35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic team providing us with a trip of a lifetime!
After reading many reviews and speaking to many tour operators, I decided to go with African Big Cats and we were not disappointed. We booked a 5-day comfort safari and got more than we bargained for. The accommodations (apart from Eileens trees, which we wrote off given how incredible the other lodges were) we stayed at were beyond our expectations, where at one point we thought perhaps they had made a mistake. Highly recommend Endoro, Under the Shade and Seregenti Heritage. Our guide Venance was the best! He was so knowledgeable and great to spend so much time with. A wonderful man.
We booked a private safari too and had so much room to move about. The jeep was fantastic, food provided amazing and guess what.....? We saw everything and I mean everything...... I strongly recommend Ngororo and Seregento with Tarangire..... Manyara not so much and not needed.
Even speaking to the team at the office was a great experience. Emmanuel was fantastic and so welcoming. Would definitely use this team to book something else.
Thank you for making our dream happen!!!!
Joanna & Marcus
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing trip with an amazing guide!
I can't say enough good things about African Big Cats Safaris - our trip was wonderful! Every step of our journey was well thought out and planned, every question we had was answered and even when my party provided the wrong details about our arrival times for some of our group - African Big Cats Safaris was able to accommodate the change in the schedule with very little notice. Our guide Ernest was amazing! His knowledge and expertise made our safari a trip of a life time! 10/10 - highly recommend!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Perfect Partners for a great personalised Safari adventure
With the patience and expertise of our Spirit of Kenya representative - Andre - we planned and experienced a wonderful 2 location 6 day / 5 night Kenyan safari in Lake Nakuro and the Massai Mara. We really appreciated the flexibility and guidance provided that enabled us to personalise our adventure. From pick up first morning to return to airport on day 6 everything went to plan and was amazing. We stayed at Lake Nakuro Lodge and Pride Inn Massai Mara - both great and different experiences - Lodge and Tenting. Buffet food was really nice, varied and plentiful. Service throughout warm and welcoming. We got to see THE BIG 5 and so much more - a lot of it in 'action'. Victor, our personal guide / driver was very knowledgeable, patient and committed to giving us the best experience, but also very respectful to allow us and him space during breaks.
My top 3 tips...
- book a 2 location programme over 6 days was perfect - 1 location may have got limited, 3 locations too much in between driving and packing up... definately choose accommodation near on within safari, to minimise early morning and late afternoon to and fro driving
- driving transfers to and from airport, and safari location though 5 - 6 hours gave us a good insight into Kenyan life
- the choice of safari vehicle?! - we choice a 'roof opening up' vehicle which worked fine - allowed us to stay warm and comfortable when driving around especially early morning versus an open sided / soft sided vehicle
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Amazingly helpful and went the extra mile to give us the perfect safari trip.
Janine and Gem were amazing and went above and beyond assisting me with planning the most wonderful luxury safari.
PT
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
very well organized itinerary, reliable and excelent communication
Lilly of Great Explorations Namibia has a great ability to translate wishes of a trip to Namibia to a very well organized itinerary with reliable partners. The transport (self drive 4x4) that was organized was very reliable, the places we stayed were all of very high quality. Most importantly Lilly is a great communicator and was always available if we needed support. We highly recommend to use her organization to organize a Trip to Namibia.
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
5 day Safari in Tanzania: Amazing!
We did a 5 day safari in Tanzania: Tarangire Park, Serengeti National Park, Lake Manyara & Ngorongoro Crater and had an amazing experience. The tour was very well organized: Jemimah was extremely responsive, accommodating, patient and helpful throughout the whole booking process - it was excellent, thanks so much for the communication! Alphadean Tours works togehther with the company Seven Wonders in Tanzania: Our driver Omar and our cook John were both extremely kind, accommodating and helpful. The food was always delicious. Omar went above and beyond to make sure we see what we want, we did two of early morning safari drives and had a lot of fantastic safari moments. All in all an experience unforgettable. We can highly recommend Alphadean Tours and the team of our safari!!
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Karim was extremely kind and helpful, stopping at nothing to ensure our satisfaction.
Home to Africa provided excellent value for the money we paid. Our guide/driver Karim was outstanding. The biggest mistake I made was not following his advice when he suggested using wooden walking sticks rather than the titanium ones I brought. The modern ones both snapped in 10 minutes. Fortunately, I did follow Karim's advice in hiring a porter who helped me get down and up the jungle mountain on the gorilla trekking tour. Seeing the gorillas was one of the biggest thrills in my life. The hotels and food were also excellent.
BE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Fabulous riding over red gravel and single track between wildlife and flora of beautiful Lake Mburo
We did a fantastic 3 day cycling on gravel and other red dirt roads around and in Lake Mburo National Park in Uganda. The guides know a lot of trails, both relatively smooth gravel/'murram' roads as well as single tracks that are rocky and hilly (and thorny, so good that we have spare tubes, tyre repairs and tubeless tyres for those).
Both inside and outside of the park, we saw a lot of wildlife - so actually the ride in the park is not really needed except if you want to see giraffes (we saw plenty of zebra and antilopes outside of the park, too).
We also absolutely loved the Rwakobo Rock eco-friendly accomodation: it’s one of the best we’ve ever seen in Uganda. The wonderfully friendly staff, the nice food, the fabulous views from the restaurant and pool, etc - the experience of climbing up the hill with the bikes then arriving at that pool to freshen up is amazing!
BE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Overwhelming safari with a personal touch
In early July, we traveled with our family of 5 to Arusha (Tanzania) for a 9-day safari. We had been looking for a personalized trip with our own accents. It certainly didn't have to be a 'VIP' trip, but we were looking for a small operator with whom we could have direct contact and with whom we could plan the trip together. Coincidence brought us to Koen and Katja, JADORE. And because we wanted to experience what JADORE stood for live, besides WhatsApp, Facebook and other channels, we went to the Holiday Expo in Antwerp (early March '22) in preparation for the trip, because there would be a stand there.
To our surprise, we met Koen himself, who had travelled from Tanzania especially for the fair. His enthusiasm was contagious. He spoke at length about his own experiences in Tanzania, about life there and about the Tanzanian motto "hakuna matata". In support he showed countless beautiful and self-made pictures of Arusha, of Usariver (their home town) and of course of the wildlife in the various parks. At the end of the afternoon, we felt sorry that we had to wait another 4 months.
Finally, on July 5, we land at Kilimanjaro National Airport. Koen and Katja are waiting for us with their drivers and 2 vehicles. By then, we no longer see them as a tour operator, but as a real hosts who do everything to make their guests feel at home, which they succeed in doing. All preparations are made to perfection, all locations are checked and double checked. The most important thing with the safaris is of course the driver, the man or woman with whom you travel around in the parks for 9 days. Koen has promised a good driver and that promise was fulfilled. Anwar turned out to be a great guy, an all-round driver who knew the parks through and through, who also knew a lot of drivers personally and who advised us everywhere we went (lodges, stores, museums, ...). With him we were able to see the big 5 (ok though the rhino was a bit far ;-)), the uggly 5 and so much more. In the 9 days we traveled through Kibola Forest, Arusha National Park (NP), Tarangire NP, Lake Manyara NP, Ngorongoro Crater Conservation Area, and of course Serengeti NP: 9 intense days filled with beautiful game walks and game drives and a lifetime of memories. Thank you very much Koen, Katja, Anwar and the whole team for the unforgettable time! Good luck over there and hakuna matata!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Personalised and friendly service is at the forefront.
They made our stay perfect. Everything was taken care of in a really smooth way, and you can tell that they have a lot of experience. They always adapted to our needs and did way more than we had expected. The staff is very kind and makes sure that you feel welcome, and they keep a high standard on cooking and cleaning. A stay that we will remember