NL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Reliable, accurate, just perfect!
This was the second time we booked our safari with Desiree and Fay of Afroriginal Tours. And again, they did not disappoint us. Referring to our wishes, Desiree created a itinerary of 5 days and also gave some good advice of other places to go to, to maximalise the chance to see a lot of animals. We visited Lake Manyara, did a bicycle tour at Mto wa Mbu, went to see the migration of the wildebeests in Ndutu, did a balloon safari above Serengeti and ended up in de Ngorongoro Crater. We stayed in a basic banda (small room in a round house, self contained) and two tended camps. Especially those tented camps give you the whole nature experience while buffalo's, elephants and other animals get very close to your tent during the night. The staff at all those places are friendly and welcoming, the food is good and also the lunch boxes they provide, contain more than you need and expect!
Our guide was Emanuel (Ema). It was nice to see that even he still enjoyed to find and see the animals, to see his enthusiasm exposed. He was very friendly, new a lot of facts about everything that had to do with the environment, the animals, birds.... We even got lucky and saw a lion catching a baby wildebeest next to our car...
The car was in good condition and comfortable and more than enough drinking water is available during the whole trip.
If you want a reliable and accurate safari company to organise your safari, we recommend Afroriginal Tours and Safaris!
We had a wonderful time....again!
Thanks to Desiree and Ema!!
CN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Experience in a life time!
We had an absolutely wonderful safari (9 day/8 night) and great service with KWSS in February. One of the crucial things we learned: your guide/driver matters very much. Go for an experienced one!
Before: Indeed, OT was always very prompt with his replies and I am glad we trusted the earlier reviews about KWSS on safaribookings.com. We were worried about carrying the balance in cash to Nairobi but there was no problem at all. We booked at least one night in Nairobi inclusive of the tour just in case any of our flight segments had been delayed. But we DID arrange with OT for an airport pickup and were able to meet him and finalize payment the following day. (Having SOMETHING pre-arranged for a ride from the airport was essential.
Guide/Driver: It turns out that a talented guide is SO important. The guide must be able to watch the road (constantly, all roads have terrible potholes), scan the horizon for animals or indicators of animals, understand where they are within each national park (without stopping and checking a map), frequently (safely) pass trucks on the roads between parks, and listen to the radio for animal spotting. We had Allan, and we were happy to spend 8-9 days with him. He was friendly and ethical; he was quiet when we were and talkative when we wanted to talk and ask questions. He could spot animals like nobody's business every time we were in the parks. He knew his way around, even in the Serengeti where there are many side roads with nothing posted. He drove so very patiently on the roads in between parks, passing safely when possible and always slowing down carefully for the speed bumps and the potholes. Allan genuinely wanted us to have a good experience, and had a real love for the animals. So he really WORKED at trying to figure day-by-day the best route or places to go within a park, and checked road conditions with all of his friends among the guides across all of the companies. We have no doubt that being with ALLAN was one of the most important reasons we enjoyed our safari so thoroughly.
We where three and the safari van 4x4 was seven saeter As other reviewers have noted, this permits us room to switch seats and to have luggage right in the back. BUT IN ADDITION, we think that the ride would have been even more smoother.
All the route OT choose was excellent and great. So I think you can trust OT (OTIENO)judgment in choosing where to stay and go
I am so incredibly glad we did it in this order.it was such an awesome introduction to Africa for me. I know that what you see varies, and that different safari reviews illustrate different experiences. We had plenty of lions, elephants, water buffalo - all up very close - and our best look at the shy warthogs, plus many different hooved animals and birds at ngorongoro crater. Also, great baboons. At Tsavo West, we picked up great leopard viewing - not just the leopard fed at Ngulia - especially one that walked along the vehicle! We also had fantastic elephant viewing. By Amboseli, ironically, we never had the close-up views of the elephants that we enjoyed
Based on OUR experience, I'd say that Maasai Mara are "can't miss". But I couldn't have skipped any of the other places - except Bogoria. The water levels are deepening at Nakuru and so it is now a free option to spend the morning driving up to Lake Bogoria to see the thousands of flamingos. We did this - and while the sight was really great and enjoyable, it did not offset the long, long drive and the tough sections of road. We'd have been better to have more time in either Nakuru park or Naivasha park - and seen the huge flamingo flock via National Geographic TV. The Mwangaza tented camp Mara is just inside a gate at Maasai Mara, rather than just outside, but also had a long, really punishing approach between deep within the Mara and the lodge. Again, the Sopa was probably worth it but next time we go to Maasai Mara I'll be tempted to to stay in a different area of the large park.
In summary, we strongly urge you to use OT (OTIENO)and KWSS (Kenya walking survivors safaris ltd. And try to get Allan .
Don’t forget they are pocket friendly
I really recommend KWSS to anybody
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best Safari with much animals to see and a nice and funny group!
We booked a 3 days safari in Tansania and we are very glad about it. The group was in our age so we had much fun. Every day we saw more and more animals and fascinating landscapes. In the camp there was a pool and traditional evening animation at the bar/restaurant. All-in-all, we were very satisfied both with the safari tour itself and the communication before and we would travel everytime again with kibanga tours.
CA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Stay and Great Tour
I stayed at Sakina Camp and booked a Mount Kilimanjaro six-day expedition through Robert and Oltumure Tours & Safaris. It was my first time mountain climbing, and I found that the tour operators did everything in their power to make my trip fun, exciting, and most importantly, safe.
I highly recommend Oltumure Tours & Safaris.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best Guide Ever!
Elijah of Kenya Turacos Safaris was an outstan guide. We took a tour of Masai Mara with Elijah of Turacos Safaris in August of 2012 and couldn't stop telling our friends about it. Elijah took care of us every step of the way and made sure we were comfortable and safe. We saw amazing wildlife -- hippos fighting, cheetah catching an antelope, hyena taking kill from a cheetah, leopard stalking Impalas -- and best of all, tens of thousands of wildebeest migrating across the Mara river and its banks. Elijah seems to have a sixth sense to spot and find animals. And if you need a good photographer to record your sightings, Elijah can always do that too!
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great experience - very exciting - always safe - very good value for money
I had a great time with KWSS in January 2014! OT - the company boss - cares a lot about his clients.
To be in touch with them - via email and in person in Nairobi - is very important to him. He's the one who normally picks you up at the airport and explains to you, what is going to happen.
The communication via email in advance was very fast! (which is VERY different from other tour operators I know..)
The driver, Mike, did a very good job. I've seen A LOT during our game drives in Lake Manyara N.P, Serengeti N.P. and the Ngorongoro Crater. The cook, Sami, did an excellent job!
It was very impressive to see what he was able to provide for you in those simple kitchens. I've gained weight, that's for sure...
About staying overnight during the tour: We talked about improving the tents and mattrasses - but that's it. Everything else was great. I especially enjoyed those little huts next to Lake Manyara N.P.
The Toyota Landcruiser with pop up roof is the ideal game drive vehicle. In ours it was even possible to charge camera batteries during the drive! (How awesome is that???)
I'm looking forward to travelling with KWSS again!
Thanks a lot once again, Gentlemen!
Ben, Stuttgart, Germany
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic guide, flawless arrangements, best holiday ever
Lynn was fantastic at arranging our safari and stay at Waybury with only four weeks notice. All the arrangements worked like clockwork and the guest house was wonderful too. Hoppy was the most amazing guide and the best company ever. We saw all the "big 5" and his knowledge of all the other flora and fauna was amazing and really made the experience so much more interesting. We're saving our money to come back as soon as we can.
Thank you to everyone at Wildlife Safairs for the best holiday ever
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience at Kruger
The trip was very well organized even with only a two day in advance booking. The resort was great with very friendly staff, and the guide at Kruger was a lot of fun and shared a lot of his knowledge about the park and its wildlife. Overall a great Kruger experience!
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing experience to the top of Kili + Safari Wildlife (Serengeti + Ngorongoro Crater)
Bottom line: Afrishare is an outstanding tourism company that provides rich and meaningful experiences in Tanzania, including all the major attractions (Kilimanjaro, Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater).
My wife and I planned to have the a "once in a lifetime" experience for our honeymoon and chose to explore Tanzania and climb Kilimanjaro together. I reached out to my network for referrals and received a strong amount of recommendations. However, Afrishare stood out for the following reasons:
1) Budget
For trekking and safari, I was hard pressed to find anyone who could beat Afrishare's prices. I put together a spreadsheet of our options and Afrishare was the most affordable. At first, this drew some concerns because I thought maybe it was too good to be true...
2) Responsiveness
I appreciated how quickly Afrishare responded to my emails and shared comprehensive responses. When I asked for testimonials, I was provided with contact information of individuals who had the most positive things to say. Apparently, Afrishare was not "too good to be true". ;-)
3) Social Consciousness
Not only does Afrishare provide tourism services, but they offer volunteer opportunities. They are both business and community leaders in Tanzania that have a positive impact. In fact, we met two volunteers working with NGOs to build schools in the area. I felt good choosing to give my money to an organization that works to do social good.
Kili Review:
My wife and I never hiked before, but we made it to the top and KILLED Kili thanks to our crew and fearless leader, Bashiri! Bashiri and Kijaj were our guides and they know the mountain like the back of their hand. Our porters helped us move between all the campsites and our chef was top notch. He made some exquisite meals for us to enjoy and replenish our energy. We trekked through the Machame Route for six days and felt 100% safe and confident throughout the trek. Afrishare also has a lot of gear and clothes for rent in case you forget to pack anything (like I did).
Safari Review:
We did a four day safari through Serengeti and Ngorongo Crater. A group of lions circled our Land Cruiser (Safari edition so the rooftop pops out) and we got amazing shots of them up close. We even say them rush a herd of zebra, which was incredible. Freddy, our guide, has the eyes of HAWK! He can see wildlife from long distances without a binocular and he knew exactly where to go to find the animals.
Moshi Review:
Between the safari and trek, we stayed in Afrishare's volunteer house in Moshi. We had a pleasant time here and there's an internet cafe right in the neighborhood.
Last words:
You won't regret choosing to work with Afrishare. Despite being budget-friendly, they provide quality safari and trekking services. We are very happy we chose Afrishare and I'm sure anyone else would too.
Thank you Afrishare! We have wonderful memories of Tanzania thanks to you.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
What an Excellent Safari experience;Kudos Wildrace Africa and The Team
I can't compare the service offered by Wildrace Africa Safaris with any other company since we are not first timers in Africa and Kenya to be specific. We volunteer in Kenya every year and at the end of it we have to take a break and adventure tour Kenya before flying back home. But this other time round this company just crack it all. What else would one want in a safari/travel agent if not reliability, quality services and satisfaction? We felt overall that it was not close to perfect but more than perfect and the team,staffs and guides are just but excellent infact.... Wildrace Africa from the word go are the overland safari Magicians in we've ever met in east Africa.
My friends and fellow collegues chose to travel with wildrace Africa because, when I contacted several potentials including the ones we had once trusted to offer us their best. Simon was the only person who answered the questions I asked and was very first in his responses, he could reply our mails like he was just waiting for it to land on his mail box,he was very help full and flexible throughout the booking process, offered plenty of advice since we were a big group of 26 persons. He met us just before the safari and fully explained everything, was readily available during the trip if we had any questions or concerns (not that we did).
The guide George took us across Kenya from Samburu , lake nakuru, naivasha,Masaai mara, amboseli to Tsavo West. Believe me when I say this company is accompany of qualified professionals, he was an exceptionally good in all, safe driver which is incredibly important on some of those very dangerous highways, not to mention dirt tracks through the safari parks. Very knowledgeable, fluent in English and to top it all he speaks like seven languages which is just incredible. We saw a lot of animals among other awesome activities..., would highly recommend wildrace Africa for anyone who would really want to feel the true taste of being in an African safari and sure we will definitely be using them for our next trip for migration 2014.