20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing safari experience
We’ve just returned from a 5 day safari with Axis Africa & it was amazing! We did 5 day Masai Mara, Lake Naivasha & Amboseli mixed camp & lodges. The camp for us was very basic (I’ve reviewed this separately) but this is no reflection on the company. I’d recommend researching the accommodation beforehand & making sure you’re happy with it - if not, ask for upgrades etc. For the price, it was manageable for 2 nights. The only other negative is the food wasn’t great. We eat anything but we struggled with the food quality so keep this is mind & think about bringing snacks.
The safari itself was such good value for money & the best priced out there.
The highlight for us was our guide Khalif - he was excellent. We’d just had quite a bad experience with our “guide” in Uganda so it was so refreshing to have someone who was communicative, informative, helpful but also FUN. Khalif made sure we saw everything!!! There was a transmitter in the van so that Khalif could communicate with other drivers in the park; this meant that if there was something happening we could get there & spot it ourselves. He knows a lot of facts about the animals & parks & all the best spots to see whatever animal we wanted. His rapport with the locals, other guides & park staff says it all - everybody stopped for a chat with him. He really was the best.
Communication beforehand was good & straightforward.
I’d consider paying extra to make your safari exclusive because then you aren’t restricted by other people’s schedules. Other members of our group set a leaving time of 06:00am one morning which we were fine with. We were up & reading, waiting for them outside their accommodation at 06:00am. At 06:10am ‘Mum’ walked out of her tent, walked past the van where we were sitting patiently & went & sat down to have her breakfast - we had to sit & watch her eat!
Things to note which are NOT a criticism of the company, just things to think about:
- the roads in MM NP are extremely bumpy! Be prepared for this.
- the roads in Amboseli are also bumpy & very dusty.
- you are not guaranteed a view of Mt Kili due to the dust & cloud.
- Lake Naivasha is quite a distance from Amboseli & there isn’t much wildlife there (except hippos) so if you have seen hippos previously, I’d think about skipping this. I’d recommend the boat cruise at sunset because at least then there’s something else to see. & the sunset is very pretty.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A fantastic safari experience, memories that will stay with us for ever
My brother and I did a 4 night, 5 day safari. From the initial request for a quote to meeting point and then the safari itself , the experience was amazing. Our guide Charles was friendly, courteous and extremely knowledgeable about the areas we visited and the animals we saw. We stayed in 3 different locations, each of them was brilliant - friendly welcoming staff, great food and facilities. The tour had a great balance of sight seeing and relax time. I would not hesitate to recommend Spirit of Kenya to anyone - thank you Tiago and Charles, you gave us a trip to remember!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing 8 day Tanzania Family safari
We (me , my wife and our 2 kids)) are from London and selected Shizi Safari from internet on the basis of a small company with personalised care. I read about them on their website and trip advisor. Then I contacted Thomas who is a local lad and runs this company. Every time I phoned or texted him on Whats app he was very understanding and helpful. We planned together the itinerary which is as follows:- Arusha to Manyara NP, then Tarangire NP after that we spent 2 nights in Northern Serengeti ( Lobo Campsite) as we were interested in watching the migration, then a third night in Central Serengeti in a excellent tented lodge. From there we visited the Ngorongoro Crater for 1 day and then back to Arusha to fly back. The cost was very reasonable.
What can I say?....Initially and even after reaching Arusha we were a bit sceptical as we didn't know whats it will be like....but I can say now that Shizi did live upto our expectation and beyond. Thomas himself was a very nice person to deal with and honest. But as we all know for a good safari you need a good guide. And we got a remarkable guide in the name of David Simba with us ( we saw his picture in the Shizi safari website) and a sturdy Toyota Land cruiser. He is a real wildlife enthusiast and very knowledgeable and knows the routes like the palm of his hand inspite of no Google maps etc in that wilderness. Moreover he knows probably half the other drivers and chefs. By the way we were given a wonderful chef Rojas with us for the Serengeti visit. Both of them kept my 9 and 14 year old children entertained and have shown great care for all of us. I am sharing some pictures below, but remember its African safari and not going to the zoo so we all need a bit of luck to see all the action which I don't think we had a lot. But that's in no ones hand. David tried his best to show us everything possible.
Overall it was very enjoyable and pleasant trip and we came back with lots of good memories. I would highly recommend Shizi safari to everyone. If needed feel free to contact me for any queries if you are planning a safari to Tanzania - 00447957983902. Thanks
TH
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Smooth safari
Everything was perfect on our recent safari. Starting with the safari arrangement handling by Tiago. Prompt and accommodated every question we had. The resorts recommended were spot on.
Our guide for the trip, Simon was the best we had. He knew from day one what our preferences were and tried his best to provide it. Very knowledgeable about animal behaviors and best angels to get the perfect picture.
Definitely would return (you still owe me a leopard) and recommend to others
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Great experience with Seven by Far Travel right from the greeting at the airport to saying goodbye.
Prior to booking the trip, there were emails backwards & forwards, good communication. The trip lived up to expectations & above. Sylvester greeted us at the airport & the following day as we started our safari & came to see us at the end of the trip to make sure the trip had been good. We had an excellent driver Victor who was with us all week, he was very accommodating to all our needs. The accommodation was really good, we stayed at 4 different places & each place was perfect for what we wanted. All in all it was a brilliant holiday & I would definitely recommend Seven by Far to anyone thinking of doing a safari, always good to support young people in their own country.
KR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Scam!
I’m the one of victims of KWSS. The only thing OT had for me was arranging a ride from the NBO airport to the hotel. The day before a ride he replied my email well, but the day I have to start a safari he didn’t pick me up and disappeared. Because of a kind help of my hotel concierge, I report my case to the tourist police and take another safari tour but I didn’t get a reimbursement of credit yet. I hope there will be no other victims in this company and Kenya. There are so many scammers prepare to catch you.
Dear people who scammed. One of the news article is introduced. Please contact the author and give him more informations about your case and let him rise this issue public so the Kenya government will do right action.
https://mobile.nation.co.ke/news/Pain-of-tourists-in-hands-of-fake-agents/1950946-5231206-df7ghw/index.html
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Kevin planned our trip with end to end design, attention to every detail and executed flawlessly.
Our trip exceeded expectations! Kevin was thorough in his briefing documents allowing for us to be well prepared ( packing, travel, etc.). When we arrived he managed every detail. His lodging selections were perfect for our group and the obvious great relationship between Kevin and the lodging teams added to our comfort and pampering. The safari was simply magical. We felt incredibly fortunate to have seen the animals we did and to have experienced the beauty of Tanzania. Kevin's personal hobby is bird watching. He has an uncanny ability to spot and identify birds then share his incredible knowledge. He gave us an appreciation for birds we did not have AND may have turned us into birders!
Kevin created a daily itinerary that afforded us the opportunity to have peak times for viewing and also accommodated if we wanted to return to rest and relax. Our trucks were well equipped and always stocked with our beverages of choice.
It's obvious: safety, comfort, knowledge share and client satisfaction are Kevin's driving principles. Kevin's knowledge is significant, we learned as much as we saw - to us, that exemplifies an excellent guide.
CN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wonderful trip
We joined two days Bogoria tour. The driver was great! The Whole tour was going to Bogoria to see the flamingo, it was so beautiful there. Me and friends all like it!
KR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful Honeymoon Trip
My husband and I went to Africa for our honeymoon. We visited Rwanda and Uganda with Devine African Safaris. I was so excited to go on that trip since I have never been to Africa. All my friends told me about how great Africa is and I couldn’t wait to see for myself. Devine African Safaris did not disappoint. I saw the greatness of Africa through the amazing trip that Devine African Safaris organized for us. Nicholas the director worked with to come up with a perfect itinerary.
Boaz was a perfect guide. The man is knowledgeable about everything in East Africa. He told us about the history, culture, and politics of the region. We learnt a lot from him. He was also so friendly and fun to be around that it made our honeymoon enjoyable. He was also professional and he couldn’t have given us better service. After 10 days with Boaz, he had become a close friend. We were sad to say good bye to him but we hope that we will see him on our next trip to Africa.
Devine African Safaris exceeded all my expectations. We couldn’t have chosen a better company. Our honeymoon was a memorable experience because of Devine African Safaris.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great effort and organisation
It was late at night (7pm) and we were looking for an activity to do the next day. We got into contact with Simon and he came to our hotel to show us our options for the following day. We chose the ones we liked and he went off and organised them all and gave us the best prices he could. The activities we did: helicopter and dinner cruise were both really great.