US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Kim and Bud are the BEST! Best trip ever!!
The experience I had was seriously magic. Every step of the way Bud was there to make our journey through Nairobi, Katale, Mattaw, and the Maasi Mara seamless. There were fifty of us in our group. I am in awe with how well we were taken care of. They had every attention to detail covered.
From safari to the visit to Mattaw I still can’t choose a favorite. They were both perfect in their own way.
Kim and Bud have the biggest hearts. Their mission in life is so beautiful. The Mattaw children are beautiful inside and out. God is definitely leading and guiding them.
God bless them both. Anyone looking to make a difference in this world should make Mattaw a place to support.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
If you love to photograph wildlife this is the place to be
An amazing place to see wildlife and scenery that can change so quickly from one area to the next. We went in September/October and the temperature was around 30°C and not uncomfortable when travelling in a 4x4. As there were four of us it was not too bad to get some good positions for taking photos. More than this, the harder it will be to position yourself to get those shots.
We stayed at the Serengeti Serena Lodge which was very pleasant. The food and accommodation was good although you do not spend that much time in your hotel. There was also a swimming pool which was another positive.
Our guide Ahmad was brilliant. He had great knowledge regarding the animals and areas we visited. His listened to what we wanted to do as well as giving us great advice. He helped make our holiday a great experience.
We also visited Lake Manyara National Park and Ngorongoro Crater. Each environment we visited was different but special in its own way. We found the Tanzanian people to be very friendly and loved English football!
We saw so many animals including the big five and most of the small five.
Be prepared for tipping hotel staff and your guide at the end of your trip. Make sure you have adequate American dollars in small notes. If you need Tanzanian shillings these can be obtained from an ATM. We got ours at the airport. This is useful for villages and markets.
If you visit a Masai village you will be charged an entrance fee. However you will be allowed to take unlimited photos. Be aware that they will show you gifts to purchase after the tour. If you can try to visit a local market as it is an amazing experience. Photos of people are difficult as they expect payment in return.
All in all I would highly recommend. This was a holiday of a lifetime.
One very important note. There are toilets at the entrances to the parks we visited and at the picnic grounds. They were well maintained.
FR
Magic trip with a super driver
Everything was perfect, we saw lots of animals and a lot of lions and hyenas (I'm big fan of hyena). Lots of babies of every kind at the time of the year.
Food and accommodation were very nice. We have some rain but hopefully it wasn't during the game drives. 4 different area with a change of scenery each time. And the driver was perfect! Thx a million, it was an amazing journey!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Good and reliable
A good and reliable tour operator where you are offered customized tours. They are quick to reply on requests and good at communicating with you as a customer. They listen to your request and go the extra mile to fullfil your expectations.
AE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
4 Days Unforgettable Budget Safari, Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
We booked last minute and had previously planned. The director at Lovely safari scheduled us and we really enjoyed the safari. the driver was really amazing. we saw all of the big 5 on our own, the leopard is an elusive animal and even when our guide pointed it out I had a hard time finding it without his directions. Our Guide's name was Joseph and he was exceptional...... the room that we booked was clean, well appointed and the bed was comfortable..... the staff at the lodge were kind and very friendly....... whats more is that the whole safari was very affordable.
CA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Incredible experice with the best guide on a private tour
I researched tours for weeks before we decided on CATS for our honeymoon. We stayed one night at Lake Nakuru Lion Hill Sarova (in a little cabin) and two nights at Mara Sarova (in a canvas tent). Sarova is a high-end hotel chain and CATS gives you a great price considering all you get for the trip. Huge buffet for every meal, outstanding accommodations. Swimming pools, darts, pool tables, mosquito protection, stunning and immaculate grounds, friendly staff, excellent cocktails. Both lodges have a spa.
I can’t say enough good things about our driver, Duncan (Ndegwa). He has been delivering these tours for 14 years, and is extremely knowledgeable about the parks and wildlife. We were on this trip specifically for animals and my husband is a biologist. We would ask one question about a giraffe and he would be able to share a full range of knowledge from the species throughout Kenya and Africa to how to tell them apart, to gestation and lifespans. Outstanding. He was an excellent driver despite chaotic Kenyan roads. He was respectful of the wildlife, maintaining a respectful distance from animals while getting us close enough to take amazing photos. Other drivers would pull up three feet from a lion’s sleeping face for their tourists to take their pics, and it was horrible. We even saw a bunch of safari vehicles herding a large group of wildebeest purposely at a croc-filled river for the photo opp and we appreciated that our driver didn’t participate. He also stuck to the trails as you’re supposed to. He was excellent at spotting wildlife, from distant rhinos to discreet leopards to snoozing camouflaged lion cubs. We appreciated this even more after we did a three-hour tour with a guide from another company in Nairobi National Park, and that guide couldn’t spot any animals and had little knowledge of species or park management. Duncan ensured we stopped at safe places and even took us on a sensible detour on the drive back to Nairobi to avoid a serious accident (and extensive wait) on a main highway. We have amazing photos! Note: your guide will stop to talk to other guides to discuss sightings.
On our next trip, we would skip Lake Nakuru and head straight to Maasai Mara, as it's a very long drive to both and between the two parks.
Note that the road from Nairobi to Maasai Mara is ~170 kms but takes 5 hours, and the 2 hours or so near the park aren’t paved. And because they are in the process of paving it, you can’t drive on the gravel road, you have to drive on a temporary side road which has large boulders instead of the small crushed gravel we’re used to at home and it’s a very slow, jarring drive, no matter what vehicle you’re in. Motion-sick people beware! Next time, we'll book the land cruiser instead of the van, as they have better suspension.
Overall we had a wonderful honeymoon adventure and are eternally grateful to Joyce for booking us exceptional accommodations and going the extra mile, and Duncan, for being the greatest guide and helping us stamp our Big-5 bingo card.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Truly amazing experience!
Aron communicated to use via whatsapp which made it so much easier - he was very efficient with his responses and happy to answer the countless questions we had before we even booked the trip! After booking, he laid out a clear itinerary and followed up to ensure we were aware of the process etc and also put us in touch with our driver, Martin beforehand.
Martin was very prompt with picking us up from our hotel. He drove us from Kigali to Bwindi National Park, helping with the border crossing. He was great company and knowledgeable about Kigali, Rwanda, Uganda etc and happy to share his wisdom.
The tour itself is once in a lifetime experience - we trekked for about 2 hours before finding the gorillas. The guide & porters, again, were extremely helpful and knowledgeable.
Thanks Safari 2 Gorillas Tours!
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Silas was absolutely AMAZING!
Our first tour with Silas and Free Africa Tours & Safaris Ltd was in March 2018.
And we were so very impressed with Silas that we came back with other groups in August 2018, March 2019, August 2019 and again in October 2019. And we are going back again in March 2020.
Silas is the consummate professional. My entire group appreciated his knowledge of all aspects of the safari and trip.
Silas's knowledge of the animals, where and when to find each one, and his integrity and trustworthiness is superior.
We had previously taken safaris with other organizations. And whereas those other organizations did a decent job, they were far too big of a company to give the intimate level of experience that Silas and Free Africa Tours & Safaris Ltd is able to provide.
I highly recommend Silas and Free Africa Tours & Safaris Ltd for everyone that is looking to experience the best that Africa has to offer.
Craig E. Hacche - (Co Founder - AnswerAfrica.org)
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Quality safari tour at a budget price.
The safari always provided everything you needed and planned everything out. Accomadation and meals were satisfactory. The safari tour itself was near perfect. All on a very cheap price.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Excellent safari, and Ute Sonnenberg is a true professional
Our safari in Botswana and visit to Zimbabwe were outstanding experiences. What I want to write most about is how patiently and well Ute Sonnenberg guided us through our choices beforehand and how she was always there for us during the safari. This was our first time going with a custom safari, but I do have considerable knowledge of Africa, so I do have some perspective. Ute has DEEP knowledge of African safari planning and experience. She also was acutely attuned to us. She listened carefully to what we wanted and always followed our wishes, providing guidance and information and never pushing us in other directions. Everything she said in advance turned out to be completely correct. Ute answered every call and email promptly, and when the inevitable minor glitches occurred, she was quickly on the line to provide advice and help. We will go unhesitatingly with her when planning our next safari. As a word to others when planning your safaris, I would suggest doing what Ute helped us decide: go mostly to private reserves/concessions rather than national parks, splash out for at least one higher-end concession safari experience, and have a night or two's rest after arrival before going on safari. And don't always be on the hunt for the big five because that is just box-checking ... by all means choose one concession that has most of these wonderful iconic animals, but also vary your experience with water and desert camps. Lastly, but also firstly, thank you Ute! You will be hearing from us again!
