IN
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Magical and as always fascinating.
This was my fifth trip ( yes fifth) to Masai mara, and as always it never dissapoints you. Its full of animals ( the big four) as Rhino is only available in Lake Nakuru National Park. Pricing is quiet reasonable, the food, the ambiance, the sound of laughing hyenas and lions at night coming to your tents at night make it so adventurous. So its a highly recommended trip for nature lovers. As always I booked through safari bookings, the best online company which gives a huge choice to pick your tour operator.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Naivasha & Maasai Mara
I spent 1 night at Kongoni Lodge in Naivasha while visiting Hell’s Gate National park as well as experiencing a (separately paid) boat ride on Lake Naivasha. Both the lodging and the food at Kongoni Lodge were excellent!
I then spent 2 nights at Enkorok Camp in Maasai Mara. When checking in at Enkorok, my lodging was not as expected. I was paying a discounted rate, and because of this, Enkorok camp put me up in the manager’s room as opposed to a tented guest room. Enkorok claimed that another guest extended their stay last minute, and so they no longer had a tent for me and therefore had to give me the manager’s room. I contacted Bencia about this and both my driver (George) as well as Alfred (back in Nairobi) were immediate to act in solving this issue. I ended up getting a refund of 2/3 the price for that first night, due to the fact that I still ate the meals/stayed in the room, and Enkorok then set me up in the correct room for my second night. Bencia had also offered to find me another camp to stay that night, but that would’ve been more of a hassle, especially with timing. The food at Enkorok also was not great. Neither of these things are due to Bencia, and are instead attributed to the Enkorok camp itself. Bencia works with many other lodges and camps, but I was not impressed with Enkorok itself.
My driver, George, is amazing!! Alfred was just as helpful and accommodating while working from Nairobi. I had great experiences with both of them and during safari itself!
IL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Kendy- expert as a guide and wonderfully person
We loved the wild life, kendy's knowledge made the trip perfect. And his motivation to meet every need overwhelmed us. Tanzania showed us Great nature. And so did Kendy. Thank u for many laughs and your friendship.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Compass Odyssey is an excellent Company to work with and plan a safari - highly recommended.
After reading all the 5 star reviews about Compass Odyssey, I decided to write them an email saying that they are the company I would like to deal with regarding an African Safari for my wife and I. Choosing this company was the best thing I could have done!! We have just returned from the trip of a lifetime to Africa thanks to the expert travel planning skills of Darren and Kate. We spent 12 days in South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana.
My first email to Compass Odyssey was back in June 2021 during the height of Covid and travel was almost impossible. I indicated that we would like to visit Kruger/Zambezi River/Victoria Falls/Chobe NP/Okavango Delta in September/October 2022 for between 10-14 days, hopefully Covid restrictions would be over by then. From this limited information Darren and Kate put together a wonderful trip for us which we will always remember.
Our safari started and ended in Johannesburg, with 3 days in Kruger National Park, 3 days in Victoria Falls, 3 days in Chobe National Park and 3 days in the Okavango Delta, before flying back to Johannesburg. The whole trip went like clockwork and every place we stayed was perfect for us. (We also spent 2 days on either side of our safari in Johannesburg to ensure some relaxation time on either end of our safari, and ensure that missed or late flights from the US were not a problem).
Our email communications with Darren and Kate during the 15 months leading up to our trip was absolutely first class – all my emails were answered promptly, usually within 24 hours, and I never felt any pressure at all to commit to anything during those long 15 months. The attention to detail in our pre-trip agenda was fantastic, from what travel documents were required, current Covid requirements and restrictions in the different countries, flight details, pickup times, meeting places, transfer names and times, Victoria Falls activities, etc, etc.
As for the safari itself...there were so many highlights. We saw the Big Five while we were at Kruger but the three that top my list were:
1. Being about 30 feet from watching 8 lions feasting on a recent cape buffalo kill...apparently there were 18 lions gorging themselves at this kill and some were just hiding and relaxing in the grass after having their fill This was at Chobe NP.
2. Again, being up close and personal watching 3 lionesses nursing 10 baby lions about 2 months old. Once they'd had their fill they just rolled over on their backs and chilled, taking no notice of their viewing audience. This was at Okavango Delta.
3. Following a leopard walking through some grass and climbing a dead tree where it continued to pose for us as we closed in and took pictures of this magnificent animal. This was also at Okavango Delta.
Add to these seeing wild dogs, hyenas and jackals at Kruger, rhinos with babies on the Rhino Walk, the magnificence of Victoria Falls, being up close and personal with crocodiles, elephants and hippos, unbelievable sunsets like you see in National Geographic, and so many other highlights. I have almost 2,500 photos from this trip.
All of the people we met on our trip were great, extremely friendly, and could not do enough for us.
I cannot emphasize how much we enjoyed this trip that Darren and Kate planned for us – it was wonderful and I highly recommend Compass Odyssey for anyone thinking about booking a safari.
CH
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Highly experienced in providing a top notch safari experience.
Not a glitch in the organisation of our 22 days safari through Botswana and Zimbabwe. Professionally managed from the first interaction with Taylormade Africa through to the flight back. We stayed in beautiful camps carefully chosen by them and experienced animal interactions beyond our dreams. Both Botswana and Zimbabwe have chosen to avoid mass tourism. As a result, the price point is high but it gives you an intimate, exclusive experience. My wife and I hope to remember the African sunsets, drink in hand, looking at lions and rhinos at the water hole when we are really old and sit on our veranda at home. Memories for a life time.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Honeymoon trip of a lifetime
Where can we begin to thank Lion King for our amazing honeymoon safari.
I will break down the review in sections for thorough feedback;
Contact- We liaised with Pendo to organise this trip. She was excellent and went above and beyond to cater to our dates/requirements/changes and was happy to answer any questions we had. She also assisted us in organising a special romantic dinner.
Pick up- efficient and comfortable pickup with our lovely guide Bright.
Coffee tour and waterfall hike- accompanied by Bright and local man Adam. This was so much fun-Adam had excellent knowledge and kept us engaged and then took us to a local Chagga house for lunch where we finished with a memorable coffee tour. Highly recommend to do this, especially if you are a coffee lover.
Guide-Our guide Oswald tried his best to make sure we saw everything. He was very friendly and welcoming. We saw more than what we had anticipated. We can’t thank him enough for our experience. He taught us about all of the animals and stayed driving for as long as we required/was possible.
Food-all our accommodation which was organised catered to our dietary requirements (halal meat and no alcohol). Breakfast and dinner was normally in the hotel and for lunch we received a cooked lunch (we realised not many of the other tour companies provide this) with a different variety everyday. We had varied main dishes with different accompaniments such as cake, fruit, chocolate etc.
Accommodation- we absolutely loved all of the different accommodation which Lion King organised. It was a variety of different styles and experiences. They looked after us well, particularly when I fell sick.
Vehicle- the car was very comfortable for both of us with recliner seats, plug sockets and a cool box on board with plenty of cold drinks.
Overall, we cannot fault anything in our safari trip. Everything was organised smoothly and we could not recommend this company enough. Please go ahead and book with Lion King and once again, thank you Oswald for being a part of our honeymoon and trip of a lifetime.
DK
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Thank you!
Suricata safaris made everything very smooth for us! We did not have to think about anything except enjoying the trip! We have had the most amazing Safari with Rocky (driver/guide) and the planning with Mr. Hilary was easy as he always replied very fast. We felt safe both in the planning and during the trip. Suricata took care of everything: transport to and from airport/hotel, great meals, water, access to the parks etc, and we just leaned back for three fantastic days.
We can definitely recommend Suricata Safari to anyone who is going on safari whether it is on camp site or lodge. And we can definitely recommend Rocky as driver - this was unforgettable.
DK
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
I had an extremely good safari with Suricata Safaris. Would recommend it to everybody!
I went for a 3 day, 2 night trip to Serengeti and Ngorogoro with the camping option with my girlfriend and we had a wonderful trip.
Suricata Safaris were very good at helping us with all the logistics from the airport, to the hotel to the safari. The communication was clear all the way through and we felt very comfortable in the five days in total in between our flights. The drivers were very punctual which is something I really appreciate. My girlfriend and I literally only had to focus on enjoying the animals while the rest (including freshmade food, transportation, tents, etc.) was handled for us.
A special recommendation would go to our guide, Rogathe Joshue (Roki), who showed us all the good spots and thought me a lot about the animals and plants we were looking at. I really enjoy when people take pride in their jobs and the passion Roki has for giving us a good trip is something that can be felt.
I would recommend Suricata Safaris to everybody considering going to a safari in Tanzania!
EE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Reliable and good value of money.
Njoo Africa Safaris made us the best offer and took in count our wishes in safari. We went to safari with two families (6 kids). Communications were smooth and fast via WhatsApp. They also gave us lot of information and recommendations. They chose us venue, that was more suitable with kids. Everything happened on time. We didn´t know about visiting Maasai village, it was in the program, but we found it out after arriving (of course it was positive suprise, but since it was part of the tour, we could have known it before). Our driver in the park was experienced.
We were very pleased with the safari.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent service provided by the Luxury Safari Company
We have recently returned from an 8 night stay at Sausage Tree Camp in the Lower Zambezi National Park which Rose organised for us. We made it clear to Rose that we wanted to stay in one place for the whole time and were extremely happy with her recommendation of Sausage Tree. The location, service, food and activities (game drives as well as canoe and boat safaris) were perfect. The booking process with The Luxury Safari Company and the support through whatsapp or on the phone to my questions were all straightforward and prompt. We would love to return to Sausage Tree and would use Rose and the Luxury Safari Company again!