50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Incredible Attention to Everything!
Tarangire Ballon Camp and Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge were fabulous! fabulous guide Nickson! The folks of Tanzania Exclusive Journeys took care of every detail. Our safari was a lifetime of memories. We saw hundreds of elephants, beautiful lions, cheetah with a “kill” and more!
If you are looking for a safari company, choose Tanzania Exclusive Journeys, they will not disappoint.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Exceeded my high expectations
My partner and I completed a 6 day Kruger Safari with Wild Planet Safari in February 2019. I couldn't have prepared myself for how much of an amazing experience it was. I had modest expectations of the amount of animals we would see in the park but we saw everything and several times over the 6 days. Ryan and Lungisani knew just where to find the animals and their spotting ability is very impressive. The entire trip was great from start to finish, accommodation is great, meals are great, safari drives are amazing, Ryan and Lungisani were terrific guides and Thale is excellent and responsive to your booking needs when planning.
I have some incredible photos and memories forever from this trip and it has motivated me to see more of Kruger and of Southern Africa with Wild Planet Safari.
AT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Wonderful trek in amazing scenery, with some wildlife thrown into the mix!
I went on a 4-day Simien Trek right after spending 3 days in Gondar for the occasion of Timkat in January 2019. I searched online for recommended guides before arriving and contacted one who had received good feedback. He offered to arrange the trek for 300$. I went along with that, which was a mistake. He pooled me with a group of other independent travelers, guided by someone else (who happened to do a pretty good job, to be fair). Those who shopped for the trek after their arrival to Gondar paid between 200-250$ for the exact same arrangement.
I travel very light and had little in terms of warm clothes. I planned to shop for cheap warm clothes in Gondar before setting out on the trek. This turned out to be quite difficult as most shops were closed throughout the 3-day celebrations. Admittedly, I didn’t try the big market which is a bit far from the center. Perhaps it would have been possible to find something there. I ended up buying a new hoodie in a shop at the Piazza on the morning of our departure, which was a bit pricey. I also looked for a wool hat for the cold nights but couldn’t find any, neither in Gondar nor in Debark.
I was told sleeping bags would be provided for those who would camp instead of sleeping in lodge beds at the camp sites. That proved to be true, but the sleeping bags were mostly damaged, had holes, or non-working zippers. Those of the group who used them sleeping in tents suffered quite badly.
The worst “offense” was certainly not being provided with enough drinking water. Every trekker received 1 liter of water in the morning, and 1 liter in the evening. That’s 2 liters per day to sustain you during days of trekking in warm weather up to 18km (Day 3) at altitude, with significant vertical distance covered. Carrying purification pills is of little use in the dry season as water sources are scarce. Random kids did sell bottles of Coke and sometimes water along the trail (50 Birr per bottle), but that doesn’t excuse the inadequacy of the provisions.
It’s imperative to bring enough warm clothes for the nights. Some trekkers were ill-prepared after the trekking organizers had assured them that they would be “okay” only bringing a sweater or a normal jacket. Blankets were provided in the evenings, but were in short supply.
Food was plentiful and good. Even wine and gin was offered included in the price. Beers were sold at the camp sites for 50 Birr per bottle.
The hiking distance increased incrementally from one day to the next. Day 1 covered 7km (overnight at Sankaber). Day 2 11km (overnight at Gich), Day 3: 18km (overnight at Chennek).
Personally I am glad I decided to go for the 4-day trek all the way to Chennek. The scenery does get better from one day to the next throughout the trek. The last camp at Chennek is arguably the least “spectactular”, but there are plenty of wonderful viewpoints within short walking distance.
There was a big and very uncomfortable discussion about if and how much to tip the scouts/cooks/mule drivers towards the end of the trek. Multiple sources suggest a total of around 1$ per day per staff member is adequate (their salary is around 5-6$ per day). Several trekkers didn’t want to tip at all, or offered as little as 0.25c per person per day. This soured the mood amongst the group significantly, as some argued that the staff had certainly been very accommodating and did more than “standard service” for the group. No idea if or how this issue could be resolved before it comes to that. I did ask my Ethiopian friends in Addis if they felt that tipping was generally appropriate, and they univocally affirmed this.
As far as wildlife goes, I and some others of the group spotted a rare Ethiopian wolf on two separate occasions, as well as Walia Ibex, and of course everyone saw plenty of Gelada monkeys.
KR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing and Fantastic nature&wild&animal!
I did 5days Serengetti tour and it was great experience to see big5 easily including many lion!
and accomodation is also good,clean,peaceful! best accomdation in Serengetti is in the wide grasslands.
Morever Manager Sylwia contact me a chat meaasage everyday how is a tour and my conditons!
But it is not so good to wait a lunch box in hotel in the morning more than 30mins before starting safari everydays.
Mostly It is great tour!
TR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A good experience
I was fully satisfied from their service and didn't experience any disappointment with them. Especially performance of masai tour guide (Logolie) was very impressive. What i see as a "black point" in kilometers ahead, he recognized that it is a "rhino" or "buffalo"
EE
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Nice safary, good planning, good service
We had the group of 6 people and we spent 10 days in Lodge Safari and tour to Foot of Kilimanjaro. We start our tour from Arusha, then Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Easy lake and we visited Hadzabe and Datoga tribes, Maasais. Our guide Herman was so experienced and knowledgeable. He answered all our questions. We really enjoyed our time spent with him. We saw a lot of animals like, lions, hippos, cheetas, elephants, sebras, gnus, giraffes and et cetera. Trip was great and very well organised by Ene Lepp from Siafu Tanzania Safaris. Everything went well. Many thanks to Ene for making our holiday unforgettable. I'd definitely recommend Siafu Tanzania Safaris to everyone looking to visit Tanzania
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Kerry at Pembury Tours is the best!
From the very start dealing with Kerry at Pembury tours have been a pleasant experience. My wife & I had desired to take a 3-week vacation/safari in Africa which is a substantial endeavor. We spoke with several travel companies but ultimately we felt most comfortable dealing with Kerry at Pembury . She listened to our needs and preferences (some which were unique) and put together an itinerary that matched our desires. All of the accommodations exceeded our expectations and in addition, the travel arrangements went without a flaw. We never had problems with transfers or flights. On the days we had tours there was always someone pleasant waiting for us. Our African vacation was an A+ in the combination of Kerrys skills and the beautiful countries we visited made for one of the best vacations we ever had.
Thank you Kerry & Pembury tours!
FR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Easy communication for an amazing safari
Esther was really nice and helpful. We saw lots of animals, the accommodation was really ok for this price, and the vegetarian food was amazing. Our guide, Maxwell, was really nice as well. I recommend it 100% !
FR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Experience of a lifetime
My husband and I had a marvelous experience with Lion King team. Very professional, we learnt a lot of things thanks to Khalifa, saw all the animals we wanted to discover. Everything was perfect. When we arrived in Kili airport I had a bad surprise because my luggage was missing and Anna took care of everything! Thanks again
HR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Everything was perfect!!! Must go!
Staff is extremly nice. Rashidi was lots of fun :)
Accomodation is unbeliveble! Really clean! Tent house in a tree!! I don't think you can find a better driver/tour guide :)) (Asante sana my friend)
Walk through forest with local guy Didi, safari, river boat, ... The whole package was the best experience ever. Must go definitely!