PG
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Our experience was excellent; the guides; meals & accommodation; care & attention; very professional
Having never been on a Safari before we didn't know what to expect other than what our printed material told us. We were therefore impressed with the high standard of care and attention from all Natureways personnel; from the guides to the driver to the 'in-camp' personnel who were all very professional and courteous. The actual amount of wildlife we saw and the knowledge we acquired from the Safari itself was a little over-whelming so we started taking notes! Our Natureway Safaris is so good we are planning another. Congratulations to Natureways Safaris.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Botswana by Oli.Anderson
The quality of the guiding is brilliant, and while the parks and lodges are more expensive than elsewhere in Africa, they are well worth it.
NL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about South Africa by David Verbossche
Having lived in South Africa for over 25 years I have been privileged enough to travel extensively through the wonderfully diverse landscapes the country has to offer. It has something for everyone from its rugged coastlines of the Western Cape to the Majestic mountain ranges of the Drakensberg. The wildlife, although often limited to its national parks and private reserves, is abundant and can offer visitors any number of jaw-dropping and even life-changing experiences. South Africa allows for one to get away from it all, which is more suited to the adventurer. It can also cater to the urban cats who enjoy living it up in its vibrant multi-cultural cities.
It has something for everyone and I cannot recommend it highly enough.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Peaceful and thrilling in equal measure
The wildlife varies greatly between concessions - bearing in mind we travelled in low season when the water levels were extremely low. In the Abu concession we caught sight of plenty of leopard and wild dog, while the Jao concession proved more successful for water activities, including boating and mokoros. Scenery was varied throughout, from dense reeds to open savannah. Accommodation standards were very high, as was the food and guiding. Transportation less so - we were forced to fly between concessions which added unnecessary travel time. Guiding on the other hand was exceptional.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Mashatu Game Reserve by Oli.Anderson
Excellent wildlife spotting, incredible guides and very few camps meaning few vehicles. Great variety of scenery.
Excellent service and great value
The 4 of us went on the 7-day safari by Wecam stretching from Nairobi to Lake Manyara to the Masai Mara, crossing into Tanzania and exploring the Serengeti and Ngorongoro crater. From our research online, we were hard pressed to find a tour that covered this much in Tanzania and Kenya with the relative comfort in accommodation (i.e. not pitching our own tents!) that we were looking for. Wecam's tour provided great value for money and they certainly delivered on their promise.
Their customer service was largely handled by a lovely lady by the name of Mercy, who was very quick to respond, able to answer our detailed questions on accommodation / itinerary, and generally a very helpful and courteous person to interact with. Thus from a management perspective, Wecam was able to meet almost all our needs - the only element that fell short of our expectations was their requirement to have the entire payment of the tour paid upfront (as opposed to an initial deposit and the remainder paid at the end). Luckily for us, we finished the tour highly satisfied with what we received.
Regarding the tour itself, we had two professional and seasoned drivers / tour guides covering each half of the trip (Kenya, then Tanzania). We particularly enjoyed our time with Peter (Kenyan half of the trip) who demonstrated a rich experience of these great national parks, animals, and local culture, but also shared a good sense of humour, kindness and friendliness. Both our tour guides were also registered with their respective country's tour operator community, providing them access to a radio and transmitter through which they could communicate any interesting sightings or call for help with breakdowns. We were lucky enough to see all the big five, but their radio communication in particular ensured we saw plenty of lions, a rare sighting of two leopards (being chased by buffalo!), four tiny cheetah cubs and more spectacular sights.
They also built in time for a few optional activities (such as a cycling / walking tour up to a picturesque gorge, time to explore souvenirs, and a visit to a local Masai village). The tour cars were the same models we saw most tour operators using and were reasonably comfortable and had a pop-up roof which offered great visibility / photo ops. Be warned that there are two days which involve particularly long periods of travelling in the car (~6hrs not including the game drive), but this is just a reality of having to cover large distances; not a reflection of Wecam. Many of the roads were very dusty and gravelly, so we actually recommend face-masks just for that reason; but again, this is advice for travelling through these parts of Kenya and Tanzania, not commentary on Wecam as an operator.
Accommodation was at the level of comfort we expected, with a decent hotel in Nakura and comfortable lodge at Ngorongoro. The tented campsites in Masai Mara and the Serengeti were a bit more basic, but contained beds, private bathrooms and electricity in the evenings and mornings which covered our essential needs at least. All meals were covered in the tour price and ranged from decent to delicious.
My entire group was very happy with our safari; it goes without saying the Masai Mara, Serengeti, and other parks we visited were spectacular and, at times, breath-taking places to visit. If these are the destinations you would like to explore, we would be happy to recommend Wecam as an operator that gives you great value for money with good people working for them, altogether delivering an excellent service.
NZ
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trekking on foot and canoeing was absolutely the right trip for me.
This was the trip of a lifetime for me. My friends who have done safaris entirely by truck saw more animals and in greater numbers but did not gain the same knowledge of the bushvelt or experience the thrill of tracking and finding and following a herd of painted dogs or lions sleeping on the other side of a bush or mistakenly canoeing over a hippos head! I have pages of the names of all the birds we saw and photographed and can name so many of the trees and bushes and their traditional uses. I am still getting requests to tell friends about the thrill of it all. James and Tacksure were the most excellent guides and despite the hippo incident, or perhaps because of it, I was never afraid of their ability to keep us all safe. I have imagined this trip for over 30 years and it was so much better than I imagined. We were looked after so well and fed like royalty. Each morning I made a point of being one of the first ready to go trekking but on our day of leaving I was so sorry it was over I was last to jumble my stuff together and get on the truck. I didn't want to leave. Thank you so much for such a memorable experience.
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent, knowledgeable guide, fantastic experience!
We were picked up from our hotel promptly by our guide, with whom we spent the next 3 days. He was very friendly, helpful, and most important, he knew his stuff when it came to animals. He looked after us really well, everyone on the camp knew him. When we hadn't seen one of the Big Five, he made a special effort to find us rhino, and you could tell he really wanted us to have that experience, and boy, did we have an amazing close-up with a white rhino. The only thing he couldn't arrange for us was a lion chase. Oh well, next time!
RU
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
From Nairobi to Mombasa
We visited Amboseli and Tsavo. It was very interesting! Thank you!
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Over-the-top outstanding, Restoration Safaris clearly disginguised itself for excellence.
Everyone I speak with has good things to say about their African safari. A closer look highlights differences, and Restoration Safaris distinguished itself for excellence and value.
* Unforgettable safari: Our guides Bariki and Alfaio masterfully managed the many game drives, going way beyond simply naming animals and plants and providing detailed descriptions of animal development, behavior, life-cycles and interactions within their own species and with others. We stopped hundreds of times to point out animals and birds near and far--many of which were difficult to notice, and with special attention to animal behavior with all the interest this brings. Our guides frequently taught other guides where to look for animals and answered questions their clients had asked. It was obvious that they were providing a highly enriched experience. We were constantly invited to observe and understand animal behavior that went way beyond just seeing the animals.
* Personal attention to all our needs: Meticulous attention to all throughout.
* Un-rushed atmosphere: no hurrying and ignoring things along the way to meet deadlines; nor was the pace slow. Our guides accomplished this by superb preparation always being organized, resulting in optimal use of time.
* Flexible planning: We communicated for months with Mourine to tailor the safari to our interests and needs. The result was a safari that met those needs and exceeded our expectations.
* Rich cultural experience: Our experiences included visiting and talking with local residents in neighborhoods, schools, Masai village, and 1:1 nature walks. The Tanzanian people are friendly and open, and we were able to understand and appreciate their values, history, customs, and challenges in adjusting, adapting and thriving in the modern world.
* Commitment to the human, animal & plant and physical environment: Restoration Safaris is committed to the health of the environment.
* Outstanding lodging and food: We had both the "lodges" and "tents" experience. Both were wonderful, interesting and safe experiences. Talk about being close to nature!
* Truth in advertising: When Restoration Safaris promotional material states "14-day safari" it is really a 14-day safari, not an 11-day safari plus 3 days travel to get there and back.
* Great value: Read the itineraries and compare costs. Restoration Safaris is highly competitive.
* Outstanding human experience.
* All in all, a remarkable, memorable and satisfying experience.