NZ
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Kruger safari sept 2013
Our travel agent was Madelein Norvel. She was by far the best travel agent we have encountered. Prompt, detailed communication. Every detail/request was thought of and taken care of and our holiday was perfect. We found go2africa to be a proffessional company with great value for money, quality holidays and would not hesitate to use again or recommend to others.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a lifetime!
We recently returned from a 16 day safari though Zohar African Safaris. From our first contact with Zohar, we felt our needs and questions were responded to clearly and quickly. Lily, the owner, asked many questions about our interests. I had not realized at the time how well she could translate this information into a 16 day itinerary that completely reflected what I had shared with her, making the safari feel like a personal experience throughout our East African adventure.
Our itinerary was designed so that we did different kinds of activities each day. This was great, as it kept us alert the entire time, balancing animal viewing with recreation and cultural events. This also gave us the opportunity to stretch and exercise after long game viewing days. Every accommodation and the foods we had surpassed all our expectations.
We thought Africa would be spectacular on its own, but had not realized how having a fabulous safari guide would enhance our experience. Our safari guide, Sammy Sikombe, was one of the most likable, informative, talented (and humorous) person I ever met. He was flexible and seemed to care about every aspect of our safari.
To give an example how the itinerary worked, after our first day viewing the wildlife (Tarangire National Park) we had a bike ride in Mte wa Mbu and then did more wild life viewing at Lake Manyara. The next day we had the amazing experience of spending time with the Hadzabe bushmen hunting game and getting to know their way of life and why they live as they do. Our cultural safari guide and translator, Musa, was great. When I asked the Hadzabe chief why they still rub sticks together each time they wanted to make a fire, given they could just use a match or lighter, he said you never know when you will have a lighter or match available, so they keep the skill of rubbing sticks together by doing it for each fire. This practical response made a lot of sense to me. I just could not believe I was having this kind of conversation(translated by Musa) with a caveman in the 21st century !
The next day we did a walking safari in the Ngorongoro Highlands with its big and wide panoramic views and then visited a Maasai community that rarely had tourists visit them. We let Lily know we did not want our cultural visits to be in places that were over-touristed and canned performances and she said all the Zohar cultural visits were with groups that received few visitors , which made them personal, unique and spontaneous. All our cultural visits had the high quality we were looking for. This was how our safari continued for our entire time.
Our trip ended with 4 incredible days in Zanzibar, staying in one of the old palaces of the last ruling Sultan. It was located ideally and the hotel was magnificent with the most welcoming, helpful staff.
The combination of Lily’s efficiency, Sammy’s warmth and knowledge and a well designed itinerary taking us to high quality and unique settings made our safari perfect.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda
We went with Umubano Tours for our Rwanda Gorilla Trek. They were absolutely wonderful! Our guide, John Bosco was a delight - as was the owner, Herbert.
They came highly recommended from a friend who used them a year earlier. I would definitely use them again and recommend them to others without hesitation.
CA
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great company to work with.
The planning and execution of our trip to Botswana, Zimbabwe and Namibia was first class. There was very good communication with Madelein and she listened to our thoughts and ideas. It made for a trip of a lifetime ( and also gave us the dream of more African sojourns ).
IT
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Was a wonderfull esperience!!!
Location, service, safari tour and so on Was everything ok! Thank you Phillip
DK
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Well-planned, comfortable and personal safari at a very reasonable price
I was travelling with two other lovely ladies, my mum and aunt, who weren't very used to Kenyan roads and traffic. We were very impressed by how we always felt in safe hands, the hotels were well-picked , and all the staff members we met during our journey always did their best to take care of us. They were also very flexible , e.g. when the weather turned out to be colder than expected in Mara, we got accomodation inside instead of in tents. We also appreciated very much staying in sustainable lodging.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Super Tour Company, A Real African experience.
I was a little skeptical at first as there are so many tour operators and options, but I can say that after the whole tour and everything, that it was an awesome experience and I wouldn't trade my time spent for anything. In terms of the actual tour operator I can't say that there were any problems, the owners and staff were super friendly and the food (really important to me) was first class. A great job overall and I would use them again. Thanks for the Tour!
BE
Great experience with Makasa Tanzanian Safaris
Everything was very good organized: The transport from and to the airport, the accommodation, the safari... We have seen the real African life very closely: we went on a coffee tour with local farmers, we visited a school for girls next to our guest house and we made a tour through Moshi Town.
Further we went on safari to Lake Manyara, Serengeti and Ngorongoro. These parks are totally different from each other, every park has its own characteristics which you can enjoy. Thanks to our experienced guide we've seen many beautiful things, animals and landscapes. We saw all the animals of the big 5: lots of lions and elephants, buffalos, leopards and rhinos. Many times the animals came very close to our car: lions sitting in the shade of our car, a leopard crossing the road behind our car, a mother elephant with her baby passing our car... We've seen a group of hundreds of zebras on the run; we've seen a female lion chasing zebras (without success); we've seen a brave (or stupid) buffalo chasing away 2 lions, but then he got chased himself by the lions, with success. Luckily for this buffalo the other buffalos came to rescue him. This was the most spectacular thing we've seen. It was really amazing to see that the whole group of buffalos (appr. 100) came closer and closer to chase the lions away. The lions ran away behind the cars, all looking to this spectacle.
All these beautiful things were made possible by our guide. He also drove us safely from one beautiful place to another. He shared his experiences and knowledge with us.
We ended our vacation with a stay at Zanzibar: Sun, sea and beach!
IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
An exciting trip through the Namib Desert and all its amazing locations.
All accomodations were above my expectations. Philip has been an excellent guide,
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Fantastic experience in every way!
We decided less than a month before departure to do a southern Africa trip. I researched about fifteen tour operators that had good reviews and contacted seven. Nature Travel Namibia quickly rose to the top and responded almost immediately—hours and days before anyone else. They offer a wide variety of established tours or will create a personal one that meets all your needs. The owner, Nick Buys, was able to arrange all within days and got the desired bookings for a 15 day tour of Namibia, Botswana, and Zambia. Everything worked perfectly!
A native of Namibia, he is a wildlife expert, especially birds. He also runs birding trips to a number of places. He can spot one on the wing from a hundred yards away and tell you exactly what it is, describe its habits, relationship to other birds, etc. His knowledge is absolutely amazing. He’s equally good with all wildlife. He’d say, “There’s a zebra,” long before I could see it even with him pointing. This isn’t just a job for him. You can tell he truly loves what he’s doing. His goal is to create the greatest trip possible. He’s very flexible and put our interests and comfort above all else. What sets him apart even further from others is his wonderful sense of humor and genuine, passionate enthusiasm. It’s very infectious. So beware! You may never want to leave and will be determined to return many times. I’ve traveled to 40 countries and this was my third trip to Africa. Never have I had such a fulfilling and exciting experience. Five plus stars. Highly recommended.