65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
First African Experience Was Overall Good ++
Following is a review of the places we visited this past month (June 2014). Roho Ya Chui helped us plan and book the trip. It was a group of 5, with 3 of us being newbies and and the other 2 old hands at African Safaris. Ute Sonnenburg was a delight to work with, and she went the extra step for us on several occasions.
I thought I'd give you my reviews of the places we visited.
Lawhill Apartments: I think this was a good choice, though a bit spartan in amenities / furnishings. Great location at the Victoria & Albert Wharf. Dionne (spelling?) was a good guide and flexible to our suggestions. I really liked Cape Town and Stellenbosch. Next time I might do 2 nights in Stellenbosch as it is quite a nice little town.
Xigera Camp: This one was my favorite. The staff were incredibly friendly and the whole "vibe" was inclusive. When new people came we were all introduced and had a communal table for dinner. And in one of life's little coincidences there was a couple that lives 1/2 mile from where I used to live in Hermosa Beach, California. Our guides, Onx and Rider, were very personable and knowledgeable. And for our last two treks we did game drives rather than the boat. The management at Xigera, Olivia and Masha, were very accommodating. This was my very first experience at game drives/floats (?), so seeing that first elephant, or hippo, or giraffe, or Cape Buffalo was really amazing.
Getting to Victoria Falls: This was an odd experience, from the airport near the Botswana - Zambia border, being dropped off at a small boat on the river to cross over to Zambia, then the wait at the border while the guide / drive had our passports processed. It was a bit unnerving for some of us.
Royal Livingstone Hotel at Victoria Falls: This was a very deluxe place with a head doorman with his hand constantly out for tips. The service in the dining room was excruciatingly slow. There is relaxed dining, and then there is "I should have brought a book" dining. The falls were at full flow and beautiful, and we had the chance to get pictures in the evening and the ensuing morning.
Moving on to Nelspruit, it was a long drive after our flight, BUT we did see a cheetah along the side of the road when we entered the Londolozi reserve.
Londolozi: Obviously a first class 4-5 star facility. The staff that we met were very friendly and accommodating. The "vibe" here was more exclusive, no attempt was made to introduce us to other guests, nor did the other guests seem inclined to socialize. But the rooms were very nice, the meals plentiful and tasteful, and the hot water bottles in the Range Rover for the morning game drives were a much appreciated touch. Will Ford, the camp manager, and the assistant assigned to us, Jeremy (I might have this wrong), were great, as were our guides, Alfred and Chadrock. The butler, Stanick, was always there for us in the dining room. Will Ford arranged a sundowner wine tasting for just our group one night which was a special treat. And we saw the Big 5 in our very first trek! The game here was more numerous than in Xigera. A great experience all around.
Jo'burg: The guide, whose name escapes me, was a disappointment. He met us at the private general aviation lounge at the Jo'burg airport and managed to snag a bottle of water for himself, but not for us. He had a tour he was determined to make and there was no flexibility in his schedule. We probably could have used an extra day in Jo'burg, but not with this guide.
Michaelangelo Hotel: This was a very nice place with big comfortable rooms (apparently if your AC was working which it didn't for the Browns). I was a bit disappointed in the restaurant, or at least the menu. But we had a chance to meet this delightful woman who had booked our trip, oh yeah, that would be Ute. So that made the evening good all around!
Serena Lake Victoria - Entebbe / Kampala: As previously noted by Stephanie, this hotel was too far away for a one night visit, and arduous to get to. And the staff didn't seem to know how to register guests, or at least were very inefficient at check-in and check-out. The restaurant was basically a buffet cafeteria, and not very good, a big disappointment for a property this beautiful physically.
Sanctuary at Bwindi: Same comments as Steph's. I didn't think it was dirty, just more rustic than what we had experienced. The staff was pretty indifferent with the exception of our server, Barbara. And if you weren't trekking, there was not much to do, though I managed to finish a terribly written book on the day I declined the first trek. I must say I am very proud of my fellow travelers for completing that trek and then the "easy" one two days later.
And you know all about the high drama with Qatar Airways, but even that turned out okay eventually, but it was handled very poorly by the airline.
One lesson learned by me is that I don't like the one-night stands (Jo'burg, Lake Victoria, Victoria Falls) because you never really relax and unwind. I'll keep that in mind in the future.
All in all it was an enjoyable trip with delightful travel partners.
IN
50-65 years of age
Amazing 14 day trip to Kenya and Tanzani - must do once in your life !
We were very happy with the professionalism as well as the overall experience on the trip. We had a guide/cook (Amos) and driver (Eddie) and a 22-seater "Boomer" all for just our family (that was us getting lucky as it was a bit early :-). With a 14 day safari where you are with the crew the whole time, there can be issues and problems, but they went out of their way to ensure we had a great time. I hit my 50th birthday and Amos organized a surprise for me right in one of the camps (this included getting a cake, balloons and even paying for all of it). We had a total of 6 game drives and on each drive, it was great. We saw the Big 5 and even the very shy leopard. They knew where to go and when - one our best viewing was a lion couple mating and we were the only game truck - generally at all animal sightings, there are many vehicles watching. They also arranged for the best possible accommodations and in each place would give us a choice. Food was also great - My wife is vegetarian and it was a challenge to keep all meals different. But Amos managed to do that. Some of the other things we wanted to highlight
1) My wife lost her gold/diamond necklace and she was pretty sure she lost it in the truck. We looked for it everywhere we couldn't and almost gave up. We told Amos that it might be in the truck and he looked for it at night and brought it to us the next morning - he found it under one of the rear seats - striking honesty.
2) On the last day, we wanted to do some Tanzanite shopping - Amos figured all of it and arranged for a cab and even came with us for it as the Boomer could not go into the business district
Debbie had warned be about being patient and that things may not always work as expected (This is Africa expression !), but our crew made sure everything worked like a charm even if things had to be improvised a little. Superb trip, Superb company.
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The best!
My travel companion and I have just returned from a trip to Tanzania which included a safari and visit to Zanzibar. I booked this adventure on line with Roy Safaris and it went off without a hitch! Our agent, Riwaida was phenomenal from start to finish. She even booked additional flights to get us across the country to Arusha where our safari began. She really went above and beyond! Our driver guide was Thomas and with 17 years experience, we couldn't have asked for a more informative, courteous and friendly person! He even made arrangements for our lodge rooms to be close to the main dining area to accommodate my travel companion who was a little older. Our Zanzibar leg of the trip was also wonderful and the beach side resort of Sandies Mapenzie Beach was fabulous!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fantastic Lion-Tastic Safari with Travel Explore Africa
This was truly the trip of a lifetime!
Touring Uganda for two weeks with Travel Explore Africa (Wilson Bisaso) is an experience I will never forget. Three days in Murchison with giraffes, lions (including a pride of seven, and finding a lioness resting under a tree after eating their fill), a pregnant hyena, Patas monkeys, and local music; Chimpanzee Habituation Experience at Kibale (12 hours of following the delightful Sebo, second in command); 3 days at Queen Elizabeth National Park, with wonderful lion sightings (including three satisfied males, lounging), a Kazinga Channel boat ride (hippos, crocodiles, elephants), and tracking chimpanzees in Kyambura Gorge (Kejojo, Brutus and Muzungu!); 2 days in Ishasha, seeing a young pride of 5 lions; Bwindi, Kisoro, and finally Lake Mburo, for beautiful zebras, fighting impalas, spotted bushbuck...wow!
Everything was just perfect: the food, the accommodation, the price, and most especially the animals! Wilson made everything run smoothly, was courteous, professional and kind (as well as funny) at all times; could spot any creature for any distance (his eyes are amazing) and navigated Uganda's difficult roads with panache! I can't recommend Travel Explore Africa and Uganda's National Parks enough!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing Ugandan Safari! Beyond Our Wildest Dreams!
I travelled with a group of 3 friends to Uganda this year - best trip of my life! With the help of Wilson Bisaso, we were able to have fantastic wildlife viewings throughout this beautiful country, including chimpanzees, gorillas, lions, elephants, hippo, buffalo, kob, topi, baboons, blue monkeys, black and white colobus, red colobus, red tailed monkey, zebra, giraffes, crocodiles, and more! Wilson was an excellent driver, making long journeys smooth and enjoyable. He was knowledgeable about animals, politics, the land, and shared a vast amount of information with us, which helped us really get a feel for the country. He introduced us to Ugandan food (delicious) and music (wonderful and joyous!). Everything was done completely professionally and within our rather restricted budget. I cannot recommend this company enough! Communications - A+! Price A+! Safari - A+++!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fantastic Ugandan safari - Best ever!
This was the most fantastic trip of our lives! My husband and I had wanted to travel to Uganda for several years, but thought it was out of our budget (especially paying for gorilla permits!). With Wilson Bisaso's help, we were able to design the perfect safari, to maximise wildlife viewing in many of Uganda's amazing parks. Wilson was an excellent driver, navigating the sometimes very bumpy Ugandan roads with ease and speed, always keeping us safe and comfortable (and because I can suffer from car-sickness, this was quite a thing!). Wilson also had the most amazing eyesight - he could spot any animal at any distance (so it seemed), and my husband and I were completely reliant on him to see many of the beautiful creatures, especially lions! Wilson was incredibly attentive, friendly, accommodating and generous, speaking to us about various cultural issues, and always keeping the conversation interesting. We certainly learned a lot on the trip. Both my husband and I were so thrilled with all we saw and did that we could barely sleep - waiting for the next day's adventure! Highlights of the trip were definitely chimpanzee tracking (Kibale), gorilla tracking (Bwindi), and seeing lions in the wild in Queen Elizabeth. We very much hope to come back soon, Wilson, and will definitely be booking with you again - we have to find that leopard!
Communications before, during and after the trip were professional and friendly at all times. The service provided was beyond expectation and at a totally reasonable price. The safari was AMAZING!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience working with Kenya Walking Survivors!
Otieno (OT) of Kenya Walking Survivors organized a customized 13-day private tour in Kenya and Uganda for safaris and gorilla trekking. OT was very responsive and understanding of our needs and made sure all travel, park, food, and lodging arrangements were in place. He was very upfront about costs so that there were no surprises. Food and lodging were adequate and our driver-guide-cooks (Ochieng/Jacob, Martin/Sam) did their jobs superbly. While he made several changes to our itinerary, they were understandable and communicated to us. Just a caution--there was a lot of driving (unavoidable) and some activities such as the gorilla trek and pygmy village visit were physically demanding. Overall, we had a great time and highly recommend Kenya Walking Survivors for future trips.
CH
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Rwanda + Ouganda in June 2014 with Mapendano : EXCELLENT !
I contacted Mapendano a few months before the departure. They organised everything and all was perfect in the communication (answers to my questions were quick and complete).
During the trip, I visited twice the gorillas and both experiences were different and complementary.
The hotels were excellent, so was the food.
Samuel, guide / driver, couldn't possibly have been nicer or more helpful - he felt like an old friend by the end of the first week. He was perfect during the safari drives in the animals parks.
We only got little problems with the car (2 flat tires and another problem with the transmission), it was just part of the trip and the lost of time was minimal.
.
I highly recommend MAPENDANO for any trip in central Africa.
.
All the team members I met at the end of the trip were so friendly.
I only hope to go back soon to central Africa (Burundi ?) with Mapendano.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The company provided in depth knowledge about parks and tour guide througn the game drive
We enjoyed the game drive and the tour guides/drivers are all very courteous. The living accommodations are generally good with couple of places exceeding my expectation. Food is also generally good. The cost is very reasonable with no hidden charges for the trip. The owner OT is very much personally involved in the planning and handling of the complete trip. The long travel in some days can be tiring. I would not hesitate recommending KenyaWalking Survivors Safaris to people interested in Safari tours in Africa.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
No effort at all
I was travelling on my own, and thought I may be presented with "sorry, we can no longer do this trip/tour/visit because you are only one person". In stead, I got, "You want to do xyz? No problem at all. Let's get going".
Food was very tasty everywhere, although beer was not necessarily cold.
The tented camp was clean, fresh bedlinen, and best of all, hot water showers, even at 5am in the morning.
Simon, the tourguide, was the right balance of approachable, but not in your face constant information. If I wanted to know something, I could ask, and he explained.
Even the last part to Lake Nakuru, with just me and Simon, it was great to have relaxed conversations on the way there and back.
I was fortunate with a great group of fellow travellers.
The tour vehicle was clean, comfortable, and great for game viewing.
I will recommend the tour, the timing and the company.