20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent
Arboreal Safaris is a reliable tour company offering the best tour services. Esther(The director), ensured my stay at Diani was memorable. She planned everything to the core. Splendid job
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent
The communications and trip arrangements were timely and efficient. I did a 3 days safari to Amboseli together with my family and had a great time including the game drives. The hotel was also excellent. I definitely look forward to doing another safari with Arboreal Safaris. Keep up the good work!
US
Not any better choice than Peafoul
All services were performed with great professionalism and style. If you are fortunate and Patric is your driver he is the best!
CH
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
8 days / 7 nights tailored Kenya Safari
We have booked our Safari with Explorer Kenya a few weeks before our trip.
The contact via Email with Explorer Kenya was easy and Robert got always back with answers in no time.
At the end we had a tailor made safari of 8 days and 7 nights in Amboseli and Masai Mara.
The entire organization was top. There was a little hick up as we ordered Softdrinks throughout the entire safari but they got forgotten. The problem could be solved very easy during the trip.
Our Safari Driving Guide Jonathan was top. He was super helpful, professional and he brought us always safe and sound from A to B. Thanks to his enthusiasm and the radio equipment of the Land cruiser we were able to see so many animals in both parks and had some unforgettable moments.
As a little con I would like to mention the hassle with the payment. First the company charges a high percentage of 3,9% of the total amount for Visa and Mastercard payments. This shouldn't be anymore in 2021. (By the way: we didn't pay any credit card fees at hotels, Lodges, shops and so on). But ok, so we choose the bank transfer. I sent the deposit of the safari with all costs covered by my bank but 15$ got lost somewhere in the transaction. It was no problem as I payed the rest of the amount prior arrival. So I did sent the rest of the amount, all costs covered by myself plus an additional 15$ to cover the cost lost in transaction. But this time 33$ didn't arrived. Explorer Kenya said it is an intermediate bank but my house bank operates worldwide and sent the amount direct. So to avoid losing 48$ please check with your bank about the payment.
All in all we had an amazing stay in Africa and the Parks and variety of animals are simply amazing. Thank you to Jonathan for the adventures and guiding us during our Safari.
CH
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Above and beyond expectations
My travel partner and I did a 4.5 day safari tour. We visited Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Lake Manyara.
We had a perfect experience.
Arrival: Kilimanjaro airport - Saturday 9th at 8am.
Departure: Arusha airport - Wednesday 13th at 3pm.
1.- Organizing the trip: we got to know about this agency because of an acquaintance recommendation. The organization of the trip with Anthony and his agency was smooth and flexible, able to customize the trip according to our needs and budget (mid range safari).
2.- Animals: wild. The amount of animals, specially in Serengeti was mind-blowing. We managed to see the big five. It felt all the time like a movie or a documentary.
3.- Our tour guide: George was full of knowledge, patience and experienced. He would drive anywhere needed, making sure that our experience was optimal and our expectations fulfilled. His knowledge of the parks ensured that we saw more than even expected (it is never sure that you will see animals or action happening - lottery).
4.- Meals: Normally the hotels would fill a bag and you will do picnic in the designated areas. Just wow. A couple of days we had lunch boxes, which were large and full of options.
4.- Accommodation: beyond expected. The agency selected the perfect places according to our budget. Pamoja Lodge-Karatu, Pamoja Luxury Tented Camp-Serengeti (2 nights), EilensTree-Karatu. All staff was very welcoming and professional. They all made us feel at home. We spent the evenings at the accommodations talking to the personnel, sharing stories of the day and life (we were basically the only ones except at the last place).
5.- Amount of people: not sure if because of Covid (which was pretty well managed with the use of mask and sanitizer everywhere) or the shoulder season, but we didn't find much people/cars.
I strongly recommend Cross Africa Safari and I am thankful because of the amazing experience.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Unforgettable Serengeti Safari in Tanzania
After we were in Kenya and Uganda, we knew we wanted to try and find a safari in Tanzania. We found out about Oscar Africa Safaris and after looking through the reviews, it seemed like the best tour operator to go with. We went to Serengeti and It was amazing. The animals were everywhere and it didn't matter what time of the day you looked there was something new to see.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic Kenya safari, great value, excellent communication
My husband and I had a great experience with Wildebeest Safaris. I was a little wary of booking online with a Kenya company, especially with Covid making so much about travel uncertain in these times. I dealt directly with Noah Kuti from the beginning and he was super about staying in touch and always responded very quickly to my WhatsApp texts. We flew to Kenya from Paris and were flying out to Cape Town. When Kenya Airways canceled our departure flight a couple of weeks prior, Noah didn't hesitate to move our booking up a day to accommodate the necessary rescheduling. He never pressured us at all for the final payment, and in fact, I had to ask for final instructions a couple of days before we were to start our safari.
Our driver, Dennis, was terrific. Cheerful, friendly, knowledgeable and genuinely interested in making sure we got what we wanted out of our safari. He didn't flinch we when decided to do one last, very early morning game drive in Masai Mara instead of making a more leisurely departure back to Nairobi. This paid off with my ideal leopard sighting: close, and in a tree (then stretching and hopping down to give us a lot more great photos) with only one other truck around. Dennis seemed as excited as we were. The safari land cruiser we were in was in good shape, very clean, and much nicer than some of the roll-side and open air vehicles we saw (not to mention the minivans). Moreover, many of the safaris I considered before choosing Wildebeest wanted ridiculously high extra charges for vehicles just like what we had. The electric ice chest in the back was nice, too. The only negatives were a tied-together seatbelt on my seat and an a/c that was either not functioning or not used. This meant long drives on the highway with the windows down. Seems to be a norm in Kenya, so be prepared. This also meant we and our luggage were ludicrously dusty at the end of some drives, especially Ambesoli. Oh well. Kenya is beautiful and the number of animals we saw awe-inspiring.
We were also very happy with the length of the safari. 4 nights/5 days might seem short, but we did so much, saw all we hoped for and then some, were pleasantly tired, and we would have been repeating ourselves if we'd kept on. We congratulated ourselves on our choice of stay length.
With regards to lodges: We stayed at Ambesoli Serena Safari Lodge which was nice, but not extravagant. Our favorite lodge by far was Sarova Lion Hill Game Lodge at Lake Nakuru. This was an upgrade that we chose due to wanting a lodge inside the park. We were put in the endmost suite which turned out to be elegant and enormous (including a living area with a dining table, two sofas, a large chair and a fireplace and a huge front porch over looking the lake in the distance). With no neighbor on one side, we had views on 3 sides. Unfortunately, Lake Nakuru park wasn't as exciting after Ambesoli (which we loved!) as it's much smaller and so more crowded. Still, this is where we saw rhinos (very close) and it was lovely. Finally, Noah texted me a day or two before we left Paris for Kenya with an offered "upgrade" to Azure Mara Haven at Masai Mara from Mara Leisure Camp which he said was due to client complaints. When I asked questions, he assumed I agreed and I didn't argue. This turned out to be a bit of a disappointment because Azure is not actually in the park and we were in an upgraded cottage rather than a true tent, which I had wanted to experience. Azure is close, but being out of the park meant no lions roaring at night and a 20 minute or so drive on either end of game drives. Still, the Masai who work at Azure were excellent hosts and we had a pleasant stay in our riverfront cottage. Note: power goes out early every night at Azure. There is a Sarova lodge inside the park and, given how much we liked Lion Hill at Lake Nakuru, I wish we'd looked into that. Still, this is was a minor issue and I highly recommend Wildebeest Safaris.
Food at all the lodges was good and plentiful. Covid precautions were taken seriously by all.
An added concern in these pandemic times was the need for a PCR test to fly from Kenya to South Africa. I found a company offering these at Masai Mara and Noah agreed to be sure we got to the testing site. In the end, he actually arranged for the doctor to come to our lodge at the price of an on-site test. This was great until the expected results didn't come in within the 24 hours agreed. I started to worry as we neared 48 hours with a very early flight imminent. Noah never complained about my frequent texts and always responded quickly and reassuringly. He promised he'd get the results for me from the lab since I was having connectivity issues, and he did.
(Also: Yellow fever vaccine is smart for Kenya and required for entry to South Africa from Kenya. We also took malaria medicine. Research what is needed and allow time as you need at least 10 days between getting the yellow fever vaccine and travel to a yellow fever zone.)
One last note: I wanted to visit the optional Masai village, but was braced for a cheesy touristy experience. In reality, my husband and I were the only tourists there as things are still slow due to the pandemic. The Masai did have a tourist-ready presentation, but then we had a lot of one-on-one time to talk, visit a home, and walk around with the chief. My husband is tall and several of the men challenged him to a jumping contest. Everyone got a kick out of that. The Masai really do need the income and were grateful for our visit. Do be braced for a run through table after table of similar goods for sale at the end. Still, it was a fun experience and well worth the stop.
SI
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Efficient budget solution
We took a 7 day Kenya Safari, which was overall a good value. Camping in Amboseli and numerous animals were a highlight of our trip to Kenya. We added a hike to Mt Longonot to our safari, which was a good decision. Nontheless we have a couple of critics. Castro, our guide, was ok, his driving a little too much for us, specially on the main roads. His knowledge of animals would need a little upgrade. For a visit of the final park we were transfered to another group, which brought us another guide, Jackson. We have only compliments for him, really great and experienced guide. Critics for Karibu Safaris is that they promised on webpage water for the whole week, when on the 5th day Castro said there is no more water. Also the change in the program wasn't communicated with us, so we did the big hike to Mt Longonot directly when arriving to Kenya, without any sleep, unlike on the agreed 3rd day. Nontheless safari in Kenya was one of the most fulfilling experiences ever and a must if you are there!
NL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It is a fantastic and reliable organization!
If you want to go to Tanzania for a beach or a safari or a combination of what we have done, book with this fantastic company, reliable and if something is not right it is arranged in no time. What a top service and what a top holiday we have had. I will definitely go back and will definitely book through this company again. This trip has exceeded all our expectations and that is certainly thanks to this fantastic club of people. We were there 17 days first Zanzibar, then 6 days safari through northern Tanzania, and then relax again on the beautiful island of Zanzibar, Fantastic tents during the safari, good beds, private shower and toilet, great food, and we did not feel unsafe for a moment . The whole trip was arranged through Paradise and Wilderness, everything was possible with many thanks to Melanie what a winner that is. And service is certainly a top priority at this club. Even with a delay during the return journey, a taxi was also on standby and a room was available if we were not flying that day. The trip to Zanzibar and back was booked by ourselves at KLM so even then the service was still top notch, Bert what a top company you have and what top staff!!! A sante sana!!!!
AE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing
Incredible wildlife experience,
We had such amazing time and we saw everything we hoped to and so much more.
We highly recommend African Adventure Specialist they were exceptionally friendly, helpful & welcoming
Thanks to the entire team for giving us so many wonderful memories
Buukhaba, Steve
