PT
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
I went a lot of to Kruger (more than 30 times...); it was the 3th time that I have problems with c.c
Your safety is our priority. As an accredited member of South Africa's
most well-known tourism authorities, Cape Town Tourism and the Southern
Africa Tourism Services Association, we uphold strict policies and
adhere to stringent regulations. We use state of the art encryption and
never store your credit card details. We are also the first South African
travel company to use 3-D Secure (3DS) credit card security.
It,s not true!!!
My credit card was used for somebody during my stay with you, and they "stall" my money from my account...
Tedious, since I continuously needed to follow up on my queries and bookings!
The tour that I had in mind, was booked as per request, except for one stay at Skukuza. The hosts that are present on the live chat need to make more effort to provide guidance and really find out what it is the customer wants on their trip. Overall, we were very happy with the suggestions and our bookings...however, there were one or two camps that didn't provide us with what we wanted. (Self-catering) wise...this is not a train smash, but it could have been avoided.
BY
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A mixed experience
We opted for a 5 days private reserve tour + Panorama route with RedAfrica.
Overall, we have to highlight that it was very pleasant to spend time in Jaco’s company: he is a highly dedicated and motivated person eager to do his best to share his passion of nature and his knowledge. We greatly enjoyed our exchanges with him throughout the trip and his respectful attitude towards us.
The first part of our tour – the gorgeous landscapes that we saw along the Panorama route – was just great.
However, the private reserve part of the tour was unfortunately disappointing: the area, which was described as located in the Greater Kruger ecosystem and thus hosting the same animal and bird species, was highly affected by the recent draught, which forced the animals to migrate elsewhere; a factor which we were not aware of prior to our trip. During our stay in the private reserve, we thus saw extremely few animals. Moreover, the information and time management by the reserve staff was not entirely satisfying, which added to our overall frustration.
Afraid of leaving Kruger disappointed, we requested Jaco to change the plan for the last day of our trip and spend it in Kruger proper instead of the private reserve. Luckily, Jaco was flexible and accepted this last minute change. This last day trip (although a rushed one) enabled us to see almost all of the Big Five in one day and somehow compensated for the frustration related to the impossibility to see animals during the previous days.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Kruger National Park by thewildlifephotographer
Kruger is fantastic for wildlife but becoming too crowded and hectic to enjoy the experience. It's a good place to visit for first-timers but tick it off your list and head somewhere more adventurous next time.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Lifetime safari memories that will last forever
With my husband, I did a week's safari in February 2016 and ended up being one of the best trips I have done. I can without any hesitation recommend African Sermon Safaris. Daniel was very quick at replying my enquiries. He put together a safari package I was very pleased with. We had Steve who was a brilliant driver and, but a great companion for the week. We visited the famed Maasai Mara Game Park, Lake Nakuru, Naivasha and finished with Amboseli which is at the foot of the giant Mt. Kilimanjaro and truly we had a fabulous time. Steve is a great game spotter, safe and responsible driver and more importantly resourceful. He was very knowledgeable of the scenes, wildlife, culture, and looked after us every step of the way. Time and funds allowing, I hope to return for another trip in the near future. Kenya is an incredible country and African Sermon Safaris made the experience memorable. Many thanks!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Elephants and hippos galore!
Recently we went to Queen Elizabeth (QE) for the second time in eight years. It's one of Uganda's classic parks and a staple of wildlife tourism. Although my experience of the park is highly suggestive, I can give a perspective. I've been to Murchison, Mburo, and Kidepo several times, and each park has its strengths and weaknesses.
We approached QE from the south where you get a breathtaking view of the park from atop the escarpment. From there on, though, the road deteriorates severely. The tarmac main road through the park toward Kasese is liked a bombed-out runway, really disappointing for Uganda in general. My thought was that those responsible should be ashamed at how they've let the place go downhill. Another example of that is the tourist center inside the park. It's old. It's outdated. It's kind of pitiful. It looks like the park authorities haven't invested a dime in the place since it was built decades ago. Meanwhile they have made millions of dollars off it. That doesn't bode well for the management of the park. This makes me really sad. President Museveni boasts about making Uganda the 'Switzerland of Africa' but his government can't manage to maintain one of its greatest natural resources.
We did one game drive, in the morning. When we got to the gate, there was no one there. I honked, yelled, and looked around to no avail. So we opened the gate ourselves and started our game drive (we later paid at the tourist center but could have easily done our drive and left without paying!). In terms of animals, we didn't see much variety: hippos, elephants, warthogs, and waterbuck. That was about it in the wooded area that we were in. But we did see some cool things like three hippos running across the road in broad daylight, and later a hippo soaking in a mudhole, also in broad daylight. Almost every loop we turned down, we came across elephants. It seemed like they were everywhere. This made me a little jittery as I've been charged a few too many times.
Mid-morning we went to Mweya peninsula where we paid our dues and took tea at Mweya Lodge, which by all appearances is a very lovely place (too bad we can't afford it!). Even as someone who just goes in and out of amateur birdmanship, I could tell that the place was teeming with bird diversity.
Our lodging was the The Bush Lodge, a very pleasant luxury tented camp on the south side of Kazinga Channel. We were pleased with almost every aspect of the place. Lots of birds around. We saw a giant forest hog among the tents on the first evening and heard hippos around the clock. The food and accommodations were very much worth what we paid. One downside was that the local town was just up the channel, and its sound carried down to the camp for much of the day and night. So our experience of hippos and hyenas was mixed with discos, Muslim calls-to-prayer, and the incessant noise of heavy trucks crossing the bridge.
Later in the day we took a boat ride from The Bush Lodge, using local boatsmen instead of the companies. I really like injecting money in their pockets instead of the wealthy tour companies. The flipside is that the boat itself was a bit of a clunker, emitting noxious fumes for two hours that gave me a terrific headache! But our guide was knowledgeable without being annoying, and even the driver was a pleasant chap who also knew his birds. We saw hippos and hippos and more hippos, around every bend in the river. We also saw buffalo, elephant, bushbuck, warthogs, and several dozens species of birds.
So all in all it was a mixed-bag type of safari. Some animals we saw lots of, others none. The park has no zebra or giraffe, which is kind of a bummer. Lions were around but we didn't see them, nor leopards (much to my chagrin as the leopard is my 'holy grail' of wildlife). It was disappointing to see how neglected the park seems to be, from the condition of the main road to that of the park facilities to the fact that no ranger could be found at a main gate. It's like they are taking the park and what is provides for granted. That cannot be sustainable. Still,it's a lovely place, and any time one gets the chance to see those great animals and the teeming birdlife in the wild, it's a privilege and one I'd never want to complain about (apart from minor human-related quibbles).
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Tsavo West National Park by mwangee
Tsavo West is quite vast. And wildlife is scattered making it not easy to spot. Shetani Lavaflows and the nearby extinct volcanoes make the trip there worth it.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Kakamega Forest National Reserve by mwangee
Apart from monkeys and birds, you won't get to see a lot of other wildlife. In the right season, butterflies fill the forest with colourful beauty.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Waterberg Plateau Park by Nicholas Olesen Photography
Waterberg Plateau Park has beautiful scenery, but wildlife is difficult to spot without staying at a private reserve. I only spent one night here and, having been to Etosha National Park, I was there for the scenery and not for the wildlife.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Damaraland by Nicholas Olesen Photography
Damaraland is very interesting culturally as you can learn about the Damara people and how they lived. There are also beautiful landscapes, the Grootberg plateau being one of the highlights on my trip. There is also some wildlife, however relatively scarce due to the dry terrain.