35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Life time experience!! Thank you very much Back Of Africa Adaventure
I hold a uk passport though working at the uk embassy here in Kenya for the last one year now. I had my husband and 4 of my old school friends visiting me from uk/ usa and Canada; I felt so nervous on what surprises I should offer them when they visit me here in Kenya since it was their first leg in East Africa.
Thanks to the new technology “internet”. Through my internet surfing I came across Back of Africa adventure online and thanks to the reviews from all walks of the world who did a safari with this company. I got convinced and impressed with the few comments I read online.
My mail contact was Allan, to be honest this young gentle man love his work and respnds faster than i could imagine.
I requested a 15 days Kenya and Tanzania trip. The accommodations were wonderful as were the destinations that allan helped us select. We really appreciated the diversity of the places we visited and stayed at: Samburu national game reserve, olpajeta conservancy (sweet waters conservancy) Lake Nakuru national park , Maasai mara game reserve Serengeti National park, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara National park and Tarangire National park.
Each park and each camp had something special to offer. One camp had only luxury 7 tents, one had 30 raised tents. Some were in between (with 15-20 individual units). Not all accommodations were tented... as Allan selected some middle class lodge type properties too to fit our budget bracket as we were not up market travelers. Each was different and had a unique personality which only added to the trip. Whether it was the view of Kilimanjaro, the resident warthogs, the sneaky monkeys, the elephants that visited the water hole for an evening drink, the gourmet food, the incredible service, the night game drive at srena sweet waters, the walking safari, the picnic breakfast or the Maasai spotters.. Each facility and each destination was perfect and amazing.
The most memorable moments on our 15 days adventure were being happily trapped in our "tree-tent" at Tarangeri Treetops for several hours while a family of elephants (6) ate their way around our raised tent. (see the elephant near the entrance to our tent). And a very special surprise Maasai blessing ceremony (orchestrated by Allan and his staff and our gracious hosts, Joe and Michael (guide) at mara sarova game lodge) to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary in the Maasai Mara game reserve. Truly a fairytale ending to a dream vacation to my husband and I.
I highly recommend booking a personalized/customized tour rather than a group tour. We saw many of the "famous” group tours, staying at the same facilities we did. It was often 8 - 9 people ( strangers) traveling together and It appeared that they toured and dined together every day Can you imagine what it would be like if you didn't get along with someone in your group?? I think you lose the intimacy that traveling on a customized tour offers. We still had an opportunity to meet others without feeling obligated to participate in group activities.
Thank you very much Back Of Africa Adventure and our driver guide Michael keep it up even to future customers.
I recommend…
NL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Incredible and fantastic Uganda & Tanzania journey with amazing wildlife and beautiful people
Matoke made our 30-year wedding anniversary trip in Uganda and Tanzania a once in a lifetime experience; overwhelming nature and wildlife, great lodges and resorts, beautiful and friendly people with a beutiful resort on the island of Zanzibar to enjoy a relaxing week afterwards. Don't forget to take a balloon-trip in Queen Elizabeth National Park; unforgettable.
Great indeed!
IT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Safari with a committed operator
We spent a 5 days safari with Joseph and James in Oldupai, Ngorongoro, Lake Manyara and Tarangire, and it was great. We ended up our vacation in Zanzibar to enjoy some days of relax on the beach. Despite the difficulties that inevitably arise during the organization of such complex itineraries, BlueOcean Safaris shown a great committment to fix some minor troubles and at the end to make our vacation truly successful.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Well organised, safe and fun trip
Exceeded expectations! Very well-organised; the tour guide was very friendly, helpful, knew a lot about Masai Mara, and adjusted the trip to any special arrangements we needed.
IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
All perfect!
Everything was perfect . By e-mail communication , always fast and comprehensive to real safari . From our arrival until departure we never had any problem . The tour they arranged gave us a chance to see wonderful places and countless animals . The lodges and tented camps that have chosen for us were all spectacular , with lovely staff and competent . The food and the lunch box always excellent . Excellent value for money.
I sincerely thank all the staff of Easy Travel , who arranged everything flawlessly , the safari and stay in Zanzibar . They made our trip a wonderful experience .
Our guide was very nice and always helpful and beyond to make us see many animals explained many things , very prepared . Thanks to all the staff of easy travel. If we go back ... f sure we will do it with you !
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable safari!
This is perhaps the best journey we (my wife and me) have ever had. The consultant was very helpful and made a convenient and game-rich itinerary for us. We have spent 6 days for game-viewing and 3 days at Zanzibar. The guide-driver, Omary, was nice and knowledgeable of the wildlife. He took great effort in trying to take us to the places where large animals were to haunt. During the entire journey, there was no problem in hotel booking, internal flights and other local transportation. Indeed a reliable safari agency.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unbelievable experience
I have just spent the most wonderful experience of my lifetime in Tanzania while on Safari with Tanganyika Ancient Routes more importantly with Charles the owner. The locations that we went to were unbelievable, I have never seen so many wonderful landscapes and the animals that we saw just blew me away. Charles knowledge of Tanzania and the wildlife is the best, while driving alone we would stop and I would be thinking what are we stopping for and Charles would say “just over there beside the tree” and right enough there would be a Cheetah or a hyena or something there ……….amazing.
I will defiantly be using Charles services again the sooner the better.
IE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Exceeded expectations for an unforgettable trip
We spent five days with Ernest and there were 5 people in our group. From start to finish Ernest was very professional and it is obvious that he is passionate about his job which made the trip so much more enjoyable. We spent the first day in Tarangire and stayed in a lodge in Karatu that evening.
Ernest walked us around the local market and discussed some of the local produce. We then went for a local dinner which we all really enjoyed and thought that this was a nice touch. The following day we went to Serengeti and spent two nights camping there. The last night was spent camping on the rim of Ngorongoro Crater and we descended the crater the following day. We also visited a Maasai village which again, is something a little extra and shows that they really try to give you a proper taste of Tanzania.
During our five-day trip we saw approximately 40 lions, some cheetahs, rhinos, leopards, elephants and many other animals. One of the people in our group was interested in bird watching and Ernest made sure to point out and describe many birds. He really catered to everyone's interests.
Throughout our trip it felt as though we were taking part in a wildlife documentary because we were so close to the animals! Having done a Safari from Arusha a few years ago, this one was a million times better! Highly recommend this company!
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Base Camp Site Ltd - So awesome!
We were a group of 3 couples (relatives) and got in touch with Achmed based on great feedback from close friends who went on safari with them in 2013. We had planned out safari for January 2015 but due to Ebola outbreak we asked Achmed about postponing for one year. He said OK, no problem. They rebooked everything.
Our Luxury Lodge safari was tremendous:
- Stayed in Arusha for a relax day after arriving via KLM
- went to Arusha NP, Tarangire NP, Lake Manyara NP, Serengeti NP (2 days), Ngorongoro Crater NP.
- Added Zanzibar: 4 nights in Nungwi beach resort and 2 nights in Stone Town (in hindsight 1 night would have be fine)
- Achmed greeted us the first night, took us through everything to expect, Do's and Dont's, and lots of laughs.
- Joseph, our driver was super. Punctual, uncanny at spotting, good reference books along, talking with lots of other guides along the way getting the latest, listening and responding to our every question or request. sensitive to trying for the best picture, and had uncanny anticipation as if he was an "animal whisperer"
We asked along the way to stop at an orphanage to make a donation so Joseph picked one for us. They took us in and talked about its start and all they are doing we left our packages and money.
In addition we asked to stop at a Maasai village. again, no problem. But had to pay $50 for the group, each couple was escorted by a prominent male, dancing, singing, visit inside a hut, explanation of their lifestyle and customes, answered all our questions, visited their kindergarten, their animal enclosures, and were encouraged to buy their crafts, which we did.
- The safari lodging gave us a tremendous and varied experience that we truly appreciated for the "Africa" memories we have beyond the game drives
- Traveler's checks were a running joke with Achmed till almost the end of our trip. 2 couples brought them to pay the final payment...but Achmed's bank was so slow in clearing them into his account that we were practically done before he had received full payment.
- Achmed met up with us again after the safari for a debriefing, sharing our exciting stories, and more fun laughs.
Oh, we had specifically requested to add on the hot air balloon but in hindsight the time of year without Wildebeast migration where the balloons go made it a little disappointing - However it is an unbelievable experience (saw a leopard with a cub, lions, hippos, lots of giraffe, elephants). We had always wanted to do a balloon ride so why not over the Serengeti!!
Finally, Base Camp was very highly regarded by the manager at the Zanzibar Nungwi beach Langi Langi resort for being totally trustworthy and reliable for their resort. They have had dealings for many years.
Our group agrees with their assessment.
FR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Unforgettable three days in Masai Mara
Everything was perfect right from the beginning. I booked my safari in Nakuru with Pega Tours, as I was very pleased with their welcoming, natural style, the clear information I got to my questions, and the very reasonable price. We had a warm welcome from the great guide/driver John, then took off in a very comfortable vehicle with pop-up roof. We had a buffet- lunch in a quiet restaurant inside a garden. The camp, slightly outside the Mara, was cozy, well maintained with lots of flowers, and friendly staff. It had simply furnished tents with private bathrooms and a small veranda, a buffet-style restaurant/bar and picknick tables for sitting outside, reading, dreaming, listening to the birds ... After a rest at the camp, we went on our first game drive, beautiful. The next day was a full-day game-drive, absolutely unforgettable. We saw amazing numbers of wildlife, including a pride of lions, a leopard, and even a cheetah with her cubs !!! The guide/driver John was a friendly, experienced, very knowledgeable man, he explained us so much, in perfect english, obviously he really liked his job. He really made our trip so much more enjoyable, apart from the wildlife, of course. For lunch, we had a picknick by the river, peaceful, nice views.
On the next morning we had a last game-drive, where we saw a rhino, so everybody got to see the "big five" apart from lots of zebra, wildebeest, various types of antilope, gazelle, as well as many giraffes, buffalos, hippos, crocodiles, and lovely scenery. There was an excursion to a Masai village later on(I didn't participate, as I had met so many Masai people before) but the people who went said, they had enjoyed it. Leaving the camp and the Mara was very sad ...... On the way back we had a last good lunch at a lovely restaurant, and as I didn't want to go back to Nakuru, at my demand, John dropped me at Naivasha, near Lake Naivasha. I had three unforgettable, happy days and I know, I was lucky for having gone with this honest, friendly company. Thanks so much !!!