BH
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best Tour Guide Ever!!!
If you ever tour Ethiopia, I highly recommend Liyu Ethiopia Tour Company and Yhun Ejigu as your local tour guide and let me tell you why!!!!…..I had some unfortunate mishaps prior to departing on my original tour to Ethiopia over the Labor Day weekend and Yhun did everything in his power to accommodate me during the process. The trip was a birthday present to myself, but unfortunately, due to the circumstances, I was unable to travel. Because of my disappointment, Yhun was so very encouraging and uplifting and he was the first person to wish me Happy Birthday on my special day. I decided at that time that I wanted to reschedule the trip, but I was also looking forward to working with Yhun again as he had already exhibited exceptional, top-notch tour guide expertise.
After communicating my desires to Yhun via text, my role was complete and he took the reign from that point on, he prepared myself and my cousin a well-organized full itinerary for the two days that we were going to be in Addis and the 3 days that we would spend in Omo Valley including arranging our flights and he quoted me a total price which I must say was extremely reasonable that I absolutely could not refuse.
We were met at the airport by Yhun himself with a warm smile and a hearty welcome!!! After dropping our luggage at our lodging facility, our tour begin by having breakfast and coffee at one of the local Ethiopian eateries where the coffee beans were roasted and placed on our table so that we could smell the aroma as we ate and sipped…..Wow!!! What an experience and from there our tour only got better.
Yhun took us to see some of the main attractions of Addis starting with the beautiful view of the city from Mount Entoto, where we were able to take some amazing photos and videos; we toured the St. George’s Cathedral and Museum and purchased memorable souvenirs while there and also meeting one of the monks on duty, we dined at two of the local pubs and was introduced to some very tasty Ethiopian cuisine and we ended the Addis tour by spending the day in Bishofto, there we toured one of the popular resorts, kayaked on one of the most peaceful and beautiful lakes and had lunch as we watched an array of local birds including a large Marabou stork that was so close we could have reached out and touched it.
All-in-all this was a superb tour that we have yet to stop talking about. Yhun was so knowledgeable as he shared Ethiopia’s history and his love for the country was simply beautiful. We can’t wait to go back and take along additional family members. I can honestly say we not only had an AWESOME tour guide, but we made a life-long friend as well. This trip was more than I could have ever imagined thanks to Yhun and another trusted tour guide who we were turned over to for the Omo Valley tribe experience.
Thank you Yhun for the tour of a life-time!!!….We will be back!!! Ethiopia was beautiful in every way and you literally made us feel at home!!!! I recommend this trip to ANYONE who want some lasting memories!!! Bravo Zulu to you….hands down the best tour guide in Ethiopia!!
ES
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Superb support from Oliver and his team
The trip worths the money spent on it.
The skills and knowledge from the guides and the COO Oliver demonstrate why it's important to have a guide in this kind of tours.
We had the chance to see the big five and be amazed by astonishing sunrises. For those like me who love camping and the countryside, the safary was so good. Waking up early is mandatory if you want to see the animals doing their things before the morning goes by.
I had the chance to use both the minivan and the Toyota LandCruiser and I have to say that both of them are good for different areas (the Landcruiser was amazing, by the way ^_^)
Oliver and his team spoke both spanish and english and surpresingly with really technical and well formed vocabulary. It seems they are really used to speak in spanish with the tours, which is nice when you listen about scientific and nature terms.
In overall, I enjoyed the tour and the hotels, and also the meals (my favourite meat in the world now is the crocodile, superb!), with different tastes and flavours depending on the area (the night bbq at Massai mara was so real eating lamb as they use to do)
Thanks Oliver for the nice trip, I hope I can come back anytime with the kids too!
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Dedicated professional
We just came back from a short safari trip in Kenya in the Amboseli National Park. We did request different quotes from different companies but none of them really offered what we wanted. The combination of te different quotes was something we wanted and after further discussing Antonio safaris was the only company who could provide our custom made request. Contact with the office was fast and clear. Everything as quoted was offered and the price was fair. On the last day we had al lot of time before the flight so extra work on the last day was discussed and offered at a fair price.
The safari itself was amazing Anthony really had an eye for wild life and really knows what his customers want. He even asks for the animals to be spotted so he can primarily focus on that. Overal the experience from the contact before the trip, the car, the services and the animals spotted including explanations made this an amazing trip.
I would really suggest Antonio safaris!
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
unbelievable
The safari was just great. Every day was so different in terms of nature, animals and surroundings. We were able to see many of the animals up close. A very special experience that I highly recommend!
The organization and planning was smooth and without any problems.
Spotless and comfortable accommodation and helpful tour arrangements.
Bongani is a great host and a superior business owner. His lodge is very modern, spotlessly clean, roomy and comfortable. His attention and amenity to guests is top notch. Being in the village instead of an isolated lodge was by far the better choice.
He arranged four game drives and a panorama route tour for me in my 5 days with him.
The only area of improvement I found was that he could expand the choices for guests to include the boat tour available in Blyde River which I wasn't aware of and would've liked to do in exchange for or in addition to one of the shorter game drives even for an additional cost. He did try to get me on a morning bush walk, although it didn't work out, I appreciated the willingness and effort!
Overall, top service, top accommodation, great food and service, amazing experience!!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A journey with expect Guides and Wildlife Encounters
From the get-go, Joshua and the team's professionalism and expertise were apparent.
They gave thorough pre-trip info, ensuring I was ready for the adventure. Upon arrival, the knowledgeable guides warmly welcomed us, showing genuine passion for wildlife and prioritizing our safety and enjoyment.
The small group size allowed for personalized attention, fostering a great sense of camaraderie among us adventurers.
We enjoyed excellent accommodation and delicious food throughout our journey.
Moreover, our wildlife sightings exceeded expectations, providing us with numerous memorable encounters with various animals.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
He was very good and informative about the place.
Our tour to murchsion falls was lovely and the tour guide was very friendly and informative. We got to see all the big 4’s in the murchsion falls national park. The timing was so good in that we didn’t find any handles. Thank you wild jungle trails. Looking forward to working with you more…..
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Just one word is needed "PERFECT"
My wife and I had a wonderful time with Yhun and his team on a previous visit to
Ethiopia,so it was without hesitation that we asked him to put together a 6 day
trip to the Omo valley, which was the only part of the country that we did not see
on our last visit.
Yhun and his excellent driver Sisay drove us South on a very special adventure
in which we enjoyed wonderful visits to many special places enroute to the main
objective of our trip, which was to visit the various tribes that are scattered far and wide in the Omo valley.
Yhun and Sisay have been there many times before so they knew exactly where
we needed to be at the right time to maximise the time that we spent in the tribal
areas..
In particular we loved our visit to the Mursi's where the ladies wear their distinctive
lip plates and of course the highlight was the bull jumping by the young men of the
Hamer Tribe to prove their manliness.
This is not an everyday event but Yhun and Sisay went to great lengths to make
sure we did not miss this and had a first class seat.
Another highlight was the dugout canoe trip across the Omo river to visit another
Isolated tribal village hidden away in this wonderful part of the world.
All in all another wonderful trip with Liyu Tours, which we could not fault the organisation in any way.
We could not imagine any other company bettering this service.
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent value for money and my guide Evance could tell a lot with enthusiasm
Overall, I had a great experience during this safari. The pickup organised by Safarilink was fine. We made two stops on the way to the transfer point in Hoedspruit. As Safarilink transports people for different safaris, we were collected by the staff of this safari. After a quick drive, we arrived at the tent camp. My travel companion was not on the list, but this was not a problem after the pickup staff member checked with the camp. I think this happened because that person was added to the booking after I finalized the initial booking.
After arriving we had some time to relax until the sunset game drive. The beds were comfortable and in perfect condition. The game drive was done by Moditlo game reserve itself with their guides. They did it with fun and of course the expected caution. I experienced them as very professional with plenty of knowledge about the animals we saw.
Dinner was with all the guests, including people who arrived earlier. They cook original African and they did accommodate my Vegetarian diet.
The next day was early, we left at 5 am to go to Kruger. Our guide Evance (from the camp) did the tour in Kruger National Park. We drove more than 180 kilometres in 9 hours with plenty of time to stop if we saw something interesting. Evance told us some background information about the animals when we saw them. That was informative and nice and not too long. He kept it to nice fun facts and general information. We were free to ask questions about the animals and most of the time we got a nice answer. He talked to other drivers as well to know what they saw where.
The Panorama Tour was nice, we had good weather and the views were amazing, but I think the day in Kruger was the best day of the safari. If I am back in this area, I wouldn't do the Panorama Tour area again but spend more time in the nature reserves. For the first time in this area, I enjoyed the Panorama Tour and it was a nice day.
On the last day, we did nothing except drive back to Johannesburg airport, but if we wanted we could have done the optional excursions.
A relaxing morning was nice after some early starts.
Be prepared as wild animals as impalas walking and grazing around the tents.
After all, I enjoyed this trip. It was one of the best things I did in my two weeks in South Africa. Compared to other tours, it had a great value for money. All the staff was very kind and friendly.
If I have to say something negative, we had to pay to refill our bottles with drinking water if we were at the camp. Plenty of water was freely provided while on the excursions.
under20 years of age | Experience level: first safari
He did his job very well and made sure we were on time for each and every activity.
Overall, I had a good time during my trip with Wild Jungle Trails. The accommodation had a nice ambiance, beautiful atmosphere for relaxing. All the activities done such as a game drive and boat ride were breathtaking. They did a good job organizing the trip.