SK
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfectly organised, super responsive, reliable. Great and very knowledgable guide(s).
To summarise, we had an absolutely wonderful time with Sino Africa in Kenya. While traveling with 2 kids (9y,11y) I knew it might be tricky to keep them mostly in car for 6 days. However, with Sino Africa, namely Jong and Solomon, we've managed to make our Kenya safari to be a super memorable trip for our family. Jong explained and recommended with a great patience all possible itineraries and lodgings. He responded swiftly and always provided complex and reliable information. Which definitely wasn't a case for other 10+ safari tour operators I've contacted along the way...
We've opted for a combination of Amboseli NP, Lake Nakuru and finally Masai Mara NP. We greeted with Solomon, our guide, in Nairobi on Monday morning and we spent next 6 days under his kind supervision and knowledgeable guidance. Thanks to Solomon, we've seen so many animals so super close, we've never hoped for. We've learned so much about their natural habitat and way of living and coexisting with local people. We also found a great companion to talk about any topic of interest during our trip. We've seen 4 out of 5 Big Five, but with no regret - it means we a have a reason to return :) We were absolutely amazed to see cheetah hunting gazelle in Amboseli and Solomon brought us so very close to young lions in Mara. Honestly, we were blown away by mere number of wild animals that live in Kenya and can be seen so closed...
Definitely worth a trip!
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Utter Perfection
This trip has been my on my bucket list for as long as I could remember. I had always wanted to go on an African Safari. I reached out to Pembury tours and Kerry took care of everything for us. She created multiple itineraries based on our wants and desires allowing us to pick which one we felt like we would most enjoy. Plus she was willing to adapt to any requests that we had. We communicated everything via e-mail and she was quick to get us answers or just let us know that things were being worked on. Right before the trip Kerry reached out with her WhatsApp information so that we could communicate quickly while on the trip. She was also kind enough to check up on us partway through to hear how everything was going.
We did run into travel issues (flight cancellation) getting to South Africa and had to let Kerry know that we wouldn't make it the day we were supposed to. She was great to rearrange things to allow us to do as much as possible with the loss of a day in Cape Town.
Our trip was absolutely amazing! It honestly surpassed all of our expectations and I don't think we could have hoped for anything more. Out of the 3 different safari areas, our favorite was Simbavati, but that might have been due to the fact that it was our very first safari ever, we were able to see all of the Big 5, AND we were lucky enough to see the wild dogs (twice!) while there. Inyati had unparalleled viewing of leopards with them being so comfortable around vehicles and we were even fortunate enough to witness leopards mating. We were able to see all of the Big 5 here as well. The Hide had the best viewing for elephants with herds coming to the watering hole every evening, it was so fascinating to see the group dynamics of different elephant herds, especially from the 'hide' that they have that allows guests to get close to the watering hole using an underground tunnel. It was here that our safari vehicle was charged by a bull elephant (talk about an adrenaline rush), but the guide had everything in hand and was able to de-escalate the situation.
Cape Town was stunning and we wished we would have been able to spend 2 days there, but travel issues happen and we were just so happy with what we were able to fit in during the single day.
Victoria Falls was breathtaking. We had seen pictures, but no picture could do it justice and we were so pleased to be able to spend time there and see the falls. We really enjoyed both the dinner cruise and the tour of Victoria Falls.
Absolutely all of our accommodations were perfect and the food was delicious. We didn't notice any staffing shortages and were very well taken care of at each location. In fact, we feel like we lucked out because it appeared that most things were back to normal, but there weren't as many people, so we got to enjoy everything with smaller crowds.
I've told all my friends and family that if you're looking for a perfect experience, to use Pembury tours. All transfers and rides were set up for us so we never had to worry about any of that which just made the entire trip so much easier to enjoy.
PT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Experience
We only did the two day safari however we saw plenty of wild live in those two days and mainly due to our guide Bashiru. We went on the dry season wich made the task a lot more difficult, however Bashiru tried his best for us to see all of the big 5 and we only missed on the difficult ones wich due to the time that we were on the safari was always a big possibility and we were aware of that.
It was truly a once in a lifetime experience and we truly recommend everyone to do it and if you do it ask for Bashiru.
IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable Safari!!!
Our SIX days safari was amazing. All the details have been arranged in a perfect way. The lodge were super, very clean and located in spectacular places. Our guide Aroni help us to live in the best way this esperience, he knows perfectly all the park and he is very kind for all the requestes. Aroni, the Number One!
We suggest Safari avventura to live one of the best esperience in your life.
DK
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing experience - everything was professional and well planned.
Amazing experience! The guide was very good and had so much information about all of the animals. He was very keen on taking us to many different kind of animals and not just the ‘popular’ ones. Very authentic to sleep in the nature. It is very cold in NgoroNgoro, remember to bring warm clothes. The food was very nice, especially the breakfast. Can definitely recommend this company - I feel like it is the best experience to the absolute best price. They also offer transport to and from the airport and the manager will come the day before departure and explain about the trip
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Fraudsters
They defrauded my group that paid for a trip to St Andrews. Matter now a police case but they should neither be in the hospitality or golf industry. David Meiring and his partner are crooks be very careful dealing with them
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Our tour guide went above and beyond!
We had an amazing experience with Mazingira safaris, from start to finish. Johari was quick to respond to messages while we were booking and setting up logistics. She took the time to meet us in person before the Safari and even brought personalized water bottles! Our guide, Boniface was wonderful. He was flexible with trying to help us see the animals we wanted to see and timing of our days. Both the lodging and food exceeded expectations. Overall, it was a wonderful experience and I would recommend Mazingira Safaris to anyone.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A+ Mt. Kilimanjaro Guided Hike on Marangu Route
The entire Shadows of Africa experience was amazing! From easy trip booking with Alex to finishing the Marangu Route trek, our tiem with Shadows of Africa was fantastic. Our guides Amiri and Mkumbo demonstrated their professional guide experience through their vast knowledge of Mt. Kilimanjaro history, the mountain environment, and natural wildlife. They gave us confidence the entire way that we would summit safely and they made the experience very fun and enjoyable. Our group would all highly recommend Shadows of Africa and particularly Amiri and Mkumbo to others wanting to trek Mt. Kilimanjaro! 5 stars!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Average company lacking transparency
Please note that Okora safaris is part of Big Time Safaris and is simply one of around 12 separate agencies all operating under Big Time Safaris.
We booked a 7 day budget sharing safari in Kenya. What we didn’t realise, and weren’t told, until we turned up at the office on the first day, was that this meant different members of the group are doing different itinerary’s. So for us we had a group of 7, 3 doing 3 days, 2 doing 5 days and the two of us doing 7.
We had assumed “sharing safari” meant we were joining a group of others all on the same trip rather than a private trip for the two of us.
The different schedules therefore resulted in swapping drivers at various points and wasted time dropping people off at inconvenient times and places. For example of day 3, on the way back from Massi Mara, rather than arranging a pick up point for three of the group In Narok, we ended up spending an extra 3 hours in the car as we drove most of the way back to Nairobi rather than going straight from the Masi Mara to Lake Nakuru via the road in Narok.
In Amboseli we were a group of 8 people in the mini van making it very tight for the game drive and with all of the bags. Please note all of the group had been told different things about maximum group size, some were told a max of 4 people some 6 people so 8 wasn’t acceptable to anyone.
The organisation and communication on the whole was poor and whilst everyone in the group appreciated we are in Africa and not Europe, the trip simply did not run as scheduled with all the car journeys taking hours longer than had been indicated.
Our guide was very knowledgeable but wouldn’t volunteer information unless asked and seemed content with doing the minimum required. For example On Day 3 in the Masai Mara, the guides view was that we had a good day on day 2 and saw lots of animals therefore the sunrise game drive that was scheduled for Day 3 was not required. After some awkward conversations he eventually agreed that the sunrise game drive could go ahead on Day 3…not the attitude you are looking for in a guide…He was also late on 2 occasions by over 45 minute late each time meaning we lost valuable sunrise game time in both the Masai Mara and Amboseli.
What was also disappointing was that we confirmed that we could pay by card, accepting a 2.5% charge for doing so. Our quote for the trip was priced in USD. However when arriving at the office the agency said this needed to be converted into Kenyan shillings at the rate that they would then need to convert Kenyan shillings back into dollars. In effect paying two conversation rates on the same payment. We challenged this and the “quoted exchange rate” was reduced albeit this seems completely unreasonable and unnecessary and still cost us almost $100 when compared to the market rate USD to Kenyan shillings rate on the date of transaction. It is my opinion that this is simply a scam so the agency can pocket some extra cash. Having booked other tours with other Kenyan companies priced in USD these “double exchange rate” payment did not exist.
All that being said the beauty of the Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha and Amboseli is amazing it’s just a shame that the tour company were not transparent about what to expect on the trip and that our guide was context with doing the minimum required rather than trying to maximise the time available in these locations to give the best experience possible.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent safari at a reasonable price
Our five-night safari to the Kurula Lodge in the private part of Kruger through Mzansi was excellent, from booking all the way through to our departure. Safaris are an expensive vacation, but for everything we got, Mzansi was very economical. The lodge itself was beautiful, and we had it all to ourselves with a very friendly staff - almost an embarrassment to have a five-person team there entirely for our benefit! The safari drives were very enjoyable. It's a different experience then being in the open savannahs of Kenya and Tanzania, where we visited 15 years ago. At least the private part of Kruger is remarkably intimate, with much thicker vegetation and only a few jeeps out on game drives at the same time, and animal encounters felt much more personal as a result. The quantity of animals was also a little lower, but sheer luck factors into that, and we saw all of the big five other than leopards (and cheetah, which our guide told us are rare in South Africa). Our guide Troy was fantastic - personable, patient, and our kids (14 and 12) enjoyed spending the days with him as much as we did. The five days of game drives were great, but we equally enjoyed the day Troy took us out of the park and into the mountain and areas surrounding the park, which rounded out the experience with natural beauty and variety in the activity. The food was good, prepared by an excellent chef, and we would recommend a stay at Kurula to anyone.