CH
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing Ugandan tour operator
We would totally recommend Azas for your travels in Uganda!!!
From the first moment we contacted Azas, we have had a great experience. Prisca answered all of our questions and made useful suggestions about how to tailor our 12 days trip in Uganda. She was very responsive both on Whatsapp and via e-mail (contact them right away on Whatsapp). Once we arrived in Uganda, we were welcomed at the airport and a day later our trip started. Our guide, Julius, was one of the most gentle and knowledgable guides we have ever met. He made sure that we travel in comfort (the car was always in good condition, water was provided throughout the trip) and safely (he drove carefully, he always locked the car). He also made sure we were on time for everything (e.g. our hikes, tours). He was also a great spotter, which made our game drives a wonder.
We did have a small miscommunication, but essentially everything was sorted out by the team and it did not impact our travels at all. We also requested smaller changes during our trip and all were accommodated. For example, we added an extra day trip at the end of our journey and we also came back one day earlier from our hike and Prisca took care of all the organization.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best Safari Tour in Africa - Hands Down!
I contacted ABCS (African Big Cats Safaris) in October of 2022 to plan my wife's 50th birthday 'bucket list' trip for late January 2023. From the beginning, Justice & Naomi were amazing to help us plan it. The hardest part was trusting that we could send money by wire to a company in Africa, from the USA. I was definitely terrified I would never see the money again. I looked up other reviews of ABCS and only saw 5-stars - it seemed to good to be true. How amazing it was that it was even better! I’m so happy we trusted ABCS to do this trip. It went off without a hitch!
Our guide, Vanance Malisa was there to greet us on time, when we arrived and everything went excellent from the beginning. Initially, our flight into Killamanjaro on KLM was cancelled, so last minute, we switched to an Edelweiss flight and got the last seats. That change had us arrive 12 hours earlier than expected, but Emmanuel responded quickly on WhatsApp and arranged for Vanance to get us earlier. That was amazing!
We had purchased our Visas online ahead of time through Atlys, so that made getting through Customs upon arrival in Tanzania easier. Vanance drove us to the first night’s stay in Arusha. Along the way, he was very patient answering all our questions about what we saw as we drove along the road. He always was patient and always had an answer. He stopped at the Cultural Heritage Centre for us and we shopped for African crafts for a bit. Then we went to the Under the Shade Safari Lodge. Everyone there was great and our accommodations were great. We enjoyed time at the pool and caught up on jet lag, before a nice dinner. Emmanuel came and met with us to go over the trip ahead and ensure we were prepared. He also set expectations for safety on our trip. Great guy!
The next morning, we set off for Tarangire National Park. Vanance ensured we had plenty of wine, beer and water to drink on the drive. So much to see! After arrival at the park, Vanance was keen to get us in a spot where two female lions came out and he knew they were hungry. We can’t say enough about Vanance. It was clear he was the most experienced Guide in the park, and on all of our safaris. Other guides routinely came to him to ask for advise and information. He was the ‘king of all guides’ and we were so proud he was ours! Vanance ensured we stuck around to see the lion kill a Warthog. It was something rarely seen and so powerful and amazing!
The 2nd night was our best night - at Burunge Tented Lodge. The infinite pool and elephants out front made this experience amazing. The tents were comfortable. We could have stayed in this location for weeks.
The 3rd day was exploring along Lake Manyara through the National Park there. This was an enjoyable day which gave us a chance to see lions mating. Vanance took us to the African Galleria afterwards where we had the best cocktails of our entire trip while shopping around for t-shirts and more African crafts. That night, we stayed at Ngorongoro Marera Mountain View Lodge.
Ngorongoro Marera Mountain View Lodge was our least favorite of the trip. There was a hedgehog or other animal our chimney that kept us awake all night. The ‘massage therapists’ there turned out to also be our waitress and the gift shop clerk. They did a horrible job at their massage, with the waitress touching me inappropriately during the massage. The food was not good here either. We wouldn’t want to ever go back to stay at this location and recommend to others to not have this on their itinerary. Most expensive drinks too!
The 4th day was the best yet, exploring the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. We had no idea how incredible the crater would be and Vanance, as usual, was amazing at showing us around and ensuring we saw everything we could.
At our request, Vanance took us to visit a Maasai village on the way to the Serengeti. This was one of the highlights of our trip.
Our stay in the Serengeti was at Embalakai Camps, which we liked, but probably wouldn’t go back to. The first night, our tent flooded with water. The 2nd night, we had no water at all. The food was not great. We wished we had payed to stay up one level more. None of this was the fault of ABCS.
We did the Serengeti Hot Air Balloon Safari that Vanance set up for us. That was amazing. He got us to see every animal we wanted to see on our safari - and more. My wife was teary eyed when he dropped us at the Seronera Airstrip to fly to Zanzibar at the end of the safari. Vanance felt like a member of our family. We had trust and care for him.
Continuing on to Zanzibar, ABCS did a great job setting up our flights and when we landed in Zanzibar, they had everything in place for a guide and driver to pick us up and take us on a tour of Stone Town and to our hotel in a nice modern van. It was really incredible. They also arranged for our stay at Hotel Z, which is the best hotel we have ever stayed at. EVER!
We can’t recommend African Big Cats Safaris enough. They exceeded all our expectations and we have already heard from friends that want to book through them now too, seeing how great our trip was with them.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Couldn’t have chosen a better operator!
From the moment we asked for a quote I knew we had chosen the right tour operator. We Skyped on several occasions to learn more about the tour and have our questions answered. We were given options for places to stay and our input was important. Whilst in Uganda everything was perfect, the trip did not disappoint and I would 100% recommend and use this tour operator again!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Experience with Kiliholidays
We had an amazing safari experience in Tanzania with Kiliholidays! We did a 4-day safari that included the Serengeti, Tarangire, and the Ngorongoro Crater.
Our guide, Edward, was exceptional. He was an excellent driver who navigated the rough terrain with ease and always made sure we were safe. He also had a great eye for spotting animals and knew the best places to find them, which made our safari experience even more exciting. He was always friendly, helpful, and accommodating, and made sure that we were comfortable and enjoying our trip.
We ended up having some flights change, which resulted in us needing to move around which days we were in which national parks. Edward and team were very reasonable in working with us and suggesting a revised plan, even though we were already mid-way through the trip.
Overall, we had an unforgettable trip, and I would highly recommend Kiliholidays Tours and Edward as a guide to anyone looking for an amazing safari experience in Tanzania.
SE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Excellent
African Big Cats Safaris made our Safari trip 8-13/2-23 to a once in a life time trip
IL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best safari tour guy in Tanzania
Hey, I’m Hen from Israel and I was looking a lot for a tour guy that will be good and that I can trust him.
I found king Solomon after a friend’s recommendation and I booked him.
I found out that he’s the best tour guy I could have asked for, he’s very nice very responsible and the most important he’s the most professional tour guy there’s, he can find everything and everywhere, never get lost and always takes care for us.
I’m glad I made this decision and for sure highly recommending about him.
If you are looking for the best safari experience King Solomon is the guy!
Looking forward for our next experience with him!
FR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very professionnal
Our guide (Calvin) was the best we could expect. We travelled with 2 children and all was perfect: the choice of the lodges, the explanations of the animals, the safe driving and full days safari. It was our first experience in Tanzania and we would recommand it!
GR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Lifetime experience
We chose the safari for our honeymoon. It was an amazing experience that we will never forget. Everything was perfectly organized, and we felt completely safe at all times. On top of that our driver could spot animals from miles away. Gama was the best driver we could ask for!
Definitely recommended!
IL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
If you are looking for the best safari tour guy then you found him!
I’ll start by saying, if you think about him, choose him!
Solomon is the best driver we could have found and the best tour guy in Tanzania!
He knows everything about everywhere and every animal, he will do anything to find you all the best location and rare animals, he can find animals hiding in the bushes with his bare eyes where I barely could’ve found them with the binuclear And the most important he knows every route and never get lost (which some other tour guys are getting lost sometimes).
We had the best experience with him and I’m highly recommending about him, you will have the best safari experience that can be!
Go King Solomon!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An out-of-this-world safari experience!!
I can't tell you how much our safari exceeded our expectations! From the word go, we were so well taken care of. Our guide was so friendly and knowledgeable. He made sure our needs were met and we got to see the Big 5 and so much more! Furthermore, our cook was a rock star! How he could prepare such great-tasting meals in the middle of nowhere is beyond me!
Do not hesitate to book your safari with this company! You won't be disappointed!
