JP
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Superb!!
It was a massive experience I’ve ever had in life!! Richard is such a great nice guy!!
He found literally a giant (no kidding it was enormous and rather scary) crocodile having a wild lunch in the river. It was in the middle of food chain & something I could never experience back home in Japan!!
No only did I saw the crocodiles, I saw all the animals +++α I wanted to see including lions, cheetahs, elephants, zebras, giraffes, Gnus, hyenas, hippos, chrocodiles & much much more!! Maybe 50+ animals that I could never see back home!! You can see those wild ones only in Africa. This is a must-do experience.
2nights 3 days happened to be a great choice for me. It was accommodative. neither too short nor too long. A full day in the middle will get you a full of animals you may only see in the animal picture book.
The morning session of the last day was spent in Masai village. Here is another once in a lifetime experience. You can spend time with them inside their houses.
Once again I strongly recommend this trip.
All the credit goes to Richard & the tour company. Thank you.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Mystical, magical and biblical.
All arrangements were easily made by email and were seamless. Service was great from airport pickup at the beginning to drop off at the end.
Patrick, our guide, was attentive and flexible, knowledgable about animals, friendly, and tireless in his pursuit of of game. He talked when we wanted to talk but was quiet when we wanted quiet. We had a great mix of accommodations, from luxurious to "rustic" but even the rustic were great.
We not only saw all the Big Five but the entire Big Nine as well. Food varied from "fine enough" to outstanding but even "fine enough" was quite satisfying.My wife and I essentially had a private tour with Patrick. I definitely would not have been happy with a group of 6 or more strangers but could see going with 2 or 4 friends.
We spent almost all day, every day, on the road, in pursuit of game. While we would have liked to spend more time in relaxing in the lodges, I would not have given up my time on the road. I don't how how you can make that decision beforehand but it's something to think about, maybe even before you go.
I would use Bushdrifters again. It is a small outfit providing personal service. Last, but not least, the price was much lower than the big travel companies. There are people who payed a lot more money than we did but saw the same lions.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It Doesn't Get Any Better Than This!
I traveled (solo) to Zimbabwe and Botswana this past spring - my first safari and defnitely not my last. While I used another outfitter to set up my trip, I stayed at a series of African Bush Camps (Somalisa Acacia, Thorntree River Lodge and Linyanti Main Camp). Each and every camp exceeded my expectations on all levels. From the time that Ian met me at the airstrip at Somalisa and drove me to camp to my final goodbyes at the airstrip at Linyanti I was blown away by the genuine warmth and hospitality of each member of the staff. My "tents" were far more luxurious with far more ambience than photos suggest. Watching elephants walk by (Somalisa) as I unpacked was magical. Sitting around the water hole at Somalisa with elephants and baboons drinking within mere feet was magical. The food was outstanding and the portions far beyond what I could eat! Breakfast around the campfire was my favorite meal of the day however! There's nothing like a cup of hot coffee and "campfire toast" to start the day. The hosts at each camp made sure that I was never left out or alone because I traveled solo. I loved getting to know the staff and learning more about their country and their lives. Yes, I know they are in the "hospitality business" and it's their job to make sure I have a wonderful time. However, I never felt that they were just doing their job. I believe they truly want to ensure we all fall in love with their little part of Africa and its wildlife. I also learned (at Thorntree River Lodge where I ate with female members of the management team every night) that "girls are girls the world over"- we care about how we dress and look as well as "boys" the world over! The guides taught me to "look up" and I learned to appreciate birds more than I ever thought I would. I'm an elephant lover and they made sure that I had every opportunity to experience these amazing creatures in the wild as well as learn as much about them as possible. I also wanted to learn more about Zimbabwe and Botswana and loved hearing the bush stories as much as stories about their own personal lives. I am also fascinated by bones and skeletons and Lionel (Somalisa) always stopped so I could take a look and explain to me what I was looking at. Des (Linyanti) had me laughing the entire day! Philip (Thorntree) shared his love of the Zambezi and wildlife at every turn! The guides I met also couldn't say enough about their experience with African Bush Camps too. They all had worked elsewhere but felt that African Bush Camps provides them with the best resources and opportunities to share their own experiences and learnings among themselves in order to better provide the guest the best experience. For employees to be proud of the company they work for and rave about their experiences says a lot to me as well. There was a small glitch in my itinerary that arose several months before my departure. African Bush Camps and Explore (my outfitter) took care of everything for me and ensured that I not be inconvenienced in the slightest. There are many bush camp companies to choose from but if you are traveling to Zimbabwe, Zambia or Botswana do yourself a favor and choose African Bush Camps!!! I can tell you that I will be returning to Southern African and I will choose African Bush Camps when and where I can! I can't wait to see my "friends" again!
CN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent experience, had 3 days in Masai Mara with my family, Mpairo helped me booked the safari to
Excellent experience, had 3 days in Masai Mara with my family, Mpairo helped me booked the safari trip, Daniel and his brother Willy(our great driver, stayed 3 days with us, nice and humor), Thank you all.
CL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Unbelievable!
Everything was awesome. The city tour, the waterfalls in the Meru Park, the one-day safari in Ngorongoro and the accommodation. A luxury service with backpacker budget! Definitely I recommend them! Don't hesitate!
RU
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent combination of price, quality and great emotions
It was amazing journey! For 5 days we saw: tarangire national park, ngorongoro national park, lake Manyara national park, and was on culture tour near Kilimanjaro (Chagga museum, coffee plantations, waterfall, base climbing camp). Everything was just in time. Food was great. Special thanks to: Shabani for perfect organization and no extra payments, chief Khabib for good and tasty food, Tony for interesting culture tour. We has only one bad moment: when we was on safari the driver drove the car so fast that my friend lost his pants. We tried searched - could not find the pants. Overall the journey was wonderful! Thank you!
AD
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Not just a wonderful tour guide, also a wonderful friend..
We have great moments and memories about our first safari tour in Tanzania. Our tour guide performance from arrival to departure was excellent. Paul is sharing with us all information requested on time. Our safari guide Emanuel was perfect to manage all arrangements and he is very good on driving and sharing with us all information about the natural life of all parks as well. We were successful to see all Wild 5 animals and many others as well. Thanks for all effort spent during our safari tour and highly recommended tour whoever interested.
SK
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The worst tour company I ever experienced
We went on a 3-Days safari - The Masai Mara.
The driver arrived late, the vehicle was uncomfortable and we did not feel safe throughout the journey. Our « guide » was more a driver than interested in being helpful or showing us around. The food was very cheap and disgusting and no drinking water in the camp. No hot water on the first day of the stay.
The guide decided not to do the safari on last day morning and he appeared on at 9 am.
I do not recommend to do the safari with them. Robert and his staff are not helpful, friendly and informative
FR
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An ideal way to discover Tanzania
For our family holiday in Tanzania in August 2018, we opted for the 10-Day “Complete Tanzania” Tour offered by Benson Safaris Tanzania, supplemented at the end with a 2 day hike in the Kilimanjaro National Park. It was a perfect way to discover this beautiful country. Tanzania abounds with images that are iconic to Africa and which are simply breathtaking. We chose Benson Safaris on the basis of all the good things said about them on the Safari Bookings website and our experience more than met our already high expectations. The 10-day tour offered is a wonderful way to discover Tanzania and to see a wide range of different landscapes, fauna and flora. We were also given the opportunity to learn about the different cultures of Tanzania and this was very interesting, especially the trips to meet the Bushmen and Tatoga tribes. Benson and his colleagues were extremely efficient and helpful at all stages of planning the trip and adapting it to our needs. Our main driver and guide, Amani, was wonderful. He taught us many things about animals, plants and life in Tanzania, made us feel really welcome and generally made our trip highly enjoyable. We were very pleased with our accommodation which was varied and comfortable. The only less than perfect night’s sleep was on Mount Kilimanjaro but we knew what to expect and it was worth it for the fantastic views! (N.B. we only climbed to 3400m). We are also grateful to the other guides who helped out on specific days and who were all excellent: Daniel for Lake Natron, Ramadhani for the village of the bushmen/Lake Eyasi and Shabani for Mount Kilimanjaro. Thanks also to Zablo and the Kilimanjaro crew. Choosing a local company with an impeccable reputation is, I believe, the best approach when organising a trip like this. We can highly recommend Benson Safaris and all the people who took care of us during our trip - thanks again to all of you for what was an unforgettable experience for us and hope to see you again one day!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The best Ive ever travelled with.
Great in keeping time, Friendly drivers,Will travel with them again and again.