AT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A dream come true!
Doing a safari was something I have always wanted to do: I love animals and wildlife, and seeing the plains of the Serengeti, the beautiful landscape of the NgoroNgoro caldera, and many more landscapes was something I've dreamt of since I was a child.
I set of with finding a locally based company do plan my trip and found African Big Cats Safaris (ABCS) based on the positive reviews I found in the internet, and they were all right! I booked a 9 days/8 nights safari with 3 of my friends, and with the help of the wonderful people at ABCS, all my wishes were incorporated and we got feedback on what might be a good add-on or not so good: We visited Lake Manyara, where we also had a Night Game drive, then went on to Ngoro Ngoro, then were in the Serengeti for 3 days, followed by visiting Lake Natron with a wonderful hike to a hidden waterfall that we had all to ourselves, and finished with Tarangire National Park.
From the moment we arrived, everything went just perfectly: We were picked up and brought to our accommodation, met Emanuel to discuss our upcoming trip, and spent our first night in Arusha. I highly recommend having a buffer day before you start, our flights were nearly 9h delayed, so we really needed the buffer day.
Once the safari started, we were blown away!!! Lions, elephants, and buffalos on the very first day! The hauntingly beautiful landscape of Lake Manyara; the amazing wildlife of the Ngoro Ngoro: wildebeest, zebras, antelopes wherever you look! And in between, if you're as lucky as us, even a serval cat, a baby leopard, and 4!!!! rhinos, including a baby! Granted, all from a distance, but we hadn't thought we'd be so lucky!
Then the many faces of the Serengeti - green bushland, golden plains, rocky outcrops with lions throning on top; cheetah families feasting on their fresh kill, and baby lions joining their Mom for dinner; rock hyrax and mongooses of all variations (I LOVE!!! dwarf mongooses now, they are the cutest), birds of all the colours of the rainbows it feels like, and unexpectedly, also here tree climbing lions. =) Only the leopards almost completely eluded us, those sneaky guys... just one more reason to go there again!
Then Lake Natron, which was maybe indeed a bit too far away, as we probably "wasted" overall a day of driving to get there and back; but it was definitely worthwhile seeing it once. The landscape is completely different again, you have all those flamingos, a different climate, and then this beautiful hidden landscape. And then, last, Tarangire National Park, where we saw again lots of animals and especially birds!
The lodges we had booked were "middle class" - but they felt absolutely luxurious! The people working there were amazing and so nice! Lovely people! The camp at Ngoro Ngoro crater rim was one highlight for us (the Rhino Lodge): in the morning, zebras and water buck grazing in front of our balcony; and at night, the little oven to keep us warm. <3 And then, even better: the tented camp in the Serengeti, where at night you might have buffalos grazing in front of your tent, you can hear the lions and hyenas calling at night, and in the morning you are greated by a pair of Dig Digs. The food was good and often we could ask for what we wanted for our lunch package, at the lodges we typically had buffet and could taste our way through.
Every evening we planned the next day, and everything worked without a hitch!
And last but not least: Our guide, Endeni, was just perfect!!! I can't stress enough how great it was to have him as our driver and guide; he was skilled with the 4x4 and we didn't get stuck even in difficult situations; he always judged the situations very well; he also was well connected and so we often heard about where to find lions, cheetahs or potentially leopards (we were just sadly always the 10th+ car and by then, the leopards are typically long gone, not liking us paparazzi too much ;)). Even while driving, he would spot an animal somewhere on the side of the road in the bushes, dozens of meters away, when we could barely find it without his help even with binoculars. Simply amazing! Plus, after he realized that I liked to engage with the Tanzanian culture, he also taught me some Ki Suaheli (like the words for the animals), and told me about the country and the people living there. He was always friendly and patient with us, and we had the best time!
The only bad part was... having to leave. =( It was an incredible experience, and we were even offered support for our stay on Zanzibar following the Safari. If you are looking for a company for your safari: This is it! I can't recommend these people highly enough. =) And if, by chance, you will get Endeni as your guide: Hearty greetings from the very talkative girl from Austria, who wouldn't stop asking questions ;) Mambo vipi!
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The perfect choice you can make!
Thanks a lot Lenchada Safaris for everything.
I did the 5 days Safari tour and I would give it 10 out of 5.
Everything was well organized, the camp in massai mara exceeded my expectation i think it’s the best budget camp you can get by far.
Our driver Richard is the best, well organized , always in a good mood and shared a lot of information during the tour! During the 5 days you get : game drive, exploring the Savana by a land cruiser, then the boat safari and the cycling tour in Naivasha. Top experience! I totally recommend.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent Service
My Driver was Kikitu, he was excellent in delivering my expectations of the Safari expectations. He was funny and knowledgable and went over and above to deliver a quality service. I done the 6 day Iconic Safari and managed to see all the animals. Great communication with the tour operators and everything ran like clockwork. Can’t recommend Lenchada Safaris enough.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best holiday ever
Had the most amazing time at the safari. Thanks SafariLineDefender! I’ve seen all the big 5, lots of animals each day. I did the Kenya and Tanzania joint safari trip and it was an incredible experience! Rose was super helpful at organising everything. Hot air balloon over Masai Mara was one of the highlights!
I originally booked 13 day safari but halfway through I realised that it was quite a lot as you do have to sit in a 4x4 or Van most of the time (for your safety). It does get a bit exhausting after a while. Rose was very helpful at adjusting my trip and shortening it to 11 days. Thanks so much, i loved my trip!
CN
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Nice People Good Trip
When we arranged our trip, Joseph was very responsive and helped my Iranian wife get her visa. During the trip, our guide Samuel is a soft- speaking considerate gentleman. Generally speaking, in comparation with its neighbors, Uganda’s infrastructure is weak(especially the bumping road) , but its people are extremely warm-hearted, and its food is purely organic. We came on rain season, so the animals in Queen Elizabeth Park were sparse, while the Gorilla and Chimpanzee trekking became easier, we found the gorilla in impenetrable park within 30 minutes.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Phenomenal, truly Excellent!
MoAfrika Tours went above and beyond to see to and accommodate my family and I’s needs and expectations. They out did them in each and every way possible. We had the experience of a lifetime and cannot recommend MoAfrika enough! Everything was a dream come true and we cannot extend our thanks enough!
ES
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Special days in Serengeti
The driver Omary was excellent, we saw all the animals very close, when they warned us on the radio we didn't miss a single animal, perfect. For the agency the lunch would improve.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE
Moafrika Tours offered an exceptional experience with no fault! The staff were prompt and courteous. They went the extra mile to see to us and really gave us an experience of a lifetime.
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect vacation with Uzuri Uganda Safari. Safe yet thrilling adventures, best food and lodges.
Our Uganda Trip with Uzuri was a blast!!! A requested package proposal was straightforward without a long wait, the messages very polite, and our contact (manager) Edris was easygoing and very flexible due to (our) flight options. Our guide Joachim was the most wonderful human being. He was calm in the most annoying traffic and crazy road conditions. We were well informed about the schedule, there were daily briefings at all meals - we would respectfully discuss personal wishes, realistic options and circumstances and mutually set travel / tour-times. We could always rely on Joachim's suggestions to be only in our interest, safety and well-being, and to have the best time. His network is significant and he seemed to be a respected and much liked colleague to other guides on the way. His knowledge of his country and nature is endless, his enthusiasm and tirelessness is very catching. He is a practical problem solver (two slight car problems, fixed within the next hour, mostly by himself and/or due to his perfect network). Also he quietly prepared all next tour steps in the background making it all seem to heavenly fall into place. The lodges were absolutely fantastic, the food choices were fresh, tasty and healthy. Thanks to you, Team Uzuri. We will keep you in our hearts!!!
Out itinerary was: Start in Entebbe -> QueenElizabeth NP (game drives!)/Lodge:SimbaSafariCamp -> Kazinga Channel Boat Trip (small game drive) -> Bwindi Impenetrable Gorilla Trek/Lodge Ride4aWoman -> (Lake Bunynonyi)/Lodge BunynonyiOverlandResort -> Lake Mburo (game drives & Giraffe walking tour)/Lodge:Eagle’s nest. All of it was ab-so-lu-tely fabulous and unforgettable!!!! The only thing that could have been skipped was Lake Bunynonyi, but it cut one very long drive down to two lesser hour drives… For a trip like this you shouldn’t be prone to motionsickness. You gotta be fit and able to sit in a jerking car for hours - but it’s worth it! By the way: my personal tip for a book to prepare would be the "Bradt Guide" also look at some documentaries about the treks and game drives to get a feeling for what to expect.
LV
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Friendly, best price, best quality
I have been looking for a good company at a good price for a long time, I settled on this option. I had never been to Africa before and thought I might be cheated. When we were taken on safari, I knew on the first day that everything would go well. And it did. The driver who was with us had already become part of our family. He even surprised me on my birthday, at his own expense. If you're looking for a good company, you should definitely choose this one.
