35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
They made a once-in-a-lifetime trip as good as it could be!
Our 4-person group included my 97-year-old grandma who loves South Africa. We booked several tours with Elephant Herd and every one of them was a memorable, special experience, including our all-day private tour, our sunset safari, our trip to the Blyde River Canyon, and our walking safari. The guides were prompt, professional, knowledgeable, and extra attentive to my grandma. We recommend them to anyone!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Seamless booking process, absolutely wonderful tour and incredible guide! Book now!
Every single part of our safari, from my initial inquiry to the completion of our trip was absolutely wonderful. Dennis made the whole process of scheduling our safari seamless. I sent an inquiry with what I was looking for and within 24 hours I received back a detailed itinerary with cost breakdown. I imagine we could have added, subtracted or changed things, but what Dennis came up with was everything we were hoping to experience and more, so we booked the initial itinerary he sent. Payment was done through an online system and was quite simple as well. Dennis was always very attentive to any questions that I had and kept us updated throughout the process.
I can’t say enough positive things about the safari experience itself. Our guide, James, made sure that we had an amazing time from the moment he picked us up from the hotel. We were celebrating a birthday on day 2 of our safari, and James went above and beyond to make it a special day from sunup to sundown. We did the balloon safari in the morning, and everyone worked together to help keep it a secret from the birthday boy right up until the moment we arrived to take off. That evening, they had arranged a special birthday celebration at the lodge. The entirety of the trip, but especially that day, is something we will certainly never forget. Throughout our safari, James made sure that we saw everything we were hoping to see and more. We were fortunate not only to see the Big 5, the small 5 and the ugly 5, but we got to witness mating lions as well as lions and hyenas enjoying a fresh hunt. He shared so much knowledge about the animals and their habitat and his passion and excitement for it was contagious.
The lodges we stayed at were excellent, and the staff at all of them were extremely kind, helpful and welcoming. We particularly enjoyed the Lake Naivasha Sopa Lodge where we encountered many animals just outside our door.
I can’t say enough positive things about Morningstar Safaris. If you are contemplating a safari, do it, you won’t regret it. I highly recommend booking through Morningstar, they not only met but far exceeded any and all of our expectations. James is truly an amazing safari guide and Morningstar is lucky to have him. He made sure that when we left him for the evening, we always did it with smiles on our faces. We have been home for 2 weeks, and still talk about the trip almost daily. Pull the trigger, book the trip and get ready for an adventure of a lifetime.
Dennis and James, thank you so much for this experience.
Sarah & Nelly
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great safari, organisation can be improved
The safari at Hamiltons Tented Camp was amazing with beautiful wildlife, nature and a great lodge with friendly people.
The experience with the agent was not as great. Originally, we were promised a morning game drive on the last day as part of our package. We agreed on a price and payed. A few weeks later the agent reached out to let us know that we will not be able to have this morning game drive because she booked the returning flights too early. She wanted to make us pay more for different flights so we would be able to still have the morning game drive.
After some push back from my side an alternative solution was offered which was supposed to stay at the original price and still include the morning game drive. However, this solution was not communicated well to the lodge. The employees at Hamiltons were completely unaware the night before our last day.
All in all it was still a great experience. It's just not great when people try to make you pay for their own mistakes.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Incredible Safari!
It was an incredible safari! Many thanks to our guide Simon and our cook Action. The combination was perfect for us! We spent four days travelling together through three parks with two nights in a tent. An experience we will never forget. Simon was with us on the Big Five mission and we saw them all! Thanks to his knowledge and his seventh sense. We learnt a lot and the elephants at camp in the morning were just one of the highlights! Having Action as our cook was just wow! We all came back 5kg heavier - we definitely felt that way. It was unbelievable what he conjured up for us.
Thank you guys so much! We felt like a team and were sad when it was over. I hope we come back again!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Motivating leader that strives for everyone's success.
The experience we had with Kilimanjaro Heroes adventures guides and porters was special and professional, it was a team that really loved to see our success at the peak, led by Onesmo Mroki, a great leader.
ES
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Always going Beyond expected.
I would like to say that THANK YOU Leopard Orchid Safari for such an amazing experience Of my life.
Taking care Of us, looking for having the Best experience, the Best picture,
The Best position.
Hundreds Of times Thank you Elijah, Thank you Patrick, you are the Best.
I do recomend defenitely this company for your safari.
BG
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Magical land of extraordinary wildlife and wonderful people who showed us what Ubuntu means
During our five-day trip in Kenya, we visited Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru, and Lake Naivasha. It was an inspiring experience for me and my family.
We landed in Nairobi and started our safari experience from there. Nairobi is a vibrant, multicultural, and fascinating city. Many people told us to be very careful when walking around Nairobi, but we felt safe everywhere and walked around a lot. The people were always friendly and helped us understand Kenyan culture and how things work in the city.
On the safari, we were pleasantly surprised by how everything was organized. No single tourists were wandering around. Only groups with dedicated guides with special vehicles. I think this helps preserve nature as it is now and provides a quality experience for all the tourists. We chose to go on a budget safari, meaning we stayed in ordinary places, not posh ones. They were all very comfortable and showed pieces of Masai culture.
The experience with the animals was unique. We saw everything we knew only from National Geographic videos - elephants, zebras, giraffes, hippos, rhinos, lions, cheetahs, crocodiles, flamingos, and many more. Everywhere we went, some local people helped us understand what we saw, taught us a lot about the animal's behavior and the people's culture, and helped us take excellent photographs
IN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Arusha National Park by Barden Deevan
Nice place and we enjoyed to see different animals
ES
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An unforgettable first safari
I went alone on vacation to Kenya and my first 5-day safari through Masaï Mara, Nakuru and Naivasha/hells Gate was full of excellent moments. A 10 for our guide Dennis, who in addition to being an excellent driver, has allowed us to meet the Big 5, to give us endless explanations and information, and to be a very nice person. Good quality/price ratio in terms of excursions, accommodations, transportation... I will surely repeat and why not in Tanzania.
(automatic translation from Spanish)
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Well organized, great communication, great flexibility, safe and informative
Basics:
4 people, 11 day/10 night, mid-level, Toyota Land Cruiser, private, cost=below average for same accommodations and itinerary
Itinerary:
Nairobi to Arusha, through Amboseli, Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha, Masai Mara, Lake Victoria, Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara, Tarangire
Tour company:
From the early stages, I worked with George Killas to build what we thought was the most ideal itinerary. He was very flexible, and patient with our many requests and questions. He was able to help meet our budget, and yet ensure we are comfortable on the trip. For anybody new to a safari, I do want to strongly encourage trying to book a guide that uses a 4x4 Land Cruiser. You will be thankful!
Because we went to both Kenya and Tanzania, we actually had two different tour guides/companies with a hand-off at the border. George handled these logistics with a partnering firm from Kenya. This can obviously have advantages and disadvantages, but it was seamless for us as the client.
Mid-level lodging was actually really great. All the places we stayed at were clean, safe, and beautiful. The two camps inside Masai Mara, and Serengeti were less luxurious (still very nice), but these are also the most expensive since they are inside the parks. The food everywhere was included, either through the hotels, or funded by Terrain Tanzania, and all of it was really good. Cold drinks were always available in the car, which was very welcome.
Both tour guides we had were very good: (Dminick in Kenya & Benjamin in Tanzania). They both listened to our requests and interests of animals we wanted to see, they adopted their itinerary, and they were knowledgeable about the animals, the culture, & the landscape. We really appreciated it when they would talk to other drivers as we drove by or use the radio to get information about where to find some of the more unique animals. We appreciated the guides making the most of our safari, by starting the day early and ending late, by searching for animals, and by visiting points of interest. These are long days for them, and they always maintained a positive and professional attitude.
Overall, our experience was amazing! We did not expect to see as many animals as we did! Of course wildlife spotting is very luck dependent, and no tour guide or tour company should ever be held responsible for your luck. That being said, we were very happy with everything that Terrain Tanzania Safaris organized. There are many companies out there, and it can be hard to compare them, but I would strongly recommend anybody to George's company.