US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
William made a great trip, perfect!
My traveling party of four was met by William at VFA Airport. We had two separate arriving flights, and the second was late. William got us (the first arrived) cold waters, and made us comfortable as we waited. Once everyone was there, he got us a driver to drop us at the meeting point for our Hwange Safari through the folks at Robins Camp. We made our way to Robins Camp, where we spent two wonderful nights, that included all our meals, as well as four game drives. We saw wild painted dogs (extremely rare), lions, giraffe, warthogs, impala, kudu, zebra, and more. Ironically we didn’t see any elephants in Hwange.
We were picked up again by William at the drop spot from Robins Camp; and made our way into Victoria Falls to Pioneers Lodge where we were staying for the final two nights. We hit the ground running with a lunch on the Zambezi River, followed by a walking tour of Victoria Falls on the Zimbabwe side. After a quick stop back at Pioneers, we made our way to the river again, this time for our Riverboat Sunset Cruise.
Next morning we had breakfast at Pioneers and were picked up again by William to head off for our helicopter tour of Vic Falls. Was really an awesome tour. From there we went to Victoria Falls Lodge for lunch, and William got us there just in time to see the 1pm vulture feeding, which was very interesting. From there we headed to the Zambia side of the bridge where two of our party zip-lined from Zambia back into Zimbabwe. At that point, I had mentioned to William that I was a little bummed I didn’t get to see a single elephant in Hwange. Within ten minutes, he had set up a local game drive in Zambezi National Park, which the Jeep was waiting us when we got back to Pioneers. After a literal five minute change of clothes, we were off on a game drive. This turned out to be one of the best moments of the trip. We mentioned that we didn’t get to see any elephants. Within about 20 minutes we were parked and surrounded by close to 30 elephants. There were points where these massive creatures were less than a meter from our Jeep. We also got to see a lot of zebra, and also found a few water buffalo on the way out of the park. Incredible experience.
From there it was back to Pioneers again for about three minutes this time, to change clothes for our BOMA New Years Eve dinner. A lot of fun local foods and drum show to ring in 2024.
Our last day was just as busy. We got picked up in the morning and made the trip across the border for our date with the Devil’s Pool at the top of Victoria Falls. An absolutely amazing experience. Highly recommend. Sounds insane, but they make it very safe. Not once did any of us feel scared.
That was our last stop on the trip. William then personally delivered us to Livingstone airport for our outbound flight back to JBurg.
Overall, William was an absolute gem. Each and every time we needed anything, William was there. When we came across any small snags, William got them corrected, and in most cases fixed the problem for the better. I can’t imagine a better trip, and William was the glue that held it all together. Would recommend him 1,000% for anyone looking to make this trip. Not only was he and the trip incredible, but it was a really solid value as well.
If you are thinking about booking this trip, DO IT NOW. Don’t hesitate!
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Jartan was the very best combination of professional and approachable with a great sense of humor
Jartan was a pure pleasure to have as a tour leader. He was extremely knowledgeable about the areas that we visited both in terms of local culture and of course the flora and fauna. He did a great job communicating with me and with our group in terms of trip details and all appropriate scheduling information. He kept the group on track and made sure we had everything we needed to get the most out of our experience. The accommodations and the food were fantastic! All of the places we stayed were very comfortable and clean with top notch staff who made our stays extra special. I always felt at home- it was like visiting my mother except on a different continent. The places we visited were magical to say the least. The animals we saw were all very healthy and vibrant and they were oblivious to our presence, so we saw them act very naturally. My favorite was the lionesses and their cubs in one of the acacia trees in the Serengeti, although I was quite amazed by all of the animals. We also had a male lion approach one of our jeeps and actually take a rest under the back end behind the rear tires. He needed shade and that seemed like a good place for a rest. The jeeps were well suited for taking photos and for traveling, and the drivers were engaging and also knowledgeable. Some of the spots we went to were a bit of a trip but it was always well worth it to see something special. We also had a chance to interact with some of the local tribes and learn about their way of life which was very eye-opening. Some live very simply and they seem very happy with their circumstances, a good lesson for everyone. The whole trip went off without a hitch and Jartan was always there to make sure it did. If you are lucky enough to have him lead your tour, make sure you have him wear his leopard shots. Whenever he wore them, we had great luck seeing the big cats! Overall this was the best trip I've taken in my life and it was well worth the money. I hope to do it again some day and would love to travel with Jartan once again.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Serengeti National Park by Eileen
So many other cars and trucks.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Tanzania is awesome, so skip the Zanzibar part.
We loved our trip. The best part was Ngorogoro Crater. We should have spent two nights there instead. Oscar our guide was awesome!!! We were really disappointed in Zanzibar. It was dirty and the shop sellers were way too aggressive.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Made my trip easy and so much fun
I booked my Gorilla Trek with Bugoli Adventures and I’m so glad I did. Michael was very informative and answered all my questions. He planned the entire itinerary and I didn’t have to worry about a thing. Besides the Gorilla Trek, i loved the Lake Bunyonyi tour. Which I would have never known about if it wasn’t for Michael planning it out.
My guide Andrew was very informative and such a great driver (he drove from Kampala to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest) I felt safe through out my entire trip. He explained so many different things along our drive and got me through the Uganda/Rwanda border smoothly. I’ve been traveling for 2 months have to say this was the highlight of my trip. The tour provided everything promised and exceeded my expectations.
I highly recommend this adventure with Bugoli Adventures
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The best life changing experience I could have hoped for!
Africa is magical and I didn't know what to expect by hiring a safari company but Ways of Africa was perfect.
They were super professional, kind and provided impeccable customer service. It is a bit of a daunting process to plan a trip like this but Paul made it so easy. All the drivers, lodges and game parks they chose were perfect. Communication was spot on and everything was taken care of. This trip was a "special" birthday celebration and he even arranged a birthday song, dance and cake "jambo Bwana" that now will be a tradition for our family.
Thanks so much Paul and Janet!
SA
Perfect company
We had a very good experience with yaneta safaris.We had a 11days Gorilla trekking chimps and big five game drive safari, Everything turned out perfectly from the very beginning while planning our trip the communications was always prompt and our guide Erick was very knowledgeable and caring and he was very patient with us which made our stay in Uganda lovely. We recommend this compafor great experience.
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Truly amazing
This was amazing. We went on a 10-day safari with Safari Soles Tours through different parks and it was fantastic. We saw so many animals, from tiny to huge and learned so much about them. Our guide Godlisten was wonderful, extremely knowledgeable, patient, funny, and polite. He was great with our 2 kids (11 and 12) as well and always took the time to answer our questions, and stopped whenever we wanted to see something. The lodges were very nice and comfortable and the food was always delicious. This trip was a trip of a lifetime and we are so happy we chose Safari Soles Tours! Thank you!
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing once in a lifetime experience
We spent five days with Kipe's Adventures in Tarangire, Serengeti, and Ngorongoro. We had a wonderful experience and saw a lot during our trips. We were amazed by the Tanzanian hospitality and enjoyed sleeping in the tents and listening to the sounds around us at night. All of Kipe's team were amazing and we also want to thank Manfred and Samuel again for the great time in Tanzania.
On our last day, Kipe showed us his home village with a warm welcome ceremony from his family, delicious lunch (a local dish), dancing, and tea. Anyone interested in the way of life of the local Masai tribe should not miss out on this experience. Besides organizing safari tours, Kipe also runs an NGO and has already built a school for his community where we were able to meet and connect with young students, sing with them, and have a great time together.
We are very grateful for this unique experience and will always have fond memories of our time in Tanzania.
