US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a lifetime!
This was our first visit to South Africa as a couple. Our trip took us from rural untouched beaches in the eastern cape to an unforgettable camping experience within The famous Addo Elephant park. We also enjoyed the upmarket holiday spots of Plettenberg bay and then along the garden route down to Magical Cape Town. Benjamin shared an informative history of South Africa as we travelled, and we had incredible sightings of lion in Addo who had just finished eating a meal of Zebra. He was calm and collected traveling on epic roads and over mountain passes and even helped us catch our first fish. It felt personal and tailored to exactly what we wanted.. plus we laughed a lot!! Thanks to Siya Phambile, this was a trip we will remember forever!
IE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A wonderful trip to Uganda - East to West
An 8 day trip through Uganda
I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to visit Africa and specifically Uganda right in the heart of the continent .. my research driven by my desire to visit this part of the world set me looking for a guide that could show the me the best parts of the country in the time that I had – 8 days.
From the moment I started to communicate with Wild Jungle Trails and Twaha I knew that they had the knowledge and flexibility that I was looking for in a Travel Company. On this basis I decided that I would book with them for my first visit to Africa.
The dialogue that I had with the company before I was travelling was very regular and I had many questions , some trivial but all important to me. My contact was Twaha all the time and in each case he was delighted to assist and responded in a very timely and knowledgeable manner.
I travelled at the beginning of April and this was a good time as it was not high season , and the weather was great , we barely had any rain on the trip.
Twaha met me at the airport in Entebbe and because of the timings we had agreed that we would spend the first night in Kampala as it was quite late to travel on to somewhere else . Kampala is a bustling city of about 3.5m people and for me that was not the reason I was visiting Uganda ,I very much wanted to be outside the city , for that reason I would not recommend that you stay for very long in Kampala.
Day 1 :
We travelled to Jinja which is at the source of the Nile on Lake Victoria , its about a 2 hour drive from Kampala through Tea plantations and farms , it’s a busy road as it is the main connection the Kenya and the port of Mombasa , critical to Uganda as it is a landlocked country. This was a familiar area for Twaha close to where he was brought up and where his family lived.
I had really wanted to go Horseback riding and Twaha found a great centre called Nile Horseback Safaris where as an experienced rider I was able to have an amazing ride out through typical villages and Tea plantations on a great forward going horse.. for those not experienced there were slower paced rides available … the ride ended with a magnificent view over Lake Victoria. If you can or cannot ride I would recommend this , it costs about $60 for a 2 hour ride.
We ate that evening in Jinja – finding somewhere good to eat is quite a challenge in Uganda , so be prepared for that . I also took the opportunity to have a Nile beer which is made very close by.
Day 2 :
A visit by boat to the source of the Nile from a place called Kingfisher , was a great experience .. seeing the local fishermen and the abundant birdlife was fantastic. The boat launch is located through the grounds of a Safari Lodge.
Twaha is somewhat of an expert on birds and Uganda with 1000 different bird species, Uganda is a birders paradise , Twaha’s knowledge is comprehensive and he says that he can identify 300 of the bird types in Uganda.
As we were in the area, Twaha took the opportunity to visit his family, I was honoured to be invited to his home where his mother had kindly prepared some lunch, this wonderfully personal touch really portrays how Twaha wants to be the best ambassador and guide for his country providing truly authentic unique experiences.
Day 3
We travelled on though the countryside for a number of hours until we reached Mbale a town set under the backdrop of beautiful mountains.
While the roads in some cases are not good the experience of driving through the countryside and observing the Ugandan life in action is wonderful . Uganda has a huge young population and this is reflected in the amount of babies and children that you will see everywhere. In many cases the young children are excited to see a white person which they call ‘Muzunga’ and they give you a big wave .. if you meet them in the villages they may practise their English – “how are you “
At Mbale we overnighted here at a relatively nice Hotel ( Wash and Willis ) .. finding accommodation suitably priced and of a reasonable standard in Uganda is a challenge.
Twaha was able to recommend a nice restaurant in Mbale where we had lunch , once again the options are limited.
Day 4
Back on the road again to a place called Sipi where we went on a hike for about 2 hours led by a local guide called Sam who did a great job explaining the area, agriculture , villages etc on the way to see a series of magnificent waterfalls.
This was followed by a wonderful lunch in a Lodge Hotel at the base of the falls.
We then drove back to Mbale where we overnighted.
Day 5
This was a long day but Twaha never complained about the driving which in Uganda is mostly on a two lane busy highway.. though you will also come across some unpaved roads.
We drove a lot of this day .. in a westerly direction back through Jinja, on to Kampala to a place called Masaka which would be our overnight destination on our journey west to the Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Masaka is a busy town and there was one acceptable hotel .. which I found on line.
Day 6
On this day the journey West continued until we reached the Queen Elizabeth Park , the landscape changed very often from great plains to hilly tea plantations , the road was not easy so be prepared for this .
Arriving at QE park you really are aware that you have arrived somewhere special , as you descend from the mountain to the park with the amazing Vista of the flat plains and Acacia Trees on the unspoilt landscape with Lake Edward against the back drop of the mountains in the distance – it’s a beautiful sight and one that you can only see in Africa.
After driving though the park , Twaha had arranged for me to take the boat trip along the Kanzinga channel where you can see the Elephants, Hippo’s, water buffalo and many more . Its a 2 hour boat trip and well worth it … it helps to have a camera with a good lens to capture this amazing scene. You also get to see the fishermen launching their canoe boats in the early evening to fish on Lake Victoria.
As it was getting late when the boat trip returned and we were travelling further north to stay .. in a place called Kasese… we got back on the road stopping along the way to take some memorable photos.
Day 7
One of my favourite parts of the trip – we returned to the Park from Kasese and went on a 27km drive called the Crater Lake drive – the views , the landscape is magnificent .. a true sight to behold .. do not miss this drive.
As I had said to Twaha that I wished to see flamingos , he had arranged for us to go to a place where they would normally be.. it was in a salt lake near Lake Katwe within a community that lived in the park . Unfortunately due to the dry weather at that time the flamingos had flown off , so a reason to go back .
At the end of this magnificent drive we started on the journey back to Kampala , with an overnight in Masaka once again.
Day 8
Final day - a drive back to Entebbe to catch my flight ..with a stop for lunch on Lake Victoria sorry to leave Uganda but grateful for a wonderful experience and to have had the services of a wonderful guide throughout. Well done Twaha and Thank you ..
DK
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Outstanding service
We are a family with 3 children below 10 and we booked our safari trip through Fanaka Africa Tours. Unfortunately we had to cancel the trip in December 2016 due to illness. We completed the safari in February 2017. Fanaka Africa Tours provided us with an outstanding service level through assisting us with refunds from the safari lodges. At all times we felt safe with our booking through Fanaka Africa Tours from payment date through the safari. The evening before we met with the Company and the guide making our children feel comfortable and Fanaka Africa Tours were in contact with the guide daily on the tour to secure everything was going well. Wien we got back we met with the Company to evaluate the tour. We experienced a high level of professionalisme and service and was very pleased with a fantastic safari.
HK
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Great experience
Its my 6th safari and the 2nd in Tanzania. The guide was probably the best I've had before and the experience was very smooth. Great customer care, both before and after safari. No complains at all, exceeded the expectations completely.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing Organization and Experience
Our trip with Congo Discovery Safaris to see the mountain Groillas in the DRC was definitely worth it. The organization of the logistics was very thought through and they were able to get our Visas for the Congo in a very short time. Unfortunately they forgot to tell us beforehand that we need our yellow fever vaccination beforehand, but Barack was very helpful with the process at the border. He is a great guide, very friendly and funny and we enjoyed the trip with him a lot. He always catered to our requests. I would definitely go on a trip with them again.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A weekend to remember at Hamiltons Camp in Kruger National Park
Hamiltons Camp in Kruger Park was an experience to remember for the rest of our lives, we booked a 3 nights safari with Andy & Sally as they are friends of our family. When I heard that our accommodation will be in a tent, I thought that we will have a rough time as we are not used to camping. I was really pleased with Andy's recommendation, everything was perfect. The accommodation was amazing and the staff were super professional especially Tony & Harold. Our ranger went out of his way to show us the big five, we even saw a pack of wild dogs! The camp takes you back in time to Africa when it was still wild and undiscovered. We loved it and we will certainly go back to Hamiltons. Thank you Andy and Sally for everything.
Melony & Brian
LB
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A liftime experience
One of the most perfected trips! From the very start to the very end, a flawless experience all because of a great and dedicated team! From justin who took great care of us and was of great aid when we were planning the trip to alex who was there to ensure that everything was on point! As for the hike, frank and the team, you guys are the best! You took great care of us and made this summit a memorable one! As for the safari, it was merely indescribable! From the amazing most breath taking farm house we stayed in, to the amazing scenery! It could not have happened without sunny our safari guide, honeslty a great man! Thank you everyone for a lifetime experience
IT
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Like a king among the kings
I came across Mwema by chance on the internet and, after some quotations received from about 20 different tour operators, I realized the one proposed by them was the cheapest (2000-2500 dollars for a 4nights-5days private safari to Lake Manyara, Serengeti and Ngorongoro, all inclusive).
Although I had no reference about this tour operator, I plucked up the courage to run the risk to book the safari with them. In the following days I kept in contact with Simon, the owner of the company, who proved to be a very kind, patient and qualified person.
Then I made an advance payment from Italy (we agreed it would be 10% of the amoutn) and, when I was there and safari started, all the possible hesitations disappeared because I was really treated like a king among the kings, that is many lions I had the luck to see.
Driver was Emanuel, a very smart and kind person.
Parks were fantastic, a sort of paradise on earth, and this period of the year proved to be a very good choice for me (low season but no rain, few tourists, lower but not low prices).
The only bad aspect was the place i stayed the 1st night, Twiga Lodge in Mto Wa Mbu, very poor arrangement with a very money-oriented receptionist. Last but not least, the structure was under renovation.
AE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Kenyan Safari
The 5 day safari from Amboseli to Lake Nakuru and Masai Mara was outstanding. The 3 Safari Camps were excellent in service, accommodation and dining. I would definitely recommend Wildebeest Safaris and you must as for Eustace as your guide/driver as he is so knowledgeable and such a fantastic guide and driver. Everything that was promised was delivered and so much more. Perfect!
US
Extremely professional, organized, detail-oriented outfitter from start to end for Kilimanjaro trek
I found Tanzania Journeys after reviewing outfitters profiled as treating their porters/guides humanely and fairly. My initial communication with Fran was prompt, professional, and informative. From that point forward, all of the pre-departure planning was seamless. The actual trek of Kilimanjaro could not have been any better. We were paired with head guide Reggie and his associates - and all of the porters of course. Meals were great and filling. Tents and pads were clean and reasonably well-maintained. Part of my decision-making came down to price and Tanzania Journeys was pretty competitive. Would definitely recommend without hesitation!