US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
A little disappointing.
The weather was very nice. Wildlife not as abundant as I expected but then it was the dry season. MY accommodations were NOT what I paid to have---I paid for a mid-range tented lodge and ended up in a tent on the ground and shorted one day stay in the Serengeti. MY agent took the money I paid (in advance) and did not make any hotel arrangements, no one day hike on Kilimanjaro nor did he provide any arrangements for the 2 day stay in Kenya for Amboseli National Park or the Park fees in Tanzania National Parks (3). This is at least $1,000 loss and time wasted. I actually had to spend a day filing a police report on [email protected] Nagol. This site needs to be shut down to prevent this scum from hurting other travelers and ruining the safari business in Tanzania. Most of the people were extremely nice in trying to help sort all of this out for me and make sure I saw what I came to see. I was in a group of 6 but it was a little stressful as the guide/driver never knew what to do with me. Please DO NOT advertise for this site. He is a crook
TH
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Lake Manyara National Park by Polwach Wudhikulprapan
Lake Manyara is pretty small comparing to other national parks we visited. What we like about this place is that we saw lions resting on the trees which was quite spectacular, thanks to the springwater that has an influence on their behaviors. There were not so many kinds of wild animals to see here although olive baboons were notably abundant. The lanscape is a mix of plain and forest and not so scenic as Serengeti or Ngorongoro.
PH
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Our guide was great
No complaint about our guide, he was absolutely great. He tried his best to make us comfortable and satisfied with the tour. He also shared a lot of wonderful insights about safaris and the animals in the savannah. 5 stars for Lion!
However, the road going to Masaii Mara from Nairobi was terrible and we were not informed beforehand. The driver also made a lot of detours before we got to our destination. On our way back to the airport, the traffic was terrible and we almost missed our flight, not to mention, the hotel we booked for us to get a shower before the flight.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Wildlife, no so great Driver
The Safari was very nice, and we were really lucky, despite rain season. However, out driver always seemed to be in a hurry outside the park and the extra-activities seemed to a nuisance to him
AR
Great stopover
I asumed it was going to be a mediocre experience with just a good location but it ended up having a nice variety of animals: zebras, giraffes, impalas, topis, waterbucks, warthogs, monkeys and ankoles. Not the usual big 5 but very enjoyable nonetheless. Convinced my guide to drive by since I had some hours to spare on my way to the airport and it was delightful. Great stopover to complement what I had already seen.
Some sceneries were amazing while other sections of the park were too bushy, but they seem to be "taking care" of that since there were big chunks of the side-road having been burned down, or something like the sort. Roads were bad.
ES
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing safari experience with Routes Kilimanjaro Adventure
Enjoyed it. Great organization. Good communication and food. Enthusiastic and informative driver guide. Good condition safari vehicle. Highly recommended.
We were the group of 8 adults, did did an eight days safari with Routes Kilimanjaro Adventure in mid December 2017. Pick up and drop off was from JRO. Weather cooperated on most days except the one day which we were delayed due to over flooding. But our driver guide Godfrey was helpful. We chosen medium accommodation which exceeded our expectations and was excellent (especially in the middle of the Serengeti). Food was great. It was mixture of local cuisines and some international dishes. Plenty of veg options available. Picnic lunches during game drives were good to.
Now for important stuff - Godfrey was excellent both as a driver and as a guide. He made sure we followed all the park regulations and observed wildlife safely and respectfully, while being able to enjoy. Godfrey had an amazing eye at spotting birds and animals from distance. His knowledge of their behavior, habitats and patterns was superb. However, watching wildlife is always a game of chance and of lucky according to Godfrey. We saw a herd of more than 100 elephants on one day while no elephants on last couple of days.
Overall we were extremely happy and satisfied with our first safari experience. Routes Kilimanjaro provided excellent service and good value for money. We will definitely choose Routes Kilimanjaro again for future safaris.
Thanks to Stella for organizing this wonderful safari. Having done all the bookings and communications online, and a continent apart, there is some apprehension. But Stella and Routes Kilimanjaro were patient and answered all our questions and accommodated requests.
AE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Almost there but something is just not right
Throughout the planning stages Gosheni was very helpful and overall the safari was nice. But I am writing this review with mixed emotions. During the planning process there was a huge emphasis placed on the company having new vehicles and permanent guides. The vehicle that we had for our safari was fantastic and new, but it was not owned by Gosheni. Instead they had subcontracted our safari to another company. The guide was friendly and gave us a great trip but is not a an employee of Gosheni, and instead works for another company. In the end we were delivered with a great trip, but I am left with a bit of a sour taste. Their website is really focused on how great they are because they employ the best guides. They claim to be a reliable and honest operator.
We traveled in low season so it still seems very strange that they subcontracted our trip to another company, named Masai Safaris. I read several bad reviews about companies that Sub-contract safaris to other companies and the mess it can end up it. So we specifically chose a company that seemed to run their own trips. Apparently this is not the case, so I can't recommend this company even though the safari was well planned and delivered.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
When it went well it went well but when it didn't....
I know people rave about this company. And, I guess, if you didn't have any problems with them then they were good. But if you do experience a problem with them, they don't really want to hear from you with the what the issue was. I had a 6 day safari booked with them and it was good until I got to the Masai Mara and then things went off the rails. They gave me an incorrect park permit which the rangers would not honor. I contacted the person in the US who did my booking and she wanted to know why I was calling her about this. I mean, she did take my money for the trip so I thought she could quickly contact the Nairobi office for me and get this straightened out but no. After spending over an hour on a desolate air strip in the Masai Mara arguing with park officials and in order not to be sent back to Nairobi on the next plane, I had to pay the entrance fees again even though it was included in my safari payment. When I did speak with the head of customer service for Gamewatchers, she wouldn't confirm to me that I would be refunded for something I had paid for twice (ultimately about a week later I did get a refund). But then, because of this debacle at the park entrance, I missed a game drive which the hotel blames on me for not showing up for (because I couldn't get in to the park due the Gamewatchers giving me an incorrect permit) and neither the hotel, Mara Serena, or Gamewatchers will refund that. As a matter of fact on this issue, Gamewatchers has gone completely silent. So no, this is not a tour operator I would recommend.
BR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
PERFECT TRIP
After spending a long time searching through a variety companies for our family trip, we settled on Routes Kilimanjaro Adventures. A large reason to this was the helpfulness of Stella who was very quick to respond to our queries and plan safari so that it perfectly suited our requirements. From the initial planning stage, we felt like we were in safe hands.
We were collected at the airport by our driver and guide for the week, Nelson. He made the safari so special for my family and my self and his knowledge was incredible. He almost had a sixth sense where he could spot animals that we would never have noticed them, but Nelson did. He was very excited to see them and said it was exceptionally rare to spot a Leopard with the cubs running in the open. We sat and had our lunch with him every day and was great to find out about him and see how passionate he is about his job.
Our family trip was perfect and was thanks to the hard work of Routes Kilimanjaro team. There are many of tour agencies in Tanzania but we are so happy that we went with Routes Kilimanjaro Adventure.
IN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
This is a pretty and intelligent tour company
I think they should develop more and more in order they could gain more work from the outsiders and get more experience which could help also to develop the company