DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
This Safari we will remember for rest of our life
This Safari we will remember for rest of our life! It was great, we took 3 Day Masai Mara Crossing with small kids 2 and 6 yrs old. Kids were not bored, not tired. The guide was so experienced, we have seen all animals. Thanks for everything!
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable experience for budget travelers who come for the animals, not the accommodations!
Best aspects:
Guides work hard to ensure optimal viewing of animals including optional times of day and close encounters with all types of animals.
Each of four parks offers a unique and enjoyable experience.
Seven days was the perfect duration. My husband and I felt satisfied by what we had experienced.
We both agree that this was the best safari experience for us and we were very happy that we chose this company and didn’t waste money on a more expensive trip. Please read the draw backs below if you are deciding whether or not this budget trip is right for you, but keep in mind that we came for the animals, not the accommodation.
Draw backs to consider: Please note that all draw backs listed are to be expected at a lower price point. If the things I list are an issue, consider booking a luxury or semi luxury trip instead. If you like the budget, expect the following:
Long drives over bumpy roads. Drivers sometimes drive very fast. The only way to avoid this would be to fly.
Included meals are virtually the same every day. Some fellow travelers complained about the lack of variety. But, if you like to get a local experience, you can count on local food.
Some locations accommodate vegetarians surprisingly well. Vegans should make prior arrangements. I doubt that vegans could be accommodated based on my observation, but I did not ask ahead of time.
WiFi at budget hotels is not reliable. It is affordable to get cellular internet access in Nairobi before your safari if you wish, and for a good price. Just make sure the phone that you bring is unlocked!
Camping accommodations were nicer than expected at Maasai Mara, but worse than expected in Amboseli. Be prepared for dogs barking all night, disruptive other travelers, and bugs or even mice in your tent.
GR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing Expereinces in Rwanda and Uganda
The last 2 weeks have been amazing as we explored Rwanda and Uganda with Devine African Safaris. Nicholas was great when we were putting together the itinerary with his experience and insight as a tour operator for many years. He arranged the logistics making bookings for accommodations, parking fees and permits, organized reliable and timely transport and also gave us Hebert a wonderful driver guide during the safari.
We had an awesome experience in Rwanda touring Akagera by boat, day and night game drives and Genocide Museum. In Uganda we had a whole day tracking gorillas in Bwindi then visited Queen Elizabeth, Kibale, Murchison and Kidepo parks where Nicholas had arranged for various activities.
In general the whole trip is 5 stars because of the wonderful service that we got from Devine and the partner lodges that we were booked into.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing 4 night/5 day safari with Soul of Tanzania
My daughter booked the safari finding Mei Ling Lee, Journey Designer of Soul of Tanzania extremely helpful in preparing the trip, making suggestions of accommodation, areas to see and ensuring the logistics were all in place to provide an excellent safari experience. Any queries were answered promptly and efficiently.
Our adventure started with a briefing the evening before meeting our guide ,Steven, the following day.
The safari started at Tarangire moving on to the Serengeti for a couple of days and finally to the Ngorongoro crater. We saw so many animals in the variety of environments which was truly astounding.
Hot lunches were provided which were most welcome, no disposable packaging was used which was good.
Throughout the safari Steven shared his knowledge of the areas, the people and the animals which was extremely informative, spotting animals hidden away and finding areas where we were able to observe them in their natural habitat. Also driving from area to area covering considerable distances on interesting terrain was impressive. Steven also had a good sense of humour!
This trip surpassed our expectations, the planning, logistics and the days on safari were brilliant.
I would recommend Soul of Tanzania to anyone wanting a thoughtfully planned and well executed trip and if you have Steven as your guide you are in very good hands!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
fantastic guides make for a phenomenal safari
We were a large group (8 adults, 3 small children) and Encounter was so helpful, flexible and accommodating to our needs. Our guides, Jason, Abdul and Alonso, were friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. We couldn't have asked for more. I highly recommend Encounter.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great Customer Service
The customer service was excellent and very accommodating to our specific needs. My mother and I booked a trip to Vic Falls with about six activities through different operators over a three day period. The execution was seamless, the operators showed up on time (except for one, but it wasn't an issue) and also delivered excellent customers service. We also did a 2.5 day safari trip to Hwange park, which was lovely. During the whole trip, Safari Source was calling the hotels and operators to make sure all was going well and sending us messages directly to make sure all was well. My mother and I loved Zimbabwe and hope to return again someday! It was a trip of a lifetime!
MY
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An incredible trip by an amazing team!!
My parents and I are just back from an amazing 6 day safari with Soul of Tanzania. I cannot begin to describe how amazing this company was at organizing this trip for us. From the first enquiry email sent, till the very last day of departure, they were spotless.
Our journey began with Mei Ling organizing and planning the entire trip for us. As we really wanted to witness the great migration at the river crossing, she suggested us to stay two nights at Northern Serengeti to maximize our chances. It was the best decision we did as we got to catch the migration at the river 3 times. We were quite lucky because the first one had only started the day before. Special thanks to Mei Ling who was very efficient at replying any queries, however silly it may be! The itinerary, price and details were laid out very clearly prior to our trip.It was the most professional correspondence I’ve had with in terms of travel planning. You could do any tweaking of the trip with them with no issues at all. They were very accommodating. Plus, it was the most value for money compared to the rest of the companies.
I cannot repeat myself more, on what an INCREDIBLE guide we got, Sadat. He deserves a lot of credit and appreciation for his work. He was extremely passionate about the animals and was constantly explaining to us everything needed to know. He always put in that extra bit of effort to make sure we get to see as much as possible. Thanks to him, we got to witness many ‘live’ scenes out on the wild life and was always helping us take the best shots. We got to see so many lions, cheetahs, leapords etc plus a special cobra vs mongoose duel which ended in a draw! Also, Sadat’s friendly,funny, extremely caring and helpful nature won all our hearts. We left Tanzania feeling very sad as we had to say goodbye to our new friend Sadat. Memories created during such trips are always special, so when you have found a friend in your guide, it makes it that much more of a memorable experience! You could have a nice trip with any safari sure, but I can guarantee you, if you go with Soul of Tanzania, you will definitely get an amazing guide that will turn your nice trip to a trip of a lifetime! The company is very diligent on making sure they only have the best guides around. You can never go wrong with them.
The special hot lunches provided truly made you feel special amongst other travelers who only got lunch boxes. You’d be dining behind beautiful sceneries with cutleries, place mats, wine and delicious African food. It was truly something special. And beware, you will have many jealous eyes staring at you during lunch lol! The accommodation arranged throughout the trip was also perfect and comfortable. Everywhere we stayed, we were welcomed very warmly and was taken care of very well.
So, I guess all I can say now is, don't think twice to book with Soul of Tanzania. I am 110% confident they will exceed all your expectation on your trip of a lifetime! They definitely did with us. They deserve much credit and recognition! I repeat again, book with them!! Asante sana Soul of Tanzania!! :)
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Kurula Lodge
The tour provided everything as promised, and a lot more. Communication was to the point and accurate. The accommodation and service received, were excellent. The safari tours, morning and afternoons, were very informative. The guide was extremely knowledgeable and went out of his way to teach us as much as possible and taking us as close as he could, to the animals
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Absolutely the Best Trip Ever!
I booked the 8 day Vic Falls-Okavango Delta tour with Africa Zim to celebrate our 38th Anniversary and it was absolutely the best trip ever. Muto, our guide, was pleasant and courteous and exercised extreme care in making sure that every detail was taken care of along the way, from beginning to end, with even a few celebratory surprises at each stop.
Having traveled extensively on business as well as leisure over the years, visiting more than 70 countries, I tend to spend a great deal of time doing research, reading reviews on destinations and the hotels and comparing tour packages before booking. Africa Zim's 8 day tour seemed to include all the things we wanted to do with accommodations at reasonably priced hotels. Fortunately, they didn't disappoint.
Muto was a wealth of knowledge throughout the trip and was on time for pickups and drop-offs at all venues. At the end of each day he asked for a critique of that days activities and also provided information regarding the itinerary for the next day. He could not have been more attentive. All of the hotels were better than average in terms of accommodation and the food was unbelievably good at all of them, especially the Chobe Safari Lodge.
One of our biggest concerns (if you want to call it that) was the overnight at Elephant Walk since we had never done camping and wasn't quite sure of what to expect. Fortunately, we tried to reserve judgment and hoped it would be better than what we were thinking and fortunately, it was. In fact, it was all good and made us feel as though we had actually experienced "the real Africa." The tents were comfortable, although unheated but we had enough cover to bundle up against the elements and be able to sleep through the night. There is no internet or TV so sitting on the porch watching the elephants and reading gave us a chance to decompress for at least one day of our lives.
The most amazing aspect of the trip was that we were fortunate to see lions and the elusive leopard during our game drives through Chobe and it goes without saying that the Okavango Delta is just phenomenal. We had done Vic Falls during a previous trip, but even though it wasn't new, there were aspects that Muto pointed out that we weren't aware of and didn't know, so even that was good. Bottom line, it's a great tour package and you won't regret booking with these guys.
Many thanks to Blessing and Pam for their assistance, as well, during the booking process. My only complaint would be improving the line of communication and keeping in touch with the client after the booking has been made until the actual date of the tour. We booked in November and didn't hear anything until I initiated contact just a few weeks before the tour in July, so we obviously had some concerns. Fortunately, those concerns were alleviated once we got there and Muto took over. It was great!
FR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Safari of a lifetime!
Having already done a great safari in Tanzania a few years ago, I had pretty high expectations this time around, taking alone my two children (12 and 10) to their first safari in Kenya.
Simon from Wildrace Africa was by far the most professionnal and responsive operator to get back with a quote, a competitive, tailor-made 8-day itinerary in a private 4x4, covering four parks (Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru, Amboseli & Tsavo East) with a drop-off to our resort in Diani Beach.
Simon answered all logistical questions I had within hours (when not minutes!) via Whatsapp, and offered flexibility (downpayment through Paypal, balance in euros rather than USD...).
On departure day we met the whole Wildrace Africa team as well as our guide/driver Pascal, whose friendliness, experience, competence and professionalism truly made this safari a unique lifetime experience.
Pascal was totally dedicated to our every needs and went out of his way to take us to as many game sighting spots as we wanted, when we wanted. His keen eye even made us witness a live lion hunt moment, an extremely rare scene during daytime. We saw just about every single animal one can see in Kenya, and more!
Pascal is an excellent driver, we felt safe throughout the trip, and he regularly shared his extensive knowledge on fauna, flora, kenyan customs, traditions, and language. He was fantastic with my kids.
Due to our limited budget we stayed at basic tented accommodations either very close to park entrances, or just inside. All were fine and offered great surroundings, you felt in the middle of wilderness being woken up by exotic birds.
The itinerary sold on paper was fully respected, we really got our money’s worth. Everything went smooth and perfect.
Needless to say I highly recommend this operator to any western tourist looking for value for money, safety, and comfort. We feel lucky we chose Wild race over the plethora of other operators in Kenya.