20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing trip around western Uganda
We used this company to do a 8 day trip in western Uganda. Phionah was always quick to respond to our emails, always reliable, available and willing to provide us with all the informations we needed. The organization of our trip was challenged by all the covid restrictions in our country of origin, so we had to modify the dates twice and Phionah helped us to make this trip possible by being flexible for us and understanding. We thank her a lot for that! Our driver Gerald was way more than a driver, he was also a friend for us, a knowledgeable guide, a negotiator, there is no situation that Gerald can't handle! He made our trip so smooth and easy, arranging everything for us all the time, making sure that we were having a great time everyday, sometimes even going out of his way to go beyond our expectations. He was always available and caring. He is also a super nice person and we enjoyed sharing conversations and laughs with him. He was the best driver we could have hoped for! We had a wonderful trip of a lifetime in Uganda thanks to Gerald and Phionah, we would recommend them 100% to anyone who wants to discover this beautiful country.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing and Safe Experience during COVID
Amazing, beautiful, awe-stricken, humbled, grateful are just a few of the words to describe what my two teens and I experienced during our 6 day excursion over the Christmas holiday in Uganda. Our guide Karim was the best! I highly recommend you ask for him as he is an amazing representative of Uganda hospitality, care and service on behalf of Home to Africa Tours and Travel. We went during COVID which we were obviously hesitant about, but the safety and sanitation, was unbelievable. Actually visiting at this time offers you no crowds, ease in booking and it is extremely helpful to supporting tourism at this time for Ugandans. The landscape from the waters/rapids of the Nile to the brush of the lowlands around Lake Mburo and Queen Elizabeth National Parks, to the hills and highlands near Kibale and Bwindi National Parks is breathtaking and utterly gorgeous. An hour with the gorillas is indescribable as well and something my family will never forget. Don't hesitate, this tour company and Karim gave us an experience we will treasure always.
NG
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Memoriable!
Every detail was taken care of: we didn’t have to worry about anything. Anything we needed was just one text message away.
The Safari tour was incredible: it is one of those things that one must experience in their life time. We had a very luxurious and comfortable experience that left us with such fond memories!
PH
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An amazing 6-day private safari
We had an absolutely wonderful time on our 6-day private safari all thanks to Trip Quest!
The booking and reservation went very easy thanks to Martin who had been very helpful and answered my million questions. The booking was very organized and made it easy for me to choose accommodations and itinerary. All the lodges we chose are very remarkable and the experience very seamless we didn’t have to worry about a thing.
Our guide Frank is also exceptional and made the safari experience wonderful. He was great at spotting animals and we spotted a lot of huge male lions and lioness a little further from anyone away from dozens of cars. We have seen so many animals which lived up to my expectations especially as a young girl who loved the lion king haha. We had these magnificent animals up close thanks to Frank’s effort to give us a great experience.
Benson, the manager came to us on the first day of our arrival to Arusha to brief us about our trip and came also on the last day to get our feedback so they really take every client’s experience seriously to deliver and improve.
I highly recommend Trip quest- I spoke with almost 5 other operators before deciding, even with some big name ones and went with Trip Quest for their competitive rates and ease of booking and I couldn’t have made a better decision. We did lake Manyara, Serenget, Ngorongoro and Terengire for 6-days and what a dream it had been! We didn’t need to worry about a thing as everything was so organized.
Thanks so much Trip Quest and hoping to see you again when we go back sometime soon!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Shimba Hills and Wasini Island
Booked a new year joining road trip from Nairobi to the Kenya coast.
The communication was excellent.
Kisite dolphins was the highlight of the trip with all magic.
Will forever be grateful to Adventure 360 for this memorable trip.
CH
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic Kenya-Tanzania 10 day safari
My safari consisted of 5 nights in Kenya and 4 nights in Tanzania (only 3 days of safari in Tanzania with the other days in transit). I was in contact with the sales representative Tabitha who was fantastic not only before the booking but during the safari itself. She is extremely responsive on Whatsapp to help with any questions.
In Kenya the destinations were Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha (extra cost of boat ride) and Amboseli, operated by Baboon Budget Safaris. My driver and guide was Simon, who was absolutely fantastic. He was always focused during the game drives and his skill in spotting wildlife excels that of other guides. He was also very knowledgeable of the wildlife. The accomodations were budget so do not expect constant access to electricity, hot water and internet. I have no complaints though given the budget. Make sure you get a 4G SIM card if you want to stay connected. Meals were average but with generous portion sizes. Overall, the Kenya leg went without issues and was a great experience.
In Tanzania the destinations were Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater, operated by 7 Wonders Safaris. My driver and guide was Linus, and my cook was Nathan. Linus went above and beyond to get us up close to the animals. These safaris were camping safaris with very basic amenities. Cars had electrical outlets so there's no need to worry about electricity. While the driver was great, the management was less organized. My itinerary was a bit switched around, and we departed late on the first day. The management also had not communicated my full itinerary to the driver until the final day. Subsequently, I was not communicated the time of departure for return to Kenya, and had to contact Tabitha in Kenya who was very helpful. Despite the management, thanks to the great driver, it was a good experience.
You should apply for visas for both countries beforehand. I re-entered Kenya with the single entry evisa that I used in my initial entry to Kenya, so I didn't need another Kenyan visa, but you really are at the mercy of the border agents so nothing is guaranteed. Having 50 USD on hand will usually help solve most issues with your documents. For the Kenya to Tanzania crossing there was a guy to guide you through the process (expecting a small tip). He also helped me get a Tanzania SIM card for a fair price. In Tanzania the border agent will give you permission to stay for precisely the amount of days you request, and this WILL be checked at random passport control points. I suggest requesting 1-2 days more than necessary just in case. The trip across the border is done by shuttle bus, where I found the drivers to be friendly and helpful.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Once in a lifetime trip courtesy of an exceptional E-Trip Africa team!
This was the most amazing trip of our lives. We kept our honeymoon plans in 2020 and the 10-night Tanzania safari (and 5-night Zanzibar beach time) was incredible. We unfortunately had to cancel the gorilla trekking portion in light of Uganda’s COVID restrictions but can’t wait to try and do that in the future.
E-Trip Africa was an amazing partner from day 1. During the planning process, Ben was incredibly helpful in customizing an itinerary according to our requests and very responsive to our feedback as we tried to nail things down. He was exceptionally knowledgeable about everything from the macro logistics (in-country flights versus drives; certain parks and regions versus others) to micro details (specific lodges, experiences [i.e., horseback riding in a coffee plantation], and safari drive plans).
After we finalized the plan for our September trip in January 2020, there was obviously a lot of uncertainty and unexpected changes that have needed to take place. Ben was always on top of the latest restrictions from different countries in Africa (for US travellers) and proactive in swapping out our camps / lodges as availability and which ones were open shifted around. At the end of the day, he was able to upgrade us in a number of locations but even with those shifts, we were often the only people at the camps which was a unique experience (though I would imagine the amazing service we received at each would have been the same even if all ~12 tents/villas would have been occupied).
A few weeks before our trip, one of our airlines (Emirates) put a negative PCR test requirement into effect for our return flight from Zanzibar/Tanzania. The combination of a 96 window negative test requirement and 72 response time on the test results meant we had a particularly challenging logistical last few days. Ben was in touch at all hours of the day setting up a special test at a private clinic and even coordinating for our negative certificate to meet us at the airport because it wasn’t ready to be delivered to our resort.
While this was a challenging time to travel, Ben’s work behind the scenes made it still feel effortless for us.
On the ground, our E-Trip Africa guide Aladdin was amazing. He was very knowledgeable about all the animals and plants we encountered. He knew the parks exceptionally well and was often looked at as a resource by other guides around where to find animals and how to navigate the parks! We had some unbelievable viewings with him (two mother lions with 6 cubs on a rock formation, three cheetah brothers hunting, multiple leopards [including with cubs], and a handful of river crossings) and almost every time we were the only truck around! On top of this extreme professional acumen, it is clear he enjoys his job and being in nature in a way that is contagious when you’re in the truck with him.
My wife and I both agree this was the best trip of our lives and can’t wait to book our next one with Ben, Aladdin, and the E-Trip Africa team!!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Superb!!!!
"Me and my friends from Kenya did Tarangire and Ngorongoro in December and the we enjoyed with our guide who was very knowledgeable and very cooperative. African chitah is the best company to choose!!!!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
100% recommend going with Wildlife Oasis - incredible safari and amazing people
This safari outfit is fantastic. We arranged a 5 day safari (Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro) with about 2 weeks notice, and couldn't have asked for more from the boss, Humphrey, who responded promptly to all queries & shared detailed itineraries (including an updated one after a last minute change requested by us). His colleagues, Ali and Nuru, who helped us with transport and arranging an extra day of activities at the end, were really welcoming and made it all so easy! Having the transport to and from the airport included was a huge bonus, as was having a hotel included at the beginning and end of the safari.
The safari itself was magical - our driver, Deo, was amazing and his ability to spot wildlife in the distance was brilliant, as was his animal/bird facts and stories of the various destinations: his sense of humour was awesome too! He timed each day really well, so that we were in the perfect locations for sunrises / sunsets, and used his experience & knowledge of the national parks to find us great wildlife viewing opportunities.
We loved the camping, where we had delicious food (and lots of it) cooked by our very friendly chef, Tuma, each night (he also had great stories). The tent was the biggest 2 man tent I've ever seen, and we had no problems getting to sleep with the comfortable sleeping bags and mattresses provided.
After the safari, we did a half day trip (organised via Wildlife Oasis) to Materuni waterfall (one of the best waterfalls I've seen) followed by a coffee tour in the local village, where we were shown how to make our own coffee from scratch by the local tribe - delicious (even despite us being tea drinkers!)
Next time we visit Tanzania, we will 100% go with Wildlife Oasis again - the value for money is second to none, and we highly rated all the activities, the comfort and the amazing people in the organisation. It's a genuinely great outfit and you will have a wonderful experience.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Mufasa enabled us have a trouble free holiday in the Tsavo. Kelvin Gichuki is too knowledgeable.
The rates were competitive, they were time conscious. Kelvin is too knowledgeable for anyone interested in birds and other animals in the park. We had a good time. I would definitely be using Mufasa some other time.