US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Highly Recommend. They took care of everything
I highly recommend Lion King Adventures. They are a locally owned and operated company in Tanzania specializing in Safaris. I sent them a list of things I wanted to do for our honeymoon, and they came back with a complete itinerary that hit my high points and was within my budget. They were very responsive while we finalized the itinerary.
Once on the trip, we did not have to worry about a thing. We were picked up from the airport and had the same driver and vehicle daily. The driver, Yosuf, spoke good English and always tried to work around what we wanted to do. We even made detours to pharmacies, clothing stores, and gift shops on the way to and from different national parks.
During the flight there our bag was lost by the airline. The support staff in the office worked with the airline to find the bag and deliver it to our hotel. I did not have to do a thing except file the initial claim.
It was a great trip.
CA
Provided an Exhilarating Experience
We had aproximately 25 days in Namibia including our wonderful time in the Chobe River where Thinus met us at Kasane airport in Botswana,
We immediately when on a game drive within 15 min of our lodge and saw most of the big 5. Our adventure in Namibia after Botswana continued through Etosha Park, (we loved the tents camp right outside the lodge with a watering hole in front of our luxurious tent)
We loved Damaraland with its stunning rock formations and night sky. We also adored the Skeleton coast and the colours in the sand and the dunes. We had also an amazing jeep ride along the coast line during low tide with the waves crashing in under us, followed by an amazing drive up and down the enormous dunes. You can do this from Swapomund or Walvis Bay . ( I would suggest hiring your own private guide for this)
Thinus was a great driver and knows how to handle the gravel and sand roads and booked great accomodations for us. We also enjoyed the company of Marcus who was a wonderful and knowledgeable guide while Thinus took a few days off. We loved this trip....it was one of a lifetime and we do plan to come back when time allows. We saw every living creature in Africa and the scenery is spectacular.
trisha from Vancouver
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Accommodating, Encouraging, and Fun!
Face of Africa Review
My dad and I first interacted with the Face of Africa staff when we arrived at the Arusha airport. Sam and Kelvin were waiting for us at luggage pickup, kindly helped us with our luggage, and drove us to get dinner. That same night they drove to the Kilimanjaro airport to pick up my sister even though it was late at night.
Our Kilimanjaro hike guides were MJ and Francis. MJ met us at our hotel and gave us a briefing on materials and helped us rent any equipment we needed. He even went the extra mile and brought a water bottle from his home for me to borrow. We met Moody, the chef, and he was very welcoming and encouraging as well. MJ, Francis, Moody, and all of the porters were smiling the entire time on the hike. I never felt any negative energy from them and they were constantly asking us if we needed anything. During the hike, MJ and Francis set a good pace, sung songs to keep us going, and reminded us to go at our won pace. They really emphasize going at your own pace and that it’s not a race. As soon as we got to the base camp, Abed (a porter) would take our backpack and hiking poles and set them in the tent. Moody would have hot water and soup ready. For long hiking days, Moody would even prepare a snack bag for us in the morning. MJ and Francis would consistently check up on us and do a nightly health check. Each morning, they provided us with a bowl of hot water to freshen up, ate breakfast, grabbed whatever we needed for the hike, and left. The porters pack away your tent, large backpack, sleeping bag, private toilet etc. You really only have to focus on hiking and they do the rest! On the night of the summit hike, trust your guides. They know what they are doing!! After the hike, the van to go back was waiting to take us to a celebratory lunch where they gave us certificates and the whole team cheered for us.
Here are some things to bring that really helped us:
- Bring wet wipes and enough of them!!
- Nalgene bottles with a tight twist on lid - Moody will put hot water in these for you to sleep with
- Extra pairs of socks
- Vaseline (it gets really dry at high elevations)
- Good rain gear - rain coat, poncho, backpack covers, rain pants, waterproof hiking boots
- Snacks
Back at the hotel, Kelvin checked in on us several times. We requested to do laundry at a local laundromat and he dropped off/picked up our clothes for us. Sam also drove us to our evening activities around town.
Sam was our driver during the safari. He is super knowledgeable, knows English very well, and very passionate about wildlife. He will spot things you wouldn’t even spot with binoculars. We were really lucky to see the Big 5, Super 7, Super 9, and Small 5. The drive is super bumpy, but Sam does his best to make the ride as smooth as possible. He custom made a wooden stool for my grandmother to use to get into the van. Sam worked with our schedule and made our safari experience exceptional!
Overall, any requests you have, they will accommodate. Face of Africa is excellent and we would highly recommend them. Hamadi, the owner, met with us twice to check in and see how we were doing. They show that they care and make your experience in Africa amazing!!
IN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Inflexible. We were not able to see the lions and I was another game drive
1. We were not able to see the lions and I was expecting that they will make another effort by giving us another game drive so that we have a complete experience but no effort was made
2. I made a request to change my drop location to my hotel instead of airport but it wasn't approved.
3. It was football world cup final that evening & the taxi was late by 1 hr. As a result I missed the world cup final.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very professional with great customer service.
What an experience! The guides were very knowledgeable. They were eager to answer any questions I had. The customer service made me feel welcomed.
FR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amboseli group tour not recommended
I booked a 3-day group joining tour to Amboseli in January 2023 with Grayton Expeditions and it was below expectations.
I was disappointed because :
1) although you pay for a 3 Days tour (340$) you end up with only 1 entrance to the Park (24h). The game drive for the last day ends at 8.45am as the 24h entrance expires;
2) Grayton Expeditions do not operate the tour themselves but subcontract to another company which leads to differences with the program you paid for. In my case, the tour ended up at 12:00 (not 15:00 as indicated in the program) and I was not dropped off to my hotel, but rather put in a Uber from the city center (not very safe).
I could share this feedback with Grayton which apologized for the inconvenience and was very reactive. However I cannot recommend this group tour to Amboseli with Grayton (better book a 2 days with another agency), but I think they are reliable if they operate the tour themselves as my communication was smooth with them.
FI
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Breathtaking experience - 2 Day safari Nyerere
We went on a 2 day safari at the end of January 2023. Communication went very quickly and smoothly. The whole trip we were able to rely on all the operators from the pick up to the exit. We had some luggage we didn’t take to the safari, a safe place was arranged to it. All questions were answered, service was excellent and we had a great time!
At the Nyerere our guide Eli was waiting us at the runway. We started the game drive and got to see many animals even though it was a rainseason during that time - that shows the level of our guide. On top of that we got to learn many insights of the Tanzanian culture, animal behaviour and the nature. Eli was clearly an experienced guide, professional bushman and the level of knowledge he had amazed us.
Second day we had a very chill bushwalk with Eli and a member of the Masai tribe. After that we went to boat safari where we saw the wonders of nature from a river view.
All in all, safari was a great experience and we would definetly recomend this company and our guide to everybody.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Everything Good.
a great safari. abraham was our driver and kept us entertained. many thanks
IE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Really the best company of safari
We was 7 people group and had the best tours ever. Our professional guide Khalifa show the best possible places with animals. We feel very safe and very happy. From Khalifa we got lots of stories about safari. Really recommend 100%
CH
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
S of T what an experience
What an experience, we saw the Big Five and so many more animals one of my favourite vacations
First of all thank you Josè, for organising our trip to The Serengeti and The Ngorongoro crater and all the accommodation…
Special acknowledgment to Our driver and Guide Mwinyi he was amazing he listened to all our daily requests, and told us so much about the areas we visited, the animals and there habitats including making the animal sounds when we were close to some of the animals which made them come closer.
The meals we had, hot and presented so well, my only issue was that my partner doesn’t like vegetables which there was in every dish which we did mention to our guide…
The first accommodation which sadly wasn’t our first choice, but it was Christmas and had a lovely view and pool.
The second accommodation was perfect, luxury glamping campsite next to the lions and hyenas. We stayed there for 2 nights right in the middle of the Serengeti the staff were amazing and very attentive… We would definitely go back
Our last camp was above the Ngorongoro crater it was very cold up there compared to the other camps but they did have an open fire and hot water bottles and 3 course meals
The Soul of Tanzania I would highly recommend especially our guide Mwinyi
