US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Incredible wildlife
Wildlife, scenery was amazing. The way of life is quite different in Kenya compared to North America, infrastructure often not great but manageable. Food was a lot of fresh fruits and veggies, less meat. Not very much variety in cooking. The people are always nice and helpful (and always selling some souvenir haha), and many people spoke some English which was helpful. Also it is pretty cheap to live/eat/travel in Kenya. I recommend going there for safari and some cultural exploring.
under20 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It was more than what i had imagined
The communications were superb they Lucy kept checking up on us everyday which was quite a good gesture. The services where on top of the roof very good services indeed i loved the services. The trip in general as above all my expectations and given a chance i'd do that again and again.The safari tour itself was amazing i got to go to places i've never been before with good and polite service men its a plus.
CA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Incredible Experience. Treated Like Family!
I did a 4 day Safari with Tanzania Expeditions in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro national parks. Upon meeting my guide at the airport. I knew this was going to be an incredible experience. The safari vehicle was wicked cool, fully stocked with water and even had a power bar to charge camera batteries WOW. Our guide was awesome, great sense of humour and very knowledgeable. He had over 15 years of experience and was basically a living encyclopedia as he knew absolutely everything about the wildlife and the region. He took us to all of the best spots to see wildlife and we saw everything we had hoped to see and more! This experience was literally a dream come true, and I could not imagine a better company to fulfill this experience with. The bonus of booking with Tanzania Expeditions is taking solace in knowing that I am supporting a local tourism business and by doing so , I am directly helping to feed local families and supporting the local economy. If your still reading this...BOOK IT! You will not be disappointed 100/10 <3
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
The BEST trip of our lives ! Outstanding service - outstanding company !!
We had an amazing safari thanks to Daniel and his organising plus his knowledge is unbelievable. This man is the man if you would like to organise a trip to the Masai Mara or any other trip around that area as Daniel has such vast knowledge and really gets stuck in with all the details. He was very helpful, attentive, professional, flexible and able to work with your budget. After many emails we finally decided to go with Transtrek because I found Daniel knowledgeable, approachable and open to anything we would like to do. There was never a "no I can't do that" - this is really unique to Daniel. He researches everything and knows the bush so well. After many emails negotiating price we finally had the perfect itinerary. Daniel listened to what we wanted & delivered accordingly. After a year of planning our trip became a reality and it was by far the BEST trip we have ever had!! We stayed in the Mara for a week. 3 nights at Julia's River Camp, 1 night at Basecamp Wilderness & 2 nights at Basecamp Eagles View. All 3 places we stayed at were amazing, the sounds at night, the Masai, how helpful the staff were & the food. We would highly recommend going with Daniel and you definitely wont be disappointed. He is a caring individual and has his clients best interests at heart. Thank you Daniel for an unforgettable safari in Kenya. We will definitely be back for another trip with you!!
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable Africa Safari
Absolutely wonderful trip! The tour was from beginning to end very well organized. The company always replied very fast and the informations were reliable. We saw a lot of the country and could enjoy the wildlife. Two unforgettable moments were meeting a rhino while trekking in Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary and spending time with the gorillas in Uganda. They are really worth the visit.
In comparison the trip was affordable and the accommodations were all very fine with really nice food. Best price- performance ratio.
Our guide was extremely friendly and funny, we had a really good time. He was always there for explanations and made everything possible. No wish was unfulfilled.
Thanks again for such a good time!
BR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful time at Krueger game, but some issues with the logistics
We had a great time in South Africa, really beautiful Country, we had the best Safari we could have with the guide Mr. Lucky Mathebula, we saw see all the big five with him, he was simply the best. The Lodge (accomodation) was really good as well, the owner was a sympathic lady and the food was good.
But on the other hand we had some issues with the Bonnie, the guide that took us from Joanesburg to the Park and back to Joanesburg.
He got late to pick us up in the hotel to get to Krueger so we didn´t have time to have lunch, we had to eat our pizzas on the way to the Park! Also, he didn´t make any effort to be nice when he was joining dinner with us. When returning from the Park to Joanesburg, he drove fast and it was rainning a lot, a lot of accidents on the road, it was really tense.
And to complete, he charged us 300 Rand each to see the Panoramic route, when the offered from Adventour was 250 Rand per person. We felt really disappointed and betrayed.
I explained all the above to Mr. David (my contact at Adventour), he apologysed and said he would make a refund to amend the situation. We are still waiting the refund, his last promise was to make it today.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
When you have a very knowledgeable guide and attentive staff you have an amazing experience!
Our tour of the Okavango Delta was 15 years in the making, having fallen hopelessly in love with Africa after a 2004 guided tour in Kenya and Tanzania. During that trip we spent our non-game viewing time in lodges. This time we wanted to be full-time “in the bush.” Early Kingfisher Safaris guide, Samuel Mopalo, and his attentive staff of 4 made our 2018 trip the most amazing trip ever. There are numerous reasons for this: Sam is a certified Botswana guide with 20 years experience. Botswana guide certification is the gold standard for African safaris guides and his father was a guide before him. He has mastered tracking, identification of over 60 mammals, numerous reptiles and nearly 600 bird species and he loves sharing his knowledge. In addition, Sam is a master wildlife photographer. He knows how to position the vehicle for light and distance resulting in perfect photo opportunities. In short, Sam has mastered the art of safari guide, but perhaps the best thing about Sam’s skills is his ability to take advantage of luck. By that I mean when an opportunity presents itself, he moves on it to present to his guests that unique safari experience. When a lioness walked (roared) near the camp one morning before daybreak he asked that we leave before breakfast to catch up with the cat as the sun was coming up; and we did, long before other guides/tourist, giving us a breathtaking experience, memories and great pictures. This is Africa! The entire 11 days couldn’t have been better and I didn’t even mention Sam’s good natured manner, the superior service from the staff, and the delicious food. In summary, go with the best, go with Early Kingfisher Safaris.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
One in a life time experience
The safari tour was amazing! We booked through E-mail, we wrote with Minneh. She is very sweet, helpful and answers very quickly. They picked us up at our hostel, and we got in the van. Our drivers name was Isaac, he was wonderful! Very funny, helpful and did everything to make the trip unforgettable. The tents in the camp are more than we expected, with our own toilet and shower. The food there is excellent, the staff are sweet and friendly. We had an amazing trip and would love to go again. The only complaint we have is that there is no refrigerator and therefore only warm drinking water...
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Would give more than 5 stars if I could
Had many quotes and options with various companies. But when it came to personal attention and service, knowing what to ask and what I would like/would not like and how to make all the logistics work to fit my time frame, Darren and the crew did nothing short of amazing. From great accommodations to personal transfers/transport, excellent logistics for time management.....WOW is all I can say. I was beyond impressed as the trip unfolded and what was arranged. The people that work with them in various countries were friendly, helpful and more than accommodating. As a solo traveler the personal touch made all the difference in the world. My travel was from US to Johannesburg, then to Kruger area, on to Vic falls/Zambia/ Zimbabwe then on to Chobe National Park in Botswana......thru every step of the journey the details were all taken care of and there was zero stress bc of the way they paid attention to those details. Would highly recommend discussing what they can do for your travel desires, you won't be disappointed.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
7 day life changing journey with Paul in Rwanda
We searched carefully to find a reputable company, that understood our requests of what we would like to achieve for our 7 day safari into Rwanda. We were very impressed with Shadows and their very high quality informative well priced quote and in particular Paul’s recommendation to flip around the direction we explored so that we could capture exactly what we wanted.
We had been in Tanzania for 8 weeks, and so the 1st surprise was how different, modern, clean, green and 1st world Rwanda is by comparison. From all the reading we had done about the country before arriving it didn’t prepare us for what we saw.
Our main aim was to trek with the Gorilla’s in Volcanoes National Park – this experience WOW, was so awesome that there aren’t any words that can get close to how describing the feeling when you are first see them and sit amongst the family as they just hang out!!.
Our other surprise was the journey we encountered with Paul. As we visited different areas of the country, driving through villages, tea and coffee plantations, seeing Chimpanzees, Colobus monkeys etc, Paul shared more and more of his Rwanda, its history, the changes over the last 25 years since the Genocide of 1994 (a visit to the Genocide Museums in Kigali are musts), the justifiable pride Rwandan’s now have in their country – and some of Pauls own experiences. Our lives are changed immeasurably from our time with Paul.
He’s also the consummate fixer – after we started we wanted to add in cycling a section of the ‘Congo-Nile trail’ – Paul found us someone excellent and adapted our journey to fit this in.
In short, we highly recommend Paul personally, and we know he has a great team working with him in Rwanda, and he is supported by the wider team of Shadows in Africa. You can’t go wrong by joining up with him.