IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Cold Number One!
Unforgettable experience, everything literally perfect.
Impeccable organisation, with staff who are always friendly, attentive and truly helpful.
Five days spent in the main parks of Tanzania, in wonderful places and structures, with a group of 6 people (unknown at the time, but with whom we managed to create a good relationship) accompanied by Freddi, our safari guide. Note of merit for him, who was the highlight of our holiday, always available, polite, ready to listen to us and accommodate our requests, humane and friendly, as well as truly expert on the subject of safari.
Absolutely recommended, thanks Suricata Safari and thanks Freddi :)
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best Experience of my Life
Hi I had booked with Dream voyage safaris back in June and was a bit apprehensive about travelling on my own. Moses reassured me it was OK. And boy he was right. We arrive in Masai Mara for 2 days and it blew me away. Ken our driver picked me up from hotel in Nairobi on Sunday morning and the 4 hour drive was great as we got to see Some of Kenya. We arrive and were shown to our lodge which was great as you had the feeling of actually being on safari. the 2 days we saw all sorts Lions Cheetahs Elephants Wilder beast Buffalo and more. Kens was brough up in the mara so he knew it like the back of his hand. We had an afternoon drive followed by 1 full day in the Mara such a beautiful National Park. The food in the restaurant was lovely and plenty to choose from. The following day we travelled to Lake Nakuru where we stayed in a stunning Hotel over night. Again food was amazing and got to pick from A La carte. We went into Lake Nakuru National Park and a bit disappointed the rhinos were hiding but we did see Flamingos, Leopards. Lions and plenty Baboons. The following day we headed to Amboseli stopping at Lake Naivasha on the way. This was stunning. Ken our driver was very knowledgeable and was on hand with any problems - my suitcase did not arrive in Nairobi from Amsterdam but the sent it courier and Ken went to pick it up. We headed to Amboseli and there I stayed in the most beautiful Lodge / Tent. The facilities were beautiful but what topped it off I woke to the views of Mount Kilimanjaro each morning. We headed out and got some great photos of Kilimanjaro along with Elephants and we even saw a Cheetah and her cubs Hunting, I would definitely recommend dream voyage safaris as there communication and knowledge were outstanding and nothing was ever a bother. Moses communicated most days to see how everything was going and Ken would take you anywhere you wanted to go. There was only myself and 1 other on the tour which made it better as we could move about the Jeep for great photos. Using dream voyage safaris was well worth the money and value. I would defo recommend them and I will be using them again soon in th enear future.
QA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Exellent for budget travelleres
Great service and no hidden extra charges.100% suggesting for new travelers
AT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
David not only booked us a great tour and nice driver, he also showed tremendous paitence with us
Our safari in Namibia's Etosha National Park was a great experience. The park’s vast landscapes, from shimmering salt pans to wildlife-rich bushlands, set the stage for unforgettable animal encounters. Watching elephants, lions, and giraffes at the waterholes is a highlight, especially during the dry season.
The lodges were magnificent within and around the park. We always enjoyed delicious food
Etosha is definately a must-visit for anyone seeking a remarkable safari.
IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing, unique and exciting experience!!
My partner and I did a 5 day Safari (Lake Manyara, Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngorongoro crater). We slept 2 nights in a lodge and 2 nights in the campsite. It was a fantastic experience at an equally great price. Their welcome was perfect from the first moment we arrived in Arusha. Rehema was always available for any clarification. Our guides were different: Simon (Lake Manyara), Moustapha (Serengeti and Ngorongoro) and another whose name I unfortunately don't remember (Tarangire). All 3 were fantastic, competent, friendly and available for anything we needed. We were really lucky to be able to see many animals so close up. For all 5 days we had a personal chef known as Miriam (Mariam or Mamu): a truly wonderful person who took care of us every day, preparing delicious dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I would choose Mountain warrior 100 more times and if I had to recommend a company to do this experience with, I would definitely recommend them. Thank you so much Mountain Warriors for making this experience unique and unforgettable!
CN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
pretty safari in Africa, saw the five African tyrants and calm lakes and Kilimanjaro and seaside
I had a very good safari in Africa, saw the five African tyrants and calm lakes and Kilimanjaro and wetlands, and finally went to the Indian Ocean seaside city of Mombasa to relax and have a chance to get in close contact with animals. There is no need to pay attention to traffic and eating during the whole journey. I miss it very much. The straff Don in charge of my travel agency reception is very reliable and provides me with a reasonable price, a sense of responsibility, the whole process of communication on the network, although there is no help, but the attitude is very patient, Don service is excellent.
SG
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Virgin Safari Experience with Shadows
Planner: Chris Walker
Local Staff: Ben / Joyce
Guide / Driver: Jackson (with Nick being the driver who transferred us from the airport to our first accommodations)
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TLDR:
Pros - (1) Staff was responsive and did their best to accede to our requests. (2) Actual safari experience was great with Jackson being an experienced guide (17 years under his belt), ability to spot animals and knowledgable enough to answer all the questions that we had about the culture, wildlife and Tanzania.
Cons - (1) Could have better advised us on certain locations / activities that we have decided on (i.e. weather conditions, things to pack for certain activities and plausible experience with the location / activity). (2) Last minute changes which we have agreed to but would have been a better experience if this was avoided altogether (nitpicking here but just to explain why it was not a 10/10 experience).
Overall - 9/10
Our Itinerary - Arusha - Taranguire National Park - Lake Manyara National Park - Ngorongoro Conservation Area / Crater - Lake Natron - Northern Serengeti
Period and duration that we went for - September (Dry Season, mornings and nights can be cold but day time will be hot) - 8 days
Full Review:
Just a day or two before our trip, we were informed that there will be some changes to our accommodations due to availability which we have agreed to. Though this did not affect the entire experience but could have been avoided.
Our virgin Africa safari trip finally happened after 9 months of planning and anticipation. Our first interaction with Shadows of Africa ("SOA") was with Chris who was really helpful and responsive to all the queries and requests that we had. After going through all the quotes from the different agencies and the suggested itineraries based on what we were looking for, we found SOA's offerings and pricing to be the most ideal.
When we first arrived at the airport, just having this trip as our virgin trip to Africa, an unknown place for us, we were relieved when we saw Nick holding up a sign that indicated that he was there to pick us up to bring us to our first accommodation. Overall, the transfer experience here was great as Nick was able to engage us throughout our ride and shared many interesting facts about Tanzania and the people in Arusha.
Fast forward, in terms of our accommodations, we really like Olerai Lodge (which we later found out to be owned by SOA), Acacia Farm Lodge and Mara Luxury Tented Camp. We found the other 2 accommodations (Rift Valley & Lake Natron) which were offered by Africa Safari Group to be sufficient but we were not blown away by the aesthetics, food variety and reliability of electricity.
For our experience at each location, our advice will be to skip Lake Natron altogether given the experience of the activities there, accommodation options and most importantly weather (hot throughout the year). If you are really pressed for time, you could consider just doing Northern Serengeti for the great migration and wildlife (you will pretty much see everything here except the Rhinos which is more likely to be found at Ngorongoro Crater). Even though we really like Ngorongo Crater and Lake Manyara National Park
Just highlighting here that we could have been better advised by Chris for Lake Natron, to make sure that we would have the best experience.
Activities wise, we have visited the tribe (Hazadbe) and had a Masaai guide to bring us to Lake Natron and the waterfalls. In our opinion, we feel that these activities even though it was not all bad, can be skipped once again if you are pressed for time.
In terms of communication, on the actual day for the start of our safari adventure (Day 2), we felt that communication could have been done better as we were left stranded for quite awhile before being informed that we will be transported to the office for our briefing.
For transport, if your budget allows for it, we would recommend taking the domestic flight options for a better travel experience especially after many days of safari in which you would have to wake up quite early every day for.
All in all, even though it just fell short of a perfect experience, we definitely enjoyed our virgin safari experience with SOA and would recommend it for others to try.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Experience of a lifetime
Before our journey out to Tanzania we had excellent communications from Sole Safari, supporting our wishes of parks to visit and making knowledgable suggestions.
All correspondence were quickly responded to and we arrived in country confident for the start of a great adventure.
We enjoyed a 5 day tour with the most wonderful guide Florid. A wonderful human, who was knowledgeable, kind and fun. At all times we felt confident in Florid and his professionalism allowed us to enjoy a carefree and relaxed adventure.
We saw all the big 5 and more… including the wilderbeast migration which was an absolute treat. ( be aware there can be quite a bit of waiting… these are wild animals and don’t “ perform on demand!! “ we found uno cards/ sweets/time to get to know our guide was a great time passer alongside going on short local drives to see other animals that were in situ.
We stayed in 4 different lodges, all with their own unique features. There were changes to accommodation whilst we were out there but all were an upgrade and gave us a different experience. Food was delicious, plentiful and always nicely presented. We loved lunch picnics with Florid, it was an absolute highlight to sit in the great outdoors with a glass of wine, great company and a stunning view.
All in all an incredible holiday, with a great company and the best guide
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It was a wonderful tour, the arrangements were excellent, super travel-assistance!!!
The tour started with a warm welcome at the airport. Petra went with us to fetch the car.
Then she explained the whole tour during a breakfast in a cafe in Windhoek. This was a perfect start for us.
All arrangements were perfect and lovely selected.
During the tour she was always contactable, and she solved small problems immediately ....
It was a unforgettable tour for our family, and we will come back soon...
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful Tanzania tour
Luice from Gogiraffe Safari planned and organized our family vacation in Tanzania for us in close coordination. We felt very well looked after for the entire 5 weeks. Luice was a reliable contact person at all times, was always there to help us even with last-minute changes and kept asking about us during our stay. The vacation began in the Serengeti, led through the interior of the country to Lake Nyasa and the islands of Mafia and Zanzibar. During all of the stops, the partners from Gogiraffe were there to support us. All partners and employees were very friendly, reliable and helpful. We can recommend Gogiraffe in every respect, it made an unforgettable family vacation a reality for us. Thank you very much, dear Luice, and see you next time, Stefan, Patricia & Nora
(automatic translation from German)