20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Fantastic service provision that gives value for money.
I had an opportunity to go on a safari adventure with Mirama Hills Safaris, a reputed member of the Young Uganda Tour Operators - (YUTO) Association. My experience with the company was a mix of positives and areas for improvement.
Mirama Hills Safaris offers a promising safari experience with knowledgeable guides and diverse itineraries. While there are areas that could be improved, such as communication, the company's commitment to providing enriching wildlife and cultural experiences is evident. As a YUTO member, they seem to be aligned with the values of promoting youth engagement in sustainable tourism.
GR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Things to be aware of | honest yet a little bit long review
We chose Lenchanda Safaris (or Jockey Tours) because its prices were lower than the other safari companies were offering, and we also read plenty of good reviews on the internet. Considering our possibilities, we chose the Budget 6-day trip for Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru and Amboseli, and a few days before our departure to Kenya we sent an email to confirm that everything was fine, to which we received positive feedback. Our first guide was Francis, and he took us to Masai Mara and then Lake Nakuru. The fourth day, moving from Nakuru to Amboseli (long distance to drive), passing through Nairobi, we learnt that we needed to change guide (Alex) though keeping the same jeep. If it is true that until that moment we had a great time, from that moment on we started having a few issues. While driving to Amboseli through the night we realized that the car didn't have proper lights to drive (Amboseli is 4-5 hours away from Nairobi), something that we didn't know, so the trip after a while got quite scary and dangerous, as a matter of fact we have been also stopped by the police. It goes without saying that driving very slow because of reduced visibility increased the amount of time to arrive, and in the way we found out that the Lodge we were supposed to stay was not available and we were moved to a different camp (this was never mentioned to us at any moment in the past 2 weeks, even when we asked if everything was ok before our departure
Beside the fact that Alex was driving very slow so to be able to see, we were surprised by the fact that multiple times he didn’t know where to go, and not had clear idea of the direction to take. After plenty of hours in the car (it was around 9 pm), we reached our new accommodation, where we learnt that they were fully booked. Alex, even though he was not giving us proper explanations, was trying to talk with the office to find a solution. At the end, at around 11 pm, we moved to another hotel for the night (thankfully it was a 5-star hotel). However, for the last day, we moved again to another one, which was a very bad option, and a quote dirty option we have to say. Unfortunately, this experience had a very strong and bad effect on the overall safari experience.
As for the guides, the first one, Francis, is a very energetic and knowledgeable person about safaris, with many years of experience, so he played a crucial role in the trip for the first 4 days. Alex, on our opinion, is not a safari guide, even though he was giving us interesting infos during the game drives. Multiple times he seemed to not have experienced Amboseli before, and for sure he did not help us to spot animals in Amboseli.
As a whole, the safari trip was affected significantly by all those events. Of course, we enjoyed it because the places are very beautiful and being able to see these animals from such a short distance is amazing, but driving safely and proper organization/communication are key aspects that were definitely missing!
SE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Budget operator that runs smoothly.
Good communication with the sales team when booking the trip. After some clarification it was clear what to expect and they delivered what was promised. All in all I am happy with my experience.
Some improvement could be done during the trip to clearly communicate who is the guide, what is the schedule, and information in general was a bit lacking.
I had a great time and experience at Masai Mara and I am very happy with the trip overall.
BE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Africa safari 2023 good experinece
In general we are happy with the tour, the guide and assistance. Information with booking and afterward was correct (except one). Guid edid his best (Mr Clement) and get to see what we want.
If a few points would not have been - resulted in 5 stars but.
Qualitty of the mini van. Spring of min one wheel poor and this resulting in non confortable driving
Screw set out at the door resulting in several arm injuries and due to movements etc not to avoid sharp scratches...
Booking in Masa Mara change to other lodge and this was not mediore or luxury but budget. I can understand an overbooking can happen but minimum to discuss this with the client (us)... I can easily survive budget but do nt likle is as paid and book more luxury...
But is general we are happy .
IN
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A trip to remember ! Perfect !
Our Serengeti safari trip was unforgettable! Thanks to Meijo safari specially to daudi who has been extremely active in communicating with us before reaching Tanzania , those prompt responses made us feel very confident and comfortable ! Everything was planned well , pick ups were spot on time every day , luxury at its best in terms of lodges @ Serengeti Serena & intimate luxury camps !
Special mention for Herman who has not been the best guide for us but an amazing friend that whole time ! He made sure that we see great migration of wildebeest, big cats - a lot of those !
Thanks meijo safari for this experience!
ES
BE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Clear communication
Our guide Pako came to khwai and guided us there for 2 days. We saw some leopards real close. Pako took his time to answer all our questions
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Quite a good tour
We visited lake Mburo National Park with JM Jungle Safaris. This one day tour was one of it's kind. We had a stop at the equator and this was spectacular standing on two hemispheres. The guide had to much information to the extent that I could not believe this is Uganda. We went for a game drive at the National park and it was interesting seeing lots of animals. I recommend that more people should take this trip to have such an experience
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The tour was fantastic.
The services were good and favourable in terms of cost , I experienced good communications from the services providers and the services were reliably provided. Generally, the tour was such a good experience for me.
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Times in Africa
Our safari started in Victoria Falls when Musa picked us up and introduced himself as our tour guide and driver. Musa was amazing and I can't speak highly enough of his knowledge, care of us and his sense of humour. Having our own personal guide and being able to negotiate our activities was wonderful, albeit we took part in all the activities he had planned anyway. However, when we needed to purchase something he always took us safely to the best place. Our trips in the car between lodges and hotels was so informative as he had a wealth of knowledge about Zimbabwe, the people and also was knowledgeable about other African countries.
The animal safaris in Chobe and Hwange were everything we had imagined and more. Our accommodation was comfortable and varied, ranging from lodges to a safari tent. The food offered at all places was simple, but delicious.
The activities planned outside of safari rides were enjoyable and informative - Dinner cruise on the Zambesi River, afternoon cruise on the Chobe River, visiting the Painted Dogs Information Centre, Elephant Shopping Area, Victoria Falls and visiting a subsistence farm.
Africa Uncovered are to be congratulated for providing such a great experience.