FR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful
We had spent à very trip at Nyerere camp. It was wonderful. The guide and the driver were very kind.
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Kenya is an amazing, must visit country with great people, wildlife safaris and sunny beaches.
Our Kenyan holiday included 7 days in a Mombasa Beach Resort and a 4-day of safari to Tsavo East and West. We stayed in Sarova Beach Resort which was excellent with comfortable rooms, superb restaurants and exceptional staff who provided a great service. Our safari trip was arranged through Indigo Safaris using Explorer Kenya as the local provider. Explorer Kenya and our excellent driver / guide, Douglas Mwaiko, provided us with a truly memorable safari experience. We saw the Big 5 and much, much more.
Kenya is an amazing country to visit. The tourist experience is fantastic with excellent Mombasa Beach Resorts and memorable safari experiences. The quality of facilities is excellent but, above all, the experience is made really special by the friendly local people who always strive to provide an excellent service. Even a Covid Mask cannot hide a Kenyan smile. Asante Sana, Kenya
CZ
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Uganda is an interesting safari destination but its wildlife is obviously under a great pressure
I think Uganda is not for someone who suppose to have just one East Africa safari tour in his/her life.
For such people Kenya/Tanzania are better options.
Uganda is about some special animal (shoebill, chimps, gorillas, other primates, birds) and special landscape (lakes, Virunga, Ruwenzori, a margin of Congo rainforest basin) targets.
We knew that, we are strongly oriented to wildlife but anyway - Uganda was a partial (with the focus on PARTIAL) disappointment.
When I was a child the classical Ugandan national parks like Murchison Falls and Queen Elisabeth were symbols of the African wildlife beauty. They are still here but obviously under a great poaching pressure and some parts of QE (esp. Ishasha sector) are simply dying ecosystems. Without any change in NP management Uganda can expect even further decrease of safari visitors.
There were also 2 and 1/2 disappointments with the activities which were expected to be the Uganda safari highlights:
* Disappointment 1 : chimpanzee trekking in Kibale - IMO this is a cheat from definition - this is no trekking but cca an hour of standing in a dark forest and staring at a chimpanzee back high and far in the trees. I can understand it is made as it is possible but with all the marketing and for the price (a half of the gorilla permit) ... ? But I do believe that for chimps is Kibale a good place to live. Which is a good message.
* Disappointment 2 : tree-climbing lions in Ishasha/QENP - we saw just one older cub which was seriously and repeatedly injured (the older injury from poacher snares, the fresh new injury - as we were told - made by an aggressive male lion ). Add the evening/night shooting at elephants (to keep them out of the crop fields) and the fact that one half (really) of Ishasha sector is completely burnt down. A depressive place.
* 1/2 of Disappointment : gorilla trekking in Bwindi - this is no cheat (compared with chimps trekking in Kibale), it is a real rainforest trekking crowned with gorillas observation from a close distance - we spent a half an hour with a female and cca 10-month-old baby (nice) and we could hear other group members (incl. silverback) in the undergrowth nearby. But when the female with her baby was leaving we were told by our leader guide we could not to continue in observation because of a wasp nest (it was really there but it was there all the time and could be easily bypassed when trying to follow gorillas which were apparently nearby). So we finished our session after a half an hour and returned to the base where we were waiting another half an hour until the "easy group" returned (we were the "medium group"). I suppose the gorilla trekking is no cheat from definition (as I suppose the chimps trekking in Kibale is) but we simply had a hard luck with our leader guide. You didn't travel so long distance and didn't spend so much money to skip a half of the activity for such a vague reason.
But there were also very good points in our Uganda safari tour :
* shoebill in Mabamba swamps
* rhinos trekking in Ziwa RS
* Nile delta boat cruise (private small boat)
* giant forest hogs close to Buffalo lodge/QE
* Kazinga channel boat cruise (private small boat)
* Golden monkey trekking in Mgahinga NP (by far best of the primate trekking)
* Lake Mulehe birding (private small boat)
* Lake Bunyonyi birding (private small boat)
* birding !!!
And the trip organization by Africa Adventure Vacations was excellent. The tour was discussed and planned with Robert and we were guided with Ceasar and Daphne. I can highly recommend all of them, the tour organization was simply great and we would like to thank them once more at this place.
To sum up - I'm far from being sure to visit Uganda again but if we do that we'll ask Africa Adventure Vacations (Robert, Ceasar, Daphne) to organize our trip again.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fabulous for its wilderness and paradise
We had incredible 5 days of Safari with amazing landscapes driving through the Serengeti wilderness seeing the animals, visiting different game parks. Tents and lodge where beautiful and comfortable. Our driver and tour guide Hasan was exceptional who had lots of knowledge about the animals. The whole trip was organised very well.
CI
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Rhinos
Very nice safari in good company, everyone at the tour was very fun and the tour guide very knowledgeable, much better than I expected, managed to see a lot in only half a day, and so many Rhinos!
FR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
peacefull , greenfull
We were 3 days in the Maasai mara Reserve, 2 days of safari and 1 morning to discover a typical Maasai village. We saw all the kenyan wildlife expect the Rhinoceros. Thank you Okoa for this experience, and thanks to our guide and driver. We will remember this trip for the rest of our life !
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The best
I participated in a 3-night, 4-day tour!
The guide was also very polite and I was able to participate happily!
I am very satisfied with this great company! !
(automatic translation from Japanese)
IT
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Reliable
The 6 day safari was beautiful, we saw so many animals and took wonderful photos. Kenneth good driver and great guide!
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Respect,care,integrity and a very true genuine dedication to fulfill your safari experience
From the very beginning,communication and true desire to please your requirements were paramount.Darren is one of a kind individual whom forever I will be grateful for putting together a childhood dream trip of mine.My concerns and questions were always addressed with the most respect and urgency.I am a very,very!!!!!!!!!happy customer along with my wife for having with,Compass Odyssey the most wonderful,fascinating and delightful travel experience ever.Everything went exactly as told and described.I just got back and I am preparing already for a return to the most wonderful country in the world with of course,the most wonderful travel company I have ever work with.To future travelers to the South Africa countries involving safari adventures,Compass Odyssey is the one to go with.Trust me Darren and his team will treat you like family from beginning to end✈️
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
safari, serengeti, sansibar, snorkeling - super
Jambo!
We booked the well-known Safari-Sansibar-combination with „Tanzania Safari bug“ and had a really great vacation!
Our journey was well organized, the guidance in advance was extensive and professional (this lodge or this one, that National Park or the other, these excursions are possible at Sansibar, „We suggest this variation …“). For example, before the days in the jeep, we spent one day in the Arusha National Park to take a hike with a ranger. Safari by foot. Recommendable!
Our safari guide Michael was (like) a gift from heaven. He deeply knows the countryside, the animals and the plants – and the stories behind („Now they are hunting.“). And all the time he radiates a pleasant sense of calm. For us as a small group (mum, dad , one child (9)) it was a great thing, that we could arrange our days individually. What’s the use of a beautiful lodge, if you don’t have enough time to enjoy it (and not arrive until sundown)? Of course, the boy wants to go into the pool (and myself too).
Our stay at Michamvi on Sansibar we also enjoyed very much. But after seven days in the jeep we didn’t want to discover the island by car, so now our child was the guide and we spent our time in the water and at the beach. Sansibar still wants to be explored. Next time!
Of course again with "Tanzania Safari Bug".