DK
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best driver and important information
We had a 3 day safari trip to Masai Mara with Khalifa as the driver and Derick as an extra hand. The two of them were very polite, helpfull and did their best to give us a great trip, which they very much did. They went above and beyond in giving us the best experience.
When comparing our experience with the other vehicles we saw on the safari it was pretty clear that Khalifa and Derick were excellent at finding the animals, getting the best angles and definitely getting the closest. Being within 3 meters of a lion, cheetah, giant elephant and more is quite the experience. Khalifas experience in predicting the animals meant that we often got the best spot. And viewing the sun go down while watching a herd of elephants is a thing i will never forget.
Important knowledge of going on safari is, that you should make sure that your vehicle is a proper offroad vehicle, like a Toyota Landcruiser and not a minibus. But also note that some of the vehicles are in disrepair and therefore do not have 4 wheel drive. The vehicle you get determines if you can go off the path and get closer to the animals or have to stay on the path and use your binoculars. (Hint you definitely want to zoom through the plains and get closer to the animals)
However the most important thing to note is, that when it has rained the lesser vehicles get stuck. We had to help out a few times with people who were stuck, which was much preferred to being stuck ourselves. Unfortunately people from other safari agencies did get stuck and had to spend the night in their vehicle inside the park. As you can guess dining and toilet facilities are not the best when there are hungry Lions around.
Fortunately the vehicle from Axis Safari was well maintained and fully functional and Khalifa was a world class offroad driver. The vehicles used for Safari are not equipped with toolkits, winches or other typical rescue gear, and the help can be a long ways away so choosing a good vehicle and driver like with Axis is a very good choice.
I would definitely recommend going with Axis and if possible asking for Khalifa.
DE
under20 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Amazing Addis Ababa City Tour & Cooking Experience
I spent 2 days with Liyu Ethiopia Tours and honestly it was such a great experience.
I booked a city tour and a cooking class in Addis Ababa. Everything was smooth from the beginning—both days the guide arrived on time, and the driver was very professional. The car was clean and comfortable, which made a big difference.
The cooking class with Mahi was one of my favorite parts. She is very friendly and explains everything in a simple and clear way. I really enjoyed the time with her—it didn’t feel like a class, more like cooking with a friend.
On the second day, I did the city tour with Oli, and he was an excellent guide. I learned a lot about Addis and Ethiopian culture, and he made the tour very interesting and relaxed.
Big thanks to the Liyu team for organizing everything so well