US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
WOW! A vacation of 2 life times.
We’ve traveled to over 20 countries and this is the best vacation we have ever had.
Right from the get-go this was an exceptional experience. The clear, detailed and professional itinerary, the ease of booking this trip, Elias’s help in tailoring the itinerary to all our needs, we truly felt like people not just a number. The months prior to the trip Elias answered all our questions and concerns quickly and concisely. He advised us of adverse weather conditions and suggested alternative lodging to make our safari as pleasant as possible.
This wonderful service didn’t end there. John, our naturalist and driver, met us at the airport and on the trip to our hotel explained in detail what we would be doing the next day. He would explain our next day’s adventure every night for the rest of the safari. John was our wonderful guide, answering all our questions and seeing to all our needs on this ten day game drive.
We visited Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara, The Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater. But the heart of a safari is the animals. Here are just a small taste of our wonderful encounters:
We watched in awe as a huge herd of elephants, with babies in tow, passed in front of our Landcruiser.
We gazed at a family of graceful Giraffes walking across the open savanna and then watched as they picked the choice leaves from the tops of an Umbrella tree.
A pride of lions sleeping in the grass, the mama was nursing a cub while magnificent male was alert and watching.
Magnificent Zebras, Wildebeests and Thomson’s Gazelles peacefully grazing on the plains.
We saw dozens of Hippopotamus’ bathing in the river, we were stared down by a big male Cape buffalo guarding this turf, we saw majestic leopard snoozing in a Baobab tree, and Vultures, Jackals and Hyenas scavenging for food.
We watched monkeys foraging in the open fields, and a troop of Baboons hiding in the grass by the side of the road.
We also sang, danced and had a jumping contest with the colorful Maasai tribe. A lot of fun.
However, the highlight of our safari was the Great Migration! Tens of thousands of Wildebeest and Zebras, stretching from horizon to horizon queued to cross the Mara River. Then the crossing was complete mayhem; Wildebeest and Zebras scrambling to reach the other bank, truly an exhilarating experience.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best Vacay Ever
I am so glad that I went. I asked many people their favorite travel location. Almost unanimously, I was told Africa. I am now among those people. I have done some wonderful travel internationally as well as domestically. I describe my experience as the feeling I had standing in Notre Dame cathedral for the first time. What was better, was feeling that way every day.
I had great service from Odyssey both before and after. I wish we could have stayed longer in the resorts, 2 or 3 days. Some of the drives were very long. Our guide was great.
We saw the big 5 as well as a lion honeymoon. That sure cracked me up.
Seeing the wildlife has deepened my reverence for life itself. Thank you for such a wonderful opportunity.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic operator
My father has been telling me to take him to Tanzania, the country he was born in for as long as i can remember. He has been wanting to go back to see the 2 towns he grew up in. I always said no as i thought it was too dangerous (what was i thinking? Its not!). As my parents hit their 40th wedding anniversary I thought it was now or never and began researching. 55yrs is long enough for dad to wait!! I contacted at least 20 companies and was about to give up when i came across a few recommendations for Ubon Safari. So, i contacted them. From our first encounter, i knew Umang and Beena (Bee Gossain) were the people who were going to make my dads wishes come true and off we went planning the most incredible trip. I was put at ease instantly, no question was silly and no request too much. Questions repeated over and over were happily answered. I felt incredibly confident and excited. No concerns whatsoever, all thanks to the hard work, time and effort Umang and Beena put into planning these trips. They are so dedicated that they go to Africa for a few months every year to meet with hotels and give feedback. When we hit a number of issues on the holiday, they were right there with us working hard to resolve them. To know we had that help immediately is no small thing. Beena and Umang are so passionate about giving the best trip, they wont rest if any small thing goes wrong until its resolved. Their drivers and cars made this trip that much more amazing...7 days in Serengeti and 7 in Zanzibar can be hard going on some of the rough roads, and in the boats, especially for my mum who has severe rheumatoid arthritis but the cars were so comfy you dont notice and the drivers so good you feel safe. Mum had no problems! Unknown to us Beena had arranged a surprise bush dinner, which was incredible and a last min hot air balloon ride, which was so much fun. We also had ppl travelling on excursions with us to ensure my parents were well taken care of...its these small things that made the trip. We were spoilt! I cant thank Ubon enough, I cant recommend them enough and we can't wait to book another trip with them. Sadly we cant join them on the amazing trip to south serengeti and Zambia next year, which will be epic. If you want to go to Africa contact Ubon, you wont be disappointed.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
10d Tarangire Manyara Serengeti Ngorogoro migration private couple. Fabulous highly recommended.
Fabulous and recommended to everyone we know. During enquiries Naiman was excellent and responded quickly and accurately, arranging our tour according to our preferences. We wanted to visit the major parks but also catch the migration during a river crossing which was in N Serengeti during our visit. Payment of deposit directly with follow up completion is ok and worked.
Accomodation was at Tanganyika lodges which exceeded our expectations and was excellent value for money. Food at lodges very good and reasonable prices for alcoholic drinks too. Packed lunches decent. No hot drinks or table cloth for lunch, fine by us, just bring a flask and fill up in the morning.
We had a private couple tour due to our preferred itinerary. Highly recommended as Steve our tour guide and driver could tailor the entire experience to us. Vehicle was the standard long Landcruiser, same as every other tour, except it didn't have fripperies such as phone charging points for each guest. Fine by us! The vehicle was reliable, we even helped pull out another tour's vehicle which got stuck.
Steve is very experienced and was lovely and perfectly pitched throughout. He just knew the land and the animals and knew when to wait and when to move on.
Parks were superb, loved Tarangire and Serengeti central and north. Would love to return to west and south.
Price wise this company is competitive compared to others for similar products and delivers an excellent experience in the animals, accomodation and overall safari enjoyment.
Instagram @fongsphotos
NL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience
Serengeti wakanda tours were amazing. They were arranging everything exactly the way we wanted and even more. We did the 5 days northern circuit safari. Our tourguide was awesome and very proffesional. He did the very best to show us the big five and gave us good position for taking pictures.
We would highly recommand wakanda tours to everybody who wants to have a great safari.
CH
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing safari with top organizational and driver
The experience with Shemeji Safari was top notch. We travelled for five days through Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Serengeti and Ngorongoro. Beside the beauty of the natural parks/protected areas, I must say that the whole organization before the trip and the experience we had during the trip were outstanding. Emma, with her precise and fast answers to many inquiries before the trip and Beni, our driver, who during the game drives, was always a step ahead of all the other drivers in relentlessly finding the big 5 (we saw rhinos more than once in different parks...that is extremely seldom) and passionately explaining animals habits. We strongly recommend Shemeji for the quality they delivered and above all for the attention/passion we felt before, during and after the safari. Congratulations for the great and tough work you carry on.
P.s ask to get Beni as a driver. This experienced guy spots animals from unbelievable distances and has a non common passion/understanding for what he does
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Incredible personal attention to detail, listening to your wishes and turning them into your dreams.
Beena and Umang Gossain and UBON safari are simply two incredible individuals who give their all to every detail of your trip. We were kept updated on our itinerary and had constant contact prior to departure. On arrival in Kenya it was obvious we were going to be very well looked after. We then flew to Tanzania, what magic. All the hotels they had chosen for us totally matched not only our needs but our desires , I had specifically asked to have a room somewhere by a watering hole. I got it and it was perfect.
The guides they use are exemplary, full of care and knowledge, the airline Auric is excellent, the hotels are wonderful and all the hotels speak highly of the couple themselves as people .
The Serengeti was the most exciting, exhilarating and obviously tiring experience, but we saw everything. My husband did a balloon trip which he said was a marvellous experience and I joined him for the extraordinary champagne and cooked breakfast in the bush that I could have imagined . Everything is thought of down to the tiniest detail. Simply brilliant trip , so well organised and nothing is too much trouble if things need to get changed for whatever reason. They care and it shows.
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
An excellent canoe camping safari on the Zambezi River over 3 nights and four days.
It was a fantastic experience and the guide and helper were excellent. However they seemed to be let down by their equipment. The pots and pans seemed more suitable to a smaller group than us (we were 8, 10 if the include guide and helper). They had no decent lights to work with and we ended up lending them head torches.
The tents and bedding were fine.
Other than that an excellent Safari.
CA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Could not have found a better tour operator, guide or route to experience Tanzania!
Right from the first correspondence with Micky the service from Grassroots Safaris was A+. Micky took great care to accommodate all my requests (and there were many) and always responded to my emails and inquiries in a timely fashion. He organized every little detail and made me feel very comfortable and confident in the whole process. Grassroots went out of their way to ensure my family was well taken care of, transported to and from Dar es Salaam and touring around Southern Tanzania, to what feel have to be some of the best spots in the country. Fikiri (our driver and guide extraordinaire) was the most careful and cautious driver, he was very punctual but also understanding of our need for frequent stops, and really made the whole experience top notch. He was an amazing safari guide and has a great eye for spotting even the most hidden animals. He is also very knowledgable and explained so much about all of the wildlife and their way of life, it really added a lot of value to the trip and we all left feeling like we had learnt and experienced so much more than we ever expected. The accommodations that Grassroots planned for us were seriously 5*, the service, food and scenery blew us away at each stop, the only regret was that we couldn't stay 2-3 nights at each place!
I honestly cannot thank Fikiri and Micky enough for planning and executing the best family safari I could have ever imagined, it far exceeded my expectations and I would not hesitate to recommend Grassroots to anyone looking for an extremely personal, affordable, tailored safari experience!
Thank you again,
Kristen
BE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Enjoyable and affordable way to enjoy a safari in the Zambian bush
Our family of four (two adults and kids aged 15 and 12) did a 6 day safari to Kafue with Adventure Purists in August 2018.
We're not usually campers, but the high cost of accommodation in Zambia is beyond our budget, so this was the only affordable option.
Overall, we were pleasantly surprised by how comfortable the camping proved to be. The tents are in good condition, and having the use of a collapsible stretcher bed (which comes with a mattress) rather than sleeping on the ground makes all the difference in terms of comfort. We brought our own sleeping bags and pillows, but these can also be hired from the company (as they take up a lot of luggage space). You are expected to help with erecting and dismantling the tents, but this isn't an onerous task and the kids in particular thought that it was great fun.
The camp sites we stayed at were well laid out, with good communal bathrooms and flush toilet facilities. The bathrooms were kept clean, and there was always hot water and toilet paper available (not always a given). There's no escaping the fact that it's a nuisance to have to trek to the bathroom if you need to go to the toilet in the night, but that's the nature of camping (rather than 'glamping' with en suite bathroom facilities) and for this reason, you should be sure to pack a torch - one of the torches mounted on a headband is ideal.
The food was standard bush catering, with generous portions and some degree of choice with the picnic-style breakfasts and lunches. As the vehicle is equipped with a fridge, the staff were able to buy and store fresh meat and vegetables en route, and it was nice to see that there was very little use of canned food. The highlight was a braai (BBQ), with some of the best steak I've ever eaten. All the cooking and washing up is done by the staff.
Water and fruit juice is included in the price, but soft drinks and alcoholic beverages are for your own account, and you'll be given an opportunity to buy these before you leave town.
The driver/guide and cook were friendly, helpful and competent, and the driver was safe and cautious. The vehicle was extremely comfortable, and as it pulls a trailer (which is where the tents, catering equipment and luggage is stored), there's lots of space. The vehicle has windows that can be removed, which maximises your game viewing and photographic opportunities. There are also power sockets in the vehicle so that you can charge important items like camera batteries (be sure to bring your own chargers).
If you're considering this tour, then I would strongly recommend that you pack a selection of clothes with long sleeves and trousers. Usually you'd think that you'll only need these in the bush after sunset to minimise the risk of mosquito bites, but Kafue is tsetse fly territory, and those critters are huge, tenacious and pack a painful bite.
Finally, make the most of the experience and the memories by bringing the best camera equipment you can afford - yu won't regret it.
