US
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
My 3rd Amazing Safari with Amazing Memories Safaris
This is my 3rd time making my travel plans with Amazing Memories Safaris. It is not surprising to me why they have "Amazing" in their company name. You could not ask for a better Tour Operator. Anne and Joseph have become like family to me. On this trip, I even got to meet their young son. I was very excited about that but I think he found Baby Shark more exciting. Anne and Joseph's skills truly complement each other. From the minute I contact them to let them know I'm planning a trip, they are there to answer every question, make suggestions and run interference when a curveball comes up. Since this was my 9th trip to Kenya, they know the places I like, my allergies, that I like a full size bed (even though I travel solo), what I like to do while in Nairobi and that although I'm exhausted from the long flight, I bounce back pretty quick.
There is nothing that makes me happier after 17 hours of flight, than seeing my checked bag arrive, and then stepping outside the terminal and finding Anne, her husband Joseph, and my Nairobi driver and friend Joseph 2014 (I first met him in 2014) with smiles and enthusiasm. I know from that moment on, that even if I have a concern, all will be wonderful and I'll be taken care of.
I spent my full Nairobi day with Joseph 2014. He is so engaging. He is always prompt at picking me up to make sure we get to the public visit at the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust with plenty of time to spare. He shares my love of the elephants too. This time, in addition to my usual elephant visits, Kazuri and Karen Hub market shopping, we also both enjoyed visiting a new gallery, Matbronze (at the suggestion of a friend). Then at the end of the day, we made our way to Carnivore Restaurant for dinner with Anne and Joseph and an evening of laughs.
Since rain heavily impacted my last trip in March 2018, it was suggested maybe I wanted to try coming in February as it typically is less rainy. I think Mother Nature missed that memo. The rains came early and although it didn't impact the wildlife I saw, it did cause some transport issues. Anne was always on top of it. It is a slower time to travel (good news is that lodging prices are less) (bad news is that the bush planes require a minimum of 2 seats being booked). The heavy rains had caused connecting bridges to be washed away so that meant that air strip and ground route changes were necessary. Anne would keep me informed via email and also let my guide Daniel know the latest updates. There is no controlling Mother Nature and sometimes you just have to go with it. But all was as they say, "hakuna matata".
This was my 5th time having Daniel for my guide. As a fellow photographer, he knows how important lighting and positioning the vehicle can be. We have a great time swapping photo tips, catching up on things since my last visit and solving the world's issues. He has an excellent ability to spot animals, a great sense of humor, communicates well and generally spoils me rotten. A guide can make or break a trip, and Daniel sure makes mine.
Time always flies so quickly and before I knew it, it was time to arrive back into Nairobi, to check into my day room and prepare for the long flight home. Even though sad to leave, it was wonderful to see Anne and Joseph and Joseph 2014 come to the hotel to hear about the trip, go over any concerns, and share more laughs before heading to the airport. Thank you to all for looking after me so well. I can't wait to see you again on my next adventure!
SE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wakanda Tours organized the perfect 5-day Safari for us
We went on a 5 day safari (Tarangire, Serengeti (2 days), Ngorongoro) with Serengeti Wakanda Tours and had the best trip we could have asked for. Communication, organization, service, and the team itself were excellent.
Bharti (one of the co-founders) handled all the communication previous to our travels. Bharti speaks excellent English and is a genuinely nice and honest person that helps you with all kind of questions before, during and after the trip. The organization of the transportation and safari were seamless and always on time.
If you book with Wakanda, ask for Andrew as your guide and Suleiman as your chef. Andrew speaks good English (he's also fluent in French) and knows everything about the parks and their inhabitants. Furthermore, he's an excellent driver (a skill that one shouldnt underestimate) and has eagle-eyes, which helped us spotting the following animals: Three groups of Lions, incl. cubs from less than 2 meters, leopards, cheetahs, servals, rhinos, hippos, crocodiles, zebras, elephants, wilder beasts, monkeys etc.
Suleyman is equally cheerful and somehow manages to cook excellent food despite cooking on rather poorly equipped campsites on a nightly basis. As an extra he's also knows many things about the parks and animals and is happy to share his knowledge with you.
All in all, I can strongly recommend you to book with Wakanda. Other than many other providers, Barthi is not pushy and gives you all the time you need to make your decision. Wakanda also doesnt sell its customers to other operators in cases they do not manage to get a full group of six people.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Friendly, professional, amazing!
We requested quotes from a number of tour companies. Looking at the price they gave us, KingTomondo was neither the cheapest nor the most expensive option. Although price definitely mattered for us, we ended up choosing KingTomondo and we didn't regret our choice for one second.
Lisa and Niklas always!! answered our emails (and there were many emails, since it was our first safari and we had questions about many things) within 12 hours, most of the time even within one or two hours. The way the communicated with us and guided us through the whole process was amazing and was in the end the reason for us deciding to go with them. They didn't seem to be in a rush to sell their tours, instead they took a lot of time to explore our preferences and to find the best option for us. Asante sana for that!!We started our safari in Mombasa and after paying a small deposit to their German bank account they gave us the option of paying the large remaining amount on arrival. That was really convenient for us as well.
After arriving in Mombasa, we got to know the driver Said even before the actual safari. I feel like Said is the absolute best, as a person and as a tour guide. He was so friendly and welcoming that we felt at home from the veryt first moment. On safari, he spotted every animal from far and it seemed like there was no animal he didn't know, no location he couldn't tell a story about and no terrain he couldn't master. As it had rained a lot before our safari and the ground was very wet at times, we were happy for his experience and superb driving skills. For us, who didn't have as sharp eysight as him, he had nice binoculars on the car. Although people had warned us that the heavy rains might make it difficult to see animals, we saw way more than we could have ever expected. I think Cheetah was the only one we didn't see, but that one we will surely spot on our next safari! :))
We can with all our hearts recommend KingTomondo for everyone looking for a reliable, super friendly and well organized tour company. It was our first time, but definitely not our last.
Experience level: first safari
Family of 6 Safari.
Amazing experience of seeing animals close up and roaming so freely. Frank was a great guide and driver. He was caring throughout and was very knowledgeable, especially about birds.
The African landscapes of animals, earth and sky were very memorable.
SK
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The most memorable travel experience
Thanks to Matt and African Safari Guru, this was the most amazing traveling experience our family have ever had. With 5 days in Cape-town, tasting wine, great restaurants, horse back riding, seals, penguins, helicopter flight to 5 days in the most memorable Safari in Marataba and Madikwe. All perfectly organized with fantastic support from Matt, private transfers & flights between airports. Every step has been organized on 100%.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Overall a great experience on Mt. Kilimanjaro
The staff during the hiking were amazing. They were very helpful and the food was amazing! Overall a great trip and unforgettable memorize. I signed up for a 7 days trek but ended up doing it in 6 days. I felt that one of the tour guides wanted to get home early and pushed us a little faster. We had a few in our group doing 6 days and some 7 days, so we were suppose to split during the trek but all ended up doing 6 days. I ended up pretty sick and threw up the whole way up on the summit day. Wish I would have done it in 7 days, due to my reactions to high altitude. Everyone else in my group was ok, minor sickness. Communication prior to the trek was very limited, had to email several time to get questions answered. Wish there was more information sent prior to leaving on what to expect. Please be aware that there was an expected tip around $250-300+ dollars per person after (for 6 days trek and 6 people in the group). I wish the whole tipping process would have been explained better prior so we could have prepared better and knew what to expect. But as mentioned prior, overall a good experience and I would recommend the company. Just be prepared that the communication may be limited and you have to ask.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Dancing Zebra Safari CO. exceeded our Safari Dreams and created memories & friendships for life
After attempting to plan a 5 person African Safari trip ourselves, we realized that we were in over our heads. At that point, a friend of a friend suggested Jessica Mathews of Dancing Zebra Safari Co. Wow! Jessica is a rock star!
At this point, everything starting coming together - locations, weather, times of year, guides, accommodations. My spouse worked to identify itineraries to see Gorillas and Sun Monkeys in Rwanda (very cool trip) over 3 days followed by 8 days in Tanzania’s Tarangire National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti National Park.
The accommodations were all very good to stellar, and the guides were even better.
In Rwanda, our driver Frank Kanmugire shepherded us expertly to the hotel, and the indoctrination gatherings for the gorillas and, a day later, the monkeys. We were appropriately steered to an intermediate level gorilla climb with very good guide, and had an awe inspiring 60 minute visit. The sun monkey tour the next day was entertaining and playful, and much easier to access. In addition, Frank showed us around the market, found a vendor for emergency luggage repair, and helped us digest a chilling and sobering visit to the Rwanda Genocide Museum. Truly, an impressive country.
The Tanzania portion was non-stop animal discovery with periods of luxury in the Camps and lodges. Our guide, Ian Kiwelu, listened to our interests and tailored the day trips to satiate our interest in the many animals, birds, reptiles and flora. Ian gracefully shared joy and love for the outdoors. This included relentlessly helping us to track down a viewing of a leopard. So often, especially in the Serengeti, we would separate from the mass tours (as many as 40 cars watching 3 lions) to take the path less traveled. This is absolutely our style and brought great joy.
Kimchuguu Camp in Tarangire was very well run with good food, and easy to settle in; Plantation Lodge near Ngorongoro brought great food and some pampering including a pool; and Njozi Camp Serengeti was a diamond still being polished with its progressive inclusion of biologists and women on staff and very inviting nightly campfires.
Jessica and Ian included a visit to a traditional Maasai Boma provided a window into their lifestyle and ceremonies - a vivid reminder that Africa is so much more in addition to the animals.
5 Star experience!!
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Liese was a passionate and fantastic guide. She made our Safari!!
From beginning to end, Wildlife Safari/Booking made our experience very memorable and easy!
Liese was exceptional! Her knowledge, passion and dedication to making our Safari fantastic was incredible!
Would Highly recommend!
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35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Janet of Javiva Adventures is a lady that will do everything to make your safari tour a success!
Well Organized, interesting program, good food, and a very easy accessible lady (Janet) from Javiva Adventures to answer any of your questions.
PL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Animals and the space around
If you remember the animals in Zoos, they are different in the parks. Healthy, agile, with shining furs and eyes. We did 5 day drive around Amboseli, Nakuru and Masai Mara. All went perfect. Thank you Jackson and Carol for your services.