best safari
I booked a 4 days safari with Open Africa Safaris company and had a wonderful time!! Our tour guide, Anthony, made always sure that we have everything we need. The hotel was clean and confortable with a very beautiful view on the park ;the staff was always helpful and polite and the food was very good. The game drives were amazing! We saw a lot of wildlife and beautiful scenery. Our tour guide knew the park so well, he always knew were to take a turn and amaze us with yet another beautiful view! To sum up, this was one of the best holidays i have ever experienced!! Thank you again Anthony for the great time we spent together on this safari!
Excellent / great value
Transtrek fulfilled a lifelong dream for me by being totally affordable. We were looked after from the moment we landed until we left and everything in between. The hotels / lodges we stayed at were fantastic we felt like we were living in the lap of luxury seeing some of the most spectacular wildlife during the day and night. Sitting in the bar at Kilaguni with a gin and tonic in my hand overlooking a waterhole seeing the most wonderful wildlife made me feel like a king. Being taken around in comfortable vehicles around the parks was just amazing. I couldn't recommend them enough.
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Gorilla trekking - an unforgettable experience and worth the hard work
When researching Uganda, we investigated about 6 or 7 operators, and chose Matoke for a number of reasons. The European connections and bonding arrangements were valuable. We found them very flexible in advising on itineraries and then finally in booking our tour. They were very price competitive for the ground arrangements and lodge quality which we selected (not quite the cheapest, but some others who were less helpful were very much dearer). Some insisted that we fitted in with their pre-arranged itineraries and dates - Matoke custom built exactly to our requirements. Generally the booking process was efficient although it was slightly off-putting to end up dealing with 3 different people. The continuity of one person handing the whole booking might have given us a little more confidence. The tour itself went very well, much of this due to our driver/guide Jacob, who was excellent. His English was impeccable, his humour infectious, and his knowledge about Uganda, its history and culture were most informative. When there was a hitch in our travel arrangements, he worked hard to ensure that it was rectified. The lodges were of variable quality, and generally less good than those we have found on other African safaris. Primate Lodge at Kibale had many shortcomings, especially for the price they charged. Service and facilities both left much to be desired. Katara Lodge was beautifully designed, excellent rooms and service, but the drive back from QE Park on such a bad road became a bit of a bind. Mahogany Springs excelled in the quality of staff and food, but for a reasonably new lodge the state of repair was not brilliant. But these criticisms are probably general to Uganda. For the prices charged, the country is still some way behind others on the safari circuit. Nevertheless it was a fascinating country, with very friendly people, some beautiful scenery, offering unique safari opportunities. And the almost faultless organisation of Matoke Tours helped to make this an unforgettable experience.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It was wonderful and we enjoyed every bit of it.i.e from animals,food and accommodation.
Everything was well explained,we had a very well trained guide who was friendly and knowledgeable.Everything was done to our expectations.Alfred is a professional tour operator.
CA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Absolutely incredible, especially as a first time visitor to Africa!
2.5 weeks prior to my visit to Africa, I wasn't sure where I wanted to go, or what I wanted to do. Over a Google search, I came across Africa as a destination, specifically Tanzania. Within an hour, I did a little research on some camps and reached out to Go2Africa in the process. Their response was fast and within 4 days, communicating only via e-mail, I had everything booked in exceptional camps (Nomad Serengeti Safari and Lamai), including all transfer flights, within the budget I was targeting. The process was completely seamless and given a number of unknowns for a first-time visitor to Africa, Lauren from Go2Africa made everything so simple.
A little about the camps I stayed at... My first camp was Nomad's Serengeti Safari which I was staying at for the Migration season. I actually had never camped before either and Nomad's camp was so easy to adjust to. The accommodations were nice, staff was friendly, the other guests were fantastic, and the food was incredible! Most of all, Ian showed me a great time on my game drives, ensuring I was able to make the most of my time there to see all the animals! My second camp was in the north at Lamai Serengeti. As soon as I arrived, I was shocked at just how beautiful the place really was. The pictures online simply don't do it justice. Overlooking the plains, Lamai has probably the best location for miles around with some of the most luxuriously rooms. The management team and staff were really friendly, and it was always a treat to catch up with them after a long day. My guide was Laz who was incredibly knowledgeable and patient. When I landed, I told Laz I really wanted to see a Rhino to complete my big 5 and he was determined to show me one, which he delivered! Overall, a fantastic experience which I highly recommend to anyone!
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A lifetime experience
We had one of the best times of our life in Uganda.
We met mountain gorillas and chimpanzee face to face and saw all the other animals on land and in water.
The perfect experience is not only due to the magnificient nature and wildlife. The Matoke team planned and organised just a perfect tour for us and our driver and guide Antoli from Matoke Tours is an outstanding man. He is very competent, friendly and customer oriented. A big thank you to Anatoli and the Matoke team.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Incredible service rendered
From the booking to the tour, Alpha tours was excellent
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Great company
We organized our visit to a Masai village near Nairobi with It Started in Africa. Emails were quick and informative. Transfers upon arrival went smooth, guide Moses was very nice and enthusiastic. The vehicle as in excellent condition and the masai village was only for us, non-touristic out of the beaten track experience. Definitely a special experience and the tour operator made it all possible for us with minimal effort on our side.
ES
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An unforgettable experience
Hi all!
We are a couple from Barcelona and we travelled to the southern parks of Tanzania last month. We chose Asante Afrika Tours after searching plenty of forums and travel blogs where we found excellent reviews and recommendations of this agency. And I must say we were not disappointed.
From the first moment, Pepa assisted us answering our numerous questions and helping us to choose the best itinerary. In the end we went for the 4-days safari in Selous and Mikumi, adding one extra day to see Udzungwa Mountains.
It was our first time in Tanzania and when we landed in Dar Es Salaam we were pleased to see Pepa and Abi, our driver, were there waiting for us. They arranged a hotel not far from the airport and the next morning we started our big adventure.
I won't tell you about everything in detail, but I can say the treatment we received was excellent, from the fruits and the food we were not familiar with and that Abi was so kind to buy for us, to the patient search of animals usually difficult to spot. We are happy to say we were able to see elephants, giraffes, impalas, hippos, hyenas, lions, leopards, warthogs, wildebeest and many more.
Pepa is a Spanish lady with a huge smile on her face, who always knows what to say to make you feel at ease. Abi has more than 30 years of experience as ranger and safari expert, he knows everything about the animals and their habits, and most importantly about how and where to look for them. He is also well aware of the safety factor (remember that most of the time you'll be surrounded by wild animals in their natural habitat, so you want to make sure you're guided by the right people) and he knows plenty of people, which made it much easier for us to move around and find accomodation even after the end of the safari.
To sum up, Abi and Pepa make a great team and thanks to them we learned really a lot about Tanzania, its people and wildlife. We feel very lucky to have had the chance to share the safari experience with them and should we go for another one we'd definitely choose Asante Afrika Tours again!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing Safari!
A massive thanks to George at wild wings for arranging the safari and both hotel before and after. It ended up just my wife and i on the 9 seater 4x4 for a week with Simon our guide. I cannot fault Simon on one thing. His food amazing, he is incredible knowledgeable and passionate and was good fun. A week we will never forget!