CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
This experience was beyond all expectations. We would recommend Waterside without hesitation.
Wildlife- we saw every animal imaginable in a few short days.
Accommodation- luxury class and wonderful service from all
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about South Africa by Elizabeth
Having never experienced another country's safari offerings, perhaps I am too naive to comment. However, this is the best in the world. I am glad I came.
NL
Excellent experience, weird tip experience
Excellent safari, well organized, etc. but the driver/guide continued to talk about his tip and tried to negotiate and make an 'arrangement' out of it, which is of course not the point of a tip. In the end, he did not accept the individual tips of the group members, because it was too low. This was weird and affected at some moments the atmosphere in the group.
BE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Unique, extremely well organised, perfect family vacation in Southern Tanzania and Zanzibar
I’ve travelled to Africa a over 70 times, but this must have been the best organised trip of them all.
It was a two week trip with my wife and kids as well as our friends with their kids. We did 7 days on the main land and 4 days on Zanzibar.
Anne and her team were just amazing.
The difference is in the details.
• Our pickups were always waiting for us at least 15 minutes before the pickup time
• The drivers were well trained and spoke perfect English. One of them even spoke French and German too.
• Hotels were reminded an hour before our arrival that we were on the way
• Birthday surprises for the kids were organised without us even asking for it
• The locations we stayed at were sooo much better then anything I’ve experienced before
o They were exclusive
o Not typical touristic
o Breathtaking
• All-in all, it was a true Africa experience without the stress I’ve gotten used to as in Africa, you could expect delays, paperwork, misstakes,… but everything was just perfect on this trip.
It wasn’t the cheapest holiday I’ve had in Africa, but it was more than worth the money because:
Southern Tanzania isn’t very touristic and they want to keep it that way, so the park fees, hotels,… are a little more expensive then those in Kenia, South Africa,…
Therefore, when on Safari, you hardly ever see another car. I’ve been on other safari’s where it was hard to take a picture of a lion without another car on it. Not during this vacation!
You can really enjoy nature by emersing yourself in it.
At hotels,… (At least those booked by Africaventure) you don’t even notice the other tourists as is smaller, and set up in a way that you have your own space where you can enjoy everything around you. Of course, you can mingle and share experiences at the bar if you wish, but you’re never desturbed by noisy tourists.
When talking to some people we met whilst on Safari, they told us stories that I couldn’t ever imagine happening on Anne’s watch. One of them, when leaving on safari had to pay extra to sit at a window seat in their safari jeep, as the rate only included a middle seat.
I can’t tell you how amazed they were that our whole trip had been stressfree from arriving at Dar Es Salaam airport.
I could write pages on the simple things that Anne’s team at Africaventure took care of to make this a dream vacation.
For example, they always include a flying doctors contract in every vacation they organise. I didn’t even know this was included! Of course you hope to never need it, but it does feel reassuring that you can count on immediate help in case you get sick,…
Africaventure’s personal touch was clear in everything.
I want to thank Anne and her team at Africaventure for everything they’ve done!
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
All You Could Hope for--and More
A fantastic safari. Hoppy, our safari guide, was knowledgeable, friendly, and committed to providing the best possible visit to Kruger National Park imaginable. His keen vision was particularly helpful, the result of which was our seeing spiders hanging from trees, turtles in the road, even small exotic birds--all in addition to the Big Five (we saw them all) and hundreds of other animals, many in hard-to-see locations. The park is beautiful, but Hoppy's knowledge and enthusiasm (and keen eyes; did I mention his incredible ability to see animals) made the safari fantastic. Food was excellent; lodgings were not fancy but very nice--exactly what we expected: clean, comfortable, and conveniently located. A+++ safari. A+++++++ guide. I highly recommend Wildlife Safaris; ask for Hoppy by name.
BE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
It was really amaizing i have found the best place for holidays it was the best ever.
Our safari at the Massai mara was the best we have ever had. The animal jungle was simply amazing and second to none. The safari was for four days, with the assistance of our driver guide John who was well versed with the parks diversity, knowledgeable, and a perfect problem solver. The office even offered to compensate us when the vehicle got stuck for about an hour, by a surprise gift bag before we departed back to our country. Despite the minor trouble the trip was amaizing.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Simply Amazing!
Our Tanzanian safari adventure-of-a-lifetime started last February when we met Thomas at the New York Travel Show. Everything he said was what we wanted to hear... that his firm had the expertise to provide a first class excursion…that Visit Tanzania Tours & Safari would assist us and insure that every arrangement was complete …he provided reasons why a personal tour was better than a group…and assured us that, upon landing in Arusha, our personal tour guide would meet us and handle our visit expertly. It was all beyond true. Julius was our guide and he excelled at describing what we were seeing. There’s a lot more to the trip than the hundreds of lions we saw…although they were always exciting. He educated us on local customs, tribes like the Maasai, plant life, seasonal changes affecting the animals, how animals protect themselves from predators, and even tossed in a few lessons in Swahili. We like to say our safari included everything from ants to zebras and we have the photos and videos to prove it. Hospitality abounded at every camp stay. Accommodations and food were above expectations. Julius (and later our Northern Serengeti guide Simon) made every day perfect from start to finish. We doubt there’s a species of animal in Tanzania that we did not see. Since returning in late January we have talked every day about our trip and looked over our photos and videos; and we thank Thomas, Julius, Simon and the staffs at the camps, and we couldn't have been more impressed with the service we received from the very start.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Kgalagadi Made Wonderful and Easy with Afrifriends
Kgalagadi, catering mostly to South African self-drivers, can be a daunting place to plan a visit if you are a foreigner. This was my second trip to Kgalagadi with Afrifriends, and Natasha and Andre at Afrifriends made the trip seamless and perfect. They have now become experts of sorts for guiding in Kgalagadi (though they are experienced guides in Joburg, Kruger and other parts of South Africa as well). At Kgalagadi, we stayed at a combination of SanParks camps (where Natasha and Andre provided delicious home-cooked meals) and Botswana-side fully catered camps. Natasha was also the driver/guide. We had incredible, unimaginable sightings… and that was no accident. Natasha and Andre know the park inside and out and worked extremely hard to provide good chances for sightings. Aside from all that, they are pleasant, down-to-earth people who are great company. I will be traveling with them again.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Professional and thorough
Safari was amazing. More than I expected. I had talked to two people who had been on a safari tour and they encouraged me to do it (I was on the fence because it is very expensive.) I am so glad we experienced a Safari at Hwange National Park. And the service at Bomani Tented Lodge was excellent.
Met at the airport and had door to door service for our five nights. Felt safe and comfortable and thoroughly enjoyed both safari and Victoria Falls.
HK
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An educational and inspirational experience that I will never forget.
I was so impressed by this tour company. The guides are National Rangers, who have a vast amount of knowledge in all areas of the tours. They are passionate, attentive, kind, friendly and punctual. I was never left bored or unsafe, they answered every single question I had with intensive knowledge. I was taken care of beyond their job description, and I absolutely fell in love with their passion. It was really fun and I felt like I was at home with this tour. So different to any other tour I've been on because they are so incredibly supportive and appreciative of what they do. Their hearts are massive, caring about the wildlife, history, etc. of South Africa. It was a honour to be on their tour, and I will definitely use them again. Clean, punctual, safe and secure!