20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Mega guide, mega safari, mega adventure!
We (3 people from Europe) booked a 3-day safari in April 2015 through Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater and Tarangire. I can say for sure that we are quite sensible and critical, but this trip was a pure sensation in mostly all points. We booked the budget package with sleeping in (stable) tents nearby Lake Manyara. Although we came in the "low season", we experienced three great days we will never forget.
One of the most important reasons for our enthusiasm was Mubarak, our guide and one of the directors of the company. I don't even know where to start the list of his benefits: He was very professional and friendly, was always in a good mood and never got bored by our many questions about animals, nature and general Tanzanian/African things. Since he is a experienced guide with a lot of knowledge, mostly all of our questions were answered and if there was something even he was unsure of, he promised to look it up in the evening because he also was interested in learning new stuff. Because we had rain seasons, we had several critical situations with muddy roads, but he handled the (huge!) car very professionally and was able to show us interesting spots even when other popular viewpoints were blocked. Every morning, the car was cleaned again from mud and trash. And - which is some kind of rare in Tanzania - he spoke English fluently which made it easy to follow his detailed explanations and answers.
Not only Mubarak was one of the reasons we totally recommend this company but also Mohammed, the company's CEO. Even although we only booked a few days before the safari, he made us a very good offer and provided us with all transparency we needed: prices, accomondation, pick-up from our apartment in Moshi, free water bottles, lunch boxes, a meeting before the safari and so on. In the end, we had to care about almost nothing and were able to enjoy the 3 days without any hassle or complications.
Criticism? Well, we booked the walking safari in Tarangire on the last day (2-3 hours walking in the plain nature). Unfortunately Mubarak wasn't allowed by the park management to come with us so we had another guide and armed ranger. He wasn't the best guide, his English was hard to understand and he wasn't well equipped (no binoculars) and able to answer several of our (I think quite basic) questions. The nature of Tarangire and the atmosphere of walking around freely was absolutely worth it, but maybe MegaAdventures finds a way to improve that. Having Mubarak with us during the walk would have been much more better! But even after long thinking about negative points, this is the only one we honestly can think of.
Oh, and about the animals: I think except a Leopard we've seen the most "important" ones. But if herde of 20 elephants crosses your way 2 meters in front of you with no other tourist cars around you, you don't think any longer about Big Fives or such trivial categories. You're just happy to have a professional guide able to lead you to these locations. We'll definitely looking forward to book Mega Adventures for other trips during our long stay in Tanzania.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
An excellent tailor made tour to our needs.
It was easy to book via email, we had a few iterations before we agreed on the best tour for ourselves as we were tagging this onto the end of a private trip with friends. Our guide Sam arrived at the accommodation as arranged & spent time to discuss our requirements against his booking form to make sure that we were happy with the plans. Our accommodation was special at both Mutanda Lake resort with views to the volcanoes & Rwakobo Rock at Lake Mburo NP with views over the park. Sam our guide was very knowledgeable & pointed out wildlife & birds for us during the whole trip. The Gorilla tour was the purpose of this trip & we were not disappointed, Sam had briefed us well on the possible difficulties with the terrain & his advice to get a porter was very sensible. Lake Mburo was a great place for both day & night game drives & then we did a cycle ride in the morning before heading back to Kampala.
Throughout the time we were very well looked after & learnt a lot about life in Uganda & also the wildlife. The tour lived up to all of our expectations.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Extraordinary Adventure and Experience (10 Stars)
I had been to Africa on Safari before but this time was different. I now had a family of 5 and it can be difficult to keep them all engaged and excited. I searched through 5 different vendors before finally settling on Impala tours. This was due to a combination of price, value, and responsiveness. Before I knew it I had another family of 3 as well as another couple that was going to join us. I was a bit hesitant as I was now responsible for 10 people’s happiness in the choice I had made. It was soon apparent that I had nothing to worry about. Our tour operator Andre provided an outstanding tour. Impala’s difference from other operations is on the total experience. Our guide was enjoyable to be around and was able to provide additional accommodations when we decided to extend our stay beyond Etosha and add a night at Swakopmund. This was done all without issue. As a Native Namibian our guide spoke English, German, Afrikaans, and some of the local tribal languages. Our children loved the experience and really enjoyed having Andre as the tour guide as his humor and good nature kept everyone in high spirits. I give my highest recommendations to use Impala tours. If you end up in Swakopmund, ask Andre to show you where to get a “Colonial Coffee” (it is impressive and delicious)
IT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
exceptionally, beautiful
Beautiful experience with a driver and a guide exceptional. They are very experienced and are able to realize your every wish. All is possible!
IT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Beautiful, wonderful
A special guide, a special driver. Exceptional hotel accommodations. Beautiful places. Thanks to Edward and Joseph we saw all the animals possible. All is possible!
BE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience!
Our guide Michael was extremely helpful and we had the entire (Ruaha) park almost to ourselves!
CH
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review
Good client care, accessibility and responsiveness. I liked the quality of services provided.
AE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Outstanding service providing an unforgettable experience
There was nothing that could be faulted about this trip. All arrangements were delivered to an exceptional standard. As guests we had nothing to worry about, only to enjoy this superb country and it's people. The driver saluman was impeccable. He was skilled, kind and there was really nothing that was too much trouble for him. A humbled man who was a pleasure to be with, every day of the tour.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
An Amazing 7 Day Safari Experience on The Congo Nile Route Rwanda
I had an amazing 7 day safari experince to Rwanda's Congo Nile Trail with visits to the chimpanzees, waterfalls and canopy walk in Nyungwe Forest, Swimming and exploring the Lake Kivu towns, islands and beaches and to crown it all a gorilla trekking experience in the Volcanoes National Park spending a few minutes with these gentle animals
IN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great service and good knowledge about the destination.
I received great service right from the start, from answering all my queries to having a great time on my first safari tour as promised. Every little detail was taken care of, right from my accommodation to meals and transfers, the itinerary did help me experience Kenya in a fun way. I cannot thank Active Holiday Company enough for making the trip so easy for me and the experience was one I would not mind reliving.