AE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A very professional yet caring service provider
I must confess that it was very pleasant dealing with Simon from the onset. Simon ensured that he was constantly in touch with us during all stages from initiation/ planning to the culmination of the trip. All concerns/ suggestions were promptly taken care. Accommodation at Amboseli and Masai Mara were excellent; Nakuru accommodation was satisfactory.
However, there remained few concerns which surfaced because of Naivasha accommodation and also a 2 hours waiting period before start of Masai Mara trip as plan to induct another group was not properly planned. After raising these issues to Simon, he apologized immediately and took sincere care that any more problem is not encountered and remaining trip remains spot-less. Based on the feedback, he ensured that Naivasha accommodation was not repeated for any more tourist.
In all, I can say that he was a very professional and caring host and I will surely recommend him to all my friends.
CA
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Walking Amongst The Wildlife
There were 4 of us friends & 1 guide…Andy. He was the most amazing guide…considerate, Knowledgeable, patient. We were walking for 7 days; the camp moved every 2 days along the Zambezi River. The meals were Fabulous, cooked by Janet on an open fire. This was most incredible experience, walking in the flood plain, meeting NO ONE, very often surrounded by animals 360'.
Keep in mind these are tents, kerosene lamps & it is dark at 6 pm; showers are a bucket hanging over your head. But all this is part of the amazing experience. Walking is much more exciting than riding in a jeep.
Negative…the web site says luxury Camp Zambezi at the start…well there is no Camp Zambezi….that refers to an 'area'; so we expected 1 day at the front & 3 at the end to be luxury static camp, stationary …not so. We had 7 nights in the tents, 3 too many.! Feel the website is misleading. Switching to LED lights would be easy... less stinky & dangerous.
FR
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
great safari in Masai Mara and Lake Nakuru
My daughter and I booked our tour through Viator and were happy to be taken care of by Bencia Africa Adventures and safaris. Our safari in Masai Mara was great and we saw so many wild animals. Lake Nakuru Park seemed small compared to Masai Mara but the lake itself with the flamingos and other birds is worth seeing and we had the chance to see a black rhino. Our driver Morris had very sharp eyes and was able to spot the animals easily. George did nice meals for us (great soups!!). The accommodation was basic, which is OK for young people, but at my age I would have enjoyed more comfort. I would definitely recommend this agency especially if you don't have a big budget.
IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Strongly recommended safari operator
It was my first safari and it was a really amazing experience.
I chose Africa Travel Waves because my email correspondence with Edwina, the director, was very clear and with quick responses.
Everything was very well organized and how expected, there were just few changes in the schedule plan in order to put together other travelers with me, but I'm really satisfied of my choice.
Edwina came to pick me up at the airport, and the day after organized for me a city tour with a guide, then she was very helpful with the choice of my hotels.
All the transportation vehicles were ok, I had no problems with the visas, and the game drives were excellent with two expert drivers.
I had just few very little troubles: first 2 nights I was not given the breakfast as agreed by the hotel, but Edwina offered it to remedy, one night the campsite staff didn't know that I had a single room, but then with a phone call to the company it was resolved, and on the last day I thought I had the transportation to the airport included, but I had to pay it by myself, so I suggest you, if booking with this operator, to make clear every detail before the departure.
Anyway I strongly recommend this company for who wants to have a safari in Kenya and in Tanzania.
CA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The company taking care very well to client with good driver and excellent car well briefing
When you travel with Push new york africa safaris don't worry anything very good driver, well taking care i travelled with Peter who was our driver Its really good driver explained to us very well ,he tried well to make sure we see the bigfive like Lion, Cheetah, Elephant, Hippop, Hyena ,Wildebeest which was very amazing when doing migration running in the same situation this at Serengeti national park the land of endless plain, at Ngorongoro also amazing place from descending point we see rim of crater and game in floor where we saw Black rhino which not found any other area Really Push New York Africa Safaris ltd even price/cost is cheap. I expect to go again in 2016 for Mountain climbing to Kilimanjaro
2-day trip to Mikumi with 2 families and lots of kids
We took a 2-day trip to Mikumi from Dar and this included pick up and return to Dar-es-Salaam. The coordination and logistics were handled fantastically both by the 7Wonders HQ staff as well as their tour guides/drivers. We had 7 kids in the party ranging from 18mths to 17 years old so we could have been quite a handful but they managed our transportation and drives into the park seamlessly. Only possible downside was the monotony of the food provided. Nevertheless, we saw all the animals we had wished to see including a pride of lions thanks to the guides' impeccable tracking. Highly recommend.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Viagem inesquecivel! Unforgettable trip!!
Recommend DS always to my friends if they decide to go to Namibia!
HR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
unknown egg
Fair organised safari. Excelent experience. Will come back.
NL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Memorable Family Vacation in Selous and Zanzibar.
Our tour organizer, Samwel, did a good job explaining the options and making changes to the itinerary to suit our needs. The price was affordable and fair, and the tour company did everything they said they would do, such as airport pick up, transfers, etc. We also really enjoyed our experience with our driver / safari guide (Charles) who took very good care of us. They also speak good English, so communication was generally not a problem. Visiting Selous was great, we spent 1/2 day on the river (hippos, crocs, birds) and 2 full days in the reserve (giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, lions, elephant, hippos, crocs, impala, baboons, hyena, water buffalo, etc) and really enjoyed this experience. I would recommend this tour company and would use them again. If I had to replan the trip, I would likely pay a bit more for better accommodations. The Kinga Lodge in Selous was great the people were great (no air conditioning though!). The other accommodations I would have been happy to pay a bit more for something a bit nicer. Lots of great family memories here and thank you for Daigle!
Marakele National Park is a hidden gem with magical scenery and good selection of wildlife.
My visit to Marakele took place at the end of September 2015. This is typically considered near the end of the dry season. The temperatures are above 30 degrees celsius daily with little to no sign of rain. The surrounding vegetation is quite dry, although leaves are starting to sprout with the advent of the coming summer. This means that the vegetation is not too thick enabling you to spot the animals further away from your vehicle than you otherwise would when everything is green and vibrant. Its also a good time to frequent waterholes in the morning and evening because water is still scarce and animals tend to congregate at the waterholes for their daily fill.
Marakele has a predator section and a non predator section. Camping is allowed at designated camp sites in the non-predator section. There are no fences around the camp sites so animals are free to walk through the camping area. This might sounds both exciting and scary, but what I noticed is that many campers are not used to this and do not respect the animals right to be there and try to chase them away when they come sniffing at the strange smells we humans bring. But its a lovely experience to see giraffes and rhino walking through the camp and the ability to grab the camera to get amazing photos. Additionally, Bontle Camp, where I stayed, has a waterhole alongside a wide plain that provides hours of peaceful wilflife entertainment where one can spend hours sitting and staring through binoculars. The non predator section has an abundnace of wildlife ranging from many species of buck, to more rare sightings of rhino and giraffe. Monkeys, babboons and warthogs are fairly prevalent too, as well as plenty of zebra and ostriches. There should be ample opportunity to spot most of these animals while driving through the park over the course of a few days.
The non-predator part of the park covers a small region of fairly flat savannah. The predator section takes you into the larger part of the park which is situated among some of the mountains making up the Waterberg mountain range. Most of the animals from the non-predator section can also be found in the predator section, but because of the larger area, sightings become more rare here. In addtion to the above, it is also possible to encounter lions, elephant and leopard. But these are rarer and they were mostly hanging around the single large dam which I, as a resident of the Bontle camping site, was off limits to me. But the most notable thing when driving into this part of the park are the high mountain peaks and craggy cliffs creating some amazing landscapes. The single tar road ends in a very beautiful scenic climb up one of the mountains ending at the top near a radio relay station with some spectacular views. Here you can also spend a while looking at the family of white backed vultures that fly gracefully around the valley and often come to glide above the viewpoint giving birders and photographers some great opportunities.
There is only one tarred road in the park. For the most part it is reasonably maintained except where it starts to rise up the side of the mountain leading up to the view point where you can encounter some tricky potholes. All other roads are dirt tracks of varying conditions. Most roads can easily be accessed by normal cars but some of the roads in the predator section are certainly uneven and can be very bumpy, and in some cases my require some careful navigation. There are a couple of marked 4x4 roads and certainly I wouldn't recommend low clearance cars trying them, but only the 4x4 track in the north eastern part of the park requires a capable 4x4 and a driver with some experience.
Overall the park is a lovely place and was not very busy when I was there, which is perfect. The guards and game rangers were friendly. Animals in the non-predator section were plentiful but the predator section was less eventful in this regard. But the spectacular scenery made up for that. Many of the local bird species appear in the park, of note are rollers, vultures and hornbill. Places like Pilanesburg probably have a higher density of animals, but Marakele has better scenery and certainly has its own charm that should not be ignored.