35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
In good and responsive hands
I went through Vayeni for a trip with friends to Zimbabwe, involving Harare and Victoria Falls. They were very responsive to our questions and comments, and offered alternative options according to our taste, budget, and changing number of people. They corrected quickly a situation that happened in Victoria Falls with our accommodation when we arrived late one night, and were afraid we would be missing a room and the micro light tour over the falls we had booked. Overnight, everything was settled and the stay went smoothly, in a very nice B&B, and we enjoyed all of our activities. I would hire them again!
SI
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
An extraordinary experience!
An extraordinary experience! Experience of nature, tribes and wild life is amazing. Special if care for you great team of professionals. Natasha and her team, make the experience of Tanzania memorable. Everything was prepare with care; accommodation, time allocation, and the professionalism of our driver, Daniel was like cherry on the top of great exploring of amazing country.
BE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing 3 day safari Tarangire - Ngorongoro - Manyara
I went with my girlfriend and 4 friends on this amazing trip with Afrishare. It couldn't have been any better I think.I can't mention one negative thing about the 3 days... the car was very spacious, a bit old-skool and cozy. Our driver/guide was funny, although he did not give super much extra information, he did a really good job. Food was delicious, and so so much! We also had such good sleeping places and beds in 'Heaven Nature', and there was hot water 24/24 which is so luxurious. We had fun all the time. And of course the national parks are amazing, with Ngorongoro seeming like a miracle when there are no clouds and no mist (we were lucky). Also the 2 other parks are great. The best thing maybe is the variation between the 3 parks, so you're never bored! We spotted any possible animal I think, except of the leopard. I could recommend Afrishare to everyone, and especially this safari. My next step will be visiting Serengeti one day. I don't know when, but I'm already sure it will be with Afrishare.
PL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful adventure
From reading other reviews, it appears that a lot of your experience depends on what driver you get. We apparently won the lottery, as our driver Franky was wonderful. He had a knack for finding animals and we saw all of the big 5 - most of them multiple times, plus endless hippos, giraffes, zebras, etc.
The car was also amazing. It was brand-new (2014) green coloured Land Cruiser with refrigerator, comfortable seats and sockets for charging of devices. Our car was kept clean and cold drinking water was available for us constantly.
Our accommodation was clean, comfortable and always interesting! And what's important – all lodges were in African style.
Tanzania is a country where everyone we met was warm, happy and welcoming. It always felt safe wherever we were. This country is an oasis, and I would love to go back again.
At the end of our 5 day safari we were really sad to part ways with our driver Franky. I recommend him and Altezza Travel to anyone travelling to Tanzania.
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a lifetime with exemplary service both before and during the trip.
During the planning phase Encompass Africa's communication with us was first class. Any queries were answered immediatley. Jonathon took the ideas that we had and enhanced them considerably through his extensive knowledge of Africa. We left the accommodation to him and we were not disapppointed. He saw us through the ebola crisis with up to the minute information which allayed our concerns. He supported our idea of independent travel and of driving in Namibia and answered our numerous questions with great patience. He went out of his way to meet our requests such as a Cape Malay cooking class. We left Australia quite comfortable and confident with the details of our trip.
The trip lived up to all our expectatios - and then some. The length of time that we spent at each destination was adequate. We were pleased that we had three nights at each of the Botswana lodges but two nights at each lodge in Namibia was fine. Our trip extended over five weeks and all of the arrangements ran like clockwork. THe Encompass Africa rep in Johannesburg made frequent contact to check that everything was OK. When we had to contact her over a minor interpretation of accommodation arrangements, she attended to it immediately.
Looking back, there was very little, if anything, that we would change. Jonathon's suggestion of self driving through Etosha was a good one although we did wonder how it would work out before we actually did it. Each day we thought, "This can't get any better," - and it did! There was a new experience every day. The ultimate accolade that we could pay is that we could have kept going even thought we had been constantly on the go for five weeks - and we are either at or approaching 70! At no time were we treated as 'old' or as people who couldn't do particular activities because of their age, something we appreciated very much.
We would thoroughly recommend Encompass Africa to anyone interested in a stimulating trip through Africa and expecting first class service. They will tailor make your trip to your specifications and you can be quite confident that the outcome will surpass your expectations.
under20 years of age | Experience level: first safari
perfect!! i have never gone with safari big5 but i saw some pics of groups from various places,woww!
Words cannot express the hard work and commitment!
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Highly recommend Ute Sonnenberg - efficient, prompt, organized and a pleasure to deal with
Enjoyed our safari immensely. Saw the Big 5 (and the "baby" 5 as a bonus) during our trip. Had no trouble with the air connections - was well arranged by Ute. The accommodations were comfortable, the service exceptional, the food was plentiful (never felt hungry during the whole trip). Our guides (Roan at Ngala and Matt at Phinda Mountain Reserve) and trackers (Chris at Ngala, Musa at Phinda) were impressive and personable - had a lot of fun and laughter. Overall an amazing experience for the whole family. Would stay at &Beyond resorts again and would highly recommend to anyone that wants an over-the-top experience!
FR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
For my part it wasn't just a Safari because I also do ecovoluntering.
The weather in Botswana is very sunny and sometimes very hot. My wildlife guide was the director of the ecovoluntering project, it was a bushman so he had a lot experience with the wildlife, we saw beautiful animal like elephant and hippo.
Concerning the transportation we was in a land rover defender or a land cruiser this vehicules was great to move into the bush.
BR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Kenya by Cassio Lopes & Alessandra Santos
I always recommend Kenya as the best country in the World to have the best safari experience. Either for regular visitors or one-time visitors, Kenya is by far the best served country in terms of wildlife variety and infrastructure and genuine bush experience. People are kind and the conservation mindset of this country is very serious. We can't stop visiting Kenya, and we do so since 2008, at least once per year.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wedding
Communication with the company and trip manager was well established from the start, we received timely and good advises as to how best to plan our trip. I liked the honesty and behavior oriented to the fullest client's satisfaction. The company made sure all our wedding ceremony details were met by the hotel. The company representatives were acting very professionally and friendly. Very safe and pleasant to have business with. The website is in good quality, easy to navigate and representative. Definitely would recommend.