35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Omar was very knowledgeable and attentive to everyone in the vehicle. He was personable and funny!
Our safari experience with Omar as our game drive guide was truly unforgettable. His knowledge of the wildlife was incredible, he could tell us fascinating details about every animal we encountered, from the smallest birds to the largest mammals. He always made sure the pace of the drive matched our interests, giving us the freedom to stay longer at sightings we wanted to enjoy.
Amazingly, we spotted four of the Big Five on our very first day! Whether that was thanks to Omar’s expertise, good fortune, or a perfect combination of both, it made for an extraordinary experience. Omar kept us laughing with his sense of humor and easygoing personality, and he even went out of his way to stop for snacks along the way. The lunch provided was delicious and thoughtfully prepared as well.
We can’t wait to return, and when we do, we will absolutely request both Omar and our wonderful driver, Alex. Thank you, Omar, for making our safari so memorable!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Incredible Honeymoon Trip
Great service from the landing to flying home. We booked a honeymoon trip that included 5 days of safari and 3 days in Zanzibar. Our guide Venance was incredible and showed us the Big 5 animals and all the rest we wanted to see. He was very knowledgeable. The head director Immanuel was very friendly. High attention to detail and great accommodations booked.
ES
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Couldn’t have been better
We did an 8-day safari with Meru, and the experience was incredible from the very beginning.
When we first started planning the trip, the communication with Jérôme was excellent. He sent us several different quotes, adapted everything to our needs, always replied very quickly, and gave us all the information we asked for. He made the whole planning process incredibly easy.
Once we arrived in Tanzania, everything was perfectly organized. All the accommodation and transfers were excellent, and the whole trip ran smoothly from start to finish.
We especially want to mention our guide, Robert, who truly made this trip unforgettable. He has a huge amount of experience and an incredible knowledge of wildlife and animal behavior. Thanks to him, we were able to see the Great Migration, the Big Five, the Ugly Five, and so many animals incredibly close.
Robert always seemed to know exactly where to take us, when to wait, and what was going to happen next. His knowledge of animals meant that we were always in the right place at the right time, and we were able to experience and see absolutely everything we had hoped for.
On top of being an amazing and highly experienced guide, Robert is also a really friendly, kind, and enjoyable person to spend time with. Sharing these eight days with him made the whole experience even better.
We would 100% recommend Meru. It has been an unforgettable trip, and we honestly couldn’t have asked for a better safari experience.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
THE BEST!! I would 100% recommend this company to anyone who will listen. Trip of a life time.
We have traveled to many places. We always wanted to go on a safari. A friend recommended African Big Cats Safaris. We did some research and went with them.BEST DECISION! The trip was a trip of a life time for my family of 4 adults. First communicating with the company was easy. They being Joshua and Naiomi were very quick to get back to us and answer all of our questions. We set up 8 day safari. We went to Lake Manyara, Tarangerie NP, Olduvai Gorge,Ngorongor NP, the Serengeti and the Western Corridor to see the wildebeest migration. The last day we did a day hike on Kilimanjaro. They did everything they promised. A manager Emmanuel came out to our hotel in Arusha and walked us throught the tour just to make sure we were on the same page. They set us up in fabulous accomodations and we did the middle expense trip. I had to double check since the places we stayed were so nice. The food at the lodges they booked us was great. Breakfasts were a variety of foods. Lunch was either boxed or in a basket. We had some great lunches in the basket. Dinners were a buffet with plenty to choose from. They lodges would meet us at the drive way with a warm towel and a glass of juice. Perfect after a day of viewing. Our GUIDE WAS AMAZING! Our guide Klaus was fabulous. We were like family by the end of trip. He was so informative. He answered all our questions about nature, the Maasai and Tanzania in general. He had a great laugh and sense of humor. So many other guides knew him we called him the "mayor". He spotted things for us that we had no idea were even there. He saw this femal lion in the bushes waiting on a wildebeest that we had no idea was even there and we zoomed in up close in the Land Cruiser. He was not intrusive. He shared at times without being asked. Klaus quickly picked up our family vide and went at the pace we wanted and focused on things that we cared about. He was never in a rush and waited patiently for us to view what we wanted for however long. We stayed an hour and watched a gazelle be born and take its first steps. By the end we were all cheering on the little guy including Klaus. Even though we are not big birders he would point out different birtds and give us good information about them. He spotted the crocs for us which we would have missed. He pushed us to see the rhinos right away in Ngorongoro Crater because he knew we might not get another chance to see them. He was 100% correct. He was prompt and respectful and flexible. He took us to some out of the way spots that were great viewing. We felt like we left a family member behind when we left. We did a group hug at the end. The guide they gave us for Kilimanjar, Elias, was amazing. So knowledgeable, polite and easy to talk to. He had great information and some incredible stories about the mountain and some of his climbs. We can't say enough good things about our two guides. This story I feel like sums up the company itself. We had an early flight out of JRO and needed to leave the hotel at 6:30 am. The hotel shuttle was at 7. I talked to African Big Cat Safari and they quickly arranged at no extra cost a ride to the airport at 6:30. It took 2 minutes to arrange. The driver was there at 6:20 am waiting for us. Was just such an easy trip. I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS COMPANY 100% We had a triip of a life time thanks to African Big Cat Safari.
CN
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
very good
The guide was extremely knowledgeable and provided warm, attentive service. He often took me to see some very rare species and did everything he could to meet our every need.
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ An unforgettable safari experience – highly recommended!
We booked our 3-day safari from Zanzibar with Leisure Specialists while still in Germany, and everything was perfectly organized from the very beginning. Communication was always quick, friendly, and professional. The payment process, including the deposit and the final payment on arrival, was straightforward, secure, and trustworthy.
The entire trip was seamless. We were picked up at our hotel in Zanzibar, transferred to the airport, flew with Flightlink to Arusha, and then continued directly to the Serengeti airstrip. Everything was arranged for us, including the return flights and transfers back to our hotel in Zanzibar.
Our guide, Simba, was fantastic! He drove a well-maintained Toyota Land Cruiser with a pop-up roof, was incredibly friendly, knowledgeable, and made every game drive a great experience.
Our itinerary included the Serengeti, the Ngorongoro Crater, and Tarangire National Park. Every day was unique and unforgettable.
The Serengeti completely exceeded our expectations. On the very first day we saw giraffes, elephants, zebras, wildebeest, crocodiles, hippos, leopards, and lions from an amazingly close distance. Seeing these magnificent animals in their natural habitat was simply breathtaking.
The second day in the Ngorongoro Crater was equally spectacular. We spotted, next to what we already saw before, also buffalo, ostriches, hyenas, flamingos, and even one of the rare rhinoceros, completing the African Big Five within just two days!
Tarangire National Park was the perfect finale. The beautiful landscape along the Tarangire River and the huge elephant herds, including adorable baby elephants, made it a very special experience.
The accommodations were excellent. We upgraded our first night to the Signature Serengeti Luxury Tented Lodge, which was absolutely amazing, with wonderful staff and a unique atmosphere. The second night at Mawe Mawe Lodge offered stunning views over the surrounding landscape and was equally enjoyable in a completely different way.
One thing we especially appreciated was the flexibility. We booked one of their standard packages but customized it by choosing a different lodge, and Isaa and his team arranged everything without any hassle.
A special thank you to Issa, the owner, who personally welcomed us in Arusha before the safari and came to say goodbye afterwards. As a lovely farewell gift, he even gave us locally produced Tanzanian coffee and cocoa. This personal touch perfectly reflects the outstanding service we experienced throughout the trip.
Everything was professional, safe, and perfectly organized—from the flights and transfers to the vehicle and accommodations. We honestly couldn't find a single thing to complain about.
If you're looking for a reliable safari operator in Tanzania, we can wholeheartedly recommend Leisure Specialists. We would book with them again without hesitation!
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent Itinerary on Paper, Poor Execution in Reality
We chose Lush Africa Safaris because of its overwhelmingly positive reviews. Unfortunately, our experience was the complete opposite, and I cannot recommend this company.
Our trip was planned by Abbey Rafsanjan, Director and Safari Consultant. Before we made our final payment, Abbey was responsive, professional, and provided what appeared to be a well-organized itinerary with detailed descriptions of every hotel and activity. Once payment was made, however, the level of service changed dramatically.
The most serious issue was that three hotels on our confirmed itinerary were changed without our knowledge or consent. In every case, the replacement hotel was of a lower rating and significantly lower nightly cost than the hotel we had paid for.
On the first night, after more than 24 hours of travel, our driver took us to a different hotel than the one listed on our itinerary. We had no reason to suspect we were being taken somewhere else. We only realized the substitution several days later when we returned to Kigali. We immediately contacted Abbey and asked that we be moved to the hotel we had originally booked. He replied that he was in a meeting and would call us back. He never did. After waiting for over an hour, we paid for rooms at the correct hotel ourselves rather than spend another night at the downgraded property.
A second hotel substitution could not be corrected because we did not discover it until we arrived.
The third substitution we caught in time, and we instructed our guide to take us to the hotel that was actually on our itinerary instead of the replacement.
We requested reimbursement for the unauthorized hotel substitutions, but our requests were ignored. Abbey stopped responding to our emails and messages altogether.
There were also problems with the activities we had paid for. Our itinerary included a morning safari, but our guide told us Abbey had never informed him about it. Had I not insisted that the safari was included in our itinerary, we would have missed an excursion that had already been paid for.
As a result, we spent the entire trip having to verify each day's schedule with our guide to make sure we would actually receive the hotels and activities we had purchased. That is not how anyone should have to spend a vacation.
Ironically, before booking, I noticed two reviews mentioning unauthorized hotel substitutions but dismissed them because there were so many positive reviews. That was a mistake. Our experience closely matched those reviews. I've learned that sometimes the negative reviews reveal problems that shouldn't be ignored.
A safari in Rwanda is an expensive, once-in-a-lifetime trip. When you pay for specific accommodations and activities, you should receive exactly what you purchased—or at the very least be notified of any unavoidable changes and compensated appropriately.
Unfortunately, that was not our experience with Lush Africa Safaris. Based on our experience, I cannot recommend this company.
Highly skilled and professional
We had an amazing experience with Sereland Safari! From start to finish, the team was incredibly helpful and planned every detail thoughtfully, making our trip smooth and stress free. Their professionalism, organization, and attention to detail really stood out, and everyone was so polite and accommodating throughout the journey.
A special shoutout to Ezekiel and January for going above and beyond to make our safari unforgettable and sharing all their knowledge during the Safari trips. Their kindness, responsiveness, and dedication ensured everything ran perfectly. We truly appreciated all their hard work and would highly recommend Sereland Safari to anyone looking for a well organised and memorable safari experience!
CH
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Magical Amboseli
Joshua went above and beyond to show us animals and nature in Amboseli national park. He is super knowledgeable and loves sharing background information for all animals encounterd. Joshua is an excellent driver, patient and considerate of his guests and a fantastic animal spotted. He has spotted herds of elephants moving to the water early so we had 1:1 encounters from up close bringing us in the best viewing position . Highly recommended.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Professional, knowledgeable and friendly tour operator.
Julius organised the Nairobi National Park half day tour and elephant orphanage at short notice for our family and customised the timings to suit us. All costs were included and all entry tickets arranged for us. The safari long wheelbase 4x4 vehicle with large windows and pop up roof was excellent for viewing. Julius was friendly and very knowledgeable about the park and the wildlife. A great day out was enjoyed by all. I highly recommend Julius and Heritawi tours.