NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Hell’s Gate National Park by Frank Kroeze
Overall good, but not extremely spectacular to be honest. Don't fall in the trap of paying additional for the Masai experience, not worth it.
PE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing to see the wildlife
It was fantastic and overwhelming to see the wildlife in the Masai Mara, and at Lakes Nakuru and Naivasha.
I also enjoyed my first afternoon in Nairobi, walking through the city and going up the KICC tower.
I found the Masai village visit artificial but nonetheless interesting and fascinating.
It was hard to get out of the tourist bubble once in it, and find budget ways to see the city rather than expensive taxis and tours.
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Extremely scenic country with beautiful nature and spectacular views
Had a very good time in Kenya, climbing Mt Kenya (5 days), doing a safari to spot wildlife (5 days) and have some relaxation time in Mombasa (3 days). Apart from shortening the safari a bit (and extending the time in Mombasa) I would do nothing different.
AE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very experienced, good communication and reliability. Good value for money
The tour was very enjoyable, our guide Albert was extremely friendly and helpful and would get out of his way to meet customer’s needs.
We took the 5 days trip to masai Mara, naivasha and hells gate. We chose a humble package (3 stars level) but would advise an upgrade for masai Mara camp.
Advise: Pack a towel if staying in camp and lots of snacks.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
The wildlife is amazing and the people are friendly
Our tour was made with Soul of Tanzania, which fits perfectly. Our guide asked me what was important for our trip and then made sure that we checked off everything on the list. Wildebeest/Zebra migration is inspiring, the hippopotamuses are ugly but amazing, the giraffes are regal, the elephants are awe inspiring, the lions and their cubs up close and personal was totally unexpected, the leopards and cheetahs were beautiful, the hyenas are interesting and the flamingos in Ngorogoro crater can be seen for miles there are so many. We finished our tour with a good sighting of a black rhino standing in a field.
Our first night at Lake Manyara, my wife woke up in the morning and Zebras were standing right outside our window and she was thrilled.
AE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great intro to safari for a family
Moroka Expeditions gave me the best value quote of the five or six safari companies I contacted for a two day trip to Akagera National Park for a family of five. It was very easy to organise and Abraham and Gerard were great guides. They collected us from the house we were staying at in Kigali and organised everything from meals to accommodation during the two days. On the safari itself we were able to see zebra, giraffes, buffaloes, hippos, crocodiles, elephants, baboons, antelope, and many birds. There was a miscommunication at the safari lodge (Akagera Lodge) on the first day which meant we waited over an hour for lunch and my husband and two of our children had to miss the scheduled boat trip as a result. However, Abraham negotiated with the boat captain and arranged an additional morning trip the following day. I highly recommend the boat trip on Lake Kivu as this was the best way to see the elephants. There was also an issue with my husband being charged for a meal at the lodge when it should have been included in our package price but Abraham resolved this later. Overall we had a great experience. The guides were knowledgable and very patient with our three noisy young children!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing
No other feeling could override what I experienced the service was gorgeous and it was affordable and reliable at the same time.
CA
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great. Very helpful and understanding. On time. Will recommend to others for sure.
Very reliable. Helped me to move from hotel to new hotel too.
Guide arrived on time. Excellent communication and service.
Probably we should have started early as given 6.00 am Stopped at a breakfast place but they were not ready and took time.
We only saw one lion resting and no leopards. The rest was good. Saw Giraffs , Rhinos, Zebras ,Impala's and buffaloes.
FI
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Zimbabwe & Botswana Game Tracker - worth the price, some challenges
We did Sunway Safaris Zimbabwe & Botswana Game Tracker (ZBa16) in March-April 2024 with a Sunway Safari truck and all together 12 participants and 2 guides. Here is a summary of the trip. All in all, the level of the tour operator was reasonable by Arfica's standards and the trip was generally worth the price. The guides were of a good average level and the arrangements were generally smooth. The food was average.
The car's safety level had some shortcomings (three-point seat belts were missing and a lot of loose items were kept in the passenger compartment), but the driver's driving skills were good. It is worth noting that the car is built on a truck chassis and the suspension is therefore very stiff. Spending tens of hours on bumpy roads in Africa is therefore quite uncomfortable. In addition, the car's air conditioning is insufficient for hot climates, so you should be prepared for discomfort. Contrary to what is said on the website, there is no drinking water tank in the car, but passengers are advised to buy their drinking water from shops.
The itinerary was mostly good. The biggest disappointment was that a few weeks before the trip, the tour operator announced that Khama Rhino Sanctuary was removed from the plan, as seeing Rhinos was one of the main reasons we booked this particular trip. It was replaced by Goo Moremi Gorge, where we did a small nature walk in a large group of tourists and where there was practically nothing to see. The reason for the change was that one of the couples participating in the trip had booked earlier flights, which is why we had to be at the airport earlier and therefore travel further the day before and miss the Khama Rhino Sanctuary. In my opinion, it is not fair that the route of those who have already booked the trip is shortened and destinations are left out, so that those who booked later can book earlier flights.
Another big disappointment on the trip was the game drive arrangements of the Hvange nature park. The itinerary promises 4WD game drives in the park led by a local guide. We also booked the night game drive offered as an extra. In practice, we got an ancient truck from the 80s and a non-English-speaking driver who couldn't drive it and wasn’t interested in the animals or guiding. At the very beginning, we got stuck twice in the sand, from which we had to shovel the tires and push the car (the safety instructions prohibit not getting out of the car, but we had no choice but to push the car out of the sand). After this, the driver refused to drive on the dirt roads anymore and only drove back and forth on the main road of the park, with the result that we saw nothing but a couple of elephants that were in the middle of the road. Also, the night game drive light used by the driver was so weak that you couldn't spot animals in its light. Despite our complaints, the Sunway safaris guide didn't do anything about it, but went himself to another car, which drove small dirt roads and saw a lot of animals. When we demanded a refund for the payment, the guide didn't even try to find a solution, but bluntly stated that we should pay for these "game drives".
There was also one very dangerous incident on our trip. In the Okavango Delta, a hippo attacked one of our group's canoes. A local paddler barely managed to keep the canoe afloat by jumping into the water himself and hitting the hippo with a stick, which broke in a flash. Fortunately, no one was injured, only the clothes and belongings of the people in the canoe got wet. However, the situation was life-threatening.
The accommodations were mostly as described, some quite basic, some better and even luxury.
The Great Zimbabwe hotel turned off the electricity at night to save electricity from 1-5, with the result that the air conditioning did not work and we stayed up sweating almost the whole night. You couldn't open the windows because of the monkeys and mosquitoes, which was very uncomfortable.
Okavango Delta tent camp was very basic, as promised. It was quite nice there as long as the weather stayed good, but on our last day there it rained non-stop, which made it quite uncomfortable. We also had to leave the camp in the pouring rain, so all our things were soaking wet after the trip.
Hermits Peak Guest Lodge in Matobo, Nkosi Guest Lodge at Victoria Falls and Goo Moremi Gorge Resort were the best and good quality accommodations of the trip, the rest were quite ordinary.
SE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Highly professional and welcoming Safari arrangement!
Among several other competing organizers Viva Safari distinguished by giving quick and clear information about the arrangement pre our visit. Thanks to Ms Landau. Once we arrived in Sout Africa we were most warmly welcomed and had four days of beautiful safari.
Special thanks to the the knowledgeable staff particularly Smiley, Nadine and Charl. We really enjoyed your professional and engaging "lectures" and guidings.
The transport from Johannesburg worked well however one of the four drivers did not feel as well skilled. I had to ask him to cool down.
