IN
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Thank you Tanzania Exclusive Journeys for showing us the real Tanzania!!
We did the 3 day kruger park tour and it was surreal to say the least. The attention to every aspect commendable and the accommodation was too notch too. Planning a trip already for next year, this time for the 7 day tour. Start preparing my next years itinerary.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
11 Day Gorilla, Game and Chimpanzee Safari
Chris at Encounter Africa Safaris was very professional and prompt in all correspondence.
Silas, our guide and driver, was a reliable and safe driver. He spotted the African Big 5 and many birds and a few surprises along the way.
Highly recommended.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
See everything you expect to on a Safari. Absolutely Spectacular
When most of us plan a trip to Africa, we see 2 sides of the coin. First, there are so many things I to see and to experience. Second, how can I do this and who can I trust?
The answer to the second question is Shadows of Africa, and in particular, ask for James Meimutie as your guide. This tour company handled every aspect of our trip, from the time we arrived at Kilamanjaro Airport for 5 days in the bush seeing more animals than I can count. Great accommodations, good food, comfy Landcruiser. We just sat back and enjoyed. The pre-trip communications were complete with lists for everything we needed to know. Things to bring, clothes to pack, cash to carry and in what currency, and local phrases that will help out while travelling. When we asked questions, we got timely responses. Payments were easy, and we were handled like royalty.
Your tour guide is crucial to having a great experience, and ours was James. He is a modern Masai, fluent in English as well as several Masai dialects. His first question was what are the most important things we wanted to see. He made sure to remember that, and when the opportunity arose, he shifted plans to put us in the most likely spot to see our dreams. Even though we were a late in the season for the wildebeest migration, he found herd crossing, and we sat for an hour in the middle of 10’s of thousands of wildebeest, just 20 yards away.
James saw to our every need. We saw lions, leopards, rhinos, water buffalos, elephants (the big 5), zebras, giraffe, hippos, antelopes, gazelles, impalas, baboons, crocodiles, and even a cheetah make a kill. We spent time with a Masai community, and were invited into their home. James knowledge of the local people and the animals is deep, allowing us not mis-step with folks we met, and knowing every animal we saw by name and habits.
When we go back, we will travel with Shadows of Africa and James Meimutie. If you want the trip of lifetime with every detail handled, you should, too.
CA
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Addo Elephant National Park by Sharron Smith
We loved being able to do a self drive and encounter wildlife on our own. The interpretive centre was most informative. we only experienced a small part of the huge park. Amazing!
CA
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The private eco friendly game reserve/safari(Sibuya) focussed on the preservaiton of native animals.
Weather wonderful, excellent value, transportation unique, guide knowledgeable, accommodations fabulous, wildlife and scenery spectacular in SA and on safari at Sibuya.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Communication leaves a lot to be desired
I feel like the Kanyezi staff did an adequate job but could have returned communications in a more timely manner and I never really felt confident in where I was in the process. It was a fabulous trip which was mainly due to the Sabi Sabi Reserve people.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
I went to Mara with my friends and Joseph was great, he knew his work and also he was very patient.
Joseph was very professional and also patient with us. He made sure we understood everything that we encountered during our trip. We're looking forward to visit some new places in the near future and he will be our first choice. I highy recommend him to anyone who would like to experience the same.
ES
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Highly recommended!
Very helpful and resourceful!! Always concerned about us and always responsive to our needs. Highly recommended!
NL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A great 3 weeks of birding and nature exploring
What a great trip did we have!
Communication before the trip was great, very nice and friendly people and proper English most of the time.
Paul himself was our guide and responded before the trip on every email quite fast after sending it. In the field when we were out he probably did the same; great for his new customers but a little less great for us at that time. My advise would be to try to do this when you're not out with clients.
Paul is a great guy, he has good knowledge about the wildlife, the areas (he knows Uganda by head) and especially about the birds, although there is still room for improvements eg. when waders and swifts concerned. A lot of bird calls remain very difficult but I can't blame him because it is quite difficult indeed. I think we might have missed some species because of that but you can't know them all. On a number of occasions we were accompanied by some great guides who were a nice addition.
I think we really did not o.k. at Semliki birdwise; we missed too many birds so you might be more clearer to future clients only 10 to 15% of the birds mentioned are likely to be seen (in 1 or 1,5 days of birding). But luckily we did see some good birds and I appreciate the persistance Paul showed from time to time to find some good birds for us!
We had a really good car, we had no troubles with it whatsoever and Paul was always willing to put the rooftop up. He's a very careful driver and doesn't take any unneccesary risks. He knows how to handle the car when we wanted to take photographs and he is very friendly to fellow traffic users.
His equipment is o.k. and his eyes are really great; he sometimes saw more details with his bins then we did with our swaro's. Sharp eye!
When you're a hardcore birder with the aim to see as much birds as possible (no matter what) you should hire Paul together with Raymond (the royal Mile), Roger or Gordon (to name a few)... that's a combination which is great!
At the end we had a fantastic birding trip with a lot of nice mammals on the side. We saw 520+ bird species which is a good number in November I think. I'll have to come back in July to try to see some Broadbills, Antpitta and Semliki goodies. I definately recommend Paul and Terrain Safaris and probably hire them myself as well. Thank you Paul and Terrain Safaris for this wonderful experience! I wish you all the best!
Vincent
The Netherlands
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Had a wonderful trip and experience with Benjamin . Everything went like clockwork.
The Safari was a trip of a lifetime. Benjamin was an excellent guide and the safari was tailored to our wish list. The Kalahari was a wonderful adventure and we even did two nights wild camping in Botswana. I would highly recommend Siya Phambile to any one who would prefer a more personal safari experience.
