50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Safe, Within Budget, Knowledgable
We asked David at Elida to organise our climb of Kilimanjaro and a subsequent tour of Amboseli National Park.
Logistics: airport pickup and drop off as smooth and well organised. Baggage handling for 15 was never a problem.
Handling of monies: no deposits up front (no deposit cons) and payment made only when a service was provided. We paid for accomodation only once we had spent time there. Everything is receipted as you need it.
Accommodation: always safe, hygienic, secure, and always within our budget. David is well connected to a wide range of accomodation options and we enjoyed being able to 'upgrade' at Moshi. The Amboseli accomodation was spectacular, especially given many students were on a budget.
Budget: never over budget on anything. In fact if anything, these folk tend to undercook their prices.
Contact: always contactable by phone at any time. Email too, though given he is on the road a lot, phone is best once in country. Email and Skype were used in the pre-planning/planning stages and it proved very effective.
Vehicles: safe, well maintained, modern.
Drivers: not the usual mad, overtake at any speed or location East Africa drivers.
Guides: always unobtrusive and very knowledgeable. One gremlin in Tanzania with guides who wanted to be paid a tip at the end of the trip. We had already paid them at the beginning. Not the fault of Elida but something to watch out for if there is a 'package deal' done.
Package deal: Elida are very happy to work out a single price package. Very handy for those in your group who are watching their budget closely.
Government/border: our crossings were always smooth, assisted in each case by a local 'fixer' who was happy to guide us through the process.
Watch out for: David will always have things under control but operates in the usual relaxed African way, and does not always inform you of every detail, which can be disconcerting for the Western mind. But simply ask and he will show you what has been done.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Exceptional service received from Judie - tour operator
We stayed at the Mtawazi Lodge which was fantastic with our own cook - home is well maintained and clean - service levels the Afritour were exceptional and Judie was a pleasure to deal with - the drivers were fantastic and we had to really good guides - escpecially the night drive guide Sipho - was very forthcoming with information - the only think lacking was when one makes a booking and all confirmed a map should be included with the Reservation booking sent to the tourist - other than that 100% - Thank You
CL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
La mejor experiencia en Africa - The best experience in Africa
Excelente experiencia, ya son muchos años con nuestros amigos de Features Africa.
La amabilidad, cordialidad, calidad humana, seguridad y ayuda, hace que te sientas en familia y muy seguro.
He viajado con amigos y también con mi familia, nos sentimos muy tranquilo, la experiencia de la empresa hace que lo que tu quieres y esperas de un safari, lo puedas vivir al 100%
Recomendamos a esta empresa a todos quienes quieren vivir el verdadero sentir de África.
Mas que una empresa de safari, una familia amiga...
(traductor Google)
Excellent experience, many years with our friends of Features Africa.
The friendliness, cordiality, human quality, security and help, makes you feel family and very safe.
I have traveled with friends and also with my family, we feel very calm, the experience of the company makes what you want and you expect from a safari, you can live it 100%
We recommend this company to all who want to live the true feeling of Africa. More than a safaris company, a friendly family ...
CH
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Absolutely perfect!!
We were lucky enough to receive Meleck John as our guide. He is very competent, smart and fulfills every wish! His goal; Satisfied, happy customers. It all worked out perfectly, he is also a very careful and experienced driver. His horizon goes far beyond Tanzania. The lodges were beautiful, the food excellent. We can only recommend Parakuyo !!
RU
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable experience
Everything was excellent! Thank you Gilbert's Robert for organization all of details.
IN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good people , Great service !
Had a wonderful time with Wildebeest. Geoffrey our guide took very good care of us, He has excellent knowledge about the park and knows the best places to catch all the action you need! He has an "Eagle's Eye". Every thing was managed wonderfully and on time. Thank you wildebeest!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fabulous exactly as described, guide sincerely interested in giving best possible experience.
Communication was excellent. Robert responded to every email within 24 hours. The experience was exactly as advertised, even better. Ashton did his very best to meet our expectations so at the end of each day we discussed the plan for the next day and he made suggestions within options available. He was excellent at even the smallest details like getting us positioned for the best pictures.
CA
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The highlight of our 4 week African experience was with The Safari Partners in Zimbabwe and Botswana
The first week of our month long African adventure was booked with Chris from Safari Partners to the countries of Zimbabwe and Botswana. Chris arranged our flights, hotel transfers and safari camp accommodation. All was seamless and we were delighted with the entire experience. In Zimbabwe we stayed at The Elephant Camp and were pampered with the very comfortable accommodation, friendly staff and delicious meals. The camp offered many side adventures, like riding elephants, walking with the lions, white water rafting and tours to Victoria Falls. We thought it could not get any better, until we arrived at the enchanting &Beyond Xudum Okavango Delta Lodge in Botswana. The flight in the small plane was thrilling and our guides were waiting with the safari vehicles to whisk us away to the camp. The friendly staff at Xudum anticipated our every need. The safari guides and trackers were outstanding and endeavored to give us the very best experience. The food was truly gourmet. It was magical to watch the sun go down every evening with a glass of bubbly in hand. Thanks Chris for such a memorable trip.
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing experience!
Early September 2016, my girlfriend and I went on a five day private safari with Engagi Safaris. Of these five days, we used three to do some amazing trips.
First of all, we did the Chimpanzee Habituation experience in Kibale National Park. This meant we went into the forest with a ranger, Jessica for a full day, and we were lucky enough to be the only ones in the group. In our case, it took until lunch time until we found a group of chimpanzees, which was super rewarding after a couple of hours of searching for them. From the moment we found them, we did not lose them anymore and we could just sit and be lazy together with them, but we could also see them play, and interact with each other and some times with us. We stayed with them for a couple of hours and then we left. It was an absolutely amazing day.
As a second activity, we did the famous gorilla trekking. We did this one in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The experience was different than with the chimps, first of all, because the walk is much harder due to very steep walks (a lot of fun though). The word impenetrable is also in the name for a good reason, the forest is very dense. It also differed from the chimp trekking in that we were only allowed to stay with the gorillas for an hour after finding them. But that hour was really amazing, the gorillas come so close, one even sat down right against my leg. Just imagine a creature weighing almost 200kg just walking straight towards you and parking her big butt right next to you. It was truly spectacular.
The third activity was the Golden Monkey trekking in Mgahinga National Park. This was about 1.5 hours walking up until we arrived in a bamboo forest (which I hadn’t seen before and would already be a reason to go up there by itself). Then we started searching for a group of Golden Monkeys, which took about an hour. We were then again allowed an hour before we went back and called it a day. Also a very nice tour, although compared to the others obviously the lesser of the three.
The rest of the time on this safari was spent driving (we had lots of distance to cover) and relaxing in beautiful lodges. For the first two nights, Robert took us to Kibale Forest Guesthouse, which was truly beautiful. Also, the kitchen was very professional; they made very good food and they were really fast. The third night we had the pleasure of staying in Roberts own lodge, Lake Bunyonyi Resort. And the last night, we stayed in Kisoro town. The accomodation was not as beautiful as we grew used to by then, but it was still a very nice place to relax.
All in all, we were very happy with the safari. Robert arranged everything for us and took very good care of us. He speaks English really well, and he taught us so much about Uganda. He told us about the wildlife there, about the culture, but also about politics. He really knows a lot about everything. And he gave us a really good price for the safari.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
What a Great Safari with Beacon
Two friends who work with me in Middle East and I just completed a 4 day safari to Masai Mara and Lake Nokuru reserves. We researched a number of tour companies and chose Beacon. Everything about our trip turned out great. We requested a private tour for the three of us. Robert, our tour contact, was very prompt with a proposal. He then made a couple of requested adjustments after our feedback, and was always in returning e-mail questions. He met us at our hotel with our guide on the morning of our departure. I am always concerned when I make advance deposits for service, but both our payment and the promised service occurred flawlessly. We chose higher end tent camp and hotel accommodations, and they really were first rate. We were pleasantly surprised by the service, quality of food, and accommodations at these "camps" at the reserves.
Our guide Mousa was outstanding. He was experienced, knowledgeable, safe, always on time, and we enjoyed his company. We toured in a land cruiser which had plenty of space, and was able to go on any of the roads/trails in the reserves. Mousa had a good radio network and rapport with other guides, and they shared information which helped locate some of the harder to find wildlife. February was a lower volume season, allowing us to get very close to the animals without large crowds. Came back with fantastic photos. The only caution I would have is do not plan your airline departure too close to the planned safari return time if flying out of Nairobi. The traffic to get across the city can be very heavy so allow plenty of time. I would like to return for another safari my family from U.S. and plan to use Beacon when I do.