GR
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
A COUNTRY OF HUGE CONTRASTS
We were only in Jo'burg, so I can't comment on all of S.Africa. We were staying in Sandton - total luxury everywhere you looked - the cars, the buildings, the malls. We did a trip on the Green bus route around the area where Mandela lived latterly. Wow.. However the houses are all locked in behind high walls, electrical fences, security. We were strongly advised against going out on our own - our hotel had a shuttle bus to the mall and convention centre. There is security everywhere however. We did a day trip to Pilansberg reserve. Very enjoyable with a very knowledgeable guide - plenty of elephants with babies and a rhino with her baby too. We saw a lot of plains game and also the birdlife was lovely. On our final day after the Expo that we were attending, we went to Soweto and the Apartheid museum. Well worth the visit.
GR
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Pilanesberg Game Reserve by Tracey Skagias
I have been around many game parks in my life - I was born and raised in Kenya. I know you have to be lucky to see certain animals. I did find the tarmac road through the park rather unusual, and although I understand the why, I found rhinos without horns a bit sad. The grass was very long so visibility was a bit difficult for things like warthogs, lions etc. It was very pleasant and my colleague had never been to Africa before so she found it wonderful.
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Reliable and friendly
I had a really good trip to the Lion Safari Park. I was picked up at the hotel on time and the vehicle supplied was in good condition. The driver, Tsholo, was really knowledgeable and friendly. The tour was really good in a safe environment. Might just have liked a little more time to see the smaller displays
SE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Welcoming, informative
We had a great day. The pick up and drop off went smoothly. In the park our tour guide was very skillful in his maneuvering of the truck, knew were to stop to spot game, and had a overall broad knowledge of the park wildlife.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The Safari experience was great, some things t need improving
Overall we enjoyed our safari and all the wildlife we were able to see. Our guide was knowledgeable of the best spots to see the animals and nice viewpoints and went out of his way to find all the animals we wanted to see from pretty close. Like others, our main complain is the constant push to purchase souvenirs and other stuff from locals and the way they assault you when you stop on every gas station. I think the company should do a better job to shield visitors. Our guide did take us to a Masai village where, like others, we were pushed to spend quite a lot of money of “donations” to the community where we were left unaccompanied. After that situation, we made it clear we didn’t want to make more souvenir stops which I think should be made clear from the beginning if you’re going on a Safari. The transfers were long and bumpy but we are overall happy with the experience, the animals and the views. Our driver also prepared most of our meals which were overall nice (better than the ones prepared by the lodges) and arranged nice picnic settings.
From SOT specifically I would have liked more communication, such as who our guide was, their number etc before the beginning. We also had to leave late the first day because they representative from the agency was late to debrief us. We also didn’t have information on our flights to Zanzibar and had issues at the airport both ways to find our reservations with the airport personnel. They gave us a WhatsApp number to communicate with that literally never replied to any questions.
FI
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Tarangire National Park by Paula
Tarangire was a äbsolutely amazing, it was the first safari spot we went to. Ngorongoro and Serengeti were so amazing that I wanted to rate Tarangire fairly with 4*.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Tour guide went over and above
David collected us from the airport late at night to deliver us to our hotel. Lovely, chatty and informative about Nairobi.
The following morning Eliud collected us from the hotel (next time will stay there longer!) and we drove to Aberdare National Park. Such an easy man to talk to!
After a night at The Ark, drove to Lake Nakuru where local knowledge and experience showed. Such a variety of animals to see, way beyond expectations! Wonderful experience before driving to Masai Mara.
Eliud’s experience here showed and although the Big Five remained elusive we saw and experienced so much.
I had an allergy difficulty where there and although Ruphina had kept in touch, when I described what had happened I got a 4 word reply. The contents of the Safari lunch all had allergens of mine in them, I had an apology from the hotel, but didn’t eat lunch as didn’t want to end up using my epi-pens in such a remote area. I did expect more concerning a potential life threatening event - less safe than being parked next to hyenas and lions!
Glad we took a Safari vehicle, well worth it in Masai Mara as many routes we took would’ve been unavailable.
Now need to start saving pennies to return!
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Birding and primates destination
Uganda is a safe destination. Is has a true African vibe. Friendly and welcoming to tourists.
If you are into birding and if you want to see a big variety of primates, Uganda is a good option. Gorilla trekking is expensive and too commercialized.
General game viewing is Ok, but there are many counties like Sout-Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Zambia where game is more abundant and much cheaper to experience.
SG
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Well plannes tour and great guide, allowed us to see 4 of the 5 big fives in a short time
- Value for money
- Puntual pick up from hotel
- Great driver and guides
- On the flip side, I wish the tour could have been longer only die to a rather large crowd from multiple hotels hence there was a lot of pick up and drop offs required. I was the first to be picked up at 6am and last to be dropped of at my Hotel the Sandton Sun at 8.30pm. There was around 3-4 hours of 'real safari' time.
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A very friendly team with a lot of knowledge about the country and its animals.
We had a lovely time in Kenya during our 6-days safari trip through Amboseli National Park, Laka Naivasha and Masai Mara. Most of the accomodations were very good and luxury. We spotted a lot of animals (the big 5!) and learned a lot about the Kenyan culture. For anyone who is looking for a complete and affordable safari, we really recommend Marurumi Safaris.