BE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
You can book your African holiday in full confidence with discover Africa
Matthys van Aswegen from Discover Africa has planned an unforgettable trip to Zimbabwe for us. We had only 9 days holiday but Matthys has it perfectly thought out and we got the maximum one can get. We didn't lose a minute and yet we enjoyed a relaxing journey. We went to the Victoria falls, Hwange natural park and lake Kariba park. Internal flights, cars, guides, everything was very well organised and everyone was waiting for us upon arrival. Just great ! Communication with Matthys was very easy and punctual, complete and clear answer to every question. He also gave us helpful advice. We are definitly going to book our next trip to Africa again at Discover Africa and Matthys van Aswegen. Correct price also !
Many thanks Matthys !
Family Olivier
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
I enjoyed my stay in Uganda with this tour company
I enjoyed my stay in Uganda with this tour company. They have good hospitality and the accommodation is as well as I expected it to be.
You guys need to visit Uganda and for a better experience Remnant tours gives you good tour rates.
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It was impressiv and an incredibly beauty countryside. We saw every day a lot of animals.
The communications was very good. We got many information about the conduct of the animals. The accommodation in the tent was very comfortable and clean. Every day we got fresh prepared meal with vegetable, salad, meat and dessert. Also everytime we can drunk water,
tea, coffee. We enjoyed this time.
IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Once in a lifetime experience
I've recentely ended a wonderful trip in Botswana with my wife and Mr. Lucky from Gifts of The Kalahari accompanied us for a 11D/10N safari. We spotted all the wildlife one could imagine and we saw breathtaking landscapes from Okawango delta to Victoria Falls to Nxai Pan. Mr. Lucky together with Nicor (the chef) and Jacob (the camp assistant) gave us an unforgettable trip, this was our very first camping safari experience but I would definitely recommend it to all the people looking for a true and authentic african escape.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Got me to Gombe but didn't deliver all of what was promised
Gombe Stream NP is an amazing, magical place. The chimpanzee treks themselves are conducted by TANAPA (Tanzania's national park service) regardless of how you get to Gombe. The TANAPA guide assigned to me was superb.
Gombe Track provided a driver in Kigoma and a cook who accompanied me to Gombe. Both were great and individually deserve 5 stars. The driver stopped by on my night in Kigoma to point out the MV Liemba coming into port, and the cook took time in the evenings in Gombe to help me learn Swahili.
Unfortunately, my overall experience with Gombe Track as a tour operator was marred by two issues.
First, the itinerary I agreed to stated all meals and non-alcoholic refreshments were included. This turned out not to be the case. I was forced to pay for a number of waters and sodas, and on my last day in Kigoma, was told by the "hotel" (see below) that my meals were not included. As a result, I opted to skip two meals (dinner and breakfast) rather than pay for food that should have been covered.
Second, the itinerary I agreed to called for one night in Kigoma at a specific hotel (Coast View). I researched this property beforehand to ensure it was acceptable to me. Instead, without any notice or discussion, I was taken to another accommodation which seemed to be of much lower quality (Aqua Lodge).
Unlike Coast View, Aqua Lodge had no internet/WiFi, no restaurant/bar, etc. While the staff seemed friendly enough and there was a great lake view, my room had only a squeaky ceiling fan that didn't cool the room very well and the poor ventilation allowed outside cigarette smoke in. The bed had a thin bed sheet over over a mattress that wasn't even tucked in. There was a leak in the bathroom that left the base of the toilet in a puddle of water. Finally, I could hear just about everything in the one nearby room that was occupied by a couple who decided to get frisky at 3 am. Needless to say, I didn't sleep much and was counting down the hours until I left.
I should note that my trip to Gombe was initially arranged through another tour operator, who I had a great experience with on another safari. After I had agreed to terms and was in Tanzania, I was handed off to Gombe Track directly. The full payment for my trip was given to Gombe Track. As far as I am concerned, it was Gombe Track's responsibility to be aware of the itinerary/terms and ensure they were followed since it was the company actually conducting the tour.
I paid Gombe Track $900 for 4 days and the last ~22 hours were in Kigoma where I was basically on my own waiting to fly back to Dar es Salaam. This amount did not include the TANAPA fees (park entrance, guide, accommodations at the park, etc.) and airfare, which added more than $600 to the total cost.
$900 should have been way more than enough to profitably cover my (limited) ground transportation in Kigoma, the boat to and from Gombe, 4 days of meals and non-alcoholic beverages, admission to the Livingstone monument in Ujiji, and one night of accommodation in the Kigoma hotel specified in the itinerary I agreed to.
While Gombe Track got me to Gombe and back, and I appreciate that, I now know I paid a lot more than necessary and despite this, I still got less than what was agreed to.
I had been in contact with the owner of Gombe Track via WhatsApp prior to my trip and never heard from him after the trip to see how it went, which was disappointing, especially given the cost. I did two other safaris while on Tanzania, both of which were much less expensive on a per day basis, and both operators were eager to collect feedback afterwards.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fantastic safari operator
We did a 3-day Selous safari and had an amazing time. Our driver-guide, Hamad, was very knowledgeable and engaging. In addition to a day of game drives in a beautiful reserve that isn't overrun by tourists in which we were incredibly lucky to see a pack of endangered African wild dogs up close, there was a boat safari on the Rufiji River and a bush walk just outside Selous. Both were fun and interesting, as was the 5-6 hour drive to Selous, which offers the ability to pass many villages and get a glimpse of "real Tanzania".
The lodge where we stayed was very nice and the staff friendly.
Communication with Majenda of Watu Safaris was fantastic. He is incredibly responsive and professional and delivered a safari that I felt was a great value. Visitors to Tanzania should absolutely not overlook the hidden gem that is the Southern Circuit and when you go, I highly recommend choosing Watu Safaris.
ES
50-65 years of age
highly recommended
I rented a Toyota RAV4 with this agency. Vehicle in good condition. No mechanical problem. Tires in good condition. Very competitive price. Good communication with Jacqueline Mwathe by email.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Safari! - would highly recommend
We went on the 4-day Tanzania Wildlife Exploration safari in mid-August this year and would highly recommend it! Our guide & driver Emmanuel was incredibly knowledgeable and would often find rare animals where no other guides were even looking. Throughout our trip we saw all the animals we were hoping for (except for a leopard sadly) and even lions feeding next to our car (which was quite scary). It was great to have such an enthusiastic guide like Emmanuel with us who, together with our private chef Freddy, really made our trip incredibly enjoyable.
The meals Freddy prepared for us were always tasty and exactly what we needed after a long day of wildlife watching.
The only issues we had with the organisation of the trip where due to Rhino Lodge in Ngorongoro Crater being booked out (we were supposed to stay there the last night) which led to Castro booking us into the Serengeti Research Hostel for two nights instead of one. Personally, I would not recommend this hostel as it is really very, very "basic" and we had quite a few issues with our room. When we mentioned our unhappiness with the hostel and the planned two-night-stay to Emmanuel however, he was very understanding and helpful and he and Castro organised for us to instead stay at a beautiful lodge just outside of Ngorongoro Crater for our last night. We really appreciate the way Emmanuel, Freddy and Castro handled the situation which made our trip so much better than it already was!
Overall we would highly recommend using Kilimanjaro Trip Safaris to explore the northern national parks and the 4-day safari was the perfect length to take all of it in for the first time. We could not have asked for a better guide and chef and were quite sad to say goodbye to Freddy and Emmanuel in the end.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unbelievable experience, fantastic locations, wonderful camps
My wife and I took a 15 day private safari to Kenya and Tanzania in August and September 2018. We booked everything through Trip Advisor African Safari (TAAS) in Nairobi. The owner, Seth Vincent, was terrific to work with. He worked very closely with us over several months as we customized our itinerary and accommodations to exactly what we wanted and we valued all of Seth's input and guidance. Seth met us at Nairobi airport and was constantly in communication with us during the entire time. Our Kenya portion was a clear 5 STAR experience with a terrific driver/guide, Ken, who took us to all the right viewing locations and gave us great insight into the animals, land, people and culture. Unfortunately Kenya and Tanzania do not have great relationships when it comes to tourism an don't have reciprocal arrangements. That meant half way through our safari when we transferred from Kenya to Tanzania we also had to change driver and vehicle and go with a Tanzanian subcontractor of TAAS. We were disappointed with our driver as he was very uncommunicative and told us little about what was going on. He did take us to fantastic viewing and we saw everything we wanted to see. The lodges and camps were all spectacular. If there was a 4 1/2 STAR rating, I would have selected that, but the guide in Tanzania was significantly below standard.
We would highly recommend TAAS for any Kenyan safari. Seth is easy to work with and very knowledgeable. The value of this private safari was substantially better than any group tour we looked at. During our entire safari we felt very safe and couldn't be more happy with the overall experience and the memories we created.
CH
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
5 day Safari - Impressive Tanzania - What An Experience
Well, what can I say...Tanzania Horizon Safaris were fantastic! We did a private 5 day Safari through Lake Manyara, Serengeti and Ngorogoro with Tanzania Horizon Safaris. Our guide Joel was fantastic and had the eyes of a hawk ensuring we saw so many animals, including 5 leopards, 3 cheetahs and even a several cat and wildcat, on top of numerous lions. The lodges we stayed in were all great, the views of the lake from Kirurumu Maynara Lodge, being right in the midst of the wildlife in Kati Kati tented camp and our favorite, Ngorogoro Farmhouse with its amazing gardens and beautifully fitted out rooms. We couldn't have asked for a better Safari!