US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Nothing more to be desired
Email communications were prompt, kind, and professional.
Pickup and drop off were as scheduled.
Tour guide, Ben, is very experienced: skillful driving on the muddy roads, spotting the animals, never losing smiles.
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
An experience to remember... and to repeat
My 12-year-old daughter and I went on safari with LOMO in July 2018 and I warmly recommend this company. I had chosen it based on their website’s mission and I’m so happy I trusted my instincts. Here’s a quote from LOMO’s website: “What makes us different from other companies is our ability to Attention to Details. The success of and enjoyment for any safari depend on the quality and experience of a safari guide.”
Our safari reflected this completely! Little details like plenty of cool water bottles in the safari truck, tea/coffee/hot chocolate for mid-morning or mid-afternoon breaks, respect for the fact that we needed a leisurely pace… Everything was just perfect!
Our guide, Erasto, is an avid wildlife watcher and photographer like me. He knows his stuff and gave us a lot of information along the way. One of the highlights of our 9-day safari was the 90 minutes we spent with an elephant herd in the Silale Swamp area of Tarangire National Park. We just sat there, watched these beautiful creatures and took dozens of pictures while observing behaviour I had never seen young males swimming and play-fighting in the water! I will always remember and treasure this experience.
There is more: I appreciate the fact that a certain percentage of the company’s profits are used to support local charities. My family and I visited the orphanage that LOMO supports and it made me realize how important it is for successful Tanzanian companies to form such partnerships. Next time I go on safari, I am going with LOMO. For me, this is the one and only safari company in Tanzania! And we're already planning for a June 2023 safari! See you there!
HK
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic 6 Days 5 Nights Trip for 2 with David
Myself and my girlfriend (now fiancé but more on that later) have just come back from 10 day trip to Kenya. We spent a big portion of those days (Private tour for 2 people, 6 days/5 nights - 2 nights in Masaai Mara/ 1 night in Lake Nakuru/ 2 nights in Amboseli in a Land Cruiser) in the hands of the company and our guide David.
Before we booked the trip, Robert was always very prompt and honest in his responses, which was the difference maker for us, as we did talk to a few tour companies for comparison. Robert also never made us uncomfortable with hard selling - something we don’t really appreciate and something which we experienced with other tour companies.
On with the journey- After arriving at the airport, we were picked up by David, who greeted us with a friendly smile and off we went on our adventure! The trips by road to the parks are quite long and the roads are a tad rough - so be prepared for some bumpy moments but we were lucky that David was a fantastic driver so the trip was smooth and we even caught some sleep along the way. He also made sure that we always arrived on time as scheduled.
As we went in April during the rainy season, we did get some rain during some of our game drives but we were able to experience the safaris in all their glory. On Day 1 of our trip in the Masaai Mara, we were lucky enough to catch some cheetahs in action as well as Hyenas picking the bones of the corpse! The Masaai Mara was definitely our favourite spot and our only regret is spending only 3 days/2 nights here. We stayed at the Mara Ashnil and it was very good, although not as great as our latter accommodations in the trip. Mara Ashnil is a luxury tented camp but hot water and electricity is not 24/7, which can be uncomfortable for some but we managed alright.
After a 6 hour journey, we arrived at Lake Nakuru which is a smaller park famous for the Black and White Rhino, and pink flamingoes and we did get to see them. However, as good as the park is, it pales in comparison to Masaai Mara in terms of the sheer awe factor of the landscape and wildlife. The hotel, Nakuru Sopa Lodge, was absolutely terrific with a stunning view. We were pleasantly surprised and had a great night’s stay here.
To the final leg of our journey, and the longest drive. After 8.5 hours, we arrived at Amboseli and saw the majestic Mount Kilimanjaro. It was here that I proposed to my fiancé at sunset with the view of Kilimanjaro in the background and David was kind enough to capture those moments with my camera :)
Amboseli is absolutely stunning for the aforementioned view of Kilimanjaro (clearest in the early morning and late afternoon when there are no clouds), and for the various families of elephants. David’s vast knowledge of the safaris taught me that almost 200,000 elephants use to roam the grounds in the 80s, whereas now there were only around 2,000 left, such a shame! However, David got us very close to the elephants and we saw families of elephants bathing and crossing the road right in front of our car! We stayed at the Kibo Safari Lodge, which was perfect and with a view of Kilimanjaro right outside our window! Amboseli is second to Masaai Mara on our list of favourites. And thus ended the trip for us with the company, safe to say the experience was massively enjoyable.
Food on the trip was very good - hotel buffets for breakfast, lunch and dinner at Mara Ashnil and Kibo Safari Lodge, and set courses at the Nakuru Sopa Lodge. During the long drives, we had takeaway lunch boxes and plenty of water along the journey. We were fed tremendously well!
Our guide David was very knowledgable and gave valuable insights into the Safaris, animals, and the country and culture of Kenya throughout the whole trip. He was always on hand to answer all of my queries (and I consider myself a curious person so I asked a lot of questions!) and one of the highlights of the trip was just getting to know him and also the country and culture of Kenya through him. His friendly demeanour and enthusiasm rubs off on you and made our trip very enjoyable. He is very highly recommended by us!
After the tour was over, we were dropped off at Wilson airport where we flew on with our own agenda to the coast, with wide smiles on our faces from the highly memorable experience of this safari with Explorer Kenya :)
NL
under20 years of age | Experience level: first safari
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
awesome experience
my 10 days experience with smile view Kenya tours and travel was just the best, my family and took their ten day best of Kenya safari and the did a perfect job. i would recommend them.
AE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very good experience... Christine was very good in coordination and follow up.
Communication, Service.. all lived up to our expectations...Safari van was neat and well kept..tour guide Jason did his job well...he made sure we spot maximum animals possible...
NL
under20 years of age | Experience level: first safari
He was awesome.
Everything, the whole trip was amazing. Unforgettable.
NL
under20 years of age | Experience level: first safari
High peaks expeditions with Global Exploration
My experiences with global explorations in the summer were really Nice. All the people are super Nice and they know a lot about their country. They really make sure you see the best of it.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
NZ
Professional, efficient, comfortable and an all round wonderful experience with this tour operator
The communication was good from the moment we arrived at Mana Pools airstrip and we were met by the two guides. They made a great effort to explain the processes, daily routine and to share their huge knowledge of the trees, birds and animals of the African bush with us.
The service over the four days was excellent - especially in terms of our comfort - setting up the tents with chemical toilets for night use, warm water for daily evening showers and warm water washes in the morning. food was delicious and all cooked over the fire - including chocolate cake for afternoon tea. Good coffee in the morning.
All drinks were included and there was always ice cold soft drinks and water available during the super hot days we experienced.
We participated in the Mana Shoreline trip - 4 nights - pleasant mix of paddling in canoes, bush walks and game drives. We had two camps with two nights in each which made for a far more relaxed tour than changing location every night.
The trip more than lived up to our expectations and we would highly recommend this operator.