20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic experience
My partner and I had a private 2 night, 3 day drive at the Mara, staying in the Enchoro camp. The driver Michael was fantastic. He was extremely friendly, knowledgable, and accommodating for both my partner and I. We saw such a large variety of animals, including the illusive black rhino, and had such a good time. The camp itself was fine, but for the price we can hardly complain - for us, the important thing were the drives, which certainly did not disappoint!
Overall, I would highly recommend Sublime and the team.
CN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
David is so kind and good man, but we don’t have much luck to see animals cross the river…
It’s a perfect tree son many animals the get Davis what’s very hammers and very response
MX
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Our experience with Semu Gorillas was really special:
On the positive side:
*We were short on time but didn’t want to miss the experience, so they adjusted the itinerary to see the gorillas in just 2 days. Even though it was challenging and tiring because of the long travel, they made it possible.
*All the planning was very smooth, with clear communication about costs, timing, and everything we needed to prepare for the trip.
*Seeing gorillas is not cheap, but they worked within a budget that was very competitive compared to other agencies, without sacrificing anything important.
*The lodge where we stayed was beautiful, with stunning views, very kind staff, and great food. They even prepared some special details for our honeymoon, which was very thoughtful.
*The car was comfortable, with reclining seats (which makes a big difference for a 9-hour ride!). The weather wasn’t too hot, but the air conditioning didn’t cool enough, so we often traveled with the windows down.
*Our guide, Joel, was very attentive, kind, informative, and proactive in solving any issues along the way.
Things to improve or consider:
*We had car trouble twice, which extended our travel time from 9 hours to 10 or even 11, making the trip quite exhausting. While it was a relatively new car and some issues can be expected on such long trips with challenging road conditions, there was a moment where we didn’t feel completely safe because the brakes started making noises on a very curvy stretch. Our guide was proactive in finding a solution, but perhaps better planning and vehicle checks could help prevent these situations.
*Meals on the road cannot be planned much, as they depend on where you are when lunchtime comes. Don’t expect anything special; it’s mostly standard roadside hotel food.
BR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Guide could improve communication
The company was really organized and reliable, everything that was agreed on was delivered and they were easy to communicate with in the weeks preceding the tour. We did a 3-day group tour to Maasai Mara and the experience was amazing, the people we went with were lovely! However, our guide, Sharuk, could work on communicating better with us. At several moments, he would do something unexpected and not explain to us what was going on until he was asked - and even then, he wouldn’t explain it all. For example, on the first day we went to the park, it was most people’s first safari and he was demonstrating impatience when anyone asked to stop to look at an animal. He was trying to show us something special that was going on in another part of the reserve, but we could not know it since he hadn’t said anything. The next day, he stopped the car out of nowhere and went outside to fix something next to a tire without telling us a thing. We were kept wondering what was going on with the car until he came back minutes later.
JP
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
professional
Among too many tour companies for Kilimanjaro climbing, I was very lucky to choose Kisambi Tours and to meet the main guide Matty, the assistant guide Joseph, the cook, and the porters!
Compared to other major companies , Kisambi’s price was so low that honestly I worried if they really came to pick me up at the Airport. However, the e-mails before the departure was very smooth, their advice was so exact and credible, I decided to trust them.
Unlike many other big groups, they didn't offer a fancy "tea party" with a tablecloth on a terrace along the way, nor any unnecessarily luxurious meals or champagne. But they had sophisticated strategy and strong supportive power for reaching Uhuru Peak. In details, the timing of meals, the weather strategy, the pacing according to the clients' abilities and so on. They were so professional in every aspect.
If you want to experience Kilimanjaro purely as a mountaineering, I highly recommend climbing with Matty. He even offers winter Kilimanjaro climbs and a variation hiking route camping in crater and climbing directly to tje Uhuru peak.
There are true mountain enthusiasts in Tanzania!
Thank you so much!
Of the many companies available, I chose Kisambi Tours, and I was truly fortunate to have met main guide Matty, subguide Joseph, the cook, and the porters!
Compared to other companies, the price was so low that I was honestly a little worried. However, the pre-departure communication was so smooth and the advice so accurate that I decided to trust them.
Unlike many other companies, there was no tea ceremony with tablecloths on the terrace along the way, or any unnecessarily extravagant food or champagne, but
they were professional in every way, from their sophisticated strategy for reaching Uhuru Peak to the food, weather, and pacing the climbers according to their ability.
If you want to experience Kilimanjaro purely as a mountain, I recommend climbing with Matty. He said he can accommodate climbing Kilimanjaro in the dead of winter, or a short variation route to the summit with an overnight stay at Okama!
It turns out there are mountaineers in Tanzania too!! Thank you very much.
(automatic translation from Japanese)
US
50-65 years of age
Thomas is very knowledgeable of the history of South Africa and the areas we went
Initially I was surprised by our operator because he asked what itinerary we had for the day. I felt that should have been communicated with him before picking us up. Overall was happy with the tour and our operator Thomas.
IT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Family Safari / 6 days
We did a family safari and overall it was a very good experience. The guides and drivers were always kind, attentive, and knowledgeable; the Spanish-speaking guide, who was from the Maasai tribe, was excellent. We also appreciated the good communication and the flexibility of the coordinator, Leopard, who handled unforeseen situations very well, as well as the effort made to show us as many animals as possible.
The hotels were very good, except for the last one in Ruaha National Park, which was not in good condition and did not match the level of the previous ones. One point for improvement would be clearer information about the long transfers between parks: the last stretch involved about 700 km (around 15 hours), and we eventually decided to take a flight instead.
Overall, it was a positive and recommendable experience.
BG
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Mixed feelings
I would say we were happy with the service and that we had a good time. BUT I was in contact with the agency long time before our arrival in Kenya. We talked and planned everything to the perfect point. The only issue was when we were told couple of days before our arrival that we will have a slight change of the plan for the FIRST DAY ONLY, which was not true. It totally ruined the first day of the safari, because it was only 2 hrs in Masai Mara and we still had to pay the full price to entry the park which was very disappointing. First day gone, we weren't happy at all I wish the tour guide told us that it's not worth to do the first day(arrival day at Masai Mara) and just cancel it. The second day was great, we were really happy that day - it was full day safari at Masai Mara which was worth the money. Then the next day we headed to another national park and the plan was to leave early so we can arrive there early and start the game drive as soon as possible so we have more time at the park, that was the AGREED plan between the agency and us. It didn't happen. We only had another 2 hrs in the park and we still had to pay the full price for that day. I totally understand that the road is long drive but I wish the tour guide told us that the plan we are making is not possible to fully enjoy. When we were talking everything was agreed and we were expecting to STICK to the plan but it didn't happen at all. So day 1 - disappointment, day 2 - great, day 3 - disappointment. Day 4 - we headed to another national park but before that we did another game drive for 2 hrs because we told them that we are upset for the day 3, because we didn't have enough time at the park at all. They decided to offer us another 2 hrs morning drive the next day at the same park which we agreed, but we weren't told that we won't have enough time for the third park we are going on the day 4. Then on day 4 we arrived at the third park spend another 2 hrs at the park, which was "kind" of the plan, wish it was longer. The BIGGEST issue was that on day 5, which was INCLUDED in the package I paid for another game drive in the morning before we leave to Diani Beach, I had to pay another park fee(120$ for two) and to the driver(200$) which was total disappointment as this was supposed to be INCLUDED in the plan. I WISH we were told that the plan we are making is NOT possible since the driving hours and long distance between the National parks but we weren't told. That was the biggest issue. Miscommunication. If we were told that is not possible to do this and that for the time we have, we would have made another plan so we can enjoy the game drives for more hours, instead of only 2 hrs per game drive. You PAY THE FULL PRICE BUT YOU DON'T GET THE FULL EXPERIENCE. Thankfully we saw all the animals for that short amount of time in the parks and I would say we are happy with the tour guide and the driver. The issue was misleading communication.
In short the plan was to be picked very early in the morning from the airport and drive to Masai Mara on first day. We were told that it's possible and there is no issues for the pick up time. We were late like 3 hrs before we drive to Masai Mara. Then after we arrived we didn't start the game drive right away and as I said we only had like 2 hrs at the park for which you have to pay(400$ for park fees for two and another 200-250$ to the driver). Not cool. We would have cancelled the first day for sure if we knew that. We are not very experienced with safaris so I wish we were told that the plan we make is not possible because of the long distances. Didn't happen.
Second day Masai Mara full day - an amazing experience and great day.
Third day - Lake Nakuru, we arrived early there but didn't start the game drive until it was too late. We had like 2 hrs which was kind of okay, but we expected to spend more time there. Then on the fourth day we were offered to spend another 2 hrs in the park so we can "fully" enjoy. I would say we were happy with that.
Immediately after the game drive we drove to Amboseli which is very far and we arrived and thankfully we started the game drive immediately. We spend another 2 hrs there and it was good. The next day we were supposed to do game drive in the morning at Amboseli but we were told that the package includes only one game drive which was on the arrival day. So basically they told us that we are paying so much money just to spend 2 hrs afternoon game drive at Amboseli. The next day they said we are heading to Diani Beach without any game drive. THE PLAN was to do another game drive in the morning at Amboseli and then drive to Diani. They disagreed that was the plan so I had to pay another (120$ for 2 ppl for the park) and also 200$ to the driver so he can drive us around the park for like 3-4 hrs. We had to agree to pay that because obviously we came so far and to only spend 2 hrs in Amboseli was not enough.
After the game drive we drove to Diani and we were dropped of.
Don't get me wrong tour guide and the driver were good, but the communication was so bad and we didn't stick to the plan at all. The only day we fully enjoyed was the second day - full day in Mara. The rest of the time - not so good and we had to pay more than the agreement we had. Not cool. We had a good experience but expected way more. We left Kenya with mixed feelings about the agency.
4 start I would say...
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A trust-worthy agency
Everything was Okay and smooth-no drama. We enjoyed our trip overall. Brian was a nice guy. Everything was just as expected, if threre could be more surprise, that'd be fantastic. We couln't see enough lions and leopards, but overall was a nice journey.
DK
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Safari in Mikumi
My safari in Mikumi was a fantastic experience. The park is full of wildlife, and I was lucky to see elephants, giraffes, lions, and more. What made the trip truly special was our driver – professional, safe, and very knowledgeable. He spotted animals I would have missed, shared interesting facts, and made the whole journey enjoyable. Highly recommended!