US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Filled with cultural experiences.
Charles our Guide was outstanding. Our accommodations were wonderful and 1st class and in the reserves that we saw. Charles listened to our request and allowed us to venture off on interactions with small villages, incredible markets and cultural experiences. He is the best safari guide when it comes to spotting the animals and ensuring that we all got to se them.
By far the best safari that I have ever been on.
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Everyone should go!
Briliant unspoilt scenery with amazing wildlife! Uganda is a hidden gem! The tour route ensured we missed nothing. Travelling through such varied landscapes meant that we saw much more wildlife than you would on the plains of Kenya or South Africa. I saw all the animals I expected; lions, leopards, rhino, elephants, giraffe, hippo, chimps, gorillas, crocadilles and various monkeys etc. I also saw a few I didn't expect; 2 chameleon which I got to hold, a gaboon viper, mongoose, a monitor lizard and two otters! All the accommodation was stunning, with either exceptional views or location. All the places we stayed at were completely different with their own personalities, which gave the holiday a feeling of gentle exploration. Generally we stayed 2 nights at each place, which was not too exhausting. The roads are in the process of being upgraded and once completed will open the floodgates to more tourists. The food was european styled but very locally sourced. I recommend the crayfish from Lake Bunyonyi. What made the holiday for me was the quality of our tour guide. Husein was so brilliant! He was exceptional at wildlife tracking in the National Parks and sometimes outside them! (Viper, mongoose and monitor lizard). Husein tracked 5 lions in Ishasha when nobody had seen any for 4 days! He was a library of information about what we were driving through, pointing things out to us all the time, even if we were just driving down a normal road. He was always looking out for us. When necessary he got us up early so that we were at the heade of the queue for the best seats on the river cruises etc. The "extra mile" was when by mistake I left my muddy boots in the back of the 4*4 after gorilla tracking. I got in the vehicle the next morning to totally cleaned boots!!!
Holiday of a lifetime and so pleased I did it with Speke, as they were totally professional. I felt I couldn't have had a better experience.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Outstanding personal service, drivers and accommodations.
Thinking about a safari in Tanzania? We just got back. We had to make our reservations at the last minute, and couldn’t find anything affordable on the web. So we called a local contact (contacts are important in Tanzania) and he recommended Abraham Wilfread Shaidi with Shengena Tours.
What a blessing. Abraham immediately responded with three options ranging from backpacking to luxury hotels. Well to be honest, some of the hotels were not five stars by standards of spoiled travelers like ourselves, but they were clean, well equipped, and ingeniously designed with friendly, courteous, and incessantly helpful staff.
Naturally, we encountered some of the problems that experienced travelers consider normal in developing countries: e.g., trouble getting the deposit to Abraham, Abraham’s difficulties transferring our deposits to the game parks for our entrance fees, etc. Problems? Well, it’s not for nothing you hear Hakuna Matata—"no problem”—quite often in Tanzania, because for Abraham, there was no problem he could not solve.
He found us an excellent driver and guide—China, pronounced “Cheena”—who took us through four game parks, where he demonstrated an uncanny skill for spotting the famous “big five” (elephant, lion, water buffalo, rhino, and most elusive of all, leopard), along with an unlimited knowledge of flowers, trees, animal habits and habitats. He was good company as well.
Abraham met us at the airport, maintained contact throughout the trip, and accompanied us to the airport on our departure.
If you’re a novice traveler, you might worry about trust. Hakuna matata again. You can count on Abraham and his drivers to be absolutely good to their word—even if it involves being reimbursed for entrance fees you had to pay unexpectedly at some of the parks. You’re in good hands with Abraham.
In short, if we have a chance to return, Abraham will be our first call. 255-69-216 3280 on mobile line or WhatsApp. Email: [email protected].
Couldn’t recommend him more highly.
FR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Super safari
We really enjoyed our 5 day safari. We chose the mid-range option for accommodation ($ 1,400 / person for 5 days 4 nights on site + 2 nights in Arusha) and the accommodation there was really good. “Luxury” tents in the Serengeti park and at the edge of the crater with bathroom and toilets included to avoid encountering a lion or a buffalo at night :)
Everything went very well, despite a little rain, and our driver Mandela was adorable and super professional. The other 4 tourists were very cool, I think it also played into the fact that we had a great time. I recommend without hesitation!
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Tanzania trip including 4 day safari, local village tour and 7 day climb of Mt. Kilimanjaro.
This is my second African trip arranged by Odyssey Safaris and both trips exceeded my expectations. The safari was a chance to see a wide range of animals in the wild up close. Our guide , Miriki was knowledgeable and found the places to get great camera shots. The local village tour gave us a chance to see the native people as they actually live. The highlight of the local tour was the chance to share a meal of traditional local foods with a village family. And the Kilimanjaro climb was an experience of a lifetime for my son and I. It was a challenging physical and mental test. Our guide, Nelson and his support crew, went above and beyond to insure a successful outcome. It was a terrific bonding experience for my son and I that we will cherish forever. Thank you Odyssey for a 5 star trip.
NL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Excellent itinerary by Matoke
We had excellent contact with Matoke tours about our short trip to Uganda. We had some preferences for our trip and above that we were provided with some excellent suggestions for other activities.
The 4wheel drive car was excellent and our driver drove us around comfortably and safely.
We enjoyed Murchison Falls national park. Beautiful scenery and lots of game. Two different encounters with leopards were highlights of our trip. And the private river safari along the Nile was also magnificent with lots of animals along the river bank, really close by.
A beautiful country with friendly people.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing!
I booked my trip from the UK, and made all the arrangements fairly late on (July/August for a September departure). The guys at Home To Africa were great. There were some issues, when booking, such as small price increases, but this is because Home To Africa don't build in contingencies, which is why they offer such a competitive price. They're also very transparent: in one instance, it seemed to be cheaper to book a hotel on Expedia than through them, but I had already paid them. They were fine with us booking it ourselves, and just returned the cash in USD to us when we arrived. Derek was a fantastic guide; passionate, friendly and knowledgable. I never met Elias (owner), but he was great at responding to email, and he provided a fantastic service.
IT
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect safari
We were fully satisfied with choosing Kiliholidays. Our three day safari was organized very well. Communication from Italy was clear and fast. Everything went as scheduled (Tarangire, Ngorongoro, Manyara), unforgettable days. We were accompanied by Deo, a very professional, precise and friendly driver / guide. Tour absolutely recommended!
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A Lion King experience
For our honeymoon we really enjoyed the safari, in the different national parks. Our guide explained us a lot about animals and local tribes lives.
Very great experience
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Fantastic Safari - Good Price, Excellent Service, Great Team! Definitely Recommended
We had a wonderful time on our four day safari through Masai Mara, Lake Naivasha and Hell's Gate. The safari exceeded our expectations, and the team was wonderful!
Our driver/guide, Johnstone, was friendly, very knowledgeable and did a fantastic job of getting us through some treacherous roads. Many other drivers were getting stuck, but we rode right through with no issues at all. He also listened well to what we were aiming to see and adjusted the drives accordingly - including having our lunch sitting right next to a beautiful giraffe along the road. The cook, John, was also super friendly and made some wonderful meals for us, starting with a fantastic soup every night for starters. They made a great pair, and we loved them as a team together. Zippy was absolutely fantastic with fast, helpful responses to any questions, and I only have great things to say about her and the company. The vehicle is a minivan with a pop-top which is perfect for wildlife viewing. It was a little older (particularly compared to some of the new vehicles we used in Tanzania), but we got a great price for a private tour, and it actually turned out to perform better than a lot of the Land Cruisers that were stuck in the mud as we rolled past with ease, so I would definitely recommend it.
All in all, we had a wonderful trip, saw tons of animals and loved our experience. We would absolutely use Australken again and recommend them to anyone else!