20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Ticked all the boxes and that little bit more... you can have confidence in EAS&TC!
So to try and keep this short and sweet (as I know the hours it takes researching the different Safrai operators, reading reviews etc.. it is almost a full time job!!
Planning the safari
- They say patience is a virtue and it is!! Thankfully Simon of East African Safari had plenty of it as we had questions, questions and more questions and never once did it become a big deal. He was even happy to provide guidance on the areas of our trip that we weren't going to be booking through him. His brochures and itineraries were not as high end as some of the other operators but it is simple things like that that allow him to be the most competitive Safari company, pricewise that I researched (I resarched 8 in great depth.) He provided really honest and solid advice on some other things like visiting an orphanage.
On the Safari
- We were really pleased with our itinerary and got to see everything - except the elusive Rhino but we were just unlucky with the weather and nature has a mind of it's own!!
Our guide
Jimmy looked after us so well over the 5 days went to great lengths on the last day to make sure we saw cheetahs and leopards. He knew everything and dealt with my million questions everyday very well.
Accommodation
We stayed in a mix of tented camps and lodges - all were great but Boundary Hill lodge at Tarangire was stand out - it was beyond our wildest dreams. The beautiful brick lodges, the outside dining and the amazing service made it one of the most special nights of our whole holiday - you actually need to see this place to believe. Our morning walk with the Masai gifted us with a leopard sighting which added to specialness of this gem.
Food
Really good everywhere and plenty of it.. Don't go on Safari expecting Heston style but be assured that you will get great basic food that is full of taste and you will never be left hungry!
The extra stuff that makes a difference
We were a group of three girls travelling together and unfortunately one of the our bags never arrived to Dar Es Saleem. When we explained this to Simon he invited us to his house the day of Safari to drop off the missing baggage form and to chase the bag when we were on Safari. Unfortunately due to the airline's mistake the bag didn't show up over the Safari but Simon had someone trying everyday. The day after we finished safari he organised for us to be collected at our accommodation to collect the form and had a cuppa waiting for us. It's nice to know that an operator will go that extra mile for you, even after payments have been made!!
I would highly recommend East Africa on all fronts!
JP
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
10 days Turukana camping tour
We went to a 10 days Turukana tour. Since we were 5, we could change the length of the tour and the departing date as we like. The tour was much more wonderful than we had expected. The scenery on the way was breathtaking, especially Lake Turukana was beautiful. We were amazed when we saw hundreds of hundreds camels in the deserts and the mirages of them to the horizon. Also we visited some village of nomadic tribe. The color of their clothes and necklaces was fantastic.
Our driver and cook were excellent.
Alfred prepared very nice food though most of us were on diet. Whenever we go somewhere we are disappointed about food but we really enjoyed his meal everyday. Also Karnbo showed us many interesting places and he did his best to entertain us. Fusain, our guardman was very kind and help us a lot. Our tour was superb. I think they must have been tired after this tour. Thank you very much for letting us to have such a wonderful tour.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Most Wonderful Girls' Road Trip
With short notice Monika from the Safari Source helped me to organize a fantastic road trip to western Zimbabwe when a friend of mine came to visit me from Germany. She found just the right accomodations for us, always had some useful advice for the overall planning and made our trip become a very special and unforgettable one. Service and communication is just excellent as Monika can be called any time and will take care of your needs immediately.
This is outstanding company. Charles our safari Guide was amazing, He is well trained.
It was not easy to choose a tour Operator, I and my Husband decided to choose Snow Africa Adventures. We booked through Caroline, She was great lady. She replied our email very soon. We booked 5 days lodge safari. Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Tarangire National parks. Charles our driver guide was perfect. Wonderful knowledge for wildlife and great English. We highly recommend Snow Africa Adventures to any one thinking about safari in Tanzania.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Super! Super! Super!
I was fortunate enough to have had a tour by OpenTour Africa during my visit to Cape Town in October 2014. It was undoubtedly the highlight of my two week holiday. The day started with coffee unlike you’ve ever seen or experienced before -expertly brewed in what looked like a science experiment right in front of you. Our tour guide, Ozzy then took us on a graffiti tour of Cape Town. This quickly turned into a much richer and deeper experience than simply appreciating art. Ozzy is incredibly well informed about the history and political landscape of South Africa. We ended the day with a couple of vineyard tours and a wine tasting. It was obvious that a lot of thought had gone into picking the finest wine farms to give us the best experience possible. Best of all was that Ozzy had all the time in the world and even though we overran by nearly two hours, he still had a smile on his face and wanted to show us more. Incredible! OpenTourAfrica, you made my holiday.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An Amazing Safari
In 2013 my girlfriend and I decided to try something different for Christmas and booked a Safari with Msafiri Travels. It was a fantastic experience - we were flown to the Safari park on a tiny four-seat plane, where we were the only passengers. We were then met by the camp crew at the landing strip and taken to the camp, which was located right on the river shore nearby. The view was beautiful, the staff was friendly, and the accommodation was better than I expected it to be in the middle of nowhere, away from civilization.
There were numerous tours available, on all of which we were the only passengers, so it really felt like a romantic getaway instead of the usual packed-beyond-recognition zoo experience. We were able to see all the animals we wanted and even get very close to some of them.
All in all, it was a very pleasant experience and felt like a real adventure, while still being a great couple's getaway.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent experience!
I honestly cannot say enough good things about KWSS. The organisation of my safairi's was exceptional, communication was always timely and appropriate and nothing was too much trouble for OT to sort out very quickly and professionally - including last minute changes to the itinerary (cause by me!).
KWSS played a large part in making my trip to east Africa the trip of a lifetime. Don't hesitate to use them if your planning a trip.
Absolutely amazing and the only group to use.
Everything went flawlessly and if there was a change in plans they were flexible. I highly recomend this group. They are extremely friendly and talk to you about Uganda and hands down are the only way to travel around beautiful Uganda.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Watkinson School's Service Learning Trip
From the moment I contacted Mamaland Safaris from the United States months before my school's trip to Uganda, Mamaland and Tony in particular, were incredibly helpful. Throughout our journey from Kampala to Kisoro where we worked in several schools, to Queen Elizabeth and Murchison Falls National Parks, the service went far beyond merely driving us to destinations. Tony helped explain the history, culture and society to our group of teenage students. With humor and a beyond encyclopedic knowledge of the birds and wildlife, we fell in love with Uganda's people and wildlife!
Add in some magical moments and surprises like the Pumba Safari Cottages overlooking Queen Elizabeth National Park, it was a transformative experience for me and my students that would not have been possible without Mamaland's personal touches. Logistically, the planning was smooth and clear. My school was more than satisfied with the arrangements. And the problem solving around the minor change of plans we made mid-journey were all handled well.
I cannot recommend Mamaland Safaris more! We will be back in March 2015 with Mamaland leading they way!
CH
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
What a stunning journey!
Our 17-day tour combining “Wild West of Zambia” and South Luangwa was a stunning experience, and I just can highly recommend this tour and tour operator. We had the pleasure to be guided and driven by the owner of ‘Adventure Purists’ himself, Jo Stallmann, supported by a trained cook (Emmanuel) and two camp helpers (Biggy and Sims). Everything was very well organized, all logistics were taken care of (transportation, accommodation, food) and the whole team made us feel at ease. They were always very committed, friendly, available, flexible, and ready to help us in case of any needs. I specifically liked their great sense of humour (representative for many other locals we met). Camping was luxury with very spacious tents providing ample room for camping beds and luggage. The meal, often cooked on open fire was always super-yummy and prepared with lots of fresh vegetables and meat. When it came to dessert Emmanuel did outperform himself.
Most importantly the actual safari part was fantastic. Most of the days we had two pretty extended game drives, and sun-downer tours enjoying gorgeous sunsets with cold beer outside the car – sometimes with breath-taking hippo or hyena encounters. The spectacular custom-built vehicle was perfectly adapted to our needs and obviously also to any terrific wet-season off-road conditions we could only roughly imagine during our stay in the dry season (by the way, it’s up to the participants to always be aware of bumpy roads!). Thanks to Jo’s awesome expert knowledge, driving skills, and long-term record in spotting game we had great sightings every day and impressively experienced the variety of wildlife, animal behaviour and botany in a very nice and educational way. Just as one example we were lucky enough to spot the Lion Queen ‘Lady Liuwa’, the sole survivor of massive poaching in the 1990s. Beyond nature he also provided us with an authentic local’s view onto various human-related issues of the country such as daily life, culture, education, history, politics etc. including some touching visits at local villages.
To conclude from my perspective all promises made in the program have been fully achieved if not even partly excelled. At the Liuwa plains wildlife may have been a bit less present than in other regions (I was, nevertheless, fully satisfied) but this was easily compensated by uniquely beautiful scenery. I just can repeat myself in highly recommending this tour operator. If I would do this trip again, I would probably add a day for a white water rafting tour on the Zambesi offered by their sister company ‘Bundu Adventures’. Seems to be a blast, possibly even the ‘Chicken Run’… Thanks ‘Adventure Purists’ and all the best for the future!