CA
Budget friendly and kid friendly
Summary:
We had a great time with on the BTS budget safari with our young family. Our 1 and 3 year old children were safe, well-fed and cared for, and we got to see the Big 5 and more on our game drives. Food was good and plentiful, accommodation was suitable, guides were friendly. Not 5 star luxury touring by any standards, but it was better than expected and we had great service from Martha at BTS Kenya.
BTS:
- It's difficult to find a well-priced safari tour that allows young children, but Big Time Safaris provided us with a fantastic tour for our family. We traveled to Kenya with a 22 month old and a 3 year old, and BTS were very accommodating of their child car seats and general needs. Martha runs the show in the Kenya office and she's great. Answers emails and Whatsapp messages very promptly and she's very knowledgeable about everything. She was very understanding when our flight to Nairobi was cancelled at the last minute, and adjusted our tour so that we did not miss out on any game drives despite arriving 6hrs late and missing the original start time.
The tour:
- the tour was great. We were prepared for very budget lodgings given the cost of the tour but were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the tented camp in Masai Mara. the budget hotel in Lake Nakuru was quite nice too. The Tanzanian side was more in keeping with the 'budget' title, and we slept two nights in the public camping grounds near the Crater and Serengeti, but the facilities were fine and we had no complaints.
- you get different guides in Kenya and Tanzania. Both sets of guides were very kind to us and our kids, and we enjoyed the game drives immensely.
The kids:
- The vast majority of Kenyan/Tz tours available on Safari Bookings had age restrictions to >8 or even >15yrs. Clearly that wasn't going to work for my family, and we had very few operators to choose from. That said, BTS were really excellent.
- Camping/budget safaris will obviously not suit every toddler, but ours really enjoyed the experience. They had fun camping and we were sensible and prepared extensively - we brought snacks and toys for them, installed our own child car seats so that they could sleep on the drive and were securely seated, etc.
- Be aware that the public camping sites get pretty cold in the evenings, particularly the Crater. We brought toddler sleeping suits and sleeping bags and the kids slept well.
Note:
- We chose a tour that covered Kenya (Lake Nakuru and Masai Mara) and Tz (Lake Manyara, the Crater, Serengeti). Be aware that the Tanzanian part of the tour is not conducted by BTS, rather it is run by a separate Tanzanian company. We did all our correspondence through Martha in Kenya, and I would recommend that other travellers do so, too, to avoid any confusion or payments issues with the Tanzanian office.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Met all our needs...
Our trip went well to Kruger NP with a fly in safari over 3 nights. The flights, ground transportation and lodge worked seamlessly together and met all our needs. Overall, we were impressed with the coordination and quality of services provided.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Perfect trip, totally worth it.
The tour to Tafaria was amazing, we had a great time. Worth every coin....
FR
A magical experience in African savana!
We spent two marvellous days in a natural paradise among wild animals. Our driver Ashadu was wonderful : drove carefully, thoughtful and very patient with us, a very good teacher about the savannah and its inhabitants...The Mihingo lodge was absolutely wonderfull as well (rooms on stilts on top of a wooden hill, excellent food, swiming pool with an incredible view on a waterhole where many animals come to drink, very nice staff)
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Incredidable Short Safari Getaway
Our 3 Day Etosha Safari was a great look at the Namibian wildlife, the service was excellent the accommodation surpassed our expectations we will definitely book a longer trip with Golden Dune Travel in the near future
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A truly great experience
Golden Dune Travel made our Safari trip with the Family an unforgettable experience, at an affordable rate we could visit many of the different popular locations in Namibia, the tour operators made us feel very welcome and safe, the accommodation and food on the trip was great, Thank you for the great experience Golden Dune
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Comfortable and pleasant
Very comfortable rooms with good river view. Tasty well prepared meals, and all staff quick and friendly. A real "see me again" experience
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
I felt so welcome by the friendly staff, great food, I specifically enjoyed the game drives.
I had no problems, they were punctual and the whole experience was more than I expected.
BR
awesome 6 days 5 nights safari in Kenya
It was our first safari in Africa and John the organizer made sure all is in order as from the first date till we completed our safari. Every step of it he would confirm how we are. Their services are top notch and can't compare with others. Hotels, drivers and guides, were all professional. Our safari started from Samburu to Mara and still I miss Kenya.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Kruger - a remarkable and life-changing place on this earth
We stayed at Lion Sands Resort, which shares borders with Kruger National Park: same wildlife, closer views, fewer potential interruptions via too many people on the dirt roads at once. Our guides made sure that we were always the only range rover on a particular unpaved track and this fostered a very intimate vision of the beauty of Africa...almost a dream.
Our guides were extremely knowledgable about this wonderful place and creatures and took great care in moving about quietly. They really knew where to look for amazing animal sightings including gazelles, elephants, lion prides, giraffes, hippos, Cape buffalo, all manner of incredible birds and on and on.
One of the most rare sighting was of a female leopard and her two young kits; watching her pad down a dry wadi and call her kits in a strange feline cry was amazing...they will only emerge from their hiding spot when they hear their mother's specific voice and sure enough, they bounded out and we watched for quite some time as they rebounded and moved on to the local watering hole.
Venturing out three times a day - for about 2.5 hours each trek - ensured that we would see the beauty of the land and it's inhabitants in a realistic variety of ways, not just a standard zoo-like single and contrived view (we actually visited a "game reserve" on the south eastern coast of Africa a week or so later and it is unworthy of camparison (we are mad for wildlife so we did this day trip too; 'recommended only for those who can't make it for a full safari or just passing through - otherwise, no thanks, we were irrevocably spoiled by Kruger!
The scenery is a mix of plains, jungle, rivers...all of the things you may have dreamed about Africa. Our accommodations were quite comfortable with all amenities, located on the edge of a river so we could view various creatures making there way to the river's edge to eat, drink and bathe.
The cuisine was quite good - getting a lot of face-time with the real Africa takes some energy and after three jaunts, you really enjoy a nice meal and a good glass of wine. Lion Sands is absolutely superb in this manner of hospitality - it's a mannered, hospitable place and very relaxing - highly recommended.
Seeing something so rare like Kruger - this beautiful and remarkable place - is life-changing and this is a feeling we will always carry in our hearts and minds. We wish the same for you in your safari. Jambo!
