. Great!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Absolutely Wonderful!
This was my first African safari, but I've traveled extensively all over the world (including hiring private drivers) and this is an excellent operation. All of my communication prior to the safari with Patrick was personalized and thorough and he was willing to work with us to find the right itinerary and lodges to fit our budget.
On the trip itself, we traveled with Kenny. He was an excellent game-spotter, very skillful driver (including in some mudslides and flooded roads, on account of unpredictable weather), always punctual, and always smiling. He was fun to chat with, and during drives from one park to the next, we got to know more about his life and hobbies, Kenyan culture, different types of animals and birds, local foods, holidays, customs, etc.
The van itself was in great shape, with comfortable seats, working seatbelts, and the pop-up roof was great. There were only 3 of us traveling, so we had plenty of room to spread out (it could seat 8 + driver, although I'd recommend a maximum of 6 for your own comfort and maybe less if you have lots of luggage). We had no engine issues, just had to refill the air pressure in a tire along the way, which was a quick fix before it was a major problem and Kenny had a spare tire AND a donut tire just in case, so no worries there. Kenny also kept the van spotlessly clean. He must have washed and vacuumed the car every evening!
On our 5 day/4 night safari, we spent one night each in Tsavo East, Tsavo West, Taita Hills, and Amboseli. All of us agreed that Tsavo and Amboseli were fabulous; all of us thought Taita was "just okay". I think 1 night at each was fine, but then again, I like seeing the changing scenery and habitats. If you want to spend two nights somewhere, Amboseli is the obvious choice. We (independently) did Naivasha & Nakuru after our official safari and both of those are lovely as well if you are looking for additional inspiration. We skipped the famed Masai Mara because it was still wet/flooded from rainy season; in dry season I'm sure it's fabulous!
Overall, we saw TONS of wildlife. You'll want a set of decent binoculars and a camera with good optical zoom, but you'll also quite a bit up close. Some of my favorite sightings: 11 lionesses in a row at Tsavo East at sunset, elephants playing in a watering hole at Tsavo East, Somali ostriches running in Amboseli, red zebras (from the dirt) at Tsavo West, jackals in Tsavo West, male bushbucks challenging each other in Taita Hills, gerenuks in Tsavo East...
Quick thoughts on our lodges:
- Voi Safari Lodge in Tsavo East had great views from the room/restaurant/pool/hide but abysmal food.
- Lion's Bluff Lodge in Taita Hills had great views overlooking the valley, good nighttime game drive (operated by the lodge), but since there's no pool and no wi-fi in the rooms, there's nothing to do between lunch and the evening game drive.
- Ngulia Safari Lodge in Tsavo West...there are probably better options in this area. I didn't like that the lodge baits a leopard outside the lodge for nighttime viewings (unethical) and since the food/rooms were nothing special, I'd ask about alternative lodges.
- Kilima Safari Camp in Amboseli had a great observation tower, beautiful property, massive rooms, and fabulous staff.
We ultimately had to skip one of our game drives in Amboseli because roads were closed (flooding) and Kenny was incredibly apologetic about this change in plans. It was obvious that neither he nor any other driver knew about this in advance -- a whole bunch of groups were in the same predicament. Kenny kept us safe from potential problems and did as much as he could to ensure we still saw wildlife outside of official park boundaries. Hakuna matata; we still had a wonderful visit.
We contacted a few operators before our trip and PD Tours was middle of the price quotes we got. For the incredible service and quality of vehicle, I am very pleased. Payment was made fully in cash while in Kenya. I would budget an extra 1500 shillings (US $15) per person per day to cover bottled water at meals, a daily sundowner or two, and tips for lodge staff like porters, bartenders, servers, and housekeepers. I would also budget generously for tips for your driver...they earn every penny!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great communication and accommodating
YES, I'D RECOMMEND YOU TO SIGN UP WITH BERNARD FOR THIS TRIP. HE TAKES GREAT CARE OF THE PARTICIPANTS and is very helpful. It was a good experience overall. Bernard arranged me with "Big5voyages" tour guys with driver/guide being Usman/Othman.
I went on a 3 days Safari to Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngorongoro (conservation area but not the museum). 1st night was in a lodge (Fig tree lodge) which had hot water in private restroom. Remaining 2 nights were in camps out which second night also had access to hot water in common restroom shared by other campers. Now coming to Safari; although we were told that we'd have no less than 6 hours of game drive each day/drive but it didn't happen, not at least the 1st two days. 1st day we only had about 2.5-3 hours (partly due to late arrivals of other 2 guests but still partly due to the tour operator leaving late from Arusha). Same goes for 2nd day where we had about 3.5 hours of game drive in actual. Although we were able to spot big 5 yet this was something I needed to point out as was done by one another reviewer as well. The food during the safari, I must admit, was great though.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent day safari
Went on a 1 day safari to Nairobi National Park as well as the Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage & Giraffe Centre. Lawrence the driver was excellent and went to the ends of the earth ( or all over the National park) to find all the animals for my 3 YO daughter. The entire day went well and the communication between Stella and myself from booking to completion of the safari was exemplary.
ES
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing safari
It has been a great safari. They adhered to what we had asked for, with a fairly tight price and the professionalism of Daniel, the guide, was 10 out of 10. Great accommodations, and the program was exactly what we had been proposed. It was a success to hire him with them.
BE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Decent driver and lodge, very rude boos
We picked Yebo tour to support local tourism in Masindi. It was also one of the cheapest solution we've found. We thought to go a bit rustic on accommodation and transport, but we ended up having a stupid discussion about the already agreed on price. We paid in dollars, as agreed, and they started complaining something about the different exchange rate they were given. Still not sure how that would be our problem, since we had our entire booking discussion in dollars, the boss decided to close our discussion walking out on us while we were still talking. The rudest thing I've had in 40 days in Uganda, ridiculous.
The driver was nonetheless a good driver, safe, very good at spotting animals.
The car was old, with a broken window, 2 doors that wouldn't open from the inside, hanging handles, extremely dirty back seats and back window and a couple of alive chickens traveling with us in the trunk, which was actually fairly fun!
The Yebo lodge is generally speaking decent, for the price paid, placed close by both the game drive ferry and the boat ride. In our room, the toilet was leaking water and the door couldn't close. the net was slightly too small for the bed and the sheets were placed in a heart shape, which is cute, but it also meant we had to do our own bed: in between sweet and unhandy, I wouldn't know what to choose! Food is not good, one of the worse I've had in Uganda. The staff is nice and kind.
IN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Out of the world experience!
The planning was hassle free though over email. Right from pick-up to drop off everything was well arranged and they went the extra mile to see no discomfort is experienced.
Out driver and guide had good knowledge of the park and good sense where game was or can be spotted. He was polite and helpful.
We got to see all animals in a matter of 3 days plus it was great weather (no rains in wet season- so lucky). This kind of destination requires someone like Shemeji to make it all worth it.
GR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Highly recommended!!
I contacted Mufasa Tours and Travels -only 2 weeks before my arrival in Kenya-requesting a customized 4 day safari in Masai Mara and Lake Nakuru while staying in specific lodges in both destinations.
Joseph's communication was excellent all the way. He helped me create my dream holiday in this beautiful country and was quick to answer all of my questions in a professional and friendly way.
Kevin was my guide and I have to say that he is the best guide I could ever have asked for. Highly knowledgeable, kind, professional, friendly and with a clear love and respect for nature/animals and his job. He truly turned this trip into a once in a lifetime adventure.
I will definitely book with them again, the next time I will get the opportunity to visit Kenya.
Thank you for everything !