False advertising
Despite booking and paying for a 4 day tour including Lake Manyara, we were told 10 minutes before we left that the tour had been changed to Tarangire instead. Also we were denied our visit the the Olduvai Gorge museum on the 3rd day, even though it was a option on our itinerary. When we challenged this they tried charge us triple the price. However, our guide Stephen was particularly brilliant and knowledge and went out of his way to make it a very special experience all the same.
IN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
nice experience .. but not without glitches
we went 3 nights 4 days trip .. tarangire serengetti and ngorongoro..
first the company was very quick to respond to the queries .. owner was very polite
the glitch .. we had booked luxury tented camps but by mistake they booked lodges and the owner said in confirmation email he had mentioned lodges .. when they changed luxury tents into lodges in their email i never knew and hence had no option but to go forward with them ( though it turned into a blessing as lodges were very nice and with 2 small kids tented camps would be too wild an experience)
we had booked lake manyara also but as i tweaked itinery as per my convenience they dropped lake manyara entrance fees and when i reached my lodge near lake manyara and we had enough time to go inside the park driver said the fees hasnt been paid so we cant go inside so we just saw lake manyara from our lodge which had a great view
all the lodges were great .. service was superb .. food great .. rooms clean and spacious with a bath tub.. and with great views over lake manyara and ngorongoro crater .. the lodge in serengetti (lobo) was very far inside the park but it was a great game drive deep into serengetti while reaching the lodge
the chefs and managers were very welcoming and polite .. food was awesome
driver abu salim was fantastic in spotting animals .. we spotted around 40 lions ( a pride of 15 lions together) in serengetti and ngorongoro .. we saw a cheetah hunt .. leopards on trees .. all big 5 were spotted ( though rhino was seen from a distance in ngorongoro).. only issue with driver was he looked to cut short the game drive hours and reach lodges early though he was unbeatable on spotting animals..
the vehicle provided was 1st class .. a long vehicle 8 seater land cruiser was provided for us 2 adults 2 kids and as kids had their space the journey was very comfortable
over all the experience was great .. the safari was one of the most undorgettable experience of my life ..
i am taking 2 stars away from bobby tours for 2 reasons .. 1 for booking lodges without informing me and 2 for not paying entry fees of lake manyara otherwise their service was alright.
so you can book with them but reconfirm what you are getting before doing any payments
IN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Tarangire National Park by arif
less animals then serengetti .. so if you are doing northern circuit serengetti is a better option .. but here huge herds of elephants ( we spotted a group of about 40) are spotted which i doubt is spotted anywhere else.. giraffes leopards can also be seen .. it can be a prelude to serengetti and ngorongoro but ceratinly not worth after it
IN
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Average, not personal and providing misleading information.
Uhuru travels had given name and no. of person would be our guide and driver for 3 days. They changed the person without even informing us. It seemed Uhuru has sub contracted our trip to someone else. There was no personal contact. The driver himself did not know who he worked for.
Did not get value for money on this trip.
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
An Average Safari Experience
My wife and I embarked on a short safari in Hwange National Park as part of our Rovos Rail journey from Pretoria to Victoria Falls. The train stopped and we all were placed on various safari vehicles. My wife and I were with Frogs Safari Tours with "Innocent" as our guide. This is not our first safari, we have travelled to Africa on three previous occasions (2010 and 2013) visiting Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana.
The overall safari experience would be described as average. While this may sound somewhat negative, it simply reflects a rather uninspired experience. The interaction between the guide and guests was limited. I got the impression that the guide was "going through the motions" as perhaps they are used to the Rovos group and thought that perhaps most would be satisfied with simple safari and a few animal sightings. There seemed to be an inordinate amount of driving including a long stretch near the end where the guide Innocent was driving at a higher speed from one end to another in the hopes of getting a glimpse of a lion that other safari guests had observed. We were following another vehicle and the dust spray was getting into everyone's eyes and we had to tell him to slow down. It was fine for him as he was behind a windscreen. A definite lack of thought regarding his paying guests.
Overall, nothing glaringly wrong with the safari, it's just that having been on over 60 safaris previously in various countries, this experience rates average, at best.
CA
Great time in Masaai Mara with a few flaws
Overall, Our visit to Masaai Mara has been incredibly enjoyable. But a few things just got a bit annoying after a while:
- Robert told us there would be 7 people in the van, however there were 8. It was a VERY crowded van and during game drives, it got quite hectic
- We were told by the operators that seeing the great migration was a guarantee. We almost cancelled because we saw online that great migration already passed, but he assured us that great migration was happening. Sure enough, there were no wilder beasts... We could've saved it for Tanzania. I highly encourage everyone to do their own independent research... because at the end of the day, its a business for these tour operators.
- The Masaai village tour is NOT free. Its 1000 shillings to enter, which was not clearly communicated by the tour operators. There were a few shocked faces in our group when this was communicated.
However, overall, the people in our group made it worth while. We've met some great friends during the trip and don't regret the decision to visit masaai mara :)
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good safari but unfriendly guide
Safari Right now had good communication before my trip, we had emailed each other a few times to work out an itinerary. They had been personally recommended by a friend living in Tanzania and felt very trustworthy from the start, important as I was travelling as a lone female. The safari itself was amazing and thoroughly recommended, I saw so many incredible animals very close up. I chose a 1:1 personal safari to Manyara
and Ngorongoro crater and the price was competitive.
There were a few criticisms though:
1) The day before the safari I was supposed to have a briefing with the guide, but that didn't happen. This meant I didn't really know what to pack and didn't have a chance to discuss any dietary preferences for the lunchbox/dinner.
2) There was also a last minute swap of guide, that I didn't know about until the new guide (Chale) turned up to collect me. Unfortunately Chale was quite unfriendly and made me feel a bit awkward during the drive and dinner, although he did have a good knowledge of the animals.
3) I recommend double checking exactly what is provided. I had decided to camp and the tent/bedding was supposed to be provided but there were no sheets, pillows or sleeping bag. Take a torch, the campsite is very dark at night and inside the tent!
4) The itinerary said there would be a full day’s game drive on the second day, but the driver actually left at about 1.30 shortly after lunch to visit tourist shops, which was disappointing.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Lake Manyara National Park by Linda Hatfield
Probably because of the time of year, not many birds were evident. It was only a superficial stop between Tarangire and the Crater.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
A Good Camping Experience
The communication we had with Denver was excellent. He was always quick to respond to emails and provided accurate information. He had great knowledge of national parks and attractions in Zambia and provided good recommendations when requested. We had a great team for our camping trip: driver, cook and company representative. The latter was always very concerned for our safety and made sure to make our trip as comfortable as possible. The crew was very friendly and made us feel welcome. While on the trip, my husband developed an infection in his leg and the staff, concerned for his health, took us to the hospital where he was treated, upon our return to Lusaka. They stayed with us the whole time while he waited at the clinic. Members of the team did call us on several occasions to check up on him while we were in Zambia. I would make a few recommendations, however, It would be an improvement to have cots, as sleeping on the hard ground was hard on the back. Also, carry extra blankets as on some evenings it got chilly. Understandably, they already had a fully loaded van; they were talking about adding trailers to their fleet for added storage. One area of concern was security of our luggage and backpacks. We initially stored our things in the van, but then the driver had to leave for another engagement and we had to leave our things in our tent. Unfortunately, upon returning to Lusaka I found that my unopened bottle of Jack Daniels that I bought at the airport duty free shop was missing. When I told the representative, he was very apologetic; but still not a good way to end the trip for me. Overall, we were satisfied with our experience with Densafaris.
Experience level: first safari
Best safari ever with yala safaris.They gave us more than we expected,more than we deserved.
That last night at home.You think about how your safari is gonna be like.There are some experiences that are unforgettable.We wanted that safari at the highest ..When we started planning our trip,we looked and asked many places but we chose Yala safaris because of the positive and competent answers we got.Despite our budget,the owner/our guide Godwin still managed to fix us comfort full board accommodation in all the places we travelled.Because of his flexability,connection and good character with people everything was nice and easy.He is so friendly towards clients and always willing to help in any way he can.Our trip to murchison falls and Queen elizabeth will forever be the trip of our life time.If we ever have to tell our story,we will say we once travelled with Yala safaris the best,we lived in the time of Godwin the expert!!