35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Experience!
We recently completed a nearly two-week safari to Kenya with Spirit of Kenya, and it was an amazing experience. Our safari took us to Amboseli (Amboseli Serena Safari Lodge), Lake Naivasha (Great Rift Valley Lodge and Golf Resort), Ol Pejeta (Serena Sweetwaters Camp), Lake Nakuru (Sarova Lion Hill) and Masai Mara (Mara Serena). from the beginning of the planning process to the end of our safari, Spirit of Kenya met and exceeded all of our expectations. Our trip planner, Tiago, was exceptional; very prompt with responding to emails, and there were so many emails...lol. While on safari, our guide, Charles, was awesome; not only was he very knowledgeable concerning game drives/wildlife, but really personable/easy to talk to, always went out his way to make sure everyone was having an enjoyable experience. It makes such a huge difference when you are on such a long trip, and you are able to develop a great rapport with your guide. Beyond Tiago and Charles, I want to give a shout out to other staff with Spirit of Kenya that helped to make our trip so memorable, such as Operations Manager Miss Beauty, and drivers Moses and Alex, who, in their own ways ensured our trip went smoothly. In totality, Spirit of Kenya really runs a top notch operation - from trip planning, to airport transfers, to arranging covid testing, to the safari activities, every aspect of our trip was executed as planned. Some other tidbits: While all of our lodgings were outstanding - our group's unanimous favorite was the Serena Sweetwaters Camp in Ol Pejeta. Speaking of Ol Pejeta, the "meet the white rhinos activity" is a must do. Make sure to do a hot air balloon ride on the Masai Mara, it is amazing. Our hotel in Nairobi at the beginning and end of our trip was the Sarova Stanley - it is a really nice base to have in Nairobi. In conclusion - Spirit of Kenya really knocked it out of the park, and I would highly recommend them to anyone seeking to go on safari to Kenya.
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing experience
I've booked a safari with Telly Africa Safaris and it was amazing. From the day I've arrived in Arusha until the day I left, everything went perfectly. Mohamed, Assad and Solomon made my experience unforgettable. I highly recommend Telly
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a life time
It was the best experiences ever! Starting from the day we contacted them to the last day of the trip. Chris was always in touch with us, and always available to answer all our questions Everything that we were offered was received, even more, for the best price, we are very satisfied with Chris and his team. We visited Jinja, Murchiosn falls national park, Kibale and Bwindi. Watching gorillas was a mesmerizing experience, loved every moment and had so much fun. All the lodge selection was luxurious with delicious meals. James our driver and tour guide was amazing. Everything seemed easy for him, From driving for many hours to finding all the animals of our interests, My husband have on safari in Kenya where he saw everything apart from a leopard and when we told James that we would really like to see one, he jokingly told us that he has a phone number of one of the resident leopards, we all laughed knowing that leopards are difficult to see, He however proved his joke right by showing us 3 leopards in one day. He put in his best effort to make everyday of the safari special and interesting for us. Chris and Jame efforts to make this adventure unforgettable are Priceless. We can certainly tell you that all our expectations were met and exceeded. We highly recommend Uganda Adventure Safaris for any kind of safari in Uganda.
FR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect Safari
Amazing safari ! We did a 5 days private safari (Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Lake Manyara)
First of all, Humphrey is very professional and will answer all your questions very quickly before doing the safari.
And regarding the safari itself everything was perfect. Our guide was very friendly and knew everything about wildlife ! We learned many things and he was always happy to answer our questions. The game drives were perfect and our guide went beyond our desires.
The food was made by a chef and was very tasty (no lunch boxes but hot meals every day for lunch and dinner and we are talking about typical meals : beef stew, fresh vegetables, fresh fruits…). The accommodations were amazing. We slept inside Serengeti National Park and woke up next to girafe…
We saw many animals and the big 5! You can book with this company eyes closed.
What else to say ? Thank you again Cubs Expeditions we will remember this safari for the rest of our lifes.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Had a great safari with Bencia
I was in Arusha having completed a wonderful 6 day Tanzania safari where I saw a lot and was planning to head to Amsterdam the next day when I changed my mind and WhatsApp about 6 safari companies in Kenya . Luckily for me, Alfred of Bencia safari replied immediately with an offer that fitted my tight budget. He was very patient with me as I needed to get my covid pcr test result first before committing myself. I took the comfortable River shuttle in downtown Arusha to Namanga. I was met at the Kenya side at Namanga by Cyprian and Johanas my driver/guide. They brought me to a bank where I could withdraw the maximum of 40000 per transaction per card to pay for my safari. The other guest bailed out and I ended up with a private tour for Amboseli. Johanas was great and I lucked out when Mt Kilimanjaro was not cloud shrouded for about 4 hours the next day during our game drive which started promptly at 6.30 am. I was glad I changed my mind as Amboseli was definitely worth it and I saw more than the famous Amboseli elephants, the largest in the world. After Amboseli, I continued with a 5 night safari which included Lake Naviasha, Lake Nakuru and Maasai Mara. I was joined by 3 other individual travelers for the 3 day 2 night Maasai Mara tour, Bencia tours was quick to respond to my questions and made some changes last minute which was appreciated. Highly recommended. You have a choice of a modified van or land cruiser depending on your budget.
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Most incredible trip we have ever taken - perfect in every detail, travel, lodging, guides, cuisine.
We started working with Great Safaris a year and a half ago through GeorgAnn, our travel agent at Global Travel here in Boise. They helped us maneuver through cancellations due to Covid 19 and rescheduling our Private Sky Safari by Elewana Collection in Kenya and Tanzania. We arrived in Nairobi on July 14, 2021 and were met right at our gate by a local representative for Great Safaris and Sky Safari, who guided us through the airport and into a waiting van to our first destination, The Hemingway. We thought it couldn't get any better when we saw our sumptuous suite and lovely view. But every place we travelled to exceeded the one before. All of them were very special. By booking a Private Sky Safari, Maureen and I were whisked on 8 private charter flights to tented camps in Kenya and Tanzania as well as the Manor at Ngorongo Crater and Arusha Coffee Lodge. We were the only passengers on each flight (except for one when we were asked if two others could share our flight). We were also the only persons in our Land Rover or Land Cruiser (depending on the location) with a professional local guide with extensive guiding experience in the specific area. Our guides were all incredible; extremely personable, knowledgeable, and flexible. We were able to spend time looking for the animals we wanted to see, and to spend the time necessary to watch their behaviors and interactions with each other.
Our first stop was Tortillis Camp in Amboseli National Park, Kenya. It is home to the largest elephant herd in Kenya and many Super Tuskers. I checked a bucket list item - lying down on the savannah in front of an 8000 lb Super Tusker Elephant to take a photo looking straight up at it. Graeme and Candy were the managers - wonderful folks, and the accomodations and meals were superb. Service was beyond all of our expectations.
We flew up to the Loisaba Conservancy and stayed at Loisaba Lodo, a gorgeous tented camp overlooking an elephant watering hole. Again, the food, our suite with its incredible views, our Samburu guide, Lemayen (whose nickname is "Brown"), and Phoebe, the manager, made our visit very special and memorable. We saw the reticulated giraffe and Grevy's zebra as well as elephants testing each other's strength. But the highlight was when our guide got us within 7 feet of a gorgeous leopard who had just killed an antelope and was resting beneath a tree.
Then we flew down to Sand River Masai Mara Camp and had our first view of the Great Migration. Dickson, our Masai guide, got us up early the first morning and located a pride of lions while we still had the "Golden Hour" sun. The photos were magnificent. Then he managed to find a black rhinoceros and positioned our vehicle right where he said he expected the rhino to come out of the bush. True enough, he came right to us and I got a head on beautiful photo to remember him by. Because we were travelling to Tanzania, we had to be covid tested. Stephen and Linda, the co-managers at Sand River, arranged for covid testing at the airstrip when we arrived, and they followed up to make sure we got the results, and helped us complete all the necessary paperwork. They made what could have been extremely frustrating so seamless.
We had three charter flights to get out of Kenya and into Tanzania. Because we booked Sky Safari, our pilots handled the interactions with the various border agents and walked us through the whole process - exiting Kenya at one airport; flying to Tanzania to take a rapid covid test and then go through immigration, and the third flight out to Serengeti Migration Camp.
Our three days in the Serengeti were spectacular. We booked the entire East Africa Private Sky Safari by Elewana and stayed only at Elewana properties. The itinerary they provided us through Great Safaris gave us plenty of time in every location. In stark contrast, we saw a number of people arrive as part of groups with other high end safari companies. They didn't get nearly as much time. They sat together at meals and went out together on safari. We always had a private table, often under the stars, and romantic dinners every night. And we spent safari days with only the two of us and our guide. In the Serengeti, that meant we had time to drive the 3 hours cross country each way to get a chance to see the Great Migration -- and John Kitia, our superb guide, knew just where he had to take us to give us the best opportunity to do just that. As a result, we saw two crossings of at least 10,000 wildebeest. By far, the most amazing natural wonder we have every witnessed. And of course we saw lions, cheetahs, and leopards as well.
We travelled to the Manor at Ngorongo Crater. The suites and grounds are magnificent and Salim and Margareth are consummate hosts. When one of the large groups from another tour operator were making a lot of noise in the dining room, they relocated our dining to the wine cellar, where John, our butler and steward, placed 150 rose petals around the edge of the table with a coffee bean in each one, a heart shaped by coffee beans and the words Long Life in coffee beans on the table, and the entire display edged in fuschia stamens. It must have taken him hours, but it made our 5 course East African dinner an evening we will never forget. Bachu Gandi, our wonderful guide, showed us the majesty of the Crater, and we had the opportunity to photograph hippos walking and lounging on the beach.
We concluded our trip at the Arusha Coffee Lodge, an incredibly beautiful place, and we visited Shanga, a nonprofit entity that employs handicapped persons in making beautiful handicrafts.
Our entire experience, with Great Safaris, Elewana, Sky Safari, and of course, Global Travel, so far exceeded our very high expectations that it is hard to describe the trip adequately. We were treated like royalty, quite literally. We have never felt so wonderfully spoiled and pampered. And the skill and knowledge of the staff and guides at each camp as well as our pilots was beyond compare.
After researching safari options for several years, and observing the other high end safari operators using the Elewana facilities, I can say without possibility of contradiction that the Great East Africa Private Sky Safari by Elewana is the only way to see East Africa on Safari. It has our highest possible recommendation, without reservation. Thank you Great Safaris, Sky Safari, Elewana, and Global Travel.
We finished our trip at
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
AWESOME SAFARI EXPERIENCE WITH MZANSI
This was our first Safari we have taken and couldn't have been more pleased with the level of service from Mzansi!
- Pick up and drop off in Johannesburg was smooth and everything was on time
- The lodge we stayed at was amazing, the food was delicious and lots of variety...loved the desserts!
- The room was spacious and cleaned every day
- The staff were all extremely nice and attentive....couldn't have asked for a better staff
- The game drives were amazing...saw the big 5 and a wild dog!! Our guide was amazing at tracking all the animals!
Would definitely recommend this company to book any Safaris at Kruger!
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The best trip Ever
We had a great 10-day safari in Northern Tanzania organized by Lelaa safaris in June 2021 - Ndutu, Southern Serengeti, and Tarangire, Manyara,Ngorongoro National Park. The accommodation everywhere was perfect and the safari was very well arranged, thanks to Eric. We were particularly happy to have Elemesi as our guide and driver, he knows how to find the most secretive animals and is a great compagnion. We saw all six african wild cats. It is for the first time taking a safari with Lelaa and everything is perfect - they are real experts and flexible to cater to your interests and needs.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Unforgettable Safari and Zanzibar
My wife and I have just returned from a holiday vacation in Tanzania safari and Zanzibar with Lappet Faced Safaris. We did not know much about Tanzania or Zanzibar and Francisco helped us come up with the great bespoke itinerary specially crafted to suit our desires, budget and timeline. We had fun on safari visiting Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater with our fantastic guide Frank. We enjoyed the beautiful landscapes and awesome wildlife encounters. They had organized for fabulous camps that were comfortable, fine food and great staff. Matemwe beach in Zanzibar was relaxing and beautiful; walking along the beach, swimming and just having fun. This trip was like our second honeymoon all thanks to Lappet Faced Safaris
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great company
I went for this company as my best friend recommended me. IT was like once in a lifetime experience! We enjoyed the entire safari. The best part was locating the golden monkeys. It was just awesome to be there. And the company managed everything very decently.
I am going to recommend them and rate them 5/5. A great safari experience with an awesome tour company