SE
We had a wonderful experience with mianzini tours. They did an excellent job organising our safari.
I find it hard where to start and what to say... Great accommodation,knowledgeable guides, well maintained vehicles and seamless airport transfers.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An absolute pleasure to deal with
Me and my wife we just spent an incredible week on safari in Kenya I would like to give special mention to Justus and his entire Mianzini Tours and Safaris team. It was my first time visiting Kenya so I was a little apprehensive before hand, this was unnecessary as Justus had every detail covered. I would highly recommend Kenya for an unforgettable experience.
We saw all the animals and birds that one hopes for when they go on safari but Kenya has much more than animals. The landscapes are breath taking and the people are a joy to meet.
Mianzini Tours & Safaris was willing to customize our trip in most any way, from budget to mid-range to luxury, from a few days to many days, from safari only to inclusion of a side trip to the beaches of Mombasa. We were not up for a “budget” trip – sleeping in tents and sleeping bags was ok when we were younger, but we want nice, clean beds now. Luxury trips seem horribly overpriced to me – you can spend thousands of extra dollars for what I think would be marginally better lodging, and maybe pampered hot lunches with beer and wine – not at all worth it in my opinion. The mid-range trip suggested to us seemed just right, with my exact desired itinerary, and the price was great, compared to many others I had checked.
exchanged about 20 emails with our contact at Mianzini Tours & Safaris (Justus). I asked MANY questions, asked for references, questioned just about everything I could think of. He responded timely (not immediately, but always in a very reasonable amount of time), politely and patiently. But in the end, I still had to trust a fairly small company to deliver on their promises. A deposit was needed, and full payment was required about 30 days before our adventure. Would they deliver? Could this be a scam? I continued to be nervous literally until I was met at the airport after getting off the plane in Nairobi Kenya. But they were there just as promised, and everything went great for the next 6 days, all the way through taking us to the airport to leave!
The lodging choices they selected for us were wonderful! The hotel in Nairobi City was older and not in perfect repair, but it was still clean, with good and very tasty dinner options, a nice pool, pretty grounds – and this was the “worst” of our lodging. The other places we stayed were wonderful, including the luxury “tented camp” in the middle of Masai Mara, which was a marvelous experience! All the facilities were clean, available showers ranged from good to great, there was wifi available in all places (ok, not high speed but who cares?), and we were always able to charge our electronics. The dinners were definitely better than I expected, and wine and beer were available for purchase if desired. We had available hot breakfast options each day. The lodging staffs were always very attentive. We felt safe everywhere. Honestly, I couldn’t have asked for more.
Our tour guide, Alex , was excellent! His heavily accented English was still quite good, and he did a great job navigating the parks to give us the best possible animal viewing. Animals were very plentiful to see, and we had close up encounters with many – lions, elephants, giraffes, cape buffalo, and more. The only Big 5 animal we didn’t see up close (and I mean very close) was a rhino, of which we only saw one, and that was at a distance…oh well. Alex had binoculars available to use, which was quite nice. The box lunches while on game drives were plenty adequate (generally chicken, fruit, bread, a cookie or two, juice, water) though not fantastic.
All in all, the trip was everything I could have hoped for, and Mianzini Tours & Safaris was just great! Many thanks to them for making this “bucket list” trip a major success!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Another phenomenal experience
2nd safari with Expedition Kenya Safari ,again just brilliant .If you are planning a safari, just do it with these guys ,you know you want to just do it ,its that good .
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic itinerary created for our family with two boys aged 10 and 12 - very special memories!
Encompass Africa were very receptive to our initial enquiry and created an itinerary that they thought best matched our needs. They were very prompt in responses, and tweaked the itinerary until we were 100% happy with it. They provided regular communication during the booking process, prior to our departure and during our trip. The trip itself surpassed all our expectations. We had 5 days in Cape Town with our own arrangements, then a 6 day private mobile safari with Safari Guide Services in Botswana that was the highlight of the trip, 2 days on the Chobe Princess houseboat, and then 3 nights in Victoria Falls where we had a blast swimming in Devil's Pool, jumping from the Gorge Swing and doing a helicopter flight over the falls. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Encompass Africa to anyone considering planning a trip to Africa, and we will certainly use them for any future trips to Africa.
US
Review about Tarangire National Park by shehnai
Very exciting. This was the first park we went to on the trip. Seeing my first Giraffe, Elephant, wilderbeast, Zebra....etc. all phenomenal moments!
US
A step back in time to the beauty and wonder of the Serengeti's wildlife in their savanna home.
My trip exceeded my expectations. A trip I will never forget. I saw all the animals at a distance and up-close. We were even lucky enough to see the elusive Black Rhino. My guides had encyclopedic knowledge spanning the wide array of wildlife, plants & natural habitat, as well as a passion to be good ambassadors for their country of Tanzania. Spectacular sunsets, delicious meals, while be hosted in a luxury tented campsite. My trip in September proved to be nice weather, mostly dry & warm with good evening doses of rainstorms. Jeeps are comfortable, and you soon forget about the bumpy dirt roads because your attention is with the scenery & animals. Every day was a good day!
OM
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing wildlife in a lush waterworld
The Selous Game Reserve is a vast wilderness conservation area just South of Dar Es Salaam. The 30-minutes flights that leaves Dar for the park is managed by Coastal Aviation, one of the best airlines in the whole continent.
We stayed at Lake Manze lodge, managed by Essential Destinations and our stay was just perfect. The food was incredibly creative and never boring (especially considering the remoteness of the location), the management was extremely professional in making our stay memorable and keep us busy for the 2.5 days that we spent over there. The lodge organizes both jeep safaris as well as short but interesting walking safaris, fishing trips and, what is probably the most delightful experience of all, a boat safari on the lake at sunrise or sunset. Our guides were funny, professional, experienced and they too contributed in making our trip one to remember.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Lake Manyara National Park by Pole pole
Lots of hippos and bands of baboons.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An amazing experience!
Being a lover for wild animals and nature in general my experience was breathtaking,we were able to see the big 5,the ugly 5 were also in the reserve including the marabou stork,certain indigenous trees were in the vicinity too.The tented camps were great and our driver/guide was very knowledgeable.though the wildebeests migration was over we were able to see one of the points where this happens on sand river where there were many hippos and crocodiles.