50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Mount Elgin with quality comfort
Comms were excellent throughout. Slight acceptable delays when the staff are in the bush but more than acceptable. Chef and tour leader were provided and did an excellent job - food was outstanding in an austere environment. A good company providing a good, honest reliable service.
TR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect!
We were very happy with the tour team. They planned everything (from pick up from the hotel in Johannesburg to the dates and places of our accommodations in Kruger Park) in detail and all we had to do was show up. Our emails were speedily replied and our tour guide was the best! We had one of the most memorable days of our lives in the park. We did a combo tour where we got to experience staying in the bungalows, lodges and the tent, all of which were unique on their own. Highly recommended!
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fabulous 14 days!!! Wildlife! Birds! Culture! Great accomodations!! Amazing staff and guide/driver!!
My adult son and I spent 14 days driving through Uganda, from Kampala, Jinji, Sipi Falls, Kedepo, Murchinson Falls, Queen Elizabeth and finally the gorillas in Biwindi, with our amazing guide/driver: Geoffrey Katende. Every part of the trip was planned by Pascqa Lorna in the Matoke office and every part was amazing. I cannot say enough about Geoffrey who both is extremely knowlegable about wildlife, birds, geography, land marks, and culture, but is a very patient and sweet person. Geoffrey really cared about us and tried his hardest to make sure we had a great experience. It was often Geoffrey who wanted to continue to drive around the parks or see more sights, and we would have to say that we wanted to go back to the lodge to rest. He is very enthusiastic and is excited about every aspect of Uganda even though he has probably seen everything many times. Geoffrey is also a very safe driver which is important in Uganda and he never tired even after hours of bumpy roads, he never got rattled and he always got us where we were going safely and without drama. I had total faith in him to be safe and professional.
Pascqa Lorna was also amazing. She planned everything and worked very hard to make sure we did everything we wanted to do. During the planning phrase she emailed me faithfully and quickly and she was available while we were in Uganda and helped me with problems even when she did not have to. She also really cared that we had a great experience, it was much more than just doing her job. The lodges we stayed in were uniformly very nice and were picked by Pascqa and the activities we did were very fun and rewarding. Also because it was just the two of us, we were able to do things we had not planned sometimes and Geoffrey was always willing to change plans and do whatever we wanted to do.
I would definitely recommend Matoke to anyone traveling to this part of the world, and if I am lucky enough to return to East Africa, I will use them again.
HK
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A wonderful and memorable trip
It was a wonderful and memorable trip. Mr Dennis the director of Baboon Budget Safaris Ltd has been very helpful and flexible in arranging the private tour for us. Our drivers in both Kenya and Tanzania was very knowledgable who brought us to see a lot of animals. All in all, the tour is excellent
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Masai Mara/Serengeti Safari and Lake Elementaita Tour with My 11 Year Old
I found this excellent tour company online based on strong reviews and was not disappointed. Edward runs an extremely professional and efficient operation and operates with the highest integrity. Every part of our trip ran like clockwork from transfers to our excellent guides. While the company is called "Budget," Edward was happy to provide custom services, upgrades and recommendations when we wanted them, though he was also very respectful of my attempts to economize where we could. Edward also met us in Nairobi both before and after the trip for a nice personal touch. Based on our interests, he put together a great itinerary that combined game drives, activities and sightseeing. He's very knowledgeable about Kenya, as well as other popular tours in Tanzania and Rwanda. Edward was great on communication and exchanged dozens of emails with me over the past year, from when I first started planning.
My 11 year old son has always had an interest in animals and the safari experience truly enchanted him. Eleven is a great age for safari because he could fully participate in wildlife spotting and could handle the longer game drives. He also loved the tented camps. We did game drives in both Masai Mara and Serengeti and got to see the migration. While getting to the Serengeti was a challenge, it was worth it to see so many lions. We loved watching the lionesses hunt!
After the game drives, we arranged to rest and see some other areas. Edward recommended the Lake Elementaita area 2-4 hours north of Nairobi depending on traffic. From our lovely resort hotel with pool (Pelican Lodge), we were easily able to enjoy horseback riding around Lake Elementaita (flamingos!), a boat ride on Lake Naivasha (great bird watching) and a surprise biking safari and beautiful gorge hike/scramble in Hell's Gate National Park. It was also good to have some activities for my son after a week of game drives. I highly recommend Edward's company and exploring more of Kenya!
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A trip of a lifetime in the African bush we would like to relive again
An incredible trip with an exceptional guide who has shared with us his passion for animals, birds and trees to name a few.
Benjamin accompanied us throughout this 14-day expedition that ended in early August. He chose different parks and very interesting for us. He also has unparalleled cooking skills and demonstrates incredible calm and wisdom throughout his stay with two women of a certain age. He could have been our son and we appreciated him for all his qualities and for the surprises he has reserved for us. We are still filled with these strong experiences of being close to giant and small animals. A very great feeling of gratitude inhabits me and I wanted to express it in French so that this message is well received. Wanting to translate this trip, it was indeed an expedition in the African bush in winter with such dry areas demonstrating the ability of animals to adapt to survive. The Zulu people of this part of the world welcomed us like queens and I will never forget their sincere smile.
IT
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The perfect experience with the family
We have just come back from a 6 days safari in Tanzania (Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Manyara lake) and I’m glad to say that we had the perfect experience with Lion King adventure. First of all, communication with the staff at the office during the preparation of our private safari was clear, quick and completely efficient. I posed many questions (to Wilbard and Anna) and I got very swift replies to all of them.
Our guide David was particularly nice and calm, totally comfortable in his job, very helpful and attentive to our needs, in particular towards our little girl (8 years old).
The accommodations were greats, especially the heritage tented camp in the middle of Serengeti NP. The airport transfers couldn't have been easier.
We chose Lion King because of their great reviews (totally deserved) and relatively reasonable prices. We are completely happy with our choice and very pleased to write our review. Thanks to all of you.
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unbelievable experience
We booked a private safari for 5 days by Bartho (Serengeti, ngorongoro, lake Manyara, and Arusha) Direct from the start I felt very comfortable. Many companies, which I asked for an individual offer, didn’t listen or rejected my request or offered my an another one for much more money. Bartho has listened and offered everything like I wanted and made it possible. I could choose whatever I wanted and also change this very flexibel. All my questions were responded very quickly and kind. At the end we got an unbelievable tour with Malisa as our guide and driver. We had everything we need, water, wine, lunchboxes and place for charging our cameras and smartphones. Malisa has entertained us in very right way, he knew at what time it is better just to enjoy and not to talk and when was time for discussions. He explained everything about the parks, animals, birds and flowers with a huge knowledge. We also got a lot information about the culture and people in Tanzania. We had a lot of fun, because of Malisas humour and laughed a lot. He is a very experienced guy, but we didn’t have that feeling that he sees the parks every day and this is just business for him. He was highly motivated and also impressed as we were, but for us it was a first time and for Malisa this is a 10000 time. We saw a lot of boring guides in on other companies, So this is a huge difference here. We could share our passion for animals with our guide and highly appreciated that Malisa were very “right in his mindset” regarding the animals. He was respectful to them, and we were happy to see the animals in a free nature. Other companies were not so respectful they were hunting the lion on the road with their cars, very sad to see. In total - thanks a lot Bartho & Melisa for this great experience. We will keep this in our hearts!
AE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing And Meticulously Organized.
Let me start with my organizer Rose who deserves due credit here. I revised my itenary so many times but not once did she complain. She was absolutely patient and made sure all my requirements were met which required to be tailored. She even picked us up personally from our hotel on the first day. The service was very personalized and makes you feel comfortable in a foreign land. Accomodation at Masai Mara was budget, but no complains here, it was worth the amount. Food at this Accomodation was good as well. Our guide Simon did an amazing job too in showing us around, we managed to see the BIG 5. Lake Nakuru was beautiful with the Rhinos, flamingos and we even managed to see a pride of Lions with its cubs, that was amazing, this was possible with our guide Boniface who made sure we got the best view of it all. The hotel at Nakuru was good, clean and the food was good too. All in all, I definitely recommend this tour to anyone planning a trip to Kenya.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The are the best and experienced tour company
Excellent Tours, Great person
Lonwabo Madock were recommended by friends from the Addo who had toured with him previously. I toured Port Elizabet and Addo with Lonwabo, and stayed in Africanos Guest House (Felleng) for 2 nights.
I started with one night and liked it so much that I returned three weeks later before driving back to western cape .
The Nqabas are knowledgeable and experienced tour guides; and a real pleasure to be around..
I rate their hospitality and service most highly. You can't go wrong if you choose Nqaba Township and Safari tours!
