US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing experience. Budget friendly
Africa Safari Classics was an excellent and help us create a safari of our dreams within budget.
Booking Process: Maurice was extremely helpful and gave us different options that fits our needs. After seeing what options there is and what to look for, i was able to customize our safari with Maurice. Which is an excellent because there is so many different options you can choose from (which part, which hotel/camp, how long). I would start on their recommendations and then start researching which hotels/camps to stay at, Maurice will then give you estimate on your preference.
Safari: Our guide was excellent, his goal was to shows us as much animals as possible. Which is definitely shown on how active he is (he listens to the radio and ask drivers that drive by, we can definitely see the effort). He got us up and close to animals but at the same time we felt completely safe. We heard something on the radio and then he rushed over to give us an unforgettable view.You can tell he had many years of experience and know what to look for. I would highly recommend a private tour (max 4 people per minivan or keep); this allows you to have room to move around and to fully see animals. Mini van vs jeep, as long as you have 4 or less people it doesn't matter. The jeep looks more comfortable if its full(7 people), but it looks very pack and would not recommend. Overall guide makes a big difference and this company has the best. We saw other tours and they weren't as active as we are.
Hotels/ Camps: Don't skip on the hotel/camps it makes the trip so much better if you choose the right one. We stayed at the following:
The Ark Forest Lodge (highly recommend)- Hotel in middle of a park. Hot water: Yes, Wifi: Yes, Clean: Yes. You don't stay here for the luxury hotel rooms, but for the view. Its next to a water hole and we saw ton of animals and was extremely close (overnight). The experience itself was unforgettable.
The Cliff - THE MOST AMAZING place ever (5 star). The luxury tent was overlooking a the lake and the tent was a luxury (bath tub, clean, hot water, high class). Food was amazing and staff was excellent. I would stay here again in a heart beat. Only ten tents so i would book in advance.
Mara Serena Safari Lodge - It was not bad but compared to other place i wouldn't recommend. Food was a buffet (which is not that good honestly); we ate because we were hungry but lacking in flavor. The view is nice, but after you see it, it gets old. Rooms are nice, i would call it 3 stars.
Locations: honestly part of it is to be lucky and the other part is a good guide (that listen to the radio and communicate with other tours to see where the animals are)
OL Pejeta Private Wildlife Conservancy(1 day) - saw a giraffe cross the road up and close. Park has a private rhino (you get to pet a rhino) and chimpanzee area , which is very nice to get up and close.
Lake Nakuru National Park(1 day) - saw a rhino up and close. We were debating between Lake Nakuru and Lake Naivasha. I would recommend to Lake Nakuru and ask to add the $30 boat ride of Lake Naivasha (thats all you really need). Best of both worlds. Since they are close its doable to do both.
Maasai Mara Game Reserve (2 day) - excellent park but huge. If you only have one/two days i would go here cause it has all the animals, but we had so much fun at Ol Pejeta and Lake Nakuru. Most of the time the animals was in the distance and a lot more tour groups.
Tips: Bring binoculars (and a monocular with phone adapter) we got amazing pictures with the monocular with phone adapter. A light jacket in the morning game runs is helpful. Bring bug spray (70-100 deet; i recommend) Pick good hotels/camps (The Ark and The Cliff i would recommend). Look into the extra things you can do (night game drive, hippo breakfast) if its in your budget. Do your research and let Maurice know what you want (he can tell you a cost estimate). Trust me we got everything we wanted and more.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
They were very professional and the website helped me get the services very fast. A good team.
We got more than what we expected. The Drives were very cool and the guides were very proffesional. I recommend for all tours since they fully customize.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
the best tour and the best driver
Reginal at rwanda eco was very responsive and put together a great schedule. we asked for 3 star lodging, but, He can arrange anything you ask for up to 5 star. the lodges he arranged were clean quiet and quite nice. the trip starts in Kigali. there's not much in Kigali. pretty crowded and noisy. but, that's where you start to see gorillas.
our driver, Cipriano, was knowledgeable, good in english and very patient with us. He made sure everything worked out. the trip is a little expensive only because the government fee to see the gorillas is $1500 per person. Reginal's fee was VERY reasonable. he arranged for a private vehicle and driver. I would recommend that. its much easier without a crowded vehicle with people you don't know, and not a lot more money.
If i go again, i would not even bother shopping. I would go straight to reginal.
Experience level: over 5 safaris
Nyika Plateau - the Scottish Highlands of Africa
Nyika Plateau is 3200sqkm in size and the biggest national park in Malawi and the third smallest in Zambia (only 80sqkm are on the Zambian side). It's more than 2000m above sea levelwith Nganda Peak the highest point at 2606m. It's alpine grasslands and motane evergreen forests. Common Eland, Southern Reedbuck, Roan antelopes, Crawshay's Zebra are very common sights. About 430 bird species are recorded. Denham's Bustard and the near endemic Red-winged Francolin are often seen. This magnificent highlands is not along any major tourist route. In short it is a hidden gem! From Mzuzu to Chelinda is only 180km but it can take you the whole day. The road from Rumphi up to the national park can be challenging especially after rains. As soon as you reach the park gate the track becomes much better because it is regularly maintained and no heavy traffic is passing through. The Peace Park Foundation is re-introducing Elephants in Nyika Plateau and you will pass the big enclosure on the Eastern side of the track where they are still kept to get used to the new habitat. The plateau looks like "whale backs" and one can get a very nice view from Chozi Peak. Guided and self-drive game drives are possible, mountain biking and hiking is offered too. Due to the high altitude it can get cold and windy up here. Chelinda is the only place to stay in the national park at the moment. The colonial resthouse on the Zambian side is still under renovation. Chelinda has a campsite, cottages and a lodge. Self-catering (chef provided) is an
option. Chelinda is operated by Central African Wilderness Safaris (CAWS) and managed by Johan and Laura with a very helpful and knowledgable crew supporting them.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Spectacular
The scenery was spectacular. Our driver and cook were both very accommodating on the safari. We felt very comfortable and were impressed by their amazing hospitality.
We saw the big 5 so we were very happy!
NO
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
There is a new impression every second
The wildlife was insane. Animals everywhere. The scenery is better than expected. Its taken straight out of David Attenborough documentary of the Serengeti savannah. Amazing. Tenting in Serengeti was a cool experience. We felt more in contact with the nature and wildlife. The food was soo munch better than expected. Freshly coocked breakfast, lunch and dinner every day.
Our guide was so good and nice. He sees these animals everyday, all year around but he still stopped everytime we saw something. He told about the animals and waited patiently for us to finish taking pictures or just enjoy the scenery. You could tell that he loved his job, the animals, the savannah and the whole Serengeti experience.
NL
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Unforgettable trip.
Excellent communication together during planning of the trip.
Experienced driver who is happy to show and tell you as much as possible.
Good places to stay during the night. Bushcamp in tents and lodges.
Personal debriefing at the end.
All transfers in Nairobi and Mwanza well organised.
A save and unforgettable trip in a good season with lots of water grass and animals in Ndutu region.
Nature and Tanzania Specialist on his best.
With thanks.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Unforgettable Family Safari Trip
We used Bespoke Safari Co for our recent family safari getaway in South Africa and were just blown away by the whole experience! Willow's attention for detail, excellent communication, genuine care for our interests made the entire process (leading up to the actual safari trip) so enjoyable. She got excited with, and for us, and gave us fantastic guidance on where to go on safari (with a family) in South Africa. We spent 4 days on Kwandwe Private Game Reserve (close to PE) and absolutely loved it. The kids loved it! We were well looked after (spoilt actually) and saw so much in our days there. Would recommend Willow and her services to anyone looking for an unforgettable safari experience.
FR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Tour To Uganda
Me and My Brother planned for a tour to Uganda. Our tour was organized by Freka African Holidays. They provided us a private boat and perfect tour guide. Our tour tour guide was extremely a intelligent person, he was very knowledgeable I really liked him. He taken us to the most beautiful places in Uganda, we went to a forest and done trekking amazingly and enjoyed it well. Also captured some pictures of animals their, I want to share some with you guys. In future, I would like to go with Freka African Holidays again. Thank you so much for your great help.
CN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable First Africa Trip
We only start looking for local safari agencies one month before the trip, so insead of go through hundreds of agents on KATO, we only sent several inquires to the agents with high rating based on Tripadvisor, KATO etc. Robert responded quickly with detailed iternary and recommendations on accomodation and a reasonable price. After tens of emails for details confirmation, we confirmed the booking and with a 30% deposit.
Althought we were a bit worried about the arrangements since all communications were done through emails only, everything went smoothly once we arrived at Nairobi. Our driver Simon picked us at the airport and after settle the rest of the payment with Mary on the way, we started our safari right away. Simon was enthusiastic and most importantly very experienced. Not only did he guide us all kind of animals, birds spot during safari, he also guide us for photograph, i.e when and where to take the best shot. Though I only manage to fully utilize my camera on last day, still got tons of good pictures during safari.
The logde/camp were all great, food, services and accomodation were quite nice.
The only unexpected thing was the weather. Though this time should be the dry season, it kept raining everyday during our trip and sometime even the roads were flooded. Again, thanks Simon for his excellent driving skills which help us to pass the road before it was flooded. But it's a pity that we were unable to see any sunrise or sunset during the whole trip and also sometime need to rush on the road due to the rain. Maybe next time should choose the lodges/camps which are closer to the parks.
In general, would definitely recommend Explorer Kenya and Simon. Looking forward to seeing you again for the next Africa adventure.
