US
under20 years of age | Experience level: first safari
AWESOME
I absolutely loved our Axis Safari!! Our tour guide was incredible and we got to see and experience sooo much! The whole thing felt so surreal, the highlights we’re seeing some lions eat a giraffe and be with elephants during the sunset. The tour company was super responsive and helpful when booking and we had amazing accommodations. I LOVED MY SAFARI
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Knew exactly where to go to see almost every animal you could hope to find in Tanzania
Migration Venture Africa was great to work with. They picked us up from the airport no problem (buy your VISAs before arriving) and we were off. The drivers were knowledgeable and communicated well. They stopped for restroom breaks and even took us to the best places to pick up souvenirs to remember our trip.
The Safari itself was life-changing. Being up close to Lions, Cheetahs, and Elephants was amazing. The drivers knew where in the parks these animals live and would sometimes spot them before we did.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Heidi was an incredible operator who was personal, individualized, and truly cared.
I honestly can't thank Heidi and Pembury enough for setting up truly the trip of a lifetime. Everything was simply pure perfection. Everyone who greeted us was absolutely wonderful, prompt, friendly, and incredibly helpful. The lodgings were all outstanding and we simply loved each place we stayed. Each one had a unique something that made the experience a little special. Ilala was positively beautiful and we had a pair of hippos come have dinner on the lawn right outside our patio the first night we arrived, which was amazing! The food was fantastic, service was great, had a little bit of time by the pool, which was beautiful, and the view was amazing.
The excursions in Victoria Falls, were simply unbelievable. The operators were wonderful, incredibly welcoming, and did an amazing job with accommodating Dre's mobility challenges. The sunset cruise was phenomenal, with elephant and hippo sightings right away, and the most stunning sunset over the river. The food was delicious and the staff did a wonderful job of being warm and welcoming. The kayak trip was also phenomenal, and we ended up with a mini-safari on our way to the kayaks, getting to see a herd of buffalo and some very close Pumbas with a mom and her baby getting right up next to the jeep. The kayak operators were outstanding and did a great job of making sure they accommodated Dre's mobility - they split us up and put each of us with a guide to make sure we were safe and had the strength to steer all of the way down. Right at the end we had a very cool (but still safe) pretty close encounter with some hippos, so I was very glad I was with a guide, as we were the first kayak to find the pod. He did a great job of making sure we got up onto the shore and were safe, and we got some pretty cool pics of the hippos pretty close. The lunch was also outstanding. We loved the helicopter ride and getting that view of the falls, then our actual tour of the falls was absolutely stunning. Our guide was great, moved at our pace, and made sure we got to see everything and learn the history and about the plant and animal life in the area. The elephant encounter still has me smiling - it was incredible! Dre was able to use his walker to walk with the elephants, we got to touch them, feed them, and it was amazing to interact with such beautiful, powerful, and gentle creatures.
We honestly didn't think it could get any better and then we arrived at Inyati! While we loved all of our lodgings, Inyati was truly just special. The people were so incredibly friendly and welcoming, we were put in a beautiful room with a gorgeous view that was very accessible for Dre, the food was amazing, and the game drives were unbelievable. Our guide and tracker were absolutely outstanding and their pure passion for what they do was so clear. The first drive we got to follow lions chasing another set of lions out of their territory, which was so amazing to see, then spotted a leopard that came right up to the jeep and actually marked the tire right where I was sitting. Then we saw all of the rest of the Big Five, along with Zebras, Kudu, an elephant who broke down her tree just a few feet away from the truck and let us watch her do the whole thing, and then for the bush walk that I requested we actually got to get out of the truck right by a trio of giraffes, which we hadn't seen much of yet. It was amazing to be able to walk with giraffes! A herd of Wildabeast and Impalas also raced across the plain right in front of us as well- it was absolutely surreal to get to be in that environment with them. We had a wonderful sundowner on the edge of a hippo pool that was simply stunning.
Simbavati was also incredibly nice and we loved staying there as well. We got to see some very cool rhino sightings as well as follow a pack of wild dogs and the hunt and then found their den and got to see the pups! It was amazing. Our best male lion sighting was here as well, as we saw three brothers and got to get very close to them. We were also very excited that an entire family of elephants came right up to our deck and was eating literally just a couple of feet away from us on our anniversary - best possible anniversary gift we could have asked for!
Our stay in Cape Town was equally wonderful - the Commodore was fantastic and we loved the location. We were able to explore the waterfront at ease and enjoyed getting to go down there for dinner. It was even close enough that Dre decided to take his walker instead of scooter one evening to dinner.
Andrew was positively outstanding as a host and incredibly flexible with our schedule. Leizel, who guided my hike, was also absolutely outstanding and also incredibly flexible. While we didn't get caught in any real rain, the mountain was very cloudy on the day I was supposed to do my hike, so they both adjusted, we were able to do a tour of the city and have a local and delicious lunch with Andrew on our first day, and then when the sun came out on our second day we took full advantage and did our kayak to Boulders Beach, Andrew then took us to the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point (where we saw an ostrich!), and then got us back to Cape Town in time for Leizel and I to hike and get a stunning and perfectly clear view from the top. It was amazing. He then gave us a wonderful tour through Wine Country the next day, which was stunning, and we added on one more tour our final day. We loved Maison Chablis and were again greeted with outstanding and friendly service.
We also so appreciate how accommodating and available Heidi was while we were on our trip. We had a couple of occasions where there were some challenges with getting Dre's scooter onto a plane or with a driver, and Heidi was on the phone at 8:00 on Saturday night and again at 9:00 on Sunday morning to get things sorted out and taken care of. She was incredibly quick to respond and available regardless of the time or need to make sure that everything went well. There are always going to be some hiccups traveling, particularly when you are traveling with the different mobility devices we have, and it was wonderful knowing that Heidi was quickly and immediately available and we weren't simply out on our own with no resources.
I would recommend Pembury Tours to anyone who is looking to travel in Africa and will definitely be using them for any future trips we take here. We are still smiling and can't wait to return! Thank you for the memories of a lifetime!
MX
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good, complete, pleasant 4 day safari
We got to see lots of animals everyday, joint with very good explanations of our guide and time to take pictures. The communication with the operator was very good prior to our safari. The acomodaciones were good, all of them with bathrooms and showers. The food was amazing! I recommend.
IT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Safari Avventura 2023
Wonderful experience for our honeymoon with the tour operator and above all thanks to MIRAMBO our guide. WONDERFUL PERSON who explained everything to us perfectly in Italian as well as sometimes in English. Always kind and above all very fast in moving once the radio communication of animals arrived in the immense Tanzanian savannah. WE RECOMMEND IT TO ANYONE WHO WANT TO COME ON SAFARI. THANKS AGAIN MIRAMBO...AND SAFARI ADVENTURE
(automatic translation from Italian)
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Forever memories guaranteed
Wow. What an amazing trip. Thank you Safari Soles for helping to make such fabulous forever memories. Our guide, Oscar, was fantastic, so knowledgeable and a great person to spend our time with. Our high speed dash across the plains to see our first leopard will forever make me smile. The safari lodges were great and the food plentiful and tasty. Bryson was very easy to deal with and helped with organising an extra night's stay in Arusha and an extra airport transfer. Unfortunately, we only saw 4 out of the Big 5 with rhinos being the elusive ones. On the plus side, this means we have to come back! See you again next time, Oscar!!
MX
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good attitude
My experience in Zuricata Safari was amazing.
We saw a lot of animals during our trip, the food was amazing, the accommodation also was very good.
I really recommend it, you won’t regret it
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great mid range safari option
We did a 5 day safari with Edgar as our guide. The price ($1500) was half of what our Kilimanjaro climbing company was charging and the accomodations and experience was great. We'd definitely recommend this company to others.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent
Unforgettable Experience!
Just returned from a short Gorilla tracking safari in Bwindi, Uganda with Wildfreinds Africa Safaris , really had an amazing and adventurous experience in Bwindi, all thanks to Wildfreinds Africa Safaris, after hours trekking and spent a great time with these giants of the Mountains
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Outstanding, professional service and value for the experience of a lifetime!
From start to finish, the professionalism and helpfulness of all Lion King staff we engaged with was top notch. Initial inquiries were answered by Godwin Olais who then turned it over to Ms. Kabwe for logistics. All of my questions (and there were many!) were answered in a timely fashion. I can't speak for other safari companies because Lion King was the only company I considered, but a big selling point for us was that all of their safaris are private. It was just me and my husband! It was also incredibly helpful and efficient that Ms. Kabwe was able to arrange options for an extra hotel night following our safari and a hotel day room on Zanzibar (12 hour flight layover) with airport transfers and the costs were simply added to the total safari package. Because Precision Air changed our arrival (departing from Zanzibar) from Arusha to Kilimanjaro we also worked with Ms. Kabwe (and our guide) on the last day of our safari to change our final night of hotel from Arusha to Kilimanjaro. We were also very lucky in that for three nights of our safari, we were upgraded to luxury lodge accommodations because the mid-range options were fully booked for the dates of our trip and at no extra cost to us! If you have the opportunity, you MUST stay at the Escarpment Luxury Lodge - wow! All accommodations were wonderful and meals including picnic lunches were delicious! The Lion King website provides plenty of details regarding itineraries, what's included, and how the trip will proceed. Payment via their online service was easy. Now, on to the good stuff! We had one guide on our trip - Oswald Shayo or Ozzie/Ozzy for short. If you are fortunate enough to have Ozzie as your guide you are in for a real treat! First, he's a skilled driver on what can be some very rough, dusty and foggy terrain at times and he maneuvered our Land Cruiser (Cape Buffalo) with ease when in tight spaces (i.e., when several vehicles were crowded around to view a particular animal). I always felt like we had the best viewing spot of any vehicle in the group! Second, he has eagle eye vision when it comes to spotting animals. If it's out there, you are not going to miss it with Ozzie around. Third, his knowledge of the parks and facilities (i.e., bathrooms!), their ecosystems and the wildlife is extraordinary. As professional marine ecologists, we really appreciated the discussions about animal behavior and seasonal dynamics of the parks. Definitely ask him questions! Ozzie communicated continuously with other guides throughout our game drives to ensure we would get to see animals that were making an appearance. We saw the Big Five (although Ozzie can't guarantee that!) and many, many, many other species. It was overwhelming! Lastly, Ozzie was a very pleasant, cordial and jovial individual. We thoroughly enjoyed our time with him, so much so that when he were dropped off at the end of our safari, I was sad to see him walk away. This really speaks to the efforts that Lion King takes to recruit quality staff and keep them on board (Ozzie has been there 8 years as of June 2023). Five stars for Lion King and their team!
