50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great customer service from Hello Tanzania in Dar es Salaam
I had to travel back from Zanzibar and board a flight to JHB from DAR. Hello Tanzania arranged the charter flight for us, picked us up at the airport and took us to the correct terminal to board the flight to JHB. The trip was comfortable and the cost was manageable. The service was excellent. Thank you so much for making this last leg of our trip a stress-free one, Mrs Mojavu.
EG
Excellent Service at a very reasonable price
We used Uganda Travel Consult for our Airport/hotel Transfers in Entebbe/Kampala as well as for sightseeing and some activities in Kampala. They were always punctual and car provided was clean and in good condition, and driver and guide provided were pleasant and accommodating and met our expectations. The price quoted by them for the services rendered were considerably lower than other quotes we got from our hotel for providing the same itinerary. I would definitely recommend them for anyone needing to hire a car and driver either for airport transfers or for activities/sightseeing in Kampala/Entebbe area.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Planet Africa planned the ultimate, perfect trip! Could not have been better.
This was our first safari, and was to celebrate my husband's 50th birthday. Mary at Planet Africa was supremely helpful and is an expert with regards to east African safaris. She spent some time up front talking to me to understand what type of travelers we were and what we wanted to do and see. Then we planned out the itinerary, which included 4 game reserves in Tanzania (Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Ngorogoro Crater, Serengeti) one in Kenya (Masai Mara) and then a beach holiday at Azura Quilalea in Mozambique. During the planning process she was very responsive, helpful and patient -- she spent hours on the phone or emailing me when I had questions or new ideas based on my research. After we finalized the locations we wanted to visit, she would recommend a couple of different lodging options at different price points, all that she had stayed at and knew herself, and she would tell us pros and cons of each. And when we arrived at each location we discovered that she was completely honest and candid about what to expect. She cared and wanted us to have a wonderful experience. As I mentioned, this was our first safari and I was working with some someone on the other side of the globe to plan it, so admittedly I had some trepidation at the start. But her responsiveness and candor put me at ease and I enjoyed working with her. I now realize it is far better to work with someone who has experience and has gone on many, many safaris, and who knows the lodges and resorts because she had stayed there. Also, when Mary was traveling herself or unavailable, someone always responded to me immediately and was quick to help. And there were also many nice details about working with Planet Africa. They provided all sorts of data about the trip, ideas about what to see and do, what to pack. They made sure there was someone at all points to transfer us and help with questions. They arranged 50th birthday cake surprises at one safari lodge and at the beach resort. Our luggage was lost on arrival and they got it to us quickly -- out in the bush. Just a lot of nice little details that made us comfortable and added to our trip. I would recommend Planet Africa Safaris to anyone, and I plan to use them again for my next trip to Africa.
NO
A wonderful holiday and a stress free service
I came across the website for Pembury tours when I was trying to wade through the huge amounts of information available on the internet when considering a holiday in South Africa. After sending a general inquiry through the website I was contacted by Tammy who came up with some great suggestions about what to do. We really didn't have any idea what we wanted to do (we felt overwhelmed with choice online) but Tammy put together a lovely itinerary for us including hotels and car hire. We were staying in South Africa on business before our holiday and she arranged for a welcome pack and itinerary outline, (including suggestions of places to visit, maps and driving directions between our hotels) to be delivered to our hotel, which was very helpful. She was also available during our holiday to help out with contacting the car hire company for additonal requests. The hotels that Tammy chose for us were excellent and exactly the type we'd asked for. Normally I’ve arranged everything myself for any holidays but knowing that the holiday had been put together by someone with local knowledge (and wasn't having to rely on tripadvisor reviews) made it far more relaxing. I’d highly recommend Pembury tours for arranging your holiday.
US
Honeymoon Safari
We booked the Best of Kruger and Cape Town trip for our Honeymoon through Roho Ya Chui (Ute). We had a wonderful experience on every part of our trip. Ute handled all of the travel details of the South Africa part of our trip including ground transfers, lodge bookings, in country flights, hotel, and even the day trips we took from Cape Town. The safari lodge that Ute recommended (Ngala) was amazing, a wonderful accommodation, excellent staff, and animal siting at every turn (including the Big 5 in the first day!). The stay in Cape Town was equally wonderful with attention to detail and perfect recommendations for trips from our hotel. This was our first experience in Africa and we can't wait to go back! We would highly recommend Ute and Roho Ya Chui for any travel plans!
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very good service
It was all very well organised. Professional and friendly service, quick e-mail answers. The safari itself was also great. We had an excellent guide. Only the boat trip was a bit disappointing.
AE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic Safari thanks to Mike and Dennis at Northern Circuit
We were provided with the contact details of Mike at Northern Circuit from a colleague that had recently returned from a Safari with them. We were encouraged by the high recommendation and also really pleased to have it since there are lots of different companies to choose from. Therefore a personal recommendation is a great comfort. From our first enquiry Mike was quick to respond. He helped tailor our budget and time so we got the most out of our trip. We were really pleased with the quick replies to our emails and the speed and knowledge Mike was able to arrange everything. We were met at the airport and taken to our hotel where Mike met us and explained the plan for the next few days. The following morning, right on time we met with Dennis who was our driver guide for the 5 day safari. Dennis was fantastic, hugely knowledgeable about the wildlife, clearly very experienced, knew where to find the animals we wanted to see and great fun to be around. Dennis dropped us off at the end of safari at the airport, where Mike was waiting to wave us off. We could not have asked for anymore from our trip. It met and exceeded our expectations and we would have no hesitation in recommending Mike, Dennis and the Northern Safari team to others. We would also say that compared to other operators (we did make other enquiries) the price we paid was extremely good and highly competitive. A hugely enjoyable and successful trip al round!!!
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing self drive Namibian Adventure!
First off just want to give a big thank you to Extraordinary Africa and Alex in particular. Our trip more than exceeded our expectations. All We knew was that we wanted to go to Africa and our time line, that was it... From the very beginning Alex bent over backwards to help us figure out what country was best to visit during March/April. Being the wet season she suggested Namibia, not the most traditional first safari destination, and it ended up being the best possible introduction to Africa. Not very many Americans travel to Africa, so there is a lot of misinformation, and trepidation about traveling to Africa, especially off the beaten path. The Extraordinary Africa staff quickly answered all of our questions (even the ridiculous ones, without making us feel silly for asking) and made the planning process smooth. Our itinerary was tailored specifically to our needs and we left the planning process feeling like we got exactly what we wanted. Once on the ground in Windhoek, Extraordinary Africa arranged seamless transport to our hotel and coordinated our link up with local staff and for the delivery of our vehicle. Throughout the trip Extraordinary Africa, or their local representative, were accessible 24/7 to add tour and game drives to our booking. One day they were able to book us a Quad Bike trip less than two hours after we called. Namibia was an amazing country, the stark beauty of the desert was best experienced from the self drive safari we booked. It gave us the freedom to go at our own pace, stopping and climbing any interesting mountain or rock formation along the way. We ended up spending nearly a month driving around Namibia, experiencing many different environments and biotypes. From the deserts of Soussusvlei, to the Big Five sightings in Etosha National Park, and the lush river valley of the Okovango, to the urban environs of Swakopmund and Windhoek, Namibia was an amazing country. I will definitely be back in African and will definitely be booking with Extraordinary Africa again.
Eric
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent Customer service and very professional
We had occasion to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro on August 9th. 2014 and had it not been for this outfitter, we would not have accomplished such a feat. We had started to prepare for the climb about a year befire and spent much time determining which outfitter to use. We were concerned because 4 of the 5 climbers in our group were over 55 and one, who was 67, had a heart condition. Our tour operator had recommended Kilele Savane, but we found scant information on the web about this outfitter. We asked for references, which were supplied, but none responded to our inquiries. We also asked a bunch of questions about equipment, food, conditions etc. and all were answered very professionally. In the end we decided to take the plunge after the tour operator mentioned that the owner of Kilele, Frank Mella, had himself been a guide, climbed the mountain hundreds of times in 20 years and that her own daughter had used this outfit.
It turns out that our fears were unfounded - we could not have asked for a better team. We had 19 porters, a cook, two assistant guides and a head guide - a total of 23 support team members. The guides were incredible with a total of over 500 climbs between them. Without their expertise and patience, we would not have made this grueling ascent or descent.
Other little things made such a difference to our experience. Flight delays and lost luggage were handled with ease. Frank himself provided ground transportation to a late-arriving participant, taking him directly to the gate so he could catch up to the rest. He also provided his own sleeping bag, back pack and poles to one whose luggage did not make it. Then there were the times when Patrick (aka Marathon Man) brought us tea one hour before we reached each camp just to lift our sagging spirits. Last, but not least, were the delicious meals and snacks provided by out Masai cook Samson and served by the ever-considerate Ezron. What a team!
I would not hesitate to recommend Kilele Savane and the three guides that made all the difference - John Lyimo , Nyanda Benedicto and Ruta. Their strength, sensitivity and knowledge were astounding.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
EASTCO - Not to be relied on
We made our safari booking with EASTCO many months in advance but found that everything was still being put together at the last minute and in a slightly shambolic manner. The owner, Simon, advised us when we arrived in Arusha that our itinerary was being reversed due to road conditions making the original route too arduous. Whilst this may have been accurate and necessary, it wasn’t a sudden occurrence and Simon should have been aware in advance and had our new itinerary in place before our arrival. We met Simon a couple of days before the start of the safari but he didn’t even know then who our drivers would be for the trip, and on the first morning we had to chase to find out if anyone was going to turn up when we’d been ready and waiting to go immediately after breakfast as agreed. After a couple of hours or so, the two drivers did arrive but they seemed to have little idea as to what the itinerary was. The first day was wasted as we went to the wrong place and ended up driving all day, missing out on an afternoon’s walking safari at Boundary Lodge.
The next day was fine with an excellent day at Tarangire National Park, but the following morning we discovered that one driver was complaining about not being paid and was refusing to take us any further, so we ended up spending 3 hours at the roadside waiting for Simon to send out a new driver and vehicle – another half day wasted. As it happens, we were happy to see the back of that driver as he had a surly attitude and little regard for us as clients.
Things picked up after that, with a much better driver, Julius, who, together with the other original driver, Rogers, worked hard to make the trip enjoyable. Julius’ engineering skills also came in handy in dealing with a number of problems with the slightly dated safari trucks. The high quality of the game viewing in the Serengeti also started to make up for the earlier problems. After travelling some distance to the northern Serengeti we found ourselves in an excellent camp for 2 nights (supposedly) in order to witness the wildebeest migration. On the first morning however, we received a call to say that we had to commence our return trip early because Simon had been unable to alter our onward flights to Zanzibar which had been booked as part of the original itinerary. We had to immediately leave our morning’s safari, pack our bags and set off on the road again.
We’d lost confidence in Simon’s arrangements and began to get concerned about the Zanzibar flight booking. On the morning of our final day we made direct contact with the airline at Arusha who told us that they had our booking but the flights hadn’t been paid for, despite our already having paid Simon in advance. Simon assured us that a man was being sent to make payment and thankfully (but when we were just 30 minutes from the airport) we found that the airline had been paid – but why did it have to be last minute and stressful?
Simon met us at the airport with a slightly begrudging apology, preferring to blame the first driver for all the issues but failing to acknowledge that the drivers are his responsibility. He admitted that he had recently sold off his vehicles to his drivers on the basis that they would contract back to provide a guiding service. It turns out however, that some of them just sub-contract out the vehicle to other drivers over whom Simon has no control – hence our first driver problem. Simon offered to refund us for the loss of the first day, but that appears to have been a false promise with no sign of any payment (or indeed correspondence) after 6 weeks. We are not entirely surprised.
The Serengeti was spectacular, we loved the camps and lodges, we saw pretty much everything we wanted to see and our two eventual drivers had a fantastic attitude. I would urge anyone to visit Tanzania, but DO NOT use EASTCO if you want a well organised and stress free safari.