US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Thorough, nearly perfect, and still wanted to hear our input on how to improve!
I went on a 4 night, 5 day safari tour organized by Reteti and I was impressed and pleased with their thoroughness. Communication was always very good, with the one minor thing in that area being that we waited on hearing a confirmation for our final payment.
Catherine, our point of contact at Reteti, was professional and very warm. She met us at our initial hotel to pick us up, and in an initial car ride with our driver, she confirmed our details for when we would return from the multi-day safari and be back in Nairobi. Among the things that I recall in that initial meeting include Catherine informing us that she had changed one of the hotels from where we were first placed because she had learned of a better hotel for us to stay at. She made the initiative to update our reservation without charging us anything extra.
It is inevitable that a safari company like Reteti needs to arrange reservations for its clients with third parties. One of these was our first accommodation, the PrideInn in Masai Mara. This was by far the most thorough of our accommodations in terms of attention to detail and being carefully attentive of our schedule from start to finish. We also added an optional hot air balloon ride, and the only bump with this third party is that our pilot should have warned us more fervently about how hard our balloon landing would be. Of course, what happens through a third party is not due to Reteti, but the overall amazing experiences we had with the balloon ride, and especially with our first hotel provider at PrideInn, and also learning of the upgrade to a hotel with better reviews all paint a picture of how much cares about the customer experience, even those experiences provided by a third party.
Our driver Charles was wonderful. Gentle, knowledgeable, and friendly. We loved having him as our driver, and glad that Catherine found us the most amazing safari driver. Charles had to attend to a sudden death in the family, so we ended up getting a replacement driver named John, who was also fantastic. John was also kind and was really funny as well. Both of our driving guides were skilled at getting us great views of animals and could answer every question on our minds about the animals we saw. Having such great drivers also points to the kind of care for quality that Reteti Safaris cares about.
Finally, at the end of our days, we added a lunch in the city. Catherine met us for lunch and wanted to hear about our experience. She wanted to know what the high points were and what the low points were. Catherine was in particular receptive to learning from us our frank evaluations of each of the providers, all in the desire to use the information she gathered from us to continually improve the experience for the next safari guests.
Overall, my experience with Reteti Adventure Safaris was nearly perfect! If I ever get the chance to go back to Kenya, I’ll definitely book my safari with Reteti.
IT
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Queen Elizabeth National Park by Domitilla Marchi
The scenery was beautiful and we spotted so many elephants on the channel. We saw lions very close
IT
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Murchison Falls National Park by Domitilla Marchi
Fantastic, the falls, the animals, the boat trip, everything
IT
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Kalinzu Forest Reserve by Domitilla Marchi
We liked the trek, it was a little hard to find the chimpanzee and they were up on the trees, but overall it was a good experience
IT
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Bwindi Impenetrable National Park by Domitilla Marchi
Amazing seeing the gorillas in the forest, a unique experience
IT
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Marvelous trip
We spent 8 days in Uganda doing a safari with Dav Safaris, it was fantastic! Saw so many animals gorillas, elephants, lions, hippos and crocodiles. The lodges were very nice and the organization perfect. The land is beautiful and the people very warm and welcoming!
ES
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Beautiful and friendly, but lacking a bit of wildlife.
Uganda is a very friendly country and definitely worth the visit.
Pros:
Amazing primate wildlife: gorillas, chimpanzees and many other smaller primates (monkeys) can be easily watched.
Very good birding.
Beautiful forested hills and mountains to the West of the country.
Beautiful geographical features, like Lake Victoria, Murchison Falls, the Nile, Ruwenzori and Virunga mountains. All within reach.
Friendly people everywhere. Drivers, guides, rangers, hotel staff, all are very nice and devoted to their work.
Professional guides and drivers know their trade well.
Very good food everywhere we went.
Good lodges, although some were a bit below par for a mid-range aspiration.
Cons:
Other than primates, wildlife is unevenly present in the parks. Some lack this, some lack that, etc.
Overall, wildlife does not appear in vast numbers as it does in other countries in the region, despite censuses and claims to the contrary (they are sure true, but it just does not show on the field).
Dreadful dirt roads in the forested areas, really bad even for trained drivers with adequate 4x4 cars. Well below the standard in neighbouring countries.
Driving times can be very long on account of the state of the roads (even those on tar).
65+ years of age
Clear and prompt communications with Edison ensured a smooth gorilla hiking experience
My amazing gorilla trek was seamlessly coordinated by Bamboo EcoTours. Every step of the trip, from initial inquiry to delivery, was a breeze, thanks to Edison's clear and timely information. My driver/guide, Amanya, was prompt and friendly and provided information about things along the way on our drive from Kigali to Lake Mulehe and Bwindi National Park. I decided to do the Golden Monkey trek the following day after completing the Gorilla trek, and again this was organised with no fuss. I highly recommend Bamboo Eco Tours!
SE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Honeymoon trip
We just finished a 3-day safari in Tarangire, Ngorongoro Crater, and Lake Manyara with Sereland Safaris, and it was truly an unforgettable experience. Everything exceeded our expectations: from our professional, humble, and friendly guide, to the wonderful accommodations, and the smooth and thoughtful communication during the booking and planning with Mike, the owner.
This was our honeymoon, something we had been looking forward to for two years, and we couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. The team went above and beyond to make it special, arranging beautiful romantic touches at the lodges as well as during and even after the trip.
I felt safe and well taken care of the entire time, and compared to stories we’ve heard from others, I know our experience was something truly exceptional. Choosing Sereland Safaris was the best decision we could have made.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect Private Safari Adventure
Niko & Susan planned the perfect safari adventure for my husband and I. We spent 8 nights exploring 4 parks; Amboseli, Ngorogoro Crater, Serengeti and Masai Mara. Every detail was planned for us and we were well taken care of while on our trip. All the guides were excellent, friendly and knowledgeable.
Communication throughout the booking was good, and Niko tailored our accommodation to our budget - also providing recommendations along the way.
Highly recommend working with Niko and Susan on booking your safari adventure.