NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable trip! Everything was perfectly planned and organised.
Ute did an amazing job planning our trip to the Okavango Delta and to Victoria Falls.
We pretty much left everything in her hands and she planned an unforgattable trip for us.
We stayed two nights at two different camps inside the Delta; the camps were in two different locations which gave us an opportunity to see different landscapes and animals.
After the Delta we went to Victoria Falls where we stayed at a great guest house.
Everything was perfectly arranged. It exceeded our expectations.
PT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Dream Trip
It all started when I decided to make my dream come true and thankfully I decided to do it with CLAWS OF AFRICA.
I did a 4 day and 3 night tent safari and it was wonderful.
Without our guide Emanuel nothing would be possible because besides having the same passion that we for the animals still had an enormous patience to stop whenever we asked to observe the animals.
The cook who was always with us never missed anything and Pasco's food is wonderful.
I am sorry I did not stay more days because I found everything wonderful but I hope one day come back.
ES
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very good visit to Nairobi National Parks
Perfect. We had very good interaction via phone/whatsapp prior to the trip. Very good car and interaction with driver
SS
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good service delivery
Effective communication, good experience and every service has been effective
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
We couldn't have asked for more - Tarangire to the Serengeti & beyond
Encompass Africa were amazing to deal with. From the moment I submitted an inquiry until we arrived home, the communication was superb. Stephanie was professional, patient, knowledgeable & her replies to my (many) emails were always timely. The itinerary she put together covered everything we wanted & we had high hopes that this would be the trip of a lifetime.
We were extremely well looked after at all the camps & hotels we stayed at (all of which were great) & our guide for our 9 day safari was was fantastic. The wildlife sightings were beyond compare & exceeded our expectations. We're particularly fond of big cats & they certainly didn't disappoint, with many cheetah sightings & so many lions in the Serengeti alone that we were in cat-heaven.
We followed up our safari with a Zanzibar stay (which was fabulous - the hotel was beautiful & such a relaxing setting) & then flew to Cape Town for a few days of wining & dining before we were homeward bound.
Encompass Africa delivered everything we could have hoped for & more & we'll definitely be using them again for our next trip!
CA
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The driver/guide (Geoffrey) went out of his way to accommodate everyone's agend
The driver/guide was also very good in positioning the vehicle as best as possible for maximum game viewing.
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Out of this world
This was my trip of a lifetime and didn't disappoint. It was more than I expected thanks to the lovely tour guides of Legend Safaris. Zaheer and Shaheen. The help given to me pre trip with booking my internal flights for me, and shopping for my dinner wine, was exceptional, and as a solo traveller, I was made very welcome and quickly fitted in with the rest of our group. I can't recommend Legend Safaris highly enough. I will certainly book to join them again in the future. Many thanks to all who helped make my first Safari so unforgettable, and one I will always remember with great fondness.
IT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wonderfull experience
The Trip was amazing, all tinghs was perfect: organization, the guide, all staff. A dream!
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review of Fantastic NBZ Private Nature/Birding Tour Led by Cronje of Nature Birding Travel
This is a belated review of a private 14 day nature trip of Northern Namibia in December 2018 that was led by Marc Cronje of Nature Birding Travel, who served as our superlative and indefatigable host, guide, driver, fixer and companion throughout.
Beginning with an airport pick-up at Livingstone in Southern Zambia, the tour encompassed a brief stop in Zimbabwe to visit Victoria Falls; two days in Zambia to bird the Zambezi River; two days in Botswana to bird the Zambezi floodplains and Okavango River, and the remainder of the time in Namibia, with a route that took us through the Okavango to Etosha for 4 days; a day in the spectacular, other-worldly Damaraland region; two days in the Erongo Mountains, where we stayed at the amazing Erongo Widerness Lodge; and a final morning of coastal birding in Walvis Bay.
We are experienced, well-travelled birders with an equally strong interest in all other forms of wildlife, as well as in natural landscapes and ecosystems, so our hope for this tour — which was fully realized — was to experience a wide range of Southern African flora, fauna and avian life at an unhurried pace that would allow for full immersion. As this is a review rather than a trip report, we do not provide here a detailed account of species sighted, but the birding and wildlife experience was richly rewarding and exceeded expectations, with nearly 350 species of birds sighted, 40 species of mammals (including no fewer than ten separate encounters with lions), and one exciting sighting of a Black Mamba on the first morning of the trip.
The itinerary of the trip was exceptionally well designed, with consideration given to keeping daily travel distances manageable in order to allow time for leisurely enjoyment of all wildlife. The well-chosen lodges were (other than in Etosha NP) small, privately run establishments with individual character and charm, allowing for varied experiences while delivering a uniformly high standard of service.
Marc Cronje proved to be a world-class guide, whose deep knowledge and appreciation of wildlife, landscape, and birds is matched by his superb wildlife spotting and identification skills and by his infectious enthusiasm and passion for his job. He worked tirelessly on our behalf, from first light until night fall, and even then he was always eager to go owling.
Beyond his skills as a nature guide, Marc is a great communicator with a robust sense of humor. His patience, politeness and respect for others was a pleasure to behold and a real asset when dealing with border officials, a necessity on a trip that encompassed four countries.
We could not recommend Marc and Nature Birding Travel more highly and look forward to arranging our next nature safari adventure with him.
David Drake and Deborah Jaffe
NO
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A great adventure on a motorbike for 10 days
Starting a beautiful new Honda CRF 250 at the first day and thinking that I will miss the power from my 690 and 790 back home for several days..
Wrong thoughts! These bikes are perfect for this adventure! Going up, going down, going far, going fast, going slow, these bikes are perfect for all purposes and bikers. I was really satisfied with this low weight bike running 10 km among rocks upside a hill. Less is more!
This trip is well prepared! There is no road signs and you will be in the middle of nowhere in a moment if you were alone! But these gentle guides don’t need a GPS to find the tracks and they take care of you. They have been here several times before and done a lot of scouting to find the best tracks for you. These guides can also be mechanics and make your dinner of a goat if required.
This is not a “single track”. There is alternatives if required due to weather or other circumstances. Independent of your driving skills, this group of guides and landscape have something challenging and exiting to offer you. Several guides and a service-car make it possible to customize this trip to your requirements on a short notice. Going offroad, crossing rivers, driving in sand. Didn’t miss anything. My best bike experience so far!
In addition to great bike-driving: This trip is a great opportunity to see a bit of this beautiful country and friendly people. There is always a smile and someone waving friendly. People seems to be very happy and that is not because of money. Having lunch in a village or among rocks in the mountains, joking with locals on their bikes, seeing bikes transporting everything and meeting Maasai people are great memories. You will see a bit of the daily life in Tanzania along the roads, in the villages, maybe visit a school. Zebras, giraffes, wildebeests and other animals along your road. A beer and a great accommodation waiting for you at the end of the day.
I can really recommend this adventure!