An authentic safari experience
This is the place to go for an authentic safari experience. The park is huge and the wildlife abundant but the number of other vehicles very minimal. As a result, on numerous occasions we found animals in the wild such as lions and elephants and were the only vehicle present. This is a big contrast to stories we have heard of 10-15 cars for each viewing in the more well known game parks in Kenya and Tanzania. Our trip was also much better value than the larger parks. Would recommend to all.
Tanda Tula Private Game Reserve a unique and simply wonderful life experience
My family and I all enjoyed a holiday of a life time during our 5 day stay at Tanda Tula game reserve within Timbavati Nature reserve. The tented accommodation exceeded expectations, with wonderful views of the wildlife from our own veranda. A real family atmosphere amongst the Tanda Tula team is evident, the food simply amazing, the local music and dancing truly captures the essence of the mood of wild Africa. The attention to detail and customer service from the team within the camp is simply world class. The guides (Foremen and Given in our case) are wonderful people, friendly, extremely knowledgable and are willing to tailor the drives to your individual requests. We completed a total of 12 drives during our time along with a number of short safari walks. I am sure some luck was on our side as we were privileged to witness a number of rare sightings, such as honey badgers, african wild cat and a leopard stalk which ended in a successful kill. Weather was fantastic during our time not too hot during the day and comfortable during the evening. Overall an amazing experience!
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50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Jinja by KVaughn49
Jinja is more of a 'rest' area and viewing the Nile River than a wildlife destination, although we saw more monkeys and smaller wildlife there.
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50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime African experience!!
To actually see wildlife in their natural environment was a stunning and unique experience. The numerous elephants, water buffaloes, Impalas and Kob antelope made our safari with our guide, Sam, a breathtaking
tour of the QE National Park. The Kazinga Channel cruise was awe-inspiring, as we ventured very near elephants, hippos, water buffaloes, and crocodiles! The more amazing photos I gathered were of the numerous fish-eagles, one of which had a talapia fish held in its talons as it flew and landed on a tree branch!!
We had accommodations at the Mweya Lodge which was fantastic! The views of the Rwenzori Mountains and the Kazinga Channel from its mountaintop location was great! One could see elephants and other wildlife walking about the shores of the Kazinga Channel from the patio of our room! The food is first-rate and the rooms were luxurious as well. The general manager and host at the Mweya Lodge was very friendly and gave us historical accounts and other information on the area.
The QE Nat'l Park was a difficult drive and the weather was warm but it accounts for the African 'experience'.
Uganda is truly the "Pearl of Africa" !!
An incredible two day experience
We visited Sabi Sabi in mid March 2015. Our ranger picked us up at the airport and before we reached the lodge we had memorable animal encounters with elephants, giraffes, impala's, and nyala's. Our ranger (Eve) and tracker (Donald) were assigned to us for our full stay which provided for good continuity. They were both great. As it turned out, we had the vehicle to ourselves which made it like a private tour. Ranger Eve asked what we liked to look for and adjusted to meet our interests that included looking for birds. We saw all the big 5 and had special (at least to me) encounters with cheetahs, wild dogs, and leopards. We took a nature hike with the ranger and saw two leopards on foot. We saw a large number of birds in the bush. The weather had been quite dry, so we did not see many wading birds. The accommodations were first class. Very spacious, private, and clean. The food was served buffet style but there was a wide variety and of very good quality. The included house wines were also quite good. The cakes available at the afternoon high tea were exceptionally good. They are worth eating even if you are not hungry. It was a nice touch to have our ranger join us for dinner both nights. This allowed us to learn a lot more about Sabi and SA and added to our overall experience. Yes, it is expensive but I would say it is still a good value based on the personal service we received. You are going to remember the experience more than you are going to miss the few hundred bucks. By the way, on the way back to the airport we saw lions.
Review about Botswana by evimeyer
Botswana has a heavy emphasis on conservation and very experienced and helpful guides.
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50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
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50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Uganda by KVaughn49
I was not disappointed in experiencing the wildlife and other animals, as well as the scenery of Uganda! My Nikon experienced over 1800 'clicks'! The photography was phenomenal!
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20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
What an Amazing, Once-In-A-Lifetime Experience by Kenya Walking Survivors Safaris
Kenya Walking Survivors Safaris (KWSS) was a once in a lifetime experience.
While there are other high-end safari options out there, I felt that KWSS was the best bang-for-your-buck option out there. While going through the booking process, Mr. Otieno (the manager), was extremely quick to respond to any questions or concerns we had.
After being reassured of the itinerary for our 3-day Masai Mara safari, we went ahead and placed our deposit a few weeks before we were scheduled to be in Kenya.
Once we arrived in Nairobi from our long flight from the USA, we were picked up by KWSS - Clements (driver) and Sam (cook) - at our Bed and Breakfast. From there, we departed on the 6 hour journey to Masai Mara. Along the way, we stopped at various shops and a restaurant to grab souvenirs, food, and drinks. Clements and Sam knew all the answers to our questions as well.
Arriving at our camp before dinner, we had a short game drive in Masai Mara. Clements was quick to radio other drivers (might have been 7 other drivers) to see where all the animals were. He eventually caught wind of a lion and lioness together, so we headed there and saw these majestic animals.
While we were on the drive, Sam was busy at camp cooking up a delicious dinner meal. The dinner meals typically consisted of beef, a vegetable, bread, water, coffee and tea. While breakfast was usually a spanish omelet, juice, potatoes, coffee and tea. Sam’s cooking is amazing and kept us well nourished throughout the safari.
The following days consisted of more game drives where we went all over Masai Mara, close to the Tanzania border, the Mara River, and much more. All while passing thousands of zebras and wildebeests, buffalos, giraffes, elephants, cheetahs, and more. There were times when I caught myself smiling from how amazing this experience was.
Book with the confidence knowing that you will have an amazing time. I cannot recommend Kenya Walking Survivors Safaris enough.
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35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Incredible safari with African Big Five!
Musa, our guide, was fantastic. We couldn't have asked for a better guide. He was friendly and professional, and extremely knowledgeable about the wildlife, as well as history and culture. He made it a very interesting safari. We appreciated that he was never in a rush, but took his time to make sure we saw what we wanted, got the pictures we wanted, and had time to take in the views and enjoy the experience. He knew where to look and was persistent in finding the big game -- and we thoroughly enjoyed seeing them.
Geoffrey and the office staff went above and beyond to answer all our email questions, to understand what we wanted to do/ experience, then organize the perfect safari for us.
We found their prices very reasonable -- especially for the quality of the experience, lodging and guide. We definitely recommend them and would use them again!
Some of the highlights included the brief hike at the top of Murchison Falls and the river cruise on the Nile. The pop-up top vehicle really is a must, in our opinion, as it made for an awesome way to drive in the park and take in all the wildlife and views. And of course, we loved all the wildlife - especially the elephants, giraffes, and the lion and lioness and cub.