Awesome 6 days Budget Safari
We can't thank you and your team enough for the wonderful experience we had in Samburu and Masai Mara. The safari was awesome, and we have recommended Beacon Safaris to others who will be traveling to the game reserves in the upcoming months. We wouldn't have changed a thing!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic experience with GT&S in all respects!
From the first email to the last, my dealings with Gondwana Tours and Safaris was first class. Steffi and Mark were prompt in their responses and always willing to cater to what I wanted from my safari. My trip was tailored to exactly what I wanted to see and within the dates required, even at short notice.
I received a detailed program and timely answers to all my queries, no matter how trivial.
There was no question or request too hard.
All in all, I had an amazing time away and would thoroughly recommend Botswana and Zimbabwe as destinations and Gondwana Tours and Safaris as the way to get there.
Thanks Steffi and Mark, will see you again in the future! :)
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Exceeded all our expectations. Outstanding company. Friendly, caring & professional team.
The company's owner George and his team were fantastic from the outset, answering our many (many!) questions and giving us a lot of reassurance (we booked over a year in advance).
When choosing a climbing company, it was important to us that:
(1) It be a local, Tanzanian company, to ensure the profits stay in Tanzania;
(2) The guides and porters are employed by the company (rather than subcontracted at the national park gates) and provided with training, footwear, etc (we had read many horror stories of appalling porter treatment);
(3) Balance of good price with decent wages for staff and decent equipment for staff and us;
(4) Recommended highly by previous clients.
We spent many months looking at different companies and chose Kilimanjaro Brothers Climbing & Adventure as they met the above criteria and were highly recommended by all we contacted through Tripadvisor and Facebook. Throughout our info-gathering, they also came across as the friendliest and most accommodating.
We booked a private climb for the 2 of us (we are both females, in our 30s from Scotland). We chose the 8 day Lemosho Route, starting 6th September 2014, successfully summiting to Uhuru Peak on 12th and finishing up on 13th.
Our entire experience, from looking into the companies, to booking our trip, arriving in Tanzania and right through to being dropped back off at the airport, was beyond all our expectations. George Mtaki and his team were very friendly and we felt welcomed by their warmth and professionalism.
Our team of 16 on the mountain were outstanding. Always caring for our safety, wellbeing and happiness throughout the entire 8 days. We extend our gratitude and thanks to Gabriel our guide, Priscuse our assistant guide, Simon our porter and trainee guide - all of whom made it possible for us to reach the summit. Jeremiah our cook and Chas our waiter, who provided us with endless cups of tea and the most fabulous vegetarian food you could ask for. I don't know how they did it, on the side of a mountain! Many thanks to Isaac our tent porter, Christopher our toilet porter, Freddy our porter and Black Five card game champion, Stanley, Emmanuel and all the other porters. You are all wonderful, you kept us safe and happy, and we enjoyed our singing, card games and your enthusiasm to keep us going "Non stop, to the top!". We meant it when we said you are our Kilimanjaro family.
Please remember to tip your team generously. Happy to be contacted via Tripadvisor about this as we found the tipping amounts to be hugely varied across all websites. Before arriving, we asked George for a list of staff and the recommended tipping amounts (min to max) for each staff role, so we were prepared. Tips are issued to each staff member on the final day of the mountain, so remember to take this money with you in your daypack. We tipped at the maximum level and also gave away the majority of our gear to the crew. We do a lot of hill walking in Scotland, but we can afford to slowly replace the gear we gave away - a down jacket, thermals, Camelbaks, good socks, etc are usually far out of the financial reach of most mountain crews, so please do donate whatever you can to your team as it is gratefully received and shared out. By the end of your climb, you will want to give them the shirt off your back, believe me. Colours of clothing don't matter here.
In addition to donating our own kit, we also took out with us a large kit bag full of donated walking gear for the guys (from our husbands & friends). We flew with KLM so 2 kit bags each were within the hold baggage allowance. Please consider doing this as it really does make a huge difference to those working on the mountain. If your crew doesn't need the gear, there are plenty others working on the mountain who do need it.
The other thing we would suggest is to consider fundraising for and visiting some local Tanzanian community projects. Coming from a very materialistic, Western society, we found the whole experience really does change your perspective on life. We asked friends, family and colleagues if they would like to make a donation to Amani Children's Home in Moshi and Kilimanjaro Young Girls in Need school outside Moshi. So glad we did this as we ended up raising (with Gift Aid) approx £6,000 UK pounds for both charities combined ($9,000 usd) and took out a couple of big bags of donated clothing, footwear,football boots and arts/craft stuff. We spent a very enjoyable morning at KYGN school and afternoon at Amani. IT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE!!!
We stayed at the Honey Badger Lodge just outside Moshi town. Highly recommended. Good food, lovely accommodation and gardens, staff excellent. Also very focused on community give-back.
All in all, we highly recommend Kilimanjaro Brothers Climbing & Adventure. 10/10. We thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful, remote 8 day Lemosho route which gave us good opportunity for acclimatisation. We felt safe and looked after the whole time. Outstanding service.
Lots of information available on the company's website and on their Facebook page.
We are more than happy to be contacted via email if you have any questions.
Zoe Holdsworth & Jacqueline Rennison
Scotland, UK.
CN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The Most amazing safari ever
Amazing safari in Maasai mara, Serengeti and Ngorongoro
We had booked our 7 days safari with Back Of Africa Adventure about a year in advance and they took care of everything for us. Allison was always there to help us plan out our safari because our dates were not flexible, reaching Back Of Africa Adventure by email, telephone or skype was very simple and the staffs are really helpful.
Our port of arrival and departure was Nairobi airport in Kenya and Back Of Africa Adventure were so kind to arrange for our transportation to the national parks and our safari guide Gordon was a careful driver guide who understands the African roads very well.
We visited Maasai mara, Serengeti, Ngoro Ngoro and Lake Manyara all the Sopa Lodges booked and suggested by our contact person Ms. Allison were exclusive and gorgeous hotels, with wifi services.
Gordon, our tour guide was very keen on our experience within the Serengeti and was well informed about the animals, plants, and birds and very enthusiastic to show us the beauty of the plains of Africa.
After 7days of an unforgettable experience, I must say that Back Of Africa Adventure left us with a very good taste of Kenya and Tanzania and with an appetite for coming back to the maasais mara , Serengeti and Ngorongoro for another nourishing adventure.
I recommend Back Of Africa Adventure to anyone wanting to visit Kenaya and Tanzania.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Unforgettable Kruger safari
My boyfriend and I did a 4D/3N safari with Rhys in July, and had an awesome time. Despite the fact that I booked very last minute, Rhys and Endless Summer were able to accommodate us with lodging in the park, not to mention a 6am airport pickup in Joburg.
Rhys has years and years of experience in Kruger, and it really shows. We had done a self-drive safari in Etosha previously but loved having Rhys to teach us all about the different wildlife. Thanks to the fact that Rhys is a great spotter, we were able to see an amazing array of wildlife - leopards (2x!), lions, cheetahs, wild dogs (!), multiple rhinos (at extremely close range), elephants... plus a few rare antelope type animals, birds, etc. Rhys is particularly good at quick reverse-and-turn car maneuvers so that you can get the perfect photo shots, and as a result the photos from our trip are wonderful.
Rhys is also an amazing cook! We have never had such delicious braai and he has all of the meals and snacks planned perfectly. (He can accommodate vegetarians too - don't worry.)
I can't recommend Rhys and team highly enough!
NL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
An amazing and well organised journey
We had a great time thanks to Bunson Travel. Being on safari was the most beautiful experience ever. We saw the big five and had a very nice guide. We would like to thank you for our amazing journey.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
You're really awesome. Best ever!!!!!
I had a time of my life in Africa. It was my first time and I really enjoyed. Savannah Jamboree is a world class tour operator that puts its clients at heart. When I jetted in kenya, I saw my name on a page and I was transfered to my hotel right away. That was a good head start and I was sure that it will be an amazing holiday right from the start. My safari started at 7.00 AM kenya time and the rest is history. Truly amazing.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An Amazing African Adventure Planned and Guided by an Amazing Travel Company
I spent over a year in email communication with Levis Omondi at Hallmark Travel Planners as we planned our African trip. I had frequent questions which Levis answered promptly and with great patience. He was everything a travel planner should be--he listened to my thoughts regarding what my husband and I were looking for in a safari to Kenya and offered suggestions. He gave great guidance, but never pushed his own ideas on us. Levis was also extremely helpful when we wanted to extend our trip to Zambia to see Victoria Falls. The itinerary we came up with was exactly what we were looking for and the results once we arrived in Nairobi were spectacular. Our driver and guide was Anthony who was cheerfully waiting for us at the airport. He went above and beyond to make sure we saw as many different animals and birds as possible. Anthony was very flexible and willing to modify the itinerary for better game viewing. He was always on top of where the best chances were to see particular animals and did his best to get us to those spots. We are fortunate to be able to say we saw all of The Big Five. He was an excellent driver and informative guide. Our trip exceeded our expectations, in large part due to Levis and Anthony. We would not hesitate to recommend Hallmark Travel Planners.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
It was an amazing experience! I highly recommend East Africa Wild Adventures.
It was an amazing experience! I highly recommend East Africa Wild Adventures. I had been on safaris in other countries before (Nigeria, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia) but this Tanzania and Zanzibar tour was the very best by far. I was impressed by the professionalism of our tour operator, Alym. He was very diligent and he succeeded in arranging an outstanding tour with the options and accommodations we desired. I appreciated the fact that with offices in Canada and Tanzania he was accessible by telephone and email before the trip and we worked out all the details so there were no surprises. In addition to providing a 5-star tour at a reasonable price, he arranged our airfare and we saved on that cost too. The safari company in Tanzania took very good care of us and our driver/guide was very knowledgeable. He explained the terrain, searched out the Big Five and kept illustrated guides in the vehicle that we used to learn additional details about the birds and animals we saw. We traveled to Lake Manyara, the Serengeti, Ngorogoro and Zanzibar. Besides outstanding sightings of the “Big Five” we also visited Stone Town, a Masaai village, Olduvai Gorge and the shifting sands. Everything about the trip was excellent –accommodations, food, entertainment and most importantly, the people who attended to us.
The safari you want with Uhuru Travel & Tours
Thanks to the agency Uhuru we had a wonderful safari... Very good organisation, the lodge they have chosen, Mdyona Old River Camp was exactly the kind of lodge we are fond of... The most important quality of Uhuru is to answer to all our questions very kindly and to try to find exactly the safari we wish.