ES
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Absolutely fantastic experience,highly recommended
We booked a three week trip starting at the Victoria falls (2 days) ,Chobe in Botswana,flying from Kasane into the Okavango delta and driving through Namibia visiting Caprivi gamepark,lodges on the Okavango and Cuando riverside,Bushmanland,Damaraland,Etosha national Park,Grootberglodge,Swakopmund,Sossusvlei (Namib-Naukluft) and Windhoek.CrissCross provided a Guide-driver,an airconditioned 4x4,reserved all our accomodationes,and visits.
This experience totally exceeded our expectationes.During the safaris we saw the big five, sometimes hundreds of animals together, in Etosha fighting rhinoceros,a hippo in the garden of the Xakanaxa camp where we received the unexpected visit
of a waterbuffel during the night.In between this animal festival we visited the bushmenvillage,the Damara people and the
engravings in Twyfelfontein.We searched for hours in the desert for the desert-elephants and found them.We drove over the dunes near Swakopmund( hundred meters high) ,admired thousands of sea lions in Walvisbaai some of them jumped onto the boat
meanwhile we ate the marvelous oysters cultivated in the bay.What a beautiful coast,thousands of flamingos,pelicans,whales,
and schools of dolphins. CrissCross continued surprising us.On our way to Sossusvlei we slept in the desert under the starlit sky
and the accommodations had organized fantastic sunset parties.We climbed the dunes and enjoyed the valley of Sossusvlei.
We did not expect a lot of Windhoek ,but even here our guide surprised us with a great city trip (our regards to Maria) and
a lovely dinner at Joe’s Beerbar.
Thanks once again to CrissCross,it’s fantastic guides and organization.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic Safari
We recently returned from our 10 day Kenya safari and we have to say it was amazing and exceeded all our expectations.
Maurice organised and booked the whole tour and nothing was too much trouble. He accommodated and tweaked our itinerary until it was just what we wanted.
We visited 5 different parks, Tsavo West, Amboseli, Aberdares, Samburu and Maasai Mara and on a day to day basis everything flowed seamlessly. The accommodations in the Parks were great and many had fantastic views of the watering holes and the wildlife visiting them. They were all spotless and all the staff were fantastic and friendly. The food was good mostly being on a buffet basis offering various options. We travelled by road between the first 4 parks which gave us the opportunity to see Kenya, but we took an internal flight, Safarilink, from Samburu to Masai Mara which was great as it reduced the travel time to 2 hours. It was fantastic to see the landscape from the air and also the trail of Wildebeast spanning across the area.
The game drives, early morning and late afternoon, were remarkable. We saw so much wildlife it was wonderful. We went hunting for the animals we particularly wanted to see, i.e lions, cheaters and leopards and managed to see all of these up close. It was marvellous.
Our Guide, Muli, was fantastic. Nothing was too much trouble for him. He collected us from our hotel in Nairobi and stayed with us up to our flight to Maasai Mara. He made sure we had everything we needed and went out of his way to hunt down the wildlife we asked to see. He was a fountain of knowledge and answered all our questions easily. He was incredible.
Overall Kenya is a beautiful country, the wildlife we saw was beyond our expectations, what we thought was going to be a trip of a lifetime turned into a totally mind-blowing experience.
We would totally recommend Africa Safari Classics to anyone thinking of planning a safari, they were the best.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very excellent service!
The safari tour was brilliant! I would definitely recommend it any family out there!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Experienced and friendly guide with a great team. We were always first to the rare sightings.
I had a great time with extremely wild safari's team. Isa was the best guide we had out of 4 guides from various big name lodges (chobe lodge, ongava rented camp, kulala desert Lodge) he had a wealth of knowledge and knew how to track animals better than the rest.
Our tented camp and meals were beyond expectation, a glamping experience to remember.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
I liked dealing with the company and they we very friendly.
I experienced what I expected and my children and I had a great time. They provided us exactly what they said they would. I would definitely recommend their services.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Well organised. Exceptional guide.
Adequate communication with Noah. Happy to be flexible and adjust itinerary to our wishes. All travellers should have some understanding of safari and what they want and don’t want to assist your companies in organising what can be very diverse style of travel.
AE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing trip
We had a great experience in Tanzania and our itinerary was custom made. Our contact person was very responsive and helpful. Definitely good value for money!
FR
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A fabulous way to discover Namibia
For our family holiday in Namibia in July/August 2018, we opted for the 11-Day Self Drive 4x4 Tour offered by Criss Cross Namibia Safaris. It was a perfect way to discover this beautiful country. We had been dreaming of visiting Namibia for a number of years and I am pleased to say that it more than matched up to our expectations. I can highly recommend Criss Cross Namibia Safaris – Thinus and his colleagues were extremely efficient and helpful in organising the details of our itinerary, which involved changing a few details compared to the sample programme. This was due in part to the fact that we reserved rather late (booking early is clearly *very* important when travelling to Namibia), so alternative accommodation had to be found at a couple of points on the circuit. I am happy to say though that we were very pleased with our accommodation. The collection and dropping off of the 4WD vehicle went very smoothly too and the firm who took care of this were efficient and friendly. For me the biggest attraction of Namibia is its incredible diversity of breathtaking landscapes, but we also got to chance to see some fabulous animals in the wild and learn about the history of Namibia and its cultures. It was the holiday of a lifetime: thanks Criss Cross!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A great Safari!
We inquired and booked from the UK, with all correspondence going through Muli. He was quick to respond and very helpful. We received a full itinerary and costs which helped us compare with guide books and other tour operators.
We were nervous at what to expect but we were picked up on time from our hotel by Muli and our driver, Mathew. We spent four days across three national parks (Amboseli, Tsavo East and Tsavo West) and saw so many amazing animals including big cats, hyenas, elephants and many more.
The accommodation was nice and the food was amazing! Two of the lodges had watering holes where you could view animals up close as they came for a drink. Our guide Mathew was respectful of the park rules and clearly liked the animals. He spoke English and answered all our questions on the animals and area.
The trip ended with us dropped back to our hotel.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic, can’t wait to organise my next tour through them. Everything was perfect
I had an absolute adventure in Uganda and Kenya! I love the outdoors and doing fun activities -So travelling to Uganda and Kenya was a perfect choice. Every time I arrived at my next accomodation or activity I was so grateful to the Matoke team. They were efficient, professional and really friendly.
Anna, from Matoke tours, did such an excellent job at organising everything, and when I arrived I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. She really did an exceptional job at organising a tour I’ll never forget.
Everything was way beyond my expectations. I stayed at Nile Porch in Jinja and went down the white water on a single tube - I’d definitely recommend it if you love white water rafting, but looking for something a bit different but just as much fun (if not more) than a blow up raft.
Nile porch was a beautiful place and had spacious safari tents with showers that overlooked the Nile, surrounded by monkeys jumping through the trees.
I also stayed at Mihingo Lodge and it was by far the most incredible place in terms of accomodation; it was something out of a dream, up on a huge rock, with an infinity-like pool overlooking the safari park, directly in front of a watering hole.. we saw a leopard one morning while we were eating breakfast. I went specifically to Mihingo lodge for the horse back safari - if you love riding, this safari is great. It was the best horse ride I’ve done on a holiday - I had the time of my life galloping through the safari park, riding next to the zebras and giraffes.
However the gorillas near Mutanda were by far my favourite part of my holiday.
We stayed at the mutanda lake resort and trekked through Mgahinga National Park.
We got so close to them! I actually couldn’t believe how close we were, I could almost touch them, it took my breath away. I saw gorillas nine in total, a big family - and they were really playful. My friend went to a different area in Uganda to see the gorillas, near Biwindi, but apparently they were hidden among the bamboo and they didn’t see any silverbacks. The area where I was booked is apparently the best place because there are more silverbacks in the family and the gorillas are out in the open a little bit more - I got to just sit right next to one :) this is a bucket list activity and worth every penny. The trek can be hard, and one older lady had to turn back because she couldn’t physically complete the hike. The trek can take between 4-9 hours and it’s thrlugh dense jungle. But it’s worht it and the trek itself was so much fun. Don’t wait to you’re too old to do the things you love!
We managed to squeeze in the Sabinyo mountain hike as well. It was really was an adventure climbing up those little stick ladders! I absolutely loved this hike - it was a real adrenaline rush because the ladders and bridges were made out of little sticks - so not for the faint hearted, but the view from the top was worth it and I can’t wait to come back and do it all over again.
Kenya was also great, we saw heaps of animals (the big 5 and so much more) in the Masai Mara, I even got a kiss from a giraffe.
We did the hot air ballooning over the Masai Mara - and while expensive, again it was a memory I won’t forget.
We also went to meet the Masai tribe and had some fun dancing and jumping with them.
Jimmy our driver also a special place in my heart forever, we got along really well, I loved him. We ended up meeting his family and had lunch with them on the last day :) he was such a genuine and lovely guy.
I can’t thank Anna and the Matoke team enough for all the work they put into organising my trip. I’ll remember it for the rest of my life. I can’t wait to come back again to Uganda - and I look forward to organising my next African adventure with Matoke.
