DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Murchison Falls National Park by Katharina
Murchison Falls is way more touristic and has a lot more visitors than Kidepo National Park.
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Samburu National Reserve by Keith Westley
Simply a great wildlife experience
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Awesome experience
Everything was FANTASTIC. Our tour guide Lapheal was awesome. He went above and beyond for us each day of the tour. All of the accommodations were beautiful and the staff had the utmost professionalism and hospitality. All the meals were delicious and they made us feel at home. The game drives were incredible, truly a once in a lifetime experience. We enjoyed the boat ride, and appreciated a day of down time. We seen all the animals we wanted to! We got really close to a cheetah and a pride of lions- that would be definitely parts of the highlights of the game drives. Also, we were able to see some baby hyenas with their mom which was very wholesome. The final day there was a problem with the airport accommodation but that was solved quickly. Overall, SOK exceeded our expectations and we would highly recommend anyone looking to go on safari to work with Spirit of Kenya!
CA
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
could not have asked for more... it was absolutely fantastic experience
This was my second trip to South Africa, and for that matter, second safari at Kruger National Park. Surely there was a bit of hesitation at the start, especially due to reports on media and certain blogs, strikes and load shedding etc.... Surely, South Africa has her share of challenges just like many other places but this place is magical in my view.
About the tour group, Wildlife safaris, from the beginning they were very professional. Jonathan with whom I had my initial communications was very professional, extremely helpful and courteous. Always answered my questions to the point and made additional helpful suggestions when needed. Also I had a positive experience with Lorraine in the office.
Our tour guide was Simon Taylor. He was absolutely fantastic. Not only his knowledge, but his passion for nature and African Wildlife is commendable. He took every possible effort one can possibly take to show us more and more animals. I have no doubt that he has seen all that on many of his trips to Kruger yet he was so eager to spot the animals as if it was his first visit. He is an absolutely super guide who is well organized, efficient in time management, and above all so passionate about his work and extremely friendly. We also had a super good group, six of us altogether from different parts of the world, but we gel well as a group, and overall, had a fantastic 4 day safari... spotting the big 5 twice in 4 days. All that thanks to Simon's effort.
IN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fulfilling Experience
We had a really good experience! Aroni was our guide and he was very helpful and knowledgeable! He went out of his way to make sure we had a good time and saw all the animals. It crossed all our expectations - we saw all the big 5 including lion cubs which was a highlight! The Safari operators had good communication, the stays were good. Overall the experience exceeded expectations
IL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
He looked after all our needs, and made sure we were able to see as many animals as possible.
I came with my teenage son.
We had a wonderful time. The accomodation and warm shower in the bush was very pleasant.
We had an extremely informed guide with a team that took care of everything to ensure we were able to make the most of our camping trip.
CA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Our tour operator was punctual,organized, enthusiastic, funny and more engaging,optimistic agood st
I had a trip to kenya for my vacation.Caren was soo welcoming, enthusiastic and she anticipated my needs. Maasai mara was the best place to be,it's a home of different species, it has an incredible view of wild animals no one can miss the view ,i had an incredible time and i would recommend anyone to visit their ,the incredible manyata houses used over their and hospitality makes you at home away from home.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable experience in the pearl of Africa
Gorillas were definitely on top of our must see list whilst visiting Africa and our experience went indeed beyond expectations.
We booked a 4-day gorilla trekking in Uganda: landing in Entebbe, we hit the road to Mbarara where we spent the first night. The day after we made it to Kisoro and prepared for the gorilla trekking, which took place on the third day in Mgahinga National Park.
The experience cannot be put in words. It’s true that we spent long hours in the car, but the colorful and authentic landscapes of Uganda made it quite short - we got a glimpse of Ugandan culture and we spontaneously stopped to lunch and even have some tasty bananas.
Abdala was an extremely kind guide and driver - he taught us a lot about Uganda and ensured everything went smooth during the whole experience. He also showed us local cuisine places which we would never have found on our own - I think we tried the best brown rice in our lives in Kisoro!
And the GORILLAS were the real star: we were so close to them that we really felt no boundaries. It is a once in a lifetime experience that is really worth the permits price, the road and all the efforts. You could tell how passionate Solomon, our gorilla trekking guide, was. And he definitely transferred it to us!
Besides, it was not only about the trip, it was about the preparation: Edris, the Uzuri Safaris Manager, was there to answer all our questions and requests (and we had a lot !!) whilst we were preparing for our tip and he was also there to solve any last minute and on the spot issues.
With Uzuri safaris we had a breathtaking experience in Uganda, we recommend it 100000% to anyone willing to discover a country full of beautiful corners, beautiful and smiley people and beautiful gorillas.
Five stars to them
AT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Absolutely amazing tour and tour guide!
We got picked up directly from our hotel and drove to the Mikumi National Park. Our tour guide was really great. He knew a lot about the animals and the way they are living inside the nature of the park. He was very respectful of the environment and the animals. We were really lucky to see so many animals. We can totally recommend our Guide William!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A once in a lifetime trip with a few issues...
We had a 13 day tour with walking stick tours in August of 2023. Botswana itself is an incredible country with some of the friendliest people, and some of the most incredible wildlife we’d encountered anywhere. All 5 of us highly recommend a trip to the country for safari. Unfortunately our experience of walking stick tours was less stellar.
I’ll start with the good (of which there is plenty) :
- The food that Jo & team prepared for us was absolutely incredible, better than we had In restaurants elsewhere, and all cooked over an open fire! The team were always friendly and happy to help with any requests, we had beer and wine at dinner and no shortage of clean bottled water. We were really well taken care of at camp the entire 2 week trip.
- Prior to the trip communication was good and we were picked up at the airport.
- We had a great guide, Wago. He spoke very good English and had excellent knowledge of the flora & fauna of Botswana. We had a lovely time getting to know him and he got us some truly amazing wildlife sightings.
- Onto the sightings generally, we had great views of lion, leopard, cheetah, even an early morning wild dog sighting - really special.
The negatives:
- Our vehicle (named desert honey badger) was in a constant state of disrepair. We broke down several times every single day, the brakes on the car weren’t functional, and we had to veer off road at points when vehicles approached along the same stretch of road. We were repeatedly told that the car was being replaced or fixed but the issues persisted for the entire trip. This impacted our game viewing and massively impacted our travel time, by the end of the trip we were taken in an alternate vehicle, but this was far too little and much too late.
- Communication on the trip itself was poor, the issues with the vehicle and what was (or in fact wasn’t) being done was never properly communicated to us. We were misled daily about getting the vehicle repaired or replaced, but this never happened. We’ve been on safari before and know how ad-hoc things are sometimes, but this was a step beyond.
- In an attempt to make up for the constant issues with the vehicle we were offered a “complimentary” trip to Victoria falls in place of a game drive as our vehicle wasn’t functional. This was in fact not complimentary, and we paid $500+ for the day ourselves.
Since our trip we have reached out to Phillimon to open a dialogue with no intent for compensation, but we have been ignored. We absolutely loved Botswana and can’t recommend it enough as a safari destination, but we’d recommend you go with another operator instead of walking stick.
