AE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Best way to discover Madagascar and its people
I had an absolutely wonderful experience touring Madagascar for nearly 20 days. It is an incredible country, with breathtaking landscapes, unique wildlife, fascinating culture, and warm, welcoming people.
Some of the absolute highlights of the trip were Tsingy de Bemaraha, the Avenue of the Baobabs, Isalo National Park, and Ranomafana National Park. Each destination was completely different and offered something special, from the spectacular limestone formations of Tsingy to the iconic baobabs, the dramatic landscapes of Isalo, and the incredible biodiversity of Ranomafana.
A big thank you goes to I Travel 2 Madagascar & Lova, who organised the tour and made the whole experience smooth and enjoyable. I particularly appreciate their effort to invest in the future of tourism in Madagascar through their training of local guides and tourism education, including English-language training. It is great to see a company not only providing tours but also helping young Malagasy people develop professional skills and opportunities within the tourism industry.
I was accompanied by several guides during the trip — Rova, Fano, Mandresy, and Keidy. They are all junior guides, but they did a fantastic job. They were friendly, enthusiastic, helpful, and eager to share their knowledge and love for Madagascar. Their professionalism and positive attitude made a real difference throughout the journey.
I think the combination of incredible destinations, passionate local guides, and a company that is actively investing in the next generation of Malagasy tourism professionals made this a truly memorable trip.
Thank you to I Travel 2 Madagascar, Lova, Rova, Fano, Mandresy, and Keidy for an amazing experience. I would happily recommend them to anyone wanting to discover Madagascar!
SG
Hidden Ethiopia Tours provides excellent trip.
Ayalew (Hidden Ethiopia Tours) insightful explanation has made our visit to Lalibela historical sites truly meaningful.
Thank you Ayalew!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Highly recommend Safari Soles
Safari Soles were a pleasure to work with. They were responsive to emails and were able to tailor our six-day safari to our exact specifications. We then added an additional three days in Zanzibar.
Our safari guide, Reginald, was knowledgeable, friendly and a very safe driver. He really added to our experience, and we would highly recommend him. All of our other drivers and transfers were also reliable, with punctual hotel pick-ups and well-maintained vehicles.
Our safari included one day in Tarangire, one night in the Central Serengeti, two nights in the Northern Serengeti and one night in the Ngorongoro Crater. We were incredibly lucky to see the Big Five as well as witness the wildebeest crossing the Mara River — an unforgettable experience.
We stayed in permanent tented camps within the parks and felt completely safe throughout. One of the highlights was walking to dinner one evening and seeing zebras up close around the camp!
If you’re thinking of travelling to Tanzania, I would highly recommend reaching out to Safari Soles. We had an amazing trip from start to finish.
CA
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Safari, Excellent Guides, and a Company That Listens
We recently completed a 13-day, 12-night Kenya and Tanzania safari with Beyond the Plains Safaris. It was a truly memorable trip with incredible wildlife, beautiful accommodations—some of which exceeded our expectations—and outstanding driver-guides.
Sammy was a pleasure to work with throughout the planning process. He was responsive, accommodating, and helped us customize an itinerary that allowed us to travel in a loop through Kenya and Tanzania.
Our safari was divided into three legs, each with a different driver-guide. Ronnie guided us through Kenya for five days, visiting Lake Naivasha, Lake Nakuru, and the Masai Mara. He is an exceptional guide with outstanding wildlife-spotting skills. He always seemed to know where to find the animals, giving us countless unforgettable sightings throughout the trip. What impressed us even more was his character. On two separate occasions, we saw him stop to help school buses carrying students after they became stuck in sand and mud. Even though he was on a tight schedule, he immediately offered his assistance. His kindness, honesty, and willingness to help others speak volumes about the kind of person he is.
Bariki was our guide in Tanzania for six days, taking us through Serengeti National Park, the Ngorongoro Crater, and Tarangire National Park. He was knowledgeable, friendly, and worked tirelessly to give us the best possible wildlife viewing opportunities.
On the final leg of our journey, after crossing back into Kenya, the safari jeep provided was in very poor condition. A window that could not be fully closed allowed dust to continuously blow into the vehicle, making the long drives extremely dusty and uncomfortable. Although our guide, Alexander, did his best to clean the jeep and provide excellent service, the condition of the vehicle was beyond his control.
When we raised our concerns, Sammy responded promptly, apologized sincerely, and arranged for a replacement jeep to be driven all the way from Nairobi to Amboseli National Park—a journey of about 4.5 hours. We appreciated his professionalism, willingness to listen, and his efforts to resolve the problem. Unfortunately, replacing the jeep also meant replacing Alexander with another driver, Brian. We were not aware that Alexander would have to leave us immediately. We felt this was unfair to him, as he had done everything he could to make our experience enjoyable despite the vehicle's condition.
Overall, Beyond the Plains delivered an excellent safari experience with a well-planned itinerary, wonderful accommodations, amazing wildlife encounters, and exceptional driver-guides. While the issue with the vehicle on the final leg was disappointing, the company's willingness to acknowledge the problem and take corrective action showed that they genuinely care about their guests' experience.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Everything was absolutely perfect!
My experience with Kilipath African Safari was exceptional from start to finish. I began chatting with Happy over 2 years ago to plan my very first Safari for my husband and me. She provided several different itineraries based on my budget. However, due to my husband’s cancer diagnosis, we had to put our plans on hold. Happy seemed genuinely disappointed, but she surprisingly kept in touch with me. Fast forward to the completion of my husband’s chemo treatments, we were finally ready to begin the planning process again. Happy picked up right where we left off! She planned the best budget friendly safari with some of the best lodging accommodations. Every detail was arranged perfectly. And she made sure that everyone celebrated me and my husband’s 7-year wedding anniversary. There were so many surprises for us along the way! And the icing on the safari cake was our guide Asaad. He was very professional, attentive and informative. He made sure we saw the Big 5 and were able to get good pictures. He ultimately made my first safari experience the best! I would use Kilipath again and definitely recommend them 100%. They are truly miles above those “big name” tour companies. I’m glad I went with the decision to choose Kilipath!
IT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Unforgettable safari, perfectly organised, amazing places and people. Papa John made it magical!
We booked a private 8-day safari with Jocky Tours, completely customised around what we wanted to see, and honestly, the whole experience was exceptional from start to finish.
Our itinerary included Amboseli, Hell’s Gate, Lake Nakuru and the Masai Mara. Everything was extremely well organised, from the transfers and the timing of the itinerary to the accommodation, food and game drives. We never felt rushed and the itinerary was perfectly balanced.
The accommodations were all excellent. Amboseli Mountain View was beautiful, with brand new tents and an amazing view. Sankale Mara Camp was also great, with very kind and helpful people and everything clean and well looked after. At Hillscourt we were also treated to a massage, which was honestly one of the best massages we have ever had!
But a special mention absolutely has to go to our guide and driver, John — AKA Papa John.
John really made the trip. From the first day to the last, he took care of everything and was always precise, patient and available for anything we needed. More than just a driver, he has an incredible knowledge of the parks, wildlife and animal behaviour. He seemed to know exactly where to go and when to be there to give us the best possible chances of seeing something special.
He knows the parks like the back of his hand, but what really made the difference was his passion. You could see that he genuinely loved what he was doing, and every sighting felt even more special because of his knowledge and enthusiasm.
We had some absolutely incredible moments during these 8 days, and honestly, they just flew by.
A huge thank you to Jocky Tours for organising everything so well, to all the amazing people we met along the way, and especially to Papa John for making our safari such a memorable experience.
If you are thinking about doing a safari in Kenya, I would have no hesitation in recommending Jocky Tours — and if you can, ask for Papa John. You won't regret it.
MY
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
We had a wonderful safari experience!
We saw all the animals we wanted to see. Both drivers were fantastic and took great care of us. Thank you so much for arranging everything so well!
We truly appreciate all your help and care. We will definitely recommend your service to our friends.
IT
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very reliable and always available
The experience has been very satisfactory. The organisation succeeded in any step of the trip. The Soroi Private Wing camp was a combination of genuinity and warm atmosphere, a wonderful location very well led. The guide Collin Sempele has been very professional. He is very prepared for explanations, a very good driver, very generous in time. He understands customers needs. We were feeling very safe with him.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great tour operator, professional service and great safari
The tour was smooth, from the start our driver David Mukami looked after us well and drove excellently navigating the rough roads and ensuring we saw all the animals and wildlife. The tour itself is well paced, and accommodation does the job.
IT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
An unforgettable Safari with Papa Johns
We have just finished 8 wonderful days on safari with Jocky Tours, and we can honestly say it was one of the best experiences of our lives.
At our request, the tour was organized privately just for the two of us and tailored around the places we wanted to visit: Amboseli, Hell’s Gate, Lake Nakuru, and the Masai Mara.
From the very beginning, communication with Jocky Tours was excellent. During the planning stage and whenever we asked for information, their replies were always quick, clear, and reliable, which made organizing the trip very easy and stress-free. We also felt that the value for money was excellent, especially considering the quality of the experience, the private itinerary, and everything that was included.
A huge part of what made this experience so special was our guide, John, also known as Papa Johns. From the very first day, he was incredibly kind, helpful, knowledgeable, and clearly very passionate about his work.
During the game drives, he knew the parks extremely well and always seemed to know the key areas to visit in order to spot wildlife, including some of the more elusive animals. Thanks to his experience and his ability to understand animal behavior, we were lucky enough to witness rare and unforgettable moments that we never imagined we would see in real life, such as a pair of lions mating and a leopard walking close to us with its prey in its mouth.
What we appreciated most was how much he enjoyed sharing his knowledge with us. We learned so much about the physical and behavioral characteristics of the animals, and he always took the time to explain the differences between species and point out details that we probably would never have noticed on our own. His passion was contagious and made every sighting even more interesting and memorable.
In Amboseli, we spent three nights at Amboseli Mountain View Camp, which gave us some of the most beautiful mornings of the whole trip thanks to the breathtaking views of Mount Kilimanjaro. We had a wonderful stay and would especially like to thank Carolina, Betty, Kibe, and Daniel for their kindness, hospitality, and for making our time there even more enjoyable.
We also visited Hell’s Gate, where we had the chance to enjoy a great bike ride, before continuing to Lake Nakuru. There, we stayed at Hillcourt Resort & Spa, where we were welcomed with exceptional kindness. If you stay there, we definitely recommend trying Mary’s relaxing massage— it was absolutely perfect after several days of safari!
Our final days were spent in the Masai Mara, where we stayed at Sankale Mara Camp. We were warmly welcomed, the tents were spacious and comfortable, with private bathrooms inside, and the food was delicious.
The eight days simply flew by. We saw incredible places, learned so much, and experienced moments that we will remember forever.
Thanks to Jocky Tours for the smooth organization and great communication and, above all, to Papa Johns, whose professionalism, dedication, knowledge, and passion made this trip truly unforgettable.
We would absolutely recommend this experience with Jocky Tours and Safaris and with Papa Johns :)
