TW
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Exploring Tanzania: Tarangire, Lake Natron, Serengeti, Ngorongoro & Lake Eyasi in 8 Days
We joined an 8-day private lodge safari with Safari Soles Tours, and it was truly the trip of a lifetime. I went with a friend, and we were guided by Jonas — a highly professional, polite, and passionate guide who has a deep love for wildlife and an incredible eye for spotting animals.
Thanks to Jonas, we witnessed unforgettable scenes: a lioness nursing her cubs, a cheetah feeding on its prey, a leopard lounging in a tree, herds of elephants including babies walking toward a waterhole, hyenas, a serval cat, African buffalo, hippos, crocodiles, monkeys, baboons, countless zebras and wildebeests, impalas, elands, gazelles, topis, and even a distant glimpse of a black rhino.
Bird lovers will be thrilled — we saw so many species, including the Ashy Starling, Superb Starling, kingfishers, hornbills, owls, eagles, ibises, storks, Egyptian geese, grey herons, Baglafecht Weavers, flamingoes, and the stunning grey crowned crane. I’m sure there were many more that I couldn’t name — but all of these incredible sights are forever etched in our memories and captured in our cameras.
We were also lucky to witness a small group of wildebeest crossing the river — it lasted only about 3 minutes, but Jonas's experience and perfect timing ensured we arrived just in time to see it.
While the afternoon heat between 2 to 4 PM was intense and took some getting used to, everything else — from the amazing wildlife to the comfortable lodge accommodations — made this an unforgettable experience.
If I have the chance, I would love to return during the green season to see the Ngorongoro Crater in its lush, post-rainy-season beauty. I’m sure it would be a whole different yet equally unforgettable adventure.
We also did a hot air balloon safari, which, although pricey, was absolutely worth it. From above, we saw breathtaking views of large herds of animals and, for the first time on this trip, a group of vultures gathered around and feeding on the carcass of what looked like a gazelle or wildebeest — a rare and powerful sight.
Safari Soles arranged the balloon safari with a highly rated and safe operator, which gave us extra peace of mind.
Additionally, they helped us organize a visit to a Hadzabe tribe, and our local guide Harzad was excellent — knowledgeable, respectful, and able to communicate well with the Hadzabe people, allowing us to have meaningful interactions and ask questions.
All in all, this trip exceeded every expectation. If I ever have the chance, I would absolutely go again — and I would choose Safari Soles Tours in a heartbeat.
MY
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent service, polite, friendly and helpful, well serviced and reliable vehicles
Unforgettable experience , would recommend to all
under20 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Punctual, knowledgeable, and ready to show us what Tanzania had to offer.
An unforgettable experience. Every single day was full of once in a lifetime sights. We saw every animal and site that we wanted to see and more.
SE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very personal and tailored experience!
Had a great experience with Wild Plus Escapades for our trip to Maasai Mara and would book with them again immediately!
Especially Esther has gone above and beyond to create a highly personalized experience for us and done everything to make this a more than memorable trip. We booked the safari quite spontaneously (a week before) during peak season and were a bit pressed for time but Esther was extremely responsive and helpful in her communications, even with last-minute changes, helping us to tailor our trip so we get to make the most of the experience, e.g. we had a certain budget but also would have loved to fly in one-way, just to see Maasai Mara from above and Esther completely got our situation and proactively made suggestion on how we could tailor the trip to accommodate our interests + circumstances. Also, absolutely recommend the fly-in (at least one way), not so much for convenience and time-saving, but simply because the views from above are absolutely stunning and a great addition to the on-the-ground game drives.
We felt well taken care of and and found the staff knowledgeable and friendly throughout. If you are looking for a personal and tailored experience, we warmly recommend Wild Plus Escapades!
IL
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
A WONDERFULL EXPERIENCE IN RWANDA AND UGANDA
We went on Aa private tour this June' for 16 days to Rwanda and Uganda. Organized by W International/ Everything was perfectly organized, we had a fantastic local guide who took care of all our needs and had so much knowledge. We had a dream experience with the local people, scenery and wild animals, including the Mountain Gorillas! We were pampered with beautiful and comfortable lodges and tasty food. Everything was so interesting.
We really enjoyed the tour
Our guide took care of everything for us and was very knowledgeable abd patient. We enjoyed his personality.
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent tour with Papa John!
We had an incredible 6-day safari experience and felt truly lucky to have Papa John as our guide. Everything was well organized, and Papa John went above and beyond to make sure we were comfortable and enjoying every moment.
Papa John shared so much knowledge about the animals, which made the experience even more meaningful. He also made sure we were always in the perfect position to take great photos, we never missed a moment!
If you’re planning a safari and want an unforgettable adventure, make sure to ask for Papa John. You won’t regret it!
HK
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A Wonderful and Memorable Safari Experience
Leopard Orchid Safaris responded to our initial safari inquiries and assisted with the reservation process, supplying information and options throughout. It answered all our questions promptly and suggested valuable ideas to us as well. The communication was excellent.
11-Day Samburu, Ol Pejeta, Nakuru, Maasai Mara, Naivasha, Amboseli Safari. Victor welcomed us at the airport and introduced Sami, our safari guide, to us for the following 11 days of adventure. Sami is a friendly and knowledgeable guide. He speaks softly and makes sure we have a pleasant experience. In the safari, he can always get us to the right spots at the right time without hindering other safari vehicles. Just into the second day of our tour, thanks to Sami's expertise, we spotted a leopard in Samburu NR. We rounded up the Big Five in only three days. Overall, we saw a total of 83 distinct kinds of animals, birds, and reptiles, including lions, leopards, cheetahs, rhinos, buffalos, elephants, giraffes, antelopes etc. Every time we have a question on the animal, Sami would patiently tell us the name of the animal, their behavior, and how to tell whether it is a male or female as well as other related information. That's how we got all 83 by their names.
Besides his exceptional knowledge of the safari, he also showed that he has a big heart to lend a helping hand for others. In Maasai Mara, we saw two incidents of safari vehicles stuck on the side of the road. Sami asked us if it is OK with us that he help with the stuck vehicles. He quickly towed the vehicles free. We were extremely impressed with him.
Sami is also very flexible with the schedule. Depending on the condition of the day and our wishes, he would try to accommodate the best for us. There were incidents where we were a bit behind our schedule, mainly because we spent too much time shopping for souvenirs, Sami would patiently wait for us and let us finish and we continued to our next destination. He also went as far as throwing a surprise birthday celebration for my wife with the staff at Naivasha Kongoni Lodge. We were totally surprised and felt so happy for what he did. We really appreciate it. It was truly a memorable birthday for my wife and a memorable trip for both of us.
Thank you, Sami and Leopard Orchid Safaris. We will be back to see you again. Maasai Mara never disappoints.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very informative
Tour itself was excellent, lots of information and guide extremely informative.
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
From start to finish, it was a flawless and amazing experience.
I picked Lion King for our safari this June after doing research on safaribookings and other sites. It ended up being a very good decision. The initial contact with Jovitha and then Nickson, and the attention to detail through the booking process was flawless.
There were 6 of us, including 2 boys aged 8 and 10, so we were looking for something affordable but very comfortable. The value we got from Lion King, staying in beautiful accommodations in the tented camp in the Serengeti and the lodge near the Ngorongoro highlands was amazing.
The biggest plus though was the safari itself and our amazing guide Yusuph. We did a 5 day safari, with stops in the Serengeti, Ngorongoro crater and highlands and Tarangire.
The game drives every day were amazing. Yusuph has great knowledge of both the parks themselves and of all the animals we saw. One example of going beyond what is needed-- he saw a herd of elephants in the distance but thought that they might be heading our way. We sat there for a while, and the elephants walked right to us, crossing the road right in front of us- at least 25 including the smallest babys!
The whole experience was great! I totally can recommend Lion King for the experience from start to finish.