US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best trip of my life!
We had a wonderful week with Robert! We loved the chimpanzee habituation and gorilla experiences. The only drawback we had was time. We wished we had flown instead of drove so we could have had more time in each place. We felt very safe with our guide and enjoyed his company and appreciated his knowledge.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Friendly and supporting tour operator
The communication was easy and friendly via email as well as the payment via master card. The value we got for what we payed was very good. Grayton Expeditions helped us with some visa problems. We joined a shared safari group. The camp was nice with a good view to Kilimanjaro and delicious food. Unfortunately only cold water in the shower. The morning started with a walk and was followed by a full day game drive. Lunch was okay, dinner back in camp much better. The second day the game drive in the morning was replaced by rushing through the park to drop some guests at the border. All in all our guide did not talk a lot but answered questions nicely. Definitely recommendable because of its very good price.
AE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A nice trip to remember
We were disappointed in Masai Mara Game drives. In itinerary, it mentioned half day and next Full day game drive. On the day we arrived to Masia mara the game drive we started late. It supposed to start at 4.00 PM but we started at 4.30 PM and ended on time 6.30 PM. We didn’t see much of the Animals. We were hoping on the next full day we may see more animal. But due to Balloon safari our Game drive started again late at 10 AM. He shown one pride of lions and a cheetah. Then we had bush lunch. There after we didn’t had any chance to see any wild life, He took the vehicle slowly in a bush where he spent almost 3 hours and he was telling us someone in the morning saw a lion kill here. But in that place apart from us nobody were there. Then slowly from that place he took us back to lodge. Then only we realized he bullied us. And next day we have been taken back to Nairobi without any early morning game drive.
Before taking the trip I have seen good review for the same guide from different nationality. I was very happy to get the same guide at start of Tour. May be since we are Indians we have been taken in to grant. The approach for other tourist may be different.
The only nice thing about the trip were the accommodation where we stayed.
The Sarova Mara accommodations were great.
The Image Travel Limited management (Mr. Mwanje) was extraordinarily helpful from beginning to end. He was always responsive.
SA
Very respectful, dedicated, full of knowledge, fun.
Originally, we were booking with a different company but we had so many issues getting what we wanted until we came across Africa Zim. With Africa Zim, in a matter of hours we were set for our trip. Ms Pamela was great, fast responses, flexible and very patient with our requests. Excellent communication all throughout our trip and our way back home making sure everything was good. Once we arrived at Victoria falls, Mr Blessing, our tour guide, was waiting for us at the airport, from there on he took us everywhere we needed to go, like hotels, cruises, dinners, and the transfer to the Botswana hotel, immigration, and such. He even made sure we were settled at the hotel before he left. His assistance was a key for us having such amazing experience, we were very pleased with his help.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Made it all about us.
We had an incredible experience with Serengeti Smile.The price was very competitive and accommodations were very good. It's great to have had an excellent guide in Ayubu who was such a fantastic guide that made our trip unforgettable. He was very knowledgeable, real gent, humorous and professional, and his fluency in English was definitely a plus. The fact that Ayubu provided lunch, reference books for different animals including birds plus binoculars in the vehicle also shows that he really took every detail into consideration to insure that my 16yrs Son and I had the best experience possible.
The hotels were of a very good standard, and Frank whom organised our trip was friendly, very communicative, flexible and did his best to accommodate our needs throughout the whole process. We done 6days safari and 4 days in Zanzibar which was also a quality experience from the guided tours to swimming with the dolphins.
Overall, we had an amazing time with Serengeti Smile and Ayubu as our guide. It's clear that they really know how to provide their clients with an unforgettable experience.
Thank you Frank and Ayubu.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A life-changing holiday experience in so many ways.
I’ve never been more impacted by a wildlife experience than I was by my safari with Long Way Expeditions.
For the seven days that my partner & I were on our safari through Northern Tanzania with Abu, we saw more incredible nature, animals & scenes than I’ve seen in my entire life.
I knew that safari would be busy with other tourists, but Abu & his 15 years of experience with not only travel & running a safari business, but as a guide too, made my partner & I feel like the national parks were entirely our own.
He knew exactly which roads to take, how to spot signs of animals nearby, where to look for them, & how to avoid crowds. Some of the most outrageous experiences we had with animals were had with next to no one around.
These included:
- 15 lions & lion cubs on a morning stroll.
- A group of baby elephants playing hide & seek.
- A mother cheetah & her two babies mid-hunt.
- Thousands of wilderbeast mid-migration.
- Two leopards mating at sunset.
We saw other guides taking a far less experienced approach to the way they toured the parks. We caught a number of guides near-antagonising animals, clearly in an effort to rouse them for photo opportunities, resulting in their immediate distress. This lack of experience by others was also felt in just how quickly we saw some groups leaving parks, with companies clearly content at a more minimal amount of time with & exposure to animals.
Even in the little moments, like our lunch, we felt this difference. Whenever we would peek into other cars around lunchtime, we would notice what they were eating, usually chicken & chips with the occasional sandwich. But each day with Abu we were treated to phenomenal local food, still warm, with fruit, juice & coffee on demand.
Outside of the wildlife, the moments in between were spent chatting with Abu endlessly. His knowledge of not only animals & safari’s history, but the greater climate of Tanzania left a huge impact on us both, & captivated us for hours.
Our only regret is that Ann, his parter, & who he runs the business with, could not come also!
Their local experience, knowledge & care came through in everything that we did throughout our time. Abu knew everyone & every route to take. Every piece of incredible accommodation that we stayed at, both inside & outside of national parks was locally owned too. We learned not only about the animals we saw, but the infrastructure that supported our appreciation of them, & the local efforts to help conserve their future.
When you travel with a big international tour, it’s easy to feel like you’re just being ferried around from place to place. But when you book with a small business, that clearly cares deeply for what they’re doing, what you experience is something entirely individual to you.
When you support a local company, your money isn’t being sent via international payment gateways to offshore accounts that don’t stay within the country you’re holidaying in. Long Way may be young when compared to some other more ‘traditional’ safari companies, but in our eyes, supporting a locally owned business when the vast majority of safari companies are based overseas, was incredibly important to us.
Ann & Abu, Long Way’s owners, told us in our conversations that they have been working on getting a payment gateway that travellers are familiar with, when right now operators like PayPal can’t actually operate within Tanzania. We can assure you, through our experience, that they are absolutely to be trusted.
We’re so glad to have had our holiday with Long Way, & feel all the better for having met them. They’ve earned lifelong supporters not only because of the holiday we had, but because of the impact we felt from going with them.
CN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
PERFECT VOCATION
Our time in Tanzania was absolutely delightful. We were on a 4-day safari covering Ngorongoro, Serengeti, and Tarangire, and the entire experience was flawlessly organized.
The timing of each activity was perfect, allowing us to make the most of our journey. Our guide deserves special mention for his kindness, gentleness, and extensive knowledgwabout the local wildlife and the country itself. The lodges we stayed in were all excellent, offering comfortable accommodations and delicious food. We are immensely grateful for making this remarkable adventure an unforgettable one. Our only regret is not prolonging our stay. Asante sana!
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A topnotch experience! Wayne and his team provided an unforgettable experience.
I loved it all. The Kruger Safari Co is by far the top choice. They provided Ana amazing 5 star experience!
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fun safari
The safari experience with Lenchada Tours and our tour guide, Moses, was fun, comfortable and enjoyable. We were able to see lots of great animals and be very productive in our activities. Managed to see Maasai Mara, Lake Nukura, and Laka Navaisha (boat tour) all in four days. Moses knows a lot about the animals and parks and knows his way around very well. He was always helpful and receptive and could answer lots of questions or give advice.
Good experience and recommend.
QA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Punctual, prompt and friendly
We booked a 6 day safari with Mara Triangle Safaris, staying at Amboseli, Lake Nakuru and Masai Mara national parks.
Each park was quite distinct from the other, and accommodation was spacious, clean and comfortable. To best describe them, imagine the tent at the Quidditch match in Harry Potter. Much larger and more luxurious than it appears from the outside. Meals at each location were plentiful and delicious. At Amboseli resort, Kibo Safari Camp the food was the best.
Lake Nakuru Lodge had the best coffee, and at Zebra Plains Mara Camp there were 2 comfortable fire pits for cooler evenings, and pleasant views of passing antelope, zebra and giraffe from the dining area. Lions and Hyena could also be heard at night in the last two camps.
As you are seeing game in its natural habitat, there is no guarantee that you will see all the animals you hope for, but we were lucky to see everything we hoped for, including the Big 5. On our first evening game drive in Masai Mara we saw 11 lions at a fresh buffalo kill, a cheetah and a leopard all within an hour.
Our guide, Francis, has 15 years experience, and had an excellent knowledge of each park. On 2 occasions he somehow positioned us perfectly for the appearance of a pride of lions, allowing us to get some fantastic, close-up shots.
I have no hesitations in recommending Mara Triangle Safaris for a safe, comfortable and fascinating exposure to African wildlife