NL
under20 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent Safari!
Amazing company. Good communication and an wonderful guide. The places where we have stayed are incredible. We saw the big 5 and a lot of other animals.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Well organized and accommodating operator with excellent guide/lodge
I did a 5 day safari (mid-range, private) at Selous National Park with my family, which included a short boat trip on the first day, two full days of Jeep safari, a boat safari, and then a bushwalk and Maasai village visit on the final day. We had an absolutely amazing time. Between the flight, lodge, guides, and different activities there are a lot of moving pieces to manage and Uwanda tours was able to organize what we requested and be flexible with last minute changes. When planning, be sure to triple confirm dates, travel times and activities as there are multiple emails/messages back and forth. We did have some last minute mix-ups with dates, but Uwanda was able to resolve everything smoothly.
Our guide Mr. Martin and our driver Mr. Ramadani made our safari experience exceptional. They both have many years of experience working at Selous and it shows. Mr. Martin knows the animals' typical habits and where to best spot them, allowing us to see amazing events like a wildebeest herd's daily migration to drink water, a zebra/giraffe/gnu hangout spot, and baboons howling around a lion to warn other nearby animals of its presence. Mr. Ramadani is an expert at navigating the off-road conditions of Selous, and gets you closer to animals than you would think possible. They will also go above and beyond to give you the memories of a lifetime, for example staying in the park later than typically planned in order to catch a mother lion and her three cubs resting and playing under a tree.
We stayed at Africa Safari Selous lodge which was run by an exceptional manager, Mark, who knew our schedule better than we even did and made sure we were always in the right place at the right time. Again, being flexible is key- there was an issue with room availability for our first night and they only had one hut available instead of the three we had booked. We were offered housing in another lodge for that night. Instead, we chose to sleep in the two tents they had available both for the fun of it and to avoid the hassle of going to another site just for one night. In the end, everything worked out (it seems to work out for everyone) and we had a truly unforgettable experience.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Unforgettable 4 days!
The Home to Africa team are fantastic, I would highly recommend them. We had the most amazing 4 day gorilla trekking tour that I will never forget. Hedmond and Derrick made our trip easy and fun. Thank you Home to Africa team!
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trustworthy
We only had a few days in Kenya and wanted to squeeze in a safari. I reviewed several companies but I selected Africa Starpal Safaris because right after submitting the request I received a WhatsApp message from Paul. I was nervous about getting a legitimate booking so it really helped that Pual reached out quickly. He continued to help us select the best tour for our group (Amboseli) and followed up with us via WhatsApp throughout the process (even at odd hours). On the morning of our tour, Paul showed up with our guide in a very nice Toyota Landcruiser. We had a great experience! Our guide had years of experience and helped us make the most of our safari!
NL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Suricata Safaris - the best and safest way to see the BIG 5
I went on a safari with my 2 sons of 19 and 20. Silas was our guide. He was amazing. His knowledge of the national parks, the animals and nature was next to nothing and - very important - he is a very safe and cautious driver. We have had great lunches at wonderful places and the hotels were breathtaking. The group was perfectly put together and after 4 days we parted as friends. AND, we saw the big five! That's what you need a good guide for, too. Highly recommended. Choose wisely.
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Professional, safe, experienced, funny, well-organized and had a lot of knowledge of the area.
We ended up at Suricata Safari because it was listed as number 1. We did the 4 day Safari. We stayed in the hotels. We have been on the road for 4 days with tour guide Cylus. Great guide who knew all about the area. Safety was his number one priority. He drove concentrated and active through the parks. He created a cozy and educational atmosphere in the car. I myself went away with my father and 18 year old brother. We enjoyed a lot. We have seen the Big 5 and many more other animals. This is partly because The guide (Cylus) knew exactly where he had to be and could spot an animal from far distances. After the morning program we were served freshly made lunch every day. Nutritious, diverse and more than enough. The evening meal was also excellent. There was cooled water in the car during the whole trip and after drinking a lot of this, toilet breaks were regularly scheduled. The stay was very impressive in every location. The staff was very attentive and nice. They treated us very well and always had a smile on their face. In addition, I also had the impression that they themselves were well taken care of and that they enjoyed their job. In addition, you can hear the wildlife walking around your tent/lodge, which is an experience in itself. Suricata Safari is rated as number 1 and my expectations were really far exceeded. At first we almost wanted to choose another company, but we are so glad we went for Suricata Safari. Recommended for children young and old (I am 20 myself) and also for other ages. Everyone is very respectful, but also super nice. The three of us had a very special time.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Tanzania Safari Operator.
Recently came back from a fantastic safari touring around northern Tanzania. Everything was organised superbly and the accommodation was excellent throughout.
Couldn't recommend this company highly enough and wouldn't hesitate to go with them again.
IT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Top tier
It was a fantastic experience! Our guide Joffrey was very kind and always ready to satisfy our needs and requests during all 3 days of safari, and he also speaks Italian perfectly.
The lodge where we’ve stayed is super: clean, relaxing, and the staff is super kind and friendly. A really top experience!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great impression
Everything about the safari was absolutely amazing
It was well organized and the activities (game drive,nature walk, boat Cruise,coffee harvesting ) were absolutely wonderful. Musa and Yona our guides were more of fun and fantastic,Very helpful and Friendly. Wonderful Experience!!
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Reliable with some small buts!
We (couple of two) did a 6-day budget tour through Kenya including Massai Mara, Nakuro and Amboseli and as everybody says here, the places are simply amazing and soooo worth a visit. But I'd rather focus on the agency and overall organizeational aspects here.
PROs:
+ agent Robert helped us book train tickets between Nairobi and Mombasa
+ overall the tour was without any problems and everything worked as planned
+ our guide (Simon) was amazing and super helpful with absolutely everything. He really made sure we get the best experience during our 6 days. Even when there was a minor issue with the car, he went on and fixed it himself. Felt safe all the way in the crazy Kenyan traffic.
CONs:
- We were told we could pay in EUR OR KES, which was true, but on location it turned out there would be two conversions of EUR over KES to USD, which would have increased the price by nearly 10 %. Even the payment in local KES then included a small upmark. This was in no way communicated transparently from the start and for sure left a bad first impression.
- The tour was advertized as max. 6 people in a car. For the first two days of the tour, we were 8 pax in our car though, which meant one person had to sit in the front and couldn't enjoy the open roof view.
- For our last stay in Amboseli, our accommodation was changed without us being able to find out if it was an up- or downgrade, but pictures showed that our replacement room at the new camp was rather worse off (the camp itself was great however). After our guide asked us what we think about the new place and we expressed our concerns, we were offered a better room for the second night without us explicitly requesting it, which was far better and more spacious and left us satisfied (thanks again Simon!).