50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Musa, Charles, & their team's outstanding Kilimanjaro Trek
I know this review is long but I hope you take the time to read it because I cannot say enough good things about Musa, Charles, and their team. If you can book them for your adventure up Kilimanjaro, do it! You will not be disappointed because they are the ones who got me to the summit of Kilimanjaro. Without them I would not have succeeded. While the gear was top notch (great tents, thick sleeping pads, very warm sleeping bags, fantastic private toilet tent, plus more) and the back office support of Easy Travel great, it was the dedication of and service provided by Musa, Charles and the trekking team that stands out. Their attention to detail and regularly providing service above and beyond the call of duty was inspiring and much appreciated. For example, on a number of the days, after breaking camp, carrying everything to the next site and setting it up, many of the team back tracked along the trail to meet us to lend support and encouragement. Our “trail angels” as we took to calling them, seemed to know just when to show up to lighten our load, providing us with that extra spark of encouragement that enabled us to see the day through to the end. Something, that at my age of 63, I’m not ashamed to admit that I needed. Also other hikers, after observing the attention we were given by Musa, Charles, and the team, and asking if we were paying extra for the heightened level of service, were surprised to find out the answer was no. They also seemed a bit envious. However, it is not surprising coming from a team that has a commitment to the single unifying goal, which they shared with us several times, of getting us safely to the summit and then down. A commitment they demonstrated time and again, putting actions to their words. And I would be remiss if I did not also call out the outstanding food provided by the team Chef, Said. His delicious dishes provided us with the energy we needed to power on. So, if you have the dream of making it to the summit of Kilimanjaro, Musa, Charles, and their team can help you fulfill it! They truly are dream makers.
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
A Truly Memorable Trip
Some background. We have traveled extensively in North America our home territory. We also covered a lot of Europe and Asia having lived and worked in both locations. That being said South America, the Middle East and Africa remained uncovered when we retired some 10 years ago.
This trip was long time in the making, planning started in 2019 with the trip to occur in September 2020. Circumstances beyond our control delayed the trip until 2023, some three years later. We were fortunate in that GoFan survived and that the passage of time did not result in significant price increases or penalties.
Why Gofan? Like others I sounded out friends who had done safari in Africa and a mate who I worked with when we lived in the UK used GoFan on his first trip to Kenya. He and I discussed itinerary, accommodations and expectations. I put the trip out to bid with my long time tour operator Country Holidays of Singapore who had more recently been absorbed by Scott Dunn and the aforementioned GoFan. All for a private safari for two people, about two weeks in total and driving rather than flying between parks/sites.
We ended up going with Gofan as the pricing was significantly less and were thrilled with our trip. As we were driving not flying between parks, there was less of a need to stay inside the park confines likely resulting in lower accommodation costs. Communications with GoFan were excellent and they were very responsive to queries. Note, always good to download and know how to use WhatsApp, the defacto universal communication tool.
We were met at the airport by our driver/guide Onesimus who was exceptional and a huge reason the trip was a success. His knowledge of the terrain, parks, and wildlife was excellent and he also gave us big insights into the country and people. His calm demeanor and experience always put us in a good place. We got the big five in the first week and totaled three leopards and fourteen cheetahs during our two weeks. Even Onesimus said we did well
IT
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wonderful
We had a wonderful 7 days safari organised by Jocky tours. Our driver and guide John was super. Very kind, helpful, and professional. The week was very well organised. We are super happy to have chosen Jocky Tours. Very good value for the price we paid. We visited Masai Mara, Amboseli, Naiwashi, lake Nakuru, Hells Gate. And we saw the big five and many more animals
CA
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Knowledgeable and very informativeit
It was a very smooth and safe ride from Joberg to Hazyview. Victor supplied with lots of good info about the route, about South Africa, and about the history. And politics. Very friendly and caring.
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
My operator Simon was absolutely incredible. He was kind, knowledgeable, and made me feel safe.
I had the most amazing trip of my life with my tour guide Simon from Qualified Tours. My 6 day private safari included Tarangire National Park, Ngorongoro National Park, and The beautiful Serengeti. I saw everything including the BIG 5! All the other animals were amazing to see from the safety of my jeep including the Zebra, Giraffe, Baboons, monkeys, ostrich, hippos, cobra, Giselle, antelopes and warthogs!!! Simon took me to a single origin coffee farm and roaster, where I had the most incredible coffee of my life. He took me to the Tanzanite experience, the African Cultural museum, for a massage and sauna, and to meet the local Masi tribe, all while teaching me some words in Swahili. The accommodations were beautiful, the food was amazing and the service and entertainment was world class. I will definitely return and bring my friends. I have so many incredible photos of the landscape, the people, the lakes and the volcanos. My favourite part of the journey was my wonderful tour guide Simon!!!! Everything he did for me to make me feel safe and to insure that all of my needs were met was above and beyond. The people of Tanzania and Qualified Tours made my first trip to Africa one of the best times in my life! Thank you sooooo much Simon. Sincerely, Kia Kadiri (Vancouver, BC, Canada)
IN
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent
We loved moafricas arrangement a d coordination. We will never forget the punctuality and great customer behavior of Arnold, who was our driver.
We would like to come back again
AT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very experienced provider, perfectly organized and individual tours are possible
We did the 5 days medium ranged price private tour with a 4x4 Jeep through Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru and Lake Naivasha.
We were picked up at our hotel in Nairobi and were brought to the office in the center, where we payed the remaining amount. There we met Joseph, our tour guide and driver. He was a very friendly and experienced guide and he brought us to the best spotting places in the Masai Mara. Also his driving skills are mentionable and often we were among the first cars at a game spotting. His knowledge about the animals was great and he answered every question we had.
The lodge in Masai Mara (Jambo Mara) was not the best. In the two days we had problems with our toilet and the electricity in our cabin. Lake Nakuru lodge and Sopa lodge at Lake Naivasha were really beautiful and we enjoyed our stay there. The staff in every lodge was very friendly to us.
I would only recommend to strictly avoid the boat trip on Lake Naivasha and the visit to Hells Gate National Park. Both costs 20 Dollars per person, without tip for the obligate guide, and it is the money not worth. These are typical tourist traps!
I would definitely recommend Jocky Tours as a tour operator. The private tour in a 4x4 jeep was totally worth the money and I would do it again, but beware of the typcial traps like optional boat rides and park visits.
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Reliable, friendly and very professional with a lot of expertise
My partner and I had the pleasure of embarking on a 6-day private safari adventure in Tanzania, exploring the incredible wildlife and landscapes of Mikumi National Park, Ruaha National Park, and Udzwunga National Park with African Pangolin Safaris. What made this experience truly exceptional was our outstanding guide, Mansoor. His expertise was great. With his ability to spot animals, we had a chance of seeing elephants, lions, giraffes, buffalos and many others. We even saw leopards on for days in a row, which is really rare. He also gave us interesting background information on the country, people, culture and wildlife in general.
We drove in a nice and really new Toyota Landcruiser, the perfect safari car. Food was included and tasted good, we had a fridge in the car so there was cooled water all the time. you can book different levels of accommodation depending on your budget. we chose basic accommodation and the rooms were okay, mosquito nets were always included.
The above mentioned national parks are really worth a visit as they are less crowded then the northern counterparts (Serengeti for example). We liked Ruaha NP best even though it takes a lot of time to get from A to B in Tanzania. The roads were good but there are lots of trucks on the road. Udzwunga NP is good for hiking, we did a 14km circuit- there are even possibilities of hiking for multiple days.
So if you want to explore Tanzania’s wildlife and you are looking for a nice, friendly and reliable tour operator we warmly recommend to choose African Pangolin Safaris.
FR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Amazing
I organise many tours ans Safaris with this company. All was great and perfect. They realise my dream . They are very friendly and professional,
I recommend them , and especially Oscar.
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Easy Booking
Patricia was very helpful in booking our safari for four. The accommodations were very comfortable and the staff were excellent at check in and checkout. There were plenty of game drive options in a three day safari and animal sightings were plentiful. The food was excellent and in more than enough quantity for even the biggest eater in our group. The drive to and from Johannesburg are long, so if at all possible, we recommend flying to Hudspruit to start your adventure. The Blyde Canyon is well worth the drive back to Johannesburg.
