20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Incredible!! truly a once in a lifetime experience
Our safari was nothing short of incredible. We saw every animal all thanks to our guide Thadey Benny who went above and beyond for us. We started in Tarangire, lake Manyara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro and lake Eyasi. The Serengeti is so breathtakingly beautiful, the people are beautiful and I’ll definitely be back!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Holiday Destination
Had a wonderful time in Tanzania. Spent most of the time on Zanzibar, went on a walking tour of Stone Town, the guide was very knowledgeable and even took us through the market to do some shopping. It was both relaxing and fun. Went on a 1 day safari on the mainland, which was nice but didn't see as many animals as I had hoped to. Weather was hot and sunny, water was blue and calming when out on a boat. The local people are very kind, very helpful and very accommodating to the needs of tourists, they helped us a lot to visit all the sites and places of interest in Zanzibar. Great food especially on the East Coast. It felt very safe there both in the day and in the night.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience from beginning to end!
Great experience booking our Tanzania Safari with Brilliant. Communication with Gladys was prompt and professional throughout, even as we requested and repriced many options and changes. Was originally quoted a five day drive-in and drive-out itinerary, and was happy to hear a fly-in and drive-out itinerary could be arranged when we inquired. This cut out about 6 hours of transit for little change in the price, and was favored for our family. We booked rather late into the season so accommodations for Zanzibar were somewhat limited, but Gladys was happy to price airport transport only for this leg of the trip and we booked our own accomodations. We were mostly happy with all the lodges they selected, with our only complaints being one-off quirks (noisy tent neighbors, or low water pressure).
The safari was splendid! George was our driver and guide, and we couldn't have asked for a better experience. Very attentive and flexible to what we wanted to see during the trip, but beyond that had a sixth sense for where to be to catch animals up close. Saw up close numerous elephants, giraffe, zebra, even lions on multiple sightings. Many animals we were not familiar with or had even heard of, George would whip out a guidebook and show us what we were looking at. Besides just showing us the animals, he had interesting facts and trivia to share for almost everything we saw, and made for great conversation between destinations. Also stopped at a few points of interest (and voluntarily skipped a couple) while we bought local food or snapped pictures of the scenery. We also had a 6 year old who loved to stand on the seat's armrest in order to look out the car's roof, and he always drove carefully or advised her to sit down when the road got too rough.
On more than one occasion when we were at a park for a picnic lunch, George had the foresight to bring tables and chairs, and we enjoyed a meal right away while multiple other groups stood around waiting for a table. The vehicle was well stocked with refrigerated drinks and snacks and kept in great condition.
Highly recommend the crew at Brilliant for the next booking, especially Gladys in the office and George as the guide. Ask for them!
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Exceptional
We had a fantastic experience with Africa Travel Waves. We started communicating with Edwina while still in the US and she was exceptional - responsive and very helpful with planning. Everything was well organized and stress-free.
Our drivers Vincent and Samuel were excellent—skilled, friendly, and very knowledgeable, which made the trip even better. The accommodations were comfortable and welcoming, with great food that our whole family enjoyed throughout the stay. We saw so many amazing animals, created wonderful memories for the kids, and truly learned a lot along the way.
An unforgettable experience—we highly recommend Africa Travel Waves
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Once in a lifetime, unforgettable experience
We had a great experience with Antonio Safaris. Great communication, great custom itinerary, and amazing guides.
Anthony was our tour guide for Masai Mara and Lake Naivasha & "Rhino" was our guide for Ol Pejeta. They are both knowledgeable, friendly, and enthusiastic about sharing their passion for their country and the beautiful animals and people that live in it. The company was very responsive with us and recommended great locations within budget. Transparency and honesty is something else we appreciated from this company. We recommend them to any viewers and family and friends as well! ASANTE SANA!
US
Everything was just what we wanted in a safari and everyone had a great time.
We wanted a guided, private 14 day safari for six adults that showed us all of Kruger National Park from north to south, and also included the Panorama Route. Wild Planet Safari far exceeded our expectations in providing this.
Our guide, Eric, was excellent, and we saw so much more wildlife than we ever expected to see because of his knowledge, experience, and skill. He knew all the best places for seeing wildlife, and even though we spent almost two weeks in Kruger and saw many animals multiple times, their situations and behaviors were always different, so it never got boring. We learned so much from Eric about the behaviors of wildlife in the park that we would be comfortable driving through there on our own now, although if we did we would still hire Wild Planet Safari for part of it, because you can’t beat having a knowledgeable guide with you. We were also impressed that Eric was helpful to tourists that asked him questions about sightings, just as he did with the other guides. Because of his knowledge we always felt safe with him; and he showed this even before we entered the park when we encountered the road blocked by people protesting. He pulled over well before the crowd, talked to other motorists coming from there about what was going on and the best route to avoid the protest, and only after having adequate information did we proceed.
One big reason we chose Wild Planet Safari was they provide a cook, and since we wanted to eat what the locals eat, we thought this would be a good option. Our cook, Hope, provided that perfectly, and we really enjoyed having him with us. We also have one person who has to be very careful about what he eats due to weakened immunity, and having Hope as our cook, he never had any concerns. Hope not only provided delicious meals, but he also shared South African cooking tips with our amateur cooks, along with talking about what life in South Africa is like. When telling people about our trip, the great meals provided by Hope are always brought up, along with his stories of dealing with monkeys and baboons trying to steal food while he’s cooking.
We wanted to stay at the camps inside Kruger, in rooms with beds, and again Wild Planet Safari was a perfect fit for us. Two places we stayed at outside of the park were very nice cottages, and all the single room cabins in the park were wonderful. Although park accommodations aren’t fancy, they are all unique, comfortable, roomy, and they always had a private bath and a refrigerator or small kitchen. It was fascinating to see the differences between American national park facilities and South African, and we even walked through a campground and saw that most African RVs and travel trailers have their kitchens attached on the outside under awnings, which considering the monkey problems was very surprising.
The vehicle was perfect for 6 people. With 3 rows of 3 seats everyone had a window seat and an empty seat between for coats and bags. Even between camps, with our 5 carry-on suitcases under the back seats and one large suitcase on a back seat, we still had plenty of window seats for wildlife viewing. The provided blankets were wonderful. Even though we had warm jackets, layers, and hats for an open-air vehicle, even at the slow speed limits in the park it is surprisingly cold, especially at dawn.
We also got to meet the owner, Ryan, and his young son when they resupplied us midway on our trip and joined us for meals, and again when he cooked for us on our last night. We had a great time listening to his stories over meals, just like we did on the rest of the trip with Eric and Hope. We only wish that Thale, Ryan’s wife, could of joined us, but she was out of the country. I always enjoyed talking with her via e-mails. She did a great job working with us, making all the arrangements, and even dealing with our almost missed first day due to a five hour flight delay.
Thank you Eric, Hope, Thale, and Ryan for making our trip to Kruger full of such wonderful memories.
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfectly planned trip of a lifetime. Superb knowledge.
Our trip to Tanzania was the trip of a lifetime. Without question, Exaudy and Utukufu Travels and Adventures made that possible. We spent two memorable weeks with Exaudy and got to know him quite well. He was fantastic; friendly, easy to converse with, thoughtful, reliable and knowledgeable about local customs and wildlife. He customized the trip we wanted to meet our needs for adventure and comfort. The two waterfall hikes were a great way to start the trip (Mataruni Waterfalls, Napuru Waterfalls). We visited four National Parks including: Lake Manyara, Serengeti, Tarangire, and Ngorongoro. All the parks were exceptional with each offering unique landscapes and vegetation. The abundance of wildlife we encountered exceeded our expectations in both numbers and variety. Our accommodations in the National Parks in the permanent tented camps were perfect and provided some relaxed luxury in the wilds of Africa (even with a herd of Impalas camping in front of our tent). When planning the trip, we told Exaudy we wanted an adventurous hike and he suggested the 2 day/2 night hike starting at the Empakaai Crater along the Great Rift Valley. That was truly a highlight that was off the beaten path with jaw dropping scenery, remate Maasai villages that included a cook and donkeys carrying our gear. We highly recommend Exaudy and Utukufu Travels and Adventures. Everything was perfectly planned down to the last detail.
IL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great person, sharp instincts and a fun guy to be around. Also great attitude with kids.
Very quick communication with the office via WhatsApp. The itinerary was delevired exactly as planned. The lodges were between very good and amazing. We got an amazing family experience we would never forget - especially our two days at the Serengeti.
IT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing
Godfrey was amazing from the beginning to the end of the tour. We spent three days together, and I learned a lot from him about Tanzanian culture. He fulfilled all my requests, always with a smile.
The 3-day tour in Nyerere National Park is very well organized, with time to relax and enjoy nature.
I got to see crocodiles up close during the boat safari, and many animals—including lions, elephants, a leopard, and more—during the game drives.
I highly recommend Lupeta for this tour and for other safaris they offer, based on my experience and the trust Godfrey earned during our three days together.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
We saw big fives, river crossing and more
Our safari experience with Gosheni was amazing. Trucks are in great conditions, and the big guide team & information sharing during animal finding is just impressive. We were lucky to have Samir as our guide this time. Samir knows animals really well. He is a great finder, and can often find great angles for photos. We enjoyed looking for animals with Samir, and managed to see and capture moments like jumping leopard, hunting cheetahs, mating lions & river crossing during golden hours. Samir works really hard to accommodate our wishes - we are crazy guys so that means we usually leave around 6-6.30am and get back to hotel 6.30-7pm almost every day. He is also a great driver which is of great importance given the complicated and challenging road conditions.
Safari is addictive and we are already planning our next one. We look to come back to central serengeti and explore southern serengeti with Gosheni & Samir.