35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
More than 5 stars!
We had an amazing trip exploring the parks in Kenya - in large part due to Gametrackers, who helped us plan the trip and who guided us through almost two weeks of safari. Special mention to our guide Zack who was not only knowledgeable, friendly and hardworking, but also took good care of us during the trip. Highly recommended - we would definitely go with Gametrackers next time we go on safari :)
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great safari with tons of animals! 3 day tour of Etosha
This was a great tour, i would recommend to anyone. Saw soo many animals, had a great guide (Leonard) to show me around Etosha.
AE
Peaceful
I visited Kenya with my newly married wife. And it really helped me rejuvenate and feel refreshed. The food , air and nature really helps if you have a hectic life and live in the city.
CH
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Spectaculair stay in Ku Sungala lodge
Perfect destination very lucky with the weather. Hosts so kind and accommodating.
I’m a single mom traveling with 2 daughters (12&13) I felt safe and welcome. I was able to freely enjoy and discover South Africa.
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Incredible experience, Amazing Safari Tour Operator, Best guide (Lemomo) we could ever find
We recently had the pleasure of experiencing a safari trip with Safari by Z, and it was beyond our wildest dreams. We can't recommend this company enough, as well as their incredible guide Lemomo, and here's why:
- **Transparent Quotation**: The detailed breakdown of all the costs while creating a quote was incredibly helpful. It makes adjusting and tailoring the trip according to your needs super easy.
- **Accommodation Recommendations**: Gladness’s (the sales rep) suggestions for lodges and camps were absolutely spot on. We had memorable stays at some truly great places.
- **Personal Touch by Gladness**: Not only did she help put together a phenomenal trip and personally greeted us at the airport and bid us farewell on our departure day. She even took the time to check in on us halfway through the trip. Such gestures are rare and highly appreciated!
- **The Safari Vehicle**: Unlike other companies, their vehicle is designed for only 4 people. This means you have abundant leg space, ensuring utmost comfort during your journey. Most of the companies we saw on the road use 6-seaters with limited legroom. You spent all your day in the vehicle so this is super important
- **Quality of Vehicle**: They use Land Rovers over the usual Toyota vehicles, making the safari experience feel even more premium.
- **Employee Welfare**: Throughout our journey, it was evident that Safari by Z treats its employees with utmost respect and care.
Now, about Lemomo - our guide during this trip. The guide is one of the most important parts of your trip, you will spend a lot of time with your guide, so make sure it’s a great time. If you're booking with Safari by Z, I would personally suggest you request specifically for Lemomo as your guide, and here are my reasons:
- **In-depth Cultural Knowledge**: Being a Maasai, Lemomo can offer rich insights about the Maasai culture. With the major parks situated in Maasai land where he grew up, his knowledge about the terrain is unmatched.
- **Expert Navigator**: We witnessed other drivers getting lost, but Lemomo always knew the way. He even helped guide other lost drivers multiple times!
- **Animal Spotting Skills**: His prowess in spotting animals is commendable. Thanks to Lemomo, our journey was filled with countless sightings, perfect for photo opportunities.
- **Ecosystem Respect**: Lemomo treats the environment with the respect it deserves, ensuring minimal disturbance to the ecosystem.
- **Safety First**: We encountered many reckless drivers during our trip. But Lemomo, being the skilled driver he is, always prioritized our safety above everything.
- **More than Just a Guide**: By the end of our trip, Lemomo felt like a friend. Our conversations ranged from wildlife and culture to deeper philosophical discussions. He's not just knowledgeable but also possesses a great sense of humor, making every moment spent with him a joy.
To top off our trip, we also had the chance to stay at the Z Hotel in Zanzibar, owned by the same company. An absolute paradise on earth with top-notch facilities, delectable food, and impeccable service. Plus, bundling our safari with the hotel stay earned us a sweet discount.
In conclusion, if I ever decide to relive this magical experience, it would unquestionably be with Safari by Z and the wonderful Lemomo. For those planning a trip to Tanzania, you know who to choose!
Thank you, Lemomo, Gladness and Safari by Z!
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Safari experience
Amazing safari experience, lots of exploring in the national park! We were lucky to have seen an amazing mix of exotic animals! Having a chef on board with us makes a massive difference for the experience. It feels like you are exploring the culinary culture at the same time! One in a lifetime opportunity!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Takes the stress out of planning
What a fantastic trip this was! My husband, mother-in-law, and I have been planning this trip for months and anticipating it for years, and we were not disappointed. We did the 10-day safari and arrived a few days before to make sure possible airline issues did not interfere with our trip. I highly recommend getting there a few days early, especially if you are coming from the US, so you can adjust to the time and make all of your connections. We flew into Victoria falls and almost missed one of our connecting flights because of delays.
We started in Zimbabwe, touched into Zambia to see Victoria falls from that side, and completed the majority of our trip in Botswana.
Trip layout:
I want to explain how the safari experience is organized so it’s more clear for any travelers who want to use Cuckoo Safaris. When you book with Cuckoo, they contract various companies from each region to guide the activities (safari, boat rides, helicopter, etc). We were initially under the impression that the Cuckoo staff would be our guides in all the safari locations. In retrospect, we were thankful to have local experts for each region we visited, but we misunderstood the organizational setup of the safari. The Cuckoo staff is primarily only with you for travel between the different towns/locations. Simon was our primary contact with Cuckoo Safaris. He was very pleasant and accommodating and we enjoyed exchanging stories and cultural traditions during our travels. We very much enjoyed our time with him. There were several instances where Simon had been booked elsewhere, so Cuckoo arranged for other companies/individuals to taxi us. Since there were so many “hands in the pot it,” it made it a little difficult to appropriately plan tips.
Lodging:
We stayed at a variety of places with different levels of “luxury.” The lodging included raised tents, huts, and hotels. I think it was a perfect mix that allowed us to enjoy many different experiences.
Dzimbahwe Guest Lodge: Average lodging with clean rooms, kind staff, and basic breakfast
Sandpiper Villas: Very nice lodging, more on the “luxury” end for us, with beautiful views of the Chobe river. Breakfast was delicious and we particularly enjoyed the French press coffee. Ask for your room to be sprayed to avoid seeing some large spiders. After they sprayed we had no issues.
Elephant Sands: Very unique and cool place to stay. You can hear the elephants trumpeting intermittently throughout the night. Some people had a hard time sleeping, but it was such a special experience to hear the elephants roaming by, separated only by a thin layer of canvas. They shut the water off to the huts at 9pm to fill the water trough for the elephants. I’m not sure if it was just the room we had, but when this happened the toilet water started to spray/regurgitate all over the bathroom, so be aware. Since we went during the dry season, the watering hole was mostly dry, so the elephants all hovered around the well pump and trough.
Planet Baobab: Another unique and special place to stay. At this location we stayed in modernized versions of traditional Bakalanga huts. Just note that the huts are not bug proof. We made the mistake of leaving our light on while we went to dinner and returned to a hut full of bugs. Thankfully we had our bug nets closed and had no issues in our beds. By morning, the bugs had disappeared. Great place to walk around to see Baobab trees and hang out by the pool to chill for a day. The food here was excellent.
Cresta Maun: This lodging was again more on the luxury end of the spectrum for us. With that being said, we had a mixed experiences here. One of our two rooms was great and had no issues. We needed the other room switched twice as the first had a non-working toilet. Initial attempts to fix the toilet were unsuccessful and the customer service desk required extra pressure from us to switch the room out for one with a working toilet. After being switched, the second room smelled of sewage despite leaving the windows open. Thankfully the third room had no issues, but the staff seemed resistant to make the situation right until Simon from Cuckoo Safaris spoke with them. The breakfast buffet was delicious, but we were not as impressed with the lunch/dinner options. Overall, it was a nice place to end our trip before our long journey back home.
The Safaris and Excursions:
Despite the high hopes for the trip, the safari exceeded all of our expectations. Each excursion was incredible and special in its own way and all of the individual guides were pleasant and knowledgeable.
Victoria Falls is a must-see. We took our trip in mid October, during their dry season, which was great for animal viewing and also seeing the falls. Many people see aerial pictures of the falls during the wet season, but because of the mist, the falls are difficult to see from the ground. There was less water flow while we were there, but it was still incredibly beautiful.
Chobe National Park safaris and boat tours (shout out to Cobra and Rems for respectively being excellent guides by land and water) allowed up close viewing of lions, giraffes, hippos, buffalo, elephants, zebras, antelope (many different types), baboons, crocodiles, bird (too many to list), and more. In the distance we saw the aftermath of two separate lion hunts. We were even lucky enough to see a large male leopard moseying through the brush!
The next destination was Elephant Sands, which was primarily about the lodging/being up close and personal to the elephants at the watering hole. We also went on one safari drive in the area with our guide, Kabo. He was an excellent guide who very knowledgable of the area and wildlife. This drive provided sightings of many elephants, buffalo, warthogs, and jackal. Simon joined us on this drive and spotted an African Wild Cat darting into a hole, but the rest of us sadly missed the sighting.
While at Planet Baobab, we took a drive to see meerkats and the Unwetwe Salt Pan. Along the way, we stopped briefly at a small, remote village where we spoke with a local and were able to see the inside of a traditional Bakalanga hut.
Maun and the Okavango delta were our final destination points. A helicopter tour allowed us to see the delta from above, which provided a unique perspective of the area. On the second day, locals from a small village, led by Martin, brought us through part of the delta in traditional mokoro canoes. Their balance and skill in the mokoros was very impressive, and we all had a pleasant and relaxing time. The last day of our trip was a full day drive in the Moremi game reserve with our guide named Relax. We had a great drive, but were not prepared for the 2.5 hour drive to and from the primary animal-viewing locations. It was a very long (but fun) 13 hour day. We saw some unique animals on this drive including Vervet monkeys in addition to many of the animals we saw before.
Final thoughts:
Despite any of the confusion along the way, this trip was absolutely amazing. We truly had a wonderful time and it topped the list of any vacations we had been on before. The people there were so friendly, helpful, and willing to teach us about their customs. The trip was a good reminder to appreciate and celebrate cultural differences around the world. I think there is always room to grow, which is why I wrote about some of the complications above. With that being said, Cuckoo Safaris provided a top-tier experience and I guarantee you will not be disappointed if you book through them!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Awesome
Hello would like to share my reviews about my travel with you was my first time using an agent and I must say I was really impressed best services thanks to Samuel and his team for coordinating well and making my dream come true a trip to Ngorongoro.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wonderful place to be
Lemala Adventures were absolutely delightful! Our tour guides really took care of us. We did the 3-day Serengeti and Ngorongoro Tour. We requested a few extra game tours and they were able to fit it into our schedule. Samwel - our tour guide -is very knowledgeable and kind. We wished we stayed at a locally owned hotel at Arusha but still the accommodations were nice!! We will never forget our experience and it is all thanks to the Lemala Adventures Tour!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Couldn't have wished for better
We used Jema Safari for our Tanzanian safari experience and we cannot recommend them enough. From the initial planning of our customised and private safari all the way through to getting dropped off at the airport we were taken care of 100%. Jema tailor your safari to make sure you get the most out of your experiences and their personalised service and experienced guides ensure your safari is memorable. All the accommodations were truly amazing, the good was spectacular! We will definitely use Jema Safari again!