FR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
This tour operator is perfect to discover Kenya and his safaris.
Mufasa Tours was a very good experience. We are very satisfied with the service provided. The reservation was very simple. everything corresponded to our expectations. communication was excellent. We were picked up from our hotel in Nairobi to discover Amboseli and Tsavo parks. The guide Tony was a perfect guide! He was very interesting and always in a good mood during these three days. they are flexible too as we requested a slight change for the return trip and they were very responsive in accepting our request and booking a train to go to Mombasa instead of Nairobi. we really recommend this tour operator.
IT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Lifetime experience
We used Suricata Safaris for a 4 day tent safari in the national parks of Tanzania (tarangire, ngoro ngoro and serengeti) and for the 6 day kilimanjaro climb along the Machame route.
What can I say, they were exceptional experiences from all points of view: the company is very organized, they think of everything, from airport transfers to hotel nights between activities and the day of arrival, always available and present and more than attentive to customer feedback. All the people who accompanied and assisted us were fantastic, always with a smile on their faces and attentive to our every request.
Not to mention the food: both during the Safari and on the kilimanjaro we had 2 chefs (Musa and Gasto) who delighted us with many African and non-African specialties.
The guides, both of the Safari (Vincent) and of the kilimanjaro (Fred and Adam) were the top, always smiling and willing to give us any information we needed.
Both the Safari and the kilimanjaro were 2 experiences that we will always remember, and this thanks to Suricata Safaris.
Asante sana!
(automatic translation from Italian)
ES
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing vacations with Incredible Africa Adventures
I did the 7 days Machame Route and also one day Tarangire Park and it was incredible. Octavian was always available to any question or doubt. The price of the Kilimanjaro is really good because it is amazing all the work that the guide, cook and porters are doing every day. I recommend this company to everyone.
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
I had one of the best holiday weeks of my life!
It was one of the best holiday weeks of my life and I‘ll never forget this safari! Thanks to the team around Hamisi and thanks to the excellent tour guide Aaron I learned so much about the wildlife and saw so many animals (the big 5 included).
As it was my first safari I needed a company which I could rely on and which always gave me the feeling of taking care. Colors Africa Tours, you are excellent!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic budget safari tour!
Brilliant safari tour with Big Time. Their office staff were super responsive and helpful answering questions in advance. Patrick, our guide, was fantastic: humour, patience, expert off road driving, ability to answer all our questions about the animals, and true expertise in taking us round the parks. The budget safari is obviously not luxurious (downsides are simple camping accommodation, simple food, and occasional disruptions when picking up new people in the group) but it was completely fine and a great value way to see all the same animals people on more expensive tours see. You will have a wonderful time!
IL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The most wonderful adventure in the world with ERNEST FLAVIAN MUSHI
We were on a 4 day trip around Tanzania and it was a great experience for all of the family (2 parents, 3 children ages: 8, 13, 15).
Our driver and guide Mushi explained everything, sang with us, and took care of all the details that made the trip perfect.
We are greatful for an experience that we will never forget.
Thank you so much,
Gur, Ye'ela, Gali, Yoni, Shiri Kiriaty
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent safari at a reasonable price
Our five-night safari to the Kurula Lodge in the private part of Kruger through Mzansi was excellent, from booking all the way through to our departure. Safaris are an expensive vacation, but for everything we got, Mzansi was very economical. The lodge itself was beautiful, and we had it all to ourselves with a very friendly staff - almost an embarrassment to have a five-person team there entirely for our benefit! The safari drives were very enjoyable. It's a different experience then being in the open savannahs of Kenya and Tanzania, where we visited 15 years ago. At least the private part of Kruger is remarkably intimate, with much thicker vegetation and only a few jeeps out on game drives at the same time, and animal encounters felt much more personal as a result. The quantity of animals was also a little lower, but sheer luck factors into that, and we saw all of the big five other than leopards (and cheetah, which our guide told us are rare in South Africa). Our guide Troy was fantastic - personable, patient, and our kids (14 and 12) enjoyed spending the days with him as much as we did. The five days of game drives were great, but we equally enjoyed the day Troy took us out of the park and into the mountain and areas surrounding the park, which rounded out the experience with natural beauty and variety in the activity. The food was good, prepared by an excellent chef, and we would recommend a stay at Kurula to anyone.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Average company lacking transparency
Please note that Okora safaris is part of Big Time Safaris and is simply one of around 12 separate agencies all operating under Big Time Safaris.
We booked a 7 day budget sharing safari in Kenya. What we didn’t realise, and weren’t told, until we turned up at the office on the first day, was that this meant different members of the group are doing different itinerary’s. So for us we had a group of 7, 3 doing 3 days, 2 doing 5 days and the two of us doing 7.
We had assumed “sharing safari” meant we were joining a group of others all on the same trip rather than a private trip for the two of us.
The different schedules therefore resulted in swapping drivers at various points and wasted time dropping people off at inconvenient times and places. For example of day 3, on the way back from Massi Mara, rather than arranging a pick up point for three of the group In Narok, we ended up spending an extra 3 hours in the car as we drove most of the way back to Nairobi rather than going straight from the Masi Mara to Lake Nakuru via the road in Narok.
In Amboseli we were a group of 8 people in the mini van making it very tight for the game drive and with all of the bags. Please note all of the group had been told different things about maximum group size, some were told a max of 4 people some 6 people so 8 wasn’t acceptable to anyone.
The organisation and communication on the whole was poor and whilst everyone in the group appreciated we are in Africa and not Europe, the trip simply did not run as scheduled with all the car journeys taking hours longer than had been indicated.
Our guide was very knowledgeable but wouldn’t volunteer information unless asked and seemed content with doing the minimum required. For example On Day 3 in the Masai Mara, the guides view was that we had a good day on day 2 and saw lots of animals therefore the sunrise game drive that was scheduled for Day 3 was not required. After some awkward conversations he eventually agreed that the sunrise game drive could go ahead on Day 3…not the attitude you are looking for in a guide…He was also late on 2 occasions by over 45 minute late each time meaning we lost valuable sunrise game time in both the Masai Mara and Amboseli.
What was also disappointing was that we confirmed that we could pay by card, accepting a 2.5% charge for doing so. Our quote for the trip was priced in USD. However when arriving at the office the agency said this needed to be converted into Kenyan shillings at the rate that they would then need to convert Kenyan shillings back into dollars. In effect paying two conversation rates on the same payment. We challenged this and the “quoted exchange rate” was reduced albeit this seems completely unreasonable and unnecessary and still cost us almost $100 when compared to the market rate USD to Kenyan shillings rate on the date of transaction. It is my opinion that this is simply a scam so the agency can pocket some extra cash. Having booked other tours with other Kenyan companies priced in USD these “double exchange rate” payment did not exist.
All that being said the beauty of the Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha and Amboseli is amazing it’s just a shame that the tour company were not transparent about what to expect on the trip and that our guide was context with doing the minimum required rather than trying to maximise the time available in these locations to give the best experience possible.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A+ Mt. Kilimanjaro Guided Hike on Marangu Route
The entire Shadows of Africa experience was amazing! From easy trip booking with Alex to finishing the Marangu Route trek, our tiem with Shadows of Africa was fantastic. Our guides Amiri and Mkumbo demonstrated their professional guide experience through their vast knowledge of Mt. Kilimanjaro history, the mountain environment, and natural wildlife. They gave us confidence the entire way that we would summit safely and they made the experience very fun and enjoyable. Our group would all highly recommend Shadows of Africa and particularly Amiri and Mkumbo to others wanting to trek Mt. Kilimanjaro! 5 stars!
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Our tour guide went above and beyond!
We had an amazing experience with Mazingira safaris, from start to finish. Johari was quick to respond to messages while we were booking and setting up logistics. She took the time to meet us in person before the Safari and even brought personalized water bottles! Our guide, Boniface was wonderful. He was flexible with trying to help us see the animals we wanted to see and timing of our days. Both the lodging and food exceeded expectations. Overall, it was a wonderful experience and I would recommend Mazingira Safaris to anyone.
