US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
10 Days Masai Mara Samburu and Bwindi National Parks
My Mum, brother and I went to Africa for our holiday. Being the tour leader I had to plan everything on my own. At first I thought it gonna be stressing and time consuming. To my surprise, when I contacted Kenya Walking survivors Safaris, all my burning questions were all answered and within two days, we had finalized everything! Kenya’s parks are all great. In Uganda we did the trekking and although my mum is aged, she managed it! It is not only fun but also, excersising .All our accommodations were budget but they were comfortable. Our cook-Sam made delicious food while in Kenya. Thank you Mr. Otieno for your good work .God bless!
CA
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing experience
From the moment I started planning the safari for a group of fellow travelers I was smitten with African Big Five Safaris. My contact was Mary, as she was always very professional and open to our changing needs (we started off as a group of 4 and ended up as a group of 8) and dates. The reviews I read led me to expect a first class safari; that is what Mary promised and what I feel we got. I had read about the experienced and personable guides but we did not imagine just how knowledgeable and friendly they would be. Edmund and Hamid knew all about the wildlife and birds. They joined us for dinner on the second evening and taught us much about life in Uganda. All in all they made us feel very special and as if we were the best clients ever, which I expect is how they make everyone feel!
We had 2 vehicles as 8 would be too many for one, and were glad we did as 4 to a vehicle was perfect and gave us lots of room to move around while we were in the park. The seats were comfortable for the long drives to and from the park and there was a big cooler full of bottled water we could help ourselves to. On the way up to the park we stopped to pick up some fruit from people selling at the roadside, and had a lovely lunch near Masindi. Edmund and Hamid adapted our walk at the Falls to our needs. They made sure we saw some of the Big 5 on the way to our accommodation - Fort Murchison Lodge - which was excellent also.
On the second day we had a fabulous safri drive that lasted all morning, and our guides made sure we saw many animals including lions, and in fact we saw all the Big Five except for leopards. We could not get over how many animals we saw, and, as someone interested in birds, I was amazed at the variety of colourful birds. At around noon, we stopped in the park to eat our lunch near the various oribis and other antelopes. In the afternoon we went on the 3 hour boat ride up the Nile to Murchison Falls and back, which enabled us to see many of the same animals by the water's edge, as well as water birds, hippos and crocodiles. Day two was another full day which I will never forget.
The third day we drove around the north side of the park and to the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary near Masindi, where we walked to find the rhinos after driving to the area where they were known to be feeding. The guide from the Sanctuary was very interesting also, and we were well protected by two guards who watched the rhinos at all times to interpret their body language and keep us a safe distance away. The guide made sure we were able to get photos of ourselves with the rhinos in the background.
On the way back through Kampala we learned a lot about the way of life in this fascinating country. It was a sad farewell when we finally reached our hotel in Entebbe where our conference was to be held. We will never forget the great time we had with Edmund and Hamed! Thanks to all at African Big Five for helping us have such a memorable time.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Armadillo Safari & Adventure Tours was fabulous! Chris is an excellent guide and chef!
The Armadillo Safari & Adventure Tour did an outstanding job! The safari experience far surpassed my expectations. Chris is a natural host! We'd spot an animal and Chris knew to stop so we could relish in the moment. The Tour was organized, pleasant, and by far the best vacation I have ever experienced! I recommend
The Armadillo Safari & Adventure Tours! Thank you again Chris!
IE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent safari holiday
My experience of dealing with Shadows Of Africa from start to finish was easy and stress free. From the initial consultation with Elijah over email to the drop off at Nairobi airport by our most excellent safari guide Ken, it was nothing but a pleasure.
The holiday we were delivered fit our budget nicely and delivered serious bang for our buck, from the 4 day safari to the coastal resort stay afterwards.
The safari itself which was the focal point of the holiday was amazing. We saw everything we could have hoped for and would go back in a heartbeat. I'd have no trouble recommending Shadows of Africa to anyone
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Kenya and Zanzibar trip
I took my girlfriend in Africa for an engagement surprise. Things really went down cool as we visited both Kenya and Tanzania. Among the parks that we visited were Masai Mara, Samburu, L.Nakura and Amboseli. After the long game drives and the bumpy roads, we flew to Zanzibar to relax. Generally everything was good, cant regret.
US
Great Value for our money
My family and I have just returned home from a long holiday in Kenya. It was the best safari that we have ever witnessed. The co-ordination between Mr. Otieno, the driver and all the lodges was amazing and great. All the food served in all those lodges was great. The rooms were also classic and comfortable. Though our budget was abit low, we ended up getting the best rooms and services we had not imagined. All the parks that we visited had almost all the animals. The driver did not hustle much looking for them; I would say we were just lucky. My family really appreciates KWSS tremendous effort to make us happy...
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Everything went like clockwork
We were met by at the Kilimanjaro airport by Godfrey - who was our excellent guide for the next 6 days in Tanzania. He was very well educated in all the relevant sciences - botany, zoology and geology - and so could provide in-depth information on everything that we saw during our time in Tanzania.
The transfer to Kenya, while complex (flight from airstrip to airstrip, driver to border, another driver to airstrip, another flight), went very smoothly - always a driver waiting for us.
And our time in Encounter Mara was phenomenal - including seeing the rescuing of an elephant that had been shot with a poison dart.
In all - great guides, great accommodation - well organized - and it was clear that those dealing with us in Africa appreciated Chris and the work he does behind the scenes from Vancouver.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Planning, lodging, game parks/reserves and guide knowledge/friendliness all exceeded our expectation
E-Trip worked with us to plan the trip we wanted, often going the extra mile. With their experience, they offered suggestions to enhance.
Upon arrival, everything ran like clockwork. The knowledge of each country's guide was much appreciated. Each worked to find animals and situations where we would see all of the natural splendors of East Africa.
Lodging per our preferences was also very good. Each site staff was pleasant and accommodating. Food was ample and tasty.
We are so glad to have selected E-Trip as our coordinating company. Not being fond of tours, we hoped instead for a personal experience - one not burdened with boilerplate activities and unenthusiastic guides. E-Trip delivered a trip of a lifetime with great memories of people we met, lodging to remember and experiences that were just awesome!
IN
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
they delivered what they promised
I went to Kenya in September 2015 and booked a day tour of Nairobi with Big time. The driver and services were excellent and thus I booked a 4day Masai Mara plus Lake Nakuru tour with BigTime and I am glad that I made that choice. Martha in particular is very helpful lady . She attended to all my queries very patiently and gave me the best advice to choose among the various tour options. I was not having any local SIM card till we started the journey and I was looking to buy one. Manager John , ever energetic, instructed driver to help me get a local SIM card enroute and with the help of one local guy I could get that within the luch break itself. You can always make a call from the environs of Masai Mara as its a open grassland and signal coverage is pretty good (I wonder whether anybody has studied the negative fallouts of this heavy signal coverage on the wildlife of the park) .... I had chosen camp stay so the services in the camp were basic.. You just get one bulb in bathroom and one more in another partition of the camp used as space for two beds... Electricity was available for just three hours in evening ...from 7to 10pm. then lights would be switched off as the generator would be shut down. One can recharge his camera /mobile at a common dining space .. no TV (except at a place near common dining place) no radio, free Wifi which would work intermittently. Definitely that is not for luxury... but then I had not gone there for luxury. The chef tried his best to accomodate my vegeterain eating preferences. The place was very quiet in early evening...and when the lights were out it was really very interesting to feel like 1950s, something our generation missed completely. Safari itself was very good. We saw all the big 5 plus my darling-Cheetah (twice). We were lucky to see pride of lions crackling the bones of a fresh buffalo kill in early morning safari and then in evening we saw two male lions stalking a baby giraffe, their plans foiled by the head of giraffe family who came very close to two lions threatening them with dire consequences in case of any misadventure. There was only one nuisance... driver chatting ceaselessly on microphone with his fellow drivers. Sometimes it was for good as they gave each other directions of wildlife spotting, but certainly the chatting could have been bit lesser for same effect otherwise he was a braveheart ,taking his vehicle very near to the animal . Dont expect perfect peaceful watching of wildlife as shown on Discovery /NGC as drivers' microphones make noises continuously. Though it was a budget Safari , Stay in Nakuru was very comfortable, a pleasant surprise for all of us travelling together. Overall it was a nice experience with BigTime Safari. Special thanks to Martha and John.
US
Highly Recommend for Safari
A group of 7 of us from the United States participated in the 5 day/4 night camping safari in July 2015. The highlight of the trip was seeing the big 5! The guides and cook were also excellent and very knowledgeable. Aardvark did an amazing job coordinating everything beforehand and actively communicating and answering our numerous questions before arriving. I would highly recommend Aardvark Expeditions for any of your Tanzania travel needs!