50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
A fabulous adventure.
Laura and Colin and their crew at Amazing Tanzania provided an exceptional safari experience. Laura was wonderful to work with and through minimal communications was able to custom fit our desires with cost constraints and created a safari package that provided an experience that far exceeded our expectations. They took great care of us from the moment we arrived to our departure 11 days later. The guides were outstanding and were extremely knowledgeable and fun to hang out with. Each day was a new adventure and we saw much more in terms of wildlife, landscapes and Tanzanian culture than we had ever imagined possible. The accommodations and food exceeded our expectations and their tented camp was first rate. Their crew was exceptional and they did everything to ensure that we were well cared for during our stay. Overall, Amazing Tanzania did a fantastic job in putting together a custom safari for our group that more than exceeded our expectations.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fantastic
Everything about the tour was excellent.. communication was warm and welcomed, our guide was lovely, kind, informative and accommodating. Our lodgings were exceptional. Wonderful!
NL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
One-week photo safari/workshop in Mfuwe/South Luangwa
I spent a week in the Mfuwe area of South Luangwa under the wings of lodge owner/bushguide and wildlife photographer Peter Geraerdts of Track and Trail River Camp.
The Camp is located on the other bank of the Luangwa, just outside the Park's Mfuwe gate.
We stuck to a 'first in, last out' policy: arriving at the gate for our morning drives just before six, and trying to leave the Park at 8pm sharp. Regime was strict: morning drive until 10:00-10:30, early lunch, and afternoon/evening drive from 15:30 or 16:00 through 20:00, followed by dinner around 20:30.
I've been around SA, Namibia, Kenya and Uganda, but Zambia was a first-time visit. A few (online) friends had recommmended South Luangwa, time to find out for myself!
It's a long trip (Amsterdam-Nairobi, Nairobi-Lusaka, couple of hours off to a hotel then Lusaka-Mfuwe), but worth it. Door-to-door is probably just under a full day, but the lack of time difference cuts out jetlag at least...
Transfer from Mfuwe to the Lodge was a painless <40m exercise, over remarkably good (tarred) roads. The Lodge/Camp is situated right on the bank of the Luangwa, with pool/gym/massage/spa facilities, as well as a bar, restaurant and small library.
I was assigned a spacious thatched chalet with a comfy double bed, large bathroom and safety features for both my valuables/documents (small safe) and my photo gear (a padlocked strongbox). Food was good to excellent, with 3-course lunches and dinners every day. Good pastry as well, with always a slice of something waiting for me at tea time. The Camp feature daily laundry service, and had reasonable wifi coverage in the bar/restaurant area.
My goal for this trip was twofold: a week-long safari in a park and country yet unknown to me, as well as improving my wildlife photography skills. Peter proved to be the ideal host: his fauna and flora knowledge is remarkable and perhaps even better than some of the native guides I worked with, and he's a skilled and patient photography teacher.
Our safari vehicle was not your regular open 4X4: it was heavily modified for the (pro) wildlife photographer... The rear section of the car features heavy steel swivel arms with beanbags and ballhead mounting space on the sides, supplemented with more beanbags in front and at the back. This effectively gave me a 360-degree line of sight with steady support for even the longest piece of glass...
Both of my goals were met: my skills have tangibly improved, with a couple of impressing shots as evidence, and I got to sample most of South Luangwa's flora and fauna.
More on the latter: the floral diversity was impressive, ranging from monumental Baobabs to wild jasmin, from nile cabbage to the intriguing ansellia. A remarkable amount of sausage trees in the area, bearing some of the largest fruits I've seen...
The fauna is probably why most people come and visit, and I was not disappointed... Both of the big cats (with 4 leopard sightings in just two drives!), a large group of wild dogs, heaps of elephant, a small herd of buffalo, and much, much more. My timing was just right to come across fighting grazers: we saw some impressive male impala and zebra battles!
Crocs, water monitors and hippos are abundant thanks to the river, with the latter two incidentally paying a visit to the lodge. The smaller mammals were well-represented: we saw 5 species of mongoose, 'caught' both civet and genet up close, young porcupine, spotted honey badgers twice(!), and ran into the accidental shrew or shrub hare during our night drives.
I'm not a 'hardcore' birder, so haven't recorded every sighting, but we must have easily seen 100-120 different species. Ranging from raptors (bateleur, tawny, snake eagle, martial eagle, lizard buzzard, goshawk, ...) to storks (open-billed, woolly-necked, yellow-billed, marabou) to herons (my first decent shot of a squacco) to the more colourful birds like rollers, sunbirds and - especially near the river banks - bee-eaters.
NL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Zambia by Pim
Five stars for most boxes. And 'only' four for birding because I didn't encounter much that I hadn't seen on previous safaris, despite South Luangwa's abundant bird life.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable experience!
I traveled to Kenya with 3 friends after booking with Odyssey when I found a Groupon deal for different days that they honored for us. We spent a week traveling to Samburu, Ol Pejeta, Lake Nakuru and Masai Mara. I was concerned that a week wouldn't be enough, but we were busy all day long and traveling from park to park was an adventure in itself with things to see along the way out the window. We absolutely loved our guide, Erastus, and even cried at the airport when he dropped us off! He was extremely friendly and jovial, and I would highly recommend requesting him if anybody else goes with Odyssey. We saw all the animals we hoped to see (elephants galore, rhinos, hippos, giraffes, warthogs, lions, cheetahs, monkeys, zebras, wildebeest, hyenas, etc). 3 out of 4 of us are vegan and had essentially no problems with finding good food to eat. All the lodges were top notch accommodations, and the Kenyan people were all so friendly!
MO
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Making our hobeymoin trip unforgettable with their 5 stars service!
My husband and me had a 14 days tour with Kenya walking as our honeymoon trip,, their package price comes with very good value and hence they are highly recommended. Our guide Anthony is particular impressive with his service and professionalism, he is always caring and attentive. We were able to see the big 5 in the first few days of our trip and we were able to take many good and close shots of the animals, our guide is especially patience to help us to seek out the wild animals like zebra, giraffes, lions, cheetahs, leopards..etc Also the accommodation arranged by this company was very good, all the hotels and lodges we stayed are 5 stars hotels which everyone of them comes with special features. We will definitely choose Kenya walking again when we come back go Kenya for another visit.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Michelle Astbury came through on everything she promised!
Michelle jumped in when I found myself needing to book an entire week in one day. She kept her cool and suggested Shindzela camp to match my wants and she was right on! 11 guests, "tented" accommodations with luxury beds and open air showers; extremely pleasant staff. 48 hours there was perfect for four outings on Land Rovers where we counted 26 different animals we were shown. Drove into camp illuminated by torches with wonderful out door dinners. May be one of the most relaxing times of my entire life.
Michelle had every driver booked to get to airport and hotel we stayed in next in Cape Town and it was so nice that they showed up on time without me ever having to make a call! Smooth as silk. I didn't know there were travel agents like this anymore!
PT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent Experience, Best Guide in the World
My husband and I booked a Safari + extension to Zanzibar trip and everything went very well. We were received by Mr. Otieno in the very first day when everything about the program was explained.
The major plus goes to Samuel, our guide, that was excellent. He knew a lot about the wildlife and was very friendly and funny.
In Zanzibar everything smoothly as well.
Very good hotels apart from just one night, which was overcomed by the rest of the entire amazing experience.
NL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Well organised, well trained driver/guide and perfect chosen program according to our wishes.
Quick response to our email, thinking with us and looking for the possibilities so in the end we had the perfect safari with very nice accommodations. Excellent guide. Price/quality relation is very good
NL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Reliable tour operator; great overall experience
We asked Kenya Walking Survivors Safaris to arrange a hotel and conference room in Nairobi for 3 days, followed by a 4 day Masai Mara fly-in safari. The trip was well organised and the owner, OT, was extremely helpful. The safari was amazing. The driver/guide was friendly and very knowledgeable. We had a great time. We saw all the big cats, many elephants and a great variety of antelope species. The scenery was stunning. The flights, transfers and everything else went very smooth. And all that for a very competitive price. Going on safari with Kenya Walking Survivors Safaris was a great overall experience.