US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trustworthy, timely, and helpful experience with Ute!
Ute was a wonderful consultant. I would highly recommend her to anyone looking to book a trip with accommodations, transfers, and safaris in South Africa. Everything in our itinerary was smooth, timely, and as expected. We chose the Blyde River Canyon / Panorama Route / Kruger National Park itinerary for 6 days and 5 nights. Ute responded to emails quickly and was very helpful and kind.
The only thing I did not enjoy was that I was booked for two days at the first lodge (Blyde River Canyon) but there were no planned activities. This is usually not a big deal however we did not rent a car, instead relied on planned transfers between locations, so not having a car at this particular lodge was a disadvantage as we could not leave the property to go on activities as nothing was within walking distance (I later learned that other lodges such as the Forever Resort had hikes and sight-seeing within walking distance). When I relayed this to the lodge's manager she seemed surprised that we didn't have a vehicle and made it seem as if we should have known better. She did end up helping us arrange some activities but it seemed like such a hassle to her to help her lodge clients. The service in general at Blyde River Canyon Lodge felt stiff and forced. I would not recommend that particular lodge again (Blyde River Canyon). We also went on the Panorama Tour with a great guide and it was peaceful way to see South Africa's gorgeous scenery. Our second lodge was so much better - Chestnut Country Lodge in Hazyview. It was worlds different than our first lodge. The hospitality was top notch, the managers/staff were so helpful and welcoming, and the food and service were definitely 5 stars! We greatly enjoyed our two day game drive in Kruger Park as well as the Elephant Sanctuary on the last day.
Scenic zero big 5
Beautiful but a complete lack of animals in the Big 5 section...not even common animals.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
it was awesome
communication was understable and services were good.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Mussa and the Elephants - The perfect adventure!
I absolutely agree with all the other comments and reviews. Mussa seemed to intuitively understand what each of us wanted from our adventure and made sure we experienced it. That was quite amazing, as each of us had differences expectations of what we wanted to experience on our "trip of a lifetime."
He was smart, lovely, sensitive, interesting and untiring in meeting our demands and needs. A perfect guide.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect Experience
Absolutely perfect! The best trip we’ve experienced. Simon, our guide, was a gem possessing an outstanding blend of knowledge and personality. The accommodations were comfortable with nice rooms. Chef John provided impressive culinary experiences and was extremely talented in preparing traditional South African dishes accompanied with historical background of the meals. Overall, great culinary experience.
Thank you, Simon. You're the greatest! All together it was a remarkably unforgettable experience - very friendly staff and excellent game drives. We would definitely book again. A perfect stay and safari experience!
AE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
fantastic
We enjoyed a 4 days safari in Lake Manyara, Serengeti and Ngorongoro.
All of the lodges and camps were special and amazing.
The knowledge of our guide Mark was excellent, therefore we learned
a lot about animals, culture and history from him. Although he had the
eyes of an eagle, so we saw many many animals, which we did not
expect.
Thank you Mark and thank you Rachel for the outstanding organisation
of the excellent safari!
NG
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fun (and quick) trip to the Serengeti
Had a great time. In retrospect, we made the right decision to stay near Arusha on our first night, given that we didn't arrive until after midnight - so kids were burned out! This led to a nice relaxing Sunday. If I were to change it, I would have toured Arusha National Park in the afternoon, specifically with more focus to learning about Mt. Meru, and just enjoying the area. As it was, we had a nice visit to a lake just south of Arusha, but involved a lot more driving. Arusha itself was ok, but not a lot to do on Sunday as most everything was closed.
Our tour guide (Nelson) was very good as well. Patient. No complaints about him over the entire course of the journey. Drove well, knew where to find everything, very professional. Great with the kids.
In terms of itinerary:
We would recommend maximizing the time in the Ngorogoro crater, and so cut out everything that limits time there. For us, this meant that we wish we had avoided a 45-min side-trip to a Masaii village on the way to the crater, or at least deferred it until the way back. The crater is a very special place, even the time spent on the crater rim is cool. Btw - the camp at the crater was incredible. Great decision.
Seregenti was fine: majestic views and wide open grasslands. We had incredible animal sightings - especially the proximity that you can get to these fella's (but still, bring a zoom lens). Our two camps were VERY nice, and matched our style very well. The safari days are long (all day) vs. the safari's we have done in South Africa (a morning and an afternoon), but that was ok as long as we stopped for bathroom breaks. In the end, we think we learned that we prefer the "2-per-day" safari style common in Kruger.
Kilimanjaro was an absolute highlight. It was great to spend the last day there and tour the area, and gave some good ideas about the next trip to the region (to climb it!). We met up with a guide who toured us through the village, and the Hotel accomodation was ok (weird, with the concrete architecture...very vogue-ish.
Our departure day was EARLY!! We were about 60-min from the airport, and so we had a 3am alarm bell to get to the airplane for our flight to Nairobi. At least the airport had a coffee shop. Not sure if options to stay closer to the airport were available, but it would have meant we had missed Kilimanjaro...which would be disappointing.
So, in summary:
- Good that we stayed the first night near Arusha, since we didn't arrive until LATE
- Would have skipped the Masaii village. Or at least deferred it to the end of the tour
- Serengeti was cool. The tent-camps were fantastic >> lots of animal sounds all throughout, and great food/drink
- Kilimanjaro is incredible.
Hope that helps,
NL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A safari even better than we hoped it would be!
We have made an unforgettable journey to Drakensberg and the Elephant Coast (South-Africa) with Trailor Made Safaris. We were really happy and satisfied with the support from Tailor Made Safaris in planning and designing our holidays. We used their good suggestions and tips where to go and what to do.
The package we received in advance (with cellphone, roadmap, gps etc) was very useful and the personal travel book contained a lot of information and advices. That made us even more eager to go.
All accommodations and their staff were really good, from B&B and tent to more luxurous lodges. The rangers at the game drives were very kind and knowledgable.
The personal care of the Tailor Made Safaris Team during the trip was fantastic. We are looking back to a wonderful experience with great sightings and we have met a lot of nice people.
South-Africa stole our hearts!
KW
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Excellent
This is our second time booking with Roho Ya Chui and there is a reason why we came back... just excellent.
FR
under20 years of age | Experience level: first safari
amazing breathtaking experience
The safari tour was absolutely amazing, had no idea that we were going to get so close to the animals and see more than the big five. Our guides were super friendly and had so much knowledge about Kenya. Would definitely recommend!