US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Bucket List Trip
I have dreamed of going on an African Safari for most of my life. Fortunately, I was able to travel to Kenya and Zanzibar this Spring with my beautiful daughter. We selected Odyssey Safaris for our adventure and are happy we did. Our travel coordinator Beatrice covered all the details and kept us well informed. Our guides Jackson and Stephen were terrific. Whether it was in Amboseli National Park, Lake Naivasha or the Masai Mara Game Reserve, they knew exactly the right locations to catch sight of the magnificent wildlife. I am thrilled to say we saw all of The Big Five...elephants, rhinos, cape buffalo, lions and leopards among so many others. Our accommodations were all first rate, my favorite being the Ashnil Tented Camp. Our "room" looked like something from a Hollywood movie! The added touch of a welcoming hot water bottle on the bed after a long day was just splendid. The buffet meals at all the hotels were plentiful and delicious (though I did not care so much for the two or three boxed lunches). Staff were friendly and accommodating. Our side trips to a Masai Village (loved the singing, dancing and handcrafted bead jewelry) and hiking on Crescent Island (up close and personal with giraffe, zebra and other animals) were also highlights. We extended our trip for a three day visit to the beautiful Tanzanian Island of Zanzibar where we visited the UNESCO World Heritage site, Stonetown, the birthplace of Queen's Freddy Mercury and an incredible organic spice farm. Our hotel, the Blue Bay Beach Resort served a delicious fresh fish dinner on the beach by the Indian Ocean. Just terrific. Overall, this was a trip of a lifetime and I highly recommend Odyssey Safaris.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A tour to be remembered!!!
It was our first time in Africa and therefore we were a bit nervous at the beginning not knowing how things are organized there. John already gave his very best before our arrival to ease our tension answering lots and lots of mails and providing us with all the necessary information. This gave us a good feeling.
As soon as we arrived in Nairobi everything went absolutely smoothly. John welcomed us personally and took care of everything. From then onwards our driver Kennedy took over and showed us the beauty of Kenyan wildlife! We were not only able to see the Big Five, but also witness hunting lions and a leopard. It was absolutely amazing and Kennedy was eager not to miss a single moment. Thanks very much for that!!
Coming back to Nairobi we were once again picked up by John who gave his very best to squeeze in Carnivore Restaurant in order to make our flight back home on time.
Thanks very much for this wonderful holiday - it really is a tour to be remembered!!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Memorable
I recently travelled with Gilmag Safaris as a solo traveller. I visited Tarangire, Ngorongoro and Serengeti. My experience with Gilmag exceeded my expectations. I was impressed by the way my inquiries were handled; timely and on point. My guide, Musa was the best. He made sure my safari was the most memorable. I can confidently recommend this company to any safari enthusiast. I will be back again. Asante sana for the lovely safari.
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very down to earth and helpful with aa thorough knowledge of product.
Have used this Company 3 times now and found them very easy to deal with. They offer a very competitive price backed up by a sound knowledge of the product. Staff member I dealt with was very friendly, approachable and helpful. We were booking holiday through the Company with friends from US, and any small problems with correspondence, exchange rates etc were dealt with with a minimum of fuss. Communication was very easy either by Email or phone. Have no complaints with the Company and would use them again and recommend them to anybody.
AE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Trip of a lifetime
Everything about the trip was perfect.
From start to finish the trip was exactly what we wanted from our honeymoon. The organisation was seamless in a country that can often frustrate even the most patient. Our guide Kirunda was excellent - friendly and knowledgeable, but allowed us our space when needed.
The tour exceeded our expectations and we couldn't recommend Uganda and Buffalo Safari Camps highly enough.
ES
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent Safari Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru and Amboseli Park with TAZAMA Africa Holidays.
We just got back from our safari 5 days and 4 nights in the parks of Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru and Amboseli Park and I have only words of thanks to Antony.
At all times the communication was fast and easy, since we started mails with our requests for a completely personalized and private safari.
We had very high expectations and actually have met, I can say that Antony keeps his word and is a very good driver, skilled and courteous at all times, knowledgeable about safaris, always attentive to the station and his own instinct to locate and view the big five.
He mades it very pleasant at all times car journeys between parks, consistent with our requests and needs.
TAZAMA Africa Holidays is a newly established company and his owner Antony is enough for their guests to make them happy and can fully enjoy the experience.
I definitely recommend TAZAMA Africa Holidays to everyone who wants to make an excellent safari, we will repeat again without hesitation.
Antony Thanks for your great work, see you soon.
AE
Botswana was wonderful & would not have been possible without help of Journeys Discovering Africa
Everything was well organised and well communicated. So much so we need to reconsider our definition of 'African timing'.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
This is a trip of a lifetime
We wanted the maximum safari during the migration. There are a lot of tour company's to pick from but earthlife had the best reviews that I could find. Now I know why. They went out of there way to do what we wanted and see the most we could see. The tent camps were something everybody should experience. Herman was our guide and I would recommend him as his knowledge of where to find the animals and where they might be going was right on most of the time. This was truly a 5 star rated company right from making the reservations to making sure that everything is just like you want it.
ES
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic!!
It has been a very beautiful experience. Private Safari for Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru and Amboseli Park. Tazama Africa is a highly recommended company. Especially Antony.
He took us the last day in Nairobi to various places (giraffe center, elephant orphanage, Karen house, pearl factory and even we went to eat at the Carnivore restaurant). He is a very nice and accommodating person. Tazama Africa deserves a 5 !!
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trustworthy and responsible booking company
Communications were efficient and excellent. We always received very speedy replies and confirmation of any further information we sent. Regarding our service, I think we got a little spoiled by our last international tour company who handled all of our Visa requirements before our arrival. With Hallmark, however, we had to handle them all on our own. My ideal set up would have been for our itinerary to include the Visa requirements, types of Visa needed (single journey vs. multiple journey in Kenya), and prices that would let us know the amount of USD we would require. We had brought cash for tips and more than 60% of that cash was quickly used in Visas. We appreciated that our guides took us to ATMs in each country to help us bridge our spending, but it was a general point of concern and stress. Additionally, we had counted on being able to use credit cards at the hotels. We wish we had been informed ahead of time that credit cards were not accepted in Tanzania- requiring more cash. After spending so much on our trip, we just felt like there were too many pricey unexpected expenditures and we could have been better prepared by Hallmark. Our guides were good- some are just drivers but we had two guys who acted more like guides and were knowledgeable about the animals. Many of the roads (even main highways and thoroughfares) are not paved, especially in Tanzania. We were much more comfortable in the Land Cruisers than in the Toyota vans, but apparently the land cruisers are more expensive. Most of our lodging was as expected, except for the AA Lodge that was not as nice as we had hoped. However, it was near the Amboseli park and the animals were worth it.
As for our safaris, we feel so blessed to see everything we wanted, including the Top 5 and the Wildebeests migration. We could not have asked for a better safari!
My only other small complaint was being treated to a local restaurant that did not cater to tourists- although we appreciated the attempt to seek a local experience, within 24hours, both my husband and I were ill and required using our emergency antibiotics to recover. That was a bit of a damper on our vacation and honeymoon!