NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
James was Amazing, friendly, knowledgeable and welcoming. Can't recommend him enough
Our 5-day tour with Axis and with James as our guide could not have been better! James was friendly and accommodating from the first second and he made the entire trip 10 times better in the way he shared his vast knowledge on the wildlife. We got to see everything we wanted in the Masai Mara + the Masai village tour was exceptional. The Masai were extremely open and accommodating and it is an experience I really recommend. All the accomodations (especially the tented camps) was unique and very enjoyable + the food was great and had a very local feel to it all the way. Our guide was also very flexible and listened to the wants and needs of the group, especially as we asked for more time in Hell's Gate (one of my favourite experiences) instead of more time in Naivasha).
Both the tour and especially James gets 5 stars from me.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great team who were genuinely friendly who made our trip special.
Had a great experience with white plains safari. They were extremely welcoming and friendly.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic, organized, reliable and comforting!
Our family of 4 travelled to Tanzania in May 2022. Sangeeta and Malvika handled our arrangements. When there were multiple last minute changes to our flight itineraries they handled the various permutations with patience, grace and our best interests in mind.
I can't say enough good things about the places they recommended we stay and visit. The entire experience, from how and what to pack, to making sure we were greeted personally at each airport was smooth, seamless and high class. I highly recommend Chalo Africa-they will arrange a trip of a lifetime for you! We wish we could have stayed longer!
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Top notch bespoke Safari Travel service.
I can't say enough good things about Tailormade Africa. They arranged what I consider to be "once in a lifetime" travel experience for my wife and I. I really liked their process. It is very personal and very user-friendly. I talked extensively with Clyde Beaty, one of the company's founders. He listened attentively to my objectives and ideas and asked a lot of questions. He used his extensive knowledge and experience to answer all of my questions and to guide and direct me in formulating our rough plan. He then prepared a detailed itinerary for us and it was spot-on, showing that he understood what we wanted. Clyde and his staff were invariably professional and highly competent throughout this process..
However, we had to reschedule our trip due to the pandemic. When it came time to reschedule, a couple of small tweaks were necessary. Clyde made the rescheduling easy and seamless for us.
Now that we have completed the trip I am even more impressed. I can't imagine a better trip. We were extremely pleased with every aspect of the trip. All of the accommodations, guides, food, etc. were excellent. Aside from these main aspects there were a lot of logistics involved. We stayed in four different locations in Botswana and Zimbabwe that required transfers via small planes, private cars and also border crossings. All of it went without a hitch.
Prior to the trip, we had some concerns about Covid-19. In fact, the trip had far less Covid-19 risk than we had anticipated. We flew from the US to Johannesburg and all flights into South Africa require that all passengers and crew wear masks throughout the flight (as of late May 2022). Also everyone flying into South Africa from overseas is required to show either proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test. All of the flights(4) we took within Africa also required mask wearing. Our hotel in Johannesburg required masks in all public areas. Likewise the van service and hotel vans we used required masks. All of the safari vehicles were obviously open so wearing of masks was unnecessary. All of the lodges and camps we stayed in had open air dinings so we really didn't have meals indoors. Finally, throughout our trip hand sanitizers were commonly available in public spaces. Overall, we felt less risk of catching Covid-19 on our African trip that we do in the US.
On top of everything else, Josh from Tailormade Africa was able to make a change to our flight from Johannesburg back to the states at the last minute (same day of the flight). That was amazing and we were very grateful for his great performance.
So, we found Clyde Beaty and the whole team at Tailormade Africa to truly fantastic!
FR
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A tailor-made stay! Fantastic journey
Zambia and Malawi were a unique experience for us! We have already traveled to Africa often, but this trip was unique. Mike and Razziah were able to listen to our wishes and concocted an exceptional stay for us, knowing how to adapt to our budget. Everything was great: the organization without any hiccups (rather rare), magnificent places, adorable and competent hosts and guides, a rich and intimate experience, so far from the safari industry.
Memorable!
(automatic translation from French)
KR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trustworthy travel agency, perfect satisfaction
I compared and quoted many travel agencies on safaribookings.com. Kilimanjaro Adventure club was very prompt, accurate and kindly supported my travel plan. I trusted makoninde to deposit the advance payment. The guide denis, was an expert and explained everything from small animals to big cats in detail, and did her best to observe them from a good location. His driving was perfect. They were delicate and experienced. They had a great vehicle and enjoyed the rough terrain without obstacles. I recommend this travel agency without hesitation.
QA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Above & Beyond expectation Safari.
Greatest experience ever, this is must on your travel list.
Budget tour with great guide and driver Isaac who drove us from sunset till sundown to make sure all our expectations were exceeded.
Highly recommended during the week when not overcrowded, you can enjoy the natural world with all animals around you. Perfect moments, we saw Big 5.
We stayed in Rhino Safari Lodge ,simple clean accommodation in tents.Perfect for nature lovers.
Great food made by Lodge Chefs, traditional dishes, fruits and cakes.
Masai Mara - is just amazing, there is no words to describe beauty of the Park.
Jocky Tours & Safaris thank you very much for unforgettable time, best time and amazing memories.
I will be back for sure.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Friendly and always helpful tour operator
Great experience and adventure. The guides try everything to make sure that you'll have a great time with many animals and information.
Amazing highlight: camping in Serengeti with special guests at night. "That's nature".
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Safari Online’s Incredible Botswana adventure
Our trip was to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary, however having made the best laid plans with Safari Online, Covid struck! Luckily Walter@SafariOnline maintained great communications throughout, initial delayed by a year, then due the omicron variant another. Walter rearranged all the lodges & internal flights / transfers calmly & efficiently. Two years of build up certainly heightened the excitement & expectations……we were not disappointed!
We commenced our trip at Maun, with a short flight up to the Okavango Delta , to Xugana Island Lodge. What a way to start…on the boat transfer to the actual Xugana Island Lodge we saw Crocs, Birds & Hippos, my wife’s favourite animal & the only requirement I asked Walter to guarantee!
We received a lovely welcome to Xugana, our room was wonderful, overlooking the lake with Birds & Hippos aplenty. Safaris here consistent of small boat , traditional canoes or walking. Walking through the bush with our fantastic guide ‘Wise’ was an awesome experience, learning to not only lookout for, but to listen out ( for bird alarm calls etc.) & even smell the environment around us.
We were lucky enough to see Elephants, Hippos, Baboons, Warthogs & Impala up close. Our two nights at Xugana Lodge were very comfortable with great company from both the staff & small number of other guests.After a morning walking Safari we caught the 20 min flight to Savuti.
We were staying at Ghoha Hills (for a couple of nights) which was set up one of the few hills in the more savanna style area of Savuti. Despite being a bit further away from the airfield & reserve (about 30 mins drive) we did get to see Hyenas feasting on a dead elephant carcass! Our luxury tent was amazing & the staff at the lodge were lovely. We felt a little self conscious as we were the only guests, but it did mean we had our own guide ‘ Kennedy’ all to ourselves, he was very knowledgeable & chatted about what he was looking for when tracking various animals. In Savuti we saw lots of different Antelopes, Giraffes, Zebra, Wilder-beasts, Elephants, Birds, but the highlights were the Lions & Cheetahs. We spent a wonderful hour or so tracking then finding “Scorty” a male lion, so named as born with a short tail! Kennedy said ‘ these look like fresh lion tracks’, a which point my wife pointed to the Lion 20 feet in front of the Jeep!…very fresh!
Our transfer again by small plane, was slightly delayed……due Elephants on the runway!
Flight took about 30 mins to Camp Moremi, which was a slightly bigger lodge but had the most wonderful tented rooms & the staff had made some great towel art of Bats , Crocodiles & Elephants. We had excellent company each evening around the camp fire, with stories of the local tribes & descriptions of the huge southern sky. We had game drives around the lagoons & waterways again seeing everything from Hippos to Lions….plus the added bonus of seeing a couple of illusive Leopards. One evening we were given a private dinning experience to help us celebrate our anniversary, which was wonderful. On retiring to bed we could hear & occasionally see the Hippos, Warthogs & Water Buffaloes wondering around the lodge grounds.
From Camp Moremi we took the slightly longer transfer ( about 50 min flight) to Kasane Airport & onto Chobe Game Lodge.
We had a slight shock on arrival….Walter@safarionline on the phone! Unfortunately Comair had just cancelled our flight back to Jo’berg at the end of our trip! Luckily Walter had calmly & professionally checked out our options & managed to secure two seats on a suitable alternate flight, he was just sorting the road transfers & would let us know when all done…..at least 3 others at hotel were due to be on same flight & didn’t even know it was cancelled! Walter’s quick & calm sorting of this problem ment we suffered no stress & were able to continue enjoying our incredible adventure.
Chobe Game Lodge was a larger more hotel set up with a more formulaic style of early morning game drives & afternoon boat safaris in small groups of 8 people. Our guide was slightly less engaged & appeared to follow a fairly set route through the national park, although we spent some fantastic times watching the baby & larger Elephants play & saw some superb game from Hippos to Lions. Ilala was missing some of the little touches that made the earlier lodges so wonderful, such as hot water bottles for early game drives & boat trips (especially) as at 6am it was very cold on the water. The food at Chobe was excellent & we spent a couple of lovely evenings chatting with other like minded travellers. We were also given a lovely cake with a singing a compliment on our anniversary.To top it off, on our transfer out of the park we saw Lions plus Hippos out of the water.
Transferring over the boarder to Zimbabwe ( Victoria Falls) was as painless as possible the agents Wild Horizons were very helpful. We checked into Ilala Lodge Hotel which was wonderful, great location, 1000 steps to the falls, with helpful staff & a lovely atmosphere. We had a superb meal at there restaurant in the evening & really enjoyed the sunset cruise on the Zambezi , seeing more Hippos, Crocs ,Birds & Elephants. Our highlight here was on our last evening seeing three large Hippos in the gardens of the hotel ‘mowing’ the lawns!
Walter had done a great job rearranging our transfer back to Kasane & flights to Johannesburg for our return home, all went smoothly, can’t thank you enough.
This trip was a truly unforgettable experience, we feel very lucky to have seen everything we possibly could. Can’t recommend Safari Online highly enough for making it such a wonderful trip & for all your assistance not only over Covid but also with the last minute hiccups that Walter dealt with so quickly.
Regards
Clive & Louise
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic time with a reliable and friendly team
We were in Kenya for 2 weeks for a university field trip and I could not recommend White Plains Safaris enough- we were with Joseph for the full 2 weeks and had a fantastic time. The cars were very nice, the service was reliable and very friendly, and everyone involved was great and provided a fantastic service.