20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great guide, good value for money
Maturaf organised 6 nights on safari in northern Tanzania and Zanzibar for my husband and I. His correspondence before booking was professional and he was flexible in tailoring the trip to work with our schedule. The rates were very competitive and now, after having seen the accommodations and experienced the luxury of a private tour, I think Regional Tours offers great value for money. Once we had paid the deposit and before the trip, there was a noticeable lack of response/information from Maturaf. For example, we would have liked to see confirmation from each hotel/camp that our bookings had been made, and although Maturaf told us repeatedly they would be forthcoming, they never were and so we made these confirmations ourselves directly with the hotels/camps. Once we arrived in Africa, Regional Tours proved to be very reliable and everything went smoothly – although we did always wonder after the poor correspondence we had received before arrival. Our driver/guide, Didas, was very helpful in recommending when we should make a start in order to cover what we wanted to see, and it was so lovely to have the flexibility of a private tour in our own jeep. Didas was a great driver (our game drives never seemed as bumpy as what others told us to expect), amazing at spotting wildlife, and knew so much about the parks – he’s been a guide for 12 years so he knows his stuff! The accommodations that Maturaf chose were lovely as well – even the tented camp was the poshest tent I’ve ever slept in! The only slight hiccup was that we had been quoted that bottled water was included on the game drives, but were told when we started our first day that it wasn't, which left us in an awkward situation as we had no internet connection with which to confirm this with Maturaf, and led to a mild case of dehydration for my husband that first day. In the end it wasn't a big deal as water was cheap and it only cost us $10 or so for the whole trip. Overall a great trip and I would use Regional Tours again.
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wonderful - Everything was impeccable!
Our first trip to Africa held great excitement and anticipation for us. We love travel and had expected that Africa would be wonderful and once done we would happily move on to explore different parts of the world. What we never expected was that Africa would become a passion! The fact that we are looking forward to our 3rd trip in a few months is a testament to the wonders of Africa and the exceptional work of our travel specialist – Michael Haines. Had it not been for Michael Haines’ advice, we would certainly have followed the standard tours – had an acceptable experience and never returned. Thankfully, with his counsel, we opted for a more’ authentic’ experience and have never looked back. Our experiences have included Capetown’s coastline, South Africa’s world famous vineyards, the breathtaking unspoiled beauty of Botswana, Rwanda with its remarkable mountain gorillas, the magnificence of Victoria Falls and the Zambezi River and the wide open plains of Kenya.
We are value conscious travelers and Michael helped us decide where we would get the greatest value for our money – and he was right every time. We have been very, very pleased with the locations and accommodation each time. The companies Michael collaborates with are professional and have always taken outstanding care of us – whether on simple transfers or more complicated arrangements. We have never left a location feeling that we wished we had not gone or even had wished we had stayed longer (or not as long).
Finally, and perhaps just as important as our personal experiences, we have recommended Michael Haines to many of our friends in Canada and the USA. Michael Haines has organized brilliant trips for our friends – who have become mesmerized by Africa as well! This just does not happen by accident. Well designed, well organized and well executed travel looks easy but it’s not! Michael makes it look easy, makes it feels effortless and wondrous - that could not happen were it not for his expert level knowledge of the country, his commitment to his clients and his passion for introducing the wonders of Africa to others!
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
every time again and next the serengeti
I am a german visitor and it is easier to copy Pedro ...everything is true!!!!!
Michael has responsibility for his costums and was all the time helpfull to help us and organize our trip!!
Thank you
"3 day Safari Tarangire, Ngorondoro and L.Manyaraimage description
Was a great 3 days experience of our 1st Safari ever. I recomend this agency if you want to do a Safari with best price quality. The Director, Michael was very very nice since 1st contact by Safaribookings and manage a Safari on dates and places that we wont. He picked us up on Airport, leave us on Hotel that was include on price (Very nice hotel, clean and friendly) and every time he was making sure that everthing was ok with us. Then on next day our guide and motorist (Denis) picked us up on hotel and the adventure started. We learned many things about the country and animals with Denis. We stayed on a campsite out of the parks, where the managers were very friendly also. we were on fullboard meals and the cook on campsite was very good. Taragire has many Elephants, Ngorondoro is amanzing (a place to see the Big 5) and lake Manyara is also nice but we couldnt saw the tree climbing lions on that day. We loved this Safari. Next time we will go to Serengeti.
IT
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Breathtaking experience
I first contacted Enrica of South African Dream Tours in Italy last April, in view of celebrating our Silver wedding anniversary (30 September). Unfortunately the time available was so short (only 8 days!!) so reluctantly we had to drop her first proposal (Rovos Rail journey to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe).
She promptly came up with different arrangements to our fullest satisfaction: everything was up to and beyond our expectations (Victoria Falls, Panorama Route drive and game drives at Shumbalala Lodge in South Africa). Not a single minute was wasted, service, communication and organization simply perfect.
Now back home to work, but still dreaming of it...
If you want any further details, just email me
[email protected]
and I will be most pleased to reply.
Do not cry because it's over. Smile because it happened.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A really good guide and efficient pre-tour organisatiion enabled a fantastic trip.
Simon was extremely efficient with his email correspondence and help with our itinerary prior to departure. He really made organising things easy. Our guide, James, was a bonus to have and helped make our trip trouble free and very welcoming. Whilst we understand the vehicles do take a battering we felt that it was slightly under our expectations. Overcoming a hitch with an accommodation booking and an unexpected early departure on our final day didn't dampen our experiences. Very memorable trip.
GR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Best Value, Marvelous experience
We, 2 persons, had a 5 day/4night Tarangire/Serengeti/Ngorongoro Safari with Oltumure Tours & Safaris.
Robert and his team were concetrated to cover our needs and managed to exeed our expectations! Robert always responded to the emails quickly and with clarity to the emails. Further he organised everything perfect, according to our demands and needs and his expeprience.
The guide/driver -Victor, knew many things about the ecosystem in the national Parks, about the animal habits and behaviour, and this helped not only to see the all the big 5 and to spot many animals, but to observe their behaviours -lions mating, elephants taking bath, and even to witness a lion hunt and kill (lions attacked a zebra)- wich was very interesting.
Gabriel the cook is also a marvelous cook who worked very hard in order for us to have plenty of delicious meals.
Also, the agency offered one of the best prices for the tour, so actually is the best value we found for the safari!
In conclusion, I strongly recommend this travel agency!!!
AT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Safari and Meru-Trek
We wanted to do a 4day Safari and a 4day Mt. Meru Trek. Therefore i compared several offers and found Mike's offer to be the best - because it already included transport (from and to the airport), all meals and accomodation. Furthermore, Mike responds quickly to mails and answered all my questions in advance!
The accomodation on safari was better than expected (and even better than booked!) - tented lodges and the great Mountain View Lodge. Our chef cooked great meals in the evening and for breakfast! The lunch boxes were okay, maybe a little bit more variation would be nice. We booked a "joining group" safari and thus shared the car with 1 to 4 other people - but there is enough space in the car.
Our driver Nickson was a real expert in game drives - he stopped at the best spots for taking pictures and had a perfect sense for animals included loads of information concerning fauna and flora. After Tarangire and Ngorongoro (both breathteaking parks and incredible animals!) we had already seen the big 5! In Lake Manyara there were plenty of elephants and birds and Mike offered us to make a walking safari with an armed ranger in Arusha NP - which was also a great experience.
All in all, the safari as PERFECT!
The next day we were picked up by our cook and two porters and went to Mormella Gate in Arusha NP, where me met two other porters. Those guys carried our backpack, sleeping bags (Mike organized very warm sleeping bags for us which are very important because it gets cold), plenty of food and water. We walked with a group accompanied by an armed ranger to Miriakamba Hut on the first day. On the next day, we asceded to Saddle Hut and Little Meru. On day three, we started our summit-ascent at 1 am. The weather was perfect but it was cold! At 6am we reached the summit and watched a breathteaking sunrise next to Kilimanjaro above the clouds - wow! After this incredible moment we descended to Saddle for a snack and continued to Miriakamba. Next day down to Mormella Gate.
We were astonished at the meals - our cook Freddy did a great job. He offered us african and european cuisine with five star quality on 3500m - incredible! The huts were also better than expected.
All in all, the Trek was PERFECT too :)
The next day, Mike gave us a ride to Arusha airport and we went to Zanzibar for another week in paradise.
You can trust Mike and his team to make your safari and trek to a wonderful experience in Tanzania!
The only negative thing is the "tip-culture" we experienced all over the coutry. A tip is regarded as a fixed part of the salary and will be required for safari and trek. Although we would have tipped anyway because all guys did a great job, it's sometimes annoying when you're asked about the tip you will pay.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Beautiful experience; stressful circumstances
First, I must thank Kenya Walking for helping my husband and I have the experience of a lifetime. We visited Tanzania and Uganda and were sincerely amazed by the African wildlife, scenery, and people.
We chose Kenya Walking because of Otieno's quick communication, the ability to customize our itinerary, and the price. We are still grateful to have experienced so much for the price, but feel that it's important for other prospective travelers to be aware of some aspects of unprofessionalism we encountered. They are mostly small things that added up to create an atmosphere of distrust for us.
Examples of unprofessionalism:
-Multiple last-minute hotel changes, including skipping Lake Bunyonyi in Uganda to stay at a poorly rated, loud city motel with water problems (original hotel was around $100, changed to $10 room)
-Incorrect itinerary dates. Even after reviewing our itinerary upon arrival in Uganda, both Otieno and our driver forgot that we were staying two days in the gorilla park to do extra hiking. We had to fight pretty hard to convince them to correct this.
-Over-worked, tired driver speeding considerably and close to nodding off during long drives (I would highly recommend flying into Kisoro to do gorilla trek, or at least requesting a Ugandan guide. Our Kenyan guide had to drive overnight from Nairobi before picking us up and continuing the drive. We also suspect he took a wrong turn which we followed for 90minutes before correcting.)
-Borrowing gas money from us. This favor was asked as a loan until our driver found an ATM, though we never found one. We ended up letting him keep the money as part of his tip, but the company never followed up to thank us or ask whether we got our money back.
-Other small inconveniences included late departures (2hours on our first morning in Tanzania with no communication on their end), spotty attitudes from guides (our Kenyan guide did not like Ugandans... and we were in Uganda), considerable time waiting for guides to deal with problems in banks, broken jeep roof in Tanzania (fortunately this didn't happen until our last day there).
I hate to make this list, because until Otieno asked me to write this review, I had managed to forget all the negative aspects of our trip and only think of the magic moments we had with elephants, lions, gorillas, mountains, and new friends. Even with all the drama of our trip, I don't regret choosing Kenya Walking as I'm not sure we could have packed everything into our time and budget with a different tour operator. I also suspect travelling with Kenya Walking Survivors may be an entirely different experience in Kenya, rather than Tanzania and Uganda where we visited. I have only the best wishes for our guides Mike and Jonas and for Otieno.
If you decide Kenya Walking Survivors is the best fit for your trip, please be prepared to respectfully advocate for yourself and your itinerary.
PR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
No words to describe the most amazing experience
In August 2013, we decided to visit South Africa so I started looking for help because we were going to travel with friend and I did not want to mess up anything. We were going to Africa from San Juan, Puerto Rico (Caribbean) and our friends were travelling from Sydney, Australia. Since the first contact, until the day we arrived back home from our trip (Sept, 2014) the service provided by Shelley was superb.
We have travel a lot and I can say that this was the best holiday ever! Our trip exceeded our expectations. We really appreciate Shelley’s assistance, knowledge, patience, and dedication to make this holiday a complete succeed. Every travel detail was perfectly arranged and the logistics were perfectly coordinated. All the drivers were courteous and punctual and the tours and activities were perfect. There may be people who think that South Africa is one of the easiest countries in the world to book everything yourself and tailor exactly your needs but that is not enough. I have been talking to people who visited Africa before and none of them have been able to see all that we saw.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Infinitely Better than the Rest
There are so many safari companies to choose from. After thorough research, my friend and I narrowed our list to five safari companies. We contacted each company, inquiring about prices and asking general questions. Augustine, from Safari Infinity, replied immediately and provided detailed information. I greatly appreciated Augustine's friendliness, patience, and willingness to answer all my questions. Also, the price was the best in comparison to the other tour companies offering similar tours. After many emails with Augustine, an itinerary was chosen. As the day of the safari got closer I had a lot of questions. Augustine took the time to answer every single question I had, no matter how minuscule, and never made me feel as though I were being a nuisance. During my layover in Amsterdam, my friend became sick so she decided to stay for a night in the airport hotel and urged me to continue on to Tanzania. I was very nervous about going alone, but I went knowing she would join me the next day. When I landed, my safari guide, Eric, was there to greet me. He already knew about the situation with my friend and tried to make be feel better. During the drive from the airport to the lodge Eric and I chatted. He was very friendly and immediately put me at ease. Each day on the safari Eric received an update on my friend from Lucia, the owner of Safari Infinity. On the 4th day, I learned that my friend returned home. Although I was sad that my friend couldn't join me, I wasn't worried because I knew I was in good hands. Every day I saw incredible animals because of Eric. His eyesight is amazing! I couldn't believe how far his eyes could see. Every time Eric would spot an animal he would describe to me exactly where to look. If I couldn't find the animals, he would try to explain to me in a different way where to look. He never gave up on me and patiently helped me. During the safari, I would ask Eric questions that he could answer without hesitation. He would also provide me information about the area and the animals we were seeing. I learned a lot from Eric. He is also very funny and would make me laugh during our long car rides. There was a lot of driving involved on unpaved roads and steep descents, but I always felt safe. At the end of the safari, I met Lucia and Simon. I think it is amazing that they want to meet each of their clients and talk to them about their safari. They seem to truly care about their clients and want them to experience how amazing Tanzania is. Throughout my safari Lucia and Simon was in constant contact with Eric. They always asked about me and how I was doing. They even upgraded me to a luxurious lodge towards the end of my trip. I have been and will continue to recommend Safari Infinity. I hope to visit Tanzania again and if I do I will most definitely book with Safari Infinity.