brilliant trip
Amazing wildlife & people. Our safari was budget but very good value for money
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Appalling service
4 Day budget camping safari. Ok I must say our desire to visit Ngorongoro has been fulfilled, We have seen the big 5. But not thanks to Bobby tours, Its a magical place and getting there is all you need.
We are hardcore backpackers and not fuzzy at all. We have traveled around Africa quite extensively using some really bad and uncomfortable buses.
Our safari trip was actually kind of treat as we were not relying on Public transport.
The car came to pick us up from our lodge in Arusha, First impression is that the car was quite old which again it was ok with us as It was a treat compare to what we had before. But so we thought!
First game drive and everything was fine, lots of Elephants at Lake Manyara NP.
We were told that we will visit a Masai Village inside Ngorongoro Area and will cost us 20USD when we booked the tour. Our driver claiming that we were short on time suggested we should visit a Masai Village near lake Manyara NP which was also near our first camp site. We agreed to do that but we were asked to pay 50USD instead which seemed that it was including a commission to whoever was taking us there and we were not impressed by the village at all as it seemed like a tourist trap. By that time we gave all of our cash we had on us as who needs cash in the bush anyway.
The camping site was in a nice forest area. However the tent we were given had a broken zip and lots of holes. It could not close properly but again as naive were we did not mind much. The camping site was fenced and other than few harmless monkeys they were no big animals around.
The second day we proceeded to Serengeti National park. A long dirt track driving! Here I realise how bad idea was to ride an old worn car. Dust was unbearable. There was no escape from it as it was simply coming inside the car because the roof could not seal properly. I discovered that the plastic that seals the roof was worn and almost totally gone. There was simply no way to keep the dust out. We had to endure hours of driving with hazardous dust which basically went everywhere on our clothes, cameras, phones you name it.
When we arrived at our Serengeti Camp we found out from other people on similar tours with us from other companies that they simply closed the windows and had no dust at all.
The night was really scary. Our faulty tent could easily let a Hyena to get inside our tent as the Camp was not fenced and wild animals where actually freely roaming around our tent.
After we finished with Serengeti and on our final night after a filthy dusty day again the tent was useless against cold weather as our last camp was high up on the Crater Rim of Ngorongoro.
ThereThereThe last day just before were dropped back to our lodge we had to drop our Chef first who was making our meals through the tour. We were asked to give some tips and we kindly gave him around 3-4USD as much as we had on us as were in the bush for few days. Our driver went furious saying that the guy was crying because he went home with out making any money as he was relying on tips and we should give him a minimum of 10USD which was what you must give to the Chef. The same story followed when were dropped back tour our lodge, the same story for the stupid tourists and that we must give 20USD of tips to the driver. We had paid our tour in full well in Advance and a Price tag on tips made us to feel really stupid.
We found out later from some other local guides there that they are actually getting a decent salary for African Standards and they should never asked us that question.
After we came back home I send an email explaining the situation to their office but they never got back to us
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Adventure made easy with Speke Uganda Holidays
This was our second time using Speke Uganda Holidays and once again they did not disappoint. We typically don't use tour operators when we travel, except when doing wildlife/safari tours. But we were greeted at the airport by our guide and he made sure we had everything we needed from that point until our tour was complete. The safari tour was fantastic and we learned a lot about the culture and history of Uganda from Husein. He anticipated our needs and stopped along the way to pick up local delicacies for us to try - fruits, grasshoppers, etc. And the accommodations selected by Speke were top-notch. We fell in love with the country on this trip. We'd recommend the company to anyone traveling to Uganda.
PL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Trustworthy and reliable safari operator
We chose Top Cream Tours and Safaris because we had best communication with them at the stage of planning and cost estimation. They provided us with all information by email almost
immediately. We could choose the National Parks we wanted to visit and the standard of accomodation.
The rest was very simple – everything was just as we set in plan.
Friendly and fluently English speaking driver – Mr David – was patiently waiting for us at the airport. All hotels and nature attraction were exactly according to our plan.
We saw amazing landscapes and animals of Amboseli, Nakuru, Elementaita and Masai Mara. We had great fun at Nyeri River rafting. Mr David drove almost 2000 km always having for us good mood and patiens for our questions. Only rhinoceros kept long distance from us so we couldn’t look into their eyes – naughty rhinos!
On the way to following Parks, cars always stops at souvenirs shops witch are actually 3-5 times more expensive than regular shops in Nairobi or Mombasa, however you are not obligated to buy absolutely anything and there are clean free toilets. So let them stop there!
We spent one week on the safari and all got healthy and happy back home.
We are very contented with service of Top Cream Tours and Safaris and we highly reccomend it.
BG
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Thank you, CrissCross
It was an unbelievable two-week journey. Accommodation, food and service were at a very high level. The tour operator's organization was perfect. I hope to return to this part of the world again and use their services.
CH
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Namibia + Cape Town in November 2018
Anya Visser, of Pembury Tours, organized our trip to Namibia and to Cape Town, which was our first visit to Southern Africa. The result is that our trip was absolutely flawless and a full success.
We stayed in three different lodges in Namibia, moved from one to the other by private plane and were met in Cape Town and in Windhoek.
Every element of our trip was professionnally planned and executed, on time and most courteously by every provider chosen by Anya.
Moreover, Anya always responded immediately and positively to my numerous requests for information or for slight modifications of our initial program.
I therefore cannot underline enough Anya's professionalism and kindness, as well as her permanent availability of which I availed myself on several occasions.
I have already forwarded Anya's contact details to friends who requested them from me and I can only recommend Anya to anyone wishing to fulfil their dream of visiting Namibia and the Cape Town area, as was my case, in the best possible conditions.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fantastic Gorilla Trek in Bwindi
We had a wonderful experience with Encounter Africa Safaris. They were very prompt in their communications before the trip and then on the trip everything was as described. Our guide/driver Abdul was very informative and friendly and the whole trip from pick up, border crossings, lodgings, gorilla trek, and transportation back to the airport went smoothly. It was a fantastic trip and I would absolutely recommend EAS to others in the future!
IT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing safari
My first time in a safari. The trip was well organized, from the landing in Tanzania to the end. Humprey is a very great organizer and took into account all the aspects of the safari. Furthermore he's always available for all needs of tourists. During the safari, I saw all the animals in the parks, thanks to the experience and the instinct of Lazzaro, the driver. Also I ate very good food from the great chef Dula and slept in the tents in a very wild experience. The hotel before and after the safari was very clean and comfortable. What can I say more? Perfect
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Best local safari experience
We were recommended by a friend to bimos travel. From the first email, quote, answering questions, booking and reservations..all was excellent. All the five of us were happy with the safari in mara for 3 days. Allan the driver guide was so informative. We are planning another trip with a bigger group in 2019. We highly recommend this team....
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The animals are incomparably great. The tour experience was definitely budget.
The animals were fantastic. Which is good because that's really why we go, right? The tour was a bit rough around the edges. The car seats were at an awkward height so looking out the window was difficult. Our group was a mix-match of people from multiple operators, which meant that the vehicle was contracted and not owned/maintained by the operator. Our rear bumper guard fell off during the trip, which put our radio out of commission for an hour or so. All these are small things, but these little things add up. Luckily for us, the Masai Mara operation as a whole functions well enough to deliver a fairly consistent viewing experience, but it has little to do with the operator itself. Definitely will save up for a higher tier service next time. Like many things, you get what you pay for. I'm satisfied with what I got.