65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Buyer beware, our trip turned into a nightmare of delays and non-payment of services promised.
I gave my review two stars to firstly acknowledge the great tour guides and hosts at our accommodation venues. The accommodation 'camps' were outstanding, the people went out of thier way to make us cared for, and the food was good and plentiful. The second star is awarded to the experience in the Game Parks themselves; animals appeared and behaved as expected. As a biologist, I could not have been happier with the experiences in these Parks. However, the integrity and reliability of African Marvel and their principle executives left a lot (everything) to be desired. It was humiliating for everyone to be waiting around at borders and accommodation sites for paymentd to be received from 'head office'. On the last occasion in Kenya, the manager of the site let us travel on and claimed that our accommodation at his beautiful site had been paid. We believe that this was not the case, and that he was being gracious rather than enduring the embarrassment of 11 of us being held 'hostage' to Marvels poor performance. As he said "this does not reflect well on our country".
IT
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
IT
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Makgadikgadi Pans National Park by David
Wildlife everywhere
IT
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
IT
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Spoiled by your manager
We had a great time at the lodge,lovely food,fantastic service an guides so helpful only to be spoiled by observing your manager duncan brittons perverted an disgracefull behaviour at one of mauns bars.Putting a black mark on your fine reputation. Duncan please behave accordingly when out in public.
IT
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best experience we have had with any travel / tour agent. Exceptional service.
David’s easy communication and willingness to work with us to design the ideal itinerary made him a stand out from the initial enquires I made. Through the process he was thoughtful, responsive, knowledgeable, adaptable and honest with his advice. Our trip was perfect. He had curated the perfect blend of accommodation and activities for an affordable cost, giving us a few additional options for add ons when we arrived - all with pricing so we knew exactly what to expect. The app they use, along with extra tips for what to expect in the various places, was the perfect guide on the road as well as for sharing with family so they knew where we were! He also kept in touch throughout the trip to offer extra help, and we had a surprise visit to put a face to the name when in Swakopmund. We could not fault anything with our trip or with the experience with Jangwa, and we would highly recommend them to anyone considering a trip - David proved they could tailor the experience to any level of assistance or independence desired. We will be repeat customers!
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Superior communications,promptness, itinerary without surprises!
We have experienced travel to 79 countries BUT have never experienced a private excursion with so much content and organization! We were picked up at our hotel in Dar Es Salaam by Eddie right on time after being texted what to bring!(passport and all). Eddie (alias Honoratha Shirima) spoke excellent English and efficiently took us to train station right up to the customs agent!
We rode the train to Morogora (good seats were provided)! We emerged outside to see a sign with our names and Meshack met us and escorted us to the Kihindo Tour Van. He was cheerful, English speaking, stopped on the way so we could enjoy the sights and baboons! He drove us the 1.5 hour trip to Mikumi National Park. And when we arrived he walked us over to a safari jeep where we were introduced to one of the most enthusiastic tour guides I have met! Nuhu Ismail is about 20 years of age and studied Wild Animals at the University! He had one more year of graduate work to do but you could feel his enthusiasm as soon as we met. He and his colleague drove us into the park and his English was flawless! His enthusiasm never ending! He showed us animals, followed a pride of lions so we could really capture their activities, had us watch a mother elephant nurse her infant talking the WHOLE time of the reproduction of pachyderms!
Then we were treated to a wonderful buffet for lunch! He was so attentive and concerned about our comfort and service! After a beautiful lunch we spent many more hours exploring the park! He shared stories with us about medicinal use of plants in Africa! It was truthfully magical! This young man has so much potential I felt honored to be on this safari with him!( and we had already been on two other safaris! None that could beat this one!)!
At 5 pm our ride to the train station appeared like clockwork! We rode back to DarEs Salaam quickly on the train! There was a huge chaotic crowd and we had taxi drivers accosting us to be their passengers. We were a little frantic when out of the crowd steps Eddie to escort us to his car! Pure joy to see a familiar face!
What a day! Organized! No surprises! No hiccups! If you are thinking of a short memorable safari think Kihindo Tours and Safaris!
I know you can’t select your drivers and escorts but if you can think of requesting Nuhu Ismail you will always be happy you did! But when traveling in this region we will always call Kihindo Tours and Safaris!
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An Unforgettable Experience with Serengeti Sunrise Safaris!
Our trip with Serengeti Sunrise Safaris through the national parks of mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar was nothing short of spectacular. From start to finish, their service was exceptional and every detail thoughtfully planned and executed with care.
Our guides, Meddy and Rajab, were incredibly knowledgeable, professional, and genuinely passionate about what they do. They went above and beyond to make sure we had the full safari experience, even persisting until we had seen all of the Big Five animals. Their punctuality, attention to detail, and warm hospitality made us feel completely at ease throughout the journey.
From breathtaking game drives to seamless travel logistics and unforgettable moments in Zanzibar, every part of the trip reflected the company’s commitment to excellence.
I would not hesitate for a moment to recommend Serengeti Sunrise Safaris to anyone looking for an authentic, well-organized, and truly memorable Tanzanian adventure.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Seamless gateway to an up close chimp experience
This was definitely a highlight of our trip to Tanzania. The guides and trackers did a fantastic job scouting out where the chimps were that day and leading us to the locations.
The lodging location was right at the Jane Goodall center where chimp research is done. There is not a lot of activity here, but there is a small bar that was sometimes open and who could sell us a beer or two during the trip.
A few notes for awareness - some of the hiking to get to the chimps is very steep; you will likely be going through branches, tall grass, etc. as you follow chimps through; and your hike times for the day could vary greatly based on where you find the chimps. But it was great - we got (2) 1 hour sessions watching and following the chimps in very close proximity, plus some accidental chimp trekking from going to Goodall Peak. It sounds short, but it was actually a lot of time!
GWCS assigned a chef for our entire time at the park, and he kept us well fed. We had quite a few people dedicated to our trip - there were 2 private boat operators that were with us the entire time - they took us up the lake to the park and back, but also would take us in the boat further along the park to do our trek depending on where the chimps were. We had a main guide and junior guide who were dedicated to just the two of us during our treks, and there was also a chimp tracker dedicated to us that was out starting at 6 am to follow the chimps around and track their location so we could see them. Make sure to bring tips for all of these excellent private staff!
The lodging choice on the kigoma side was adequate (but we probably would have chosen the Hilltop lodge if we went again).
One slight downside is somewhat outside control of GWCS - because flights are limited, there is a risk that a cancellation could affect your travel plans, and certain timings of flight is can make for a lot of downtime. Both happened to us - we ended up having an entire day of downtime at our hotel, and we were delayed in Kigoma an extra night due to a late cancellation here. GWCS was great in communication on this last item in particular, and we were able to get out the next morning and on to the rest of our journey.