65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great company, outstanding client service and attention
When we were first planning our trip to South Africa from our home in the USA we did not know much about the attractions and accommodations, other than there were a lot of safari options and operators available. With our Internet searching we stumbled upon the highly rated Pembury Tours out of Port Elizabeth, and its representative, Laurette McKinnon.
Over numerous email exchanges from afar she was able to sort out our desires, budget, and concerns (e.g., Cape Town's drought) to arrange our itinerary to include 4 event-packed days in Cape Town and 5 days on safari at a game reserve in southeast South Africa, away from the crowds and commercialization in the northern Krueger areas most visited by tourists. Even with the 9 hour time zone differences, it seemed like her replies were immediate to our numerous queries.
They were wise choices on her part. We did almost everything we wanted to do in Cape Town and environs, given our short stay, and our safari out of the recommended Lalibela Game Reserve exceeded our expectations. The proximity to the game animals, the splendid accommodations at Lentaba Lodge, and the knowledgeable ranger guides made our visit all the more memorable. Every transportation option we needed was arranged by Laurette and there were no glitches - airport pickups, local area tours, internal SA flight connections, special requests, etc.
It is difficult to plan an extended trip like we had when you are doing it from 8,000 miles away with an agent you had never met. It takes a lot of trust and patience on both sides. We went through frequent changes and revisions to our travel plan. And it all had to fit in the budget constraints we had.
So we were very fortunate that our search took us to Pembury Tours and its representative, Laurette McKinnon. We highly recommend them to others, knowing they will make your trip as memorable as ours.
CA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Customized safari with impeccable service, exceeding expectations.
Fortes Safaris wildly exceeded any expectations I had. You know how you build up most vacations and experiences based on movies and expectations, then have the reality be close but not quite live up that standard? This was one of those rare times when everything was right on the money. Communication with Sophie was prompt and professional, she was very accommodating to our changing schedule and timeline; the owner, Lucas, was attentive and followed up with us along the way to ensure everything was perfect; and our driver Kapama had better eyes than eagle, drove safely and sanely all day long, and was wonderfully knowledgeable about the creatures we saw along the way. We did a 4 day safari through Serengeti - Ngorongoro - Tarangire. We were taken through a maze of roads through the park and hardly saw another vehicle along the way but did see the big 5 and a recently fed python crossing the road. 10/10 would recommend Fortes ltd.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Flawless trip organisation with excellent service throughout!
Just visited Uganda to take my wife to see the gorillas (and chimps) as a birthday treat. A little apprehensive when first booking with these guys as I knew nothing of them. All correspondence was answered instantly with suggestions on how I could improve my proposed itinerary which only made our experience better. Desire dealt with all trip administration in a very efficient manner. Payment was made using a secure method which built my confidence with balance on arrival. Moses was our guide; friendly, safe, knowledgeable and keen to ensure we gained the most from our visit - even met his dad in passing!! Lodges were of a high standard. Views were amazing and time with the gorillas and chimps is impossible to describe - just amazing! The chimps even came to see us on the track after failing to find them in the forest during our 3-hour trek which meant we had return with the ranger - no questions or quibbles, Moses an£ the ranger were just as excited as we were! Overall an outstanding experience with a very well run company. If in doubt, drop them an e-mail and take a holiday of a lifetim3 to a country you will simply adore. I will do it all again with these guys next year!
UA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
What a great care and support I got
My trip couldn't have been better
They have experienced workers
The hospitality, the accommodation, the food, the environment .... i just love everything
I had a lot of fun
7-day Serengeti Safari
The drivers were great. The accommodations were very nice. The safari was amazing. Given that my only complaints are a so-so sack lunch on a couple of days and the unfilled desire (rightly unfulfilled) to safari drive into the night, I think it is safe to say that I HIGHLY recommend E-Trip.
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very accommodating and the amazing private safari exceeded all our expectations.
This is one of the mid range cost Safaris so I did not expect it to be so luxurious. To our surprise, this was a private Safari and me and my girlfriend were the only ones in the jeep for all our game drives. We had problems with our flights (unrelated to this safari tour) and Loyd, tour operator, was kind enough to drive us to the airline desk so we could resolve our problem. Everything went exactly as planned.
I would recommend this tour to anyone.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Excellent Tour Operator
Thanks so much to Elias for helping to organise our trip, and to Paul for being such an excellent guide. I was amazed and how quickly and efficiently Elias was able to communicate via email. I would literally receive responses within minutes which made planning very easy. He was quickly on hand to amend our plans when the airline changed our flight home. The tour was great, some of the accommodation was really special and memorable and the Gorilla track was a genuine once in a lifetime experience that was worth every cent. I can only encourage anyone looking to travel to East Africa to put your trust in Home to Africa, as I doubt you’ll find a better option in this region that offers such great value.
SK
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Nice experience
Safari was great, accomodation was very good, food tasty, our driver Patrick was the best. We really enjoyed. I can recommend.
Just before you go discuss carefully what is included in the price. We should have boat trip included but we have to pay extra. Usually agency gives the money to driver so he should pay for you.
HK
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Spotted all Big Five on our first day!
We had a very enjoyable time during our 6 day safari tour. Our guide/driver Arony was very professional and experienced, and thanks to him we were one of the lucky ones to spot all the Big Five in one day at the Mara including the elusive leopard and black rhino. We appreciated Arony's wealth of knowledge about the the animals and about his country, we learnt a lot through him. While the drives between the parks can be quite long (our longest day was from Nakuru to Amboseli - 8 hours), he would try his best to get us to the destination in the fastest way while being safe. Tips for future travellers: You can ask to buy extra water on the way out of Nairobi aside from the bottles the company provide during game drives. Kenya can be very hot and dry and it's important to stay hydrated. Drinks are not included in the restaurants/lodgings, and are more expensive once you are in the parks. Make sure you have enough batteries/power banks and memory cards. Not all camps have 24 hour electricity nor sockets in your tents. We took more photos than expected as Arony really made an effort to make sure we get the best angles, and the right moments when the animals are moving. This tour is great for its value, it's budget friendly compared to other operators, but don't expect luxury. All in all, it was a trip of a lifetime, and we hope to be going on more safaris in the future!
6 days Serengeti & Ngorongoro Crater safari experience
My experience with Asante Safaris was simply amazing!
Renny took every measure necessary from start to finish to ensure we had the trip of a lifetime. From helping me to craft the perfect experience that would fit within our budget to actually being present when we first arrived for our safari, my wife and I were never in any doubt that we were in good hands. The communications and service were excellent.
Going into the safari itself, I had extremely high expectations. Doing a safari has always been a dream of mine, so the bar was already very high. And it's fair to say that the safari experience that Asante Safaris organized for us not only exceeded, but crushed our expectations. Our driver, Honest, was top notch, and gave us complete control over the experience. If we wanted to sleep in one morning and start our safari drive a bit later, no problem. Likewise, if we wanted to have a morning drive and then relax by the pool at our hotel during the day, and do another drive in the evening, no problem. I can't rate this guy highly enough.
Overall, I rate this experience 5 stars. I think the true measurement of the success / enjoyment factor of a trip is whether you would do it over again. I am someone who loves to travel, but have limited time, so there are very few places I would go back to a second time. Not because, I don't enjoy the places I go, but simply because there's not enough time in one's life to experience all there is to see and, therefore, in order to go back to the same place more than once would mean it has to hold extra special meaning. I feel like this trip is one such occasion which we would experience again and again. It's a once in a lifetime experience, and you'll be in good hands with Renny and the rest of the staff at Asante Safaris.