FR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent, energetic and very accommodating
We booked a tour with Ravina tours for 3 days and it was good experience. The tour guide also took us to the local markets where he helped us even bargain for souvenirs and also gave us an exclusive “tour” to some of the locals who shared with us about the local culture. Would definitely recommend!!!
CH
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Amazing and vibrant country, full of surprises
We booked our Tanzania Safari trip with Paradise & Wilderness Group and Anouk; our consultant planned a dream trip for us. We had a 13-night, 12-day trip mainly focusing on the Northen circuit. Anouk catered to all our wishes and was awesome when it came to changes to the set itinerary. She was always there for us until the day of our trip, advising us and emailing us with all possible do´s and don´ts and reminding us of all the contact numbers etc. There were so many highlights it is hard to know where to start. There was our stay at Lake Natron, in a desert surrounded by volcanos, and with a sunrise walk with a Massai guide, over the salt-caked mudflats to photograph flamingos. The safari drives were punctuated by new, breath-taking wildlife sightings every few minutes, including so many lions that after 50 we lost count. A cheetah sighting by our Massai guide led to a day-long pursuit, ending in a spectacular Zebra kill. Mating lions and elephant filled our camera lenses to bursting point. Ngorongoro crater presented us with a Lost World of countless animals, enclosed in a 10km wide primaeval caldera. Here we chased black Rhino, but never came closer that a few hundred meters. There were the dusty drives through other-worldly landscapes of endless acacia trees and baobabs, punctuated by sightings of brightly dressed Massai tending their herds, carrying water over endless long miles, selling precious honey by the roadside, and children waving frantically, and enthusiastically practising their English. Our stay in the lodges presented us with hyenas calling in the dark night, directly outside our tent, water buffalo lurking, giraffe wandering unconcerned a few meters away and streams of baboons, young and old. All Africa Safari lodges were amazing, but especially Lake Natron and Ikhoma lodges were wonderful. The staff was extremely friendly and supportive, and all comforts were taken care off. There is not a single moment or experience we regret, the holiday has been just wonderful.
FR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Tanzania have it all! not only wild animals/safari but great people, culture & nature!
Tanzania was a great option for the Safari tour! Wild life is rich & diverse, so we were able to see a lot of animals -really close!!- even when we did not go during the "migration season". November was a great month as high season is over and the parks are not full.. you get the chance to appreciate the nature in a more calm way and weather was great (around 23-26 C) and no rain as dry season was longer this year.
I highly recommend to do other "extra activities" to know more about the culture, people and nature. Our Tour operator (Zohar - really good ones!!) offered various activities that they organized with local communities so we were able to "get out of the turistic world" a little bit and enjoy more than the wildlife.
and we felt secure during ALL THE TRIP! not only in side the parks, but the "sense of community" that Tanzania's people have is spread everywhere! We got ONLY GREAT & WARM treat since the arrival to the airport until the end of the trip.
LT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable experience
We visited Tanzania in November, and it was a great choice! The weather was great, didn’t experience any rain during our week’s stay (just for few hours in the night). First we went to Ngorongo crater from Arusha, and we saw all the animals living there, including giraffes outside the crater, except the rhino! Temperature was really pleasant. After that we went to Zanzibar where we didn’t experience any rain again, temperatures were great. Would definitely recommend to everyone!
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Once in a lifetime trip with a few hiccups
Overall, the trip was quite memorable . The Cape Town portion was go, go, go. Jonathan, our Go Touchdown driver and guide was very good and got us to the excursions on time but each day was filled with perhaps too many excursions (not Jonathon’s fault). Jonathon even got Go Touchdown to compensate the “girls” on the trip with a massage when one sea excursion was canceled due to inclement weather. On the safari portion the guides were knowledgeable and quite entertaining. Shadrack at Tsukudu was the BEST. We felt fortunate that he found 4 of the big 5 for us. On the other hand, at Humala our guide said a “saying” that I felt was a racial slur. It was said only on one day (repeatedly) and if it continued during the rest of the trip I would have brought it up with the management. All in all, Cape Town and the Safari was worth the flight time it took for us to get there (51 hours total) !!!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Unforgetable Holiday!
We wanted a tailormade trip to South Africa and Matt was certainly the man to fix it for us. From the start, Matt made every step easy and was always available via Whatsapp video call to help with any questions or queries. We arranged our own flights to Johannesburg and onward to Hoedspruit where we were met by one of Matt's colleagues and driven to our first lodge 'Jackalberry Lodge' which was just a delight. The Ranger and Tracker were so knowledgeable, we were treated to a fabulous pride of four male lions on our first night out, breath taking! After 3 nights and 6 amazing game drives we were picked up and driven to our next lodge ‘Idubi Safari Lodge in Sabi Sands Game Reserve, Greater Kruger National Park. A very comfortable lodge with our own private pool overlooking the bush route for many different animals, especially elephants, an absolute treat to watch. Again, our Ranger and Tracker were so knowledgeable and capable and made each game drive fun and exciting. The lodge itself was very comfortable, every meal was delicious, the staff were very helpful and friendly which made our stay so enjoyable. We spent 3 nights at Idubi and enjoyed 6 game drives managing to tick off so many of our favourite animals, particularly cheetah, leopard, lion, white rhino and we also saw wild dogs, buffalo, hippo, hyena and so many more fantastic creatures. We were driven to our final lodge ‘Lukimbi Safari Lodge in Kruger National Park. Lukimbi is a pretty spectacular place with individual lodges with beautiful bathrooms and private pools overlooking the park, perfect for game viewing, particularly elephants down by the river. A further 3 days and 6 game drives were filled with amazing wildlife and relaxing days, truly a holiday to remember.
Matt listened to what we wanted and chose the lodges to match our interests; he arranged for our transportation between the airports and lodges and was always at the end of the phone if we had any questions. We would certainly rebook through Matt when we return to South Africa.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fantastic trip and awesome team
I had been planning my safari to Africa with my family for years and my worry was finding a reliable safari operator. Then I connected with Lush Africa Safaris. Abbey was nice and kind working with me on my itinerary even when I changed it around several times. Steven and Solomon in Uganda and Kenya ensured that we had a memorable safari taking us to the most vantage points for animal viewing. The animals put on a show flor us. My elder son Jason fell in love with one particular hyena clan in Masai Mara because he thought they were expert hunters. It helps when you have a guide that knows the animals like the back of his hand. I would definitely recommend Lush Africa Safaris for anyone traveling to Africa.
FR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The Dream Team to hike Kilimanjaro (7 days Machame Route)
This was the 2nd high mountain hiking experience for my boyfriend and I but we would have never experienced a trek as long as this one. We chose the 7 days Machame Route following the advise of Samson (Kilimanjaro Bound manager) to maximize our chances to acclimatize well. The day we arrived at Mount Kilimanjaro airport, we met with one of our guide: Aggrey. He came with us to the hotel, gave us a quick briefing and checked at our equipment to make sure we were not missing anything. We started our trek on the 19th of October 2022 with nice weather. It was a long first day and we get to appreciate what would become our daily routine. We were surprised that 10 people were taking care of the 2 of us! We get the chance to meet the Dream Team: Aggrey and Leonard our knowledgeable, patient and careful guides, Eduardo the joyful cook also nicknamed "Stomach Engineer" and a team of 7 lovely persons without whom the logistic and the success of this trip would have not been possible, the porters and camp assistants: Honnest, God Bless, Eli, Bruce, Kelvin, Marco, William ! We would call them the Wondermen! The job they do is very tough as they carry up to 20kilos each, over long distances and difficult trails. Then they settle the camp. A big thank you to each of you!
The food was amazingly delicious and the chef adapted it so it would suit my vegan diet...the soups and the Tanzanian dumplings were to die for! We have never eaten that much and it certainly helped us reach the Roof of Africa!
The logistics was perfect, we were never missing anything: water to "wash wash" (thanks Honnest ;) ), fresh water to drink, plenty of ginger tea, snacks.
We got a comfortable tent with a table and chairs to have our meals away from the wind and sun. The inside of the tent had enough room to fit 2 mattresses and our duffle bags. We had trouble getting use to go to bed early and to bear the cold at night, but sometimes we survived!
About the sceneries and the hike experience...wow! This was amazing! Each day was different and the flora was soooo beautiful! I won't tell much as you have to discover it on your own!
The summit day was tough! The early departure (00:00am), the cold, the 7 hours of very steep ascent in the dark did not make it easy! We did not really suffer from altitude sickness as we followed the recommendations from our guides as to avoid the temptation to stop for too long as we were quite tired.
We reached the Stella Point and later, at about 7am we were having fun at Uhuru Peak with Aggrey and Leonard. Thanks for your support during this journey! Then, the 4 hours descent was long and the trail very dusty. We stopped for 2 hours at the base camp to have lunch and for some rest time. We still had a 4 hours hike to reach Mweka camp as Millenium camp ( closer from the base camp) was not recommended at that time as it has suffered a big fire that we saw from Baranco Camp on the 3rd day of our trek. This was a really long day of more than 15hours walking. We wish we could have split that day but this is how it is! The last day was much easier, reaching the cloud forest and finally exiting the park with our diploma in hands and mixed emotions of excitement and sadness because this experience was finished.
Thanks again Kilimanjaro Bound for making our dream come true! It worths every penny! Thanks Dream Team for sharing your good vibes, singing and dancing!
CL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very profesional, knowledgeable and precise. Best trip ever!
It's been a few weeks since our trip to Tanzania and I cannot thank Kibuyu enough. Everything is done with such thought and precision that you realize the lengh of organization and detail that is put into your Safari. From the quality of the 4x4 vehicle, to the talented and knowledgeable guide and the beautiful accomodations, you will feel at home as you head deeper into the bush. Marie and Colman make sure that not one detail is overlooked to make sure that your Safari is an experience that will stay with you forever. Asanté Sana Kibuyu!
IE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Professional, reliable, did not disappoint
From start to finish the Safari was fantastic. Alex's communication was very reliable and we felt the company was very trustworthy.
Our guide Khalifa was punctual and engaging and told us all about Kenyan culture and Safari.
The 3 day Safari did not disappoint. Khalifa went to great lengths to get us to observe the Big 5.
Our Safari was somewhat curtailed on the last day by our decision to go to the Maasai camp. It would have been nice to have more time on the reserve that day.
Have money for activities and Safari ready in advance.