65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Communications could have been better
All communication was by email, in English, but did not always address our queries, meaning that sometimes we felt a little unsure of our booking. In the end, all was fine, we made all connections and were met everywhere as arranged. Our first guide, John, was excellent. His ability to spot animals and knowledge about them was superb. The distances travelled were understandably large, but could have been better planned, particularly the first day. We would have been better advised to travel to Arusha/Kilimanjaro the day before the start of the safari, as we didn't arrive at our first lodge until well after dark. The accommodation was excellent everywhere except for Arusha, which was barely 'back-packer' standard. We should have stayed at the previous lodge a second night and just had an early drive to the airport.
AE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good in communication but bad in service
It is quite unfortunate that I have to be the first (an only) one to be writing such a review.
My wife and I booked two tours (Kilimanjaro day trek and Ngorongoro crater day trip) in Tanzania through them. The man in-charge, Muksin, was extremely cordial - answered my innumerous queries via e-mail before we landed in Tanzania and made me feel comfortable about the whole trip. He also came a day before the Kili trek and briefed me about both trips.
However, our actual experience during the tours was far from this experience.
1. Kili trek - The guide, Nikolas (I think that's what his name was), was completely detached - seemed more like a person who's carrying our lunch packets. Moreover, he did smell strongly of alcohol - not sure whether he had it that morning or the previous night. No real 'guidance' or information about the park or the flora/fauna was provided by him. The lunch packet had stale chicken and funny-tasting yoghurt in it.
2. Ngorongoro crater - This experience was much worse that the previous one. I specifically asked whether there were group tours available with them and they said yes. However, it seemed more like they were partnering with some other local tour guys who had their separate bookings and pooling us together into the same vehicle. At the outset itself, the information provided was wrong. We were told that we will be 4 people for the safari. It turned out that there were 6. The vehicles provided were rickety and the guides/drivers seemed to care least about it. At one point there were 7 people (a cook sitting on an ice box) in the vehicle and the whole vehicle was completely cramped.
I have rated 3 stars just for the initial communication part and because I would like to believe that the Ngorongoro trip was handled by other tour guys. Else I would've rated you even lower.
I accept that we were provided a competitive rate for our trips but we would not expect a highly reputed tour agency like you to be compromising on the quality. There is a difference in providing 'less' and 'bad quality'. For example, you can provide less number of items (of good quality) in the lunch packet but you should not provide bad quality stuff.
Another piece of advise - If you do not have a group tour available, please be honest about it. Else, if you depend on other local operators to organise/manage your customers' trips and they end up like ours, it would only tarnish your reputation.
Thanks
Vipin
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Plan you are safari with IntoAfrica and be in the nature
I stay 5days at Eco Boma camp with my friends it was a nice plan and safari ever, natural environment, friendly staffs, delicious food without forgetting cycling tour, and walking safari with a view of lake manyara, unforgettable experience with nature.
ES
Lake Navaisha Sopa Lodge
Lake Navaisha Sopa Lodge is a great place to stay. The accommodation was all right but the triple bed was not comfortable at all. Plus the swimming pool was closed and we were not told in advance.
CH
The experience was good but could be more knowledgeable
Going to the Masai Mara at the end of March was a great idea, the landscape is green, beautiful and few tourists are there.
The tour I booked with Safari Line was worth the price. Food was good, the place where we sleep was okay, otherwise I thought the guide could have told us more about the wildlife and also stop a bit more on the way to see other animals than the big five. This probably depends also on the group you are with.
In general, I think we should be careful not going too close to the wildlife so that we do not disturb them, but it was clearly not the case in Masai Mara, that's also why tourists are happy at the end of the day...
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Arusha National Park by Eleanore Avery
Arusha is a lovely half day spent before starting safari. This is only park in Tanzania to see the beautiful bkack and white Colobus Monkey.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
driving through to hippo hill we didn't see much wildlife only a young bull elephant checking us out
We stayed at Hippo Hill campsite, it was very rustic could do with an upgrade on washing facilities. The views from camp were beautiful up close to hippo's in the evening , flamingos on the salt lake in the day. We also went on an amazing boat trip that was organised through one of the parks lodges, it was great for birds with elephants on the banks of the river.
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Nxai Pan National Park by Ian
Arriving at the Nxai Pan gate, we were greeted by another track masquerading as a river and informed that we could only be admitted at our own risk. This was a no-brainer as our camp was already set up in there and there was no alternative. As it was getting fairly late, we did a short game drive and repaired to camp for dinner and bed.
Next morning all was well and we set off to see what Nxai Pan had to offer. It was to turn out to be a day mainly consisting of bird sightings, apart from hundreds of Zebras, which was the reason we were there anyway. They were even more plentiful than the Oryx had been in Central Kalahari and our guide estimated we saw between three and five thousand in Nxai Pan. However, the vast amount of rain and the affect it had on the vegetation meant the Zebras didn’t need to migrate so far as in most years. Had it been a normal year he estimated we would have seen three to four times that number.
My first impression of Nxai Pan was how big and open the area is, although only a fraction of the area covered by Central Kalahari. It is classic Cheetah territory and that was what I was hoping to see. I didn’t have to wait long on our second day and we found a female with two young cubs, probably about nine months old. We spent best part of an hour with them as they slowly moved around their range and the cubs played happily with each other, before they moved into cover and we left them.
Next up was another herd (dazzle) of Zebras, and another brief Cheetah sighting, but much of the day was spent looking for Lions. After lunch, we were successful, even witnessing a (distant) mating session. There was a torrential thunderstorm later on in the afternoon, but once this moved through we had another Cheetah sighting, which turned out to be the brother of the female we had seen in the morning.
That brought us to the end of our two full days in Nxai Pan and just left us with a game drive to the gate next morning. We had been trying, unsuccessfully, to photograph a European Bee-eater since we arrived, but every time our guide killed the engine, the bird would fly. Finally we were successful as we found one in an Acacia bush and it didn’t move. Also added a Bradfield’s Hornbill to our list as it posed beautifully beside the track.
My overall impression of Nxai Pan is somewhat mixed. Certainly we saw exactly what we went there for, so we have no complaints on that score. But there are vast areas of the reserve that are inaccessible due to the no off-roading policy. I understand the reasons for this policy and agree with it, but it only works if there are adequate roads to use and that is where Nxai Pan suffers.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Encounters with gorillas a must
Our tour which covered both Uganda and Rwanda, was quite big - 14 days which dragged on with little to do. The highlights were definitely the gorilla and chimpanzee encounters. I wouldn't recommend the national parks in Uganda as very little to see. Make sure your tour guide is experienced and has knowledge of the area and animal tracking.
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Disappointed. The setting is stunning, and the room was lovely - except for the bathroom
The setting is stunning, and the room was lovely - except for the bathroom. It had a very high bath which was difficult to climb in and out of. To have a shower was also dangerously slippery.
There is also a tiny step into the bathroom that one cannot see because of the black tiles. No sign or marking about the step - so I nearly tripped.
Then there are two rugs next to the bed. When you step on them they slip - I nearly fell. Unfortunately my husband did slip when he got out of bed during the night and had a very nasty fall. Thank goodness he didn’t break anything and is only bruised.
The food was good but not exceptional. The dinner on Saturday evening was a disaster because the hotel catered for a big group that had arrived, and the Lodge catered for them and ignored the remaining couples. We had no service or anybody telling what was happening re dinner.
But the biggest disappointment of our stay at the lodge were the game drives. The game driver was very nice, competent and knowledgeable. Only on the first drive did we see game close by. I realise that seeing game is a case of some luck - but one cannot see anything if there aren’t many animals in the park. To go into Kruger was totally out for me as it would have meant a 45 minute drive to the gate of Kruger. On Saturday afternoon they gave us an old, dirty vehicle that was so uncomfortable that I was in a lot of pain after the drive. It was really not a nice experience.