NL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great and Reliable!
After our Kilimanjaro climb, we have booked a 3 day Safari tour with Flash Safaris. We have had lovely and great days!
First it was very relaxt to stay at " Ilboro Safari Lodge" for 2 days. A gorgeous an Cosy place!
Then visited 3 beautiful alternate parks: Manyara national Park, Ngorongoro Crater and Tarangire national Park. 1 Night we stayed in the beautiful "Rhotia Valley Tented lodge". We had very nice contact with Magda Vrijs. She gave honest, reliable and accurate information. In addition she is a very nice person. Our guide, Loi, was amazing. Very humorous, told us a lot about the animals and plants. Also he is very reliable.
Flash Safaris was a perfect choice!
Thanks for the great days.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wow
We organised this trip to celebrate our 50th birthdays and it exceeded all our expectations. From the planning, which Kat and the team at Timbuktu couldn't have been helpful and knowledgable with, to the holiday itself was so memorable. We went to Tanzania and the guide who looked after us for the trip was a real asset, so well informed and had a knack developed over many years of knowing where to look away form other tourists and unearth wonderful experiences, from the great migration crossing, to all sorts of unexpected wildlife aswell as everything might expect to see. The hotels and lodges recommended were all small and personal as we requested. Overall some amazing memories to sweeten the aging process!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Epitome of excellent service - Completely recommended.
We tried to book our self drive tour independently about a year in advance. It is important to book in advance if you have particular places you want to stay - Namibia is becoming popular especially in peak season. September was an excellent month to visit. We didn't find Etosha crowded and the wildlife viewing was mind blowing. I wasn't able to get bookings confirmed independently and UK travel agents couldn't offer me what I wanted and the prices were ridiculous. So turned to CBTS and the service we received from Allison was amazing. Advice given was spot on ( as noted during actual trip), emails were prompt and professional. All bookings went ahead as planned and we were given a detailed itinerary and a great map (all you need) on arrival in Windhoek. Allison even helped us out with some shopping as we arrived on a Sunday and left early Monday am from Windhoek so the shops weren't selling alcohol. We had one problem with Avis ( def not the fault of CBTS) and I was able to ring the Travel agency to help me make sure it was sorted out. And it was sorted. We hope to return to this area and will use CBTS again. Allison is a star. We stopped in on the way back to the airport and was very impressed with the glamourous offices as well.
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing trip of a lifetime from start to finish!
Our initial correspondence with Levis and the subsequent planning and fine tuning of our vacation went so smoothly; we were able to include many different places and activities and our trip was built just for us. Levis was available for all of our questions and responded promptly each time. Thank you! We had a variety of accommodations in both Kenya and Tanzania and each one had its own charm. The staff at every lodge, inn or tented camp were superb - the rooms were very comfortable and the meals always very good. The main attraction of course were the amazing safaris we experienced in Kenya and Tanzania. We had the best driver/guides around - Charles in Kenya and Amani in Tanzania. Both are so knowledgeable and freely shared so many facts about the wildlife, birdlife, plant life that surrounded us. We could not believe that each day was better than the last. These two men did their best to give us the ultimate trip and we most certainly had it. We always felt safe and looked after in both countries. We saw the Big 5, and twice saw rhinos and leopards! How incredible is that? We even saw zebras and wildebeest migrating over the Mara River. My description of our 13 days is "mindblowing". Thank you so much, Hallmark for a trip of a lifetime!
Magical with upmost professionalism
Our trip started with the upmost professionalism when we were greeted by our driver Ronald at Kigali airport. Ronald turned out to be fantastically professional, warm, insightful and very fun to spend our three days with and he kept the whole process running very smoothly.
We then drovee from here up through Rwanda and across to the Virunga mountains in Uganda - we stayed nearby at the magical Chameleon Hill hotel which overlooks the beautiful lake Mutanda.
The gorilla experience was as magical as we hoped it would be. Ronald was also very helpful in organising a mountain biking and coffee plantation experience on our last day. He enabled us to customise this experience and reduce it down from the half day activity to a few hours which enabled us to still catch our evening flight.
Once again thank you to Matoke tours, from start to finish the communication and overall execution was five star. I encourage any reader of this review to visit the Ugandan countryside as it is simply stunning and full of amazing people
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Hallmark gave us a "Trip of a Lifetime" experience.
Right from day one, the pick up at the airport in Nairobi, our Hallmark experience was incredible. Levis had planned an amazing tour for us of Kenya and Tanzania, hitting all the spectacular "must see" national parks of these two countries. This was, without a doubt, our trip of a lifetime, it exceeded our expectations in every way. Our two drivers, Charles in Kenya, and Amani, in Tanzania were incredibly knowledgeable, friendly, polite and made our trip the most unbelievable adventure of our lives. They were so attentive, patient, and willing to please our every whim and desire, stopping whenever we asked for that "yet another" spectacular picture of one of so many beautiful animals, always educating us on facts about the animals. Our accommodations were amazing, from high end to more adventurous, (but comfortable) tents, sharing the open spaces with the animals. We always felt safe, protected and very cared for by everyone, lovely people wherever we stayed. I would highly recommend Hallmark Travel Planners, (and I already have), to our friends and family and anyone else wishing to travel to East Africa. I hope that I can return in a few years and have Levis book my next adventure. Kenya and Tanzania have left a mark on my heart, and now I hope to see a little more of Africa in the coming years.
Thank you Levis, Charles, Amani and Hallmark!
NZ
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Awesome Experience
Justus was very flexible with my booking, through the process of booking I made many changes and he provide with a friendly and helpful service offering alternative solutions. Excellent service and would higly recommend.
Jimmy my guide was friendly and helpful during my 5 day trip.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unbelievable experience
Everything was amazing and well organised during the tour and safari.
Communications between the company and us was extremely good with quick and regular responses.
The whole experience definetly lived up to expectations.
The lodge was out of this world and the food was amazing.
The tour guides were very friendly and showed great knowledge and care.
Highly recommend using Faustin tour and travel for your tour guides and safari's.
US
Our two day safari was wonderful! We saw many animals in their natural environments.
The safari company was very accommodating! We were pleased with the overnight accommodations as the meals. We saw many, many animals.
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
This is one of Africa's iconic game parks
Etosha is one of Southern Africa's iconic game parks. Namibia is a very safe country to visit, the main tarred roads are good although the dirt roads need caution and preferably a four wheel drive. The wildlife is easy to see with a good selection of mammals, the bird life is exceptional so it is worth self driving around the park and taking one's time to look at them all. There are excellent bird books and apps for smart phones to help identify them all. The landscape is generally flat and arid with very little dense vegetation making game viewing easy. The southern hemisphere spring around September is a good time to visit, the weather is warm during the day and the nights are cool, it rarely rains at this time of the year. Accomodation is good, clean and comfortable with a choice of camping and various levels of chalet depending on the budget. It does need to be booked well in advance as it is a very popular destination. The camps all have WiFi and cell phone coverage. The main camps serve barbecues and buffet food which is freshly prepared and good quality. Food allergies and sensitivities can be catered for. A choice of game meats is available with South African wines and local beers. The camps have well maintained swimming pools for cooling off in the afternoons. The staff are all friendly and helpful, and the guides are knowlegeable if you choose to go on night drives etc. The highlight for me was the birding, 132 species seen in 14 days and some award winning photos to bring back!