65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Tom (in Kenya) and Vincent (In Tanzania) are the best drivers & guides for Safari Game drives
My wife and I went for 26 days of safari in Kenya and Tanzania national parks.
Planning: All planning was done with Stehen. Stphen had proposed an itinerary that covered visits in 10 national parks, and other activities in Nairobi. Steve and I had continuous conversation from April 24 through May 25 to adjust the plan to fit out preferences, including some last-minute changes. Steve had always responded and accommodated my requests with polite and clear communications.
execution: We were assigned with the best guides- Tom in Kenya and Vincent in Tanzania. Both were driving safely and with concern to our comfort (this is no easy task taking into account the lack of quality to roads in Kenya and Tanzania, negotiating unmanaged and unpaved roads, damaged by rain fall, and with multiple speed bumps. Both provided us with background information related to the roads we took, Animal we saw, and other type of information. Tom and Vincent h worked hard taking us to multiple game drives and were able to locate the different wildlife animals. This was not an easy task since animals were hidden in tall grass and bushes.
We were able to see multiple animals of all kinds. it was much more interesting to see them in nature, compared to seeing them in a zoo.
We were luck to see Chitas hunting Gazzels from the point of planning an attack to its completion (i.e. seeing the Chetas eat their catch).
One note. Not all nation parks are equal as to the possibility of seeing wild life, especially cats.
We had good luck in Ol Pejeta Conservancy, as well as in Masai Mara and Serengeti National Parks.
Not such luck in other National Parks, like east & west Tsavo, and Tarangire National parks. Although we were able to see some Elephants and Zebras, other animals were not to be found. The guides worked hard to locate wild life, but, one cannot squeeze water out of a rock.
The one wildlife we met with in these parks were the Tsetse flies, that were attacking us inside the vehicle, forcing the closing of windows and observation top. Not fun.
It would it better if we could skip these parks.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Incredible
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
ZuriAfrica Safaris exceeded all our expectations and was absolutely worth every penny! From start to finish, the experience was seamless, and the memories we made will last a lifetime. Our tour guide, Dennis, was exceptional—thorough, knowledgeable, and truly passionate about what he does.
Dennis went above and beyond to ensure we had the best experience possible, making a tremendous effort to help us see all the animals we had hoped to encounter. His insights about the wildlife and the environment added so much depth to the experience, and his dedication to making our trip special was evident every step of the way.
I highly recommend ZuriAfrica Safaris to anyone considering a safari adventure. And if you go, be sure to request Dennis—he is simply outstanding! This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, made all the better by such an incredible guide. Thank you, ZuriAfrica Safaris, for an unforgettable journey!
CA
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable week with an excellent driver/guide in the parks and conservation areas of N Tanzania
Sada, the helpful consultant we worked with from Shemeji,put together a customized itinerary including six nights in their camps and lodges (Karatu, South Serengeti, Serengeti Ikoma, Maasai Boma, Lake Natron & Karatu). The days were full with a good balance between game drives and repositioning between various parks and conservation areas.
Our guide, David Mbunda, was excellent. He knew the bush and all the tracks, watering holes, etc. and had an innate sense of where the animals would be. He also stayed in touch with other drivers, sharing sightings. We were pleased that he was much more respectful of wildlife than some drivers; never harassing or upsetting them. Because this was a private tour, David was able to be flexible and responsive to our interests.
The camps were comfortable and the swimming pools were a welcome treat at the end of each day. Exchanging "intel" with others, it was clear we had seen many rare and elusive things (e.g. Cheetah with cubs, Civet, Black Mambo snake, Topi, Hartebeest) as well as the elephants, hippos, zebras, giraffes & buffalo seen by everyone. David is an excellent photographer and made an effort to position the landcruiser to take advantage of the best light, composition, etc..
We opted for comfort level with a range of comfortableaccommodation from tented camps (semi permanent with running water & electricity), to lodges. Breakfasts and evening meals were ample and tasty (primarily buffet augmented by items cooked to order). The lunch boxes tended to be repetitive and not very appetizing but they were adequate. There was always a friendly welcome from the camp staff, assistance with our gear and escorts to/ from the dining tent to ensure our safety.
The last night of our Safari, we had a medical emergency and it took a while to locate our driver (they stay in staff quarters at most camps but not in Karatu). We were taken to FAME Hospital in Karatu where we received life-saving care before being medivac'd to Nairobi.
Shemeji supported us fully and David stayed with us until the plane took off from Lake Manyara. Despite this unanticipated turn of events, our safari was everything we hoped it would be and more.
Shemeji provided an excellent experience with great value for money. We'd recommend their services without reservation.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
14 day Uganda gorilla and chimp tour was tiring, overwhelming and outstanding all at once!
We felt completely safe the whole time we were there (17 days). We walked around local towns without any safety concerns. We toured the whole country. We loved Kidepo National Park though it was quite a haul to get there! We are 64 and 70 years old. We hiked 10 miles up and down mountains in 5.5 hours to see the Mountain Gorillas which mind was blowing! Follow the tour guidelines though. We had long sleeves, hiking boots, long pants, leg gaiters and heavy gardening gloves which protected us. Others on the tour came in shorts, tennis shoes and no gloves and were miserable. You should be fit to undertake this tour. One person on our tour was not- got heat exhaustion and slowed the rest of the group way down until the guide made the decision to let the rest of us go on without that couple with the assist of one-armed ranger instead of two. All the national parks were outstanding. Our driver Jeck at Dav Safari was excellent and we felt completely safe with his driving and protection of us at all times. The only thing I would add was better response time by the Safari on email returns. We paid for our gorilla permits 6 months in advance. When it got to within 4 weeks of the trip, I emailed the safari and got no response for 10 days. When you pay out money in advance and don't get a response back to an email- I started to think that maybe the company went out of business. I did email again and got a response back in 24 hours which made me breathe a sigh of relief. Travel times listed on itinerary did not match real life traveling either. We spent much more time in the land cruiser than was listed on the itinerary due to road conditions and traffic so the tour companies really should put more travel time in the itinerary. It was a trip of a lifetime! Uganda is so beautiful!!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary by Andrea Gunderson
Lots of monkeys when we were there
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Bwindi Impenetrable National Park by Andrea Gunderson
Mountain Gorilla hiking was tiring and thrilling. It is so beautiful hiking there. Definitely "Gorillas in the Mist". Follow all tour guidelines and you won't be sorry that you did this. We are 64 and 70 years old and did the 10-mile mountain hike. Muddy, slippery, thorns and stinging plants so be prepared! Hire a porter- you won't be sorry you did this either!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Kibale National Park by Andrea Gunderson
We did the chimpanzee trekking and loved it. We had the best staff at Kibale Forest Lodge. I had mentioned to the staff that I wanted to try Jackfruit and sugar cane. They made the jackfruit appear at supper that night and the sugarcane the next morning with breakfast! Outstanding service!!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Kidepo Valley National Park by Andrea Gunderson
Long drive to get there but one of our favorite parks. We only saw one other vehicle there when we went on several safaris. I think it is the long drive that prevents a lot of people from going there but it had everything there. We loved Kidepo Savanna Lodge!! We had the best staff at Kibale
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Lake Mburo National Park by Andrea Gunderson
The only problem that we had there was we were signed up for the Nile river cruise. The boat had padded seats along the sides of the boat and 2 hard plastic seats in the middle. We got the 2 hard seats in the middle. We could not see anything from those seats with people standing on each side of the boat. The seats were horrible and uncomfortable. We stopped back at the dock about 1/2 hour into the cruise and I promptly got off as my back was killing me and I couldn't see anything because of the way the boat was set up. I was very disappointed they even used these seats. My husband did stay on the cruise but was able to sit at the bow of the boat. I was offered another boat as I lay crying with back pain on a bench. Why would I want to go on a different boat without my husband. We came to experience things together. Again, very disappointed with the Nile cruise.
We loved the Nature walk that we went on with David our guide. We got so many great pics and he was so knowledgeable.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Murchison Falls National Park by Andrea Gunderson
Beautiful and loud! Rainbows! Hot temps but the showers from the falls helped to cool us. Saw Termite kingdom and black neck cobra baby snake with our guide Lawrence. Beautiful pictures. The Nile is so powerful. We did do a cruise up the Nile to get close to the falls in the water. This was excellent as well!