20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Not as informed and lack of communication
Before I paid a deposit I specifically checked through email communication if the safari would be in the order I saw on the safari booking website, i.e., day 1 Lake Naivasha, day 2 Lake Nakuru and days 3-4 at Masai Mara. This was so we would get as close to 2 full days at Masai Mara as possible as I was aware the trip would involve a lot of travelling. I was assured by the agent I communicated with by email it would be in this order.
On day 1 of the tour, when I was picked up, it wasn't until we were almost there and I asked before I was told we were headed to Masai Mara. In the end most of day 1 was spent travelling to Masai Mara and we only spent 2.5 hours on the safari. The very thing I was trying to avoid with my questions! Day 2 was a full day at Masai Mara. To add, the Lodger we stayed at, Jambo Mara, I really liked.
Day 3 was Lake Nakuru (which in the itinerary I was given we were supposed to go to on day 2). The accommodation, the Waterbuck Hotel is not great. Good breakfast but very rundown rooms with too much noise from outside so it's hard to sleep. Plus no fan or air conditioning.
Day 4 was Lake Naivasha and Hell's Gate, which was supposed to be on day 1. The accommodation, Masada hotel, was better than Waterbuck, bit still not very good and bathroom was quite smelly and mine toilet didn't have a toilet seat.
What I liked about the safari:
1. I enjoyed the actual safari itself and seeing all the animals.
2. I liked Jambo Mara Safari Lodge.
What I didnt like:
1. Not correctly informed about the itinerary of the trip, even though I asked.
2. I did a shared safari and everyone was given a different itinerary (i.e., each person was given a different order and some were told we would do a pre-breakfast drive at Masai Mara, which we didnt do). We were all on the safari for a different amount of days so I think the issue was they were trying to accommodate everyone's different schedules. This should have been explained when I asked.
3. The tour guide didn't explain from day to day where we were going and what we would be doing and seemed annoyed when we would ask for information. We were all quite confused from day to day and were never sure what we would be doing.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Stay away! We were scammed by this company!
I recently booked a safari with brown noddy expeditions, based on the 5 good reviews on this platform. However, looking back, these reviews seem to be written by company staff themselves. Also the fact that there are only very view reviews, while the company claims to be an established tour operator, should have been a warning sign.
After booking my safari, I first received an invoice via email with a request to pay the 40% deposit. After the money was transferred, brown noddy expeditions said that they forgot to include the price for 2 accommodations in their first proposal and that I have to pay additional 500 USD. I refused, as it deviated from the agreement. Then, they said they could waive the 500 USD, but then I have to pay the full amount of the safari in advance, i.e. also the remaining 60%, which actually were agreed to be due upon start of the safari. I refused again and expressed my dissatisfaction with the whole process. They apologized and said that we can stick to the initial proposal, but that they haven’t received my 40% deposit payment yet. However, my bank confirmed, that the transfer went through. After confronting brown noddy expeditions with this confirmation, they claimed to have been hacked and that they have nothing to do with the bank account, which was sent from their company email address.
While admitting to have been hacked, they stated that they will not reimburse me, since they are a small company.
First of all, I doubt that they actually were hacked. Second, I believe any legit company would reimburse their customers in such a case.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An expert in wildlife, nature and culture with a wonderful personality
The African Polecat Safari changed my life!This experience is the most incredible adventure in every way. Our guide, Manfried is the best you can find. He is a true expert and professional. Manfried’s knowledge of wildlife, nature, and culture is amazing. There was not a question he couldn’t answer! His personality is also so wonderful that it felt like saying goodbye to a dear friend.
In the privacy of our own vehicle, we enjoyed so many animals, all day every day. My favorite sighting included a pride of lions teaching their cubs to feed on a recently hunted water buffalo. Luxury accommodations were wonderful. The Jungle Pearl was like a sanctuary on earth, and I’ll never forget the sunrise and elephant just outside my door at the Heritage Luxury Tented Camp. Thank you to all the Maasai people I met working and living in Tanzania. Thank you to Mow and Manfried and Thank you African Polecat Safaris. (I hope Sean and I see you again someday!)This was an adventure that I will never forget.
IN
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Kenyan hospitality stands out and shows at every step!
The Masai Mara experience is just fantastic; the sweeping plains and their expanse, the vast herd of animals and their diversity adds to the quality of the game viewing and the far reaching views make spotting easy. Our highlights were multiple sightings of pride of lions, group of elephants, cheetah with cubs, a tower of atleast a dozen giraffes; amongst the hippos, crocodiles, hyenas, countless zebras, deers, gazelles, antelopes & cape buffaloes.
To sum up - the tour planning wa fantastic, overall organisation and coordination of the trip was outstanding. Our tour guide was extremely cooperative and took care of our needs at every step. His knowledge of every detail of the tour, planning and ability to curate to the best possible viewing made us derive much more from the safari. We had a memorable experience; an adventure that will etch into our memory forever - with Axis Africa Tours managing our expectations superbly.
QA
Absolutely incredible.
Daniel took us to hells gate and he was the most amazing tour guide - thank you so so much for everything you did!
We had such an amazing 5 days and nothing in life will top the experience that we had with this tour guide company, thank you so much again for the most incredible experience!
We saw 4 out of the big 5! We didnt see a leopard, but we saw a cheetah - I mean.. same thing!
You're never on your own, we always felt safe.. Our accommodation was great and everything is just done for you and so affordable!!
BR
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Culture, adventure, beautiful landscapes, welcoming people: that's South Africa!
South Africa is wonderful. Exceeded my expectations. It is a country full of natural beauty, with a very rich culture and extremely welcoming people. I didn't feel unsafe at any point. I loved visiting its parks and reserves, its museums, learning a little more about its history and its great icons. I had the chance to visit Johannesburg, Cape Town, the wine region, Kruger Park, the panorama route. I stayed in the country for 21 days and found it very little. I will be back!!!
DK
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Absolutely authentic “Africa Safari with great hospitality.
A great unforgettable experience,at BWINDI impenetrable Forest doing the Gorilla Trekking,supervised by very professional and experienced rangers and guides.
Thanks to “Gorrilla Trekking by Jon “
for arranging the trip,with all the highlights .
CL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
amazing
With my friends we had an excellent experience on the Safari in Masai Mara. It was a real adventure full of good vibes. I thank Silas very much for all his generous guidance, help and orientation, he was an excellent tour guide for us. Thank you very much for this amazing experiencia of life.
CL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Masai Mara National Reserve by Duniel Ortuno
It was excellent. Thank you very much
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Dependable, Responsive and pleasure to work with
After obtaining several quotes and inputs from
SafariBookings, I decided to pick up Gems of Africa based on their prompt and detailed response. Mpho was my point of contact and he did an amazing job coordinating and customizing the trip based on our requirements. He responds promptly to emails and available to take calls and answer questions. Right from the day we landed thru the end of the safari, things went smoothly and as was detailed in the itinerary. No surprises, no challenges. Very satisfied and appreciate how well it went.