NO
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
WOW. Just WOW!
What a spectacular holiday! And Kla Adventures with our friendly, service minded, skilled and fast driver Gasper made that happen. We visited Tarangire national park with its Baobab trees for a day, where we came close to our first elephants and giraffes, amongst other animals and birds. Then we drove further and stayed overnight at beautiful Kirurumu tented Lodge on our way to Serengeti. The next day the trip went through the jungle on Ngorongoro crater rim, then in open landscape with masai villages and got to see the migration of wildebeasts and zebras in thousands, and further to Serengeti for three nights in beautiful Signature Sergengeti Luxury Tented Safari Camp. Gasper knew where to drive to let us see the elephants, giraffes, lions, leopards, gepard, hippos, hyenas, buffalos, different antelopes, serval, black-backed jackal and warthogs. What a treat! On our way back to Arusha, we also got to visit a Masai village and a two plantations where they grew bananas and coffee. Thank you Kla Adventures and Gasper for making this an experience of our lifetime.
CH
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing tour operator which made our tour through Uganda an unforgettable experience!
We booked a 10 day tour through Uganda to do Safaris and see monkeys and apes. The amount of animals we have seen by far exceeded our expectations — just on day 1 we have seen the Big 5! And it was amazing how close we got to all the animals, esp. to the chimps and the mountain gorillas. Further, we had an amazing guide, Lorand, who was incredibly knowledgeable and educated about the animal world and every aspect of Uganda. Plus the lodges/hotels were always very nice, w/ beautiful views and all served delicious food. V. good value for money considering all park entries, special activities w/ rangers, all meals AND gorilla permit are included. Unforgettable, beautiful experience!
JP
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very friendly
Very comfortable and very good breakfast + good coffee. Room was so nice and relax.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic safari experience
Bucket list item checked and huge thanks to Axis Africa for a truly wonderful experience!
Lennox and Cynthia were prompt and clear with their responses to my questions months before the trip. Communication was great both on emails and WhatsApp. 6am Airport pickup was on time, had a nice breakfast before meeting the rest of the group and before the longggggg drive.
We saw the Big 5 and more at Masai Mara, Crescent Island, Nakuru and Naivasha. Big shout out to our driver/guide Johnny Jac who was terrific: he made sure to give us the perfect photo angles, bathroom breaks and made us feel safe the entire time on safari. He’s a great animal spotter and seemed well-liked by other drivers and park rangers.
Some tips I want to share:
Make sure you book a Land Cruiser instead of Van. Our Land Cruiser had WiFi and charging ports. We moved a lot faster than those in a van. There’s HOURS of rough roads to see these wild animals and Land Cruiser is the way to go (or fly to Masai Mara).
Bring wipes, slippers, protein bars, snacks, sunblock, hat and mosquito repellant. Our doctor prescribed malaria pills. Axis provided bottled waters, box lunches and meals in the camp and hotel.
Bring small bills/cash to TIP the driver, park guides & hotel staff, and to buy souvenirs. There’s no ATM or Venmo in the wild and at Masai Village.
Again: Asante Sana (thank you) Johnny! We had a fantastic 1st safari experience with you and recommend you highly!
I’m on IG @i_therefore_conclude for vids, pics & if you have questions.
ES
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very attentive and kind. Great explanations and always keen to provide comfort.
At the time I traveled with Viajes MATATU, I was a student, so I greatly valued their flexibility in adapting both the budget and the experiences. I was looking to engage with Ugandan culture and avoid highly touristy sites, and they accommodated that perfectly.
Everything went smoothly, and I was very satisfied with my trip.
I loved that one of the owners is European, as she understood my culture, while the other is African, with native knowledge of the region. I personally think this combination adds great value to the company, bridging cultures to create the perfect experience for travelers.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Jartan Lazier guided us on a trip of a lifetime through Kenya and Tanznia!
From the very beginning of our trip to the very end everyday was filled with new discoveries, new information, and extremely enjoyable experiences. Even what could have been mundane travel from location to location became adventures as Jartan imparted his knowledge and answered our questions with informative factual explanations. No day lacked entertainment, either. Jartan’s fun loving personality and willingness to joke made all of his “guests” careful to not be too serious all the time. It was a fun filled tour!
All lodging was superb. Accommodations selected by Jartan exceeded our expectations. Staff at all lodges was very polite, helpful, and very attentive. They anticipated our needs. Although we stayed only a few days at most at a location, staff knew our names and our food preferences shortly after our arrival. Rooms and public areas included all amenities possible and were spotlessly clean. Food choices at all meals were endless, widely varied, very well prepared, and plentiful.
Animal viewing was spectacular! New and exciting views and encounters each and every minute when on Game Drives. This was a great time of year to travel in Africa; many large herds of zebra, wildebeest, warthogs, elephants, giraffes, and so many babies!
We must all remember that the Hyena is the most beautiful animal in the wilds of Africa! Too bad it was not selected as one of the “Big Five”.
IN
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Jack was really an awesome guide
Safari was very well organized. The Jeep ride was very comfortable especially with the kids. We had an amazing safari experience. Our tour guide Jack was exceptional and made sure we had very good sightings of animals. Highly recommend them for ur Masai mara safari trip.
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Experience and trusted tour operator
Dear people, what we have experienced in the last 4 days was so fantastic that I can't really describe it with my simple rhetorical options. My wife and I decided on a camping safari at short notice and flew from Zanzibar to Arusha. We just wanted to see what's going on with safaris in the short term. The reception at our Venice Hotel referred us to Cubs Expeditions. Ellie was the name of our contact. A very reliable, sincere and helpful young man who managed to send us on our dream tour the next day (Camping Safari 4 days Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater for under €700). Our tour was breathtaking, we saw much more than we could actually process. And camping in the wilderness is definitely worth an experience, with hyenas and jackals all around us. But we never felt unsafe because we had our guide and driver Stanley at our side, who navigated us safely through the wilderness at all times and tracked down all the wild animals that could be seen for us. Great class. Gidion, our cook, took care of our physical well-being. What the man conjured up using simple means from a larger camping stove was top notch. Simple and very tasty. All in all, the two looked after our group perfectly for 4 days and made our safari an unforgettable experience. Thanks to you and thanks to Ellie and Cubs Expeditions 6 out of 5 stars
IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable
Our experience with this safari agency was magnificent. We initially had a misunderstanding regarding the start and end dates of the safari, but when they realized we intended to begin a day earlier, they promptly resolved the issue. They arranged everything seamlessly with another agency they often collaborate with, ensuring no inconvenience for us. 'Pole Pole' and 'Hakuna Matata' are truly part of their culture!
They picked us up from the airport and even organized our return transfer, which was to a different and more distant airport, without any issue. The safari itself was breathtaking. Everyone was incredibly kind, and our guide was highly attentive to our needs, going above and beyond to help us spot all the Big Five.
We highly recommend this agency for anyone planning a safari in Tanzania!
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Start to finish communication, coordination, transportation, accommodations & staff were outstanding
We have both traveled extensively internationally for business and pleasure but never to South Affrica. In Jan 2024, we booked a trip of a lifetime with GoTouchDown tours, at the AZ Travel show. The no pressure sales associate Lucia was very helpful. Lucia and Deon spent time getting to understand who we were, what we were interested in, the type of activities we liked and our budget. They made recommendations on what would be the best trip for us, including what time of year would be best, time spent in each location, overall travel times and budget. We decided on a 17 day, Big 5 Safari, West Coast of South Africa, and Vitoria Falls adventure in late Oct 2024. Start to finish the communication, coordination, transportation, accommodations, and staff were outstanding. Flights are long from the Southwest US, but worth it.
I apologize for the length of this review. It was a long trip, but it was amazing and well worth it. I would recommend and use GoTouchDown in the future for you travel to South Africa.
The Royal Murubisi game lodge was amazing. This is one of two small (6-8 rooms) resorts in the entire Kaingo reserve (41,000 Acres +). The accommodations were first class and then some. We had twice daily game drives (early morning and Sundowner / Happy hour). Our guides were fantastic. Z and Yolanda were truly knowledgeable about the reserve, the animals, and the research on the reserve. The entire staff was friendly, and beyond helpful and attentive. They made us feel like we were the only ones at the resort. The food was amazing, and plentiful. At times we had to skip meals and snacks because it was simply too much for us.
The shuttles between airports and hotels and flights coordinated flawlessly by the GoTouchDown South African travel support specialist Anisa. Our drivers were always waiting for us right as we got off the plane. We did not have to worry about anything. The most people we had on any tour and transfer were five plus the driver.
The western Cape was extremely beautiful. All the hotels were genuinely nice boutique hotels with amazing facilities, staff, and service. We spent several days in of the three locations. Each location brought a unique perspective of this beautiful country. Shark Bay is in a small fishing and resort area. Absolutely amazing accommodations overlooking shark bay and the area. Ladybird vineyard lodges was located on a wine farm in South African wine country. Again, very nice accommodations, but least favorite as proximity to other things in the area. Last stop was Belle Maroc on the beach on the western cape. Again, very amazing accommodations, with great staff.
Our excursions were included in this portion of the trip and were incredibly fun and informative. Our driver / tour guide was deeply knowledgeable, friendly, and accommodating. He made the trip very enjoyable. I would suggest that you look closely at the excursions, with possible alternate plans for some of them. For example, we were unable to get up Table Mountain for 5 days due to the weather, which was one of the excursions. We had to wing it a bit during this time.
The shuttles and flights to Victoria Fall and our hotel were flawless. Shuttle drivers got us through border crossings between Zimbabwe and Zambia. The Avani hotel was again first class, and right at the gate to Victoria falls. The staff and the accommodations were beyond what was expected. Wildlife walking by the pool, a very attentive staff, and amazing natural beauty made the ending of the trip even more memorable.
We highly recommend the trip and GoTouchDown!
