AE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Safari Experience with our guide Castro
The safari was very good, we saw many different animals and beautiful scenery. Our driver Castro was very knowledgeable of the animals and gave us plenty of time and opportunities for photographs.
TH
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Exceptional Trip to Ruaha
We went on a 2 night 3 day safari to Ruaha and it was amazing! We had a great game drive where we saw many animals and even found a family of lions that were hidden and difficult to spot at first. We also saw a lion from very close by, about 2 meters! We were able to learn a lot about all the different animals thanks to the good knowledge of our guide. Jackson had everything planned out perfectly so we didn't need to worry about the logistics of the safari. He arranged very beautiful accommodation for us with good food and a beautiful sunrise in the morning. All of this was for a very affordable price, especially as we are still studying. Thanks Jackson for making a party of our safari weekend and teaching us to sing the Swahili songs! We had great fun :)
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Seamless
The process was seamless and it was value for my money..All I had to do was show up.
This is the second time am using your service and I will definitely comeback..looking forward to a discount end for my end of the month discount...
Brian and Rahab are very helpful and professional.
CA
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Top notch and reliable
My daughter and I booked with Craig and Bianca for late March / early April 2022. Dealing with them was a great relief since we had just had our original tour cancelled by another operator and we ended up being very happy with Craig and Bianca's level of concern, communication and flexibility in laying out our semi-private tour. They kept us in the loop the entire time.
I feel we had excellent value for our money and ended up staying in great places throughout our trip. We especially loved staying near Kruger National Park as the accommodations were beautifully arranged and very peaceful. We had an excellent time on safari, where we were able to see tons of wildlife including the big five. Craig and Bianca showed up a great time all around Cape Town, making sure we had a safe and enjoyable experience. Very reliable and we would definitely rely on them if we ever had the chance to return to beautiful South Africa.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Knowledgeable and helpful – incredible trip!
We travelled with the Luxury Safari Company to four camps/lodges in Tanzania and had an incredible trip. I really appreciated the team's expertise re accommodation and the knowledge on logistics of travelling between locations. I'd definitely recommend the Luxury Safari Company to anyone looking to book a safari to Tanzania or elsewhere!
AE
Amazing and incredible tour ever.
I had an extra ordinary and beautiful tour with Mond safaris.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful experience
Loved everything about the tour. Really friendly guide Madison knows a lot about the park and the animals. He picked us up at the hotel and drove us to the airport. He had a professional camera with him and provided us with the amazing photos after the tour which was great because we only had the cameras on our phones. He also brought binoculars, food for the vegetarian among us, hand sanitizer a lot of water and insect repellent. Professional indeed! :) Also the prize was very reasonable.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
It was really amazing
We starting researching safaris about a year before travel. Because of Covid, I'm so glad we chose Tanzania in the end.
We chose to work with Salim because he is a local Tanzanian with tons of experience. Be careful with the bigger outfitters, you won't get quite as personalized experience and it will cost more.
Salim had great communication from the beginning and answered all of my many questions patiently. We chose to do an 8 day safari, visiting Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Ngorogoro Crater and the Serengeti. Our guide was a true expert with years of experience and spoke perfect English (which is helpful because they are explaining so much about the animals). Having a good guide is vital to a successful safari as you spend so much time with them.
If you're looking to save a bit of money, here are my tips.
The affordable lodging is the route we went (mid level) and it exceeded expectations. Don't fret about staying at a fancy lodge, you're barely there, and when you are, you are exhausted. Save your money. I would have been disappointed if we spent extra on a nicer lodge because often we were gone from the room from 7-6pm.
Also, 5-6 days is plenty. I have no regrets about doing 8 days, but if I was on a tighter budget, we would have been just as happy with shaving a few days off the trip. We figured it was a once in a lifetime experience, so why not, but we definitely could have saved one day, which would have been about a $750 savings.
Flying from the Serengeti, or to the Serengeti, depending on how your trip is planned, is worth the money, but you could do the drive and save quite a bit. Our flights were $800 and in hindsight, I would have suffered through the bumpy drive back to save the money. BUT if you get car sick or hate traveling for long periods, spring for the flights, it does save time.
Here are some things I wish we would have known that I felt the internet was misleading about.
The clothing.
Yes, wearing lightweight clothing is important as the weather does change rapidly. That being said, you are in a vehicle most of the time. I certainly wouldn't have dropped as much money as I did on "safari" clothes if I knew we were barely going to get out of the vehicle. Bring a variety of clothes but don't fret terribly about the color.
Game drive time.
Everyone told me we needed to be up and on the road at 5:30, 6 am. This isn't true. We didn't start any game drives before 7:30 and saw plenty.
Camera gear.
Yes, having a long telephoto lens definitely helps if you're a photography junkie like me, BUT, you do get fairly close to most animals. Unless you're an pro or semi pro photographer, a 70-200mm lens will do you just fine.
The ONLY con I really have is the food, which isn't necessarily a con, just something to prep for. Most places you'll go are fairly remote and the cooks have to do their best with what resources they've got. While all the food tasted great, it is a simple menu. The packed lunches are quite simple as well, so bring snacks if you're a picky eater. For the total cost of the trip, normally food would be more "gourmet" so just be prepared. Once you see the landscape and the villages, you'll understand the depths the camps go through to provide good, fresh meals.
We had a phenomenal time and if you're on the fence, BOOK it! Using a local guide with on the ground knowledge like Salimu is the way to go.
NL
Customer centric tour operater that will care for you
We chose for Lappet Faced Safaris to be our tour operator when climbing Mt. Meru. We were well taken care of before and after our trek including a small city tour by Francisco. The crew around the lead guide and the porters were very welcoming from the start and left us with great memories from the trek. Highly recommended.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
incredible Experience
I decided to go to visit Uganda to make a pilgrimage to a Polish Church near Masindi where some of my family stayed as refugees after WW2. I then added on a safari tour to Murchison Falls. David was our guide and he really pulled through for us. He was incredibly knowledgeable about the environment (animals & plants) as well as the culture. I left feeling that I really learned a lot about Uganda as a whole.
I gained an appreciation & understanding for the wildlife and culture that I had not expected. He was accommodating when we decided to change our itinerary a bit at the last minute. He also was very respectful and supportive during my emotional visit to the Church. He even went to find a guide for church- someone who knew well of the history as he lived in Masindi his whole life and heard stories from the elders. It was really a gift to receive this new information - I was overwhelmed that I provided this opportunity to reconnect to a past that was lost with the death of my grandmother. As we were 2 women travelling for the first time to Uganda, David made us feel safe, comfortable and well looked after. I would highly recommend him and Dav Safaris to anyone, even if you are just a solo female traveler (as I would have been had my coworker not decided to join me).