35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Excellent organisation for our trip
We spent 3 days at Greenfire lodge , had amazing food and wonderful accommodation . There was a great wine selection and we were very well looked after . The safari was excellent with 4 game drives and we saw lots of lions up close as well as giraffes, zebras, elephants, birds, crocodiles , hippos, black and white rhinos . Thoroughly recommended and hope to go back soon .
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent tour operator and highly recommended
I just completed my 7-day trip in Zimbabwe and Botswana and visited the Victoria Fall, Hwange national park and Chobe national park. The package was slightly customized according to my interest. Simon did a fantastic job arranging a wonderful trip for me. Everything was perfect. I really enjoyed this 7-day journey in Africa. In particular, I really liked the fact that Simon was always very quick in responding to my inquiries, which was very helpful. Highly recommended!
KR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Not trustworthy
Treats foreign customers like an ATM. The attitude towards you dramatically changes before and after the payment.
1. Last minute itinerary change
Other tour operators notified me that due to the recent change in the park entrance policy, they only offer two-day safari tour. But Exciting Africa Holidays said their tour is three-day. To confirm this, I sent them an email and received a positive response, which influenced my choice for this tour. But, on the day of the tour, i was told that there will only be a two-day program due to the 'recent' change in park policy. That just spoiled my day.
2. Lying about drinking water
At the Nairobi tour office, I was verbally assured that the package included '1 litre of bottled water per person per day'. But upon my arrival in Masai Mara, I was told that there is no water to give us... I mean, why lie about water? If it's not included, just tell me, and I'll grab some in town! (fwiw, they did provide water at day2 after my complaint, but the emotional stress i had to go through on day1 was immense)
3. Lack of communication
They dropped us off at some random place, not the one we were supposed to stay at. We were totally lost. After I paid, communication between me, the tour operator, and our driver went from great to non-existent. If they had to switch the accommodation, that's fine, but give us a heads up! And there's even a signal in Masai Mara if you're with Safaricom.
When I brought up these issues with the tour operator after the tour, he raised his voice, telling me to send a formal written complaint. So here's my formal complaint.
This safari tour was supposed to be a once-in-a-lifetime adventure, but picking this operator was a major mistake.
For the record, I was more than satisfied with our driver Shadi, he was very kind and professional. I had issues only with the tour operator, Exciting Africa Holidays. (It seems like multiple tour operators pool the tourists and assign them to different vehicles)
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Supportive and helpful!
My fiancée and I had booked our honeymoon with Spirit of Kenya, with André supporting us through the entire process.
André made initial suggestions for the safari and then tailored our trip to exactly what we wanted, within our budget, offering a range accommodation levels and locations. We even added a stay in Zanzibar onto the end of the trip.
Unfortunately for unforeseeable health reasons, my partner and I were advised not to travel just 15 days prior to departure. Spirit of Kenya offered us a 50% refund on the total cost straight away (as per the contract) and were extremely helpful and supportive. (We were even offered to put the trip back by 1 year, but were unable to commit to that at this stage).
Spirit of Kenya, and André in particular, have been so helpful and supportive throughout the entire booking (and cancelling) process. Despite not going on the trip, I really cannot recommend them enough and we definitely plan on re-booking at some point in near future.
5/5 for helpfulness, support and value. Fully recommended.
IE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Safari Co was responsive, listened to our needs and overall provided a wonderful safari experience.
From first contact with Kruger Safari Co they were extremely helpful in putting together options for our suggested date of travel. We booked our safari trip last minute and Wayne was great in terms of finding availability that worked for our budget and travel times. Getting to our accommodation was very smooth - the taxi bus was comfortable considering we had a 5 hour drive. On arrival the hotel Kruger Adventure Lodge had fabulous safari decor - a fire pit in their outdoor area and our rooms were extremely spacious. Most importantly we felt very safe in this accommodation and the reception staff were very helpful in providing guidance on how to access spa facilities and drivers. The safari experience was amazing. You can tell the local guides were close with the hotel staff which made everything feel very personable and seamless. We were brought in the 4x4 vehicles to kruger national park and our guides were brilliant in not only finding animals' sightings but informative on each animal we spotted. The staff were always pleasant and welcoming and nothing was ever an issue for them. We had a lunch packed each day for safari by the team and 3 course dinner each evening. Wayne the tour organiser was very attentive and checked in on us during our tour (which isn't common with tour operators) and was quick to resolve and address any issues we had. We wanted to do a night safari last minute and the hotel had no issue with organizing this for us and that night we had our own personal safari guide which was a highlight of the trip. That same day another tour guide brought us on the Panorama tour which provided fabulous scenery of south africa. I would advise to check the weather in advance of the Panorama tour as cloudy conditions leads to poor visibility for some locations. Overall we had a fabulous safari experience and tour of Hazyview in S.Africa and would highly recommend this tour operator and the hotel for a Safari experience.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Very engaging and couteous
An exillerating trip to the source of the Nile in Jinja with exciting activities like tubing on the nile and quadbiking. They got as great accomodation and always ensure our safety.
FI
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Must have lifetime experience
I had a 10-days safari tour with Tubale. Tour included Ziwa rhinos, Murchison falls and NP, Nile boat ride, Chimp trek, Queen Elizabeth NP, boat ride on Kazinga channel, Gorilla trek, couple of local community experiences, on the way back passed through some zebras and equator. In short: the whole tour was just amazing, I will have these wonderful memories and experiences for life. The falls, even being far away from the capital are a must see, just feeling such power of waterfall is magical. National parks were full of beautiful flora, animals and birds, all you need is some patience and agility, remember it is as much your duty to stay alert and look around as your guide’s, animals may show up when you least expect them. Primate treks were literally mesmerizing and so emotionally rewarding to be so close to our closest relatives. Boat rides were super cool to see the wild life yet from another angle. Community experiences were interesting, to learn and see where and how local people live. My guide was Shafic Kabanda, he was just superb guide and made the tour such an amazing experience. Shafic is very knowledgeable, he will tell you so much about Uganda, flora, fauna, culture, traditions, food and even more. He was very patient, respectful and accommodating, had a really sharp eye finding animals and even smallest birds. BTW, please ask him to introduce you to local food, you won’t regret it! Booking rep Annette was very professional in her communication and made the whole planning and booking very smooth and easy. I highly recommend Tubale Safaris, Shafic and Annette and thank you guys for making my experience so wonderful!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An epic experience that was well-organised and seamless.
Our guide, Blessing, was great. The organisation of all of our activities was seemless, and all of the third party providers were good.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The team at Ongeri Expeditions is absolutely phenomenal!
Where do I even begin?!? Ongeri Expeditions left no stone unturned while perfectly planning our DREAM safari vacation! From the very first email inquiry, they were on top of every detail. I had the pleasure of working very closely with Cazeah (Qazeah) so I would love to give her a special shout-out! She was available by email, text, phone around the clock! She answered every question in a timely manner and provided responses and solutions that were practical for us! I told her exactly what we hoped to see and do and she delivered with ideas every time! We added on a day-trip at the last minute and she coordinated and turned it around in less than 24 hours (that too in peak season-- talk about efficiency!). Working with Ongeri Expeditions was truly a stress-free experience and I wouldn't do it any other way. They took care of the details so my husband & I could truly soak in the beauty of Masai Mara! I would also like to highlight the help they provide at the airport. They created a smooth experience through customs after a long and tiring 24 hours of travel. They have a point person at the airport to help with luggage, purchase of SIM cards, and transportation to the hotel. We felt like we were on vacation from the minute we landed because they were able to help us through the busy airport experience. I cannot praise Cazeah enough- thank you for providing us such a 5-star experience! I also had the pleasure of connecting with the owner and CEO of Ongeri Expeditions, Abner (a.k.a Avner Lux), and he was extremely humble and helpful as I worked through what areas and destinations I wanted to visit while in Kenya. He's also extremely well-traveled so his advice and expertise were greatly appreciated. In addition to helping us book our accommodations and flight transfers to/from Masai Mara, Ongeri Expeditions also booked our excursions such as the hot air balloon safari (truly a once in a lifetime opportunity). To top it all off, Abner included a night safari for us at no charge to us (this was beyond thoughtful & generous) and it ended up being the highlight of our trip! It's evident that Abner cares about his clients and he takes their business seriously. He did whatever he could to make this the most memorable trip for us. This is a reflection of the great company he has created as well! Ongeri Expeditions also made sure to remind the camp of our dietary restrictions (vegetarian) and my birthday (which led to the most memorable birthday celebration). Overall, our trip to Kenya's Masai Mara wouldn't have been possible without Ongeri Expeditions! They went above and beyond our expectations (5+++ stars!!) I cannot recommend Ongeri Expeditions enough and I will definitely use them to book ALL of my future trips to the continent of Africa & beyond! If you're looking for a tour operator, look no further! You're in great hands with Ongeri Expeditions! Whether it's your first safari experience or 10th, Ongeri Expeditions will curate the trip of a lifetime!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Easy to work with
The very first thing we did was go to a place to book excursions, felt like high pressure sales on the guide's part. We hurriedly pick a few and asked to go to check in at our accomodataions so we could freshen up from traveling. The next day we were a bit surprised to be handed an invoice for transport to and from activitites. We almost missed one activity because our guide told us to be ready at one time and the transport arrived over an hour and a half before that time. Fortunately that driver waited for us to hurry and get ready, we did almost miss the boat for the excursion, they held the boat since there were so many people from different places on the bus. May have made the actual boat ride shorter, I have no idea.
The transfers to and from countries with the guides seemed seamless. We always felt safe. transferred from Zimbabwe to Zambia and back, then to Botswana later.
the host and accomodations in Botswana, and the guides there were beyond amazing. I would do this part of the tour again in a heartbeat.
The food at all accomodations was great.
