US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Serengeti National Park by Joann H Petrina
Not as many animals as I had expected---but it was the dry season and many have left the area. We did see the BIG 5 but really had to look for them. Since it is a "Wonder of the World" I chose this park for animal viewing. I may return one day during HIGH Season to see the animals in mass. The Serengeti is huge and it was just a great feeling that I was there. We did see the sunrise and it was wonderful. Also the Giraffes and elephants came very close. However, I saw more elephants in Chobe National Park in Botswana.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Ngorongoro Crater by Joann H Petrina
Not as many animals as I had hoped. I was extremely happy to be there as it is a "wonder of the World" and I would have liked to have stayed longer than we did. It is just amazing to actually see this place.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
I consider Kenya the premier safari destination.
We were in Kenya during the rainy season and after some torrential rains caused huge mud slides. The roads were definitely muddy and rutted and some were closed altogether, but this didn't affect our enjoyment at all. The parks were exceptional, the lodges and food were first class and we had an experienced guide and driver that was a pleasure to be with every day. One of the highlights of our tour was Amboseli. We saw huge herds of elephants and were treated to a spectacular view of Mt. Kilimanjaro on our last morning. Kenya has definitely grown and modernized since my last safari there 17 years ago, but it was still thrilling to revisit.
AR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Memorable experience on the Okavango Delta.
We booked a full day private tour through Safaribookings with Xaa Safaris.
I have to tell everything was just perfect.
We arrived late in Maun but we had sent them a previous email to ask for the tour as we only had the following day to go on the safari.
They had already prebooked us even though they had no chance to speak with us. They even came to see USA late that evening to explain us the activity.
They picked us up early next morning as scheduled and the whole day was exactly as they had described.
Lesego drove us to the villlage where we got on the boat with Geez our guide on the boat. We explored the delta with him and the experience was memorable!
Snacks and lunch provided were great.
Would definitely recommend this Safari and would do it again!
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
A little disappointing.
The weather was very nice. Wildlife not as abundant as I expected but then it was the dry season. MY accommodations were NOT what I paid to have---I paid for a mid-range tented lodge and ended up in a tent on the ground and shorted one day stay in the Serengeti. MY agent took the money I paid (in advance) and did not make any hotel arrangements, no one day hike on Kilimanjaro nor did he provide any arrangements for the 2 day stay in Kenya for Amboseli National Park or the Park fees in Tanzania National Parks (3). This is at least $1,000 loss and time wasted. I actually had to spend a day filing a police report on [email protected] Nagol. This site needs to be shut down to prevent this scum from hurting other travelers and ruining the safari business in Tanzania. Most of the people were extremely nice in trying to help sort all of this out for me and make sure I saw what I came to see. I was in a group of 6 but it was a little stressful as the guide/driver never knew what to do with me. Please DO NOT advertise for this site. He is a crook
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Mr.Tickner is an incredibly knowledgeable tour operator with an unparalleled dedication to wildlife.
After many family discussions, my wife and I settled on an African Safari to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary. We also decided that the entire family of 12 ranging in age from 8 to 75 would be going on the once in a lifetime adventure. In order to sort through the overwhelming number of options, we used Safari Bookings and their reviews almost exclusively. After many emails and phone calls with potential tour operators with very high reviews, we settled on Paul Tickner. What a perfect choice! Paul tailored a safari that matched precisely with our expectations. We stayed at Kiba Point in Selous Game Preserve and Ikuku in Ruaha National Park, Tanzania. In both cases the facilities exactly matched our family of 12 and the staff , tours, guides, and facilities were all superb. Paul kept us incredibly well informed and answered our questions without hesitation during the planning process. We all have nothing but superlatives to describe Paul Tickner Safaris. It was an adventure of a lifetime we will not forget.
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great memory for our whole family!
Our family of four went on a 10-day safari late June - early July and it was a wonderful experience. Our guide is Benson and we could not have asked for a better guide. Benson is very knowledgeable about wildlife, added so much to our experience with stories and anecdotes to help us to understand what we saw, always informative and often hilarious. During the trip, my husband was unwell (for reasons unrelated to the trip) for a few days. Benson, supported by Mr. Otieno, helped us every possible way. Despite the unexpected difficulties, we still had a wonderful trip. Our sons rated this trip the best of all their trips so far!!! Thank you Benson and thank you Mr. Otieno!!!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Holiday in Zanzibar
I traveled to Zanzibar from Nairobi with my family and the experience was unforgettable. Roaming Africa booked flights for us as well as accommodations in one of the best five-star hotels. They kept checking on us and made sure our visit was totally worth it. We were also chauffered in a comfortable van as we toured the coastal city. Next time I want a trip out of Kenya, I'll definitely look for these tour operators.
IE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
We had an excellent 5day safari experience with Karibu Safaris.
We had a really terrific tour guide, Arony. He was very friendly, helpful and an expert in the safari world. He made us feel safe and had an abundance of local and animal knowledge to share. We would highly recommend him as a tour guide. The company were very efficient in answering all our questions and were very responsive and accommodating. The safari exceeded our expectations and was great value.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Tailormade Africa perfectly crafted every single amazing detail of our return trip to Botswana!
We trust, respect and adore our friend Clyde Beatty, co-founder of Tailormade Africa! We first worked with Clyde several years ago when he was part of another safari business. When we discovered by accident that Clyde now has his own company, we immediately contacted him and asked if he would help us plan our long-awaited return to Botswana. Through email and pre-planned early morning Seattle-to-UK phone chats, Clyde both patiently asked us a lot of questions about where we wanted to go and what we were looking for in our trip AND (because he had spent the time to get to know us well) suggested visiting a different part of Botswana. It turned out to be the perfect combination of familiar and exciting! We revisited the Okavango Delta and Linyanti regions AND experienced the picturesque Tuli Block for the first time! In fact, the Tuli Block lodge Clyde recommended was our favorite! Except for our international flights, Clyde arranged every single detail of our trip, and every single detail was perfection. How often can one say that these days, especially about something as complex as international travel? As middle-aged travelers, we were very happy that there was no drama and no glitches - we were absolutely free to enjoy being in Africa without having to worry about day-to-day travel plans.
The tour that Tailormade Africa planned for us included thoughtful details and had a great rhythm to it - exhilarating, but not overwhelming. For example:
- Clyde suggested a one-night stay in J'burg between arriving in Africa and starting the safari that was extremely helpful in shaking off jet lag.
- We couldn't stay at Kwara in the delta (where we'd stayed in 2010) because it was closed for remodeling, but got to visit Little Kwara instead.
- We were astonished at the beauty of Lagoon camp.
- We had a comfortable one-night stopover in Maun at peaceful Thamalakane Lodge north of town where my husband could go online and check in with his work.
- And, as he has done in the past, Clyde arranged for our most comfortable lodge to be the last one in the safari: Mashatu Game Reserve.
Traveling as a couple, we were able to meet other like-minded people on our game drives and at meals. We were treated like family by all camp and lodge staff; I really miss them, particularly our exceptional guides and trackers, who put up with all our questions! The food included vegetarian options and was delicious. Compared to 2010, we experienced more African cuisine choices at the buffets and we loved seeing that! And we always had the time frame of about noon to three each day to relax, regroup, write, nap, and/or shower between morning and afternoon/evening game drives.
As two biologists, the game drives were the highlights of our trip. We loved every sighting: the tiniest flowers to baobabs and mashatu trees; dung beetle balls to a coalition of two male cheetahs making a kill! We were most surprised by the number of baby animals we got to see! For instance: African wild dogs and their pups; leopards and their cubs; elephants and their calves; spotted hyenas and their cubs; and lions and their cubs. ANY of those ALONE would have been wonderful, but to experience all of them was unimaginably rewarding.
We've been home for 48 hours now, but all we can think about is... when can we go to Africa AGAIN? God willing, our health will hold out so that we can return, and when we do, it will be with Tailormade Africa!