65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
An excellent game park but let down by poor maintenance and management
We hired a lodge for a family of six at Hluhluwe Hilltop Camp which was excellent. During our three day stay we experienced the game park, including a game drive which too, were excellent. What was not good however was how the place was managed and maintained. For example:
1) There were only 2 x washing machines for the whole camp and both were broken!!! On inquiring I learnt they had been out of order for at least two weeks prior to our arrival.
2) Secondly, the swimming pool was full of green water. Completely unusable for lack of regular cleaning and maintenance. It looked as though the pool had been in this condition for weeks.
3) The shop, as advertised on the website was virtually empty of anything useful apart from small quantities of tea sugar plus two small loaves of bread. The shelves were empty due to nobody ordering stock and goodness only knows for how long. We had to waste a morning driving out of the park to buy groceries.
4) On several occasions there did not seem to be enough restaurant or bar staff on duty resulting in long waits.
I strongly urge management not to forget that things do breakdown and therefore have to be repaired in a timely fashion. Shelves don't restock themselves neither do swimming pools clean themselves. It's called management!!!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Visit to Selous with "Smile with us Tours in Africa"
We booked a three day safari in Selous Game Reserve with a two night stay at the Africa Safari Lodge with "Smile with us Tours in Africa". The tour was perfectly in line with the description on Safari Bookings and we really enjoyed the safari! Jacob (the tour operator) was very responsive and flexible when planning the safari. He and his team were also super supportive in obtaining a Tanzanian visa (which is not easy for Ethiopian citizens).
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Perfect Trekking with African Safaris
Me and Mine husband was gone to Uganda on 5 days Tour. We have decide to visit the most amazing places in Uganda and will make our trip adventurous. We booked our tour package with Frena Adventures, they provided us a knowledgeable guide and custom car. And the Lodge in which we stays, we have taken lunch and went for trekking with African safaris. It was really superb moments while trekking we seen the group of zebras, giraffes and deer etc. I suggest you to take good quality cameras here because you will surely capture some unforgettable memories here. And thanks to Frena Adventures team. I highly recommends them to everyone who are planning to visit African safaris. Best quality service in affordable budget.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wonderful
Everything was gorgeous , we saw alot of animals and the people were so patient with us and gave us enough time to mover around
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Overall good, but a couple of issues.
I booked the 4-day Small Group to Serengeti & Ngorongoro Crater. The booking process was easy and all my questions were answered.
The driver, Julius, was very nice. He ensured we had enough water, communicated with the other drivers to find out where the animals were, ensured the truck was in a good position to take photos and that generally everyone was okay.
We were extremely lucky with the animals we saw; I think even Julius was surprised how lucky we were.
Overall the accommodation was excellent, especially the camp in the Serengeti. The food was delicious and plentiful, though there is a restrictive choice.
Two issues stops the rating from being Excellent is that the trip includes a free hotel stay in Arusha at the beginning or at the end of the trip. The hotel I stayed in was basic, though for the rest of the tour the accommodation was excellent. The other people on the tour booked their accommodation independently and it wasn't great. I think that generally accommodation in Arusha isn't a high standard.
The second issue was I had requested for a pick-up from the airport to the hotel, as part of my booking. It was not until the last day of my tour, in the middle of a game drive, I was told that I had to pay an additional US$90 for the pick-up/drop-off at the airport. Though, it was cheaper than arranging a taxi, I did not appreciate finding out on my last day, on a game drive, that there was still a significant payment to be made. There is no mention in the Price Excludes list of the airport pick-up/drop-off; my tour in Uganda picked me up and dropped me off at the airport at no additional cost.
NO
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great safari experience
The whole experience from beginning to end was great. The operator was helpful and suggested a tour according to my wishes. The guide was very helpful and the tour gave me a great introduction to Rwanda. I would highly recommend it.
HK
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
2 star price for a 4 star value, can’t beat it!
We had an unbelievable time on Safari with Hilary’s team, Louis and Charles. Hilary was great about clarifying the expectations and Louis and Charles delivered what was expected and more. What was truly enjoyable, is that their passion for the wildlife and work showed through the entire time!
I hope to go on another safari with them next year. With the value they offer, I can’t afford not to!!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Professional, punctual, informative, highly recommended.
We had a great trip with David and Elizabeth’s company. We paid half the cost up front and the rest at the time. We were picked up from our hotel on time, our guide, Josfat, was a careful driver and very knowledgable regarding the animals we saw during our game drives. The accommodation at Kilima Lodge was excellent and so close to the park entrance. Elephant, gazelle and bird life were in abundance. David even organised to drop us back to the airport when heading home.
FI
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
5 star tour with a 5 star operator
My wife and I had visited National Parks in Tanzania and Botswana. This time we wanted to experience Kenya. After a rather lengthy online scanning for possible tour organizers I ended up contacting Spirit of Kenya. What a good choice that proved to be. I was impressed immediately by the very prompt reply to my enquiry. Once we got started Tiago the tour organizer helped me through the booking and planning process step by step. As a casual traveller there are a few things you definitely appreciate. That is a sense of trust and professionalism with your partner. Among other things you are about to transfer quite a large amount of funds overseas. With Tiago I never had any doubts about his and his company’s honesty and integrity.
The tour we chose was a 4 days Lake Nakuru and Masai Mara safari. Here and there the roads in Kenya may be quite bumpy. Not least inside the parks. In that respect our choice of minivan as a vehicle was probably not the best. However the extra cost for Land Cruiser in relation to benefits felt too high in our opinion. As it turned out minivan was really alright. But that is a decision everyone has to make themselves.
Our guide was Steven. He is a very skilful driver. His capability to navigate in Nakuru and Masai Mara is impressive. Despite having a van instead of a jeep we never got stuck in the mud, had no flat tires or any other problems with the car. Because of some heavy raining at nights the dirt roads in Masai Mara were partly heavily soaked. We did witness some cars being stuck in the mud. However it was nice to see the comradeship among the guides. Help is always available. Steven seems to know everyone out there. Communicating and information sharing between drivers seems to be essential in these safaris. Steven was a fitting guide for us. Some characteristics stuck out. He has an appearance of a very friendly, polite and quite modest man. Still you get the feeling that this guy knows what he is doing. Experience and professionalism sticks out. With him you are in safe and knowledgeable hands. As a guest there is just one thing for you to do. That is to relax and enjoy. He takes care of the rest. Safari guides have an exceptional ability to spot animals even with their plain eyes. Steven spotted a leopard in a tree. I simply could not see it until I took the binoculars. Amazing! Steven’s overall expertise further strengthened my opinion of Spirit of Kenya as an outstanding tour operator.
You can’t choose the weather or what you want see in the park. Lady Luck plays a major role. As I had some previous experiences of safaris I had some hopes to witness something extra spectacular. That did not fully happen. But it was not a problem. Fully realising that live safaris are not like TV documentaries. To witness for instance a ‘kill’ requires some extra luck. We saw the big five and all the major famous savannah animals. For me it was personally rewarding to see cheetahs. I had missed them in my earlier safaris. We saw two with their fresh kill. And even the next morning we saw another one eating his impala breakfast. In Lake Nakuru we saw several white rhinos and in Masai Mara among dozens of other fascinating sightings a mating couple of lions. In Masai Mara we stayed in Julia’s River Camp right on the banks of river Talek. At night we could sense and hear hippos moving, eating grass and grunting just next to our tent. What a captivating experience! Hey, we really are in the middle of wilderness!
We had a splendid time on our safari tour and I can sincerely give Spirit of Kenya full marks for the manner the whole trip was conducted in every aspect. If I choose to have yet another African safari I don’t need to look far for the organizer. Without hesitation I also dare to recommend Spirit of Kenya for all those who are pondering which one to choose from several tour companies.
SE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It was the best leissure ever, i wish to have more soon.
Thanks to ecovic tours, everything was wonderful and i hope for more.