Six day safari with Eastco
We spent many hours searching the internet and guide books for the right mixture of safari and culture experience. Eastco caught our attention because of their long service to community conservation and their mainly excellent reviews and guides. We got in touch with Simon and planned a short safari. This was late notice and we were glad to be able to experience what we did.
Myself, husband, teenage daughter and young son spent six days with Eastco this past August. We decided to fly out to the Serengeti because of the short time we had and after Simon's advice, spent our two days in the central area at the Acacia camp instead of rushing north for the chance of a river crossing. This was incredible for the many lions we saw, three leopards, one walking nearby the car along the road early morning, and a couple of mature cheetahs. A fantastic way to start the safari!
We then drove east to the Wildlife Lodge on the Ngorongoro crater rim. We were a bit skeptical at first as had fifty fifty reviews, but as Simon said, the views were incredible and that's what made our stay here. It was not as busy as we thought it would be at the lodge, but the game viewing in the crater met all our expectations, crowds of cars around any lion sighting and dust from the cars everywhere. Nice rhino in the distance and a few lazy lions. Bernard did warn us it was a bit touristy! But w still enjoyed the experienced, although I must admit I was ready to head out at lunch time.
The last two nights were at Boundary Hill Lodge in Tarangire. Simon forewarned us that this was partially his property, but also the Masai communities had a shareholding. When we arrived and saw the rooms and the dining terraces we could obviously see the WOW factor. The meals were by far the best we have had on a holiday anywhere. The young cook, Bryan, was exceptional. Apparently Simon took him in when he was only 12 years old and helped him with schooling and taught him the trade. He was very polite, friendly and talkative and really took the time to involve the children, even showing them how to make chapattis and fresh bread rolls. The staff at Boundary Hill were exceptional, we felt at home. The kids had Tinga Tinga art lessons and their efforts now adorn the study!
Tarangire is very much underrated for its game viewing, could not believe how many elephants we saw, as well as three lions and a leopard outlined at dusk on an acacia tree along the swamp. We were very lucky. Or maybe I think Bernard’s 20 odd years of experience was the “luck” we had. He obviously knew every back road and track in Tarangire and certainly was able to show us sights we would never have seen normally. He is also a great raconteur and has a very dry humour. Bernard made our trip exceptional.
NO
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Safari in Tarangire, Ngorogoro crater and Lake Manyara
We had a great experience with Kilele Afrika! We were a group of 6 and all of us enoyed it a lot. The driver was excellent, the service was great and the hotell was very good with nice breakfast! The safari tour in itself was awesome. We saw lions coming as close as one meter to the car, elephants, zebras, monkeys, and we even saw two rhinos in the distance and a leopard. We got to see all the big 5. This trip is highly recommended!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
WOW… a trip we’ll never forget
Words can’t describe how incredible our Private Moriti Safari was. Shaun planned a fantastic itinerary with us, giving us the opportunity to see all of the wildlife as well as the panoramic tour. Our guide for the 9 days, William, was a wealth of knowledge and an absolute pleasure to be around. He was a true gentleman with his only aim to make sure we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves…he definitely succeeded!
Our jam packed 9 day tour gave us the luxury of visiting a few lodges/guesthouses. Laughing Waters was the perfect way to begin; the beautifully well-kept gardens were a delight and Gavin’s cooking was delicious. West Lodge felt like home from home; comfortable, friendly and more delicious food. Our stay at Tshukudu can only be described as magically surreal. Our room/lodge was lovely, even with the added visitor of the bushbaby on our second night! Walking with the cheetah on our morning bush walk will be something we will never forget, an experience that money shouldn’t be able to buy but one we couldn’t be more grateful we had the chance of.
The last 3 nights can only be described as better than 5* luxury. Arriving at Nzumba lodge in the Klaserie area of Kruger, we were blown away with everything we saw. The beautiful big house with its separate lodges for rooms is perfectly positioned to sit and watch an abundance of animals at the watering hole. As if to order, 20mins after we arrived, sipping our cocktails on the balcony we watched a herd of elephants at the watering hole – spectacular! Werner and Rika made our last three nights dreamlike, with Werner’s incredible knowledge of the bush and Rika’s faultless hosting we certainly didn’t want to leave. Wiseman the tracker made sure we saw all the Big 5 and much more, while the chef and his team delighted us with some of the most exquisite food. There couldn’t be a more magical way to experience a safari.
We cannot thank Moriti (Shaun) enough for such a wonderful trip. There would be no hesitation in recommending to others and there’s no doubt in our minds that we will be back to experience more of what Shaun and his team can offer.
Great time
I had a brief but very memorable trip overnight to see gorillas in Rwanda! The guide and transport was all excellent and the overnight hotel simple but very comfortable and friendly. Emmanuel looked after all my needs!
I would book again with Matoke for a longer Iganda tour next time!!
NL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A great and memorable experience
Were a party of 5 (2 eldery and 3 young people) and did a 5 day Lodge/Treehouse safari.
Our stay in Tremisana and Marc's Tree house Lodge was outstanding. we didn't know what to expect when we made our reservation, but it realy was far above and beyond our expectations.
Every aspect of the safari was a great experience and we hope to come back one day.
The safari's in were thrilling and overwhelming. Visiting the Moholoholo Rehabilitation Centre was a confronting experience. While visiting the wonderful aninmals during the safari's we felt so lucky to be able to watch them, but in the rehab centre we were made very clear that this might an utopia in the future. Animals got killed and tortured. This is terrible.
In the rehab centre they do a great job.
The Tshukudu Game Drive was the best way to end our safari experience.
Tremisana Lodge and Marcs Treehouse Lodge are great places to stay, but the best part of our 5 day safari experience were the great people that accomodated us during these 5 days. They made it possible for us to create a memorable experience.
While back at home we do really miss it.
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great!!
We had a fantastic safari with Northern Circuit Adventures. Elias the guide was very friendly and the food of our cook Musa was delicious. It was nice to meet you guys.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A very trustworth tour company deliver exactly what they offer if not more.
We did a 3 day safari to the Mara and was the most enjoyable trip I have experienced.
Visit Africa delivered more than was stated in the offer. I booked this trip from the UK and will most certainly recommend and use them again. Above all the driver Eric, went out of his way to accommodate our wishes.
Thanks Lewis, Heather and Eric.
SG
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very helpfull and friendly
Since we decided very late to go for Safari, many properties were already fully booked, but the staff of Afritirip tried to find the perfect place for us, which means they called all lodges in the region where we wanted to go and found a perfect place for us. The Ezulwini River Lodge is a wonderful and amazing place and we highly can reccommend it.
Thanks for making our trip a unforgettable experience.
CH
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Private Photography Safari
We booked the Photographic Safari with Private Kruger Safaris and we had a wonderful time. I had a chance to learn a lot about photography from Bernhard, who has a lot of expertise in this area. Bernhard gave me many tips and I left Kruger Park as a much more accomplished photographer. Bernhard and his brother Hennie are experts in the park wildlife and have the ability to spot and name animals that most people might not even notice We had an education in different species of birds that was quite fascinating. They have this ability to find the animals and birds and once found, they have the perfect vehicle and specialized (GimPro) photography equipment for taking great shots. What is more, Hennie is marvelous at maneuvering the vehicle into the best position for taking great photographs. We were picked up at around 5.30 am every morning and then it was non-stop action until about 6pm. We saw about 60 lions, numerous leopards, 7 cheetahs, rhinos, hyenas, African Wild Dogs, hippos, elephants, giraffes, crocodiles, buffalo, wildebeest, rare birds and much more. Some of our encounters with the lions and leopards were at close quarters, which was exhilarating. On the first day, my lens malfunctioned but Bernhard lent me a lens at no charge and arranged for a new lens to be hired – with some effort, he had it by the next day. Whenever we moved camps, they took care of our luggage and checking in/out and even put our drinks in the fridge. Importantly for us, Bernhard and Hennie truly respect that Park and its animals and lead by example in terms of following Park Rules and ensuring the safety of clients. All in all, we had 6 fantastic days that we will never forget. These guys are worth every penny.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The best possible service you can rely on!
We had a great experience with Boundless Africa Journeys both prior our arrival in Kenya and during our stay. It was a great experience right from the first emails customizing our itinerary.