US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
3 of the big 5 in one day!
I carefully read many reviews and looked at what was involved with a day trip and the price. I chose Africa Beast because they included it all and the park fees were included. The only extra was a tip for our guide. We live in South Africa for 3 months of every year and have been on countless game drives both paid and self drive. This was the first time we have ever seen a lion on a drive! We saw a lioness and later 2 males. We also saw cape buffalo and elephants. The rhino have been removed to safety dut to poaching, and there were no leopard to be seen during our day time drive. Chobe river is beautiful to drive along and then motor in it seeing crocodile, hippo and elephant among many birds. We also learned that we were in an international waterway as one side of the land is Botswana, and the other side is Namibia. It was an expensive day for our family of four, but the tour made it so easy: picked up at our hotel, brought to the border crossing and escorted through the process for both leaving Zimbabwe and entering Botswana, a drive, a lovely lunch at a stunning lodge, motoring through the river, and then being ushered through the border crossing and brought safely back to the hotel. I'm so glad we booked!
IN
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Jungle heaven
It's amazing country, rich in culture, nice and caring people. Very informative wildlife safaris and it's provided by safaribookings(dot)com.
MX
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing. Everything was perfect, the trip, the food, the camp site.
The experience was amazing, Tanzania is a big country, I chose an exceptional tour, the guide used to explain everything about the place and, the animals. The food was better than I expected.
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very interesting country with friendly people. Lots of wildlife and great scenery
Spent five nights in all. Three in Nyeri, which is a nice sized town to explore on foot, also with a few museums. Two nights in Samburu reserve, which has much to see. We booked a tour and stayed in Sopa Lodge, which is well inside the gates. Five game drives in all, with much to see. An unforgettable experience
PA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A Disappointing and Unsafe Experience
Our recent stay at Ulusaba was supposed to be an unforgettable adventure, but it turned into a distressing experience due to serious safety and emergency response issues.
Our Experience Before the Incident: I want to start by doing the following disclaimer. We did spend three magical days at the hotel before the incident. The staff were amazing and incredibly kind. Dinners at a shared table with all the guests led to some unforgettable conversations. Breakfast and drinks served by our guides after the game drives were amazing and created a special bond. We were thrilled to see all of the Big Five during our stay, with particularly incredible leopard sightings and wild dogs unlike any other place we visited. Our private pool was warm which is a rarity in safari lodges. And food was incredible.
The Incident: On the morning of our final game drive, my wife slipped and fell in the shower of our suite at the Rock Lodge. The lack of a shower curtain and the poor design of the bathroom left the floor wet and slippery, causing her to sustain a serious head injury. We immediately informed our guide, but the medical response was delayed and inadequate.
Emergency Response Issues: Upon checking in, we were assured that there was an onsite doctor available for emergencies. However, when the accident occurred, the doctor never arrived. Instead, we were left waiting for a prolonged period (3hrs) without proper medical assistance. There was no backup plan in place when the primary emergency responder was unavailable, leaving us without sufficient help. This lack of preparedness in a remote location is very concerning (we saw two black mambas the previous day very close to the hotel - imagine getting bitten).
Response from Ulusaba and Virgin: Despite acknowledging the issues, even going as far as saying that they will be remodeling the bathrooms, Ulusaba’s compensation offer does not cover our expenses or the distress we experienced (a ruined vacation). Even the involvement of Virgin, their parent company, has not led to a satisfactory resolution.
Final Thoughts: While the staff at Ulusaba were kind and tried their best to assist us, the management’s failure to address serious safety and emergency preparedness issues is disappointing. For a luxury resort, such oversight is unacceptable.
We hope that by sharing our story, Ulusaba and Virgin will take the necessary actions to ensure the safety and well-being of future guests. Until significant improvements are made, we advise potential visitors to consider these risks before booking their stay.
MX
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Ngorongoro Crater by Ivan Melesio Montalvo Aguilar
Exceptional. The crater is a huge area with many different species of animals.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
He was very accommodating and friendly.
Our group was very pleased with our guides. They were very friendly, knowledgable and made every effort to be accommodating to our needs. They went out of their way to make our experience memorable and it definitely was!
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very informative
The first day was really good. I don't care for to see the rhinos the second day
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CN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An unforgettable experience, I'm already looking forward to my next trip to Kenya!
I am extremely satisfied with this trip! Although I don't usually leave reviews, I made an exception this time.
First and foremost, we were incredibly pleased with our driver. Our entire group was satisfied with him. He always quietly accompanied us without interrupting, but when we had questions, he answered them very thoroughly! He also educated us on the habits of various animals and could say many animal names in Chinese, which was very smooth and impressive, haha. He seemed very reliable. Compared to others, we saw almost all the animals and scenes we hoped to see. My friend left her phone in the car three times, and he always brought it back to us. He was very courteous throughout the trip. On the last day, when we were heading back to Nairobi and were in a bit of a rush, he constantly found ways to keep us moving so we could buy some gifts. Overall, it was an extremely comfortable experience! If we have another trip to Kenya, I hope he will be our driver again.
Secondly, the hotels were excellent. The locations of our hotel rooms were especially well arranged. Initially, I was worried after reading online that some people had their hotels changed upon arrival. However, two of the hotels upgraded our rooms, which was a delightful surprise! The room upgrades were worth about an extra $100 each. Many thanks to Africa Celebrity and the hotel staff.
JP
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Experienced, funny, caring!
7 days, 6 night Luxury Safari: 16-23 June 2024
To start, Lion King Adventures is the best choice, hands down!
Contact: The correspondence and products provided in the planning phases of our Safari were extremely professional and well laid out. I was very worried about being scammed when initially looking at safari companies, but after receiving the initial quote and email, I had full trust in Lion King Adventures.
Arrival: A Lion King Representative was directly outside the airport ready to pick us up, and from the minute we arrived we felt ensuring we had a great experience was their top priority.
Lodging: We stayed in four separate properties over our trip, and it is obvious Lion King only aligns with properties that care about guests as much as they care about providing a great experience. We stayed at:
Gran Melia Arusha: Luxurious, delicious food, and amazingly friendly staff. Special call out to Godwin!
Maramboi Tented Lodge: WOW! This is the type of facility I’d expect to see celebrities staying at.
Kitela Lodge: Amazing. The rooms are more like cottages with lush foliage and a coffee farm as a backdrop, and beautiful bird calls to ease your stress away. Extremely clean pool along with the rest of the property, the staff is super friendly and Sasha is a joy making it all run smoothly. Enjoy your rest here, but you MUST make sure you have an appetite for dinner. Chef Veronica is wonderful and her food will make you dance with joy.
Nyota Luxury Camp: ** You MUST stay here - what an experience!! The word “Luxury” in the name is true! Imagine a permanent tent that feels like a five star hotel room, but in the middle of the Serengeti. You may have wild elephants walk past your tent, but you will not worry because the staff here ensure you’re always safe. The manager, Duma, was great and made sure our stay was delightful.
Guide: Our guide, Mwita (aka the best guide in all Tanzania), was amazing. Upon meeting us on our second day In Tanzania, we had a wonderful conversation where he got to know us, reviewed our schedule with us, asked our expectations, and truly made us feel comfortable. He ensured we saw all the “Big Five” and so much more, though he made sure to modify our schedule as we desired so we had ample rest time and still saw EVERYTHING we wanted. I must note: while other vehicles were chasing behind each other in pursuit of animals, he seemed to know where they would be so we were able to wait quietly and have a front row view when the animals came - he is the BEST!! If you can, try to have him as your guide and I guarantee you will be happy!
Vehicle: Our vehicle was very comfortable and adapted with every connivence you need including phone chargers and a fridge! We saw other vehicles at rest areas and our Lion King vehicle was MUCH better. The vehicle was clean every morning and restocked with drinks - zero negatives!
Add-ons: We added a night game drive, morning hot air balloon ride, and visit to a Masai village. We agreed these are essential to having the best experience possible. This was our first balloon ride and words we came up to describe it are serene, remarkable, and just amazing. It allowed us to see areas vehicles cannot go and because we stayed relatively low, we could see everything so clearly. The night game drive in Tarangire let us see so many animals you will not see in the day - the Janet Cat is beautiful. The Masai village and meeting them was an overall amazing experience - do it and you will be happy.
Other: We did a private tour and it is hands down the way to go. We met people from group tours at different areas and there was a bit of frustration from them as they waited on a bird watcher in their group to take pics while they all wanted to move on - we moved when we wanted and the tour was all about us! Also, we rode in a group vehicle for a short distance on the way to the balloon ride, and while it was fine, I could not imagine sharing one with strangers for a whole safari.
Final Thoughts: This was our most memorable trip after being to MANY other countries, and it was Lion King Adventures who did all the hard work. If you’re considering a safari, make sure you can do it privately (couple or group) and try your hardest to go with Lion King Adventures - at least see their quote and I’m confident you will be impressed. They were not the cheapest quote I received, or the most expensive, but as I get ready to leave Tanzania today I can say the value was more than there (lodging alone) and I could not imagine going with another company. Lastly, I’m not receiving anything for this review, and it is the full truth. We had such an amazing experience, we wanted to make sure we gave credit.
