NL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Great experiences
When I made an inquery, I Always got a reply fast. Everything was arranged very well, drivers were in time every time, the excursions were great. By arriving we decided to do an extra activity what was arranged immediatly and also fitted in our program. There were 2 things I would give to the organisation. The first is that we, by arriving at the Livingstone room, were confronted that there was a dress code of which we didn't knew. That caused a awkward moment. I would suggest to mention this carefully to people who book this. We never take more than casual clothes with us on vacation. Second thing was that during the best game drive we had (the one one the Chobe River, what a great guide) was that the lunch was in an beautiful restaurant with great view, only the lunch itself was the worst we had during our whole stay. Just 2 small things, but just the difference between good and excellent.
BO
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Massai Mara tour
John was very helpful and more than open to any questions regarding the tour. He also helped us purchase stuff since our bags did not arrive at the airport, The downside of our tour was that our car was completely full, while others seemed to be in a more comfortable position for watching the animals and take photos. This also proves that many people choose for ACZ too! Also, we went for the option of staying at a Masai village for a night, but it had an additional cost of $60 for two persons; this seems a bit steep for what you are getting in return. Sure it is interesting learning from these people and experiencing this way of life briefly.
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The safaris were excellent, especially the guides at the Tremisana Lodge (Tania was the best)..
The Safaris and the guides were excellent. A comment has to be made about the accomodation standards. The chalets in the Tremisane lodge are in urgent need for renovation. We stayed in chalet no. 1. We were not looking for luxury but it was very basic and very small for two persons...the aircondition worked for only one night and that was it so we had to use the ceiling fun. Very hot at nights so sleeping in the chalet was uncomfortable. The bathroom tabs did not run well and all in all the bathroom itself was not of good standard..Dinner was traditional and good, breakfast was average.. The swimming pool is not usable, full of insects and the water was dirty.. One last point.. could not understand why we had to pay an additional 25 rand fee to enter the Balula gate.. already paid over 16,300 rand..These comments are for you to improve your standards...
CH
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Overall Good Budget Safari Expierence
We booked our very short budget safari with Shika and they offer a great price / value proposition. We hit a few organizational snags while we there, which were all solved adequately and can only be partly attributed to Shika. We had a whole Land Cruiser to ourselves (awesome) and Sam was a good/safe driver and did a great job with the limited time we had.
Overall we had a good time and were satisfied with booking and the experience.
Tip for other travelers: plan in three full days, we attempted to do it in two (half manyara, full ngorongoro crater, half tarangire) and it was not enough time to fully enjoy the breathtaking scenery.
NL
Romantic trip
Our safari with Epic Tours was for us a Lifetime experience. It was our honeymoon and Epic Tours made it really "EPIC". We travelled through Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Tarangire. We really enjoyed observing a lot of animals (the lions were great!) and especially Ngorongoro Crater was one of our highlights. We had our lunch in the parks and everything was perfectly arranged and very delicious. As experienced safari-travellers we were amazed that not only Tanzania is such a beautiful country, but also that the service offered by Epic Tours was from the first contact to the last day of our stay welcoming, friendly and professional. Thanks again for this great time!
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Our Tour guide Nestor was very friendly and knowledgable.
The Safari was great and we had the best tour guide ever. We saw thousands of animals and our guide Nestor always tried to find the best spots to look for new ones.
The lodge where we stayed for the 2 nights (Tan Swiss Lodge) was not nice. Horrible rooms and most horrible food.
Booking our trip was hassle free and consideration was given to our specific needs.
We stayed at The Lodge in Thendele in Royal Natal National Park. Loved the setting, which is stunningly beautiful and the gardens and verges well maintained. Road has quite a few potholes leading up to the Thendele car park. The fact that the Lodge was big, spacious, and was very eco friendly with the grass growing on the roof was really lovely. Sipho, our cook was very good, pleasant and helpful in every way. Only complaint was the carpets badly need cleaning or replacing, very badly stained. The bathrooms need renovating, there is only one shower in one bathroom, the rest have baths, and although clean on the surface the bathrooms are old and not water conservation friendly...
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great safaripark for self drive with beautiful scenery
We went to Ithala game reserve as a part of a round trip along the elephant coast.
We stayed for two night's at one of the wonderfull chalets. They are clean en up to date.
We did a self drive safari, we took al de routes in the park. (also the 4x4 roads, we had a hyundai ix35, but it was dry, maybe in the wet season this wouldn't been possible)
The scenery was absolutely beautiful, within the park there are allot of viewpoints.
we saw zebra, kudu, impala, elephant,eland,waterbuck, giraff, wildebeest, rhino, baboons, busch baby's in the camp.
We would recommend this park especially if you enjoy scenery icombination with wild life.
BE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Day trip to Kilimanjaro
As we were staying in the hotel where the office of Kibosho Tours is located, we chose to pass by and see what they had to offer. Previously we passed by another agency and were approached by flycatchers on the street, but here a lovely and enthousiastic lady at the desk informed us about their offers for day trips and we decided to take the risk of going on a day trip to the Kilimanjaro with them (they didn't have a lot of reviews yet). It was worth it, for us they had a good balance between price and quality. We were driving in a jeep to the entrance of the parc, our guide helped us with the registration, we got enough water, good lunch box and our guide made sure we were okay during the hiking part (which was 4h going up and 2h going down, more or less). We were only out of luck when we got to the small crater where clouds prevented us from seeing the summit. But now we are inspired to come back to get to the top, one day... They were also kind enough to help us with information about local transport.
NL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Our safari with Usambara Expeditions: punctual, dedicated and knowledgeable
For our two week early March 2016 Kenya - Tanzania trip we wanted to see friends, do all travel over land by bus, get some safari feel in Tanzania's Northern Circuit but focus on Ruaha National Park in the South and wrap up with Zanzibar beach days. Bookings were done from abroad, choosing Tanzanian companies based on reviews: we had no prior experience with any of them. Ultimately this means trust and with Usambara for our Ruaha safari that played out very well. So much so that after the safari they also handled our getting from Iringa (town closest to the park) to Dar es Salaam to Zanzibar and eventually back to Dar's international airport: a company that also handles your getting from A to B in a tailor-made way proved a real bonus.
Given that our time of visiting was not the best to spot game - long grass, dense bushes - the Usambara guide being local to this part of Tanzania nevertheless tracked many: unforgettable encounters with lions. lionesses and elephant families in particular. Ruaha National Park is firmly on our list for next time - be it in a different season.When that happens Usambara Expeditions will be our choice of safari company again.