20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Overall an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime experience.
My partner and I booked a 7 day 6 night safari tour in Kenya with Explorer's Wild Adventures starting on the 3rd June and finishing on the 10th.
We were nervous because we'd never booked anything like this before and obviously it's a large amount of money to transfer to a foreign company. Communication could have been a bit more frequent, as we were anxious about being scammed, however we understand that the company was busy, possibly due to limited staffing, so took a bit longer to reply to our emails.
Once we were there however things got much better. Our driver, David, picked us up from our hotel and we were off to the races. Honestly we cannot fault David, he was very passionate, considerate, and make every effort to make sure we were comfortable and looked after.
Our first destination was Lake Nakuru. Our highlights included seeing both a black rhino and a family of white rhinos, a lioness hunting zebra, Rothschild' giraffes up close, and flamingos on the salt water lake.
Then our next two days were spent on the Masai Mara. We were lucky enough to see two cheetah brothers, and pride of lions eating a buffalo, and having a picnic under a tree inside the savannah. David was very much on it with his radio, communicating with other drivers, and getting us to the action. Just a word of warning, the chicken in the packed lunches here and at Amboseli (if with the AA Lodge) was VERY dry, obviously we had our expectations, but still, like DRY.
We then spent one day at Lake Navaisha, where we did a boat trip followed by a nature walk on the island. Our boat driver managed to lure an eagle up close by throwing a fish into the lake so we got to see it hunting. The island is a must-go in our opinion because you can see zebra, giraffe, wildebeast and water buck up close by foot, which is a very different experience to seeing them by car. They are used to people, I was literally within touching distance of a baby zebra.
Our last two days were spent in Amboseli, this is a smaller national park which is actually a good thing because it meant the concentration of animals felt a lot higher compared to the Masai Mara. We saw cheetah's stalking zebras here, but the main stars of the show were the large herds of elephants as they migrate between Mount Kilimanjaro and the swamps, and a very special hippo which comes out during the day and eats non stop, honestly we were within 1-2m of it and it did not care at all!
On the morning of the return journey we took an early morning walk. Again a very unique experience, being out on foot is a nice change to being stuck in the car all day. We got the see the sunrise and Mount Kilimanjaro without any clouds obscuring the peak. Our guide Julius showed us the different tracks of wild animal species and we manage to spot some baby giraffes, which we hadn't manage to see before, as apparently this area specifically was where mother's hide their calves. Just be careful to bring higher heeled boots if possible or just wear sandals without socks like our guide, as there are plants which spit out their seeds, which cling to socks etc, and they are quite thorny!
We finished with a meal of local chicken with chapati, fried vegetables and chicken soup, honestly our best meal of the week, and as per Kenyan customs we gave David a healthy tip for his services, very much well deserved. We got dropped off at our hotel in Nairobi and then he gave us an extra life to the local Galleria to do some shopping.
Overall I highly recommend this trip and experience, and if he's available ask for David. June is some ways is better than July in my opinion as it's not as hot, as there is far less competition for the action (5-15 cars compared to 30+ cars I've been told?). Obviously though the great migration is a special spectacle which only starts late June early July.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Made the trip a huge success, an absolutely amazing experience.
The communication with Wanderlust was great from the first time I reached out. I told them that I was looking to book a 2 day safari but would like it to be 2 different locations. Tongai emailed back with a detailed description of each of the 2 days. To be honest I thought I was just booking a safari but what I got was so much more. Through out the entire process Wanderlust and specifically Tongai continued to stay in constant communication offering to help with every step along the way.
Our original plan was to arrive in Victoria falls early afternoon on Tuesday and spend time visiting the falls and shopping, however, we had vehicle troubles (completely unrelated to Wanderlust and Tongai) and were not able to arrive until after dark, so we had to change our plans. Tongai helped us adjust our schedule and made sure that we were able to do everything that we wanted to do, including coming to pick us up from our accommodations and taking us to Victoria Falls at 6:00am, prior to taking us to the airport. This was not even part of the original arrangements that we had made but Tongai went above and beyond every step of the way to make sure we got the most out of our experience.
If you are planning a visit to Zimbabwe/Botswana, I highly recommend Wanderlust for an amazing experience. If and when I return I will be reaching out to them again.
FR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good
Safari was well organised and very reliable. What makes most of the experience are the cook and the guide. Our guide, Omar, was the best guide I’ve had so far. He makes travelers’ experience at the top of his priorities and will do everything he can to make the experience the best it can be (very good at spotting animals, getting there quickly for the clients to see as much as possible). Omar allowed us to see the big 5 and so much more. Khamis was an exceptional cook with very good skills, I didn’t expect to eat so well through the safari.
SN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing safari (Organization, itinenary, guide, cook)
We spent 3 amazing days with Omar and Khamis, the cook, they were the best! Omar is fun, nice and always drove us to the best spots to see the big 5 and way more! He was really engaged to make us spend the best days of our life. Moreover, the food during all the trip was really great and diverse.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect from start to finish
This was my first time visiting africa, i went on this safari with my wife and it exceeded expectations, we saw more animals than we thought we would all the big 5. We had the best tour guide rocky who knew so much and was so friendly. The food was traditional tanzania food which was lovely. We also had a great group of people on our tour and all really got along well.
Thanks again
Adam
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent company! Well organised and excellent communication- we can’t fault them in any way!
We had the best experience with Suricata safaris! Everything was excellently organised and the Safari exceeded our expectations! We did the 5 day camping Safari, and camping in the middle of the Serengeti was certainly an experience that we will never forget!
We really were blown away! Our guide Rocky was very knowledgeable, friendly and went above and beyond for us! Our chef Musa never failed to disappoint with the food (preparing delicious hot meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner). We cannot fault anything and if you are considering using Suricata Safaris, you really won’t regret it!
CH
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A wonderful trip with an experienced and friendly tour guide!
Everything was planned perfectly for us. First we arrived at our camp and we were instructed right away about the important things and locations at the camp. All the times we had to be ready for the safaris were communicated early enough and made the experience very nice for us. We got excellent food from our cook and were transported to very nice locations throughout the krüger nationalpark. We saw a lot of the animals there (we were lucky!) and got a lot of information about them from the tour guide. He was a fun, loving and caring guide and answered to all our questions. All in all I can only recommend Mbombela Experience because I had the trip if my life! The people we meet were all very lovely and experienced. They gave us all their time and made us feel very comfortable the whole time.
SG
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Absolutely amazing and 100% worth booking through them
The entire trip couldn’t be more perfect!! Kathi arranged all the amazing places for us to stay, and travelling around was very convenient for us. We really enjoyed our trip to South Africa and we will definitely be back again.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Breathtaking!
The safari was beautiful. Although we didn’t get to see as many elephants as I would’ve liked, everything was beautiful. The lunch was delicious and wvweyone was very welcoming and inviting.
FR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent service, catered to your needs, in an amazing country!
Some friends and I booked a safari package with this agency that included visits to Tarangire, Ngorongoro, Serengeti and Lake Manyara National Parks. From the start we were pleased with the welcoming people who took care of us, including our guide Endeni and the manager Emmanuel. The vehicle we used was in perfect conditions and the hotels picked for our stay were amazing choices. Our highlight was the stay in Serengeti NP, where you could hear all animals in the night.
The agency provided food for us during the safaris or game drives and had a great kit to do so. Overall, we had an amazing experience and got to see lots of animals and beautiful places. We went at the end of the rainy season and totally recommend it to go on your safari. We got to see the mass migration in Serengeti and the “big 5” during our visit. The guide was very capable detecting animals and birds, and surprisingly he spoke our native language (Spanish) really well.
The trip with African Big Cats Safaris exceeded our expectations and we totally recommend you book with them!