US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing adventure
I knew I was going to need a travel agency to book our safari / Cape Town adventure after I spent a weekend online trying to figure out the ins and outs of South Africa travel.
I emailed about 30 different travel agencies with our budget and travel desires. Thierry from Biwakwango came back with the best offer in a timely manner :-)
Thierry was able to secure in country flights, transportation and seriously wonderful accommodations for us! We were not looking for luxurious resorts, he sent us to the Umlai and Shindzela camps and both were perfect! We then stayed at a lovely B&B in Cape Town. Thierry was always quick with a response to my questions and gave me many options to choose from. It was such a painless process, I highly recommend Biwakwango to anyone needing a travel agent when going on Safari.
FR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
To ve avoided
Walking in Nairobi streets, one guy offered To take us To their office for information. We wanted To go safari in Meru National Parc. We entered the office for information and went out with our safari booked, 4 days and 3 nights sleeping in the parc in a banda with the driver and the cook for 1300 USD(our f ault, we should have gone elsewhere To compare. ..)We paid 10%, supposingly for them To organise the trip and were supposed To pay the rest of it the next Day in cash. So the next Day, the driver came To take us at out hotel and took us To the office To pay the rest of the amount. The problem is that we were not able To withdraw so much cash but surprisingly the credit card machine that did not work the Day earlier (we asked To use it) was working but we were taxed 5% of the total amout for bank fees... So we paid and went off for the safari. We stopped at a restaurant for lunch and then went To the supermaket so that the cook could but food for the safari. We finally arrived in Meru after 9 hours drive. When we arrived, we were finally unable To sleep in the parc...and were taken To a nice place outside the parc. We had 3 game drives instead of 4, the cook was not very gifted and the only one thing we asked To the driver (going To the hippopool) he said yes but did not do, with no explaination, except when we asked , he said it was too dry so no hippos. .. apparently according To the local people there were hippos To be seen...imagine our deception. .. Finally on our way back, we stopped at a restaurant and ordered one coke, they ordered two sodas and then we ate together. Then the went for checking out and a waitress brought us the Bill for our soda which we found a bit expensive...in fact the guys vas tried To make us pay for their sodas too behind our back! The best meal We had was prepared buy the local cook of the hotel and our cook pretending he made it ... So see the mentality. .. maybe tipping them would have ended in a better experience. ..
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Once in a lifetime
Encounter Africa went above and beyond all expectations. Joseph, our driver, picked us up from the airport at 1am and had so much energy and excitement, we knew we were about to have an incredible week. By the end of the week, Joseph was family. He always went above and beyond making sure our experience was a 5-star experience.
The chimp trek: This was a great experience because we had an experienced ranger who knew where to find the chimps on the ground. We were the only group that found chimps on the ground, everyone else only saw the chimps high in the trees. I would recommend spending $70 more to have a full day of habituation with the chimps. You end up paying $220 for the permit instead of $150. Once we finished the chimp trek, we were off to see the Wetlands near our lodge. This is a local non-profit that is protecting the wetlands from being developed into farmland. On this walk, you will see a wide range of birds and monkeys. If you are lucky you might even see some chimps.
The gorilla trek: Incredible. I know many people that have done gorilla treks and they end up walking all day and end up having to follow the gorillas as they move. I think our group was very lucky because we found the gorillas fast. The gorillas didn't really move once we found them, so we spent an hour with them and it was pure magic. We started walking at 9am and were done by 11am. Just know, the gorilla trek is at a higher altitude, so walking up a mountain suddenly becomes hard because you are trying to find your breath.
The lodges:
Kibale Forest Camp was a beautiful lodge with a nice atmosphere. The food was good and the staff was incredibly nice. They have a short 15-minute hike on the property, but if you go slow you will see different types of monkeys.
Broadbill Forest Camp was all about the view. Our tent had an insane patio looking out into the jungle. The food was good and the staff was amazing. The chameleon walk is a very slow paced walk that they offer where you look for the three-horned chameleon. The bathroom was a bit rustic and the tents have velcro doors. Overall, the people and the view are what make this lodge a comfortable place to stay.
Encounter Africa provides a unique experience because you are helping the local communities. Your money isn't being spent on a westerners investment property, it is being spent on small local businesses that ultimately contribute to providing good jobs to the surrounding communities. I highly recommend you use Encounter Africa for any of your Uganda/Rwanda travel plans. I know we will :-)
DK
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Everything just went very well. Perfect trip
Communication good and quick response
The driver always came on time - the game drives were just perfect and the driver was eager to show as much as possible. The accommodation was perfect except that the staff was "too eager" to make our stay at Ashnil perfect.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Just as great the second time around!
This was our second 8 day camping safari with Armadillo, and yet again it was an unforgettable experience...
Morris our tour guide/driver/cook was brilliant throughout our safari and worked constantly for the 8 days to ensure that our family group of 6 was very well looked after. Morris has excellent local knowledge as he has worked within Kruger Park for many years and was able to answer any question we threw at him! Not only about the animals but also about living and surviving in the bush.
We were very impressed with the food provided on the safari, all food was freshly cooked by Morris and he was able to fully cater for 6 people including one vegetarian/gluten free guest without problems.
All camping and other equipment on the truck was clean and in top notch condition, all the camp sites we visited on our safari were lovely with clean, great facilities.
Kruger park is a beautiful place, and Truck Norris is the best and most memorable way to see it! We would highly recommend Armadillo and we will surely be using them again on our next Kruger Adventure!
IN
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Right people for the right place. We could not ask for more!
I was a little bit nervous at the time of booking our trip. We were seven of us. My husband and I don’t travel often, so I wanted this, may be a one time, to be really memorable. A relative suggested Kikwetu Cultural Adventures. Kenneth of Kikwetu was so attentive, he answered each and every query I had, and this made me feel that I was in touch with a “friend” rather than a tour company. He promised that we would take back good memories and yes we did. We appreciated the fact that Kenneth took pains to meet us on the last day of our trip to bid us farewell.
Musaga our smart and friendly driver and guide picked us up from Nairobi and headed to “Keekorok Lodge” for our 3 day safari. The hotel was lovely and the food was good. The staff very pleasant.
Musaga did a fabulous job on the safari. He was particularly keen to please us and show us which ever animal we wished to see. He would continuously keep in touch with the other guides and would race cross country over bumps, bushes and rivulets, which made the trip more exciting,, to get to the spot where the animal was. Musaga was ever so obliging. Thank you Musaga we will not forget you.
The maximum rating is 5 star, but I would rate Kikwetu a personal "7 star", and recommend Kikwetu to anyone wishing to have a memorable safari like we did.
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
An Excellent Trip
My wife and I booked a 5 night safari visiting Aberdare, Lake Nakuru, Masai Mara and Naboisho in late January. This was followed in mid February by a visit to Naivasha and Hell’s Gate and then a ½ day safari in Nairobi National Park.
Tropical Valley provided a guide/driver and an appropriate vehicle as well as booking our accommodation in Aberdare, Lake Nakuru, Masai Mara and Naboisho.
The whole programme was very professionally handled by Tropical Valley and everything went smoothly to provide a highly enjoyable experience. Not least this was due to our guide/driver Franco who was a good safe driver who was punctual, knew the roads and parks and was highly knowledgeable about both the wildlife and birds that we encountered.
I would certainly recommended both Tropical Valley and Franco – particularly since they are highly flexible and can customise any programme to your own specific requirements.
Great , attentive service.
This is our fifth safari and first time booking with Rose. She was very attentive and responded to all emails promptly. The itinerary she came up with was flawless - she even managed to get us a walk-through of Kibera (something I pushed for and she definitely did excellent research to find just the right person to take us). This was definitely something different and she rose to the the challenge and succeeded. After our stay in Nairobi, we started our safari at Sasaab, then Sirikoi and ended at Cottars Camp. All three were great and met our needs - we wanted cultural activities, game drives, and enough activities to keep three young children busy. Rose understood that and delivered. As for the camps, Sirikoi was our favorite in terms of the management and facilities. Tom and Nikki are in their own league of camp managers. Wow. We suspected there were twin Toms running around the camp - he was everywhere, making sure our needs were met before we even knew we needed it!
In addition to Rose's excellent planning of our itinerary, she set us up with a pro-guide, Sam Stogdale. I had no clue what that was and he has turned out to be the key reason as to why this safari has surpassed our others. His knowledge and passion for Kenya's wildlife is unsurpassed and infectious. Instead of just pointing out animals and giving us a few facts about each animal, he weaves stories and jokes and makes the African bush come to life. He is great with children and a genuinely kind person.
Overall, an unforgettable holiday. Our children have come away with such great appreciation for wildlife. Thank you, Rose!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Well Customised and Personalised
This is my second review of Elida - I held off writing it until we were back in Australia since I noticed there was a 'credibility deficit' to a review if it came from Kenya. So a quick note first to note that the earlier review about Kilimanjaro and Amboseli is also from Australia even if posted from Kenya.
We used Elida Tours and Safaris again, this time for a customised self drive trip across Kenya and Uganda. David organised all the vehicle particulars/paperwork for us to allow us to cross the border, secure insurance and so on. It was well priced, but its the local knowledge and management which pays off. His firm advice about where to buy insurance for example meant we paid what was required, not what people asked. His provision of a 'fixer' to help us through the madness which is the Malaba border crossing (thousands of trucks, no signage, no guidance) made that experience (to and from) as pain free as anyone could hope.
Once again David was easily contactable, got us what we needed, gave us good advice and was helpful in every way.
I am very happy to be emailed about any of the reviews I have posted about Elida Tours and Safaris.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Emanuel, Geoffrey were good to work with in booking our Safari. Paul was an excellent driver/guide
Overall very good. Took the 3 night 4 day tour from arusha. Clearly spelled out the itinerary and we were thrilled with the animals that we saw.