NL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
wonderful safari experience
We had an absolutely wonderful safari experience with Loren African Safaris and would highly recommend them!
From the very beginning, everything was well organised and we felt safe and well taken care of throughout the entire safari. A very special thank you goes to our guide, Macy, who made these four days truly unforgettable.
Macy is an incredibly knowledgeable and experienced guide. He knew so much about the animals, nature and the different national parks, and was always happy to explain what we were seeing and answer all our questions. He also seemed to know exactly where to go to give us the best chance of seeing the wildlife. Thanks to him, we had some amazing encounters and were even able to see the Big Five!
What we appreciated just as much was the way he treated our family. He was patient, kind and especially wonderful with our children. He always made sure everyone was comfortable, involved and enjoying the experience. We never felt rushed and always felt completely safe with him, both during the game drives and while travelling between the parks.
The whole safari was very well organised, from the accommodations and meals to the game drives and transportation. We could simply relax and enjoy the experience because everything was taken care of for us.
Our safari through Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngorongoro was definitely one of the highlights of our trip to Tanzania and an experience our family will never forget.
Thank you Loren African Safaris, and especially Macy, for taking such good care of us and for giving our family so many beautiful memories. We would absolutely recommend you to anyone looking for a personal, safe and unforgettable safari experience in Tanzania! ❤️
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
We were extremely well looked after.
Everything was exceptionally easy from the booking right through to airport drop off at the end. Our guide was very welcoming, on time and ensured as we travelled through to our trek he provided as much detail as he could about the places we were travelling through. The places we stayed at were also very comfortable and the meals provided very nice.
ES
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An unforgettable adventure with an incredible team!
It has been an unforgettable experience, the best trip of my life, and without a doubt, part of that is thanks to the amazing team at Major Treks: Arnold, Luis, Baltasar, Goodluck, Cristian, Inocent… Thank you, you guys are incredible!
Everything was so well organised, and every little detail was taken care of to make the experience perfect.
I honestly have nothing but good things to say, and I would definitely recommend Major Treks to anyone thinking about doing this trip!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Our guide was wonderful friendly and informative, nothing was too much trouble.
Communication and service was wonderful. Great value for money and a once in a life time opportunity to see Mountain Gorilla's in a very supportive environment.
ES
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
incredible, spectacular
The organization and dedication were spectacular. It was a wonderful journey, immersing us in Tanzanian culture and seeing all the wildlife. Thanks to Luis, Arnold, Cristian, and the drivers for everything.
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
With many options to pick from, go here for a personal touch.
The communication with the organizer is top notch. It can be difficult to tell what your day will be like if this is your first pne day safari, but good communication really helped.
Transfer service great. Clean, personal.
I would ask for Michael as your tour guide if at all possible. Throughout the day I got to observe other companies and tour guides and so many seemed distant (just there for the money?), which couldnt be further from my experience.
Save yourself the trouble and just go here and ask for Michael.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Well organised, wonderful staff and fantastic experience
The tour was well organised right from the hotel pick up from Johannesburg. The staff were excellent our driver Rudzie who drive us all the way from Johannesburg to Tembo lodge.
The facilities were excellent clean with everything you need.
Both our drive guides were amazing how they can drive and spot animals in the bush was incredible. Also their
knowledge and detail about each animal was excellent.
The food was great we asked for a traditional meal and the Chef kindly provided
We changed our mind to fly back to Johannesburg and they organised drop off and pick up at each airport with no fuss.
We had an excellent experience catching a great glimpse of the illusive Lion and Leppard on our last morning.
We done the 3 day tour which was just right for us. I highly recommend this tour.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Meticulous planning and superbly organised
First safari for us - 3 days in Arusha, 2 Tarangire, 2 Ngorongo, 4 Serengeti and 6 in Zanzibar.
We found the choice of potential locations, accommodation, routes etc almost bewildering at first. Matthys at DA carefully sought to understand we were looking for and came up (after a couple of face to face discussions and several emails) with a suitable schedule
Pre and mid trip communication was excellent. The DA portal is very detailed and comprehensive and the app was very useful on a day to day basis once we arrived in Tanzania.
The recommended accommodation and transport was mostly superb, only issue was transferring from Kogatendi to Zanzibar where a supposed direct flight was in fact 2 flights with a 2 hour delay on the second, meaning we arrived in Zanzibar around 4 hours later than planned. We understand this happens quite regularly in the bush so not a big deal.
My wife was unfortunately taken ill during the trip (not attaching any blame to any lodge or hotel, these things can happen any time). An initial doctor visit was very well handled by our first guide (en route from Tarangire to Ngongoro), and after a slight recovery she again went downhill when we in the Serengeti. Between Matthys from DA and our driver in Zanzibar a hospital visit was pre-arranged when we arrived and the recommended hospital was excellent. The camps in Ngongoro, Serengeti and the hotel in Zanzibar really couldn’t have done any more to make sure she was as comfortable as possible.
The accommodation was fabulous in all locations and the two guides/drivers absolutely exceptional. All arrangements went as planned and everyone we encountered were so friendly and helpful. Despite the illness disruption we saw many amazing things, too many to list here,
Would very happily recommend DA and use them again.
HU
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Professional mid-size company with excellent service and wonderful tour guides
We chose Lion King Adventures to arrange a family tour based on custom itinerary including Tarangire, Northern and Central Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Lake Eyasi. They seemed to be the right size of the company, not too small and not too big, with already great reviews. Within the same class of lodges they were priced at parity or slightly cheaper with other companies, and we liked final selection of accommodations a bit better, than other offerings. Communication was professional and prompt, both before and after booking of the trip. We also liked that as part of standard communication, they provided detailed recommendations to how prepare for the trip, including the preferential type of wardrobe, packing arrangements etc. Already during the trip we were pleasantly surprised that company organises warm lunches during the trip, which not all of the companies do.
All that said, we knew from our past experience in Kenya that how good your safari is, depends largely on the guide. The fact that the company put pictures of its staff on its web-site, inspired some confidence that they understand the value of the selecting the right people and was likely decisive factor that we booked our tour with LKA.
Huge thank you goes to Jackson, our safari guide, who ensured, that through 6 full days of driving on bumpy roads we managed to see Big 5, and not just one time, witness the river crossing by wildebeest, that each day had its own highlight, and that we fell in love with various other animals. Jackson supplied us on the spot with information about various species we saw (and which he brought to our attention, cause animal do hide well). He also explained various cultural phenomena we witnessed as we drove through the country. In addition to sharp eyes and considerable subject knowledge, he was confident and fast, but not reckless, driver. Spending 10-11 hours in confined space with us, he managed all communications well, articulate and with a right dose of humour.
AT
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Busy, but excellently organized tour with really outstanding if not unique experiences.
As Escape to Adventure Safaris (EtAS) had interesting tours on the Web, we booked with them a 5 days/4 nights tour from and to Victoria Falls that was slightly modified according to our wishes.
Judith picked us up at the airport and soon showed to be not only a perfect driver and expert guide, but also a most friendly and likeable human being. She drove us on day 1 to Hwange NP that is not so far away in kms, but the second half of the trip had one of the worst road conditions I ever saw. It took us 4 hours to get there, and we were late for the evening game drive but could get a night drive instead. We spent 2 nights there in Gowange Heritage Lodge that offers simple but adequate accommodation and meals, a small pool & terrace as a favorite spot for elephants that even drink from the pool.
Day 2 had a whole day game drive tour of Hwange NP that proved to be a magnificent gem of variable landscape, fauna and flora. We were lucky to get very near to many animals of interest, including lions (one male!), elephants, buffaloes, giraffes, zebras, hyenas and the many types of antelopes and birds. Moreover, Hwange NP has less visitors than other parks and, IMO, gives a typical African "bush" feeling to the visitor.
Day 3 started with an early morning game drive in the NP, followed by the difficult drive back to Victoria Falls. There, Kuda from the EtAS office, a studied historian, guided us highly competently around the falls. My wife wished to have more time for this world wonder (and its surrounding shops, of course). We spent the night at the Telescope Boutique Hotel, a marvel of modern architecture and modern comfort. Again, we regretted to have not more time there.
Day 4 started with crossing the border from Zimbabwe to Botswana (the now rare situation of having to walk physically over the border) where other guides received us, everything well organized. The IMO very best part of the tour was the following safari in a small boat on the Chobe river that meanders by many flat islands with buffaloes, hippos, crocodiles and a plethora of birds. Elephants come and swim/walk across branches of the river, an unforgettable experience, sometimes in feeled armlength from animals. After lunch in a touristic resort, we had a game drive through Chobe NP that has a great variety of the mentioned animals to see, but also quite many touristic vehicles touring the myriad paths in a relative uniform bushwork vegetation. We stayed for the last night at Tlou Safari Lodge in Kasane with adequate rooms, more simple facilities and – surprise! – no alcohol. I found the Ginger Ale as good substitute for beer….
The last day started with an early morning game drive in Chobe NP that yielded some fewer animal views this time – maybe not only us were shuddering from the cold. We were in some hurry to get back across the border to the VF airport, but thanks to the efficient organization and Judy’s perfect driving everything went smoothly.
I forgot (Freudianly?) to include our romantic dinner cruise upstream of Victoria Falls as another highlight. There are many such dinner cruises all over this world, but this is a really magnificent experience to see sunset in the midst of the river, the panoramic African silhouettes of the banks, watch elephants bathing, and at the same time enjoy excellent food and drinks. My thought for a millisecond was what we might have lost since 150 years ago.....
In sum, this was a very busy, but excellently organized tour with really outstanding if not unique experiences – in our feeling excellent value for money.