DK
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Passionate new tour operator who delivers on promises!!
Let me breakdown the review in 4 sections for my 11 days trip in February’2023:
1. Pre-Trip
I had contacted atleast 15 different tour operator with my itinerary for quotes and negotiations. Out of all the responses I had selected Serengeti Smile as they were better in – proposal, responsiveness, flexibility in accommodating plans, price point(though not the cheapest quote) and finally comfort that I felt in dealing / speaking with Frank over video & audio calls. Also, the negotiations and prepayment procedures and acknowledgement of receipts where smooth and on time – hence providing much needed assurance and peace of mind.
2. First 6 days
The first six days (spent 3 each at Ndutu and Seronera) where fantastic and extremely high on energy. Both the guides who accompanied us were fantastic (Peter – extremely knowledgeable on Birds & Champion – great eyes for spotting animals). I am extremely happy that I had them as guide.
3. Next 5 days
For this part – I came back again to Ndutu. The energy of the guides for this part of the trip declined from the level they had set in the first 6 days. Ofcourse I have to mention here that I was doing game drive everyday from 06:30 in the morning till atleast 18:00 and could see that it is taking a physical toll on the guides. As result on few instances, it lead to spending of time on activities that I would have rather spent otherwise.
4. After-Trip
At the end of the trip a session was arranged to take our feedback about the experience – and this was done without the guides being present. I had mentioned the above points to Frank and have suggested some changes which he can incorporate to make the experience even better. Frank was very open to constructive feedback.
To conclude –
- Did Serengeti smile met my expectation – yes
- Waere the promises made during pre-trip fulfilled – yes – exceeded in some occasions
- Would I recommend Serengeti Smile – absolutely YES. It is a relatively new company and wish them best wishes
Thanks for a great experience!! Thanks - Frank, Champion & Peter!!!
IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable experience
We were lucky enough to see every animal specie that lives in the Maasai Mara, even rare ones. We were amazed by herds of zebras and gazelles, solitary cheetahs, sleepy crocodiles, hunting lionesses, a majestic lion, and even a leopard eating his prey on a tree.
It was my first safari ever and I never thought I would be in awe the whole time. I highly recommend this experience to everyone.
FR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Camptrek Safaris went the extra mile and surpassed our expectations by a lot
Our guide was extremely friendly and encouraged us to ask any questions we had in mind. This set an extremely friendly and open environment from the first few minutes.
During the tour we saw every single animal we hoped and felt that he made extra efforts to accommodate everything we needed while always giving us informative and funny bits. Our second outing was 8 hours long but went by quickly. In the last 2 hours we were alone with a Lion and then witnessed a Leopard eating its prey up on a tree!
Loved it.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
An unforgettable experience in Maasai Mara
We visited Maasai Mara in February for a few days and this was truly one of the most amazing experiences and an unforgettable one.
We had the chance to see incredible wildlife during our safari and our guide did a great job at spotting the animals and giving us a first row view of them.
I would definetely recommend this tour and will be using them in future if I come back to the region!
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
All was
Perfect organisation. All trips as confirmed. Good meals and perfect transport.
NL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very nice group tour
I booked a safari with Arusha Trips in the Netherlands. They co-operated with Leon Expeditions and Inno Africa to organise my group safari. So this review is about Arusha Trips, Leon Expeditions and Inno Africa.
I really enjoyed it! 4 days, 3 nights is just perfect to see Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngorongoro. Not too short but also not too long. The guide Omari and the cook Bryan were FAN-TAS-TIC! With their expertise and skills they really made the trip. Staying in Mambo Hideaway Arusha is a good choice if you like to stay in a quiet area (you can easily go to the center of Arusha by local bus).
There was a problem during my trip, but communication with the tour operators was easy and good. Car breakdowns are common, and so it was during this trip. But they fixed that we were picked-up by another car.
DK
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
We saw the big five and had an amazing tour and a very good guide
Everything was good planned from the beginning. We had a guide, who had a lot of facts about the different animals and who took a good time to explain and answer everything we asked. Differently worth the money, and a trip I will recommend to everyone who wants to go on safari.
ES
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Super experience, great Safari and excellent Guide!
Such a wonderful Safari in Masai Mara! I highly recommend it and would do it again. We were in very good hands and everything was taken care of. Keep it up and hopefully see you again soon!
JP
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience
It was my first safari experience.
Our guide, Rocky, was a super guide and very knowledgeable about the animals.
We had a great tour, thanks to the clear and detailed explanations, even for those of us who are not good at English.
It was a great 4-day tour and we were able to conquer the BIG 5!
SE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
3 day budget tour - had a great time!!
We went on the 3 day budget safari to Maasai Mara with Axis and had Dennis as our guide. We had amazing time and Dennis was a great driver and took us around to see so many animals in the park. He really knew what he was doing! He was also very accommodating to the needs of the people in the group. We couldn’t have wished for anything else.
The trip itself went really smoothly and we got picked up and dropped off at our place in Nairobi. The accommodation in Maasai Mara was simple but worked fine for the duration of our trip. The food was usually really good, although the lunch boxes during the second day was disappointing as it consisted of some chips, fruit and a yogurt. As the safari on the second day lasted for 10 hours (which we loved) we were going hungry with only snacks for lunch…
Overall great value for money and we’re very happy we chose to go with Axis!