US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
5-day Viva Safari in Tremisana Lodge near Kruger
Our 5-day safari at Tremisana Lodge near Kruger Natl Park exceeded expectations for my wife and I. Our trip started with a flight from Cape Town to Johannesburg, where we stayed the night at a comfortable but inexpensive Safari Lodge near the airport which Viva Safaris helped us to reserve. The next morning we had a 6-hour drive to Tremisana that was part of the package, arriving at the Lodge in the late afternoon. That evening we went on a 3-hour night drive where we saw a black-backed jackal mother (with cubs in a nearby termite mound), elephants (mothers and children), and numerous impala (the fast food of the bush). The following morning we went on a 'bush walk' just after sunrise where our guide, Rex, and his partner, Elias, tracked a black rhinoceros and her 2-year old daughter. Rex predicted that the rhinos would be near our jeep when we returned there an hour later, and, sure enough, they were happily munching twenty feet off the road upon our return. We were so close we could see them use their protuberances to strip the leaves off the branches, hear them chew the vegetation, and see the young rhino communicate with her mother in response to our presence. Prior to returning to the jeep we had seen a group of hippos next to several crocodiles in the river, and a troop of baboons across the river. Rex and Elias also showed us some of the 'little five' along our hike, and their communication with the group while tracking the rhinos at a distance truly enhanced the experience. During the middle of the day we enjoyed the small pool and lounging chairs, interacting with other guests from around the world. During the evenings of our stay we regularly went on drives, and saw many different types of animals, including giraffe, kudu, duiker, impala, steenbok, mongoose, hyena and others, often with their young. We were astounded how much wildlife there was considering how badly the drought seemed to be affecting the vegetation, but the lack of vegetation made seeing the animals easier, I think. Other highlights of the trip were the full day we spent in Kruger, where we saw small herds of wildebeest, zebra, giraffe, impala, Cape buffalo, a pride of lions with the alpha female protecting a recent kill, a recent impala kill stored for safekeeping in a tree by a leopard, a lounging leopard under a tree just 30 feet from the jeep, and many other amazing sitings. We also enjoyed our visit to the Maholoholo Sanctuary, where we learned about the devastating impact that modern civilization has on these magnificent creatures and we enjoyed petting an 'ambassador' cheetah, feeding the vultures and watching an adult male lion take raw meat from our guide. Our trip to the private game reserve Tshukudu was also very enjoyable as we got within 50 feet of a pride of lions napping in a dry river bed. The male and female roared in response to the engine noise of our jeep. We saw a baby hippo with its protective mother in one of the water holes there as the sun set. On our farewell drive the morning of our departure, we experienced a poignant moment when we saw four lion cubs, one of whom had somehow gotten on the 'wrong side of the fence' and was chuffing at her litter mates. The three that were on our side of the fence were in obvious distress at the fact that their litter mate was separated from them, and all four were communicating with each other. Despite the immense size of Kruger Natl Park, which Tremisana Lodge is adjacent too without any fencing separating the two areas, this experience reminded us that habitat loss is one of the major problems facing the many species we encountered during our stay. Overall, we thought that Viva Safaris provided us with a terrific experience for a very affordable price. We enjoyed the breakfasts and dinners prepared by the kitchen staff that were served outdoors, with a troop of velvet monkeys playing amongst themselves and often attempting to play with the guests, the warthogs and yellow hornbills eating the leftover fruit disposed of by the staff just outside the protective fence, and a curious genet exploring the area around our dinner one evening. Everyone we talked to who was on safari with us wished we could stay 'just one more day' because every day yielded something unexpected and memorable. We appreciated all the hard work from the staff at Viva Safaris and felt like we had made a lasting connection with many of them; we can't wait to visit again!
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
4 day gorilla and golden monkey treks
It was a wonderful trip. we were picked up at the airport by our guide and driver in a comfortable Toyota Land Cruiser and taken on a tour of Kigali. Transferred to our lodge for three nights. The accommodations (Le Bambou Gorilla Lodge) were clean and comfortable, the food was very good. the lodge staff was excellent. The nights were cold and the in room fireplace and hot water bottles in your bed were a welcome surprise. The treks were fantastic seeing the gorillas and the golden monkeys was special. The Arrive Africa staff was also excellent from the planning, getting the permits and the field staff that took excellent care of us. It was a well planned and executed.
IN
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Brilliant experience with Magical Retreat in Masai Mara, Nakuru
I visited Kenya recently (Oct 2016) along with my wife and 2 kids. I booked my holiday for 5 days in Masai Mara & Nakuru thru Magical Retreat and was the best tour operator I have met so far. Pamela was so flexible and accommodative to all my requests right from my initial discussions with her which started 6 months prior to my holiday until booking the accommodations of my choice making it 100% customized. The accommodation, food, safari vehicle was way beyond expectations. A big thanks to our guide Peter who drove us right from Nairobi airport, all thru the safari in Mara, Nakuru until we were dropped back safely on the last day to the airport. He was so knowledgeable about the wildlife in Africa and did not give us a chance to miss the BIG FIVE. Its been a week since we came back and still talking about the trip just because the Magical Retreat crew made us so comfortable and memorable. I have already started to recommend my contacts (and highly recommend anyone) about Magical Retreat as the place to book who are interested to visit Kenya sooner or later. The pricing was just unmatchable when I compared with other tour operators (both in Nairobi and India). We also did a hot air balloon safari in Mara (booked thru Magical Retreat) and has been the best safari in our lives so far. Thanks a lot Pamela for taking care of everything requested...you guys are Awesome....coming back to Nairobi is back on our bucket list :-)
Thanks again and we'll keep in touch!
AE
20-35 years of age
Classic is the most awesome safari have ever enjoyed travelling with..i had a journey to masai mara.
Everything is perfect..the staff are so engaging and friendly.
NL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Excellent guide, excellent organisation, lots, lots of fun!
Nandzana Safaris was recommended by a friend. Communication via email was perfect, lots of humour and everything was possible! My expectations were sky hi, but the trip was even better....
The safari was one of the best experiences in my life, my mom and I loved it! We allready made plans to do another trip with Nandzana Safaris next year!
I recomend Nandzana Safaris to everybody who want to have the perfect safari in Krugerpark!
Thank 's again Craig!
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a lifetime
We have returned from our Amsterdam and Africa Safari adventures safe and sound and very happy!
The trip to Rwanda and Kenya was absolutely spectacular. Our experience of seeing all the animals from the Gorillas, Elephants to the small Dik-Dik, the hospitality and quality of the lodges, to the knowledge and expertise of our guides, will live in our memory forever! We don’t think any other trip going forward will come close to what we experienced here.
Everything went off without a hitch; there was someone there to pick us up at the airports and drop us off which was comforting as they were friendly and knew exactly what to do.
We thank Chris for his guidance, recommendations and service!
Well looked after
Email response was quick and no problem contacting phone
CO
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
the perfect local operator that let you be sure and safe to send clients and be looked after
absolutely remarkable. Fast, reliable, helping in every matter. The right way to work and feel "at home" with him.
AE
under20 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very happy with the safari part but lodge stay not happy with it .
Awesome safari really enjoyed it. Had the best guide special thanks to him
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Namibia 2016 Marvellous service
We travelled with Safpol Safaris several times. They organised for us a great stay in Mauritius couple of years ago, last year we visited South Africa with Safpol and we were very satisfied with the organisation of the tour as well as the choice of hotels and first of all, a really incredible service and excellent value for money in comparison what we were offered by Travel Agencies in Germany. Not even one cent was spent unnecessarily on all our trips with Safpol ( almost 30 % less for the same 4 * standard !!) We have been amazed how trustworthy this company has been at all times. Our last trip lasted 17 days. We started in Namibia and later continued to Botswana. Our Guide Peter had an enormous knowledge about all places we visited and he could provide the information in such an entertaining and interesting way that we way really surprised. He is also a very good driver, as it is very difficult to drive on african dirt roads full of cows, donkeys etc day and night. The tour was perfectly organised, which was not easy for such a long trip. The hotels were very comfortable and in Okavango Delta it was a fairytale ! (at a reasonable price, which was important to us, as most of the lodges there are incredibly expensive). From our bungalow on the river we could watch the most beautiful african sunrise. The food in all lodges chosen by Safpol was also excellent. The vehicle ( 4 x 4 Toyota Fortuner) , as well as the off-road trailer supplied by Safpol were in very good condition, which was important, especially when we saw many other cars stack in the mud or sand. Thanks to our incredible guide/driver, his knowledge and skills it has never happened to us during such a long trip over extremely difficult roads, especially in Botswana. Our Guide would fulfil all our wishes for example we wanted to attend a Mass at Catholic Church on Sundays almost in the middle of now-where in Africa ! and it happened. We will never forget the Holy Mass in Maun. The Faithful sing and dance during the service (as it should be) and the mass is really joyful . The local catholic community accepted us and sincerely welcomed. In one word; thanks to the magnificent organisation and thoughtful care, our African adventure will remain for long in our memory as a truly wonderful experience. Thank you Safpol Safaris !