US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Stunning destination, that I will have to visit again
Definitely recommend safari online as they made our entire vacation stress free and operated very smoothly. South Africa has so many different natural wonders wrapped up in one country. The Kruger portion of our trip was amazing.
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Magnificently beautiful
We had one of our best vacations in South Africa. We would like to go again in the near future.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Kenya is an amazing country with beautiful, loving people especially the Maasai people.
Stayed for 2 days in a Maasai village. Will never forget the Maasai people or that experience. I was a woman traveling alone and felt completely comfortable. My Maasai Warrior guide, Solomon, stayed by my side and I felt totally comfortable. Parks were beautiful especially Maasai Mara National Park that had the most diversity of animals and the most gorgeous landscape. I opted to do the drive from Nairobi out to the Mara rather than the plane ride. Was able to see the local people by the side of the road and get the true flavor of the culture and living conditions. Weather was mostly gorgeous. Lake Naivasha was pretty. I definitely want to go back again and spend more time with the Maasai people in their village. Tour operator Namayiana Safaris was fabulous!! Very attentive! TOTALLY AWESOME!!!
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Kenya has a very friendly and ambitious service industry struggling to overcome societal blight
Wildlife viewing is fabulous, whether in the famed Maasai Mari preserve or in less well-known places like Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha, or Amboseli. Neither the roads leading to the major national parks nor the parks themselves have smooth roads or driving paths, which sort of adds to the adventure. We enjoyed many a "free" full-body African massage while on the road, and the question of what would happen if the vehicle somehow broke down--in the wildlife areas-- was indeed answered: friendly tour operators from other orgs pitch in and take in whatever passengers they have room for. While our expectations for the accommodations at the budget tent camps were low to begin with, we were actually pleasantly surprised by what was offered. Yes, it was simple, but we slept well, the camps were quiet at night, and the food was ample. The night sky, away from light pollution, was spectacular. Two things were a bit disturbing: 1) the amount of litter strewn everywhere (except in the national parks themselves)--what would it take to institute a national clean-up campaign? and 2) the constant bombardment to purchase this or that trinket by folks peddling their wares. I guess that's the natural response from a people who have learned that tourism is one of the most profitable ventures going (one of our safari drivers was a mechanical engineer who saw that the income from tourism far outstripped the income from practicing his profession).
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Highly experienced operator that focuses on what the customer wants to see and do.
If I could give this company more then 5 stars I would, Darren and Kate are awesome. The communication from start to finish was impeccable, he checked in with us through out the trip and if something needed to be changed he informed us before hand. Our guide in cape town was Garth and he was amazing, so informational and loved hearing all about the history. Garth was very knowledgeable and helped us plan out four days there, he even hiked with us up Lions head which was so awesome. Our guides in Victoria falls were great, Motimer and his wife are so nice and helped us plan out our couple days there. Our safari lodges were amazing, Senalala was definitely our favorite we loved eating with our guides and it felt like we were a big family. The place was absolutely beautiful and being able to watch the animals at the waterhole between our drives was great. The guides Geena and Johan were awesome and worked hard trying to find us the predators and soon to be guide Taya were great. Our lodge in Botswana was amazing all the staff there were so nice and accommodating. It was right on the river and there was a hippo and her baby that came around dinner as well as a monkey and a warthog that frequent during the day. The food was outstanding and so was our guide. Our guide Teo was amazing, he does photography which was great because he a always tried to get us the best picture and always got us as close as he could to the animals. We already have Africa blues and want to go back again. We already asked Darren about coming back for the mountain Gorillas and he already sent the info! we are also planning on make another stop at Senalala again soon. You will not find a better company to work with, there's nothing worst then paying money for a not so good vacation. There was not one person we encountered or place that we didn't like. Thank you Darren and Kate for an awesome vacation and we will be back to Africa in 2024 for those mountain gorillas.
BE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very disappointing - we had to cancel due to medical urgencynand received NO help at all !
We booked on short notice but had to cancel due to medical emergency.the day after we transfered the money. So they had not had make any cost yet. They hid behind their general conditions to do nothing. Flights were booked by their organisation so they had to negotiate and rebook with airline - no initiative; no compensation. Disappointing and very costly’
FR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The safari is was amazing ! Thanks all
Djambo Djambo !
Francis is the best driver, he accompanies you and follows you everywhere. His goal is that you spend an unforgettable stay.
It was the case for me and I already miss him. It's great because we are always connected with him and he still helps us from a distance for the organization and the continuity of our stay. Francis is not only a driver but an unforgettable person. I strongly recommend him.
Take care of him for me!
Thanks again for everything.
He is the best
See you !
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a Lifetime - THANK YOU SNOWCAP TEAM
Snowcap provided us with an experience that surpassed our best expectations on our journey to Uhuru Peak. Kenneth did an excellent job of communicating with me overseas from day one which gave us confidence that this would be a great experience all along. When we arrived in Tanzania, we were greated by our Sr. Guide Makashi & Kenneth and were able to ride with them to stay at Snowcap Cottages prior to our hike which was wonderful. The entire time on the mountain the team catered to us to make sure we had the best time possible. From the porters, to the cook, waiter, guides, etc. everyone we interacted with added to our enjoyment of the trip. Our guides in particular, Makashi & Saimon, did an absolutely outstanding job of giving us a feel for Tanzanian culture, wildlife, and had a deep knowledge of the Kilimanjaro itself which enhanced our trek each day. We made it to the summit without any issues and were sad to have to leave the team after 7 days with them. Could not recommend this team any more. 10/10
CZ
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great overall experience
We took the "2-Day Zanzibar to Selous by Boat, Car & Back by Airplane" tour as it looked like an interesting combination, and indeed, it turned to be an unforgettable experience from the first day.
On the first day we took the ferry at 7:00 from Zanzibar to Dar es Salaam which was a new experience for us as never before have we travelled by such vehicle. The ferry was a fast machine so the journey took just 90 minutes. The seats were comfortable, there was TV where a movie was running. The ride itself depends on how much you like to travel on sea, for us it was something new to try and experience another aspect of average Tanzanian person's life.
In Dar es Salaam we were greeted by our driver/guide Katuku who drove us to Selous. Seeing daily live in Dar es Salaam was another reason for why this tour is great as you get to feel another side of the local life, this time in a multimillion city. The drive to Selous took about 4 hours (we arrived around 14:00) and we were transported in the "normal 4x4 vehicle" (Toyota Landcruiser "Safari" I think). The vehicle was used also for the game drive on the second day and it was comfortable. In the end we had a private tour so it was just 2 of us in the back.
After being accommodated at the "Africa Safari Selous" lodge, we had lunch and went for "boat safari tour". The tour was good, saw all the animals you could expect on the river. Unfortunately we didn't get to see nice sunset due to cloudy weather. Returning back we had dinner and were ready for the night so let's describe the accommodation.
On the first look, the lodge was a shock for us. In retrospect it's what you should expect from a 3 star african accommodation, however, we don't have much experience with that type so we were truly worried about how we will manage to get through the night lol. Don't get me wrong. The bungalow was clean, bed made up, etc., food tasty (not huge selection but that should be expected) so the accommodation is objectively very good. Just be sure to manage your expectations. In the end the location was marvellous and we enjoyed the lodge a lot, sleeping in nature with hearing wild animals (elephant, bush baby, ...) around you (and also seeing warthogs and baboons in the camp). Of course because of the animals you cannot move around the camp alone during the night but there were massais to escort us when needed.
On the second day Katuku picked us up around 7:00 and the game drive started. Being in the closed vehicle with pop-up roof allowed us to observe elephans from distance that I don't think would be possible in an open safari vehicle (one elephant literary walked around us). The vehicle also shields from trees and dust. We've got to see many animals and Katuku provided a lot of interesting information about them, attending to our questions and accommodating to our needs on how much time we wanted to spend with each animal we encountered. The launch was packed by the hotel and we ate it at a common meeting place where also other safari tours converged. It was a day when nobody saw a lion (we checked during the lunch) but after lunch we managed to find one. Finally we flew back to Zanzibar with other (1-day safari) visitors at 16:00.
Overall it was an amazing experience, we loved the diversity of the tour, the different transportation means, observing a different side of daily Tanzanian life, experience a night on Safari and finally the game drive. If you want to get a feeling for the local life, I recommend the tour. If you will be accompanied by Katuku, you will enjoy his humour, knowledge and overall nice personality.
P.S. Don't forget to bring a binoculars, safari is not a zoo and we were surprised how few people had it.
ES
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing experience!
My friend and I decided to go to Africa and it was a great experience from the moment we start planning until the moment we left. Calvin help us organizing the trip based on our needs and offered a tailored made itinerary with a very competitive price. The drivers, Jonas and Waldon along with the res of the crew were super attentive with us. It has been a lovely experience we would repeat all over again!