20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The 14-day Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania tour was a once in a lifetime incredible experience
My fiance and I did the 14-day Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania tour. Our guide through Uganda and Rwanda was Alfred, and we thoroughly enjoyed him. He was an excellent driver, we felt safe and comfortable the entire trip, which is important as we shared several, lengthy drives together. He shared a lot of information and answered any questions we had regarding culture, wildlife, etc.
Uganda
We enjoyed the view in our first accommodation, Cassia Lodge, and if we had to rate it on a scale from 1 (below average) to 5 (above average) we would rate the overall experience there a 3. The food was good, but the service and interior room accommodations (bed, bathroom) left a lot to be desired. From there our lodges appeared to increase in beauty and comfort. Getting to travel through Kampala with a guide who actually lives in the area is an experience that is unmatched. We were in awe throughout our entire trip through Uganda’s breathtaking countryside.
Kibale Forest Camp was our next stop, in which we were surprised and delighted to be instantly greeted by black and white colobus monkeys. We would rate our overall experience here a 4, our tent was comfortable and clean and the service was good. We especially enjoyed the restaurant area on the upper level of the main lobby and we also liked the fact that we could explore the grounds with a self-guided tour. We awoke bright and early for the chimpanzee habituation tracking, which was a great overall experience and then Alfred picked up a ranger and took us on a quick game drive through Queen Elizabeth National Park, where we were able to see a good deal of wildlife including lions and elephants and were even lucky enough to spot a python killing a baby kob.
The Marafiki Safari Lodge was great. We would rate the bungalow itself a 4, but the staff and food definitely deserve a 5. Everyone was extremely friendly and the meals were outstanding. We enjoyed getting to spend extra time with Alfred during our stay here. We were quite pleased with the balance of alone time meals and meals we had with Alfred. Our second chimpanzee tracking experience at the gorge was one of our favorite moments of the trip. We had an incredibly enthusiastic guide named Robert who lead us to a small family of chimps within the gorge. This was followed by the boat safari, which was also fun and filled with wildlife.
The next morning was hot air balloon day and that entire experience was fantastic from start to finish. The breakfast in the bush was so special and charming and we especially enjoyed the water jug and soap provided to wash our hands before eating. The drive to Lake Mutanda was breathtaking, which led us to our favorite lodge in Uganda, the Mutanda Lake Resort. We would rate our experience overall a 5 from our room to staff to food. The view from this lodge was incredible and it was clean, comfortable, and intimate. Gorilla Tracking was a once in a lifetime experience and it was nice to have downtime at the Mutanda Lake Resort, where there is so much to see and explore. It was a great finale to our overall Uganda experience.
Rwanda
This day we had a lot of downtime, almost too much. We were driven right to Le Bambou Gorllia Lodge, which was our least favorite lodge of our entire trip. While there were some available activities at the lodge, it wasn’t enough to fill our time and we also weren’t thrilled with the room and bathroom in terms of cleanliness and comfort. We would rate this a 2, though the food and staff were great.
We did the golden monkey tracking while we were here, which was another fantastic experience and then drove to Kigali. Alfred took us to the Rwandan genocide museum, which was sobering and informative. Alfred then drove us to our final Rwandan stay at the super luxurious Flame Tree Village. While this was more of a hotel and less of a “lodge” it gets a 5 as well for cleanliness and comfort.
Our overall Uganda/Rwanda experience was unmatched. We were overall thrilled with the entire experience; our only complaint is that we were unclear about what meals were included and which ones weren’t. Often times it didn’t match what the itinerary stated and we found that more meals were included than we originally expected, which was a good thing—we just were left questioning things a lot of the time.
Another thing we wanted to mention is that we also didn’t realize how often US currency is preferred over the local currency, and had we known this ahead of time we would have brought more US currency. And although it is stated on the website that US dollars have to be produced from 2006 on, it might be helpful to reiterate that to US travelers prior to their journey.
Tanzania
Our first driver was Lawrence. He indicated right away that he was just driving us to our first lodge and we would have someone different for the remainder of our trip. Lawrence was also great! He was pleasant and informative and had a great sense of humor. We stayed at Ilboru Safari Lodge, which gets a 5+. The food was delicious, the staff was friendly, the grounds were beautiful, and our bungalow was perfect and clean. The next day we met our guide for the remainder of the trip, Rama. Rama was also great, he went out of his way to help us spot a Leopard and also taught us a lot of Swahili. He also helped us track down some nice souvenirs before we left for the United States.
We both loved the cultural tour through Mto Wa Mbu—what a unique and fun experience! The food at the end was delicious. Our Lake Manyara game drive was fun. We stayed at Manyara Wildlife Safari Camp, which was another beautiful location. We would rate this one a 4—it was comfortable and the staff was friendly. Our packed lunch from this place was our favorite overall, filled with lots of options, though we really did enjoy each and every packed lunch we received throughout this journey.
We then drove to the Serengeti for a game drive for yet another unique and once in a lifetime experiences. We stayed at our absolute hands down favorite location of the entire trip, the Tortilis Camp. It was luxurious and our tent was huge. The staff was beyond friendly—so accommodating and full of enthusiasm. This place gets a 5+ as well.
The next day was Ngorogoro Crater day, which again was fantastic. Rama was a great guide throughout both of these adventures, spotting tons of wildlife and getting us great views of the animals.
Our last stay was at the Country Lodge Karatu, which we would rate a 4 overall. It was comfortable and clean and the food was fine.
We cannot say enough wonderful things about Matoke Tours and our entire experience. Our expectations were far exceeded and the beauty of Uganda, Rwanda, and Tanzania blew us away.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
we've already recommended them to my son and he chose them too
I talked with eight or more safari companies, asked for their suggestions, and told them what we wanted. There were several that I really liked, but Spirit of Kenya won out easily. I didn't just choose the cheapest options, and I really appreciated that Spirit of Kenya recommended 2-3 resorts in different price ranges and let me choose. We loved all three places that we stayed. James, our driver, was amazing at finding us fascinating animals and getting us great photo opportunities. My son later wanted to take his wife on a photo safari, researched several safari companies, and agree with my recommendation to use Spirit of Kenya.
NO
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very nice trip to Mikumi.
My daughter and me send request about safari on the internet and get an answer very fast from Josef. We had a nice trip from Dar es salaam to Mikumi park. This was our first safari. We see a lot of animals and it was exciting.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a lifetime!
We cannot say enough great things about our experience in Kenya with this tour group. From the very first quick response email and detail to our customized trip, to our guide (John is awesome!), to all the accomodations at different locations and the amazing parks we visited. Pricing is tailored to you. We had so many options to build around our budget which was so nice to not have to have just one limiting package. This group made it so easy to plan and we were very confident arriving in a new country for the first time and being in their hands for our entire safari. We felt very spoiled and truly had the most unique unforgettable experience all the way around. Absolutely exceeded my expectations. We have been on some amazing journeys but do not know how to top this one! We took over 1500 pictures of every beautiful creature you can imagine and then some! We now have several friends wanting to visit Kenya now. And we WILL be back!
Ntsimane displayed every characteristic of an exceptional guide and South African gentleman.
Patrick reached out to me 3 days before our outing to confirm time and offer additional activities. This was a pleasant surprise and appreciated. Ntsimane is an awesome guide! We had a wonderful time with him and he made Tandra's birthday outing better than expected. He was very accommodating as well. We received South African history and present day information from him. A business is only as good as the employees and the business was represented exponentially well by Ntsimane.
PT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic
We are very pleased with Beacon safaris. All were excelent in time and fun. John was our driver and now we have a friend in Quenia. We have experienced offroad safari in Masai Mara. Perfect
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
9 day Active Educational Safari with a 10 year old
sorry but i keptgetting the following error: please don’t write the review in all caps and had to make all lowercase after 10+ times trying… this was our first time on an african safari and our 1st time in the continent, but we are otherwise well traveled. i for one never wanted to do a safari to begin with, not wanting to inhale dust and get tossed around in a bumpy vehicle for days without exercise, but budged when hubby and daughter got interested and we could customize our itinerary due to the amazing anda african adventure staff. we probably worked on our itinerary for weeks and ended up combining several to come up with a 9 day pretty active educational safari program in tanzania which was very reasonably priced and the socially responsible way that anda constructs its itineraries made us feel good. zoe, christine and charina of anda are three powerful ladies who walk the talk. planning was a breeze and the physical and 7 hr time difference between mi and arusha didn't put a dent in anything. the lodging choices were perfect for us (nothing luxurious, but clean, local, and comfortable), we enjoyed every single one. our guides were wonderful, especially peter who is a great spotter on the wheel! we saw all the big five including the hard to see baby & mom rhino and the leopard. our itinerary included base camp 1 hike at kilimanjaro, running behind the hadzabe hunters, walking safari with wayo africa, several game drives in the serengeti, tarangire, and ngorongoro, and many cultural walks. we are still sorting through our 3000+ photos & videos. and yes, this one who was dead-against this safari would go back in a heartbeat!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great Times!!
The Murchison Falls tour was amazing. The guide is so knowledgeable he kept us entertained and explained everything that was going on. What a beautiful place. Great memories I encourage more people to visit E.Africa the prices are fair compared to other safaris outside Africa. Wild Discoveries sure is a leader in customer service.
KW
safari with pleasure
Before booking I contacted few travel agencies, I found Home to Africa were the quickest to reply and answer to all queries we had. from start Mr.Elias was very efficient and helpful in organizing our tour to the best one could expect. On arrival ,though i had arranged with the hotel for the pick up. we were surprised Home to Africa driver/guide Nasser waiting for us as well.
Nasser was an excellent , experienced, professional , knowledgeable person one would hope to have as an driver/guide. He did his best to show all the animals from very close range. Even though it was raining he made sure that we go and visit the waterfalls, which was amazing,.
thanks to all members of Home to Africa Tours .
ES
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience in Africa with Africa Celebruty Tours
We spent our holidays in Kenia to enjoy our first safari in Africa and Muli and his staff were very friendly and they show the great experience to find the Big Five. Africa is a place which everyone should vist sometime in life. Thanks for all and we hope to meet soon again