US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent planning and accommodations limited communication post payment.
I searched high and low for a safari that offered luxury accommodations for an affordable rate. When I came across Regional Tours I was very excited with the accommodations and the price. I took several days to shop around and could not find anything more affordable that was similar in accommodations. The Regional Tours representative was in constant communication ensuring that I was knowledgeable about the safari and wanted me to complete booking quickly. I was initially apprehensive regarding the payment arrangement of Wiring money. I spent 5% more than the requested price to pay with a credit card. I did not receive a confirmation of payment, and when I reached out to the company to confirm the payment I did not get a response for a few days which made me nervous. I also sought answers regarding my confirmation of accommodations and plans before a big trip such as this. I did not receive communication for several days at a time. I felt that once my payment had been made they had vanished and my money was taken. After doing some research I learned that this was common behavior for this company. I was relieved upon arrival in Tanzania that my safari guide was waiting and ready with a sign with my name on it for me and my friend. The safari over all was well planned, the accommodations simply beautiful, and could not have been more pleased with the safari jeep. Me and my friend googled interactions with safari guides on safari as our guide was quiet a lot of the time and we were unsure if this was the typical dynamic of a safari. Amani was very knowledgeable about the animals however we felt that he did not have the enthusiasm that would have made this a safari more exciting. We certainly enjoyed his safety measures taken during the safari and his extreme Passion for following the rules, as we like to feel safe on vacation. We would have liked more communication throughout as to what we were doing so that we could be more informed. I was disappointed one day when Amani decided to leave the game drive before inquiring if we were ready to go. It was my favorite location for me, not knowing exactly the routes I was not sure of our whereabouts and didn't notice that we were leaving the park. Another area of negativity was the back door of the safari jeep was not working therefore we had to lug heavy luggage multiple rows down a narrow Jeep in-and-out daily, em 6oi. Uwith not much assistance from our guide. We could tell that he was not eager to carry or lift our bags so we did the grunt work on vacation which was not fun. We tipped the typical amount, however felt we should have reduced the amount due to having to work so hard with our luggage. Overall it was a wonderful vacation and I would certainly recommend Regional Tours and Safaris.
PT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Enjoyable but a few things could be improved
I went on a budget group safari. It was for 6 days, Northern Circuit Safari. (995 Euros/per person I paid in advanced) I made the mistake of booking through a company (Bushtroop Safaris) which I found on safaribooking.com, however was grouped into safari with Angose Travel.. Unfortunately for me and the members of my party, we paid more than the other 4 in our safari. In November (when our safari was), we could have easily showed up in Arusha and booked a safari for the next day, no need to transfer a deposit internationally, etc.
We found out that most drivers/guides are free lancers.. so I am not sure how much it helps to note that our guide/driver barely spoke about the animals, landscape, etc. He was knowledgeable, however only spoke when someone asked him a question.. There were other guides babbling off information and I was always wishing ours would say more than he did.
During our camping days, the meals were very small. My husband was always hungry after the meals. Luckily we had many snacks from our Kilimanjaro trip leftover! Part of the group had only a 5 day safari, and after they left the chef made the same amount of food when it was 3 of us, as he did for 7 people! The food was fine, but just the quantities for a few days were low!
Lake Mayanara isn't worth the visit after you have spent days in the Serengetti.
Finally, I found it incredibly strange that when we returned from safari, we had to visit the office and they asked us to write a review in front of them...
Other than the things mentioned above, the safari experience was great. Remember you are in Africa, you must go with the flow and Hakuna Matata. :)
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
AWESOME SAFARI!
Great team at Jabulani. That was an awesome experience!
RS
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Pleasant, professional, flexible staff making your dreams into reality.
Communication with the manager was excellent. We exchanged like 30 emails, and he replied on every my question within a minutes, and organized whole trip perfectly. Our guide on the road was vary nice and so flexible, we could arrange some things on the way according to the group requests. Safari is amazing experience, and these guys are really trying to make your trip comfortable and beautiful.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent once in a life time experience with Ababa Safaris!
There were some brief issues with email communication which caused some concern to us, but once that was solved, the communications were much smoother! I would suggest perhaps a touch more outreach right before the Safari confirming all details (was provided but when asked) but otherwise, the reservations and permits were very smooth, our driver (Hamza) was really lovely and extremely trustworthy and knowledgeable and the 4 day itinerary as suggested by ABABA was really a great range of different terrain and experience in the beautiful country of Uganda. And the Gorillas!!! A once in a lifetime memory.
CA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Lake Nakuru National Park by Chris
A very diverse park from Masai Mara. We thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere, and it was much quieter (less vans/trucks around "big" animals)
LT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Lake Nakuru National Park by Dalia Miklaseviciute
a lot of baboons and rhinos
LT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Hell's Gate National Park by Dalia Miklaseviciute
the only place where you can get out of the car while doing safari
LT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Amboseli National Park by Dalia Miklaseviciute
elephants!
CA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Outstanding experience, Maasai Mara is stunning - the animal viewing, the sunsets, everything
The wildlife is abundant in Maasai Mara. The scenery at Lake Nakuru is quite different from the Mara, but it's worth the trip. We opted for a 4x4 and it was well worth it - I wouldn't want to do the drive to the park, and the game drive, in a van. Our guide was knowledgeable and kept in contact with other guides to ensure we saw the Big 5, and then some.
The food at our accommodations was good. We felt well taken care of. The food on the way to/from Lake Nakuru was ok. It was tasty, there just wasn't much in the way of selection.