20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A Must Do While in Johannesburg!
We had the most incredible experience on the 1 day game reserve drive. Moloko was a fantastic tour guide - she was so engaging and knowledgable, I walked away having learnt so much. We were so lucky to see a herd of elephants (about 20 of them!) in the first 10 minutes of our drive, walking right across the path in front of our vehicle. Moloko also kept in frequent contact with the other guides, and rushed us to spot a lioness as quickly as she could, this was amazing!
Highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Johannesburg.
JM
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
magical
From start to finish, my experience with Gems of Africa was outstanding. My first contact, Mpho, was simply amazing — kind, patient, and incredibly responsive. I was booking from Jamaica and faced a number of payment issues, but Mpho never once showed frustration. He exchanged nearly fifty emails with me, calmly finding creative solutions every time my bank raised new concerns. He was reassuring, professional, and made me feel like I had a trusted friend on the other side of the world. He promised the trip would be memorable — and it truly exceeded all expectations.
When Mpho transitioned to new opportunities, Janien seamlessly took over and maintained the same exceptional level of service. Everything about Gems of Africa’s communication, reliability, and attention to detail made the entire process smooth and stress-free.
And then came Mdluli Safari Lodge — worth every single cent and more. The accommodation was breathtaking, blending comfort and nature beautifully. The staff were warm, attentive, and genuinely kind. They went above and beyond to make my birthday unforgettable, surprising me with small gestures, songs, and heartfelt celebrations that made me feel incredibly special.
The food was another highlight — every meal tasted like the best version of home-cooked comfort, as if dining at a family table where everyone can really cook! And our ranger, Octavia, was phenomenal — knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and determined to give us the best possible experience. She ensured we saw the Big Five and even extended our game drives so we wouldn’t miss a moment.
I can wholeheartedly say this was the best part of my entire trip to South Africa. If you are looking for a travel company that offers genuine care, top-tier service, and exceptional value for money, Gems of Africa and Mdluli Safari Lodge are the perfect combination. Highly, highly recommended.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wonderful Experience traveling thru Kenya & Tanzania with Kitawa
We enjoyed our safari with Kitawa.
Our guides were wonderful, especially Gordan Opany & Said Licky.
Both spoke excellant English, took our party of 6 under their wings to make us feel welcome and comfortable. We felt very safe. Our accommodations were outstanding
For the most part. We especially enjoyed Lake Navaisha Lodge, Speke Bay Lodge, even Eka Hotel to begin and end our safari journey. We definately would recomend Kitawa Safari Company to our neighbors & friends. We saw every animal imaginable (Including the Big 5)! Our guides were informative about the animals, history of Africa, crossing the boarder, in general all qluestions were answered. Nixon (The big boss) was easy to communicate with as we had lots of questions before our trip! Thank you for making our adventure dream come true.
PT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great adventure!!
Communications were very easy and Olly replied fast to all my emails/contacts.
They make sure to do the perfect itinerary that fits your ideas!! We were a family from 9-80years old so they tried to do their best to fit our needs.
The rides are long and hard for older ones so I’d advise to maybe stick with fewer parks if that’s your case.
They cook us most of the time international food!!
All the team was amazing ! Our guide Liberty, was AMAZING!! He had a true knowledge about all animals, and would always find the animals before anyone else :))
The camping is comfortable, although keep in mind it’s a campsite!
Overall amazing experience, would definitely repeat again with the same company!!!
KR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Absolutely amazing — professional, thoughtful, and made our safari an unforgettable experience!
Going on a safari with Meru Slopes was truly one of the best decisions we made. While planning our trip, Almachius from Meru Slopes was incredibly helpful — he immediately understood what we wanted and handled everything with such care and attention to detail.
We were on our honeymoon, and Almachius surprised us with the sweetest honeymoon celebration! It was such a thoughtful touch. Even at the lodges, the staff knew we were honeymooners and made sure we were treated with extra care. Every place we stayed was wonderful.
Our guide, Bariki, made the whole experience unforgettable. During our 4-day safari, we witnessed the breathtaking beauty of Serengeti and Ngorongoro, and those days went by way too fast thanks to him. He’s truly one of the best guides out there, and we felt so lucky to have met him through Meru Slopes.
Through Bariki, we got to see, learn, and feel the wild in such a special way — understanding how animals move, behave, and survive in their natural world. He’s not just a great guide but also a genuinely warm, inspiring person who taught us so much beyond the safari itself.
This trip was an experience of a lifetime — one we’ll always treasure. We realized that the most beautiful journeys become even more special because of the amazing people you meet along the way.
I highly recommend Meru Slopes. Thank you all for making our honeymoon truly unforgettable!
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Kubwa Five Safaris gave us an amazing, worry-free safari experience we’ll remember forever.
We had an incredible experience with Kubwa Five Safaris from start to finish. Our multi-country itinerary through Kenya and Uganda was complex, yet everything ran smoothly thanks to their excellent planning, attention to detail, and responsive communication throughout the trip.
The accommodations were eco-friendly but comfortable, the food consistently delicious, and our guides knowledgeable and personable. We especially appreciated how easily we could reach the Kubwa Five team on WhatsApp and their quick responses made the entire experience feel safe and well-supported.
There were a few small bumps along the way, as can happen on a long safari, but nothing that took away from the overall experience. The only real suggestion we’d make to future travelers would be to skip the Maasai “cultural event” stop, which felt more like a tourist cash grab than an authentic experience. In contrast, the Ugandan cultural visits, were absolutely wonderful, heartfelt, and meaningful.
Overall, Kubwa Five Safaris offered fantastic value, excellent organization, and warm personal service. We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them to anyone planning a safari in East Africa.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A fantastic plan for a trip of a lifetime!
We had an amazing time on our 10-day safari with Destiny Explorers. From the initial quote until our trip commenced, Issa was quick to respond to any questions or requests we had. Our guide Nico greeted us with a warm smile that rarely left his face as he expertly drove us to all that we wanted to see, all while educating us on the wildlife and cultures we were experiencing for the first time. We’ve travelled a lot on a modest budget, and all of our lodgings either met expectations or far exceeded them. We would 100% book this again and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Destiny Explorers to handle your once-in-a-lifetime Tanzanian adventure!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Outstanding service, incredible trip!
Jessica was wonderful. We chose Secret Namibia because they were the most responsive and helpful when we were planning our trip, and they continued helping us just the same all the way to the end of the trip. Jessica answered all our questions quickly via Whatsapp while we were there, and the itinerary was everything we hoped it would be.
To give a little feedback, we could have been prompted earlier to book activities as this was pretty crucial, and we were glad to have done so only a couple of days beforehand. We were told there would be signal, but there is no signal in 90% of the roads- including the in-car WiFi. And the individual stops each had their quirks - Epacha Game Lodge & Spa is a very ambitious site, but it's quite far from Etosha, and the actual Spa wasn't as good as it was designed to be. We missed the actual Spitzkoppe because our lodge was a while away and we didn't know how to get there, however Ai Aba Rock Painting Lodge where we stayed was a great tour highlight. And the accommodation at Waterberg Wilderness Lodge was not great, although the conservation park was amazing.
The app was a great help, and the logistics generally ran pretty smoothly, with Jessica on Whatsapp to help where required. Overall we had a wonderful trip.
A great tour operator, very reliable.
I did Victoria falls tour and I was allocated Thuba as our tour guide. He was amazing, explained everything to us, he was very patient with us. The service was definitely a value for money. I enjoyed the tour! Thuba is a great tour guide!
The tour operator is very reliable.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris