US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great day trip to Ngorongoro
My Lodge set me up with a day trip to Ngorongoro with Rupia at the last minute. I was on a tight budget and was happy to see it was more affordable than other places. I had to wake up really early since Ngorongoro is pretty far from Arusha, but it was definitely worth it. Elsa was skeptical because I have been on a safari in South Africa and salt that I had checked that box. But Ngorongoro is a whole different animal, pardon the pun. There are animals EVERYWHERE in the crater.
The guide/driver was friendly and kept saying these unrushed and fun. They provided us with ample lunches. The one thing to note is that at least for that trip they used an older, somewhat slower vehicle, but it was a totally fine and safari-appropriate land Rover with a top that opened up. I didn't travel to Tanzania to experience luxury vehicles.
The owner of the company was very friendly and since I book last-minute was fine with me paying afterwards and he came to my hotel to make that easier.
Good deal, great day, locally-operated - exactly what I wanted. Thank you!
FR
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Perfect
I just went on a custom 10 day safari with a couple of friends
Kenya Amboseli
Tanzania Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Manyara and Tarangire
the organization was perfect and the guide Michael very good
Thierry Toulon France
NC
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
6 days self drive and camping in Ngorongoro and Serengeti
We just came back from a 6 days self driving safaris trip and camping in the Ngorongoro and the Serengeti National park !
Gladiola have been simple perfect, from the booking, the car delivery, the Land-cruiser with roof tent that we hired as well as the follow up as we were driving in the parks. Lalashe was on call H24 for us, and ready to assist or answer our questions immediately !
This was simple above my personal expectations.
We are already thinking about our next trip in the region, and I already know that I will not look anywhere else for the rental.
SE
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
We were so pleased with our trip to South Africa .
Communications were excellent ,even in swedish ! We loves the safari and wants to do it again !
The hotels were very good both in Cape Town ,Durban and Frankshoek .
The agent booked our flights and we had a car rented by them .
We had a very nice winetour with an excellent guide .Hope that this firm will help us again !
AE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Unforgettable Masai Mara safari with John, our first class guide
We signed up for a four day safari including two days in the Masai Mara, and a day in Nakuru National Park and Lake Naivasha. We were lucky enough to witness the start of the animal migration North from the Tanzanian Serengeti to the Kenyan Masai Mara. We saw thousands strong herds of wildebeest and zebra crossing rivers and the Savannah. Also lions, a jaguar, elephants, water buffalo (that's 4 of the big 5), Thompson's gazelles, grand gazelles, eland antelopes, topi antelopes, impala, giraffes, hippopotamuses, crocodiles, ostriches, warthogs, a jackal, mongoose, vultures, a fishing eagle, and all this on the second day alone. We later saw five white Rhinos including a few months old calf in Nakuru. This concentration of animals all in one place felt truly remarkable, like being in a BBC documentary. I can't rate our guide John highly enough. It was his expert knowledge that enabled us to be exactly where we needed to be at exactly the right time. And the cost? An absolute bargain!
PL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Everything was great!
It’s been an amazing experience. We liked absolutely everything about it:
- communication with the owner of the company, Peter prior to and after the safari;
- our amazing guide and driver John who took really good care of us and was very knowledgeable, answering all our questions about the animals, and who is also just a very kind and positive person who was interesting to talk to and told us a lot about Kenya;
- the safari itself, where we could observe a lot of animals from a close distance, enjoy the gorgeous views of Amboseli and Kilimanjaro (when it wasn’t covered with clouds :);
- Kibo safari camp where we stayed that was a very cozy and beautiful place with a unique atmosphere and offered a range of tasty and nutritious vegan dishes (among others, of course, this note is for the vegans who are worried about their food options ;) for buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner;
- a visit to the Masai village where we could learn about their culture and pay directly to them (the money would be spent on school supplies for their children) and buy some crafts made by them (bring more money if you want to contribute to their community, the 20$ you pay in the beginning is for the school, but they also want some for themselves :D).
Overall it was a great experience, something you tell your grandchildren about.
Besides, the company is owned by a Kenyan, so there is one more way to benefit the locals.
Highly recommended and would definitely go with them again, as well as send my family on a tour with them if they ever went to Kenya.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing
The staff was very hospitable and friendly
The safari tour was really amazing, it reached my expectations and surpassed them
Experience level: over 5 safaris
Experienced and flexible - phenomenal guides!
I'm surprised to read some of these negative reviews, and glad I didn't see them before and back out. I also booked through a different operator and Kenya, and there were some small changes to my itinerary, but a part of travel is being a bit flexible, no?
Innocent and his team were thorough in explaining my day-by-day tour, and why it was set up in that fashion. It was a budget camping safari, which I knew booking it - and it was all very comfortable!
The guide for most of the tour, Lazaro, was spectacular, he had a great sense of where animals were, how to get in good spots for photos, and how to answer our wishes and questions! Mike - the guide for our first day - was also great. The food was delicious, and they catered well to my dietary restrictions.
I know that luck is a big part of what you see in safaris, but the company and guides also matter. We saw everything we could have wished for, and were so glad that InnoAfrica was able to make the experience even better. I'm already trying to find a way to come back, and do another safari or tour with them!
SE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Kaije Safaries gave us the best Uganda experience I ever could imagine!
Before the trip I have several mail contacts with Ronald. He was very quick to response to all questions I had.
Ronald was an experienced and very social tour guide. His knowledge gave us an extra dimension to this journey and we learned a lot about Uganda life. We had long conversations over the dinners and it was really nice.
The chimpanzee walk was great, so as the game drive in Queen Elisabeth National Park. But the highlite was, of course, the gorilla trek. To be able to sit within 2 m from a silverback was just amazing!
But the safari was so much more than just the animals. The every day life of Uganda was just as amazing to be part of, and Ronald stopped wherever we wanted to, e.g I had a skirt sewed in one of the villages where we stopped. We also tried different food along the way; i never had banana beer before :)
The lodges were excellent and an extra plus for The Bush Lodge, where we had Hippos crunching into our lodge and sat and had dinner under the stars, what a great experience!!
Ronald have wifi in the car, which was great, and aircondition and water bottles, so no lack of that. He also had availability to charge the phone/camera
We had an extra day in Entebbe before we left, and a tip is to take some days extra just to relax before you get home, the safari is great but also very busy. It would have been great to just relax for some days before going home.
Uganda is a very nice and pleasant country. We felt very welcome of the locals and felt safe to stroll around. we will definitely come back again!
Excellent 5days safari with ACZsafaris
My husband and I had an amazing 5days Mt. Kenya, Lake Nakuru and Masai Mara safari with John's team. We had a smooth booking process with an option of paying via creditcard which made it more easier for us as we do have limited time and didn't have to go to the bank. We learnt about ACZsafaris through our friends who traveled with John hence we were confident enough to make full payment a year before departure.
We were really interested in seeing the big5 and learn more about the Masai culture, we not only achieved this but also had a chance to see the ugly5 among many other wildlife however I would not really refer to them as ugly as they are beautiful and wonderful animals. The area around Mt. Kenya is really beautiful with amazing sceneries. John also organised for us to spend a night at Masai village where Alex the Masai Moran taught us amazing stuff. All our hotels were amazing with great hospitality. This was a lifetime experience that I can recommend to all.