50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
By far the best trip
Our family went on a 3 generation Safari+Sea trip for 17 days covering Kenya, and Tanzania (incl. Zanzibar) organized by Seven By Far. It is by far the best vacation we have had.
I came across Seven By Far on safaribookings.com. They were one of the providers from whom I requested a quote. They were prompt with the response and worked with us to modify the itinerary to our interests - adding 3 days in Zanzibar to a 14 day safari and one way travel to Zanzibar so that we could fly out of Zanzibar.
The trip covered Samburu, Abedare, Lake Nakuru, Mara in Kenya. Then, Serengeti, Ngorongoro, and Lake Manyara in Tanzania. Returning back to Kenya we did Amboselli and flew out of Nairobi to Zanzibar. Each park is different and experience is distinct. Even the air trip from Kenya to Zanzibar turned out to be a wonderful experience... flying out of the smaller Wilson airport in Nairobi on a Safarilink DASH-8 and being able to see Mt. Kilimanjaro from the plane.
Sylvester and team were always available to answer any questions during the time between Jan - Jul on various aspects of the trip, travel, and visas.
The pick and drop off from airport to hotel/ back went smooth and the accommodations were very comfortable.
The best part of the trip were the guides. They were all friendly, knowledgeable, and professional. Each had a different personality and were very helpful. They very efficiently arranged for last minute requests like a balloon ride and birthday cake.They are safe drivers both on and off the road (never coming aggressively close to the animals).
Hassan is like the Wayne Gretzky of guides https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/wayne_gretzky_383282. Many times he was able position the vehicle to a place where we would have a good view of the happenings. As a result we had a front row view of cheetah kill at the Mara and a great view of lions positioning for a kill at Samburu - they missed!
Cosmas has an infectious enthusiasm and is a great spotter. He introduced us to the expressions "check the tires" (pee) and "change the tires" (poop). Helpful on day long safaris!
Wilson engaged us in conversation the most and was able to keep it interesting for a group that had been on Safari for over 10 days.
I highly recommend the services of Seven by Far and will certainly use them for future trips in that region.
Note: Reposted on tripadvisor.com
ES
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Awesome !
The tour was nice ! Our driver Anold was punctual and effective and in Pilanesberg we've got a great guide. Thabo knew everything about all the animals and he also knows where to find them. We could see 3 out of 5 of big 5 and also zebras and giraffes.
We had a really good time !
SE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Reliable, helpful and friendly.
Our driver Anold picked us up from our hotel at the planned time and drove us safely to the park. He told us to let him know if we had any concerns about his driving or needed a toilet break but everything was perfect for me. Our guide at the park, Thabo, was amazing. He was very knowledgeable and friendly. He was honest at the outset though and warned us that we might not see everything we'd like to but thanks to his tracking expertise we saw just about every animal I could image: zebras, giraffes, rhinos, hippos, a huge herd of elephants, a lion, and many more.
ES
IN-CRE-Di-BLE
Absolutely amazing safari
5 days safari that goes too fast
We overcover all our expectations
The nature goal was widely completed big fives and docens of other species
Axis has been the best choice we have made : professional helpers all day long workin for make my wife and I the best experience ever
They have solved my problems with the baggage list doing much mor than usual for this things
Thank all the staff specially to Andrew the best guide possible and Eric for the assistance with all the media needed
CH
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Mt. Bisoke Hike and Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
I had a fantastic 4-day trip including a hike to the crater lake on Mount Bisoke and gorilla trekking in Bwindi. A big thank you to Ruth for the perfect organisation and to Farouk for his great performance as a guide! Thank you for the unforgettable moments.
JP
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Incredibly valuable experience at an affordable price
I never expected it so easy to go on a safari. It took only 2 hours one way by car from my hotel to the national park. During the safari, we had about 5 hours to spot wildlife, and encountered a sufficient number of animals, including lions, giraffes, elephants, rhinos, zebras, and more. Having lunch while observing giraffes and zebras was also amazing.
AE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An unforgettable experience with Grassrootz!
Grassrootz was recommended by a colleague that had previously used them for their visit to Uganda and what a brilliant recommendation it was!
From beginning to end, Sander and team were a joy to deal with.
Utterly professional in all elements - communication was clear, quick and most importantly, factual.
They were able to tailor / personalize our trip itinerary to exactly what we wanted and it more than exceeded our expectations.
Accommodation was as described, infact, Treetops Turaco was unbelievably good and one that has to be seen to be believed.
Our driver / guide Emmy was brilliant.
Very knowledgeable, very passionate and not at all overbearing.
If you are looking to experience the best that Uganda has to offer then we highly recommend Grassrootz.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
It will take your breath away!
Last year we had absolutely amazing trip with It Started In Africa. It was really difficult to find a company which can provide high level service for all our family with 2 years kid. And with the guys we had so nice adventure! Professional guides showed us hidden places full of wildlife. All accomodations met our needs. After one year we find out that we are missing the places and the guides and want to repeat it again.
It was more than trip around Kenya and Tanzania, it was like we met another home and got a lot of moments which took our breath away.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful Honeymoon with Ozon Light Tours
Ozon light organized our two week trip to Tanzania for our honeymoon, including a one week safari in the Serengeti, Ngorongoro and one week at the Z Hotel in Zanzibar.
Everything went smoothly from our initial email conversations with Winnie through our activities the entire trip.
They were very responsive and flexible when we were looking into different areas of Zanzibar for our stay. All of the accommodations they arranged were excellent. Our Serengeti guide, Frank, was incredible - he was very personable, flexible, and was an expert on everything related to our safari, including the habits of different animals from the big 5 to the many birds we saw, the environment and trees / plants along the way. He was amazing at being able to spot animals we would have missed, and we had multiple sightings of difficult to find animals including cheetahs and leopards (with their cubs no less). He even spotted two rare rhinos in Ngorongoro. We saw all the big 5 multiple times, and literally saw something new every day.
Our connections throughout the trip were all efficiently arranged, drivers were waiting for us even after we experienced a few delays with our airlines.
We couldn't have asked for a better trip, and the rate was very reasonable for everything that was included.
Highly recommend Ozon light Tour
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent!
Ibrahim, together with our safari tour guide Godlisten, are both very knowledgeable, friendly and helpful. I cannot recommend them both enough.
Ibrahim was patient with me whilst I asked a *lot* of questions and gave me advice throughout together with the help of Godlisten. Ibrahim arranged stays at impressive and comfortable lodges for reasonable rates, possibly on the higher end of midrange and what we planned to pay but it was an unforgettable experience. I booked a 5 day midrange safari for two people, which we ended up extending with an extra day. All accommodation and the jeep were accessible to my mum who has some slight mobility issues from her arthritis and knee issues.
Day 0: we arrived two days before our safari was meant to start but Ibrahim was able to arrange a transfer to Arusha by our guide, Godlisten.
Day 1: we left Arusha and visited Tarangire and stayed at Farm of Dreams Lodge. The lodge was beautiful and had great amenities, albeit we didn't get to use them much with just an overnight stay. Tarangire was a great taster for what we could expect to see on safari.
Day 2-3: we stayed at Serengeti Safari Lodge for two nights which was a very impressive and pretty luxurious lodge, including a private shower outside in the Serengeti attached to the room. The Serengeti itself is incredible, and in hindsight I wish we stayed a day or two longer. We managed to witness a lot of wildebeest migration but due to timing not too much 'action' from carnivores. I now understand why people can go on Safari for several weeks as there's really near infinite possibilities of what you might witness in wildlife. On Day 3 we did a balloon safari which Ibrahim was able to arrange at a slightly discounted rate versus what we would have paid at the booths.
Day 4: we stayed at Rhino Lodge which was in the cold/wet side of Ngorongoro, great amenities again. Ngorongoro is beautiful and will leave you speechless when you first enter. We had managed to see four of the big five in Tarangire and Serengeti but thankfully with Godlisten's eyesight we were able to see a Black Rhino in the middle of Ngorongoro from quite a distance. We had a really close experience with a lion and two lionesses taking a nap right next to our jeep.
Day 5: we sadly headed away from Ngorongoro to Lake Manyara. Ibrahim and Godlisten had suggested to me when booking that it might be worth skipping and spending more time in the Serengeti but I wanted to visit Lake Manyara as my mum had previously visited there with her school from Arusha. Sadly due to flooding and climate change it seems Lake Manyara isn't really worth visiting but nevertheless it was interesting albeit saddening to see. Midway through our time in Lake Manyara we decided we'd like to extend our safari by one day as we felt Manyara wasn't really worth it and we hoped to end our tour with slightly better memories/experiences. Unfortunately it would have been too expensive to return to the Serengeti so if you're thinking of extending try and discuss before leaving Ngorongoro! We decided to visit Tarangire again and Ibrahim arranged for another night at a lodge in Mto wa Mbu at Ngare Lodge. Before this we visited some souvenir shops, a tanzanite experience and some local art. We also visited a maasai village. We also stopped over in Karatu to visit a shop my uncle once worked at over 50 years ago which is now demolished. We then stayed overnight at Ngare Lodge, which is great!
Day 6: we visited Tarangire for a second time. Our main objective was hopefully to see Cheetahs but we knew it would probably be unlikely in the long grass. Cheetahs were the only animal we hadn't seen at all unfortunately and sadly we didn't see any - but it's a reminder of how 'random' wildlife can be. Godlisten tried everywhere and tried to discuss with other tour guides if they had seen any but sadly we didn't get to see any. But we did get to see some really unforgettable moments with elephant groups and families greeting each other and rolling around in mud. After a while we decided to call time and headed back to Arusha. Really was quite sad it ended on the journey back.
All the staff at the lodges were incredibly welcoming and food was really enjoyable at each venue and had great vegetarian options.
I would also like to give a huge thanks to our guide, Godlisten Williams. His jeep was very comfortable for two people and he was extremely knowledgeable and personable. He was able to spot animals from a distance and give us some information and history throughout the journey. He also made sure we had water and a packed lunch for every day and kept us entertained throughout.
The only thing I would've changed is spending more time in Serengeti and not visiting Lake Manyara - but it was nevertheless a flawless well-organised tour and one of my favourite experiences. If I were to do a safari again in the future I would also try and wake up earlier so there's more time for game drives as you might encounter more animals or situations that way.
