BZ
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Absolutely the best!
I was on Safari for 3 months with 10 different operators and agents. None of them can compare to what Safari Specialists did for us. Lisa was the best right from the start in customizing our trip. We had 3 separate parts to out adventure with them. She always kept us up to date and if she wasn't around Erica stepped in and took care of things. We were greeted at the airport in Maun and presented with information & guide books that no one else provided. When we had problems Lisa was always there and stood up for us and kept us constantly informed. We even received a big refund on one of the Safaris when there were major problems. I have never written a review before but Lisa was so good that I had to write this. I highly recommend Safari Specialists to anyone for any trip. I just wish they were in Tanzania & Kenya as well. Thanks Lisa.
CA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing experience and great price.
Since I was on a budget, I tried to find a cheaper safari and lowered my expectations a bit. This experience surpassed my expectations of a safari and will probably be one of the more memorable experiences of my life. I did a three day safari in Selous. Otto and Antony picked us up in Dar es Salaam and drove us 7 hours to Selous. The safari costed 400USD and included our transport to and from Selous, food, stay, and park fees. The food was really good, and we stayed in a treehouse over looking the beautiful Rufiji river. I woke up to the sound of hippos playing outside my deck. The guides were so kind and accommodating. People kinda talked down about Selous because it’s such a huge reserve, but I saw a wide variety of animals and particularly enjoyed the river cruise. All in all, a great experience and I would absolutely recommend Otto and Gecko Adventure to anyone looking for a great safari for a good price.
IT
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
An excellent safari experience in Northern and Southern Tanzania
From the first contact the services provided by Bush2City were of top level. More, the safari was exactly tailored for our specific interests and the atmosphere was very friendly, caring and attentive. Wonderful lodges, a good and trustable 4WD car and a very capable and informed driver. All together, a very particular and rewarding experience!
CA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a Lifetime!
This was truly the trip of a lifetime and I would encourage anyone and everyone to book now, and to absolutely book with Wild Mind Travel! Whether it was driving through Tarangire National Park watching animals drink from the watering hole, “glamping” in the Serengeti with lions singing while we tried to sleep (which led to many many fits of giggles), or brushing our teeth atop the Ngorongoro Crater with zebras 4 feet away this trip exceeded any possibly expectations I may have had. The trip was so well planned out (entirely thanks to Wild Mind travel’s knowledge and professionalism) and our guide Amos could not have been better - He made the trip exciting, educational and unimaginably fun all at the same time.
After the safari, I would also highly recommend heading to Zanzibar as Wild Mind suggests. It was, as they said it would be, the perfect way to cap off the trip. We spent time in Zanzibar city which was incredibly beautiful and full of history and then headed to the beach to relax on some of the most breathtaking beaches.
I would give this a million stars if I could!!
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Once In A Lifetime (but hopefully not)
Everything about my trip was first class. From the transparent communications with Ben, to the amazing experience and service we received on the mountain, I could not recommend enough the wonderful job E-Trip Africa did.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing and well organised trip!
Since the moment we booked the Safari until the end of it we can’t complain about anything. Great service and amazing experience. Totally recommend it!!
CZ
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
4 amazing weeks in Kenya
We had a wonderful opportunity to visit Kenya in cooperation with Bush-thorn Adventures and Safaris. We have spent around a week and a half with Samuel who is in charge of Bush-thorns and we are glad we had the opportunity.
Communication with Sam was excellent from the very beginning of our trip planning. He helped us a lot preparing for the trip.
We met in Nairobi at the first day of our journey. Samuel was very friendly, fun and experienced companion. Personally, I cannot imagine the start of our journey without him. He was very pleasant company to our travel group and I would like to get back to Kenya one day and spent some more time with Sam.
I fully recommend Bush-thorn services when visiting the Kenya.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Thank you Ben & Aurelie!!!
My friend and I tend to wait until the last minute to make travel plans, and only settled on flights and travel dates about three months before arriving in Africa. After a separate 3 day gorilla trekking safari in Uganda, we flew into Tanzania to start our 7 night safari.
Everything about the booking process was easy. Ben was very helpful in answering our questions and tailoring to our specific needs (we flew into Kilimanjaro instead of Arusha; he made sure our driver met us on time when the airline switched our flight times only the day before arrival). Things were just as orderly from the moment our guide Livingstone picked us up from the airport. No detail was overlooked. We were sent off with a crate of books and binoculars (imperative - thank goodness we had them as neither of us packed our own for space/weight reasons). We loved staying at their home the nights before and after the safari; the house staff was wonderful, and meeting Ben and Aurelie in person to discuss the trip was really great. They even set us up in two separate rooms since the house was empty at the time. Food was delicious, and it was nice to have those little luxuries of wifi and hot water. The camps we stayed at were great (and most of them felt much more luxurious than "moderate"). Our favorites were probably the two Serengeti camps - Nieleze & Flycatcher Bologonja. Livingstone was full of knowledge, and very kind and friendly throughout our week together. We didn't want to leave him to fly to Zanzibar! Speaking of, we are so glad we decided to book the final Zanzibar portion of our trip through e-Trip. All of our ground transfers were pre-arranged (we spent one night on Chumbe Island off the coast of Zanzibar - a must see in my opinion), as were our flights to and from the island. We went with Coastal Aviation per Ben's recommendation and it was top notch; the price of the ticket included the tourist departure tax & they even bumped us to an earlier departure when seats became available. They also have an offsite lounge you can use if you have long layovers at DAR; just make sure to contact the airline beforehand so there is a driver there to meet you (DAR is actually two airports - we landed at the smaller airport and were departing via KLM from the main airport). Much better than sitting outside the airport for hours.
It's been six weeks since we returned and I can't stop talking about the trip. Really a trip of a lifetime (yet I hope I can make it again some day!). Wouldn't hesitate to use e-Trip again; they were fantastic!!
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
One of our best experiences so far
We really loved our time in safari with Shemeji. The communication was very easy with Emma before our trip.
During the safari we saw a lot of animals and we really liked our guide Adam who was very professional, knowledgeable and organized. He was also patient and always managed to get us close to the animals. We booked a group tour and therefore we were 4 people which was perfect; not too many not too little. The campsites are in good condition and our cook Godson made really delicious food. I am quite picky when it comes to food and therefore was happily surprised. On top of being a great cook he is a very kind and caring person. It felt like going home when we were coming back from game drive.
We had a great experience with Shemeji and will definitely book with them again!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The experience of a lifetime. Magical, thrilling, wonderful. The closeness to nature unparalleled
The 3 night 4 day Explorer canoe safari was extremely well organised. We did the safari in the dry season with temperatures of 40 degrees the norm but the guides managed our schedule to cope with the heat and the benefit is that you get the very best game viewing. It is a very special experience to set off in your 2 man Canadian canoes with everything packed aboard for the trip and paddle down the Zambezi. It's an adrenaline rush at times as there is the very real danger from hippos and crocs but the guides are superbly trained and take no risks. By canoe you have access up small tributaries which no one else can get to and to paddle among grazing elephants, buffaloes, zebra and endless amazing bird life is incredible. We had lions jump across the river right in front of us.Each night we pitched camp on a deserted sandy island, safe from lions( although elephants would often join us) then the guides cooked a delicious hot supper which we ate as the sun set and the stars came out. No luxury safari lodge could ever match what we did. Once in Mana Pools park we saw no other people , boats or vehicles, it was just us and the wildlife. So special.
You do need to be fit enough to sit and paddle a canoe for around 7 hours and happy to camp in a simple but comfortable tent. You will get up at dawn and be in bed at dusk and be completely immersed in nature.