50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
great trip to Rwanda and Kenya
I booked through African Ubuntu Safaris for my trip to Rwanda and Kenya. Everything went just according to plan. I was met on arrival at Jo'burg by Gerard the local rep who gave me a book and some useful info, then at Kigali by a local representative ( of the local agency who were African primate safaris) and was introduced to my driver for the week, Sam. He was great-took me to the genocide museum then onto Sabinyo lodge at the Vocanoes National Park. This was outstanding accomodation and service and was probably the best of the all (bar one) excellent accomodations. The gorilla trek was hard but rewarding and the staff at Sabinyo go out of their way to look after you. We then went to Lake Kivu which was a beautiful drive(except for the long part where there were roadworks)and I was at Cormorant lodge overnight,. The setting was idyllic but the lodge itself lacked a few things. Next was Nywunge Forest lodge which was gorgeous, and a couple of walks/hikes to see monkeys and chimpanzees as well as a canopy walk high up in the treeetops(dont go if you have a fear of heights!!). Then it was back to Kigali where I stayed at the Serena hotel which was lovely. Then off the following day to the churches where masssacres had occurred, then to Nairobi where I was collected by the local rep. Overnight at the Boma then off to Laikipia where I was at Lewa safari camp. This was lovely and I saw lots of elephants, giraffes, rhinos, zebras and the 2 resident cheetah brothers. The organisation there was terrific and they matched me up on the game drives with 2 women of similar ages with whom I buddied up. This was a great bonus as it meant I had company for dinner and lunch.
The last stop was at Naboisho conservancy which was more "rustic" in the sense that the tents were in the open( Lewa had an electric fence around it) and little wifi. However, the tents were gorgeous(as were lewa's) and the managers outstanding(also at Lewa). Being small there was communal eating which was great as it enabled people to mix. The game drives were solo which was ok but I preferred to have company as at Lewa.
All the guides were excellent and the 2 walks I did with my guide and Masai warrior were really informative. There were quite a few lions there, as well as one leopard(so so beautiful) and 5 cheetah brothers. Also hordes of wildebeest, zebras and various antelope/deer species.
Everything was really well organised, the food at Lewa and in particular Naboisho was outstanding and they catered really well for me (vegetarian).
Diederick was a pleasure to deal with as he answered all emails immediately and gave really good advice about where to do and what to do, types of accommodation etc etc. Having heard some horror stories about internal flights, I was pleasantly surprised that everything worked so well. The lodges and airlines are in contact and the coordination is amazing.
The only downer was the airport in Nairobi which was the worst international airport I have ever seen!!
But that was one thing out of anyone's control!!
ES
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A very good tour
Faustin organized us a tour of 12 days including a safari and a stay in Zanzibar. Everything was organized as wished. The ratio quality/price was excellent comparing with other operators. Our guides were friendly, reliable and resourceful when we faced small issues or setbacks.
I recommend Faustin tour and travel.
TH
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Beautiful safari experience at a reasonable price
Compared to other tour operators, Karibu offers a good safari tour at a reasonable price. I got to see the main animals that I expected to see. The driver, James, made sure we saw everything and stopped for us to take loads of pictures. He also helped me deal with the accommodation manager when I wanted to move to a different room. He drove very skillfully too as our van never got stuck in any mud like a few other vans. He got good relationships with other drivers and communicated with them all the time when they saw animals anywhere so we could go there and see the animals. In addition to this, James gave useful travel advice when I asked him. The accommodation at Rhino Tourist Camp was ok, even though electricity was quite limited but well you are in the nature. The bathroom was okay though there was a bit of dirt. I slept in their tent on the first night and one of the rooms on the second night. The room was a bit more comfortable than the tent. When I was in the tent, I got bothered by bugs and mosquitoes a bit at night, though the tent was well covered. The only socket in the tent was too small for my big plug adapter to fit in. However I didn't have these problems in the room. Overall, I am happy with my safari tour.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Experience beyond expectations
I cannot fully explain how wonderful my experience was with It Started in Africa, especially with our guide Salehe. I was on a 4 day safari with 4 friends and we all agree it significantly exceeded our expectations on all fronts. The lodging was wonderful and worth the money, as well as the food. The star was definitely our guide who was knowledgeable, kind, and helpful. We encountered some rain and he not only made us feel safe, but also stopped to help others who had gotten stuck. I would highly recommend the company and Salehe to anyone looking to explore the parks.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Kenya - Tanzania safari report with Africa Remote Safaris.
My Wife and I went on a wonderful Africa Remote Safaris arranged Tour of Kenya and Tanzania this past December. I could say many nice things about the company and certainly the trip we enjoyed. However I must say that there were few instances that we believe the tour operator can certainly improve on. For one thing it was almost impossible to get clear information and instructions from the Agent that I was working with.
For example we arrived in Nairobi at midnight, naturally exhausted after a long plane ride and perhaps a bit more apprehensive since this was our first trip to Africa. Although we were met at the airport with someone holding a board with our names, the airport rep did not have any information on the next days activity.
However we were met on time the following day by Steve who gave us a briefing of about our safari, provided us with maps and other essentials before introducing us to Paul who was to be our guide in Kenya.
We enjoyed our stay at Maasai Mara’s Ol Moran camp and the last night at the Mara river camp. The game drives and guides were well co-ordinated.
On the 4th Day, we experienced some delays at the border, due to immigration rules. I felt that the Agent would have briefed us more about what to expect at the border and the procedures. This would have saved us alot of time.
Having said that I must say that our accommodation were purely outstanding. Africa Remote had recommended Tented Camps and although they were not all 5star, they were all in great locations and really connected with nature. We stayed at the Mbugani tented Camps in Serengeti and were hosted with Maggy. In Ngorongoro we stayed at Rhino Lodge before and Marimboi tented camp in Tarangire. In several of this places we were upgraded which I felt was probably due to Africa Remote.
All in all despite the little hitches in getting information, ours was a great Safari and as a result I have recommended Stafford and his team at Africa Remote Safaris to my friends.
Andy and Sarah
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great experience with the booking from first contact to the end of our trip. Very organised.
Vacay holiday deals were thorough, addressing any queries in a prompt manner. Our Maasai Mara safari was very well co-ordinated for two families living in different countries overseas to travel together. Great planning right to the finer details. I would recommend Vacay to anyone planning a holiday in Kenya.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Trip of a lifetime - Uganda and Botswana
This was our third trip to Africa but we had never been to Uganda before. All I can say is WOW!!!!!! We loved our experience. It was organised perfectly. We had never used this company before but so glad we did. the organisation was impeccable. Diederik communicated effectively before and throughout the journey in a very professional manner. We loved the accomodation, tours and all aspects of our holiday. Since we had been to Africa before, it was lovely to have our tour tailor made. We will be back and will not hesitate to book through this company.
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Found them to be very easy to talk to and they were very helpful on all counts.
Started off being late picking me up from my hotel, but once i got in contact all went well. The places we stayed were better than i expected, and the staff all friendly and helpful. The tours were great and the guides very knowlegable, over all a great experience.
ES
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Experience
If you are looking for a good Trip Agency to have the amazing expirience of visiting the Ugandas Gorillas Home, don´t look any further, Gorilla Bookings is your best choice. At least that was my experience last summer when I booked my trip with them.
We met them by Internet just a few weeks before travelling and we really feel very lucky because you never know if the services will be as good as you wish and they made it realy nice.
The price is right and affordable with a magnificent quality of services, perfect accompaniment from the airport, confortable vehicles and very good drivers that make your trip very easy.
Since we contact them they advised us very well and made all the arrangements for us in order to visit the gorillas including the journey to and from the forest, offering us very nice and confortable accommodations.
At the end Justus and Ben became good friends for us, as well as all the people that work with them in the way. I really hope to meet them again in any further trip.
Have a nice travel!!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent customer service!
Great safari and such incredible customer service. I felt amazingly well taken care of by Seth and team from the moment I landed in Kenya until the moment I departed. Highly recommend!