US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Experience of a lifetime
I have been back 2 weeks and I'm already thinking about how I can save to go back to Kenya! When deciding to go on my first-ever safari, I chose the Maasai Mara because it is supposed to be the best for big cat viewing. It was a lucky decision, because Kenya has SO much more to offer. The scenery, and the chance to sit and watch elephants walk by very closely with just the sound of their tromping and chomping and no other vehicles in sight, was just one among many unforgettable moments.
We stayed in a budget tent camp which suited us well, because we were able to put the savings to a private safari (rather than a group tour) and the accommodations were better than expected! We had flush toilets, a comfortable bed, and zebras eating right outside our tent every night. The camp also was very accommodating to my dietary needs (I'm a vegetarian). The Maasai Mara is an amazing magical place, our tented camp overlooked part of it so we could see giraffes and wildebeests as as we pulled in.
Last but certainly not least, our safari guide MADE our experience. Although at other times interacting with various businesses catering to tourists I felt very much an outsider/a potential customer, our guide spent 4 days with us and treated us like friends. He was also extremely knowledgeable about Kenya's history, animal behavior, and conservation needs.
This was my first safari (but certainly not my last). My travel partner had been to South Africa and enjoyed it, but she said our Kenya trip was 8X better! The all-day private game drives, the amazing interactions with so much wildlife, and the knowledge and warmth of our guide made the difference for her.
DK
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Intense safari but poor accomodation
We had booked a 3 day safari in Masai Mara. We were picked up and dropped off in Nairobi. That means a very long drive for about 8 hours each way to get to and from Masai Mara. When we arrived at Masai Mara we were accommodated in a smaller lodge than payed for. It was not what we had ordered, but a lodge of very poor quality. The people at the lodge was extreme kindly and friendly. On the day of arrival we reached a short trip of about 2 hours before the sun went down. Next day we started early and had almost 10 hours of safari. We saw all animals. But it's hard to sit in a car where the bumping is going for hours. Our guide did a great job finding all the animals. The Masai Mara itself is exciting to drive around and it is amazing with the big scene and big flocks of animals. But the trip to and from Nairobi, the poor accommodation and the high price mean that we do not generally can recommend that kind of safari.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Awesome experience, will definitely go back!
The entire safari experience was great. Our guide, Matthew, from African Safari Guru, picked us up in Johannesburg and made sure we had everything we needed (including helping us to get a local SIM card for our phones). During the transfer to Arathusa, Matthew provided tons of interesting information about the area, the people, the economy .. the country in general. After 3 days at Arathusa, Matthew picked us up and drove us to Lukimbi. He took us through Kruger National Park, took us to the top of a "koppie" to get a 360 degree view of the park, which was amazing. My husband finally understood what I meant when I said "the bush" ... After our stays at the lodges (6 nights total), Matthew drove us to Nelspruit airport where we caught a flight to Cape Town where we spent another week. The lodges (Arathusa and Lukimbi) were very different but both amazing in their own way. The food and service was excellent all around. I can't think of anything negative at all. It was a great experience and we plan to go back. African Safari Guru did not disappoint and we will use Matthew again.
JP
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
fabulous!
Everythig was great! When I visit next time, would like to ask the same guide to go around with us.
LU
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very good
All that was promised was done .
David the manager very serious and attentive towards customers.
Ziggy the guide very good driver and serious
Special dedicace for the cook , good food with a big smile .
i see the big five .
you can trust the agency , i recommend
DK
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
really great experience
We have had the pleasure of traveling with Gorilla Tours from August 3,
>2018 to August 20, 2018.
>
>It was a really great experience, not least because of the amazing guide
>Francis which we had on the whole trip.
>
>He is the perfect guide. Accommodating, kind and very competent.
>He knows a lot about his country and can tell a lot about both nature and
>culture.
>
>We felt safe in his company and he took very good care of us. Always
>ready for the agreed time with a smile.
>
>Gorilla Tours can not have a better representative of the company than
>Francis.
>
>We would definitely recommend both Francis and Gorilla Tours to others.
>
AE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The customer service provided by okao Africa tours was really good and were always quick in response
Our tour guides mike and Amos both were very helpful and very fluent in explaining the tour.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing animals and nice accommodation, but poor guide communication and incomplete itinerary
My boyfriend and I did a 3-day safari into the Maasai Mara on a private tour. I chose Beacon Safaris because they were quick to reply to my request for information, thorough in their response, accommodating to my customization for our trip, and reasonably priced within my budget. Overall, we had a nice trip - we saw a ton of animals and stayed in a nice accommodation just outside the park gate. The pop-up van was nice and it was great that it was just my boyfriend, our guide and me. Our guide was nice and did a good job of finding the animals, including a leopard, and getting us close to the animals.
There were a few things that made the trip less enjoyable:
1)We were told during the planning that the van had 4-wheel drive, but it did not. Instead, our guide had another van/guide travel with us and when we got stuck (2-3 times), the other van pulled us out. It was fine, but I would have preferred to have been told the truth up front.
2)We were disappointed with our guide, Eric.
* He had shared that he had just come off a long safari trip prior to ours and appeared to be very tired and trying to do the bare minimum.
* His communication left a lot to be desired - He didn't talk with us much and never discussed our plan for the trip or for each day. This was our first safari and it would have been nice to know what to expect each day (e.g., the overall day plan, how long the game drive would be, when we would be back to camp, when we would stop for lunch, etc.).
* During the safari, he seemed rushed and often didn't stop even though we had asked to stop to watch the animals. He would start driving off without warning and while we were still taking photos or observing the animals. Part of this could have been due to our short safari tour and him feeling rushed to get where we needed to go, but he could have communicated this to us. We were in the dark.
* Our guide was late starting every morning, at least 15 minutes. The second day, we were waiting out front at the meeting time, and he had just walked into the lodge to sit down for breakfast. The third day was a mess in the morning (described in the next point.)
* Our guide did not follow our defined itinerary. Our itinerary dictated early start times, but he attempted to start later than planned which we pushed back on. Our itinerary specifically said we were supposed to have a game drive in the early morning on the third day and then a visit to the Maasai village before heading back to Nairobi; however, we were told by our guide that we could do one or the other. Although, from the first day, our guide suggested we do the village tour on the first evening instead of on the last day so he could get back to Nairobi earlier on the last day, leading us to believe that he had never planned to do the drive the last day which was agreed during the trip planning. We disagreed and told him we wanted to stick to the itinerary. I had attempted to get the itinerary from my tent to show him what was agreed, but when I came back to the lodge, he was gone and there was no way to get a hold of him (he wasn't staying at the lodge).
On the third day, he told us to do the village tour in the morning and he would pick us up at 7:30 AM. He did not show up. We waited for 30-minutes before the hotel offered to call him, only to learn that he had intended for us to walk to the village without him, but this was never communicated. Our guide said the village tour was supposed to be 2-hours, but it was barely one hour. When we met up with our guide at 9 AM, he told us it was too late to do the game drive, he had never looked at our itinerary and didn't remember we were supposed to have a game drive. However, early in the trip he had been pushing us to get back to Nairobi as soon as possible on the last day.
Through this experience, we learned that the guide can make or break the experience and you don't always know who you are going to get. We also learned from a later safari (with a different company) that a lot of the safari company's hire independent contractors as guides. I recommend proactively reviewing the itinerary with the guide from the start and sticking to the plan.
Despite the shortcomings, we really enjoyed our experience and time in the Maasai. The abundance of animal life was incredible!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Simply perfect.
Quite honestly, I was a little hesitant to book with Wito Africa because I had trouble finding online reviews, but I couldn’t be happier that I booked our family safari through them. We had the pleasure to have had our whole trip personalized just for our family of four by our travel agent, Abdullie. Our specialist was very flexible with our budget and needs. Planning this trip was effortless and fun! Abdullie came up with an amazing recommendation for our two-week dream vacation to Tarangire, Ngorongoro, Serengeti and Zanzibar. We were happy that the company gave us a full breakdown of what to expect each day from each place that we visited - they even sent us a nice little safari kit with information on tipping and list of things to pack for the trip! Truly it is the natural hospitality and all the personal touch that made our dream family vacation memorable! If anyone is thinking about going on an African safari or beach vacation in Tanzania, this company is the way to go!
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Caution to travelers considering Amazing Memories Safaris
Our 15 day safari tour was met with 3 days of frustration when the upgraded hotel accommodations we had contracted were not paid for in a timely manner. We contracted for all services in January 2018, made the $4K deposit and paid the balance prior to our departure from the USA as the Contract required.
It was not until the night before we were to arrive at the Mara Serena that we were told by AMS that the hotel had over-booked and our reservation was not available. We did find out from the hotel manager that AMS had been contacted for payment due, and when it was not received they released our reservation. The same situation for our reservation at the Ngorongoro Serena.
We feel AMS broke our Contract by not paying for our hotel reservations in a timely manner and not providing the accommodations in our Contract.
FYI - these tour companies must pay upfront for hotel reservations. Our advice if you plan to use this tour group, demand that before you leave home you have Vouchers for all hotels in your possession. This is your guarantee the reservations have been paid for and will be there when you arrive.
We also coordinated a visit to Zanzibar for 3 days to relax at the beach, following the safari. AMS did a good job scheduling the airlines and driver for pick up. AMS recommended The Sands on the east side of the island. There is a floor of coral and sea urchins at the shoreline, so this is not a beach you can run out in bare feet and swim. It is a good choice if you just want to relax at a quiet location with lounge chairs and covers from the sun provided on the beach at no additional cost.