CH
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A customer focused operator who go above and beyond to provide the best possible experience.
Couple, 5 days, 4 nights tour
Amboselli, Lake Nakuru, Masai Mara
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Initial enquiry, booking, communication with the company and consultant
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Right from the beginning the experience with Splendid Vacations was a positive one.
We received a quote via email and soon after Maryann was in touch to follow up and answer any questions.
Communicating with her was easy via WhatsApp and she was quick to reply to our messages.
Although the initial quote was above our budget, Maryann came back to us with several options where we could reduce on cost, including resorts, dates and even mode of transport (whilst we opted for the slightly more expensive 4x4, we can confidently say it’s well worth it).
The tour and guide
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On the morning of the safari, we met our guide Julius who picked us up from the hotel.
He gave us a short briefing about the day ahead and what we could expect. This was something he did consistently throughout the tour.
We visited 3 different reserves in total and travelled over 1000km by road between them but is well worth it for the diverse biomes you get to experience as well as the variety of animals. It’s also a great way to see Kenya outside of the parks.
The accommodation picked for us was also fantastic. We stayed in a lodge (Sarova lion hill) and tented camps (Oilepo and Enkorok) which were comfortable and either close to or inside the reserves themselves. It’s important to note that we picked these accommodations from a few options provided to us but it’s well worth booking in advance as camps often get booked out months in advance.
I won’t say much about the parks themselves as there’s nothing like seeing them for yourself, but I will say that being able to have a picnic in the Masai Mara is an unforgettable experience and you’re likely to see a variety of animals and birds.
A special thanks has to go to our guide, Julius. He was with us for the full 5 days and was friendly, professional and courteous throughout. He has excellent knowledge of the local wildlife and his superb driving abilities had us navigating some rough terrain in some pretty challenging conditions! He never rushed us when viewing wildlife, and waited for us to let him know when we were ready to move on.
Your guide can certainly make or break your trip, and Julius made ours for sure. Thank you so much!
Summary
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Overall, I would highly recommend Splendid Vacations as your tour operator.
They offer a friendly, reliable, no pressure service which is tailor made to make it a perfect safari for you.
They’re always easily reachable to answer any questions before and even during the safari and I can guarantee that you’ll come away with some incredible memories.
I can’t speak for all of them, but the provided guide was excellent and went above and beyond to ensure we were enjoying ourselves and were looked after.
I will certainly be looking to book with them again! Thank you Splendid Vacations!
CN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
amazing
it's the first time i come to tanzania and join the safari. Douglas is a excellent driver，he is very professional、experienced.He knows all the camera positions and we find many animals，big fives and see the incredible crossing mara river.
Also about Kelvin，I contact with him for more than 50 emails，he is very patient and satisfy our needs and understand our concerns.
By the way，we have a perfect、incredible、unforgettable journey with Meru Slopes Tous&Safaris. I will come back and recommend to my friends.
Thanks a lot！
AT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A well organised tour with a great guide
Our Safari-Tour with our guide Gilbert was an unforgettable experience. We were able to see many different animals and beautiful places. Also Gilbert always shared very interesting information about nature with us and seemed like a very experienced guide. Thank you very much for this great adventure!
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Overall great experience
We had an overall great experience on our 7 days safari tour with Moses and Jackson. Although we booked a group tour it ended up being just the four of us. Both Moses and Jackson where very nice and accommodating. With more experience I believe a couple of things will run smoother e.g. communication during check-ins and day to day planning. They made sure we had an excellent time on the game drives and saw all big 5.
For our last two days our itinerary said that we were booked into the Aa Lodge Amboseli, however without explanation we were brought to the Discovery Camp near Amboseli national park. We did not mind but it would have been nice to get a heads up or explanation why the plans changed.
PL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing Experience
I have no bad words for Travelling with Deo. I experienced safari with him one year ago and it was just breathtaking. Deo is not one of those guiders who does not talk too much and you have to ask him about almost everything. He talks very much and it’s really really interesting, obviously in English which is very well. We saw many of wild animals and learnt many many informations about Africa, animals, cultures and many more.
Beeing honest i would like to recommend you Travel with Deo and you won’t be disappointed.
Great experience
Lavender was very helpful and worked with emus to make adjustments on the fly.
BR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A perfect experiencie
We had one of the best experiences of our lives! Extremely professional, we were picked up at the airport by Suricata's Safari car, excellent and comfortable! We were privileged to have the best guide of all, Ezekiel, extremely helpful, polite and competent. He took us safely to all the hot spots to see all the animals we wanted. The accommodations (Lodge and camps) were perfect, very comfortable and clean. Excellent food! We were very well received and treated at all times, in a happy and contagious way. I have no words to describe what we experienced in those 5 days. Thank you very much!
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NL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Professional, friendly and patient.
The Johnbow team took us to Amboseli National Park for a few days. Their drivers were very friendly and supportive to our requests.
IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Incredible experience
Me and my family have booked the "4-Day Serengeti & Ngorongoro Private Camping Safari" and it has been an amazing experience.
In 3 days we've had the change to see all the big five and many other animals.
It has been an incredible experience and we will bring home a lot of memorable memories and stunning photos.
From the first moment that we've got in touch with Beatrice the organization has been perfect.
Bashir, our guide, was prepared, kind and he has answered to all our questions. He has provided us much information on the animals and on the local culture.
Idris has been our chef for these days and everything has been delicious.
We highly recommend this safari with this tour operator!
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Great Safaris that could use a little more organization
My partner and I recently finished the 11-Day Mara Nakuru Amboseli Serengeti Ngorongoro Nairobi Safaris.
Kennedy, was very helpful in the planning process. There were a few times where I asked specific questions that went unanswered, but in general our back and forths were good.
Our time in the parks was great. We had many rare and fascinating animal sightings and our guide was great at positioning us for optimal viewing. I wish that our guide had been a little more forthcoming with information though. He would answer questions but not volunteer too much. Additionally, on the Kenya side, we were only provided 1L of water per day. This is not enough, especially in 30+ degree weather.
The accommodations and food were good. I would advise people to bring battery packs and take advantage wifi when it is available as both electricity and Internet will often not be.
The safaris had some issues with organization and professionalism. On our very first day, we sat at the office for an hour after being picked up. We were told that it was because other members of our group were late. Then, after discussing with those travellers, we discovered they were told they were kept waiting because we were late. It is ok to run late in the morning but it is very unprofessional to blame tourists to one another. Another issue we experienced was due to a typo in the itinerary that I was provided during the booking process. The date of September 13th was forgotten, so after the 12th, the itinerary was off by a day. This was a big issue as it forced us to spend an extra day and night in Arusha at the end of the tour. This was money we did not intend to spend. It also caused concern at the Kenya-Tanzania border because the date of entry on our visas was the 15th when we were actually crossing on the 14th. Lucky for us the border guards understood. Regarding the border crossing, this was not handled well by the company. Our guide dropped us off at the border without any information on what shuttle we were taking or when it was leaving. Instead, he told us to just trust his friend that was there. This friend had no association with the tour company and was obviously inebriated. If this wasn't stressful enough, once we arrived at the bus depot in Arusha, the representative from Seven Wonders (the company running the safaris on the Tanzanian side) failed to collect us so we had to take a cab. This was not a great day. The organization was also lacking in Tanzania. We were collected on day one by what turned out to be the wrong tour so we had to switch the next day. This was not a big deal but decisions on what tourists were going where and with which guide seemed to be made on fly each day.
Despite these hiccups, the safari did leave us with many great memories and positive feelings. It is good value as a budget safaris and earned the 4 Stars I awarded it. I would choose it again if I had the opportunity.
Recommendations: 1) While planning your safaris, make sure to scrutinize the schedule; 2) Be flexible. The itinerary will not be strictly adhered to; 3) If crossing the border, make sure your guide provides you with a shuttle number; 4) Buy water when you can (particularly in Kenya); 5) Take advantage of electricity/wifi when it is available