CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very diverse, the locals were very friendly and helpful, it was a lot to take in but in a good way.
This was our first safari experience. We selected a budget safari and the company ensured that our eight days were filled with game drives and excursions. We saw the big five and so many other animals, we took well over 1500 pictures. The itinerary had to be flexible as we were on an eight-day safari and other members of our group were on a six. I would suggest that changes to the itinerary get communicated a bit better, we found out at a lunch break that we were being moved to another guide to complete our tour which was a bit of a surprise. Our two guides, Jackson and Eric were amazing. One thing we weren't prepared for was the amount of driving between the parks as we covered Masai Mara, Amboseli and Nakuru. It did give us a look at very different eco systems, Masai Mara was both green and a bit drought affected, Nakuru was very lush and Amboseli was very dry. The meals provided were very repetitive at all the accommodations. The eco camps were excellent accommodations, the hotels were not as comfortable and clean as the eco camps.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Efficient and good value
We did the two day tour of Tsavo East. We saw elephants, lions, giraffes and lots more. Accommodation (Voi) was great for seeing animals and Jeep was very comfortable. Would recommend.
NL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Good organised tour operator with nice people
It was good 4 day organised tour. They picked me up in Johannesburg, brought me to Tremisana lodge. Nice tours in the wildernes. The braai in the evening in the dark in the middle of it was a great experience. Except for the bugs. But you are in the wildernes so you can't denie them. We had a great tour in greater kruger. We did see a lot of animals.
Marc's camp was also nice. Friendly people and the food was good. We had to walk a path to go to the tents or treahouses. There you could walk into a lot of animals. (we only walked into monkey's, nyala's and a buffelo). But if you leave them and let them do there thing it is oke. In the dark it's a little scary, (you don't know what you will see) but the guards were very nearby.
I didn't go to the toilets in the night. The toilets were outside and i had to cross over to go to them. The paths were all lighted bij lamps but during a loadshedding it is pitchdark. The bushwalks in the morning were very nice and i learned a lot about the bush. Thanks to Shane
They kindly brought me home to the place where i stayed in Johannesburg.
Overal it was a amazing holiday to remember.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience
We did a three days safari (lake Manyara, Ngorongoro and Tarangire) for 390€ per person. The communication with Nelson was ok (per Email or WhatsApp), we had to pay 20% in advance in oder to make the booking, without receiving anything official afterward, so we were a little afraid and sceptical.
But everything went great, we got picked up at Arusha airport and brought to Nelson's hotel (two nights, before and after the safari, were included in the price).
Our safari guide was great, the jeep was also ok, everyone (max 7 people) had a window seat. The food was also very good, we slept two nights at Panorama camp near Lake Manyara.
The organization is a little chaotic, but that's Africa.
The experience itself was amazing, we got to see all kind of animals and our guide really took time to show us everything and always asked if he could proceed or wait for photos.
For the price and the experience I would highly recommend Focus in Africa!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very accommodating, Friendly and social person.
Pocket friendly, Full fun activities both indoor and out door.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Botswana by Ned
I think perhaps, since I went in October a lot of the land was quite dry and therefore animals were very spread out and very challenging to find. Also, I've lucky to do many safaris in my life, so my expectations were high. I believe that April may be a better time for seeing more greenery and possibly more animals as it is cooler and more water around.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Ngorongoro Crater by Charlie
Really cool to be in the crater and explore the entire area. Seems like a wildlife utopia. Only downside is not much vegetation.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Tarangire National Park by Charlie
Only had a limited time in Tarangire, but still had an abundance of animals.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Reliable with some small buts!
We (couple of two) did a 6-day budget tour through Kenya including Massai Mara, Nakuro and Amboseli and as everybody says here, the places are simply amazing and soooo worth a visit. But I'd rather focus on the agency and overall organizeational aspects here.
PROs:
+ agent Robert helped us book train tickets between Nairobi and Mombasa
+ overall the tour was without any problems and everything worked as planned
+ our guide (Simon) was amazing and super helpful with absolutely everything. He really made sure we get the best experience during our 6 days. Even when there was a minor issue with the car, he went on and fixed it himself. Felt safe all the way in the crazy Kenyan traffic.
CONs:
- We were told we could pay in EUR OR KES, which was true, but on location it turned out there would be two conversions of EUR over KES to USD, which would have increased the price by nearly 10 %. Even the payment in local KES then included a small upmark. This was in no way communicated transparently from the start and for sure left a bad first impression.
- The tour was advertized as max. 6 people in a car. For the first two days of the tour, we were 8 pax in our car though, which meant one person had to sit in the front and couldn't enjoy the open roof view.
- For our last stay in Amboseli, our accommodation was changed without us being able to find out if it was an up- or downgrade, but pictures showed that our replacement room at the new camp was rather worse off (the camp itself was great however). After our guide asked us what we think about the new place and we expressed our concerns, we were offered a better room for the second night without us explicitly requesting it, which was far better and more spacious and left us satisfied (thanks again Simon!).
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Exceeded expectations
Well organised, great value for money. Small boutique hotels in lovely locations. A very full itinerary for the Capetown tour. We could easily have stayed extra nights in the V and A waterfront area as there was so much to see and do, as well as extra days in Johannesburg to explore the city and surrounds. The safaris were excellent. Overall the food was good although Humala River lodge food could be improved. Some administrative issues which caused a degree of anxiety but these were dealt with promptly. Service was always friendly and efficient. Overall we were very satisfied and would recommend Go touchdown our friends.
