Knowledgeable driver/guide helped make our safari memorable
We were picked up at Kilimanjaro Airport as planned, and taken directly to our Arusha Hotel with no delays. Our driver/guide, Isaac, was there on time to pick us up for the safari and delivered us back to the hotel at the end of the trip with lots of time to spare. So no timeliness issues.
Isaac was very knowledgeable about animals, birds, and vegetation. He was excellent – easygoing and friendly, and I’d recommend him to others. He was also a good driver – necessary given unpredictable traffic and terrible roads in the parks. He had been guiding for about 8 years and was very experienced and knew all the routes in the parks; in all our travels (about 1700 km) he never referred to a map. The competence and personality of the driver/guide are critical to the enjoyment of the trip. We were lucky.
Our safari van was about 15 years old and had about 300,000 km on it. It had been well maintained, I think, since it stood up to the roads, absorbed most of the shocks, and didn’t break down. No problems with it. But dust was incredible. People with breathing issues would want to consider this trip carefully.
Our Arusha hotel, L’Oasis, was comfortable, with a dining room, lounge and pool. Our room was fine, and the food was quite good. No problems with it.
The Maramboi tented camp was also very comfortable, even though our ‘room’ was a large tent with two rooms. Dependable running water and electricity in the tent/room. The main building included a lounge, large dining area (part inside but mostly outside on a large verandah). It even had a swimming pool which was good to cool off in. Very good food, with a large buffet selection at all meals. We also chose our own picnic lunch contents. Interesting to sit by the pool and watch the zebras and wildebeest herds grazing a hundred metres away. The camp, after all, was in a Conservation Area and thus open to whatever wildlife ambled through. It was also well-patronized; most tables were taken at dinner times. In many ways, this camp combined comfort and wildlife authenticity best of all our accommodations.
The Lake Manyara Wildlife Safari Camp was a high end place. Guest rooms were separate buildings (not tents) joined by a garden-bordered walk to the main building. The latter featured a lounge and dining room with an extensive front garden that ended in a swimming pool that overlooked the Great Rift Valley and the Maasai herders who drove their cattle and goats up and down. This was a very luxurious place with an outstanding view. The other thing we noticed was that there was only one other paying guest. The place was empty. So that meant that we had no choice of dinner fare, but ate what the chef had prepared for us. We also accepted the chef’s choices for the contents of our picnic lunches. Fortunately, these choices were very good, although the portions were large.
The three tented camps (N’dutu, Seronera, and Ngorngoro) were all variations on a theme. In each, our accommodation was a two-room tent with wood floors, running water (most of the time) but no electrical capacity to plug in appliances. Each camp had a main dining tent with lounge (the latter equipped with electrical charging capacity). Each camp was staffed by a manager (who may also have been the chef – this wasn’t clear) as well as two or three support staff whose jobs included carrying suitcases, accompanying us after dark from our tent to the dining tent, etc. These were not permanent sites; the N’dutu camp, for example, was due to be taken down and moved to another location a few weeks after we were there.
Again, in each of the three camps we were the only guests! So no choice of meals or picnic basket contents; we ate what the chef prepared. Generally this was quite palatable, though we became a bit tired of the standard side vegetable of sliced carrots and green beans, which we had at almost every dinner. And again, significant to realize that we were in wildlife terrain, so the water buffalo, elephants, zebras and giraffes that moseyed through the camps were in their own environment. We were the outsiders.
Serengeti and Ngorngoro were the highlights. These were the must-sees, in our view, in terms of variety of animals, scenery, etc. (especially the rhinos). On these grounds, Tarangire would rank third, Lake Manyara fourth, and Arusha fifth.
excellent tour
Everything was perfect.communications, transport, the safari, the guide knew where to find the animals. Saw the big 5 and everything else. Very happy
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent itinerary, but could have used better communication prior to travel
Our itinerary was just right. Suggestions made by Giltedge Africa (formerly Southern Africa Travel) were generally very good.
All travel connections worked and all guides appeared as planned. Our guides were all quite knowledgeable, well-spoken and very pleasant. I think some of the extras that we incurred should have been included in the package price or more clearly stated, but this was a minor issue. My only real complaint is that pre-travel communication should have been better. The information provided was more for appearances than substance. And the wallet provided at landing was embarrassingly short on any substantive materials.
Our hotels were all excellent, except for &Beyond Xudum which suffers from the necessity of a 75 minute drive each way over bumpy roads between the air strip and the lodge. They also had our poorest guide. Otherwise, the staff and food were very good.
We especially enjoyed Singita Boulders and the Views Hotel, although the food at the Views could be improved. The Harbor House restaurant on the Cape was outstanding.
I'm not sure a guide was needed at Victoria Falls, although he did get us to the falls at a good time of day for viewing which we might otherwise have missed. The river cruise was only interesting because of the wildlife on the banks.
I also want to recommend the Fat Fish restaurant in Plettenberg. It's a little more casual, but the food was excellent.
Our guides at both Singita lodges were terrific, as were our guides in Cape Town and Joberg.
Overall, we enjoyed a wonderful trip.
3 day Masai Mara
We had such a good time on this trip. Even though we paid the lowest price for a safari we could find (and were therefore not expecting the best), we couldn't have asked for a better experience.
Everything was included, except for drinks, but since we don't drink much, this didn't bother us. But there is always free coffee, tee and hot cacao.
Our driver/guide was super cool, making sure we would see everything and up close. Since we came during the low season there were very few tourists there, but we got lucky with the weather, which means we had the occasional lion or so to ourselves.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Unforgettable Family Adventure
African Welcome Safaris, and Kathi in particular, made our adventures in Africa amazing. Her communication was immediate and attended to every detail. She sought to understand our goals and matched us with experiences and guides who exceeded our expectations. Our time at Kapama Game Lodge was incredible wihg many animal encounters, great service, and an outstanding guide, Stephan, and tracker, Rogers. Accommodations, food, and spa were excellent. Exploring Cap Town and the surrounding areas with Ryes was really cool. Our experience at Chobe River Lodge was fantastic with a highly attentive staff and RT our great guide. Victoria Falls Lodge provided epic views with vulture feedings and the stunning Victoria Falls. Lesedi Cultural Village was a great place to stay and to enjoy the tour and traditional dancing.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Mega guide, mega safari, mega adventure!
We (3 people from Europe) booked a 3-day safari in April 2015 through Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater and Tarangire. I can say for sure that we are quite sensible and critical, but this trip was a pure sensation in mostly all points. We booked the budget package with sleeping in (stable) tents nearby Lake Manyara. Although we came in the "low season", we experienced three great days we will never forget.
One of the most important reasons for our enthusiasm was Mubarak, our guide and one of the directors of the company. I don't even know where to start the list of his benefits: He was very professional and friendly, was always in a good mood and never got bored by our many questions about animals, nature and general Tanzanian/African things. Since he is a experienced guide with a lot of knowledge, mostly all of our questions were answered and if there was something even he was unsure of, he promised to look it up in the evening because he also was interested in learning new stuff. Because we had rain seasons, we had several critical situations with muddy roads, but he handled the (huge!) car very professionally and was able to show us interesting spots even when other popular viewpoints were blocked. Every morning, the car was cleaned again from mud and trash. And - which is some kind of rare in Tanzania - he spoke English fluently which made it easy to follow his detailed explanations and answers.
Not only Mubarak was one of the reasons we totally recommend this company but also Mohammed, the company's CEO. Even although we only booked a few days before the safari, he made us a very good offer and provided us with all transparency we needed: prices, accomondation, pick-up from our apartment in Moshi, free water bottles, lunch boxes, a meeting before the safari and so on. In the end, we had to care about almost nothing and were able to enjoy the 3 days without any hassle or complications.
Criticism? Well, we booked the walking safari in Tarangire on the last day (2-3 hours walking in the plain nature). Unfortunately Mubarak wasn't allowed by the park management to come with us so we had another guide and armed ranger. He wasn't the best guide, his English was hard to understand and he wasn't well equipped (no binoculars) and able to answer several of our (I think quite basic) questions. The nature of Tarangire and the atmosphere of walking around freely was absolutely worth it, but maybe MegaAdventures finds a way to improve that. Having Mubarak with us during the walk would have been much more better! But even after long thinking about negative points, this is the only one we honestly can think of.
Oh, and about the animals: I think except a Leopard we've seen the most "important" ones. But if herde of 20 elephants crosses your way 2 meters in front of you with no other tourist cars around you, you don't think any longer about Big Fives or such trivial categories. You're just happy to have a professional guide able to lead you to these locations. We'll definitely looking forward to book Mega Adventures for other trips during our long stay in Tanzania.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
An excellent tailor made tour to our needs.
It was easy to book via email, we had a few iterations before we agreed on the best tour for ourselves as we were tagging this onto the end of a private trip with friends. Our guide Sam arrived at the accommodation as arranged & spent time to discuss our requirements against his booking form to make sure that we were happy with the plans. Our accommodation was special at both Mutanda Lake resort with views to the volcanoes & Rwakobo Rock at Lake Mburo NP with views over the park. Sam our guide was very knowledgeable & pointed out wildlife & birds for us during the whole trip. The Gorilla tour was the purpose of this trip & we were not disappointed, Sam had briefed us well on the possible difficulties with the terrain & his advice to get a porter was very sensible. Lake Mburo was a great place for both day & night game drives & then we did a cycle ride in the morning before heading back to Kampala.
Throughout the time we were very well looked after & learnt a lot about life in Uganda & also the wildlife. The tour lived up to all of our expectations.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Extraordinary Adventure and Experience (10 Stars)
I had been to Africa on Safari before but this time was different. I now had a family of 5 and it can be difficult to keep them all engaged and excited. I searched through 5 different vendors before finally settling on Impala tours. This was due to a combination of price, value, and responsiveness. Before I knew it I had another family of 3 as well as another couple that was going to join us. I was a bit hesitant as I was now responsible for 10 people’s happiness in the choice I had made. It was soon apparent that I had nothing to worry about. Our tour operator Andre provided an outstanding tour. Impala’s difference from other operations is on the total experience. Our guide was enjoyable to be around and was able to provide additional accommodations when we decided to extend our stay beyond Etosha and add a night at Swakopmund. This was done all without issue. As a Native Namibian our guide spoke English, German, Afrikaans, and some of the local tribal languages. Our children loved the experience and really enjoyed having Andre as the tour guide as his humor and good nature kept everyone in high spirits. I give my highest recommendations to use Impala tours. If you end up in Swakopmund, ask Andre to show you where to get a “Colonial Coffee” (it is impressive and delicious)
IT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
exceptionally, beautiful
Beautiful experience with a driver and a guide exceptional. They are very experienced and are able to realize your every wish. All is possible!
AR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Experience!
Me and a friend were looking for a budget Safari starting from Arusha. The alternatives were a lot, and is really imposible to do a good choice with all the guys taking you to diferent offices to tell you the same speach, but we ended up picking the one we felt more faithfull.
We were really lucky, the couple Driver/Cook was supreme (Godfrey and Alifa). They were young, funny, helpfull and really profesional guys, and I think that there lies most of the quality of a Safari. If I could do it again I'd maybe avoid some of the smallest parks to spend 1 or 2 days more at Serengetti.
I'll surely recomend the company to my friends.