NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Reliable, affordable, excellent
Me and my wife did a 4 day safari tour and a 1 day kilimanjaro hike through polecat safaris. The contact with James was perfect and we really enjoyed our trip. Johnny, Freddy, Nazir and Gothfried were amazing drivers, guides and chef.
Highly recommended!
ES
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Big 5(and more) lots of food and new friends... So so happy
I'm a solo traveler from Mexico so excuse me if I have any mistypes. Seeing Serengeti with our naked eyes, the changing Ngorongoro scenaries and meeting new friends was amazing. Seeing the rhino (even if from afar), lions, leopard, cheetah, the always photogenic zebras and well, ALL ANIMALS in the wild was a dream came true.
As a Spanish speaker I still had no trouble that the tour was in English as most of us were from the most diverse countries, which was so enlightening specially since I came as a solo traveler... it was so much fun, maybe also I was extra lucky with the gang I ended up with or who knows, it was simply great.
Our guide Freddy was very receptive to our comments and provided amazing stories that I will cherish alongside all the videos and photos we took from all animals. Gori our cook was the best having us all regaining energy and enjoying amazing dishes that catered all tastes, for all of us who were meat lovers or veggies, spice addicts or not, full bellies left the table everyday, never a single lunch box, we saw some other groups with less food.
Most of our group didn't drink but we had beer and wine available, cola, juice and water. I hate camping and haven't done it since I was a kid yet I seriously loved doing it in the wild, I took hours to take photos of the milky way in Serengeti and got to listen to so many stories as we also got to meet other groups with their own experiences. I cannot fully put in words how I feel, just want to appreciate all the work and attention from the first message to Anita, who was honest and explained every detailed asked. I firstly made contact through safari bookings and she replied quite fast or so I remember.
I appreciated so when she pointed that one of the ideas I had for my safari was non realizable, she told me why and offered me alternatives which was super professional (other agencies I briefed, were non transparent and were sweet talking me). That single detailed took me to book with her; all feedback before the trip was correct, every single thing promised (accomodations before and after safari, airport transfers,...) Were hold true and we even received more than what was on the brochure. The price was unbeatable considering all little things, I actually feel I saved money.
So nothing extra, just how we all loved Godlisten our transfer guide, how happy we were and forever will be for this experience to happen, and my fair and honest reccomendation towards Anita and crew. Will be back and will bring you some Spanish and Mexicans with me (we might ask extra spicy food tho... :) Enrique
P.s. I did also reviewed on other web but can voucher for my every single word, gracias por leer esto
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
!!!WARNING FROM SEKA GONDWE (owner of Taste of Afrika)!!!
!!!WARNING FROM SEKA GONDWE (owner of Taste of Afrika)!!!
1.) FAKE REVIEWS!
Seka writes fake reviews himself under alias names! I know it 100% and I can even prove it, because the Google rating of the user "lil-emky" includes the pictures shot by me! I only provided these photos to Seka so he could create a video of our hike for extra payment. NOBODY except seka and me is in possession of these pictures. SO SEKA MUST HAVE WRITTEN THE RATING HIMSELF! I explicitly told Seka to delete the photos after creating the video and not to use them elsewhere.
When I look at the reviews so also noticed that very many positive reviews were written by users who have only written a single review... funny that people specially create a new Google account to write a single review or...? (but can also be a coincidence)
2.) SERVICE NOT PROVIDED, PROMISES REFUND FOR MONTHS, BUT DOES NOT REFUND!
We had booked some extras for additional payment. One of these extras did not take place and it does not matter what reason Seka comes up with all of a sudden for the failure of the extra. It's annoying enough when something you were looking forward to doesn't happen, but for Seka not to refund the extra cost is FRAUD! He has been promising me reimbursement since June and postponing it until the following week every time...SINCE JUNE, for 4 months!!!! By now I know I will not get the money back.
3.) His employees are not salaried, but are contracted as "self-employed".
He does not discuss what has been agreed with the customer with the "employees", so they get into difficult and unpleasant situations with the customer.
4.) He tries to save money even during the tours: e.g. booked beverage flats are suddenly to be paid by the customer (only clarified after discussions).
(supposedly) positive:
5.) At the beginning (online booking) and when you talk to him (Seka) personally on site, he always seemed very friendly and customer-oriented. He planned our tour according to our wishes and took a lot of time. However, the moment he got the money transferred, the contact already became less.
I think we were very lucky. Probably the special occasion of our trip - which Seka knew about - led to the fact that Seka didn't cheat us completely and that our trip was carried out at least to a large extent as planned. (Cheaters apparently sometimes still have a bit of heart!).
6.) What was really SUPER were the super dedicated staff (=self-employed) of our crew during the ascent of Kili (including Nickson and Brison + all porters) as well as our safari-guide Moses! Thank you for giving us a beautiful and successful climb as well as a unique safari despite the problems with Seka!
Without these people our tour at Taste of Africa would probably have been a total failure.
Conclusion: Taste of Africa and especially the owner Seka Gondwe are NOT TO RECOMMEND! Seka only wants the customers' money. We were lucky in our misfortune, but other reviews show that this is unfortunately not the case with everyone.
ES
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Unforgettable experience
Unforgettable experience
Our family enjoyed a 10 days safari with this company for three years ago. Everything was amazingly well organized, enjoyable and safe. They know Uganda from toe to top and advice about places we would never have decided to visit. They couldn’t be more friendly and close and indeed we still keep in touch with our friends. Highly recommended!!!!!
ES
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Extremely kind, hospitable, wise and fun people (Brian and Jackson)
The trip was amazing. Our guides made us feel at home.
They knew exactly where to get whatever we wanted very safely.
They took us wherever we wished always with a smile on their faces. Their english was perfect so there was no problem communicating with them.
Having lunch and dinner with them was very interesting since used to tell us about fun facts in Uganda.
I couldn’t describe with words how cool the safaris were.
Watching wild gorillas, chimps and many other animals just a few meters away in their natural habitat was incredible.
RO
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Professionalism, Value!
Safari + beach (all inclusive) at the highest and most spectacular level. I warmly recommend to everyone. An experience not to be missed. Adventure, comfort, relaxation. All the appreciation for the organizing agency.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
All the best...
It was an amazing tour across Uganda. A beautiful country, with so many different landscape, friendly people and iconic animals. We originally traveled for a 5 days safari, but it was such a great experience that we have done one more day with our guide, Jimmy. I have done Safaris trough all Africa, and Uganda is for sure one of the best experiences, with the gorillas encounter being the top of the top...
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Exceptional services
I and my other 3 friends have just returned home from a trip in Uganda and it has been a wonderful and memorable vacation.
After a few days of looking for a travel company, we found Mukisa Safaris and we instantly decided to book with the company. This because Richard exercised exceptional professionalism and promptness. He was exceedingly helpful, accommodative in crafting out the best itinerary that suited the best interests of our group and it was indeed the best travel plan as it enabled us explore and navigate almost the entire country in just 2 weeks. We visited several parks including Kidepo, Murchison Falls, Queen Elizabeth, Lake Mburo, and Bwind Forest. Uganda is such a beautiful country with varying ecosystems that are incredible for nature lovers.
During our entire vacation period in Uganda, our guide Veronica and driver John were amazing people. They were so friendly and they made us feel safe and comfortable. We miss moments of enjoying cutting and eating fruits with them and ofcourse their incredible stories. Importantly, they posses vast knowledge about their country about everything. We slept in eco friendly lodges that were very clean and served delicious meals. Uganda is exceptionally endowed with many animals and during the game drives we encountered many animals including the African Big 5. However, the experience of tracking gorillas is comparable to none. It's such an awesome experience seeing gorillas just close in a few meters. We shall return to Uganda for another experience with gorillas.
We thank Mukisa Safaris for their exceptional services and we highly recommend their professional services.
LT
Great tour operator, made the best life time experience for us
We chose 7-days budget safari trip from this company. From the first email with manager called Steve I understood it will be great service. Steve helped me a lot by providing information and answering all my questions which were not always even related to this tour. He used to reply me fast even in late evenings. Also, he organized our COVID tests to enter Tanzania and dropping us in Namanga border to Tanzania. We had some problems there as officers didn’t want to let us to the country as they probably wanted money from us. We just called Steve, gave the phone to the officer and Steve made things clear. Thanks a lot, Steve!!!
No about the trip. We got an amazing tour guide Mansur. He went above and beyond to make this trip amazing for us and worth of money. He was very professional, also he is very bright and smart person, open minded and told us many interesting and real things about Kenya, wild animals and processes happening in nature. He did all his best and we saw Big 5 because of him! He also managed to show us the great migration of wildebeest crossing the river, it was a lifetime experience.
Just few advices for the people planning to take this trip:
First, if you are picky or spoiled don’t take budget trip. Food is always the same: rice, beans and cow or mutton stew. This is not about this particular trip, this is about Kenya all in all. We are not picky people and that food is okay for us. But do not expect burger or spaghetti bolognese here :)
Second, trust your tour guide completely once he is not blindly following written program. The brochures about safari trips were written many years ago, even some lakes are already gone which are mentioned in tour description. Your guide always wants you to have the best experience and sometime it is needed to modify a plan slightly. Experience is the best if you trust your guide and let him do his job.
What is more, do not expect animals to behave like in documentary movies. People who are making these movies are hiding in the bushes for days just to catch a hunting lion. In the real world true happiness is just to see them, even see them walking and not just lying already is a big achieve! Some of them is really hard to find. Be happy just to see them in real life.
Also, be ready to spend many hours on the road. Kenya’s roads system is not well developed. It will take many hours get from one national park to another, once it took whole day for us. The only option to skip this is take a planes but it will be very expensive. For us spending time in the road wasn’t terrible as we enjoyed the view through the windows, you cannot see true Africa if you take planes. We saw local people life, beautiful African nature. Mansur used to stop for a sunset for us, African sunset is one of the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.
One more advice is specially for the girls. If you choose budget safari tour have in mind that two nights you will spend in hotels and four night in tents. My advice is to wash your hairs once you are in hotel :) although tents are really nice and there is a toilet and shower in it, water is not hot. It is okay to wash yourself but not so nice once washing your hair, a little bit cold. So use opportunity to do it once you have a night in hotel.
Big Thank You for Big Time Safari from me and my husband Justin. We really appreciate all your help and the service you provided. It was definitely worth of money adventure.
AE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Really good choice for safari in Kenya
Parrot Safaris was a perfect choice. Since the first contact Joseph was attentive and kind, he answered my questions and helped us to choose the best package. Stano, our tour guide and driver is incredibly passionate about his job and he made sure they delivered everything was offered to us. The trip was memorable, a magnificent life time experience and we were happy we choose this company for that.
