65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent service and advice to make our initial safari an outstanding success
We used Safari Bookings to get ideas about planning a bucket list safari for June/July. I received ideas and quotations from three holiday companies and selected Compass Odyssey as their standard Zambezi-Chobe-Okavango safari seemed to fit the bill.
We added an extra night in the Okavango Delta as we liked the idea of spending more time in the bush, closer to nature and away from too many fellow travellers. All contact with Darren was through email and we quickly agreed on the safari timetable. The documentation from Darren and Kate on the itinerary, local flights and general travel advice was excellent.
We booked our own flights from UK to Johannesburg and after flying to Victoria Falls were met by Ruth who took us to the excellent Batonka guest lodge. Through Ruth we also arranged two excursions whilst at Victoria Falls - the first a river boat dinner was a peaceful introduction to Zimbabwe after a 12 hour flight; the second was white water rafting which was exciting and sometimes scary. The rafting company we were with were very professional and made sure we kept to the safety procedures. A second raft in our group overturned which added to the excitement - with the river in full flow, the whirlpools and rapids were at their best!!
Seeing the falls on both sides is a must and Ruth as Compass Odyssey's local rep was excellent at sorting out the passport stamping etc. She then drove us to the Chobe River Lodge at Kasane, Botswana. The river and vehicle drives were excellent being spoilt for the variety of animals and birds we saw at close quarters. One pleasant aspect of visiting at this time of year was the lack of congestion seeing only a few fellow vehicles. The lodge was good with excellent food and a resident hippo and her baby plus warthogs visiting the garden.
We then flew to the Delta with Mack Air from Kasane - flight on time, clear skies and a great way to view the land below. Met at Khwai airstrip by the camp guide - drive took over two hours as there was a lot to see in the bush. The staff at the Nokanyana Camp were excellent - our tented suite was spacious, hot water bottles provided at night as quite chilly. Food and drinks were excellent, especially the breakfasts. Great to be able to have a G&T in the afternoon after a drive. We were pleased to have added an extra night to stay at the camp due to its location close to the river with hippos and we could hear elephants, buffalo etc wandering through he camp at night. The highlight of the game drives was seeing so many hippos, elephants, zebras, antelope etc plus two young cheetahs. We also viewed at close quarters an unusual sighting of three female hyenas with young living next to warthogs in peace together. We had a bush walk with Gerry which was fantastic - he was very keen to share with us his huge knowledge of living in the bush in many countries - we learnt a lot about the animals and birds during this walk. Again the area around the camp was not busy and we did not see too many other vehicles which was a big plus unlike some other safari parks.
Far too soon we had to leave the delta and fly to Maun by Mack Air - again on time. We then flew to Cape Town for three nights that we had arranged ourselves. We had a hire car and stayed at Camps Bay. We soon realised that we needed more time to explore the region but we were lucky to have great weather and were able to visit Table Mountain, climb Lion's Head, drive to the Cape of Good Hope, Simon's Town etc and visit the Groot Constantia wine estate. On the final morning we went into Cape Town, the V&A Waterfront before driving to the airport to catch our flight to London.
Compass Odyssey arranged a super safari holiday for us with all accommodation and flights going to plan. Not sure when we might be having a second safari but will certainly call Darren. Living in the UK with a history of travel company failures, we were a little wary about sending the holiday monies to a small South African travel company as we were unsure about the effectiveness of the South African bonding scheme but all arrangements went through as planned. One bucket list holiday well and truly ticked off - thanks to Darren and Kate.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Simply the best. Unparalleled service. It doesn't get better than Leina.
Leina organized and booked my trip to Zanzibar. I have never had such great service. She curated the hotels and experience perfectly as if she knew my personality and what I might connect with. But more than that - I fell ill for the last few days and she was by my side personally throughout making sure I was healthy. The vacation was amazing - and Leina has become a friend.
BE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Value for money with experienced guide in the beautiful Kenya national parks
We had a great tour around Kenya with with our guide James. He ensured we didn’t miss out on anything on the safari, moving quickly so we could see everything from lions to cheetahs. Communications was clear and had many good conversations about Kenya during the hours we spent on the road. Our warmest recommendations. Thanks Jocky and James!
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great stay in Africa…!!
It was not our first time to travel. We've done a trip to Africa before and we can never stop visiting. This time when we looked around, we looked at Hermosa Life Tours and travel. These guys were so hands on with every step of planning. We had our own itinerary in mind which we thought looked great, but this team helped us make it even more beautiful.
Yvonne was a pleasure to work with and was very familiar with all the locations we wanted to visit in Rwanda. The guide Patrick was great; knowledgeable and pleasant; he made the entry/exit process simple, taking care of every detail, etc and is flexible with daily itinerary schedules. Community visits were so wonderful for my children. They usually add some special experiences with the locals to help you in understanding the country you have traveled to.
The accommodation choices were really lovely in all aspects plus the restaurants and food as well. We've already recommended Hermosa Life tours and travel to many of our friends and families.
FR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
My dream came true thanks to Karibu Safari!
We have made a 7 days safari budget tour that not only met our requirements but it surpassed our expectations. We had the best driver Edward who was always doing his best so that we could see the Big Five and other animals as close as possible (mission accomplished! :-)), he provided us with many interesting information and he was always in a good mood and smiling :-) The accomodation was nice too as well as the food. It would be really difficult to describe the breathtaking beauty of all the national parks and Kenya itself, thus I include some photos. We have spent an amazing vacation and therefore, I would highly recommend this company to everyone!
US
Experience level: 2-5 safaris
E trip africa Tanzania and Kenya
We had 10 people book a group tour with e trip Africa and everybody was totally happy and blown away by the service, price and the safari itself. Ben Jennings cheerfully answered numerous questions by phone, zoom, and email from multiple people, some of whom had never been to Africa and were apprehensive. We saw the Great Migration twice in one day and our guide Ombeni (awesome guide) said he had seen it 6 times in 18 years. We saw numerous animals in the Serengeti and the crater and we thought the accommodations were very good. The food was excellent except for some of the box lunches which could use improvement. We did it see a rhino in the Serengeti but saw 13 of them at Lake Nakuru in Kenya. We will certainly use e trip Africa again and wish they would expand their operations to Zakouma, Congo, Gabon, and Madagascar.
NZ
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
incredible safari
It was amazing experience!!!
Maggie organized our safari and she was incredibly helpful in fulfilling our needs. The experience was top notch from start to the end.We had 6 days amazing safari, the accommodation was comfortable and clean .food was delicious and plentiful.
Our guide was well informed. He told us a lot of informations about Kenya , different species which i thank him very Much. He was good at spotting wildlife and we were lucky to see the big 5
The bonus part about Bison Safari, they always listen to their clients and help them to customise their itinerary based on their needs and request
Thank you Bison Safaris
IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The best experience
We were three girls and we went to the Murchison Falls National Park with a van for three days. The organisation was very easy, the driver was very reliable and he soon became a friend. The whole experience was fun and unforgettable, no stress and everything was perfect.
We hope to come back soon!!
Thank you!
Greeting from Italy
NZ
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Highly professional
We (group of 7) came across Bison Safaris while researching tour operators Kenya and to say the least we are more satisfied.I emailed them and the communication was very fast and reliable. Maggie helped us to finalize our package. She did all the booking for us and it went smoothly. we did 4 days Masai Mara ,Nakuru and hells gate where we did bike ride,It was our first time riding inside a park. It was a dream come true, wee had the best safari ever.
I highly recommend them
BE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Experienced, customer friendly and flexible travel agency with a professional and helpful staff.
In 2019 I booked our Tanzania/zanzibar holiday with Paradise & Wilderness on the occasion of our 20 years marriage. P&W proposed us an excellent program. First a few days of relaxing at Zanzibar, then the known safaris at Tanzania and finally a few more days of enjoy at Zanzibar. Due to Covid-19, we had to delay this trip twice. P&W was very flexible and rebooked the trip for 2021, and rebooked again for 2022, every time with the same professionality and friendliness. So finally, we started our trip the 12the of july 2022 with my family of 7 persons (5 children between 17 and 21, my husband and I). We had the time of our life! We arrived at Zanzibar in Reef and Beach Resort and were welcomed by Petra. A beautiful residence in the ocean view bungalows, well maintained with a nice pool. We enjoyed a snorkelingtrip, the spicetour and visited the villages with scooters. Also the spa is to recommend! Thereafter we flew to Arusha and stayed in our first tent camp at Lake Manyara. We were amazed by the size and equipment of those lodges. The manager, Michael, is very friendly and thoughtful, nice man. This basecamp is well equipped with a pool and bar, table tennis, billiards, spa, ... The restaurant, with view on Lake Manyara is very beautiful and serves very nice food (especially breakfast, mmm). Here we met our driver, Justin, who will be our guide for the next five days. In the typical Toyota Jeep we experienced 4 complete safaris at Tanguire NP, Lake Manyara NP, Ngorogor NP and Serengeti NP. And yes, we spotted the big 5!!! :-) Justin learned us a lot about the fauna and flora of Tanzania, he also learned us Swahili: Jambo! It was a perfect match. In the meantime we moved to an other basecamp in the Serengeti, at Ikoma. There, Alex, a very calm and skilled manager, received us after an exhausting safari trip, the lodges there were even more beautiful. The location, in the middle of the Serengeti, was overwhelming! The equipment of the camp was more basic (but sufficient), but we didn't expect more in the middel of this magnificent 'nowhere'. The staff was amazing. On the birthday of my husband they provided a birthday cake and surprised us with the Jambosong (and dance) with the whole staff, including Alex. Finally we flew from the Serengeti straight to Zanzibar to enjoy the island and his beauty. This time we stayed at Paradise Beach Resort, nice place, very green and wide. Séléna is the best guest relation manager, we could ask her anything, very helpful. We relaxed at the beach, near the pool, at the bar (excellent cocktails) and enjoyed the warm weather. In the meantime the children were amused by the animation team: wateraerobics, waterpolo, beachvolleybal, beach parties, ... At the restaurant, a very large range of dishes at the buffet: meat, fish, vegetables (cold/warm), fruit, desserts, life cooking (morning, noon, evening), for everyone his favourite meal.
In short, we had an unforgettable holiday. We're glad we booked the trip with this professional tour operator. Melanie, headquarter, is an excellent hostess, who cared for us and outlined this trip from a to z for us. Thank you very much! Our batteries are reloaded!
