CN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Exellent Experience
Thanks very much for this arrangement. My family and I are very satisfied.
The guide is very patient. The accommodation and meals far exceeded expectations. Each of us even gained two catties!
I will recommend Kale to all my friends!
CN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very quick response and nice to help with everything we asked!
The whole trip is well-organized. The accommodations and plan of Safari are very extremely wonderful. Our driver, Aminiel who is very warm-hearted and gentle. The long journey is very meaningful to see so many animals!!! We would definitely recommend this company to our friends.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing :D
I'm not usually one to write reviews, but my experience with Wild Pride was so excellent I'm changing that.
My husband and I decided to go all-out for our first extended vacation overseas in many years and went with the Ultra Luxury Tanzania/Zanzibar itinerary that Wild Pride offered. When doing our research, we were actually a bit concerned that the reviews might be fake since they were all 5 stars, but we learned quickly it's because the team at Wild Pride really is that good! During the planning process Lilian was responsive, patient, and helpful.
We arrived to Kilimanjaro Airport and were greeted by our guide, Rama, who drove us to our hotel. Goodluck met us at our hotel reception area and checked us in. They both gave us a rundown of our itinerary, a safety briefing, and surprised us with some hospitality gifts. Rama met us the next morning and took us to Lake Manyara, where his skills immediately shone. We were very impressed; he was able to point out nearby wildlife that other cars in front of us drove past and within a few minutes on the trail we saw our first of the Big Five thanks to him! After Lake Manyara, we went to Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti. We were very lucky to see the big 5 on our trip, plus some other sightings of animals like cheetahs, servals, and secretary birds.
Throughout the trip, Rama was very professional, friendly, knowledgeable, and kind. He was good about making stops along the way for us to take breaks from the bumpy ride and browse for souvenirs.
A few things to note that didn't affect my opinion of Wild Pride but are still worth mentioning:
* Apply for visas online ahead of time if you can; the process at Kilimanjaro Airport was lengthy
* We had a few challenges with wiring money over, but it ended up working out
* If you have a layover in another country where yellow fever is a problem, make sure you either have immunization records or your layover is under 12-hours long
* Make sure passports are more than 6-months from expiration date
Overall, our experience was fantastic and I'd definitely recommend. Thanks so much for the memories, Wild Pride Safaris!
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Extremely helpful - and patient with all our questions
This was a trip of a lifetime! I will add that the touring company is a key component of that. Our guides were experienced and highly knowledge of the wildlife, as well as the history of the area - and knew their way around. Our route started in the north by the Mara River for the Wildebeest crossing - then central Serengeti - then to Ngorongoro crater. We saw all the big five, 2 leopards, and 41 lions. We were unable to find a cheetah - but saw some smaller cats (can’t remember the name). Africa is a beautiful place and you will be very pleased with Tanzania Choice and the experience of their guides. Other helpful hints - bring binoculars and an animal guide book. The guides have them but much easier to have your own.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unscripted Safaris planned an amazing and wonderful adventure for us
Recently completed an 8 day Kenyan safari with Unscripted Safaris and it was nothing short of amazing. Our guide, Jeremy, was recommended by friends who took a tour with him last year. Jeremy was absolutely exceptional. He was friendly, very nice, and most importantly safe and respectful of the parks, the animals and surroundings.
All of the accommodations booked by Unscripted were wonderful. Location, service, and food were really great at all of them.
Jeremy was patient and answered tons of questions we asked him about the animals, people, and places we were visiting and was more than happy to stop for us to take thousands of pictures.
Finding a safari company to go with can be daunting because there are so many, but if you book with Unscripted Safaris, you are in great hands and in for a wonderful adventure!
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Nightmare experience, never delivered on promises
Update: I previously removed this review because Mataro threatened to withhold the refund of our deposit per his policy if I didn't remove it. We came to an initial agreement about a payment plan for the >$3,000 he owed us over the course of two months. We provided all necessary details to him for payment, but were ultimately not paid when the due date arrived. Instead we were met with additional excuses and a lack of any urgency in resolving the payment owed to us. All I can say is I'm disappointed, disappointed in Mataro and myself for falling for this. We will be working with Trip advisor and other companies to attempt to have his business de-listed as it's evident we are not the first to have had this experience. I'm completely confused as to how he's ever gotten any positive reviews. See my previous review below.
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I wish I could give negative stars. My wife and I, along with our four friends, had the misfortune of dealing with Friends Of Africa Family Safaris Ltd. We originally chose to book with Mataro because he came highly recommended by two of our friends who had previously traveled with him. While they generally had an okay experience and spoke highly of the safari guides, they did share some concerns once our own issues began to surface. For instance, they mentioned that when they arrived, they were put into an enclosed van—not a proper safari vehicle—which then got stuck and had to be pushed. No other reputable tour operators would put guests in such unsuitable conditions.
Despite these warning signs, we moved forward, only to find ourselves entangled in an even worse situation. What started as a promising interaction quickly turned into a nightmare after we paid over $6K in December as a 20% deposit. Mataro, who had been very responsive before payment, suddenly became evasive, offering only vague assurances that everything was ‘under control.’ But as we later discovered, nothing could have been further from the truth.
The Lies and Deception:
Fake Confirmations: Despite numerous requests, Mataro failed to provide actual booking confirmations. When I directly contacted one of the lodges, they had no record of our reservation—even though Mataro insisted everything was booked. He even tried to convince me to stop contacting the hotels, saying I was 'confusing people' and not 'trusting him.'
Manipulative Excuses: When I questioned why we hadn’t received confirmations or why he claimed certain accommodations were booked when they weren’t, he responded with manipulative tactics. He accused me of trying to do his job and insisted I was the problem for not trusting his process. This, despite repeatedly catching him in lies.
Unprofessional Behavior: In one instance, Mataro claimed he had booked three rooms instead of the four we required, blaming my wife for allegedly changing the request—an outright lie that he later backtracked on. He never took responsibility, and instead of fixing his mistakes, he became increasingly difficult to reach, often ignoring my messages or delaying his responses with more excuses.
Failure to Refund: When it became clear that Mataro had no intention of delivering on his promises, we canceled our trip in early May. Despite his own policy stating a refund within 90 days, those 90 days have come and gone with nothing but more excuses. He even tried to claim he needed more time, despite having made no payments to the hotels on our behalf. It’s evident he never planned to return our money and has continued to string us along with empty promises.
Final Warning:
After dealing with months of stress, deception, and outright lies, I can confidently say we believe this company is a complete scam. In our experience, Mataro is a manipulative fraudster who has no qualms about taking your money and offering nothing in return. The level of unprofessionalism and dishonesty is staggering. If you value your money and your peace of mind, stay far away from Friends Of Africa Family Safaris Ltd. This man will take your deposit and leave you with nothing but frustration and broken promises
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Stunningly beautiful, diverse landscape and amazing animals
Our trip to South Africa was one of our all time favorites! We visited Johannesburg, Cape Town, Cape Point, the Garden Route and Kapama Private game reserve for safari. The entire 2 weeks were wonderful, diverse and so fun. Johannesburg was so interesting. Cape Town was filled with natural beauty. Seeing penguins on the beach, whales breaching right off the shore, ostrich farms, and walking among elephants at the elephant sanctuary were daily thrills. We paraglided near Knsyna, went hiking and kayaking. There is so much to see and do in South Africa! The Safari was the cherry on top of a perfect vacation sundae!
TW
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Responsive and well organized
We had such a wonderful trip with Camptrek, especially our guide Vincent and Antony. Our boy loved both of them very much. We spent 10 days in safari at Amboseli, Masai Mara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Tarangire, following up with 3 days in Zanzibar island. The whole trip was smooth and our guides were very responsible and taking care of all our needs.
Vincent is the best guide you could ever find. He’s patient, genuine and thoughtful. Our family was inspired by his passion for wildlife. He is already knowledgeable about the nature and animals. However, he was as curious as we were during the trip. He is more than a guide but like a friend of ours. On the second day of our trip, Vincent invited our 11-year-old boy sitting next to him so they can exchange their knowledge of animal facts. We sincerely appreciate his accompany along the trip. We would definitely love to have Vincent as our guide again next time we visit Tanzania!
What an incredible experience. Highly recommended!!
HK
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent tour agents with very reasonable price
The tour guide is like one of your best friends in Tanzania, very friendly and trying his very best to make you feel comfortable in Tanzania. At the same time, very professional in safari with sufficient knowledge about the animals and the wild life. He is also very helpful and caring, understanding our needs and trying to enrich our tour.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Incredible Wildlife Safari in Chobe National Park
N'Tee was exceptionally friendly and accommodating. He picked us up promptly in Victoria Falls and made nice arrangements for our stay in Kasane. Our tour guide, Max, was very knowledgeable and worked hard to make sure we saw the animals we most wanted to see, including driving quite a bit further the second day to find a zebra herd. Max is an expert spotter and was in close contact with the other guides, who were clearly sharing information about where certain animals could be found. Phillip, the boat guide, was also very thorough and shared lots of information with us. I would rate N'Tee Safaris as an excellent values for the money.