NL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Due to very last minute booking, communication with Ute at RYC went smooth, gave great confidence.
Communication with Ute went very well, quick answers, to the point and within very short we agreed to do the tour.
The tour itself was a great success despite our wide experiences in Kenya and Tanzania. Logistically everything was well arranged, tickets, transfers, accomodation etc etc. It is always good when during the tour you have no questions. Next to that Botswana, and i have to highlight 1 place " Kana Kara", was terrific. Chobe Safari Lodge and A'Zambezi River Lodge were perfect as well but in another category. "Kana Kara" is a place due to its basics, location and people you never forget. Thanks Ute, well done.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Christmas in Africa
Peter was very forthcoming with details and professional when handling problems that arose during our time in Africa. I couldn't have asked for better driver in Mariki and most of the places we lodged were what we expected and one even better than we thought it would be. We saw everything our hearts desired and participated in all we wished. You couldn't ask for more from a company.
IN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
fun fun fun
me and my wife visited kenya and we went to Masaimara,Samburu,Lake Nakuru and naivvasha.it was fun to be there and we saw many animals.the food we ate was great.the manegement was well organized and we did not have worries.Kenya walking Survivors thank you..see you in coming years.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
the stafff responded immediately and provided valable service at each contact
the call-centre and guides and drivers were amazingly helpful and knowledgeable. the river ferry standards are to low and need an upgrade. The team themselves where quiet good at their work. the helicopter services were very professional.
i will gladly use Falcon again and will recommend them unreservedly to friends and family
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good budget safari
We did a four day safari to lake manyara, serengeti and the ngorongoro crater. Andrew was very kind and helpful. He responded very quickly everytime and even arranged bus tickets for us from Nairobi and to Dar es Salaam.
The campsites on our trip were beautiful. Some of the mattresses and sleeping bags were smelly but it was comfortable. The cars are not in optimal condition. One of our cars had a minor steering problem and one of the gasoline tanks on the back started leaking while in the park (his was fixed within 3 minutes). However I did not feel unsafe for a moment. The cars are old but thorough and our guides were very good drivers. Their knowledge was just okay but sometimes we had to pull the information out of them and other times we felt like the story was not completely true. Our cook, Wazini, was an absolute highlight. He served us well during the trip.
To conclude honestly, if you want the best safari ever: spend more money because it will truly make a difference. But if that is not the case, because you're here on voluntarily basis and organising the sustainable for example: go with jackpot. They are very experienced and you will see every animal in (at least) threefold, the guides and cooks will arrange eveything for you (including setting up tents and what ever) and are very very friendly. Just like every other tour operator, the standard tipping procedure is applied, keep that in mind.
QA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
We flew in from around the world for a family Christmas and New Year that no one will forget!!!
Ten months were spent planning our family Christmas Safari. E-mails to East Africa Safari with questions during these 10 months were promptly answered. When the day came to fly to two different airports (Arusha and Kilimanjaro) from different parts of the world (USA & Qatar), it all came together seamlessly thanks to the careful planning, on time flights, and the commitments met by East Africa Safari. We all met in Arusha on Christmas Day at the time estimated several months prior (15:00) and we enjoyed a Christmas day together that was out of the ordinary. The next day our 22 & 25 year old kids quickly connected with our good natured guide, Melckizedeck (Melk), who knew the territory well and had many contacts throughout the Maasai communities of the Serengeti. Mingling with the villagers and local culture added an unexpected element to the trip. At the end of the 7 day adventure we saw many animals, had lots of laughs, and shared experiences we will remember forever. We left highly pleased with East Africa Safari and I would recommend them to anyone.
ES
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Efficient
Everything has been well organize and efficiently. Nice guys besides.
US
Experience level: first safari
This was a great safari experience from beginning to end!
I was very happy with our experience with It Started in Africa from beginning to end. The office contact person was prompt and helpful in answering questions and expediting booking the tour. We chose to be met at the airport and the young men who met us were personable and helpful. The office manager came to our hotel to meet with us and go over the details of the safari. We chose the 4 days/3 nights safari to Lake Manyara/Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater and found it a great experience. We chose the camping safari and found it suited our budget and yet was comfortable. It was fun meeting some of the other people doing the same type of safari. Our driver/guide Martin was excellent and very knowledgeable both about the animals and how to get the best views of them. He also timed where we went for our game viewing to be able to see as many animals as we could. We were fortunate to be there for the start of the wildebeest migration and even saw a cheetah attacking one for dinner! Martin was good company, always looked out for us and graciously accommodated a few spontaneous requests on the last day returning to Arusha. Our cook Samwell made us delicious food and there was always plenty of it. We were happy to have box lunches as it allowed more time for game viewing. He was flexible and made us a box breakfast at our request on the morning we went to Ngrongoro Crater so we ate it in the beautiful surroundings of the crater. We saw a wide variety of animals including elephants, lions, cheetahs, leopards, wildebeests and a black rhino. Altogether we had a great time and appreciate the work that this safari company put into making it so enjoyable!
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The importance of choosing a good guide
Donna, the owner, was very helpful and responsive. It was also impressive to see the initiatives they are developing in the country. It is great to see how the money you are collaborating with paying for the trip, to the communities.
The only negative thing about the trip, which unfortunately is very important, was the driver-guide. If you decide to go with Maasai Wanderings, we recommend you not to go with Nickson. You will spend a lot of time together, including lunch and dinners with someone not nice at all, who wouldn't talk to us, not even to explain to us the necessary things during the safari. He definitely ruined one of the most important parts of our trip.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic!
Simon of East African Safari Co created a wonderful, well-tailored travel safari for our group of 3. We did a long safari of 16 days and he made it very interesting, varied and covered all of the area highlights. We visited five national parks/area and also had numerous interactions with the local population and culture. The staff was outstanding (we LOVED our guide), food was excellent and the lodging was very nice. All of this was done for nearly 1/2 of what other safari companies were charging. Simon was in frequent contact with us over our four months of planning and responded quickly to any questions or needs we had. Overall, we had the best time and highly recommend East African Safari company. We are looking forward to our next trip to eastern Africa and will certainly use EAST Co again in the future.