DE
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A dream came true
We had booked the 8 day/7 night safari including Tarangire NP, Serengeti NP, Ngorongoro and Lake Manyara. And it was worth every penny.
Raphael, our tour operator, always stayed in touch with us whenever we needed him from the first email until we left. He customized the tour based on what we wanted to do and see. The lodges he suggested could be modified for our purpose. They were all really good, some even excellent.
Our guide and driver Oscar was the perfect man for a safari with all his knowledge, driving skills and humor. He has a lot of experience and is flexible whenever necessary.
We had a large extended Land Cruiser with plenty of space for two people. Chilled drinks on board were included. The pop-up roof was perfect for taking photos.
The most important thing: We saw so many animals, some very, very close. Lions, leopards, cheetahs, elephants... even a rhinoceros. Everything the national park has to offer. They call it. Overall, we were very lucky to watch the great migration with thousands of wildebeest near us.
We can definitely recommend Safari Soles. On our last day, Bryson, the company's manager, came to our hotel to say goodbye. Perfect
(automatic translation from German)
FR
Great experience
High Peaks Expeditions was a random choice from the internet, after reviewing the comments and notations. Choice was good, for a 2 days Safari at Mikumi starting from our hotel in Zanzibar and returning to International airport for our return to Paris. Mikumi is a fantastic place with very close sights of the fascinating wild life. Issa was an experienced guide and driver, he managed to find the right spots. Park was not crowded during this mid season, it has been a great experience in all aspects. Ally is managing and following at a distance but always present if required
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Comprehensive Tour Operator with Great Drivers
My husband and I along with a good friend and her husband had an eleven day safari and beach trip throughout Kenya. I went in knowing where I wanted to go mostly, and worked with Dennis at the front office. He was able to put together an itinerary that took into account what I had asked for, but also expanded it to address what my friends and husband would want to experience, considering this was their first time in Kenya and on safari. He put together a packed itinerary that hit so many things (Nairobi, Samburu, Aberdares, Naivasha, Mara and the Coast). We were always on the move with our driver, Alex. Alex was great - some amazing driving skills and good eyes. Also very sociable so always connecting with the other drivers to find the good spots and sharing perspective on life in Kenya.
The accommodations were great, the land cruiser was relatively comfortable and well stocked with water.
During the planning, Dennis was very accessible and communicative. He was willing to make small changes to the plans as I had some particular notions of what I wanted to do and where I wanted to go. Having Whats App downloaded allowed me to connect with the front office while we were traveling around Kenya, which was helpful when we were at the coast.
We greatly enjoyed working with Morningstar! The only issue I would mention is that if you have questions or concerns, speak up clearly and early. It's not a bad idea to review the itinerary with your driver/Morningstar upon arrival to make sure your understanding of what is included and what isn't is still the same and has been confirmed with the driver and the accommodations. Especially if you are going off the regular tourist track (out of the major parks).
There were a few communications transparency concerns where I think the office had everything under control, but plans had changed and we had not been updated. There were some miscommunications at the end between Morningstar and the accommodation, that seemed to have been based upon expectations and not confirmed commitments from the accommodations.
When I spoke up or contacted the office or mentioned something to Alex, a fix was often figured out (or at least they attempted to figure it out) but you need to speak up early if you have questions or concerns and don't make assumptions that just because something is stated on your itinerary, everyone involved is aware of what the initial travel itinerary was and is and has the same understanding of what's included and what isn't.
The experience we had for the money we paid was a great option and Alex was there and ready for us on time every day. He had a great energy and was flexible with our irregular requests (finding a pharmacy in Nanyuki, going to my old house in Nairobi, visiting Sarit Center/Westgate in Westlands.
CR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The best Safari
Beacon Safaris surpassed all of our expectations. We are a family of five adults who booked a 10 day safari. Everything from the hotels to the game drives was amazing. Ken, our guide, made our experience unforgettable. He was extremely nice, knowledgable and accommodating. He made sure that we always had everything we needed and went the extra mile to make sure that we saw all of the animals we wanted to see. From the first day, we saw a pride of lions, a leopard kill and family of elephants right next to our car. Everyday after that, we continued to be amazed by all of the animals we saw. The hotels booked by Beacon were great. The only complaint would be in Flamingo Hill Camp, in Lake Nakuru, where our rooms where located near the town border and that night the music did not stop until four am. Apart from that, all of the other places were amazing.
When we began talking to Robert to book our safari, communication was great and very efficient. However, once we got closer to the date and during the safari, communication with Robert became more difficult as we wouldn't receive answers from him until days later.
Despite this, we would recommend Beacon for any future safari booking and we would definitely ask for Ken!
IN
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Best travel partner in Tanzania
Will run short words praising the management of Zafs tours - we planned 20 days trip with zafs starting from our trek to Kilimanjaro, followed by safari and Zanzibar indulgence.
One good decision that made our trip something to cherish for life.
Zafs and their highly qualified trek team - made our journey worth every min. Our Trek leader Ben was an inspiration, his patience , camaraderie and ability to gently making sure we summit safely was commendable. His knowledge of flora and fauna around made our trek day something to look forward to.
Huzeifa planned our itinerary and needless to say - how well curated it was to suit our likings.
Left Tanzania with a heavy heart and wanting for more. This ain’t going to be our last trip to Tanzania and with Zafs
Thoroughly recommend CampTrek Safais, we were so well looked after and had an amazing time.
My husband and I went on Camptreks 10 day Kenya and Tanzania safari in September 2023. We had an amazing time and highly recommend CampTrek for their professionalism, knowledge and friendliness. From before our trip John was extremely helpful with any questions and prompt with any communications. Our drivers were exceptionally knowledgeable, trustworthy and most importantly just great friendly people. The accommodation probably exceeded our expectations and we couldn’t put anything to fault.
A big shout out to John and his team for such a wonderful experience, we are truly thankful!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Astounding work
Thanks carol for giving us a amazing experience for the whole trip and the best birthday experience.
Location
Amazing staff etc. Amazing amazing amazing work.
Will sure book next trip with you.
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Well organised tour packed with exciting and amazing experiences of the Vic falls and Chobe safari.
Curated Safaris gave us exactly what we wanted to see on our 4 day tour to Vic falls. They were attentive to detail and made sure our needs were cattered for throughout. Curated Safaris proved reliable and we will use them again
VN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Highly recommended for an experience of a lifetime
African Big Cats exceeded all expectations. Couldn’t recommend them enough. They were very responsive and flexible with our requests and needs even though we booked last minute. Our guide Kareem was highly experienced, knowledgable and friendly and we feel so lucky to have had him as our guide and driver during our trip. Aside from this, food and lodging were exceptional. Everything went so smoothly and we would choose African Big Cats again in a heartbeat for our next Tanzanian safari.
FI
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable 10-day safari in Kenya and Tanzania
We booked our 10-day safari with Twinkle Star. We visited in Amboseli, Lake Nakuru and Masai Mara with our amazing guide Alfred. In Tanzania, our guide came from Twinkle Star’s local partner because the companies cannot operate on both sides of the border. Not only got we see the big five but also a lot of other species, beautiful sunrises, and great views.
To be honest, looking into safari operators and their reviews can be a lot of work and overwhelming. However, the work really pays off, at least for us. We wanted to book with a local company which turned out to be beneficial thanks to their contacts (for example when choosing the accommodations) but also in terms of the price (a Scandinavian travel agency would have added a large margin).
Our contact James was very kind from our first inquiry and was ready to go the extra mile to arrange our safari. We had never been in Africa before and James made sure that our arrival to Nairobi was convenient. We had the best accommodations for our budget even though we booked quite late, thanks to James. We really appreciated the care James took of us before, during and after the safari as well as all the time and effort he put into the arrangements. In particular, James responded always promptly and provided us with an itinerary really professionally – he made suggestions based on our wishes and made them come true.
When planning our safari, the price was pretty much our main factor in choosing the operator. Twinkle Star was able to meet our expectations without leaving anything out of the itinerary. The pricing was clear and transparent (a tip: always ask if there are charges for bank transfers or other hidden costs along the way which are not outlined in your itinerary).
However, during the safari and even more thereafter, we recommend looking into the guide even more than to the price. You’ll sit with your guide so many hours in the car that it’s essential that the guide is professional: knows the parks, animals and roads, listens to your wishes and is fun and trustworthy.
Our guide Alfred was amazing. He had been in the industry for long and had a lot of knowledge of all the parks we visited. Also, he was always early to our meeting times and hold on to his promises. Alfred helped us if we had any requests and proposed activities to be included into our itinerary along the way such us nature walks, visits to villages etc. We appreciated that he respected our wishes not to surround the animals with many other cars and go too near them which is one of the problems of the safaris from sustainability perspective. In addition to nature and animals, it was interesting to learn about local culture and history. Alfred really exceeded our expectations for our guide.
When choosing the operator, we also asked about their vehicles. It was important to us that they commit providing a 4x4 with a pop-up roof. In our opinion, this enhanced our experience.
In summary, we really recommend booking with Twinkle Star. We had unforgettable time and would definitely book with them if (when) returning to Kenya. You can make an inquiry with a low threshold and they are happy to help you further!
