IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Passion and professionalism, all the time
We chose Suricata Safaris after a careful research among the different tour operators that offer Safaris in Arusha. Right from the start they struck us for their availability, flexibility and readiness in answering our questions.
During the Safari our driver/guide Lewis, the driver/guide Mandela and the chef Tito were super professional, always on time and always very organized. Above all, we noticed and appreciated the passion that all of them and all the staff transmit during the days.
We absolutely recommend reach out to them!
IE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing!!
I came across this tour operator and I’m glad I did. The team was very helpful and very responsive. I chose to do a self drive safari which is not very common but they checked on us every day to make sure we were fine and always replied very promptly. The car was very well equipped and fitted everything we needed. I couldnt recommend it anymore.
IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Kind and friendly
It was amazing too see the animals, the guide was perfect and very kind. I really enjoyed it. Thank you so much!
FR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
My first safari (and solo)!
I booked the 6 Day Maasai Mara, Lake Nakuru and Amboseli Budget Landcruiser safari and the booking team (Alex) was super helpful and maintained clear communication up to the time I was picked up on D-Day.
The first 2.5 days with Ibrahim as my tour guide was excellent! He really knew the Maasai Mara reserve like the back of his hand and made significant effort to ensure we saw as much as possible! However, I completely believe that the budget lodge needs significant renovation. The conditions of the tent were passable at best but they have a great team there. Secondly, I regret going to the MM village; not a privileged moment with the local people to discover their culture but a money grab at every moment. Eg. we were shown a welcome dance and encouraged to participate but weren't educated about the moments that these were actually performed in their daily lives. The main Maasai guide constantly encouraged you to take photos of everything which just felt so intrusive. These are real people and not characters putting on a show and should be given that respect. Overall this part of the program was my favourite.
Things took a turn when it was time to move on to the last 2 parts of the program. Turns out, they randomly throw people together on these group tours, which in theory is fine and efficient but this time they lacked good coordination which had an impact on my experience. I booked (and fully paid) solo with Lenchada but turns out I kept getting placed with guides from "Jocky Tours" (imagine my surprise and confusion). (1) On my program, I was expecting an evening game drive upon arriving at Nakuru but instead was forced to go with the rest of the group in the vehicle to an almost 2 hour stop at Lake Naivasha before heading to Lake Nakuru; resulting in being unable to the evening drive. (2) We had to drop people into Nairobi instead of taking the planned direct route to Amboseli from Nakuru, resulting in no evening game drive but also having to endure very dangerous driving getting to the Lodge in Amboseli in the night (there aren't much street lamps but an abundance of wildlife in this area as you can imagine). Furthermore, because we arrived so late, the driver proposed not to do an early morning game drive which is when Mount Kilimanjaro is clearest. I almost missed it, thank God I had one more day. Everything with this driver felt rushed and unorganised during this last period and had a significant impact on my safari experience. The driver also displayed serious favouritism with all the other travellers in the group and made me feel even more unwelcomed being by myself. I even overheard him sending safari review links to everyone except me (let's not get into the fact that I was the only Black person in the group). Anyway, the lodges during this part were nice and seeing Mount Kilimanjaro in all its splendor was the only highlight.
I will definitely be back to Kenya! The wildlife and national parks are an absolute dream.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The most fantastic safari experience!
If you want a full experience of a great safari trip, then look no further than Meijo Safaris!
When we arrived at our first hotel, we were greeted warmly by Daudi, who gave us the run down on our itinerary for the week. Daudi left us to rest for the night and we were crazy with excitement for what the days to come would bring!
We met our expert guide Herman the following day and he was absolutely fantastic, he did his utmost best to make sure we experienced the safari to the fullest. Herman's extensive knowledge and expertise enabled him to answer any and every question we had about the animals.
We were made to feel comfortable and happy at every step.
We can't thank him enough!
All the hotels and lodges that Meijo Safaris organised for us had incredibly breathtaking views and we were given the best rooms they could offer. We could even see zebras up close from our balcony!
On our last day Daudi took us through the city of Arusha to try to find a special gift for my husband's mother. It proved difficult to find but Daudi went out of his way to locate it for us which we appreciated so much.
We would like to thank the Meijo Safaris team for making our honeymoon a week we will never forget! We both hope to be back with you guys again for future adventures :)
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Seamless & Spectacular Safari!
My family and I absolutely loved our extended day tour to Chobe National Park with Cuckoo! To be fully transparent, though we booked with Cuckoo and they drove us to the Botswana border, the tour was actually provided by Puku Safaris - as I understand it, they have some partnership and work together. Either way, it was a marvelous experience and I highly recommend the extended day - yes it means getting up before the crack of dawn and it's a marathon of a day - but it's so worth it for the wildlife experience. We lucked out by seeing not only one lion but an entire pride. There must have been close to 20 lions! It seemed like we were able to stay twice as long as the other tours there because we had more time to spare. We also got up close with giraffes, elephants - SO MANY ELEPHANTS - and on the river cruise, crocodiles. Our guide Cobra was fabulous - he seemed to be a local celebrity the way everyone knew him. He was funny and informative. The buffet lunch was delicious. Cuckoo/Puku made the experience - including crossing over into Botswana - seamless. The staff at Cuckoo was very communicative and answered my (many) questions prior to the trip. I could not have imagined a better day trip safari!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Almost a great safari
Let me start with the good as most of what we bargained for we did receive.
Silas was quick to respond to requests for information. He was waiting for us personally when we arrived at the airport in Nairobi. We did get to the parks that we requested. We had no changes in price or what was delivered. Our guide, Isaiah, was a good driver and answered most questions that we had with a Hakuna Matata "no problem" attitude.
Things that could have gone better? We were to meet Isaiah at the hotel where we stayed overnight so that we could be an early start to go to Samburu Reserve. We went to the reception area at 5:45 for a 6:00 start. At 6:00 I walked out into the parking lot to see if someone was waiting for us and saw no-one. At 6:20 I spoke with the receptionist at the hotel and mentioned the name Apodiformes and she said she had seen the van further out in the dark parking lot. Eventually we learned that we needed to go to the parking lot to find our van rather than be met inside our lodge at each park.
Not having Kenyan shillings with me I asked if we could stop at an automatic teller on our way to the first lodge. No problem. It was six days and multiple request for tipping money and small cash to buy souvenirs before we finally made that stop.
I made a specific request for a driver experienced in photography and birds, but found Isaiah was familiar, but not proficient in either. In spite of repeated questions about locations, animals, and history we only go brief answers to our requests, and occasionally inaccurate. In the case of the Ernest Hemingway bar at the Amboseli Sopa he replied that here was nothing special about it. It was just the second bar at the lodge and it was up on a rock. A quick Google about the bar reveals that it was actually a home built by the author and the stories told by the bartender about his uncle and the writer are worth stopping for a drink all by themselves.
We scheduled two nights at both Masai Mara and Tsavo East in order to make more that one game drive. At each we only went out one time in spite of the extra time allotted.
A little extra time in planning could have put us either in a lodge that made those game drives possible, or a stop at a smaller place of interest overnight could have shorted our multiple 7-9 hour drives between lodges.
The price was fair. We saw what we had scheduled. I got some wonderful pictures. It could have been planned better and a bit more interest in our safari could have taken this from a "B-" to an "A'" without a major investment in time or money.
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Magnificent experience
A tour of Pretoria and Soweto.
Our guide HAPPY was superb.....knowledgeable, articulate, well informed and with an enchanting personality.
This is the second time I've used the services of this company and all guests have been completely satisfied both times.
I heartily recommend and endorse this reliable company.
Reasonably priced and excellent value. Punctual and meticulous service
RU
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Nice safari
The safari was nice. Both your guide and the guide from pilanesberg park were nice and they were open to answer to your question.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Absolutely amazing! Explorian Safaris go above and beyond to give a once in a lifetime experience!
We had the privilege of doing a two day / one night safari with Explorian Safaris visiting the Tarangire National Park and Ngorongoro Crater.
This was a once in a lifetime experience and we cannot thank Atif and our guide Ayubu enough for organising and taking us on this amazing two day safari!
We arranged the safari very last minute however Atif very kindly and quickly (outside normal working hours!) provided us with a detailed itinerary of the two day safari they offered. Our guide, Ayubu, picked us up from our hotel at the agreed time, which was early morning to enable us to have as much time as possible on the first day of the safari at the Tarangire National Park. Our guide Ayubu was really knowledgable and we learnt so much about the animals we saw! The one night stay at the Flamingo Lodge Hotel was brilliant, the food and hotel room was lovely, and the staff were really welcoming! The hotel staff even really kindly prepared breakfast for us extra early so we could again make the most of our second day! The second day at the Ngorongoro Crater was a once in a lifetime experience, if you go on safari in Tanzania the scenery here is spectacular!
We’d like to give a special shout out to Ayubu. Ayubu was absolutely brilliant, his knowledge of the safaris he has taken us on is outstanding! During each of the days he really took the time to give us very detailed and interesting information about the animals, the different areas etc. He was a genuinely nice person and a pleasure to have spent the two days with him. Ayubu went above and beyond to ensure the safari was an amazing experience and we can’t thank him enough!
We can’t recommend this Explorian Safari’s highly enough!
