20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A trip of a lifetime in a beautiful, safe and friendly country with a professional tour company.
I took the Dav Safaris the 4 Day Chimpanzee and Gorilla Trek along with two others. It was an incredible experience with great thanks to professional and friendly staff -- particularly our driver and guide Jeck and another driver, Brian.
On more than one occasion, Jeck used his skills and experience to ensure our tour remained on track when I'm positive others wouldn't have been able to. On challenging roads, he made us feel comfortable. He also had excellent mechanical skills and helped other guides with car issues after he knew we were settled. He also had significant local knowledge and loved sharing his country with us. I would recommend Jeck as your tour guide.
The chimpanzee experience was more than we could have imagined. We got within feet of them thanks to the rangers and staff. The gorilla experience was much the same. I didn't feel unsafe around either animals. They are not dangerous and familiar with human company. In many cases, they just walked right past us as if we were one of them. Well worth the cost. In both cases we were lucky enough to find them within the hour of trekking into the forest. We didn't pay much attention when booking to the other activities, but they ended up being highlights to the trip -- giving us a beautiful snapshot to Ugandan life and culture.
The drives from Entebbe to the Kibali and Bwindi national parks led us through beautiful vistas, incredible villages and a very friendly people. We didn't feel unsafe at all in our journey. Whether we were walking through villages, the forest or on the roads. The Ugandan people are a beautiful, friendly and welcoming people.
The hotels, vendors and other companies used by Dav Safaris were friendly, attentive and helpful. We stayed at Via Via Hotel Entebbe, Kibali Forest Lodge, Rushaga Gorilla Lodge and Itambira Island Resort. We ended up forming good relationships with excellent hotel staff at every location. The beds were comfortable, showers hot and wifi reasonable.
The food was delicious and high quality wherever we went. None of us had any digestive issues whether we ate Western or local meals. Bottled water and snacks were abundant.
4 days was enough for us to comfortably enjoy both the chimpanzee and gorilla treks, however I heard incredible reports from others in our travels about game drives in Uganda and would seriously consider returning to experience those as well as the gorillas and chimpanzees again. One couple did 19 days with Dav Safaris and loved it.
Thank you Dav Safaris, Jeck and all the people we met along the way for an amazing trip.
PR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Nyumbu Beyond Journeys made our short trip feel like a once-in-a-lifetime experience
We started our 3-day tour with a pickup at the airport in Kigali, and from that moment on, everything ran smoothly thanks to Nyumbu Beyond Journeys. The team was extremely professional and welcoming — our guide Living and driver Adam made us feel comfortable, informed, and cared for throughout the trip.
Crossing into Uganda was effortless with their support, and all the logistics (permits, accommodations, meals, etc.) were handled flawlessly. The gorilla trekking itself was absolutely surreal — being so close to these incredible animals in the wild is something I’ll never forget.
Our hotel on Sharp Island was a highlight — peaceful, scenic, and a perfect place to recharge after the trek. The entire tour felt safe, well-paced, and thoughtfully curated.
I highly recommend Nyumbu Beyond Journeys if you’re looking for a reliable and well-organized experience that lets you fully enjoy the beauty of East Africa without the stress.
PT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trustworthy operator with an amazing staff
First I would like to say that I could not be happier with my experience with Crater Explorer. Since the first time we got in touch until the moment he dropped us off at the airport, Emmanuel was always responsive and easy to communicate with. He even went out of his way to help us paying for a dinner by lending us money because we did not have Tanzanian shillings.
The hotel we stayed at in Arusha (Venice hotel) was clean and the food was good so basically what you need for a 1 night stay before and after the Safari.
The Safari in itself is something I will not try to evaluate because I do not have words that can describe what I lived through. What I can talk about is the two members of the Crater Explorer crew who accompanied us throughout the 4 days and the places we spent our nights in.
Charles, the guide, is just a chill guy who loves to drive around and see some animals. He clearly had a trained eye as he was able to find animals while driving that we easily missed. I also found it really impressive how he was able to answer all the questions the group threw at him. I can tell he is a great professional and also a very good and safe driver which is very important in Tanzania.
The other member is Emmanuel, the “stomach engineer”, a truly loving and caring person. He cooked us some really great dishes and the quantity was always more than enough. I would sometimes compare the food we were eating to other groups and I could tell we were very well served. On the first night, my partner had a stomach issue (most likely traveler’s diarrhea) and Emmanuel made sure she ate the right things for the rest of the trip. On top of that he made her a ginger tea which even though was really hard to drink, got the job done and she did not have any more issues.
In terms of sleeping conditions, the first night we slept in Jambo Campsite and Lodge. The room was clean and comfortable. The second night was spent in Seronera Campsite, right in the middle of the Serengeti. In this area the water and energy supplies are limited. In the final night we stayed at Ngorongoro Simba Public Campsite and there I lived through one of the most exciting experiences of my life. The camp sits on top of the Crater, it has great views and a very vast and soft grass floor. For this reason, the camp gets crowded with buffalos and zebras. Sleeping in a tent surrounded by buffalos ripping grass out of the floor right next to my ear is something I could have never imagined doing but will never forget for the rest of my life. The water and electricity work perfectly in this camp.
Thank you Crater Explorer for providing me with a lifetime experience. I will forever be thankful and will always recommend.
FR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful Guide, Unforgettable Trip
We are very happy with our 6 day trip to Tanzania as it went off without a hitch. We had planned the trip with Amos who is also the owner Migration Venture Africa. He worked with my wife and I to craft a great sxhedula with all the activites and places that we wanted to visit. He also helped us to get very good lodges at reasonable rates. Temba our safari guide picked us from our the African Tulip hotel in Arusha and stayed with us for the entire trip. He was wonderful as a guide and also great as a traveling companion. his knowledge of the roads, parks and nature made the journey smooht as he drive well, freely shared infornmation and also ensured that we were safe at al times. The vehicle was spasious. comfortable and very strong. It took us to all the corners of the parks without any issues.
I have nothing but gratitude to Migration Venture Africa, for exceeding all our expectations.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Magical time in Kenya 🇰🇪
Firstly - I had a fantastic time on safari in Kenya & would recommend to anyone! I’m going to break the parts down below for more information on each section.
1. The Tour Company - ⭐️⭐️
Honestly, the worst part of the whole thing was the actual tour company. I had food poisoning the day we were going, and I waited over an hour and forty minutes for the driver to pick me up from the hotel because they told me to be ready at the wrong time. They stopped replying to my emails or picking up the phone so I had no idea what was happening, which when you’re that unwell isn’t ideal. They also managed to mess up us leaving with the boat tour (aka hadn’t sorted us transportation back to Nairobi that would allow us to complete the trip with the boat trip!!!!), so we had to fight to be able to do both aspects after they told us we would just have to go back to Nairobi (having done only a two hour game drive that day). As I was dropped back in Nairobi the driver asked me to pay for the trip so I then had to sort that out with them as well (hard to sort when they aren’t very communicative). Also you do just hand over the cash to someone who picks you up, no receipt etc, which I found quite stressful. So all in all wasn’t very impressed with them as they made the trip much more stressful than needed!
2. Sir Charles - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Charles was the BEST tour guide and helped us to sort out the issues we had. He has a magical gift for finding the animals and was always talking to everyone else to make sure that we got to see everything! My friend has lived there for a year and not seen half the animals we saw (e.g. male lions everyday and even a leopard!). Make sure you ask for Charles (I’m considering going back later this year and definitely will be asking for Charles again!!!)
3. Accommodation - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I went for Jambo Lodge & Lake Nakuru Lodge. Firstly, the people in both were so so nice, which really helps to make the experience. The food in Jambo was not fab (although I think recovering from food poisoning took away from it slightly ahaha) & the pack lunch was definitely the worst of the three camps. The pool was also out of action which I was v sad about. The room was beautiful though and the bed really comfy, I would definitely stay there again (but take snacks). Lake Nakuru Lodge, the sunset was magical here and the pool was great! The food here was also really good. The room, however, was not as nice - the glass door to outside was broken and it had an older feel. I would umm and ahhh over staying here again, but the sunset might persuade me to!
Boat trip - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Absolutely loved the boat trip, I would say that is worth the money! You get to see an island that just has animals on it and hippos, Ken was also really nice!
All in all you should definitely go on safari and ask for Charles - he made the trip for me. A few things the tour company can improve on, but the memories make up for it.
PR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable Gorilla Trekking and Perfect Service from Start to Finish
Our gorilla trekking adventure with Nyumbu Beyond Journeys was simply unforgettable. From the first contact, communication was clear, timely, and professional. Every step of the journey was well organized, and we felt supported the entire time.
Our tour guide, Living, was outstanding — knowledgeable, kind, and genuinely passionate about wildlife and conservation. He made the entire experience feel special and safe. Our driver, Adam, was also fantastic: always punctual, friendly, and made sure we were comfortable throughout the long drives.
The gorilla trekking itself was beyond words. Getting to see these majestic animals in their natural habitat is a life-changing experience, and thanks to Nyumbu, we could focus entirely on the moment — everything else was taken care of.
We also fell in love with the hotel in Sharp Island — peaceful, beautiful, and the perfect place to relax after the trek.
Nyumbu Beyond Journeys truly went above and beyond in terms of service, reliability, and overall value. We can’t recommend them enough to anyone looking to explore Uganda in a meaningful and well-organized way.
NP
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Shivu and Claman...U were amazing tour companion..
Such a comfortable and safe company to travel to Johannesburg..We explored wildlife..Yay..
CN
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The travel agency provided us with a lot of travel suggestions and reasonable pricing for the itiner
The travel agency provided us with a lot of travel suggestions and reasonable pricing for the itinerary, which we can communicate with through WeChat. The guide arranged a pick-up service from the moment we got off the plane, and now we are also being escorted by the guide. The whole process was very reassuring and safe. On the way to Safari, the guide kept looking for many animals for us, and we were very happy the whole time，I will introduce this travel agency to our friends
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Lovely boat ride, great fishing
We booked a boat tour with Mapumziko Lodge. Had a great day- great fishing and very nice guide and driver who were very patient with our kids!
SA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Meektrails offers seamless, personalized safaris with warm service and expert guides
We had an exceptional 7-day safari experience in Kenya with Meektrails, covering Amboseli, Lake Naivasha, Lake Nakuru, and the Masai Mara. From start to finish, the communication was clear, timely, and professional. Peris, the main point of contact, was consistently helpful and responsive throughout the planning and trip.
On arrival, a personal welcome and thoughtful gift set the tone for the journey. The itinerary was well-organized, and the accommodations were comfortable—two of which were generously upgraded, adding a special touch. The guide, Julius, was knowledgeable, patient, and a pleasure to travel with.
Meektrails delivered outstanding value for money, with reliable logistics, personalized service, and genuine care for their guests' comfort. The experience was seamless and deeply memorable. Highly recommended for anyone seeking an authentic and well-curated Kenyan safari