GR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable experience!
We had an amazing experience with Beyond the Plains Safari from start to finish. We did an 7-day safari covering Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha and Amboseli, and every part of the trip was well organised and memorable.
From the very beginning, Julius, who handled our inquiry and helped us plan the safari, was extremely helpful, kind and patient. His communication and willingness to help made the planning process very easy and stress-free.
A huge part of what made our experience so special was our guide, Dankan. He was absolutely incredible and truly went above and beyond throughout the entire safari. He was polite, friendly, patient, always smiling and incredibly helpful, which made us feel comfortable from day one. He also had great knowledge about the wildlife and was always happy to share interesting information about the animals and their behaviour.
Dankan genuinely seemed to care about making the experience as special as possible. He always did his best to take us to the best spots and help us find as many animals as possible. We honestly couldn't have asked for a better guide. We truly hope to meet him again on a future safari!
The jeep was also great, comfortable and well suited for the long drives and game drives, and everything throughout the trip was handled professionally.
We are extremely happy that we chose Beyond the Plains Safari and would definitely recommend them to anyone planning a safari in Kenya!
Thank you Dankan, Julius and the whole Beyond the Plains team! đŠâ€ïž
ES
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
PASSIONATE ABOUT ETHIOPIA
If you are curious about Ethiopia and consider exploring this marvelous land in depth, I strongly recommend relying on Arre Tours.
Since many highlights of this unique country are located in the North of Ethiopia, Arre Tours has the advantage of its location in Axum, so they DO know what it is actually going on in Tigray, Amhara, Afar, etc. This is essential when visiting Ethiopia.
We began in Addis Ababa, then travel Northwards for 17 days.
Everything was well planned and executed and communication by phone with Arre Tours was fluid. Solomon was always ready to assist and double-checking that things were working fine day by day.
This is called "attention to detail" and in larger travel agencies you will not get this type of service; furthermore, some tour operators may not know first-hand what they are talking about.
With Arre Tours you are in the hands of people who take each client seriously and listen to you and your needs before you arrive in Ethiopia and while there. Bravo!
Guides were excellent throughout, particularly Mr Hagos in Gondar (passionate and such a great communicator) and Simret in Axum (the female Ethiopian perspective of things is a bonus for the traveller).
But also in Bahir Dar, Addis, Lalibela, and Arre himself all around Tigray.
All the excursions went well, with good timings and adapted to our needs (should we required a change of schedule, etc).
A note of warning on Danakil Depression: read carefully all that it may entail and whether this may be for you or not.
The weather may become truly unbearable and sleeping conditions are very basic, which might lead to not appreciate sights that much.
Hotels were really good too (especially âAtranos Fantasyâ in Axum, âBest Western Plusâ in Addis and the incredible âGheralta Lodgeâ!).
Clean, nice rooms all in all. Breakfasts quality vary depending on the property. Really good locations chosen by Arre Tours.
Local transportation always spot on time, mineral water on board and careful drivers.
Meals were ok, but this is hit-and-miss in Ethiopia: some lunches were very basic and some hotel restaurants were not too good.
Arre Tours may put more focus into this.
My experience with Arre Tours was superb; I loved Ethiopia, its people, its sights. Meskel celebration was a terrific touching experience.
Arre and Solomon are passionate, friendly and they do a professional job. I would come back without doubts.
Thank you for an unforgettable journey đ
CH
Great safari experience, but not without issues
Overall, I had a great safari experience, although unfortunately not every part of the trip was as positive.
From the very beginning, communication with Glory was great. She was always quick to respond, helpful and made the whole booking process very easy.
I booked a 4-day camping safari. The campsites were good and the tents were equipped with small mattresses and sleeping bags. One thing I was a little disappointed about was that the first night wasnât actually spent in a tent, even though my itinerary stated three nights of camping. It wasnât a huge issue for me, but it was different from what I had booked and expected.
Also: bring more warm clothes than you think youâll need! Especially around Ngorongoro, the nights can get very cold.
The food throughout the safari was always really good and there was more than enough. Of course, some meals were quite similar, but for four days of camping there is really nothing to complain about. A big thank you to our chef Ritschard for taking such good care of us!
As for the safari itself, we saw an incredible amount of wildlife and had some amazing moments.
Unfortunately, the part that significantly affected my experience was our guide, Lawrence.
Throughout the trip, I repeatedly felt ignored and not taken seriously by him. There were many situations where I would ask a question and simply receive no answer. It became so noticeable that it actually turned into an inside joke within our group: when I asked something and got ignored, one of the guys would repeat the exact same question â and suddenly get an answer.
I addressed this directly with Lawrence several times during the safari. Unfortunately, his response was basically just âokayâ, and nothing changed afterwards.
I also felt that we sometimes received surprisingly little information from him. For example, when staying at campsites with wild animals around, we had to repeatedly ask for basic information about whether it was safe to walk to the toilets alone at night and what precautions we should take. Whenever something was questioned or we asked for more clarification, his reaction often felt dismissive.
There were also a few situations involving the animals that made some of us uncomfortable. At times, members of the group had to point out that we felt we were getting too close to animals. There were also one or two occasions where we drove off-road even though nobody in our group had asked for this.
I understand that safari guides have a lot of experience and know the parks far better than tourists do, but for me, respecting the animals and their space is an important part of the experience as well.
Itâs unfortunate because there were so many great aspects to this safari, and I want to emphasize that my criticism of the guide does not reflect my experience with the entire company.
After the safari, I shared my concerns about Lawrence privately with the company. I was apologized to and told that the matter would be addressed, which I appreciate. However, I was also repeatedly asked not to include this negative experience in my public review because it could affect the company. I understand their position, but I believe an honest review should reflect both the p
AT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic Experience and excellent Reliable Service
We were 3 people and went on a 9 day tour in which we saw all the big 5, chimpanzees and mountain gorillas. It was a fantastic experience.
Communication with the company was outstanding, we usually received an answer to our messages and questions within minutes.
Our guide was great too. Besides being friendly, explaining well, and trying his best to accomodate our wishes he even took us on an extra game drive, to see zebras, and he helped us look for a camera battery. The vehicle had air conditioning, was very comfortable and enough water was always provided.
The lodges were great too and provided vegan / vegetarian food options, although it was almost always vegetables with some sort of carbs (rice, potatoes, matoke, etc.). More variety would have been appreciated. Also, the introductory briefings in the lodges were often unnecessarily long, especially after having had a long drive or day you just want to know the basic things. Not in all places it was possible to move outside the lodges freely, mostly because of wild animals. For someone that enjoys running that was not ideal, but it total I could go 3 times.
Value for money is excellent. Gorilla permits and chimpanzee permits are very expensive, subtracting that, the prize per person was excellent.
All in all we can really recommend the experience.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Organized tour company with Amazing staff
Our tour with Velvet Savannah Safaris was fantastic. The accommodations were awesome.The tour was well organised and William was very responsive and communicated regularly. Our driver Chombo was great - very friendly, fluent in English and knowledgeable about the animals.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
It was an amazing safari,we enjoyed the adventure from the game drive to accommodation at the camp.
The service was amazing,everything was well organised for sure it was a relaxing and memorable safari for the family. The kids had a time of their life as the package was also tailored to accommodate their needs.The camp was amazing it exceeded our expectations.
FR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect
We compared several operators for a short fly-in/fly-out private safari in Nyerere and shortlisted two. What made the difference for Lekobe was the quality of the exchanges before booking: Mathayo answered every question precisely and quickly, without ever pushing us or dodging the details on prices, timings and what was actually included. The other operator we were considering was vaguer and slower. That first impression turned out to be a reliable predictor of how the whole trip was run.
Everything was handled exactly as agreed. Deposit, flights, transfers, lodge, no surprises, no last-minute changes, no hidden costs. We stayed at Selous Safari Lodge and did a game drive, a boat safari on the Rufiji, visit of a Masai village, and a walking safari : three completely different expériences.
The game drive was amazing⊠The wildlife exceeded our expectations, we saw lions and lionesses, a cheetah, zebras, giraffes, hippos, buffalo, and elephants in large numbers and far more than we had hoped for in such a short stay. Our guide (named « J » francophone guide) was knowledgeable, patient and genuinely good at reading animal behaviour.
Highly recommended, especially for French-speaking travellers.
One word about the Maasai village visit: we were sceptical beforehand, as this kind of stop is often staged for tourists. The visit felt real, an ordinary village going about its day, honest conversations, no scripted show and no sales pressure. They explained that the community now partly lives off these visits, and genuinely needs the income: schooling is compulsory for the children and the associated costs are heavy for families. Knowing that changed the way we saw the visit. It ended up being one of the highlights of the trip, and we would have regretted skipping it.
FR
Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wonderful travel company with wonderful driver guide
We can not recommend this company enough due to effective and excellent service they offered us the guide was also super amazing with high knowledge of animals we saw everything we wanted to see we hope to be back next year with this company again
BR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wisest choice! From the people, structure offered and price.
We are a party of four. Myself, sister, mom and dad. Parents 70+ years old. Our experience couldnât be any better! Since the first contact through WhatsApp until the very last day. Our safari was in Kenya and Tanzania. The cars were great; the hotels really good choices and Serelandâs staff was excellent. Special thanks to Essay that made this amazing family trip happen and to Gilbert, our guide in Tanzania, that worked so hard to find every single gorgeous animal or place in the wild to show us. And also explain their habits and behaviors.
We strongly recommend Sereland and once we come back they will be our safari company for sure.
ES
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
professional, knowledgeable and friendly
We had an amazing 8-day trip through Uganda, with the highlight undoubtedly being the incredible experience of seeing the mountain gorillas in their natural habitat.
Everything was very well organized from start to finish. Our guide and driver was extremely professional, knowledgeable and friendly. He was always attentive to our needs, happy to answer all our questions, and shared a lot of interesting information about Uganda, its wildlife and local culture.
The gorilla trekking was simply unforgettable. Being so close to the gorillas in their natural environment is a truly unique experience and something we will remember for the rest of our lives. Watching them peacefully in the forest, just a few metres away, was absolutely incredible.
We are very happy with the whole experience and would definitely recommend this company to anyone looking to discover Uganda and experience the gorillas. A big thank you to our guide and driver for his professionalism, kindness and for making our trip so memorable!
