20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Outstanding Honeymoon Safari - Uganda
My husband and I travelled to Uganda for our honeymoon in September 2018. Our tour was set up with Vivid Safari. Mariam (the owner) was extremely professional and understood exactly what we wanted from our trip, ensuring we made the most of our time in Uganda. We would highly recommend our driver and tour guide Hannington - he was extremely informative whilst on our game drives, spoke excellent English and we managed to see lions, leopards, elephants, giraffes, rhinos, buffaloes (various types), hippos, antelopes (various types) and a wide range of birds including the national bird of Uganda. We also went Chimpanzee and Gorilla trekking which was incredible. Hannington is very well respected amongst the tour guides in Uganda and due to his extensive network we were able to see even the rarest of animals. Vivid Safaris had informed all our lodges prior to our stay that it was our honeymoon and each place had arranged a wonderful surprise - cakes and even a private candlelit dinner outside our room. The food and all the accommodation Vivid Safari arranged was of the highest standards. Hannington made sure we were happy throughout our stay and went above and beyond for us. We couldn't have asked for a better tour company in Vivid Safaris or for a better tour guide in Hannington. We will be recommending Vivid to all our family and friends. In addition, in Hannington we found a tour guide for life and with Vivid offering tours in Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda we will be sure to book again to guarantee a fantastic, well organised and spectacular holiday! If you are thinking of a safari in Africa, I would recommend booking directly with Vivid Safaris, the team is the best and they really do take care of you in every way possible. You will not regret it.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Best Adventure Safari.
I did two days of private safari in Mikumi National park and I was very satisfied. I saw all the big five but the leopard. El who is my guide was quick in getting in finding the animals and a good spot for viewing. Trust me, it gets so crowded and because most of us are doing this probaly once in our lifetime, you wanna have the best vantage view point- El is good in finding those spots. Another thing that I want to mention is how they had treated me as a member of their family. They drove me from Morogoro to Dar es salaam (about 4.5 hours) and helped me find a hotel. They also stayed with me and helped in Boating issue From Dar es salaam to Zanzibar. To me, that is a good value you should be looking when choosing for a tour guide- one that really takes care of it's client. Best Adventure ever!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A Family Safari Adventure.
I had a family safari, with my wife and two young teenagers. It was great fun and everything we hoped. I worked closely with Martha over the internet to organise the details. I found her very reliable and willing to get back to me quickly and to help me clarify details of the itinerary. I was able to specify the types of accomodation and vehicle and food requirements. She sent me links to websites etc so i knew we were talking about the same things. Our safari was amazing for seeing the animals, experiencing the Masai Boma and the Hadzabe tribe at Lake Eyasi. We visited the Manyara, Trangire, Serengeti and Ngorongoro crater over eight days. Our driver, 'Good Luck', was happy, friendly and a very safe driver. He helped us with what to expect during the visits to different places. He was great on the game drives at finding out what animals were around and got us into good spots to see them up close. Our 13 year old son especially enjoyed laughing and joking with him. Experiencing Africa any time is pretty full on, Martha and 'Good Luck' helped us do it comfortably and confidently. Thanks Guys!
CA
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic bucket list adventure!
We found Makaska through another couple who had toured with them. We found them fast, reliable and efficient in responding. They understood our needs re: the safari and it met all our wishes. Fredrick our tour guide was excellent. He was very passionate about his wildlife and was willing to share all his knowledge. His driving skills were superb, as well as safety concerns at all times. He was not one to go off reading as some guides did. His main trait was his wonderful personality. We were able to share lots of stories and laughter. We highly recommend Makasa and Frederick as your guide.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A wonderful adventure excellently arranged by Ines
We just returned from our adventure in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana . The hotels and guesthouses were wonderful. The safari in Botswana was better than we imagined with unbelievable service at every establishment. Everything Ines helped us plan went like clockwork. We have already given her name to two of our friends and we are looking forward to working with her on our next adventure. Thanks for the great job.
IN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Speechless
Everything deserves 100 on 100. The people were great. And the Safari in Masai Maara is must do for anyone
KG
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing!
We went to Selous Game reserve in september! It was an amazing, we lived in Lake Manyara camp! We saf almost all animals what we could see, exept leopard. Unfortunately they are very shy animals.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A great tour Company that greatly values their clients!
Had a fabulous time with Jackpot Safari!Our trip was great and hassle free!Jackpot Safari provided great guides who helped make our ascend up mount Meru less challenging and more enjoyable!
SE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fun Filled Adventure in Uganda
We didn't know exactly what we wanted from a safari, having never done anything like this before, but Wilson helped to put together an itinerary that worked perfectly and fulfilled all of our requirements.Â
Thanks to our drivers (Kasim) expert knowledge and the good planning we saw all of the big 5 on numerous occasions as well as a huge selection of other wildlife. A fantastic mix of tented camps and lodges were selected by Wilson, all of which exceeded our expectations, with fantastic service and luxury.Â
All in all an unforgettable 7 Day Safari to Murchison Falls, Queen Elizabeth, Bwindi Impenetrable and Kibale National Park, I would recommend Saso Uganda Safaris to anyone!
CA
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
OK Tour for money paid but proper organization and attention to detail will help!!
This is a review of the 12 day Kenya / Tanzania Safari that 12 of us (Private Tour) undertook from 12 – 23 September, 2018 organized through Seth Vincent, Director Trip Advisor Africa Safaris, Nairobi.
The Nairobi airport pick up and transfer to hotel went off well and the Sarova Stanley Hotel that was booked for that night as per itinerary was great.
As per the itinerary day 1, the tour of Nairobi commenced at 9:00 am on 12 September. At the outset Seth introduced us to a 13th person (not known to any one of us in our group of 12) who was going to join our tour group. This was a complete surprise to us and none of us were happy about it. We questioned Seth why this was sprung upon us and he was quiet. Although this was not acceptable to us, based on the compassionate nature of our group we had no objection and the group became 13. On hindsight, we should not have allowed this and stuck to our position of only our 12 as this extra person in the vehicle led to great inconvenience with seating/viewing.
Seth/Trip Africa Safaris must ensure private tours remain private and limited to the people in the original group – no additions whatsoever, without prior written approval by the group.
While out on the Nairobi tour, we quickly realized the detailed itinerary as given to us by Seth was not realistic. Moreover, the drivers/guides were completely unaware of the contents of the itinerary. They had their own plans which made more sense than the given itinerary. Seth/Trip Africa Safaris must ensure the itinerary submitted to clients is realistic and correct AND it is copied to the driver/guide so that everyone is on the same page. Evening ended with a great welcome dinner to our group at the Carnivore as given in the itinerary.
Day 2 – Drive times given in itinerary were wrong but the drive from Nairobi – Nakuru through Great Rift Valley, game drive in Lake Nakuru National Park, and Sarova Lion Hill – Nakuru overnight hotel part were as given in itinerary. A problem we encountered was the hotel not having individual bookings in the names of persons in our group and the additional person. This led to confusion and delays checking in. Seth/Trip Advisor Africa must ensure hotel reservations are made in individual/couple/family name with individual reservation confirmation numbers, which can be confirmed by the clientele even before arriving in Kenya/Tanzania etc.
Day 3, 4, 5- Lake Naivasha, Masai Mara good but previously mentioned hotel check in problem existed at Azure Mara Haven.
Day 6, 7 - Drive to Tanzania Serengeti through Isebania border. Transfer to Tanzania vehicles/s driver/guide OK. Hotel check in problematic once again at Serengeti Serena on day 6. Major problem in checking out on day 7 as tour operator had not paid the hotel bill in full. This is completely unacceptable and must not happen.
Seth/Trip Advisor Africa must take full responsibility for ALL arrangements both in Kenya and Tanzania side as our group agreement is only with Seth. As a client we have no involvement with any sub agents.
Day 8, 9 – deviations from the given itinerary started to be made due to the bad/lack of planning of the Tanzanian sub agent who it appeared had not made any firm bookings for our group in Ngorongoro, and Tarangire. We were sent to Serena Manyara instead of Serena Ngorongoro, and Impala Hotel, Arusha instead of Sopa Lodge -Tarangire, which is a major downgrade of hotel not at all acceptable to the group. We were kept in the dark as to where we were staying until late evening and it was extremely disappointing particularly with the drivers/guides working in collusion with the Tour Agent/s. Game drives were shortened and varied from those given in itinerary. These changes are all unacceptable to clients such as our group who paid all the money that was asked up front well before the due date.
Seth/Trip Advisor Africa must take full responsibility for the inconvenience, peace of mind, etc.
Day 10, 11 – Transfer at Namanga OK and overnight at Sopa Lodge – Amboseli as given in itinerary. Game drives ok but changes to lunch arrangements by drivers unacceptable ( got boxed lunches from Sopa instead of Hot Lunch at Amboseli Serena as given in itinerary).
Day 12 – Back to Nairobi and farewell dinner at Thai Restaurant – Sarova Stanley Hotel as requested by group was good.
A good thing about this tour was that we saw loads of animals at very close quarters. This I believe is partly luck and to the efforts of the drivers/guides Ken and Jacob in Kenya AND Ben and Ziggy in Tanzania , although the latter two were partly responsible in working with their Tanzanian Boss to keep us in the dark on change of hotels. The arrangements on the Kenya side seem to be more in lines with the itinerary and OK but the same cannot be said on the Tanzania side.
I am satisfied with the tour but Seth/Trip Advisor Africa will have to improve tremendously if we are to actively recommend them. They are disorganized and needs to put a lot of effort up front to have realistic itineraries, vehicle details (A/C or Non A/C) and firm/confirmed individual hotel bookings with reference numbers available to client before coming over to Africa. Also, Seth must keep to his words when verbal promises are made to clients on site. That would go a long way in building trust and recommending Trip Advisor Africa as a reliable entity.
Chris - Canada