ES
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Outstanding service. Enhanced the whole safari experience. Highly recommended.
A safari is an experience that I recommend to anyone that wants to do something extraordinary during their holidays. It will put you in direct contact with wildlife in its most intact and natural way, and this makes it a life-changing experience. On top of this, we were lucky enough to have chosen African Big Cats to arrange our tour. There are several reasons why this company made our trip even better than we would have expected.
For starters, the communication is fluent, frequent, and transparent. If you have any doubts, any requests, any last-minute changes, or anything that might be important to clear out before, during, and after your tour, you can count on Justice to clear any of them or support you. They're responsive via email or Whatsapp, and if you are coming from a country far from Tanzania to do this trip, this is something you appreciate.
Although it is likely that each safari is different, ours started in Arusha, where our guide picked us at the airport and took us to a lodge where we met the rest of the team and spent the first night. This hotel, like any other hotel that hosted us during the safari, was particularly nice, with natural scenery, friendly staff, and very good food. As I said, it might be different from one tour to the other, but overall they offer anything you need to rest properly between days. Keep in mind that you won't be spending much time in the hotels, so you are aiming for good food and a good night's sleep. The Ilboru Safari Lodge, Eileen's Trees Inn, and the Heritage Tented Camp check positively on both topics.
The hotels' staff deserves extra credit. During our tour, one of our friends was having her birthday, and the staff at Eileen's Trees Inn arranged everything to make sure we could celebrate it. Each and every one of the lodges and hotels where we stayed was different, but overall they complement the safari quite well. This is because they are relatively close to the national parks we visited and offer exactly what we wanted. Actually, and in all fairness, the pictures that you might access online do not reflect what the hotels and inns are actually like. They're much nicer in real life. Be reassured that the hotels are excellent and in our case went above expectations.
I'll continue with the most important part of the tour. The guide. Ours was Endeni, a super friendly guy that accompanied us during the whole tour. He is knowledgeable, witty, punctual, and communicative. African Big Cats has other guides I'm sure, but if they are any like Endeni you're in great hands. My advice to anyone doing the safari is to become friends with your guide, ask them about their trajectory and the things they have done and seen. They will tell the story of a unique country, going from its recent story, its current status and of course, the wildlife. As mentioned before, ours was Endeni. The dude's a legend, you will be lucky if you get him.
During our safari, we visited three places. The Tarangire National Park, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, and the Serengeti. This review won't have any spoilers, that part I will leave it out. But do expect to learn a lot, amazing views, and close contact with wild animals. The tour can't guarantee it, by all means, but in general, you will see something unexpected frequently. The car is comfortable and you can enjoy cold drinks while at it. On top of it, our car had chargers so you can use your phone along the tour (for pictures, I hope).
In general, going on a safari is a life-changing experience. African Big Cats makes the experience significantly better.
IL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Professional, trustworthy, and go above and beyond to meet our needs
From the first email to the last good-bye, we were impressed by the way that Mathew (coordinator) and Steven (our driver and guide) at Bateleur carry themselves. Big issues in Africa that we deal with are on-time, reliability, and trust, but Bateleur met all our expectations plus more. Bateleur answered all my questions quickly via emails. when Mathew said he made a provisional reservation at the camp we wanted, he really did (unlike my prior experience with another tour company). When we arranged to meet at 7am for orientation before leaving Nairobi for Maasai Mara, Mathew arrived at 6:15am and waited for us to finish breakfast at our hotel. I was very much worried about the required Covid-testing before our flight, but Mathew found a quick (6hr turnaround) and cheap ($50/person) Covid-testing lab by the airport, so we didn't have to cut short our safari (and Steven waited for us patiently for two hours at 7pm after all day driving). Our driver and guide Steven knew where to find the elephants, lions, leopards, giraffe, hippos, ..... and put in great efforts to show us the magic of Maasai Mara - and it indeed was magical. Bateleur definitely is trustworthy and delivers what it promises!
RO
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Apodiformes Adventures serious manager, prompt, opento our wishes, requests, correct with customers
Good evening,
I have to share with you our experience with the help of Apodiformes Adventures.
Silas, an extremely vigilant guy, responded in a very short time to my desire to find out information about a possible safari. And what can I say ... he never deceived my expectations. We agreed on a route from Nairobi, Lake Naivasha, boating, all around, hippos and lots of birds, Lake Nakuru, one night here at Homebase Garden with impeccable accommodation and meals, two nights in Masai Mara, an excellent balloon flight, lions, zebras, wildebeest antelope and a leopard that quietly eats its prey in the tree.
From Masai Mara we went to Serengeti, through Isibania, Silas, the manager of Apodiformes always kept in touch with us, making sure that everything is fine, we were tested at the border exactly as he told us, with quick tests, the procedure is quite long, but completed without problems. And we arrived in the great Serengeti, two magnificent nights in Kati Kati Tented Camp and two unforgettable days, in two extraordinary worlds, of people and animals. Each of the moments lived had their charm, the elephant that made its place at night next to our tent and which we struggled to film and show to those at home with whom we spoke through wi.fi.
I saw a real feast of a lion family, stealing hundreds of pictures of the owners of those lands. Curious and so graceful giraffes appeared everywhere and left very easily. Hippopotamuses reveled in the savannah ponds, Tik..Tik ... the smallest antelopes jump through the bushes, the jackals, the hyenas appeared sometimes on the road, sometimes on our left or right. Ngorongoro showed his grandeur the next day, the descent into the crater being an unforgettable experience. The ceiling of clouds and fog that had kept us from ... cold (Rhinolodge has a fireplace where we even sat by a beautiful wood fire) rose and revealed to us an extraordinarily beautiful world. Everywhere you looked you saw animals. The last days I caught them in Lake Manyara, where the elephants enjoyed themselves in a well-deserved bath with water ... mud and dust, and the icing on the cake was left to the two lions on the tree, one of them waiting for the pictures that to show him supremacy.
Yes, I invite you to go with Apodiformes Adventures, Silas, the manager, is best suited to find solutions for what you want.
Thank you Silas for the patience you have shown, answering absolutely any question I asked you!
And this is not all!!!!!
The guides I had are the best, if you are a sociable person they open up and offer you anything you want.
In Kenya, Isayah managed to gain our trust very quickly, very civilized, with a lot of common sense and dedicated to those he cared for.
Isayah was the one who showed us the hidden leopard, he ran for half a day after the elephants, keeping his promise, going with Toyota as if it were the best race car. I would have thought that he could climb those roads, in the Masai Mara, he is an extremely well-trained driver, a guide who has successfully fulfilled his mission of making people happy and finding exactly when I no longer believed the cheetah he we are looking for. He told us so simply that we had a bonus that afternoon and we saw the miracle.
I recommend asking Isayah, if you catch him free you will not regret it. Search and find any animal in the reservations.
Godlisten, our guide from Tanzania, an exceptional man, car-Toyota Landcruiser.
You will not be disappointed if you have a guide on Godlisten, he is a professional in everything he does. Including pictures.Godlisten, a real encyclopedia, extremely shy at first, with a lot of common sense and an extraordinary preparation. He did his safari homework with us. The man has books about birds, animals, binoculars, (I still miss the words of "Good spot !!!" )... nothing escapes him, an infinite patience to listen and answer our questions.
He also knew the accommodation, he knew the people there, he interacts perfectly with everyone. He doesn't sleep much. He is eager to tell you something tomorrow.
Count on him !!!
We thank those who accompanied us in our adventure and helped us fulfill our dream. Thank you Apodiformes Adventures, Silas, Isayah and Godlisten.
Ella & Razvan
MX
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great operator, super responsible
This has been the most unexpected wonderful surprise trip of my life. We kept delaying our trip until COVID was a bit more stable (end of June and beginning of July). We loved it! Wyclef was very attentive and organized a great 12 day trip that took us around Uganda visiting the highlights of nature. Hillary our guide became more than a tour guide to us, he became a brother. We had a great trip, even with COVID 19 looming. People in Uganda are super friendly and really carefull with COVID. We loved every day of our trip. Unexpected highlights: go visit the Pygmees in Lake Bunyonyi, this experience was underrated and is really great. They are very grateful. I just wish we had taken more than money to help them out (perhaps clothes). Be prepared (ask everything you will need beforehand each day). Take good walking shoes. Get a porter when going to gorilla´s trip (they are way more than carriers throughout this trip, they are really helpful to avoid falls when walking through the slippery roads). Highly recommended. Literally Gorilla´s accompanied us since we left the airport until we got to the flight back. BTW carefull with your money! if you are taking dollars they are extremely picky with them accepting them (not the tour operator, but in general they whole country).
AT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing safari
Very good standard, we appreciated lot. Hilary is a professional tour planer. We chose the mid range lodge serengeti tour, means 3 days/2night in Serengeti and Nongorgoro Crater. The lodges was beautiful and very relaxing. The tour guide was also very professional and showed us all important places. We also had a chef with us on safari, so lunch was also very good. Suricata also arranged the airport transport and the night before and after the safari in Arusha.
ES
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best experience ever!!
Our experience with African Big Cats Safari was wonderful. The attention and care since the very first consultation was great, Justice solved all kinds of doubts, with fast and personalized attention
Already in Tanzania, our guide was Endeni. He managed to make us fall in love with Tanzania, with each story, with each anecdote, with everything he knew about animals, with his ability to take us to see incredible animals from 3 meters up close, guided by a simple footprint in the sand and mainly, for being a great person. (Endeni, we miss you!! ♥)
We knew that Tanzania and the experience of a Safari was going to be incredible, but they managed to exceed our expectations: the hotels were great, the kindness and help made us feel at home away from home, the food and preparation of everything, they left us very happy.
Emanuele, Justice and Endeni, you made us VERY happy!!! We carry you guys in our hearts!
The good experience was worth 1000%. Come to Africa and do this Safari!!
GE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wakanda is the best safari tourist company
Safari tours by using this company was the best. The staff was very kind and professional. They were explaining all things around the tour. Food was excellent, very tasty and the chef was very careful for us, also driver was very friendly. We spent unforgettable 5 days with this guys . Thanks for everything ❤️
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The best Safari company in Uganda
Kubwa Five Safaris had the most reasonable rates, and they were great in communication, so I felt pretty good about booking a tour with them. Kubwa Five Safaris was more attentive, tailor-making the tour to our exact specifications, giving excellent tips and recommendations, and putting through all the detailed changes we requested quickly and efficiently.
Our driver/guide, Joan was a really lovely and knowledgeable person. We greatly enjoyed this company for the days we were in Rwanda. The gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park was beyond all expectations in terms of our proximity and views of the gorillas. We trekked the Sabinyo group and after a couple of hours, we met the endangered giants up in the hills. It was an amazing experience to see the gorillas close up in the wild and this is one of the most memorable trips that I have ever taken.
In the afternoon, after the trek, we enjoyed a relaxed evening at the Iby'wachu Village where we learned about the history, culture, and heritage of the Rwandan people. This is another amazing experience that you should not miss while in Rwanda.
All of our accommodation was lovely and really showed us the variety Rwanda has to offer. From staying in a luxury high rise hotel in Kigali to jungle camping in Kagera National Park and staying in a variety of safari lodges, all hotels were lovely, with great facilities, great food and drinks, friendly staff (& wildlife!) and lovely rooms.
I strongly advise you to request Joan as your driver and guide when you are in Rwanda! For one week, she was both our friend and our professional guide; enabling us to see all the highlights of a truly beautiful country in a relatively short length of time.
I have no hesitation in recommending Kubwa Five Safaris to anyone planning a safari holiday in Rwanda in the future.
FR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
35 days Uganda Safari Tour and Holiday
We had 35 fantastic days together with a group of 20 family members in uganda. We had a very friendly tour guide Yonah. This company will give you good attention from the first day you contact them to the end of your trip. They had good customer care and definitely the best in satisfaction! Everything was just perfect. We were treated as if we were real friends. Thanks to Mussa and Yonah for the treat. We really had a wonderful trip. They also have 100% free cancellation policy upto two weeks before start date . I highly recommend this tour operator to anyone out there who wish to get such experience!!
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Excellent 12-days Uganda with Gorilla/Chimps /NP
Robert and also Ceasar, our Guide, did an excellent job. They are extremely reliable, trustworthy and respond to emails promptly. Ceasar is a „walking encyclopaedia“! You can ask him everything! Robert‘s Organisation of our 12 day trip was over the top. The luxury lodges were very well chosen, as well as the extensive program. It was very individual and they react to every special request. As always, there are minor problems along the way. For example a bridge was closed and we have to take the ferry. That would have meant several hours of waiting Ceasar has solved it with several phone calls very individual, so we were able to continue our program as planned. Customer satisfaction comes first!
I will extremely recommend Africa Adventure Vacations. I have been to africa several times but this agency was the best!!
