US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best Overall Travel Experience of Our Lives - And we have been everywhere!
For those of you who don't like long reviews, Ill make a short synopsis first. Wakanda has the BEST safari guide that any company could offer, his name is ANDREW. He was born IN SEREGETI (Not near it, in it) and he grew up there, he can speak English, French, Swahili, and Ma (Maasai Language). Wakanda has Andrew, Wakanda has great chefs, support staff, and vehicles. Nothing was left to chance, Wakanda is thorough. Everything was perfect, ask for Andrew and you will have the best experience of your life. IN SHORT, BOOK WITH WAKANDA!!!.....And ask for ANDREW!
WHY IS WAKANDA THE BEST CHOICE (MY OPINION):
The company as a whole is great, but the short answer to this is …ANDREW! While there can be many factors to consider about a safari, the guide is certainly the most important. Do not leave this to chance. Andrew was born and raised in Serengeti. Not near Serengeti, in Serengeti. His father was the Chief of the park, and he lived and grew up there. Furthermore, his father was Maasai. (These are the only indigenous people which you will still find in the area living by their traditional culture) Andrew has the unique ability to speak their language and also can provide a very interesting history and background about the Maasai and their significant influence and presence on the region and wildlife. This background and knowledge which Andrew provided very much enhanced the overall experience, and gave us a much greater understanding and appreciation for the region. The Maasai themselves are an interesting people and were an unexpected "bonus" on this journey. Due to Andrews knowledge of the area, we were able to see all of the Big 5, including the very rare Black Rhino, additionally we saw the Wildebeest migration, and witnessed the crossing of the Mara river not once, but twice in one day. And we had front row seats on the south side of the river where the wildebeests were jumping in. Also, because of Andrew, we were able to have campfires in the parks. He knows many of the rangers and assistants in the parks, and was able to arrange for firewood and campfire, which sounds like a small task, but in the middle of nowhere, you have no options. For us it was a big deal to have campfires each night, we though for sure this would be something which every company included, but in fact none of them do. And we were the only ones who had a fire each night, and Andrew was the only reason that was possible.
WHY WE BOOKED WITH WAKANDA:
We booked this trip without knowing anything about safaris, and also had never been on safari before. I based my decision on reviews. I contacted the owner of Wakanda directly on WhatsApp, and his responsiveness, and the fact that I was speaking directly to the company owner was the reason I decided to book with them. It seemed that there are many 3rd parties out there selling safaris, and I just did not feel comfortable booking a safari that way. I suggest you to contact Wakanda directly as I did and get all of your information first hand. But I can assure you that if you book with Wakanda you will have a smoother journey.
SUGGESTED LENGTH OF SAFARI:
We booked 5 nights and 6 days. The length of your safari I think is inconsequential to the success of your safari. Nature is nature. Unpredictable. We saw everything and more than we could imagine. Big 5 included, which meant we saw the extremely rare Black rhino. I suggest no less than 4 nights. For us we were very satisfied with 5 nights and 6 days, 1 more night probably would have been perfect for us, but anymore than a week I think is a bit much.
WHERE TO GO:
We visited Tarangire (1 day), Serengeti(3 night, 4 days), and Ngorongoro(1 night, 1 day). All of them were great, but especially central Serengeti. I think where to go should be decided by your guide. Just wanted to share my experience.
SUGGESTIONS FOR THE BEST POSSIBLE EXPERIENCE:
#1. BOOK A PRIVATE SAFARI! You are going on a long plane ride(s) to Africa (Took us 29 hours traveling from New York) to go on a safari and you want the best possible experience. You can save a lot of money by joining a group safari, but you are really cheating yourself. For the best experience you need a private safari. Here is why: If you book a private safari, your guide is free to take you where he pleases to give you the best possible experience. If conditions change during the trip, then so can your itinerary. You have freedom to do what you want when you want. As we are novices, we let Wakanda decide our itinerary, and I believe this was the main reason (besides ANDREW) for having such a successful and enjoyable experience. If you book a group safari, the guide must follow a preset itinerary, as this is what was promised to everyone. The safari cars hold 6 people, and so it can become a bit crowded if you are joining a group. Also, you could easily be with 5 strangers, each person having their own expectations and consideration for their safari. Its a bit much for even the best guide to satisfy everyone, and if there are interpersonal conflicts, it could be a stressful and downright unpleasant experience. This has nothing to do with the company you book with, this is just the nature of a group safari. If you book private safari, you avoid all the unnecessary obstacles associated with group safaris, and will ensure yourself a much more enjoyable experience. For our trip, it was just myself and my girlfriend. It was really nice to have all the extra space in the car to move around and get different views. It was nice to sit where we wanted when we wanted. There was more than adequate space for our things.
#2. SKIP BREAKFAST ANS GET OUT INTO THE PARK AT 6AM, you are not on safari to eat, you are on safari to see nature. Honestly the food was the biggest surprise for us. We knew we would have meals provided, but we did not expect the level of service we received. We had a private chef and this was just included at no extra cost. He prepared 3 meals a day. Not boxed lunched, but extensive 3 or 4 course meals 3 times a day. Everything prepared fresh. He even baked fresh bread in a "bush oven". So, the food is absolutely amazing. BUT....Skip breakfast and get out of the camp early. You cant leave earlier than 6am. But you should leave at 6am. The chef will make you what you want when you want. We just asked for coffee and tea at 530 so we could be in the truck and gone by am. Being the first on the road gives you the best chance to see everything first and get the best spot for photos and observation. Also we noticed there are certain animals which you will only see in the early hours of the morning. Hyenas in particular. Our experiences in the early mornings were usually the best part of the trip. Amazing sunrises and amazing wildlife, and first truck to see what the night brought us.
#3. BOOK A CAMPING SAFARI. The hotels and luxury accommodations are insanely priced. Their food is not as good, and you don't get to be in nature. We went and a camping safari, and i think its the only way to do it. Every night we camped in the park on the public sites. Fresh meals were prepared, we had a campfire, and an amazing unspoiled views of the night sky filled with star I was never able to see before. One night we had an elephant pass in front of our tent, a huge Male. It was amazing. He stuck his head down, and peaked in and then went on his way. You could never have such an encounter in a hotel. I think the safari experience is enhanced with camping and wouldn't do it any other way. If you are thinking about spending thousands on luxury , don't. And probably don't go on safari either. The point is to experience nature and safari is the best way to do it.
#4. DO NOT COME WITH EXPECTATIONS. Nature is just that....NATURE. It is unpredictable. Telling your guide what you want to see is not going to help you see anything. Your guide will always do his best, its his job, but he can not make animals appear. We didn't request to see anything, we just let Andrew take us where he felt like going and allow dhime to use his knowledge as a guide. We saw everything and more. I can promise you that you will see everything or anything, and neither can any guide. Don't put pressure on yourself or on your guides to see certain animals. Just sit back and relax and you will have an amazing experience. ALL of these animals are there. The parks are amazing. There are animals all over the place. Don't ruin your experience with expectations. Be appreciative of what mother nature shows you, and leave what you don't see as a reason to return. The plant life and the birds are enough to impress anyone, without the animals. These park are just incredible. If you go on safari, you will love it regardless of what you see, as long as you have the right attitude.
#5. BOOK WAKANDA AND ASK FOR ANDREW - Self explanatory
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Most Amazing Tour Operator EVER
We had an amazing safari and since we know how other tours can be, we are MORE than happy that HAMSA was our guide. He was always very helpful, friendly, on-time and very hard working. He really knows everything about wildlife and with his great ability to spot animals could show us all big 5 and so much more! 5/5 Guide!!
We were also really lucky to have DULLA as our cook. Normally you get boring and very dry lunchboxes, but he and his assistent cooked food 3 times a day for us! He was very hard working and even on the campsite we had for dinner always a 3 cours menu- and that for vegans, vegetarians, meat-eaters and gluten-free ones. It was always VERY delicious!
So all in all its the best team you can imagine for a safari! I would always go with them again. 5/5 easy!!
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best experience of our life
We used Bison safaris because our friend recommended them to us.Everything went as planned and we had one of the best experience of our life so far. We did 10 days Nakuru, Masai Mara, Serengeti ,Ngorongoro and Tarangire. They are professional and made sure everything is taken care.
Thank you Bisson safaris we loved ever minute of our vacation, it was memorable
BE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very nice tour where we could see all the possible animals in the park
We enjoyed the tour very much. The driver really did his best to show us all the wildlife in the park, sometimes from very close.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Raymond is a very good driver and we saw so many animals! We also did get a lot of information!
It was awesome! We saw so many animals from really close. Our driver Raymond really did his best to show us everything that was possible! We are really happy that we did this trip!
BE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Raymond is a really good driver/guidenwe saw the big five in one day!
Everything was organized really wel. The food and accomodations were very nice.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good driver, takes us safely to al the animals
The communicatipn overall was very good. We drove a lot but saw all the animals (big 5 and ugly 5) in one day! The food everywere was very good.
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent
We went for a 4 day Safari (Maasai Mara & Lake Nakuru, mid-range) and it was absolutely amazing. Our driver Raymond helped us in every way and is the best driver. He knows all the best spots to see the animals, knows the local people and other guides, furthermore he is a very safe driver on the highways between Nairobi and the parks. Thanks to Raymond we saw many animals (including the big 5) and we had a unique experience!
NL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very good, helpfullp, friendly service and reliable booking office. Do what they promise!
I liked they way i was contacted, persistent, very friendly, helpful, good and clear information in a good way. I also felt they trusted me. When the booking was made i wasn’t aible to do the payment directly, because my international flight was not confirmed yet. They did not rushed me about the payment, but reassured me that they would contact the lodges that the payment will come a little later. The Safari it self was really fantastic, very friendly and helpful driver. Good and comfortable jeep. The accommodation booked for us was great. We really enjoyed every minute of our Safari.
NZ
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Thank you Bison Safaris
As a solo traveler, booking my trip with Bison Safaris was best decision ever. I requested for various itineraries from my research and
everything was as it was listed. Communication with Maggie from Bison was very good , and reliable. I was picked at hotel and later had a joining safaris to Masai Mara , Nakuru in a very clean land cruiser. Everyone was very nice and we instantly connected. The guide/ driver was very patient with us and very informative and good sense of humor. He made sure at every game drive we saw a different animal. The accommodation was also clean, the staffs were friendly and the food was delicious
Thank you Bison for the amazing group and for making my safari memorable